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♫ Stuff In My Head ♫

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Thank you to all my babes who read my previous post and emailed/smsed/left a msg to say ur congrats.. :) nothing means more to me than all ur blessings. :)

So now I will blog properly abt my Banyan Tree experience and try as much as possible to leave out the mushies-mushies ok? :p

Day 1

We arrived at Banyan Tree Bintan at about 1400 hours, well ahead of our check-in time at 1500 hours. We were sat down at their reception.. served some ice cool ginger tea.. (it is such a unique taste.. i craved for it for the next 3 days!) and oredi starting to relax in the soothing and cozy environment with therapeutic piano tunes playing.. and a gentle but powerful gust of aromatherapy lingering in the air..

The iced ginger tea we were served at the reception

After we were done with checking-in, basically reading and signing stuff, our host briefly explained to us what we can expect during our 3 days stay with them. They introduced us to their 3 restaurants, Treetops, The Cove and Saffron. We went to both Treetops and The Cove but not Saffron cuz it was fine dining, meaning diners had to be in AT LEAST smart casual dressing. (The most formal piece of clothing we had were bermudas. haha!) So we gave that a miss. We were also briefed on the spa services that were available which we were oredi determined to try even without any introduction!

Our buggy ride to the villa!


Our paradise at Villa 505

After which, we were taken to our villa (coolness cuz I thought we would have to wait until 1500 hours! the service was excellent!) and given a short tour of our villa. *He* was slightly disappointed at the villa cuz he had been expecting big, cosy and posh but turned out our villa was realli a one-bedroom (but it was a big bedroom!) plus outdoor patio villa. (well our villa was one of the lowest range that they had so we had to compromise, i guess!) but cosy and posh? oh definitely. it hit me on all the right spots! I was melting at the furniture and four-post bed.. the fresh flowers laid by our bed and the charming mosquito net that engulfs the bed!! haha!! i dun think u wud find another person who wud describe a mosquito net as "charming". :p

The charming mosquito-netted four-post bed!

After our host left, we started ooh-ing and ah-ing at the villa. it had many hidden pleasures! the daybed is so comfortable to lie on and it had been placed right by the window so that when u lie on it, u r naturally basking in the warm sunlight, but in the comfort of the air-conditioned villa.. and of cuz, overlooking the lush greenery that surrounds the villa.. accompanied with the sounds of the crashing waves in the air.. and if you stepped out of the villa and onto the private patio, u wud smell the sea like it was right in front of u.. talk about paradise on earth.. it was as if i found it!

The view from our outdoor patio

After we decided we have lounged ard enuff, we put away our things and got ready for dinner. (yes imagine that! by the time we were done ooh-ing and ah-ing, it was dinner time!!!)

We called for the buggy service to take us to the Treetops restaurant. We had a selection of western food to choose from and *he* picked their steak and i chose chicken. it was ok but i suspect we found it very good when we were there cuz we were overwhelmed with the decor and ambience of the restaurant. *he* and i seldom do fine dining so it was something new for us.

Me at "Treetops"


*Him* buttering his bread


The Bill

we retired for the night after we saw "Knocked Up" (lousy show!) in our villa's tv on dvd.. it was about 1am..

Day 2

I dun think i've had such quality sleep in a long time.. i woke up feeling totally rested and energized.. and to the sounds of chirping birds! i woke up once at 10am and drifted back to sleep and before i knew it, the next time i woke up it was 1pm.. i literally jumped up and was determined not to waste the day away. i tried *waking* him up but it was impossible so i went out to the patio and turned on the heater of the jacuzzi and spent the next hour in there.. bubbling, bubbling, bubbling with the bubble bath i brought along. oh i wrapped my psp in a ziplock bag and sat in the jacuzzi playing. ah.. wat a good life i have!

