we went to Meriden today for the annual Daffodil Festival. errm, it was a total disappointment. it was raining (and it still is) and we were the only ones without umbrellas. the supposed " parade" was a letdown too. we saw Batman on a pick-up ( his " float" ), and a small pack of Greyhounds. hahah. what a joke. we were only there for a whole half hour, and that included 5 minutes of waiting for the shuttle bus back to the carpark. and the fest is supposed to be a rather Big thing here. sigh. there is a Nascar show coming up soon in Connecticut. we were actually thinking of going for that, but on second thought, mabbe not.

to be honest, the park is actually quite nice. there's a big pond with fountains right in the middle of the park, and daffodils everywhere. well, almost everywhere. it's just that the weather was terrible, and mabbe our expectations were a little too high. we should have known. after all, La Salette was also touted as a must-see, but it didn't live up to our expectations either.

that said, the later part of the day wasnt too bad. in fact, it was good. i bought 2 tops from Forever 21 (yay!) and Peter Manfredo from The Contenders was at the same mall we were at signing autographs. yifan had some close contact with him... they were in the guys' toilet together. we were having lunch in the restaurant when i saw Peter walk into the toilet. yifan half-believed me when i told him, so he went to check it out for himself...and he had actually thought about going up to shake Peter's hand then. hahha. that would have been so funny !!

haven't had time to upload the pics we took at the park today. will try to do that soon!

there must be people who read the same book more than once, but i am not one of those people. it is a waste whenever i buy books. ya, i enjoyed reading them, but i get done with a book in 2-3 days, and after that, the book is just left lying around, looking as if it's barely been touched. sigh. a total waste. mabbe i should just stick to reading 'em in bookstores.

i am getting a little sick of the New England weather. it has been raining everyday for the past few days. rain is no fun cos the rain here is the draggy kind. it lasts for hours and hours, and the temperature's dipped too-- from more than 20 degrees last week to just slightly above 10 now. i actually like the cold, but i want sunny skies too.

i just tried yifan's scruffing lotion. Ouch, it's quite stinging. i'm never going to use that again. but i must say, my face does feel baby-smooth now. but oohhh, the smell, it's yucky.

a friend just went for another interview. her second this week.good for her! i am so envious.things would be so much easier if i have a green card. right now, having to apply for H-1 is the greatest hindrance. like what i joked to yifan just now, Bush should consider hiring more people on H-1 to save their Social Security system.

it's going to be a long and lonely nite tonite. yifan's gonna be back late cos he has some seminar to attend in Waltham. geez, its only 6.12pm now. boring.

i hate cooking for myself. same amount of effort, and no company at dinner. luckily there're lots of tv shows on tonite.

yifan brought back a whole lot of info on Connecticut Spring activities. i had just been going thru it all. can't say that there's a lot to do around here though. mabbe we can take a drive up to New Hampshire or something. that'll be nice. the annual daffodil fest in Meriden is on this weekend, but the weather doesnt look too good. i hope it's not going to rain again like it did last weekend. otherwise, we're just going to have to stay home, again.

oohh, we drove past Boston Common yesterday.. wah, cherry blossoms and tulips everywhere. pity i didnt have the camera with me, and we were rushing off for my interview, and couldnt stop. central park must look beautiful now too. the thing about NY is that every time we go there, we only have time to go Chinatown, and nowhere else. parking is a problem, so we dun really wanna leave our spot and go uptown and then spend another hour looking for parking again.

the interview went well, or at least i think it went well. hopefully i get a call for the second interview. looks like it's a good company to work for --chances for promotion, lateral transfers, good remuneration package...in fact, the name (AIG) alone is enough.

ohh, and yifan's artistic abilities were put to the test yesterday when he helped me do my make-up !! he did my eye-shadow (cos he thought i had on too little), and lined my eyes for me.. the result ? i was impressed. i dun have a steady hand so when i tried lining my eyes myself, it was pretty bad--jagged and totally off. he fared much better, mabbe cos he used to draw a lot when he was young..hahah

i am thankful that compared to some guys, yifan doesnt mind going shopping and doing all the girls' stuff with me. in fact, he is the one who picks out my clothes, tells me what to do with my make-up.. etc etc. basically, he is my personal fashion advisor.

i'm going for an interview at AIG tomorrow for some Underwriting Technician job. let's see -- it's been almost 4 weeks since my last interview, so i am feeling a little nervous now. it's normal, but i should just relax.
was at the mall over the weekend, and happened to bump into a lady who works at AIG Farmington. (such a coincidence) got the email of the manager there and sent my email just now. hopefully i'll hear something positive from that.

