THE SINGAPORE FLYER

i've finally uploaded the pictures but kept forgetting to blog abt it.

well.. nothing much to talk abt actually. check out the pictures ahead yourself!

View of the Flyer from the ground

View of the Flyer from inside the Flyer

View of the CBD/ECP

View of the IR-to-be :p

The capsule next to ours

The setting sun..

Singapore skyline as the night grew darker

When we were abt to reach the peak of the Flyer

On our way back down.. the lights flashing ard the Flyer were lovely!

View of the Fluer after the skies turned completely dark.. the effect of the colourful neon lights were pretty amazing!


The whole ride lasted all of 30 minutes and somewhere between the 10th to the 20th minute, i was bored stiff. and i truly felt it was a very tourist-y gimmick. wud probably not recommend any fellow Singaporeans to go on it but wud certainly bring my foreign friends to give it a go, it does have breathtaking views from the top, after all.

Maybe when the IR opens up, the view wud become even more spectacular! :)

Album Review - 林宥嘉's 神秘嘉宾 - Part 1

i've nv reviewed an album so fast before. it's like i am pressed for time to finish listening to it.. except i am not.. just too eager to fill my ears with YOGA's voice. :)

FINALLY.. 宥嘉发片了！

at 1st listen, his music reminded me of 石康军.. except 宥嘉's style is a little more smooth.. it's like listening to 石康军 at an opera theatre.. it has a refreshing kinda sound and each track has it's own personality.

needless to say, my current favourite is 神秘嘉宾. but there are also a few others that are worth more listens as the album progresses.

the opening track, 眼色, is very drama.. very broadway and i can totally imagine the stage layout if YOGA were to perform it during a concert. one word abt the song - haunting.

the one that caught my attention 1st was track 5, 伯乐. "uncle happy"? haha.. i dunno wat that means in mandarin but the lyrics seems meaningful. and i can realli feel his emotions through the song.. i dunno how he does it, but he just nails it every time.. at least for me.

then there is this swingy, jazzy track called 病态 that also sounds similar to the way he delivered 走钢索的人 during 超级星光大道. but i prefer 走钢索的人 in this case. i guess the original is alwaes better than the sequel.

there is a song that has such a desperate tone to it that i can almost feel my heart being wrung out. 请说 sounds boring at 1st but the chorus kinda stays with you, even after the song has ended, the 琅琅上口 kind. and if u pay attention to the lyrics, u will find it quite painful.

in 残酷的月亮, YOGA adopted the signature 转音 of 陶晶莹. which i normally felt it was a technique meant for ppl who can't sing for nuts. well, apparently not. guess it is now a style! otherwise, i quite the track.. it's calming and very melodious.

and then there is that annoying 刘力杨 whom nobody knows, and dunno why dueting with so many cute guys. this time she is dueting with YOGA on a track called 传说。 it's a boring track if u ask me. *shrugs shoulders*

Part 2 of review coming up - wait for it!

Thank you and Goodbye

i think a lot of ppl are deceived by how a person realli is just by looking at her. and it's especially sad if it is ur own frens.

my sister and i may look to happy and carefree ppl to most. but only we both kno the kind of torture and suffering we went thru/are still gg thru to keep our minds sane and mentalities normal. i can also safely say that even most of our own frens do not kno wat we are gg thru, cuz we dun like to talk abt it. or at least for me, i dun like to talk abt it cuz it makes me unhappy. u can call that living in denial or wateva, but it makes me feel better, so who is anyone to judge? it's not like me being happy or sad is going to affect your life, right? perhaps it is worse for my sister as she went thru quite a bit more than me in terms of what-you-call LIFE.

as a result, we portray to others a deception of the life we realli lead. it isn't realli a happy life.

it's weird that ppl expect u to wear ur heart on ur sleeve.. cuz i can't believe that they dun kno when one is smiling, it does not necessarily mean one is happy and when one is crying, it does not mean one is sad.

i have heard somewhere before, that the most joyful and cheerful person u kno, may be the most depressed one in reality. it is like striking a balance in life.. cuz u kno u r unhappy, hence, u r alwaes trying to stay happy by being cheerful ard others.

i think my sister and i are such persons. but only we realli kno each other's moods.. and i dun think anyone shud b in any position to tell us how we shud behave or act. EVEN IF I OWE U THE WORLD, U STILL HAVE NO RIGHT. who is to say what one does is right or wrong? are u GOD?

this nv occurs to many ppl but i strongly believe that not everyone can offer help. you can only offer help if you have the means. and so, if u have offered help to someone before, do not ask for the help back. it is jus wrong. and it jus means u had no means to offer help in the 1st place.

lastly, i thank God for those friends that nv abandoned us or made baseless assumptions abt us during this while. and as for those who did, thank you for your help but we cannot afford ur friendship.

