Bali Art & Nature

It is Day 2 of our 3-generation of women/girls' trip to Bali. The sky was overcast which made the day cooler for us but I was worried about rain/ thunderstorm. We were very lucky that it didn't rain at all despite the overcast sky throughout the day. 

We had our buffet breakfast at the restaurant at 8am and most tables were Westerners except for one - Japanese. We were the only other Asian table. Guess Desamuda Village is more popular with Westerers lol. The buffet spread was quite limited but the Egg station was good. At 9am, we set off for our day trip with our driver and guide, Susila. 

First stop was the Ubud Art Villages of batik weaving, gold and silver, and woodcarving. The processes of making batik, silver and woodcarving were explained at the respective villages. We didn't buy anything from the villages as we felt they were much too commercialised and expensive. 

My mother and the girls at the silversmith village

Our monkey found her monkey friend lol

Second stop was Ubud Royal Palace and Ubud Market. We took a quick look around the palace before crossing the road to the Ubud Market. My mother bought a few pieces of batik and the girls bought souvenirs for their classmates. It was such a chore bargaining. :S Both my mother and I were really bad at it and we thought our father should be here instead. He is the bargain king in the family lol. I didn't get anything and I felt so empty lol :P 

Ubud Royal Palace

Ubud Royal Palace

Ubud Market - stall selling wood carvings

Pretty wooden plates at Ubud Market

Art pieces at Ubud Market

Third stop was Mount Batur and Lake Batur. We had our buffet lunch (pretty late at 2pm) at Suling Bali, Mt Batur. The restaurant faced Mt Batur which was pretty cool and the climate was also much cooler on Mt Batur. The buffet spread was not extensive or fantastic but served its purpose in filling hungry stomachs.  However, as it was overcast, Mt Batur and Lake Batur were not very clear. :( 

Lake Batur

Mt Batur and Lake Batur 

Us with Lake Batur in the background

Fourth stop was Alam Bali, a coffee plantation. The girls were both excited and disgusted to know how coffee luwak was produced lol. We were given a sampler of the different teas and coffee to taste and we were enticed to buy a 500g pack of lemon tea by its delicious taste from the shop lol. 

The making of coffee luwak

The sampler (from left to right) - cocoa, coffee ginseng, ginger tea, lemon tea and bali coffee

Marieann and I outside the shop (see the big bag of lemon tea in my hand?! lol) 

Fifth stop was Tegallalang Rice Terrace. The girls were amazed to see and know how rice is grown. I am really glad that the girls are learning new knowledge on this Bali trip. :) 

Sixth stop was our crispy duck dinner at Laka Leke. I wanted to try this restaurant which had quite a high rating on Tripadvisor. We arrived at the restaurant at 5.30pm. As we only had lunch at 2+pm, we ordered just two dishes to share. We shared a Famous Crispy Duck (IDR 83,500), a Spaghetti A La Funghi (IDR 45,000) and a Tom Yum Kun (IDR 43,500). The duck was really delicious, I thought it was better than Dirty Duck's lol. We took a couple of photos at the lovely green rice terrace which were in the restaurant's backyard. :)  

At the entrance of Laka Leke

At 6.30pm, our drive and guide sent us back to Seminyak which was 1.5 hours journey from Ubud. We arrived back at Desamuda Village at 8pm. We had a long tiring day and were really glad to be home lol. Tomorrow is another day, full of fun for the girls I hope lol. 

Bali, We are On The Way/ We are Already There!

Updated 10 June, 10.27pm

When you read this post, my mother, my girls and I are either on our way to Bali or already in Bali, depending on what time you read this post lol. Our flight to Bali is at 10.35am and we would arrive in Bali around 1.30pm. By the time we are settled in our villa accommodation, it should be 3pm+. We were all awake by 7am. We got to the airport around 8.20am and by 8.45am, we were through customs and had our breakfast. :) Our boarding time is at 10.05am which leaves us with lots of time to shop/browse around lol.

Our flight was delayed in taking off, only at 11.05am. :( But we managed to get into Bali only 5 minutes later than ETA 1.30pm! Going through customs was a breeze and our airport transfer was there waiting for us at the arrival hall. We arrived at Desamuda Village where we would be staying for the next few days around 2.30pm. Unfortunately our 2-bedroom pool villa was not ready yet so they gave us a 1-bedroom deluxe pool villa to rest while they prepared our villa. I managed to get a nap lol. :P By 4pm, we moved into our villa. :)

Grandmother and grandkids at reception lobby

Grandmother and grandkids resting in big, cosy bed at the temp villa

Juliane at the entrance to Reception and the in-house restaurant, The Rice Table

The first pool, near the reception and the restaurant

One of the resident cats at Desamuda Village (the kids were thrilled!)