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the weather's so weird.. it's cccold today. around 10 degrees. thankfully tomorrow is going to be a warmer day. i dun want to shiver in my skirt and jacket like all those times when i interviewed during winter. on one occasion, someone even asked me if my toes were cold. ( i wore sandals like i always do when i go for interviews becos i dun have any shoes.)

no more hainanese chicken rice for me anytime soon ... we cooked a whole chicken and had to eat that the entire day. not that it tasted bad, but after 2 meals, it became a little jelak.

it was fun preparing the dish though. i insisted on having the whole deal, so i made the chilli sauce and the rice too. it was a tedious affair, but i'm definitely going to try cooking it again.

right now, i am so full i can die.

yifan said i look like i am 16 years old now. i totally forgot that i have an interview coming up next tues. guess i'll have to use hairgel and more make-up on that day. hopefully, i'll look presentable.

just got back from Filene's. had a make-over at the Clinique counter, and left with an eyeliner and lipgloss. what can i say? the make-over session was just too successful. plus i think the eyeliner will help me look more mature, and that's what i desperately need now.

the female population in the US is much much more well-groomed than that of singapore's. everyone's more or less mascara-ed whether they are at the supermarket or at a mall. like the make-up artist at Clinique said, you dun have to do the whole works every time, just do your eyes, your lips and wear some blusher, and you're all set !! isn't that almost the whole works ?? hahha...

it's been raining non-stop the whole day !!! tomorrow's gonna be a great day, though i'll be stayin home preparing Hainanese chicken rice. i am looking forward to that, and getting started on Paris in the Fifties.

urrgh.. i was feeling a little restless and cut my fringe !!! it's terrible. i had been thinking about doing that for some time now, and only managed to gather enough courage this afternoon.
wrong move. i think i look weird now. i hope yifan's not going to notice it when he comes back. shit, why did i do that for? i was too impulsive, and for the past 2 hours, i have been constantly thinking about my hair and running into the bathroom to see how i can make it look better. i am going to need my hairband for the next couple of weeks. i really must remember not to touch my fringe anymore. God, its been more than 10 years since i last had a fringe. what on earth was i thinking? apparently, nothing.
and its the weekends tomorrow. oh no! i never thought it would turn out this bad. all i wanted was to see how i'd look with a fringe, and i kinda forgot that i would look like shit.
the only redeeming part of it all is that i didnt cut too much, so mabbe its not very obvious ?!

my hands are so dry, it feels yucky when i put them against my face. but still, i am too lazy for moisturizers. mabbe i am just waiting to see how bad they can get.
like the eczema on my right palm, i always pray that it will go off on its own without me having to apply the cream. that is, until a few days ago, when it bled. i would have taken a pic and post it here, if not for the fact that it may gross people out.

i've just finished Falling Leaves. i dun know what to feel... it's a sad story, right till the very end. there was no happy ending that i so loved to read in every book i have. sometimes i think i even regret having read it. not becos i dun like the story. i loved it. but i had hoped for a happy ending for the protagonist. mabbe i just have to learn that not everything in life ends well for everyone. it's sad but true.

Friendship is a strange thing. just when you think you know someone very well, and you regard him/ her as a good friend, things happen that make you ponder over that " fact" again. this has been clearer to me ever since i came to the US. i start thinking more closely about who my true friends are.

there are some who fail to reply your emails, and yet, all of a sudden, you get an email from them after months asking how you are. aint it weird since you remembered distinctly that you had emailed them on more than one occasion asking the same of them ?

just like some boy-girl relationships, mabbe friendships aren't able to withstand the test of time, and distance apart. friends become acquaintances, and it's scary how they may become strangers in the not-so-distant future.

people change when they leave school, and step out into the working world. people also change when they feel other things in their lives rank higher in their list of priorities than their friendship with you -- it could be healthy competition at work(which may turn out otherwise), competition for new friends, attention from the boss.. the list is endless.