Thank you and Goodbye.

Random.

had one of those sad weekends whereby it jus whizzed past.. doing nothing very significant. hate weekends like these! :(

i did finally manage to go for my facial, w/o the choice of my therapist. :( disappointed is not even good enuff to describe my experience with the assigned therapist. she was all business and pushed me to take on new packages, unlike my usual therapist - belle. belle genuinely wanted the best for my skin and wud alwaes give me feasible options. well, i am nv gg back for facial until i manage to get a slot with belle.

so we have been talking abt the new house and going to see furniture to do our research.. and i have since been bitten by the interior design bug. HAHA. imagine my lack of resistance when i walked into borders and saw a whole section dedicated to interior design magazines.. i told myself i wud only buy ONE and so i had a hard time picking out the BEST one. i eventually settled with "Contemporary Home & Decor" and that set me back by $14 poorer.

but when i went home to browse the magazine (eagerly), i kno every cent was worth it.. it had such beautiful decors... it's oredi inspired me to a few designs of my own preference for my future house. :) i can't wait!!!

i was watching 我爱黑涩会 last night and spotted 容嘉 in a very pretty hairdo! and i have decided to replicate the same hairdo for my ROM! it's neat and elegant and very simple to accessorize. :) now i jus have to convey the picture in my head to my stylist.. which can prove to be more difficult than it sounds sometimes. will probably have to ask him to do a trial one before the actual. :)

Have been corresponding with the Purple Sage peeps and waiting for them to give me a proposal on how I should do up the place and the buffet menu. and i also just realised I have not thought abt engaging a photographer until Cat mentioned it. So she has offered the guy that did her sister's wedding. but i also have someone else in mind which i wud also want to invite to the reception so i dunno if i want her to be going ard snapping photos or jus to be there and enjoy herself. :p

so i guess i might end up engaging the one cat recommended.

i dunno if i am leaving anything out.. but i doubt it.. i oredi have the most impt things covered.. dress, Justice of Peace, location, event company.. ok not realli cuz i still have not registered the date with ROM but i can only do that next week. and also.. the location.. can only book in aug!! i am realli going to break out in cold sweat if that does not go through!

i am going for my 1st driving lesson tmr.. SUPER NERVOUS!!! i hope i dun get a fierce instructor! :(

ok can u tell i have a lot on my mind? yea, i realli do. so much so that i can't realli concentrate at work. and it's not even lunch time yet. :(((((((((((((

Business Times - 29 May 2008

My colleagues were in the papers today.


if u have ever heard me mentioning my boss to you before, u wud spot him easily. :)

and i'm very proud.. not because my company is in the papers for all the right reasons.. but because I took the potraits of everyone in the article.

who wud have guessed that i wud get an opportunity to showcase my photography work in the papers, eh? :p

Sex and The City

http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com/

I had the privilege of attending its premiere yday.. (courtesy of Mel - thank you!) and i was so so so glad that the movie did not disappoint!

i am going to try very hard not to spoil the movie for anyone, especially for those ardent fans of the HBO series.

but well, if u have been a fan long enough, you won't be a stranger to how the film turned out. it is like an extended version of its 15 minute episodes. AND IT'S DAMN GOOD!


i alwaes remember watching the series and lamenting everytime the episode ended.. it is waaaay too short and definitely leaves me wanting more. and the movie.. is simply the queen of the series.. and a nice finale too.


as usual, it was a fashion show throughout the movie BUT the styling were not so impressive if u ask me. it was basically riding on one theme - LOUD. and to me, if not styled properly, will end up looking tacky. and in some of the scenes i did think the dresses/ensembles were a lil tad tacky. but attention, yes, it grabbed everyone's attention.


and i cannot believe how charming BIG looks in the movie! i mean, i dun ever remember looking at him and thinking he was dreamy when i was watching the series.. but i did find myself falling in love with the character since his 1st screen appearance in the movie! well, i am certain they glammed him up for the movie, but it cud also be due to the hype built up ard the movie and hence, affecting my ability to judge (with my otherwise accurate hot-men radar). :p


well, i have nothing bad to say abt the movie except i think i am going to have to watch it again with my girlfriends. :P i cud not stop thinking abt them throughout the movie!! and coincidentally.. the storyline is closely entwined with marriage and weddings.. and so fits the phase i am in right now!!

so girls, wat do u say, movie date soon? :D

**and oh, i finally understood why Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar. She is, indeed, a competent actress. And an endearing one too. She had a small but significant role in this movie and IMO, she played it well.