The entrance of our 2-bedroom pool villa (yes it is two storey too lol)

The open concept dining area from the entrance (night view)

The living room on the ground floor (night view) (door to dining area on the left hand side, not seen in photo)

The master bedroom (night view, entrance from living room on the left hand side, not seen in photo)

The master bedroom bathroom I (day view)

The master bedroom bathroom II (day view)

The second bedroom upstairs (day view)

The seating area and dresser of second bedroom (day view)

The semi-open bathroom of second bedroom I (night view, can see the stars when showering!!) Lol

The semi-open bathroom of second bedroom II (night view)

The pool!! (the kids have been dying to swim in it lol)

At 4+pm, we ventured out to get a late lunch/ early dinner. Having done some research before going to Bali, I brought my mother and my girls to Made's Warung which was only a 5-10 minutes walk away. However, we only arrived half an hour later because my mother got side-tracked by the lovely shops along the way lol. :P I ordered a Nasi Campur (IDR 40,000), my mother a Curried Crab (IDR 68,000), Julaine a Sate Chicken (IDR 35,000) and Marieann a Spaghetti Carbonara (IDR 60,000). My nasi campur was really spicy. :( My mother and the girls loved their dishes.

After dinner, we continued walking down Jalan Seminyak lol. The sun set really fast and we were deceived into thinking it was much later than it really was. When we returned to our villa, we discovered it was not even 6.30pm yet! Oh well, we should have a nice quiet evening as we would going sight-seeing for the next two days with a private guide/ driver. I will try to upload the photos if I am not too tired at the end of tomorrow lol. :)

Xbox Kinect

A good friend invited my kids over to their place play Xbox Kinect. It is really timely because I have been thinking about Xbox Kinect as a source of exercise for the kids. The kids hardly do any kind of exercise at home. Their only source of exercise is their PE lessons in school. I am very worried that they are becoming overweight, especially when they have the fat genes from their father's side of the family. :( The girls really enjoyed themselves playing with the Xbox Kinect, especially Dance Central lol. Hmm... I am seriously considering getting it but I have to make sure it will not distract the girls from their studies.

Ready for Bali?

Almost lol. We are in the midst of packing for our all-girls trip to Bali this coming Sunday. We will have one check-in luggage of 15kg and two hand-carry luggage of 10kg each. Everything should be packed by tomorrow. :)

2012

2012 represents the year we are currently in. 2012 is also the number of posts that I have posted on this blog since I started it. This post is my 2012th post. :P

Kids at Work II

Brought the kids to work again. My workplace is now relatively quiet as most researchers are on leave. :)

Glee 3: Props

Quite a touching episode about Puck and Coach Beiste. 

I Won't Give Up (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Because You Loved Me (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

Mean (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)


Flashdance What A Feeling (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

What Disney Vacation Should I Go On?

Since I am in a holiday mood, I did this Blogthing quiz and got this result. I have been to Disneyland. So what's next?

You Should Go to Disneyland

The best days of your life tend to unfold spontaneously, with no planning. You like to go with the flow. You are impulsive to the point of being a daredevil. You love to feel a big rush. There is no adventure too great or small for you. You take on every challenge. You would enjoy doing every single thing at Disneyland. The park is small enough to make all your dreams come true in one day!

What Disney Vacation Should You Go On?

Can't Wait

By this time next Sunday, my mother, my girls and I would be on a plane to Bali. It is the first time that 3 generations of women would be going on holiday together. Wonder how it is going to turn out! Lol. I am looking forward to this Bali trip because it is a belated Mother's Day present to my mother, it is a reward for Marieann for her exam results, it is a promise made to Juliane and finally, it is a gift to myself for completing my Phd. :)

Naive

A former classmate and I met up for dinner and we tried out Naive at Katong. It is a vegetarian restaurant. But I assured you, the vegetarian food is as tasty and as filling as any non-vegetarian food! We only ordered two dishes - Cheeky Monkey (monkeyhead mushroom with oats and curry leaves) and Mango tofu cake (crispy tofu with mango sauce) and a plate of olive brown rice to share. We were struggling to finish everything because the food was really filling and delicious despite being vegetarian food. Another plus point about the food - NO MSG!! :) We also ordered drinks - Shanghai Rose (cooling tea with rosehip) and Yuzu Tea with our meal. Both were really nice and not too sweet. :) 

After dinner, we had to walk around the area to digest our food lol. It is the first time that I am in the Katong area on foot. I marvelled at the number of restaurants and eateries I see all over the place in the 30 minutes' walk I had! Before we headed back home, I bought two cupcakes - LOVE and Over the Rainbow for the girls and some kueh and bak chang (rice dumpling) from Kim Choo Kueh Chang, a Peranakan restaurant. :) I must come back to Katong more often for the food! :) 

Kids At Work

As promised, I brought the girls to work. There are now four empty workstations around me and they were very glad to have a workstation each. They said they felt like an adult lol. :P They settled down in no time and started doing their homework. I am very surprised lol. They do feel very comfortable at my workplace. I will bring them back again but not everyday as I do not want my other colleagues to feel uncomfortable with the presence of children in the office.