one thing is for sure -- cherish the present, but never go home with the idea that today's friendship is yours to keep for life. sure it takes effort to maintain a friendship, but it takes effort from both parties. a one-sided one will prove futile in the end.

i was touched when a friend whom i had not considered myself to be very close to when i was in singapore helped me out today. her kind gesture made me stop to re-assess who my real friends are. real friends are not the people whom you go out with at dinner gatherings, or call when they need a favour. nor are they those who cease contact after you get a new job. real friends are those who want to stay friends and who will offer to call you from overseas when your mum cant,all becos you told her that you are waiting for a call for a potential job, and there seems to be a problem with your phone, and she calls to make sure it is working well. i do not know for sure how many true friends i have, but today, i learnt that i have at least one.

it's amazing how winter has just gone, and the trees are already full of baby leaves. i hadnt noticed this until one hour ago when i was looking out my window. lots and lots of fresh yellow leaves. why am i surprised since i have already seen cherry blossoms in full bloom few days ago? wish i can take a pic and post it here. but alas, pictures will never be able to capture the beauty of it all. or mabbe its my camera thats the problem, or my skills at photo-taking, or should i say, my lack of skills.

Late Apr/ early May is another one of my fav times of the year... tulips are aplenty, and next weekend is the Annual Daffodil Festival in Meriden. too bad i wun be able to pluck the flowers in the wild though. i have been surfing on the internet looking for tulip fields or lavender fields or any fields with flowers. not much luck. i just think it'd be so romantic to stand in fields and fields of lavender. a thought just crossed my mind -- are there insects or mosquitoes in those fields ? not very romantic if i end up with insect bites all over my arms and legs, eh ?!

finally another sunday spent in NY. just got home exhausted. it's been quite a while since we walked so much. weather was great today and there were loads of people at Bryant Park enjoying a cuppa in the sunshine. most were reading/ studying, while we were sippin on our Jamba Juice and people=watching. an interesting sight there was -- a jap guy was applying sunblock on himself, and nearer to us, a guy was plucking out the leg hairs of his woman companion !!

we discovered this nice place that sells wonderful cakes and pastries in Little Italy. it's called LaBella Ferrara. tiramisu for bfast tomorrow. heh.

the only dent to the whole outing: i didnt manage to get more thai foodstuffs cos the store was closed when we eventually got there....
* disappointed and crushed*
but at least, and that's a consolation, i bought chillies so i can start making my sambal belacan again.

we spent the entire afternoon today at barnes & noble. i still had about 160 pages to go before i finished Can You Keep A Secret, but we had to head home for dinner.




hopefully i'll be able to go back there and read the rest of it soon.

meanwhile, my books from Overstock.com came in the mail today, and currently, i'm deeply engrossed in Falling Leaves. it's a true story about this girl who grew up in china in the 1930s, and how she overcame the many struggles in her journey into adulthood, and how she eventually went on to become a writer in the US.

it's so addictive that i havent been able to stop reading ever since i started, except to break for dinner, then bath and an update here. back to reading. ;-p

i checked the delivery status of my books. yes, again. i have been checking it like 3 times a day cos i am soo anxious for them to arrive. finally. they got to west hartford early this morning. mabbe i will get them this afternoon.
i dun know why i have this sudden craze about books and reading. i mean i used to be like that, but havent been in a very long time. and once i get started, there's no stopping me. i read all the time-- while watching tv, while waiting for page loads on the internet, before dinner, after dinner, and just before bedtime. it's like i'm always in a hurry to finish the book.
suddenly i feel like the hours just slip pass me each day. i have tons to do and sometimes, i even think i am short of time. and with the weather turning warmer by the day, weekends will mean trips out and around town. talking about the weather, i had only begun packing away the warm clothings when it turned cold again. haha. but i am trying not to have to pull out my sweaters. i think i can make do with just a t-shirt and jeans at 10 degree celsius. that's the troublesome part of living in a temperate country with limited closet space. you end up having to tuck stuff away every april and october. not forgetting that you have only half a year to wear those nicer clothes, and go out in your sleepwear and jacket for the rest of the year. or mabbe yifan and i are the only ones who do that. and the fact that we move a lot doesnt help too. basically we are just living out of a suitcase.

i am thinking of going Barnes & Noble later today. still waitin for my books to arrive. dunno why its taking such a long time this time around. i love the atmosphere in a book store-- intellectual, peaceful, yet friendly. not to mention it works like a library, except all the books are brand-new. haha.

got bitten by the korean movie bug not too long ago. i just downloaded My Boyfriend is Type B. dun know if it is any good yet. funny title, so i thought i'd give it a try. the only problem-- there are no subtitles for the version i downloaded.