2 hours later, i was done with my jacuzzi dip and all dried and relaxed in the sun.. i went back into the villa and saw him stirring in his sleep. he opened his eyes and asked me for the time, i walked over to the bedside clock and told him that it was 3pm oredi. his eyes bulged at me, shocked that he had slept for so long. he saw that i was in my bikini and upset that he did not join me for the jacuzzi dip. so i went for a second round with him and dipped for another one hour.

as it was my 1st time using the bubble bath, i had underestimated its ability to bubble and found a big bubble monster in the jacuzzi when i went back out. as a result, we spent more time playing with the bubbles than relaxing in the jacuzzi.. :p

This picture quite funny!

after we showered and got changed for a late lunch, we decided to call the spa center to make our appointment for the evening.

"Gd morning, Ma'm. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi, I would like to make an appointment for 2 at 5pm this evening."

"Sure Ma'm, let me check the slot for you.. yes we can do 5pm.. but there are earlier slots available, would you like to come earlier?"

I was thinking to myself then, not turning to glance at the bedside clock, it should be abt 4pm now.. how much earlier does she want us to come?? "Er, ok.. what time slots have you got?"

"We have 1.30pm and 3pm available."

"Huh? But it's oredi 4pm now.."

"Sorry? Now is 11am, Ma'm.."

My eyes flew to clock and saw that it still read 3pm. SHIT!

"Er, i'll call you back? Thanks!"

The clock is faulty!! it was only 11am.. which means, if *he* spent one hour at the jacuzzi, he actually woke up at 10am, not 3pm! and i spent 2 hours by myself before he woke up.. that means i woke up 8am!!! wth.. luckily i felt rested, otherwise i wud realli haf thrown a fit!

i told him abt the faulty clock and we both had a good laugh abt but both happy that we still had the whole day ahead of us to enjoy.. so we called for the buggy and left for our brunch. :)

we had lunch at the The Cove and Oh. My. God. it has the most beautiful alfresco dining location EVER! it faces the sea, sheltered by big shady trees and the wind from the waves blows gently on ur cheeks.. it automatically makes u munch slowly and appreciate nature's beauty while you eat.. we fell in love with that place instantly.

The Cove Restaurant - BEAUTIFUL!




The resort is filled with pretty flowers everywhere

after lunch, we headed back to the villa to lounge ard.. and survived the dvd "Letters from Iwo Jima" (another horrible show!) until it was time to go for our massage at the spa centre..

*Him* lounging ard with MY psp

it started with a warm foot bath, with the smell of aromatherapy and soft piano sounds playing in the air. we were also served some hot tea that tasted like a unique tingly sweetness. after that we were led down the stairs of the spa villa to or massage room that faces the open sea! so on top of the soft piano sounds, we were also treated to the sound of the soothing waves and chirping birds! it.. was.. amazing...... unforgettable experience.

The Foot Bath

The 1st thing *he* said to me after the massage was, "quick quick quick, quickly go back to the villa and sleep..."

When we got back from the spa center, we watched "Open Season" on DVD (and turned out to be the best show we saw that weekend!) until the in-villa barbeque came.. we were super hungry by then (it was 9.30 Singapore time!) and begun cooking and eating once everything was set up.. (er.. actually as they were setting up, i was stealing chicken shreds from the salad.. TOO HUNGRY!)

Our in-villa barbeque dinner!



After the sumptuous private barbeque dinner, we headed for our jacuzzi again... we started it bubbling an hour before and by the time we dipped our feet in, it was hot and soothing like a sauna! we stayed in it no more than 45 mintutes for fear of heat stroke and went to shower and then to bed like good little babies!

The bubbling bubbling jacuzzi!


Day 3

We woke bright and early at 9am the next day to catch our free breakfast buffet which we "missed" yesterday thinking that we woke up at 3pm! :p We went back to Treetops where the buffet was and chomped away.. it was oh-kay.. nothing spectacular but i was happy that they served porridge cuz i had a sudden craving that morning! the fried rice was good too!