Help's on Vacation

Our domestic help has just started her 2 weeks' vacation, back home in Philippines with her family. Everyone in the family will now have to do their share of housework. It is going to be interesting to see how the girls feel at the end of 2 weeks.

Glee 3: Prom-asaurus

A nice selection of songs for this episode. 

Big Girls Don't Cry (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Dinosaur (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


 Love You Like A Love Song (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)

What Makes You Beautiful (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

 Take My Breath Away (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)
 

Home Again

My parents are back home again after two months away in Taiwan and Xiamen. The girls were both excited and disappointed about their maternal grandparents being home again. 

Excited because their grandparents will be cooking their favourite food again. 

Disappointed because their grandparents will not stand for their misbehaviours.

But I believe their excitement is far greater than their disappointment. Lol.

All Set for Bali

We are all set for Bali. :) :)

Our flight to Bali have been booked and paid. 

Our villa accommodation in Seminyak has been booked. Although not my first choice, it is very close to restaurants and shopping. The reviews on Tripadvisor have mostly been positive and favourable. It also has a restaurant and a spa on site so that would be very convenient.

Our guide/ driver has also been booked to bring us around Bali for two days of sight-seeing and shopping. He was the same guide/ driver from my last Bali trip with my SCGS classmates.

Now I just need to decide how much cash to bring to Bali! Lol. :)

Tung Lok Seafood Buffet

We have had International, Western, Japanese buffets plenty of times. However, this is the first time we tried Chinese buffet. We ventured into Tung Lok Seafood Restaurant at Orchard Central because Marieann fancied having seafood. There are 40 dishes which we could choose from and we were allowed to order as many times as we want for 37 of those dishes. We had 10 different dishes such as crispy prawns with butter and cereal, crispy soft shell crab, steamed red tilapia with minced ginger sauce, sauteed sliced venison with black pepper sauce, crisp-fried seafood beancurd, sauteed chinese spinach with three kinds of eggs, and seafood salad with fresh fruits. There are 5 different desserts and we tried 4 of them - ice cream puff almond beancurd with longan, herbal jelly with honey, and sesame pancake with lotus seeds filling. Lol. 

Some of the dishes we ordered

We were really stuffed by the end of our dinner. We told the waitress that the serving for each dish was huge even though it is buffet. She laughed and told us that we actually ordered very little as compared to others! :P I wouldn't mind coming back here again because the food was really fresh and the price is pretty reasonable (adult: $38.80++; child: $28.80). :)

Holiday's In

Today is the last day of school and also the start of the holidays. The girls are already planning to sleep late at nights as well as go to work with me! It is definitely no go for sleeping late but can do for going to work with me. :)

I Will Be by Avril Lavigne

Been watching the trailer for Bones 7 and this song is just so perfect and fitting for the new season. :)

  I Will Be (uploaded by labdbio)

School's Out, Almost

Today is the last day of counselling for this term. The counsellees are all looking forward to the June holidays, glad to be away from school lol. Well, school's almost out. Just hang in there for two more days, Kids. Have a good rest but don't forget to revise your work, especially the P6 students. :P

Glee 3: Choke

I only liked two songs from this episode. :(

Shake It Out (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


Cry (uploaded GleeOnFox)
 

Bones 7

I am really excited that Bones Season 7 is coming back on television soon. However, I was too excited that I remembered the time of Bones 7 premiere wrongly. I thought it was tonight and was waiting since 9.30pm but nothing! It was only when I saw the trailer for Bones 7 premiere that I realised I was 1 week too early. Lol. :P I can't wait for next Monday! :)

Rainbow

Before the exams, I promised Marieann that I would let her build a bear if she passed all her papers. She did. So, as promised, I brought her to Build-A-Bear, Vivocity. She chose a teddy bear with rainbow stripes. It was a pretty interesting process - stuffing the bear with cotton, giving it a heart, brushing the bear to make it fluffy, and choosing a dress for it. Marieann named her bear, Rainbow. She is very happy to have Rainbow. :)

June Break

I have lost count of how many times we have changed the destination for our June break. It was first Canada, then Korea, then Bali, then Melbourne and now, it is back to Bali again lol. I decided I will take Marieann, Juliane and my mother to Bali since they haven't been to Bali. I enjoyed my Bali trip last year and I didn't mind going back again. It will be a treat for myself too. :) I managed to book the flights. Now I am left with the booking of the accommodation and the guide in Bali. Hope I can still get good deals at such a late stage.