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these days, waking up in the mornings is a total struggle for me. and even yifan. i suspect its becos of the Egyptian Cotton duvet cover we are using now. it's the most comfy thing i have ever felt in my life! 400 thread count. the best i ever had. jessica simpson once bought a bedsheet set that cost more than USD $1000!! i can't imagine how comfy it must be. she probly doesnt know too, cos its never been used. can u believe it ??

i got yifan to return those books last sunday. now i'm just patiently waiting for them to arrive from Overstock.com. the last i checked, they were in Springfield. should be in probly tomorrow, i guess.
it was funny seeing how nervous yifan was just before doing the return at Barnes & Noble. He was sooo paiseh. and me? i waited for him in the car cos i know my face would sure turn red with embarassment if i went in with him.

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a friend just got a new job that will take her places.. i am so envious. most likely she'll be off to Shanghai in the next couple of weeks. wooh!
i'm hoping she'll get an assignment in the east coast of US real soon so we can meet up, or i can travel and bunk in with her ( which means a holiday for me)

its been a year and a half since i've been here, but we havent really got a chance to travel to other parts of the states yet. so much to do, so little time. we had thought of going to Vegas, and use our mileage, but then flights were packed, so... i am also thinking of visiting Cancun in Mexico, but that will cost quite a bit, i think. But if i dun go while i'm in the states now, i dun think i'll want to go from SIN in future. it's too far.

anyway, thats for the future. for now, i am happy going to NY on the weekends. been there dozens of times by now, but still, there is so much i havent seen and want to see there. like MOMA for instance. and all the specialty shops..aahhh. i dun know if i will ever get sick of NY. i doubt it.

then there's summer and the beach to go to. suntanning and more suntanning. i desperately need a tan. my legs are getting too fair, i dun like. got to source out more beaches in the area. we really dun want to drive an hour to the one in Fairfield. oh, and yifan may be taking me along when he goes to the Cape next week. yippee!!! too bad he'll be there for work, and we wun have much time for play. it's a long way from here, but at least its a pleasant change of scenery--sun, sand and the sea. can't wait.

The blog is a strange thing. according to the Urban Dictionary, it is a " meandering, blatantly uninteresting online diary that gives the author the illusion that people are interested in their stupid, pathetic life".

to a certain extent, i agree with the definition. but most people would also agree with me when i say there is something about the Blog that is mysteriously fascinating, something magnetic that draws people to it. for the blogger, it may be the fact that he gets to publish his writings online, for how often do you get the opportunity to have something written by yourself published ? unless of cos, if you are a writer or somethin. for those who read blogs of the people they know, or even blogs of strangers, it may be the inquisitive nature in everyone of us that is at work. sometimes, it is just plain, stupid stuff people do and then write about, but still, we go back to the same blogging site just to read more of such inane stuff. of course, there are also instances when people read friends' blogs to stay in touch, show interest in their lives, or simply just to still be a part of their lives even though they may be thousands of miles away.

most of us may have at some point or another, read blogs of people whom we don't personally know. that is fine. but what happens when we start judging them based on what they write on their blogs? how fair is that?

not too long ago, i went for an interview at a securities company. i liked what i heard about the company and the job, and i thought i did well at the interview. alas, the interviewer changed his mind about me. and the reason for that? i believed he read my blog and didnt like it.( i know who visits my site.) which brings me back to the point i made earlier about judging people based on what they write on weblogs. he liked what he saw during the interview, but perhaps he thought i was stupid or childish from the things i wrote about ?! strangely enough, for something he thinks is dumb, he has been back time and again.

my blog is a journal i keep, and i strongly feel that i should be entitled to write whatever pleases me. be it my likes and dislikes, how i feel about particular issues, or just regular everyday things that happen to me and around me. i dun feel i have to write about things people want to read about, or worry about the impression i give to people after they read my blog. this is, after all, MY blog. whoever does not like it, please go elsewhere.