i found my dress!

u kno, being the impatient person i am.. i have been going shopping at every opportunity i get, in the hope of finding THE dress.

to be honest, i dun realli have a dream dress in mind. i only kno i want it to be white (actually not totally white, i am hoping it is white with a tinge of design somewhere on the dress), flowy (but not so flowy that i look pregnant) and long (at least below my knees). most imptly, it has to look casual (since i have decided on the "resort* theme), yet pretty.

so i went for a little shopping last friday with my sis and found nothing.. well we did find something at zara but there was too much red than white and also too much details. and it was too long, so long that i looked like i was swimming in it. but the style was realli close to wat i wanted.

so today, i attempted to go shopping for my dress again, hoping to find some stuff. i walked into topshop (for the upteenth time), river island, dorothy perkins and warehouse. NOTHING. i think it cud also be due to the fact that that GSS is going on, hence, the sale stuff were only so-so.

however i was quite happy when i walked into Island Shop. i kno they alwaes have nice dresses and very resort-y too but i jus didn't find one that i fell head over heels in love with. i did see a lot of suitbale stuff for *him* tho. :)

so i was all ready to go back to office (yes, i went during lunch.. imagine how rushed for time i was!), but i decided to go check out Robinson's. i felt i was being pretty desperate. haha. and so, i found myself pleasantly surprised when i saw not one, but two very pretty white dresses.

the 1st one i saw was very much a cocktail dress. it has assymetrical skirting and had many layerings at the bottom. but it was one of those dresses that jus hung on you, without giving u any shape. and no doubt i will need to have it slightly altered for it to flatter my non-curvacious body. and it didn't look very resort-y either. if i were going for an atas affair, it wud be perfect. i did like it very much tho, so i reserved it and went on with my hunt for my dress.

jus as i was abt to give up for the day and head back to office, i saw a dress with very nice embroidery work hanging on one of the racks near the exit. i walked over to pick it up.. and there it was. THE dress! i fell in love with it immediately and walked w/o any hesitants to the fitting room.. praying for it to look good on me.

not only did i look good in it, it fit me perfectly! i did not need to make any alterations and it was everything i wanted! it was long (jus nice and flowing ard my ankles), off-white colour with the embroidery detail ard the bust area and it's resort-y! now all i have to do is to find the right pair of shoes and accessories to match!

and i am done!

oh not realli, i still have to shop for *his* get-up. haha.. aiya, but u kno, guys stuff much easier to get one ma. :p

so ya, i am a happy girl now! but sorry to my girls cuz u wun be seeing any pictures of my dress up here.. u're not supposed to see it until the day itself! :p

but no matter wat u think of the dress, u better tell me it's nice when u finally see it!! :p

it's going to be another crazy week ahead..

Monday having dinner with my aunt
Tuesday going for Sex and The City Movie Premiere with Mel
Wednesday meeting Jasper and gang for dinner
Thursday meeting Jocelyn and gang for dinner
Friday is the BF day

Honestly I am pretty tired of going out. But i just can't refuse cuz I have been putting off these "friend duties" for way too long. so it's kinda like my heart wants to go but my body is just not cooperating. and i realli gotta stop giving in to the temptations of my cozy bed.. but it just keeps calling me!

And I still have some duties unfulfilled.. Shanling and gang, I have not met up with in months (sorry babes, i am trying my bestest to fit in dinner somewhere.. will arrange for one soon!!), and ex-colleagues from Banyan Tree.. i think i have not met them for more than a year..!

and with my driving lessons coming up, 3 times a week.. i think it's going to be realli hard to make it for these appointments.. considering weekends are a no-go for them.

and then wat abt shopping for my dress? that is going to take a while too.. i'm actually gonna have to put time aside for dress-shopping!

so yesterday i went to my aunt's place for dinner and also stopped by to snap some pictures of the function room for the event organisers to visualize the place they will be setting up.



i am infatuated with the double storey function room and ecstatic abt holding the solemnisation ceremony upstairs. i kno some ppl are probably gonna find it hot but it's only going to be for abt 10 minutes or so.. surely anyone can bear the heat for THAT long. and after that, we can all go downstairs into the aircon room for the buffet reception.

also thinking of booking the pavillion beside the function room as well, for those smokers la.



and also in case i can't get the function room, i'll probably get 2 of these pavillions.

it's weird but it turns out the place is perfect for our reception. it's pretty and clean, and have a feel of serenity abt it.. kinda goes with my "resort" theme. :)

most of the planning is going good so far.. let's hope this is the beginning of something good..!

Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

During the Vesak Day holiday, I made a date with my bestest bestest girlfriends in the whole wide world, for our now-traditional bdae celebrations.

this time, it was for our one and only May baby, Cheryl's bdae!

We planned to go for dinner at Greenwood Ave's Peperoni's Pizzaria.. nothing much to talk abt.. pictures will speak for themselves.. :)

The 5 of us, before Fiona turned up..


Cat & Yvon


The bdae girl and her gigantic pizza!


Cheryl & 3sa


Checking out the menu..


Cheryl and I drawing FURBALLS on the table's drawing sheets!




The Girlfriends




Had an awesome time! Love you, girlfriends! :)

宥嘉发片了!!!!!

神秘嘉宾


有没有人觉得宥嘉一直在压抑他嘟嘴的习惯？还是纯粹是我的幻觉啊？不可爱了啦！
然后hor， 为什么他在他的MV里面，都一定要有躺着的镜头？ 宥嘉躺着有比较帅吗？
可是啊。。 这首“神秘嘉宾”真的很迷幻嘞！好听得不得了！
我已经打电话去唱片行问了。。 新加坡还没收到宥嘉专辑的消息。。 不知道几时才能买得到。。

太开心了啦！终于等到了！:))))

*Post note: I watched and rewatched the MV and realised the fire in his eyes are no longer there.. not like when he was in the competition.. why? :( it's like as if he is trying to control his facial expressions, emotions etc.. even the slight slur in his words when he sings is gone.. acting all prim and proper.. looking and feeling a lil un-natural to me.. :(((( i miss the good ol'宥嘉!

but i think the girl in the MV is quite pretty.. reminds me of vivian chou 周慧敏, the 玉女 type. :)

OH!

how could i ever forget to write abt this?!?!!?

i was having dinner with my girls at greenwood ave on the vesak day holiday.. so i got out of 3sa's car.. and as we were strolling towards the restarant to meet the rest.. a silver SLK stopped dead in its track and the guy in its passenger seat stuck his head out and stared at me from across the street. i stared at him and narrowed my eyes to squint at him. it was my ex-boss from MRM!

so if that was him in the SLK, then the driver must be... ZZ!!! i ran to the car and said hi to them.. and my ex-boss congratulated me on my engagement (which he heard from ZZ, who saw on my facebook profile a few days ago and sent me a msg to congratulate me!) *hyperventilating!*

ZZ leaned her body against my ex-boss's side and smiled a wide one at me.

I NV STOP BEING STAR-STRUCK WHEN I SEE HER. i just hope it wasn't obvious. :p

Write, brain, write! Type, hands, type!

i need to blog desperately, because you kno, the writing bug in me is biting at me INCESSANTLY!

but wat is the problem? the problem is I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE ABT!

ok actually i do have things to write abt:

1. abt the last quarrel i had with *him* - but u kno, i've long stopped ranting abt my unhappiness on my blog cuz i am striving to be a happy person!

2. abt my Singapore Flyer experience - but i have been so forgetful, i keep forgetting to bring my USB cord to upload the gorgeous pictures! i CANNOT blog abt the Singapore Flyer without any pictures now, can i?

3. abt my latest gathering with my girlfriends, which we had SUCH A BLAST! - but cat has all the pictures and i DO NOT WANT to blog abt it without them! So, when's am i gonna get those pix, huh, cat???? (choo, not ang - in case ang is reading. :p)

4. abt my hairstyle hunt, dress hunt, caterer hunt, in short, my ROM preparations! - but it's in such a mess, i dunno where the blogging should start!

5. abt how everyone in the office is being a bitch to me - but then again, it cud be tt time of the month.. the PMS is pretty severe lately. and also, refer to reason no. 1.

So u see, even tho i have NOTHING to blog abt, i still managed to blog abt me not having anything to blog abt.

YES i am shit bored at work AND the writing bug is still bugging me!!!!

I LIKE!

去你孖的！

最近工作常常不顺利。。 要不就是无缘无故被人骂， 不然就是平白无故被人冤枉。 心情真的不是很好。

我发现很多被公司派到外国公干的新加坡人都很zhuai3。怎样，你在外国公干就比较厉害吗？可以乱发标，像疯狗似的乱吼吗？

你忙的话，就把自己的时间处理好，不要把错都赖到别人头上。我可不是你的出气筒！你要出气的话，回家找你老妈去吧！

你拿一份薪水，我也拿一份薪水，我可没欠你的！不要以为你的职位比我高就可以对我呼呼赫赫！

你要敢再惹我，看我怎么教训你！！！！

I am a Stepford Wife.

been feeling the negative vibes in the ofc lately.. and it is the kind that makes me not want to go to work in the morning. but u kno, i am highly sensitive so i might be making up the stories in my head..