Our breakfast at Treetops




we went back to our villa to chill for a while before we started packing for check-out. as our ferry is booked for 1530 hours and our check-out time was 12noon, we had a good 2 hours or so in between before we had to get to the ferry terminal.. so after check-out, we headed back to The Cove and sat there, enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of the birds chirping.. 2 hours went by easily..

Watching the world go by at The Cove





Was not upset that we had to leave but definitely want to come back again! *He* liked the place so much that he was tempted to extend for another night but decided to save the money for the next trip here. or perhaps Maldives. :p

Conclusion

I would strongly recommend couples to go as it is oh-so-romantic and laid-back.. perfect for a relaxation getaway. if some of you have read xiaxue's blog lately, u wud have read about all the malicious things she has said abt Bintan.. and in my opinion?? If she had chosen Banyan Tree, none of those things she said wud have happened.. Angsana is a place for families so i guess it ruined the romantic trip she was hoping for.

Goodbye, Banyan Tree!! We will meet again, soon!! :)

Monday, April 28, 2008

he proposed!!!

i am amazed and delirious at the same time. things like this dun normally slip past me without me knowing! this is the 1st time i have been truly surprised and most imptly.. very very touched.

this whole milestone of my life has turned out note-perfect. as if someone up there is planning every step of our way to make sure nothing goes wrong.. and nothing cud have gone wrong, everything was perfect, right down to the weather, the time, the place.. everything... even the timing if my nature's call was perfect.. it's unbelieveable.. if this is not fate, then i dunno wat else is.

it started out as a trip for him to take a break from work and just spend time relaxing.. he asked me to plan a trip to a resort for a weekend getaway and i did... turned out i managed to get a good deal with Banyan Tree and so we were booked for it..

we checked in on the 1st day and basically lounged ard.. nothing much.. we planned each day as it came.. not so much like to the last detail but at our own time and leisure.. we had a nice dinner at their restaurant called "Treetops" that night and retired to our room for our dvd and fell asleep shortly..

the next day we woke up to a nice bubbly jacuzzi dip.. showered and got changed for brunch.. after that we headed for spa... (that is a whole new experience on its own! will tell u more in my next post!) and returned to our villa to wait for our in-villa barbeque. i was slightly shocked that he insisted on having this barbeque cuz it was one of the most expensive things to do in Banyan Tree. Have the staff set up a barbeque for you in ur private villa... beside our bubbling jacuzzi and dining in our private patio was such a beautiful experience..

after the dinner, i was stuffed.. and i needed to go to the toilet (it was so timely!) so i went to do my business and when i came back out, i changed into my bikini for our jacuzzi session and stepped outside to our patio to find 2 glasses lit with candles in them on our deck table, with an empty wine glass in the middle of the 2 glasses. well, the wine glass looked empty at that point! and who wud have thot i wud be proposed to in my bikini, and him in his boxers??? HAHA!

so i said in amusement, "wow!! u lit candles! how romantic is that?! but why is there an empty glass in the middle??"

he looked at me with a weird smile on his face but i jus ignored it. i thot maybe he cud not find one more candle for the glass.

he then said, "come, let's go sit at the deck bed for a while."

so i walked there, sat on the deck bed and found that the candles looked realli pretty. so i dashed back into the villa to grab my camera and went to sit myself back on the deck bed and snapped away. i absolutely did not notice the slight irritation on his face, which he later told me.

1st picture turned out like that:


then i wanted to take a second picture and so went to adjust the empty glass and snapped this:


and that was when.. i saw this..!


i thot my eyes were playing tricks on me, but was that a ring i saw in the glass?? i picked up the glass, looked in it and looked back at him. he was beaming with happiness that i finally saw the ring!

"wow, there's a ring in the glass."

"yes..?" he said still beaming.

i poured out its contents and showed it to him, "look, it's a diamond ring!"

"yes..?"

i looked at the ring, and looked at him and looked at the ring, "is this suppose to mean something?"

he stifled a giggle and said, "yes.."

"er.. so r u going to say it?"

he was so adorable and shy! he took the ring from me with a silly grin on his face looking very lost and said, "er, do i have to get on my knees?"