E-learning Day

The girls' school designated 18 May as their e-learning day so both girls didn't need to attend school. Last night, I helped the girls to print out their instructions for the different subjects. In the morning, I was busy helping them to print out the resources needed to do their online tasks as the school only uploaded those on 18 May itself. I guess it is to prevent girls from "cheating" -- doing their work earlier than 18 May lol. 

The girls enjoyed working on their online tasks because they could get immediate feedback about their work and more importantly, they are not confined within the classroom! :)

Celebration

My RAs took me out to lunch to celebrate me getting my PhD. :) They have always been very supportive and encouraging when I was working on my PhD. We went to our all-time favourite haunt, Swensen's! Haha. We tried to control ourselves this time by NOT ordering sides which came free with our mains. However, we couldn't resist ordering the free drinks and of all things, we ordered malted milk shake!! We were so full by the time we were done with our mains. During lunch, we caught up with what's happening with each other and there were lots of laughter. The highlight of lunch was the Earthquake ice cream (8 scoops of ice cream). :P No matter how full we were, we had to have the Earthquake lol. :P After lunch, I was presented with a certificate. It is really funny. See the photo. :) 

One Thing by One Direction

My girls are currently crazy over this song, One Thing by One Direction. 

One Thing (uploaded by OneDirectionVEVO)

They have listened to it so often that its chorus "So get out, get out, get out of my head" is stuck in my head. Now I need the song to get out of my head! :P

Glee 3: Dance with Somebody

I grew up listening to Whitney Houston's songs. :) Rest in Peace, Whitney.

How Will I Know (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

Dance with Somebody (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

Saving All My Love for You (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

 So Emotional (uploaded by GleeOnFox)
 

It's Not Right But It's OK (uploaded by GleeOn Fox)

 I Have Nothing (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


My Love is Your Love (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Buffy and Angel

We were at 313 Somerset for some dessert after our movie on Saturday. We happened to see Harris Planerds having a sale - 2 items get 20% off, 3 items get 30% off, ..., 6 items and more 60% off. That can be quite a substantial saving, especially when graphic novels and comics are not cheap. The girls and I went into the store to have a browse. I happened to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 and Angel Season 6 comics. Pretty thrilled to see the continuation of both series in comics after the end of their tv run. :) Oh, Jess Whedon was involved in the writing of both Buffy and Angel comics too. :) I bought the collected editions volumes 1-3, 5-7 of Buffy Season 8 and collected editions volumes 1-4 of Angel Season 6. It was a huge saving! Lol. However, I am still missing Buffy Season 8 volume 4 and 8 as well as Angel Season 6 volume 5. Hopefully Planerds will restock the missing volumes. :)

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Here is Happy Mother's Day 2012 to all mothers! :)

I called my mother in Xiamen. The girls and I wished her Happy Mother's Day. The girls got their grandmother a present which they will give to her when she returns to Singapore at the end of May.
I received a hand-made card from Marieann and a drawing from Juliane. Thank you, Girls. :) What made my day too was when I overheard them telling each other, "It is Mother's Day, cannot make Mama angry today". :) But it would be even better if they can think that way every day! Lol.

The Avengers 2012

WARNING: Contains spoilers for The Avengers. DO NOT READ if you haven't watched The Avengers and intend to do so. 

As promised, I brought my girls to watch The Avengers after Marieann's exams. It was a reward for the hard work put in by Marieann for her exams. We had an early lunch at 11am before watching the 11:50am show at Lido. We decided to just go for the digital version rather than the 3D version. Armed with sweet popcorn and a drink, we watched a wonderfully exciting 143 minutes of The Avengers! Jess Whedon is a genius! I have always loved the shows that he directed such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Angel (1999-2004), and Serenity (2005). Jess Whedon's brand of humour is definitely evident throughout the movie! :) 

We absolutely loved The Avengers! After the movie, the girls and I talked about the various scenes that we loved or found funny. There were plenty! The scene where Black Widow had a phone call while being "interrogated" by Russian general, the scene where Thor unwittingly gave Ironman 400% of energy, the scene where Thor defended his brother, Loki and then changed his mind to say Loki was adopted, the scene where the Black Widow got information out of Loki without him realising, the scene where Loki pointed his spear(?) against Tony Stark's chest and nothing happened, the scene where the police questioned Capt America's authority to give orders, the scene where the Hulk threw Loki around like a ragdoll, the scene where Capt America told the Hulk to smash, the scene where the Hulk roared and woke Ironman up, just to name a few lol. :P 

We managed to see the first post credit scene where the villain, Thanos for The Avengers 2 was revealed. Unfortunately I did not see the 2nd post credit scene even though I stayed till the end of the movie. Apparently, that scene is hilarious. The digital version doesn't have the 2nd post credit scene. Wonder if the 2D and the 3D versions have it. Maybe I should watch The Avengers again in 2D and 3D! I really don't mind haha. :P 

The Avengers is a great movie, full of action and adventure as well as humour. It doesn't matter if you are not a Marvel comic fan. The Avengers is entertainment for everyone.