today was a really long day for both of us, but a fruitful one too. we spent 6 whole hours in the mall!!! got myself 3 books from Barnes and Noble-- Memoirs of a Geisha, Paris in The Fifties and Falling Leaves. My very first time in B&N. All along, i thought Borders was wonderful, but i just realised B&N is heaven. hehe. can't wait to start reading again.



we have been on a pamper-ourselves- shopping spree lately. just 2 weeks ago, we started with a search for a shampoo to get rid of hard water buildup, cos i thought the water here was causing my hair to fall off. it's kinda scary cos i dun want to wake up one day with less than a full head of healthy hair. and my hair has always been my source of joy and pride. i have no intention of altering anything as yet.

then last week, yifan invested in Clinique Scruffing Lotion and Face Scrub. good stuff, i must say, though i only tried the scrub cos the other is.. errmm, for men. what have i been missing out on all these years, i ask myself?!! thru'out my 26 years, i have only used the regular Shokubutsu face wash, and that started only a few years back, sad to say. Prior to Shokubutsu, there was just plain tap water. and sometimes soap. yes, i know its bad, but i didnt really care when i was younger. believe it or not, i started washing my face only when i entered uni after i saw my friend use some face wash at a camp !!

and today...we bought a face mask ( my first ever mask!!) and a body scrub. kind of funny how we are just starting to pamper ourselves after so long. i have only been to a spa once and oh my god, the experience was shiok!!! and that's why i thought it'd be a good idea for us to do it ourselves at home. at least its gonna be much much cheaper. we were at Bath and Body Works just now for nearly an hour, trying to decide on what body scrub we should get. Tried at least 5 different types.. till our hands are now so very soft. Again, why didnt i find out about this sooner ??!!

i wonder if we are finally becoming vainpots. but i'd rather spend more taking care of myself now, than to regret later on in life and spend even more money on Botox and what-have-you.

Lunch today was yummy !! I love Olive Garden. we ate and ate, i think the waitress must be shocked at how much we can eat, especially since i am " a skinny asian girl". hah.

All in all, today was great! More of such days to come, i hope.

i am trying out something else.. something that ang mo bu4 hui4 kan4 de4 dong3. that was why i was playing around with blogger. but mabbe i should write like that cos they will not be able to decipher this. tamade! si angmo qing bie ren, hai yi zhi lai zhe li du blog. pardon me for this, but i have no choice. kee see nang!!! * fuming mad*
email me for clarification.

when yifan comes back, i will ask him to see if there is anything we can do. i want this to be exclusive.

this is frustrating. blogger keeps giving me problems. was meddling around trying to change the settings, and now i cant delete posts anymore.

today was an exceptionally warm day --22 degree centigrade! urgh, cant imagine how hot it will be when summer comes. got to dig out all my summer clothes soon. i am always a little sad when winter comes to an end. yet, at the same time, i am also looking forward to going to the beach, leaving home without layers of clothing, ..blah blah..what a dilemma.

been reading Samantha Brown's journals chronicling her travels in europe. makes me wanna go travelling again. i think she has one of the best jobs in the world. but she's also good at what she does. and she's funny too.

update on my health: slightly better now, drinking lots more water

thanks, sue ann, for your concern.( looks like you are the most observant of the lot) much better now, except that there's still a lot of wind in my tummy, and i keep burpin. and i get hungry at odd hours too, like just before bedtime, when i am lying in bed watching tv, when i had just had dinner less than 3 hrs ago. somethin is seriously wrong with my stomach.

supposed to pick up the lexus this sunday. if you think this sounds familiar cos i posted more than a week ago that i was gonna pick the car up then, thats cos there was bad weather then, and we had to postpone it. looks like we cant push it back any longer, though i am not sure if i can make the long drive to and fro.

keep having that nauseous feeling. yucks! the sour plums i take helps a little, but dun they produce more wind?!

i was switching channels when i saw xie shaoguang on tv. mediacorp's reach has really gone far and wide. i know there are korean and jap programs here, but singapore-made ones too?!! that's good news for me. i sometimes miss watching those chinese drama serials, but finally..hehe. never mind the fact that Legends of Ji Gong is a really old serial. just listening to mandarin, singaporean mandarin to be exact, is a treat for me.