"whatever makes you comfortable, my dear!"

he remained seated on the deck bed beside me and muttered the magic words, "will you marry me?"

i could not resist my tears when they streamed down my face upon hearing those words. through my tears i said, "yes!" and he went on to put the ring on my finger.

"Does it fit?"

through my now-pouring tears, i replied a sobbish "no..." and he slipped it in my middle finger instead to prevent it from falling.

"we go alter tgt next weekend, ok?"

i nodded my head and we sat there hugging for a long time.

:)

i nv realli imagined how i wanted him to propose to me but i can tell u now that this had been the best possible way. i was totally unsuspecting and truly surprised. i was looking forward to a Banyan Tree experience, not a proposal!! so it really had been a bonus.

apparently he had been planning for this all the time and it was an excuse that he wanted a break. he had realli wanted to propose actually. how sweet is that??? *my tears are welling up again!*

i applaude all those around me who knew of his grand plan and kept hush. they are superb actors!

it's hard to describe how i feel now.. i realli feel so blessed. i look at my ring ard my finger and i am instantly taken back to the moment at Banyan Tree. i haven't been able to sleep properly since that night as i am way too happy and excited. but i am really not complaining. :)

i am going to put up more pictures of my trip in my next post... so stay tuned!! :D

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Robert Buckley

where did he come from???


more IMPTLY.. how cud i haf missed a dish such as this???

i did something very bitchy this morning. but it was definitely called for!

i emailed the ferry ppl yday at 5.02pm to tell them to change my return ferry from bintan to the one at 1530 hours cuz i happened to be at their website and saw they had 3 seats left. the last time i booked online it was full so i had to book the earlier one at 1130 hours which means i will have to check out earlier than the expected time.

but seeing how quickly the number of seats available are jumping by the minute, i decided to call them directly. but only to find out they close at 5pm daily. darn. so i wait.

this morning, i got a call from them saying the 1530 hours ferry is full and asked if i wanted to book the one at 1730 hours. DUH! a whole night has passed and definitely someone's gone online to book the remaining 3 seats on the 1530 ferry! was super frustrated so asked if i cud waitlist on the 1530 hours ferry until it becomes available again.

ferry rep: no ma'm. we don't do waitlist. and we can't amend ferry reservations over the phone. you will have to email us.

me: but the availability of seats is changing so fast online, how can you be sure you will attend to my email in time to secure those seats?

ferry rep: er ok.. then you give us a call once you send out the email. let us know u want us to attend to it immediately.


me thinking to myself: wat the hell is the difference with that and changing my reservation over the phone directly?!

me: ok fine. i'll do that. thanks.

after i hung up, i was fuming mad cuz now it's either i check out 3 hours earlier (which also means waking up 3 hours earlier, and ALSO mean my banyan tree experience is cut short by 3 hours!) or i hang ard the stupid ferry terminal doing nothing for 4 hours!

due to this fanning anger, i clicked "refresh" on my screen repeatedly and suddenly, i saw that the availability of the 1530 hours ferry became "4" from the original "Full".

i wasted no time, i typed a one-line email to them to ask them to refer to the email below and to change the ferry to 1530 hours for me NOW. once i clicked "send", i picked up the phone and pressed redial. very fatefully, the same ferry rep i spoke to just now answered my call.

me: hi, i just sent you an email. can you attend to it immediately?

ferry rep: er ok.. what is your email address ma'm?

me: kelleia@gmail.com

ferry rep: ok ma'm, pls hold.


she left me holding for about 2 minutes and came back on the line.

ferry rep: ma'm, your email does not say the date of the ferry u wish to amend the booking for.

me: if you scroll down to the bottom of the email, you will see that my return ferry states 27 apr.

ferry rep: ok, pls hold ma'm.


i hold for another one minute and she came back on.

ferry rep: ma'm, may i have your passport number, pls?

she is staring at my reservation form which has ALL my details and still she asks for my passport number!! i give it to her anywae.

ferry rep: ok ma'm. your reservation has been changed. i will now send you the confirmation email.

me: thank you.