Marvel's The Avengers Trailer (uploaded by MARVEL)

Marvel's The Avengers Trailer 2 (uploaded by MARVEL)

First Presentation

I had my first presentation today as a PhD holder. It does feel different presenting as Dr Wong instead of Ms Wong hahaha. :P

Message

I saw this message when I checked my Facebook. :P 

"Hi mama WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO REPLY YOU SAID THAT YOU ARE GOING TO REPLY IN APRIL !!!!!!!!!OMG"

Oops! It was from Juliane lol. And it was her second message to me. I have yet to add her and Marieann to my list of friends in Facebook because I have yet to sort out my friends into appropriate groups, e.g. students, schoolmates, colleagues, etc. Soon, soon, Girls, I promise. :)

Chinese, Chinese, and more Chinese

I saw this clip on Youtube and couldn't stop laughing. The clip is made by Mike Sui, an American who is currently in China. He tried to emulate 12 different nationalities/ characters speaking Mandarin - China Chinese, White American, African American, New Yorker, African, Russian, French, Japanese, Hong Kong Chinese, Taiwanese, a gay, and a 12th person who is from National Security. 

OMG. Mike Sui is really GOOD! The accents of the different nationalities/ characters were spot-on!! If you could understand Mandarin/ Chinese, it would be even funnier. :D 

 (uploaded by statquo 112)
 

Glee 3: Saturday Night Glee-ver

Discotheques, nightclubs, "The Hustle", Studio 54, ... what an era lol.

 Disco Inferno (uploaded by GleeOnFox)
  

You Should be Dancing (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

If I Can't Have You (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

How Deep is Your Love (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Boogie Shoes (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Alex is really good! He can sing like a girl and can pass as a girl too. I thought he was Mercedes at first until I saw Mercedes standing by the side of the stage!

Twins

This evening, Juliane wanted to have fried egg with her rice. This is what she said when she cracked open the egg, "I have twins!". Huh?! When I took a look, it was an egg with double yolks! Lol.

Juliane has a Chihuahua!

Nay, it is only a soft toy, not a real dog lol. Juliane attended her friend's birthday party at Build-A-Bear. She chose to build a chihuahua instead of a teddy bear. She named it Snowy and even got it a leash so that she could "walk" it. Well, Juliane, I hope Snowy can substitute as a real pet. :P

Happy Vesak Day 2012

Happy Vesak Day. 

As this year's Vesak Day (a public holiday) falls on a Saturday, the following Monday will be an off in-lieu holiday for most people. The girls will have no school on Monday too. Extra day for Marieann to do her revision! :P

Glee 3: Big Brother

An episode featuring Blaine and his big brother, Cooper. :) Love the song "Somebody that I Used to Know" sang by the brothers. My girls' favourite too lol. 

Hungry Like a Wolf/ Rio (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

Fighter (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Up Up Up (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

I'm Still Standing (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

Somebody that I Used to Know (uploaded by GleeOnFox)

Hardbound Thesis

I handed in 3 copies of my hardbound thesis to the Graduate Studies office today, one day ahead of the deadline. I feel so relieved that it is finally done lol. :) 
Now I only have to wait for information of my graduation ceremony in late July/ early August 2012. :)
PS. I am tickled to see my thesis in hardcover. :) My girls commented that I wrote a book lol. I guess it is essentially that. :P

Meeting Up

A Finnish professor, whom I first met in 2009 at the conference our research centre organised, is back in Singapore for 2 days for a symposium. We had met up once more in 2010. I am really happy that Prof Niemi contacted me and asked to meet up. Being a full professor and an expert in her field, I am really honoured that she wants to meet up with me, a junior academic. I must have made a good impression on her lol. :P

I brought her to Food For Thought, Botanic Gardens for afternoon tea and chit-chat. She is really happy for me that I passed my Phd defense and even got me a congratulatory gift, an adorable Moomin cup! We had a lovely time chatting about my Phd, my work, my future plans and her work in Finland. An hour past really quickly. I sent her back to her accommodation at 5pm as she has to attend a dinner at 6pm organised by the director of NIE. We will definitely be keeping in touch! :)

Labour Day

It is 1 May, Labour Day. A day of rest for everyone, except for students preparing for their exams. 
Both Marieann and I were glad for the extra day to prepare for her exams. She has Math exam on Thursday 3 May and Science exam on Friday 4 May. 

Happy Birthday, Pa/ Grandpa

Today is my father's birthday. He called from Xiamen (where he and my mother are now having their break now) to chitchat with the granddaughters in the afternoon. The girls wished him "Happy Birthday". When I came home from work, the girls told me about their grandfather's birthday. Yikes, I forgot about it. I quickly called my father. Phew. Thank goodness, the girls reminded me. If not, I would probably get a scolding from my mother for forgetting. :P 

Happy Birthday, Pa/ Grandpa!!