JT, my lunch kaki, has lately been very taken with her new frens. it is like she has alwaes wanted to be a part of their clique.. and now that they've accepted her in the gang, she's conveniently forgotten all abt me. well, nvm that i gave up the company of very fun girlfriends in the ofc to ALWAES have lunch with her. nvm that i alwaes shared the latest news with her, so that she wun be like a sotong when ppl asked her abt it. nvm that i helped her test the waters of her new subordinate to find out what she thot of her. yea, just forget all about it. i dun need someone who treats me like a spare tire or perhaps only when she feels lonely.

TL, one of the very fun girlfriends that i am closer to, has lately been very sarcastic with me. either that or she says stuff in front of me to alot of ppl to make me sound like a bitch or tell-taler.

"have you seen the ring on her finger? she announced to the whole world last week."

I DID NOT ANNOUNCE! i didn't even tell anyone (other than JT, who, anyway, didn't even bother herself a single bit with the news) and the only reason they kno is becuase they were suggesting ways for me to hint my bf to propose, which i simply replied their suggestions with, "er.. he's oredi proposed.."

IS THAT ANNOUNCING?!?!?!?!? i am infuriated!!! how dare she say that i annouced when she was clearly the one who went announcing after she found out!!!!!

me: "what is your team's password?"
tl: "HR says it is confidential leh.. can anyhow tell u one meh.."

1st of all, i am only asking cuz her newly appointed boss asked me. she didn't even bother asking why I needed it for. made it sound like i was a big KPO. u think i realli dying to kno ur team's password?? and even so, wat's the big deal abt sharing?? so i look like i cannot be trusted with a password?? well, then i guess it's realli jus too bad for me. i felt disappointed to be judged so harshly by merely a sentence.. having known her for almost a year. wat a waste of my time.

i am so sick of human relationships. especially those that u are forced to make. if they weren't my colleagues, i wud nv, not in a million years, make frens with ppl like them.

sometimes i realli feel that the world is sad, sad place.. there are more unhappy then happy ppl ard, there are more impatient than patient ppl ard, and there are more selfish than sharing ppl ard..

it might not be a bad idea to want to become a Stepford Wife. :(

SADNESS!

SingTel got the local rights to distribute the iPhone! I DUN WAN!! Why didn't Starhub get it?? why why? Starhub dun get means I can't buy it at the super cool promotional prices Starhub offers!!

I hate SingTel cuz they are ridiculously overpriced and super unfriendly! They cut your line once you default payment for only ONE month! absolutely merciless! So i dun pay my bills on time, SO WHAT?! wat matters is i do pay them off at the end of the month, right!! ARGH... i also hate SingTel for another reason which i will not disclose here unless I wish to be jailed. :(

there goes my dream of owning an iPhone..

i refuse to switch mobile phone operators cuz i have grown to love starhub over the years.. considering i started out as a Starhub-hater. they gave me a nice telephone number for no extra price, have super friendly helpdesk operators and NEVER chase you for payment. So i normally pay my bills for 3 months all at one time.

now that is flexible.. and user-friendly too!

so no matter how much i love the iPhone, i will not give my business to SingTel. not like they would die w/o my business anyway. I get the impression they don't value their customers very much.. if not driving them away.

well.. looks like i jus gotta do wat everyone else is doing.. get one from the US and hack it so my Starhub line can operate on it.

but u kno, i wudn't mind of someone bought it and gave it to me. HAHA!

it's weird, i wore my ring for 5 days and sent it for alteration and 6 days w/o it is like.. weird. i feel weird w/o it!! another 3 days before i see it again.. i miss my ring!

so saturday i will be picking up my ring and it better fit this time! i can't go another week w/o it!! but before that we will be going to the temple in the morning to consult the nuns for a good date for ROM. after that i will start to plan for it and work out the guest list.

yday i was talking to *him* abt it and was a lil upset that he had intended to invite the WHOLE WORLD to come attend the solemnization. *scratches head* necessary meh?? i thot u only invite the whole world for the wedding banquet and that the solemnization was only for family and close friends. i was not really planning for a big ROM reception leh.. but well.. if he wants to.. then it's up to him, i guess.

so much for letting me decide on the wedding plans.

we're not even close to planning for the wedding and oredi there are disagreements. can't imagine having to actually plan for it when the dates are set.

oh well... stay positive, stay positive!! this is something i have been waiting for and i shud not have too much expectations and just immerse in the process of it and have fun with the flow of things..

but.. I MISS MY RING!!!! :S

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!! :)

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

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

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!!!

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

**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. :)