*click*

ok maybe that was not bitchy but i think i pissed her off that i called back 5 minutes later to ask her to attend to my email immediately, just like she told me to when she refused to amend my reservation over the phone. and i sent her one crap of an email. clearly showing that i am merely doing the notion of it and not realli meaning to do it the right way. but if it had not been such a total coincidence that the website showed me 4 seats available right after i hung up, i wud not have been able call her right back to piss her off!!! :p

i feel lucky. and happy. and contented now. :) dun have to cut short my holiday. dun have to wake up early. dun have to check out early. :)))

after that, i went back to the website to see if the number "4" has turned into "2" now, after i quickly "choped" the seats. i refreshed the page and saw that it was now flashing "Full".

Lucky i called them immediately!! :p

Monday, April 21, 2008

i made a not-so-shocking realisation today.

that you need a certain amount of love/admiration for yourself in order to maintain a good blog. NARCISSISM. (after i typed this word, i went to check up dictionary.com and realised i spelt it exactly correctly!)

why i say that is because there are a few blogs i read consistently. and they are good blogs, may i add. and i realise a similarity between them. there are plenty of pictures of the blog-owners in almost all their entires.

mm.. i hate to say this but it is a shameless amount!! like seriously A LOT! i think that's the issue i have with myself. i am not narcissistic enough. i mean, i am vain, yes. but not narcissistic enuff! (this is my personal opinion la.. tell me if i am wrong!!) cuz i haf issues with putting my own pictures proudly on my blog. and the pictures i have of myself on my blog are alwaes blurred intentionally.. it's like i am not so comfortable with the amt of my personal life i have to tell ppl.. and remaining semi-private is one of my ways of preventing that from happening. i mean, i kno.. it's not like i have thousands of ppl reading my blog la.. but it's my insecurity acting up.

many times i am tempted to turn my blog into a "barbie" blog and not a "emo" blog. then i wonder if i'm up to the standard..

but i guess i'll nv kno if i nv try, eh?

i had a historical moment over the weekend. I DROVE!!! ok it's not actually my 1st time driving.. an ex-bf let me drive his car some 5 or 6 years ago but it was not realli me driving it.. i basically sat in the driver's seat while he manipulated the steering wheel from the passenger's seat.. telling me when to stop and when to accelerate half the time. so i merely did the footwork for abt half an hour only.

this time, i had full control of the car.. *he* only came in to help me steer the wheel abt twice for the one and a half hour "lesson". :p

IT WAS FUN!!! i cud realli learn to love driving!! it was not as frightening as i had imagined it to be.. but i am guessing it has a lot to do with the fact tt i was driving an auto car. :p and now am having 2nd thots abt learning to drive a manual car.. :S

i drove 1st on saturday night.. and again on sunday night. we ended the "lesson" on saturday night less than hour after we started cuz i needed the ladies' room and on sunday night, i did not want to end the lesson...! i drove for abt 2 hours straight and was able to accelerate to 20km/h! bwahahha!! it's a record low, eh?? :p

a very last minute decision brought *him* and me to a drinking session at eM Bar in Mohammed Sultan, beside Gallery Hotel on Friday night. My ex-boss had sms-ed me earlier that day to ask me along and i had wanted to reject him but knowing wat wud definitely make me go, he sms-ed: "my gf will be there."

i replied, "so now u using her as a bait, eh?? ok will be there but might be late. call u later."

he returned my sms, "i use the bait that works. :)"

well since he is so shameless to admit to using ZZ as a bait, then i will admit that the bait indeed worked for me. if he did not mention tt ZZ was gg to be there.. i dunno if i wud drag my feet to be there. :p ok it's not tt i dun like being there, it's jus i wish i cud choose the company.. there are ppl i rather not see.. and ppl i wud love to spend time with.. but in this case, i cud not choose.. hence the reluctance.