Photo Update

Realised that the photo "My Girls and I" on my blog was really outdated. It was of the girls when they were much younger, when they were in kindergarten. I also realised that I have not been taking a lot of photos with the girls in the last year or so lol. I have now updated the photo of us. It was taken on my birthday last year - we are older definitely and hopefully, wiser lol. :P

Dinner at "English Cottage"

We had dinner at Ma Maison, Marina Bay with its English Cottage decor. It is Japanese-Western fusion cuisine. Half the family had Japanese food  - Juliane the Tonkatsu set and their father the Curry Katsu. The other half had the Western food - Marieann the Spaghetti with Seafood in Cream Sauce and I the Salmon Steak. The dishes weren't too bad but I thought the Tonkatsu was a little on the tough side. What excited the girls and I the most was the dessert - red bean with mochi and ice cream, which came in a bowl made of ice. :)

 

Glee 3: On My Way

Serious themes tonight - bullying, suicide (attempted), marriage, death (possible), ... 

Cough Syrup (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

 Stand (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)
 

 Glad You Came (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


 Fly/ I Believe I Can Fly (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

 Stronger (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


 Here's To Us (uploaded by GleeOnFox)
 

Rested

It has been a while since I have been able to rest so well and undisturbed. The last time I was ill, I had a throat infection just 3 days before my oral defense. I definitely couldn't rest then. This time round, I could rest all I want. After two days of rest, I am feeling a lot better, both physically and mentally. :)

Acute Gastroenteritis

I went to see the doctor in the morning and was diagnosed as having acute gastroenteritis. :S Remember Monday I was already feeling queasy in the stomach? Throughout Tuesday, while at work, I continued to feel uncomfortable and had stomach cramps. In the night, I had very bad diarrhoea. I was visiting the toilet non-stop from10pm+ until 3am+. I was so exhausted and weak from all the going in and out of the toilet that I wanted to just camp out in the toilet to save me from moving. :( 

The doctor gave me 2 days of sick leave. I definitely need the rest, especially after last night.

Hardcover Book Binding

I received news yesterday that I could go ahead to hard bind my thesis and submit 3 copies of it by 4 May. Now, I finally feel I am a Dr. :) 

PS. Just sent 3 copies of my thesis for hardcover binding at Queensway Shopping Centre. I can collect them on 2 May. 

Project Retreat

One of the projects that I am involved in had a retreat out of campus at the Bukit Batok Civil Service Club. It was a good change of environment for everyone to have discussions about the plans for the project. :) Buffet breakfast and lunch were provided. As I had my breakfast, I only took the lunch.

After the lunch, it was optional recreational activities, either bowling or spa treatment at the club. As my toe was still recovering, I decided to skip the recreational activities and headed home. I took a lift from a colleague home. On the way back, I complained about my stomach feeling queasy. Maybe I overdid the rice and potato. I have been on a low carb diet for quite some time now, thus, the discomfort perhaps. Hope it settles soon.

Orange Sunset

The sky was tinted orange this evening. Really lovely.

Mom's Cooking

We went to Xi Men Ding at Vivocity for dinner. I guess we must be missing my mom's cooking lol. Xi Men Ding serves Taiwanese cuisine. I was pretty excited to see some classic Taiwanese dishes on its menu. We ordered Baby Clams in Light Sauce, Grilled Fish Roe, Deep Fried Fish in Sweet & Sour Sauce, Pan-Fried Pork Liver, Wok-Fried Tofu with Meat Sauce, Radish Fried Rice, Oyster with Tofu Soup and Herbal Pork Rib Soup. For dessert, we had Egg Pudding and Almond Tofu.

The food was pretty good but I am quite sure my mother would probably disapprove of us eating at Xi Men Ding because she could cook most of the dishes we had! :P

Can I Change My Name?

That was what Juliane asked me a couple of days ago.

Juliane: I want to be called Jessica.

I: No. Juliane sounds better.

Juliane: How about Wong Hwei Ming?

I: NO! There is only one Wong Hwei Ming, and that is me. 

Juliane: Ok, when you die, I change my name to Wong Hwei Ming and I can be Dr Wong Hwei Ming. *grinning*

I: ... *totally speechless*

Semestral Examination 1

The exams are here again, the mid-year exams. Marieann had her oral exams today. I pick her up from school at 4.30pm and asked her how her orals went. To which, she replied, "Easy". 

Hmm, should I be worried? From experience, easy may not exactly be easy...

Glee 3: Heart

Here are the lovely love songs featured in this episode of Glee. 

Let Me Love You (uploaded by gleefulldii)


Home (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)
 

Stereo Hearts (uploaded by GleeOnFox)
 

LOVE (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)
 

I Will Always Love You (uploaded by GleeOnFox)
 

Cherish/ Cherish (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances) 
 

Love Shack (uploaded by GleeFullPerformances)

PAIN!