i haven't spoken in mandarin for a really long time, not counting the few words i say to the lady boss at Sze Chuan Garden, that i am worried that soon i will forget how to speak it. my last trip back already showed me how much my proficiency in that language deteriorated. i sometimes try speaking to yifan in mandarin, but we lapsed back into English after less than 5 sentences simply becos we are not accustomed to speaking mandarin to each other. he has more practice tho', speaking to mainland chinese workers in the course of his work. i kinda envy him for the opportunity he has. i would hate to lose my ability in reading and writing chinese. after all, it wasnt easy learning all that.

anyways, all that's goin to happen in the future. (though at least i hope not). one thing's for sure, AZN channel is gonna be one of my fave channels from now onwards.

still a little under the weather, but much better now. hopefully i am on the road to recovery. i seriously have no idea why i am so prone to getting gastric flu. mabbe its cos i always eat irregularly. i am telling myself that i really need to get out for some exercise and get better eating habits. i hope i can stick to my plan. i have to, if i dun want to see a repeat of that horrifying experience.

just checked out the vonage site. looks good.low rates for unlimited calling, much better than the current plan i have now. voice over IP should be okay right? must do more research before i decide tho'.

still not very used to Daylight Saving Time. woke up kinda late today. *blush*

not feeling very well right now- hopefully i am not coming down with another bout of gastric flu again. i still have the jitters when i think about how terrible it was last dec. please please, dun let me get sick.
especially not when there is no medicine for that. is there anything i can eat or do so my stomach will get stronger and i wun suffer from such virus attacks so often?

finally got myself a pillow to support my back. feels comfy now. should have gotten it ages ago.

just read that Power 98 FM is having a " sexiest buns" contest. pity yifan is not in sin, otherwise he'll be a strong contender for that. trust me. i always kid that the only people he will lose to are black women. haha. wonder how the contestants are going to be evaluated for the competition.. trunks mabbe? wooh. interesting. i must check the site for more updates and pics. :-)

just found out that i know one of the guys who was in Cleo's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors 2005. really cant imagine him being in such a contest. he used to be sooo.. ermm, should i say " nerdy" back in school. from what i read, people think he's kinda hot!! my opinion must be biased then. but i do admit he looks much better now.. i am surprised Daniel didnt take part though, since he used to chiong such contests. nuff of gossiping. tsk tsk!

a little sian cos we wun be able to go NY this weekend cos we are expecting bad weather.still, i wouldnt want to risk it even though it's been a while. never mind, we'll probly go next week. i do want to make a trip down to the book store though. watching downloads is not really my kind of thing; give me a book anytime. must go now. my back's killin me. update later.

i spend almost all of my waking hours in front of the computer that my vision is going bad. That and my back problem. you see, i always slouch when using the computer. i know its bad, but i am just too lazy.
the pain on my hip is coming back again. at times, it gets quite bad. did that door knock some 10 years ago really inflict some injury on me?

i must really really remember to get a thorough body check the next time i go back to singapore. sometimes i try to squirm out of such " pointless" checks cos surely the on-off pain is not something i have to be concerned with?! after all, its not like my hip is aching so much, i cant move or something. i only get it once in a blue moon, though i can still remember the last time i felt it was barely a few weeks ago, and thats bad. ( i used to only feel it like once in years. mabbe age is catching up, or mabbe its the weather.)

yifan has been talkin about getting a basketball so we can both be a little more active. however, i consider myself to be " okay" since i do a little light exercise at home everyday. he is THE ONE who doesn't work out at all, until last nite when i caught him doing a few stomach crunches. and that was it. max 5 times. haha.

one of the best things in the US-- samples and more samples of new products for consumers to try out. it's a pity there is nothing like this in singapore. but then again, lots of people would be abusing the system if there really is a freebies site in SIN. just received my brand-new Schick Quattro today.



sometimes i wish singaporeans are less kiasu, or should i say, i wish there were fewer of such black sheep around. people like that come in all shapes and sizes, no matter their country of origin. but mabbe singapore is such a small country that people like that seem to be everywhere. and thats bad news for the rest of us who really want samples to know if they work well for us before investing in the actual product.