but anyhows, i am lucky i sat with a grp i had lotsa talk abt. tgt with ZZ and seema, we talked abt movies, books and tv. the 3 of us apparently have an affinity with books. haha.. i nv realli held a conversation that revolved strictly ard books only!! i think tt conversation lasted abt an hour before we moved on to something else! i was esctatic (as alwaes) to be next to ZZ and actually exchanging words and thots with her.. and every single minute that i am doing that, i jus can't believe how down-to-earth she is. UNBELIEVABLE. it is almost like she is not the ZZ we see on tv and read abt in magazines.. it's like she is just a look-alike.. sitting there looking so normal and talkign to us.. even as i am typing abt her now, it feels so surreal!! i think to myself all the time, how lucky i am to actually befriend my idol!!! most can only dream abt this.. well i am contented enough so will not ask for more.. mm ok how abt getting acquainted with some hottie from Hollywood?? sounds good eh?? :p

only shame is alynn only joined our conversation later that night when i was abt to go oredi. :( (btw, pictures of that night are on my facebook photo album oredi.. u go and see ok, alynn dear? :D)

anywaes.. my countdown timer states tt i am 4 days away from Banyan Tree!!!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

巴黎超人 - 万岁,万岁,万万岁!

我好像从来没有解释过为何我的blog名为“巴黎超人”。。 其实是一个很实际的原因啦。

我的中文名字里面有一个“黎”字。
而*他*的中文名字里面有一个“超”字。
这样子,自然而然地就形成了“巴黎超人”咯。
:)

巴黎超人还有八天就要到榕树下了!:D

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

**WARNING - SPOILER AHEAD!**

it's a bit hard to explain how i feel for "The Other Boleyn Girl" movie.

i didn't like it that they've changed/omitted some parts of the novel and the order of the occurrence of events. i didn't like it that they played the characters all different from the book. (the boleyn sisters' mother was a manipulative woman as well.. not kind and motherly as portrayed in the movie.) i didn't like it that they shot the movie like it was a period drama.. there was just no "grand-ness" in it. to think that it had been an actual part of the English history!

on the other hand, it moved me to see the story coming to life.. but reading the book moved me more.. it was difficult to watch the show without comparing it to the movie. but i am glad i read the book 1st.. if i had watched the movie 1st, i wud haf thot crap abt the book.

it's jus difficult to explain how i feel cuz this story is based on the outlines of English history, with ficticious day to day events weaved into it to make it a novel. but it is freaky how closely the story follows the history.. which makes me almost believe that the whole story, including the fictatious bits, did in fact happen in the 1500s.

natalie portman's acting is the highlight of the show. after all, the show is about her character anne boleyn - the first english queen to be executed. every move she made and every word she spoke sent chills to my spine.. even *he* was slightly in shock after the movie.

the part where she got executed.. was the climax of the movie.. the look on her face is.. unforgettable. it gave me nightmares the whole night after i saw it even though i knew the story at the back of my hand before watching it. seeing the novel come to life is just.. haunting.

unfortunately, scarlett johansson was a very apt choice to play anne boleyn's sister, mary boleyn. even tho i was hoping to see a breakthrough in her part. she was supposed to portray a very desirable and sought after woman by the king, and, she did just that and nothing more. i say "unfortunately" cuz mary boleyn is my preferred sister out of the 2. and in the book, she was more sensual than sexy, more considerate than blunt, more brave than rash. but the movie shows all the latter of her and i hated the way the character was directed throughout the show.

in the novel, it was mary's story.. but in the movie, it became anne's story. maybe that is why i haf such mixed feelings now.

in any case, this whole story has gotten me so intrigued that i haf gone out and snapped up the prequel and sequel to Philippa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl". "The Constant Princess" talks about Queen Katherine, the queen that was banished from court under Queen Anne Boleyn's alleged instigations. the story leads up to "The Other Boleyn Girl" while "The Boleyn Inheritance" talks about life in court after the execution of Queen Anne and the next and last 3 wives that came along.