I had an accident today, just before I left for work. In my hurry to leave, I accidentally stubbed my right foot on my room door which left the door rattling away. My middle toe went numb and I quickly rubbed it without looking at my foot. As I was walking to the living room where I left my computer bag, I spied with the corner of my eye a trail of red on the floor. Why is there a bloody trail?! When I looked down at my right foot, I saw my middle toe totally covered in blood! At that point of time, I felt PAIN!! I quickly went into the bathroom to clean up. The skin covering my toe was nearly tore off and flapping around. I did something which I shouldn't have -- I tore the skin off! OUCH!! It was pain upon pain. :( I bandaged it as best as I could. Unfortunately, I didn't own any peep-toe shoes/ sandals and had to wear the most comfortable covered shoes I had - my Crocs. It was hurting like hell with every step I took. When I arrived at work, my bandage was soaked through with blood and I had to change it with the supplies from the First Aid box. During lunch, my good friend drove me out to the nearest shopping mall so that I could just buy a pair of sandals to wear and to buy first aid supplies. Thanks much, DK, I really appreciated your help. 

My toe was throbbing away in pain the entire day. I had to change the bandage twice more during the day as the wound was still bleeding away. Being pre-diabetic, I think it didn't help. :( When I arrived home in the evening, I called for the family doctor as it happened that Juliane wasn't feeling well. He took a look at my toe too and scolded me for tearing the skin off my toe. :( He said that my toe nail has actually been dislodged from the bed and has moved from its original position. But he advised me NOT to touch/ remove the nail and let it heal on its own. The main worry is infection so I had to keep applying antiseptic cream on my toe and to keep it clean and dry.

I hope my toe will heal soon! I can't stand the pain. I swear the pain is worse than labour pain! I swear I will be more careful in the future.

Day of Rest

The girls had a day of rest today because SCGS decided to reward the staff and the students for the good 'O' level results obtained for 2011 and declared today a school holiday. It was timely after the school carnival as the entire school was involved and working their hearts out on Saturday 14 April and all could do with a rest day to recoup from Saturday. 

Initially the girls wanted to follow me to office again. However, as Marieann has Chinese tuition on Monday afternoons, they had to abort their plan lol. They promised that they will follow me to office during the June holidays. We will see, Girls. :)

Catching Up

As the girls were at the carnival yesterday, it was catching up time with their homework today. It was also catching up time for me with my work and my sleep lol. I am still recovering from yesterday's carnival lol.
Too lazy to go out, we ordered pizza for lunch lol. It has been a long since we last had pizza! It was really delicious haha.

SC Cares Family Carnival 2012

SCGS had their carnival today. The official opening was at 10am but most of the stalls started as early as 8.30am. Marieann, Juliane and I arrived around 9.45am because Marieann was on duty at her class's game stall from 10am-11am.
While Marieann was on duty, Juliane and I went round to look at the other stalls. We returned just before 11am to Marieann's class stall. Juliane supported her sister's class by playing at their game stall. After her duty, Marieann decided to join her friends. Juliane and I went on our own again. We bought cakes, and jellies to bring home. I also bought a handmade purse, a SCGS mug and a SCGS souvenir. :) Marieann joined us around 1pm and we had some food and drinks. We also tried our hand at scrap booking which was really fun and therapeutic lol. :) Not to mention, we got a bit of leg rest too after being on our feet for more than three hours lol. :P
There were more food stalls at this carnival as compared to the last one which I thought was a really good idea. I managed to catch up with a couple of my SCGS ex-colleagues as well as a few of my classmates. :) We finally left for home just after 3pm. We were really exhausted but we enjoyed ourselves too.

Some of the goodies we bought and our handicraft

Filing Tax 2012

It is that time of the year again that most working adults dread... Filing of income tax. :( But I must admit, the procedures and the forms have been simplified over the years. It is much easier to file tax now compared to when I first started filing in the late 90s. :P

Glee 3: The Spanish Teacher

One sizzling HOT episode lol.

Sexy and I know it (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


Bamboleo / Hero (uploaded by gleefulldii)


La Isla Bonita (uploaded by gleefulldii)

Virus is in the Air

Out of the six counsellees I saw today, three of them are sick or recovering from throat infection. I was most wary lol. After all, I have just recovered from a throat infection less than a week ago. In case you are thinking that I might have spread my virus to them, I didn't see this group of counsellees for three weeks! So it couldn't have been me lol. :P

Tremors

I felt the tremors of the earthquake(s) in Aceh, Indonesia. I was at home in the early afternoon after my counselling. I was seated on my bed and playing my iPad when I felt this shaking and felt dizzy too. At first, I thought I was experiencing vertigo! Then I noticed my blinds were rattling slightly. It lasted for a minute or so. I realised I must have felt the tremors of an earthquake.
True enough, the earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia was reported in the 6.30pm news. I hope there is not much damage and casualties...

Work Appraisal 2012

I had my work appraisal first thing in the morning at 9am today. It went really well. :) I am really lucky that I have been able to work with one good PI after another.

Oral Exam Report

I just heard that my oral exam report is out since last week. However as the person-in-charge is on leave (5-9 April), I would only get it tomorrow. For an office that deals with tight timelines, there really should be an officer to cover duties. Quite inefficient. Sigh.

Gu Mama

My youngest nephew in UK, Yeun Zhen is able to address me! Never mind if it is "Gu Mama" instead of "Gu Ma" lol. We were communicating via Skype when my brother asked his son to address us. He was able to say "Ah Ma" (Grandmother). Unfortunately, my mother is now in Taiwan. If not, she would be overjoyed to hear it. Yeun Zhen had a bit more problem trying to say "Ah Gong" (Grandfather), he made it as far as "Ah" and gave up on "Gong" lol. :P He was able to piece "Gu Mama" together with some teaching lol. At least, it is better than "Mu Ma" (wooden horse) which my other two nephews called me when they were that young lol. :D

Kallang Leisure Park

Juliane had a birthday party at Kallang Leisure Park, 10-12pm. After sending Juliane to the venue, Marieann and I went to Coffee Bean to do our work. It was a good place to work. But after a while, it became crowded with people doing their work/ studying lol.
Rather than driving to somewhere else, we decided to have lunch at Pasta Mania, Kallang Leisure Park. There are quite a few eateries - Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and a food court. There are a couple of shops and Cold Storage too. Not a bad place. However, it is rather far from where we stay. Not sure if we will come back here again, just for food or shopping.

Good Friday Break

Had a good break on Good Friday.
1. Lazed around in the day.
2. Went out in the late afternoon to get a gift and had dinner with family.
3. Met a friend later for dinner again lol.

Short Week or Long Weekend

I only just realised that tomorrow is Good Friday! What a short week lol. Looking forward to the long weekend. :)
My girls happily announced to me that since they have no school tomorrow, they want to follow me to office tomorrow lol. Sorry, Girls, I am not going to office on a public holiday!

Glee 3 "Michael"

Another episode featuring mostly MJ songs.

Want to be Starting Something (uploaded by GLEEhighdefinition)


Bad (uploaded by TheOlavoF)


Never Can Say Goodbye (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)


Smooth Criminal (uploaded by gleefulldii)


Ben (uploaded by GleeOnFox)


Black or White (uploaded by GleeFullVids)


I Can't Stop Loving You (uploaded by ChristianVonRappard)

Farewell, Teck Kiang

Yet another colleague is leaving us, another statistics expert, Teck Kiang. :( We had a farewell lunch for TK at the Chinese restaurant at NTU. It was a nice and cosy lunch.
Although we have been in the same work place for a long time, I haven't had the chance to work with TK nor had I the chance to know him well. I only got to know him better in the last two years as I had to seek his statistics help for my work. I wished I had known him better earlier lol. I don't know why but my impression of him was that since he is an expert in statistics, he probably won't want much to do with a statistics idiot like me. But when I approached him for help, he was really nice and helpful. He even went beyond and gave me quick tutorials of why we should or should not use certain methods. He was totally not what I expected! Never judge a book by its cover. :P
Thank you for your help, Teck Kiang. Good luck at your new workplace. :) Keep in touch.

Behind Times?

According to Blogthings, I am only a year behind times lol. That's much better than I anticipated lol.

You Are a Year Behind the Times

You are quite modern, but you're not obsessed with being an early adopter. You adopt anything new once it gains mass appeal. You like to let other people get the kinks out. Very true! I didn't rush to get the iPad when it was first launched. Rather, I waited two weeks before I ordered it. Same with my Lumia 800, I waited until now to get it. :P You are future oriented, but you probably at least have some taste for retro or vintage objects. If something is a classic, you'll stick with it. But if something better comes along, you'll definitely upgrade.

How Outdated Are You?

April Fools' Joke?!

Just after midnight, I decided to check my work email as I hadn't had the chance to do so on Saturday. However, I had problem logging in. An error message kept appearing, saying that my user id or password is incorrect and to try again. As it was late, I thought it might be a system's error and decided to try again in the daytime.
However, throughout the day, the same error message kept appearing. Then it occurred to me that the same thing happened to me once before... the last time I had my contract extended/ renewed and there was some miscommunication between the IT department and HR department. Oh no. Don't tell me it is the same problem again. :( My old contract expired on 31 March with the new one kicking in on 1 April... What a way to start my new contract with a "April Fools' joke" courtesy of the IT department. :( :(