I read online somewhere that "The Boleyn Inheritance" is also being made into a movie and is currently in production now. mm.. not so much looking forward to the movie but definitely looking forward to finishing the book. after which i will start on "The Constant Princess" and then on to "The Queen's Fool" where it talks about Queen Katherine's daughter's reign and "The Virgin's Lover", about Queen Anne's daughter, Elizabeth's reign. YES, it is THAT Elizabeth. She was Queen Anne's daughter! Queen Anne would have been glad to know that even tho her own reign as Queen was shortlived, her daughter's reign lasted 45 years and was a glorious piece of the English history.

i shall conclude this post with an urge to all vivid readers to lay hands on the "Boleyn" instalments by Philippa Gregory, even if you are not a historical fiction fan.

I wasn't, but i have since been converted. :)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

*he* had been working his health and life away last month as the new CPF rule that regulates the use of special accounts for investments kicked in earlier this month. u now need to have at least 20K in ur special account before u can use the money for investments. unlike the past, u could scrape clean your special account and have the money invested. and honestly speaking, who wud leave so much money sitting in their special account? and how many persons do u kno actually have that much money in their special account???

hence, to make sure everyone cleaned out their special account before the new rule kicked in, *he* worked his ass off in march. so hard that he was constantly thinking of new ways to improve himself, pushing himself and stressing himself. in the end, he cud not sleep for days.. no appetite for meals.. and only wanted to work day in and day out.

until one day, he woke up in the morning, and did not want to go to work. he slept in the whole day.. all the way to 8 pm. and whenever he woke up in between, he jus refused to get up. and when he did, it was dinner time. and when we were having dinner, he said, "let's go for a short break. a weekend thing."

i was a lil bit surprised at that suggestion cuz he's nv been one to suggest to go on a holiday. "ok, but why all of a sudden? where do u wanna go?"

with his sad and tired face, he said, "i feel like i've overworked.. i'm losing interest in everything i do.. i jus need a short holiday to get away from everything and everyone. let's go to a resort thing. the relaxing kind."

understanding his intention now, i asked for a budget and told him to leave the planning to me.

so off i went to check out package deals online. i started off with batam cuz it was the cheapest resort destination and with our modest budget, we cud live like a king a queen for a weekend there. i found a decent looking place that wud cost us only SGD600 for a 3D2N stay. but the interior of the chalet looked a bit compromising.. so i kept on looking.. the more i looked, i more convinced i was that batam wud not make s good place for relaxation.. the resorts jus didn't look right. so i moved on to looking at resorts for bintan even tho i kno they wud cost more.

for SGD200 more, we cud get a way better chalet (in bintan, called "villa") and with a tinge of romance in the air. i found us a resort that wud only cost us SGD800 for a 3D2N stay. satsified and contented with that, i was on the verge of making the booking online when i decided i shud check out if my ex-colleague at Banyan Tree cud give me a good deal at Banyan Tree Bintan. it had been tugging at the back of mind since i began researching on deals in bintan. the words "Banyan Tree" popped up on my screen like every 5 seconds. well i only wanted to check, no harm right...? but i knew that i wud not be able to afford it with my modest budget but i jus wanted to know anywae.

so i dialled her number and gave her the dates of my intended stay and she told me the magic numbers.. SGD900+!!! SGD100 more for Banyan Tree!! why not??? (i went to check online for the same package i was offered, it costed SGD1500!) so i quickly called him and told him abt the Banyan Tree offer and he became as excited as me and told me to go ahead and book that. THANK GOD I HADN'T BOOKED THE OTHER RESORTS!! it was like a dream coming true! who wud do resorts better than Banyan Tree!!! (ok i kno a lot more other resorts are probably better but it has been a dream of mine to go Banyan Tree!! it was the very reason i wanted to work with them in the 1st place!)

so... WE ARE GOING TO BANYAN TREE END OF THIS MONTH!! i can't wait and i can't believe we are gg to Banyan Tree!! what was meant to be a short getaway turns out to be the experience of our life!! (ok maybe i can't say tt now cuz i haven't been there yet BUT i oredi feel that way. HAHA!)

http://www.banyantree.com/en/bintan/gallery.html

Counting down 15 days to Banyan Tree!!! hip hip! HOORAY!!! :D

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

i am going to tell u abt this book i have been reading and just finished tuesday night. u might have oredi seen the title ard cuz it has been made into a movie and i am so dying to see it.. it is opening today!

"The Other Boleyn Girl" talks abt the rivalry between 2 sisters, Mary Boleyn and Anne Boleyn, who were from an influential family, fighting to gain the love of the English King, Henry VIII. the story is tragically beautiful.. enchantingly haunting.. and drama-rama page after page.. it is no wonder it has been made into a movie. the first 200 pages of the story is a little bit draggy.. but the pace picks up tremendously after tt and i cud not put it down towards the end.

after i finished the book, i read the post-note from the author and realised it had been based on the true history of England.. meaning the characters i have been reading abt and so absorbed in were real persons back in the 1500s. a shiver ran down my spine when the realisation hit me and when i wikipedia-ed the characters the next day, i realised how close the story was to history.. i got the exact same chilling emotions from the last time i read "The Da Vinci Code".. *brr...*

i am not going to reveal anything abt the story here and create spoilers.. i haven't watched the movie but i am strongly recommending girls to go read the book.. i doubt the guys will like it so perhaps shud opt for the movie instead.

i have a feeling it's going to turn out as one of my fave movies.. it has beautiful castles.. lovely gowns.. English history.. and Scarlett Johannson. i have a secret fascination for English history and I enjoyed all the "Elizabeth" instalments at the movies while *he* almost feel asleep in all.

i realli can't wait to watch it.. and when i do, i hope it wun disappoint. (like Da Vinci Code cuz it was horribly cut short and rushed in the movie..)

Look out for my "The Other Boleyn Girl" movie review!

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/theotherboleyngirl

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

becoming lazy in updating my blog lately.. maybe i haf been busy at work.. maybe i haf been busy during the weekends.. maybe there are too many things happening i dun even kno where to start!

but bottom line is, my time has all been well-spent.. i have nv felt more fulfilled. career-wise.. it's ok.. i've nv been an ambitious person.. so as long as i haf a job and a good pay.. i realli haf nothing to complain abt.. unless of cuz my boss is way too nasty to me..

自闭症 and gang haf toned down a lot lately.. leaving me totally alone. THANK GOD. i was on the verge of quitting when they tried to mess with me the last time. not that i am a quitter.. jus tt i didn't feel i needed to allow them to subject me to their immatured acts. but who knos, they might haf felt the same way abt me, and thus, left me alone. :p

most often than not, i find myself very spiritually-fulfilled. i try not to do bad things, not to think evil thots. and i am surprised with the results.. it makes me almost as good as i feel!

also, i haf taken up yoga once again and finding comfort in the fact that i am TRYING to keep my aging body healthy. looking at the extra kilos i've piled on and the amt of clothes tt are fast becoming too tight for me, i knew i had to start doing something before i felt too guilt-stricken. yoga is working out well so far. :)

weekends i am alwaes occupied with helping *him* with his work, having dinner with his/my family/frens.. it is a very contented lifestyle for me.

one thing tho.. i am due for my final theory test may 2 and i have yet to flip the pages of the textbook!!! i have exactly 23 days left to study for it and the book has about 100 pages.. tt means i have to flip at least 4.3 pages a day to make sure i finish studying it in time. tt does not even include the time to do the test questions! (which *he* very thoughtfully bought 3 different sets of test questions for me to work on!)

so, that would be the top top top priority on my list of things to do this week, and the next, and the next!!

i can't even rem when was the last time i had to cram for a paper like this!!