MesmeriZerXin's Xanga

It's the end.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:12 GMT

I have decided.

This is probably the end.

-MS-

Michael Jackson "This is It"

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:09:22 GMT

Finally, the reality of MJ's death has sank deep into my head. He's dead, he's no longer around, he's no longer breathing, dancing or singing... And all the emotions arise after watching MJ's "This is It" MOVIE, when supposedly it should be "This is It" CONCERT.

Yeaps, the movie is a collection of footages showing how MJ rehearsed and prepared for his concerts. If he is still around, the concerts would probably have been a hit! Only one word to describe. Fabulous!!! Throughout the whole movie I cant stop commenting MJ is really SOOOO talented!! It's such a pity he's no longer around. We have really lost the greatest King of Pop, ever.

Some songs I really like from him:

This song is so inspirational and I can feel the power calling out to everyone to Save the Earth! But of course, you must believe firmly in it first.

This is part of the concert performance if he is still around.

Even though MJ is no longer anymore, MJ's spirit will always live in our hearts...

-MS-

Sun Set Grill @ Seletar. Gosh u gotta 'try' the buffalo wings!!

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:08:21 GMT

The past one week had been a really adventurous "eating spree".. Trying all sorts of different cuisine, from the spiciest Buffalo Wings in Singapore (I bet!!!) to North Indian cuisine (we had Deepavali celebration in office). And of course the highlight would be the much raved and famed Buffalo Wings at Sunset Grill where there are 30 levels of spiciness! YES, it's 30!!! And the highlight of the pub is if you can finish half a dozen of Buffalo Wings rated at 21 & above, you get to put your name on the chart in the pub!!

And so, The Gang went to challenge the Buffalo wings!!

Everyone was present on that day! We rarely had full attendance for an outing.. It's usually 90% attendance. Haha.. Yeahs!!

The level 30 Buffalo wings. Gosh, can you see that the THICK layer of chilli surrounding the wings. I can smell the chilli even though im seated a distance away from the plate. It's hard to describe the level of spiciness.. But i took one small bite.. And even after drinking numerous cups of water, my tongue still feels HOT!! Just imagine finishing 1 whole wing!!!

We sent the bravest team to take up the challenge.. Kudos to their never say die spirit, even though halfway through they wanted to give up cuz it was so damn spicy!!! Cheers!

Yeahs!! And we get to leave the names on the chart in Sunset Grill Pub!!

Disclaimer: For those who are really interested to try, please think it through carefully as the 6 of them had stomachache and shit & urine that feels very hot & stingy after eating the really spicy buffalo wings.

Anyway, some random photos with the office peeps..

Trying the korean BBQ at Esplanade. Umm.. I cant exactly remember the name. But it was really good and we all came out smelling like BBQ meat! Haha..

Hanging out at Haagan Daz to eat ice cream! Yummy!!!

LJMian + 1 Projectian. haha..

-MS-

Taxi Drivers Ultimate Strategy!!!!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:50:36 GMT

I've been wanting to blog about this but kept procastinating cuz I dont have the time. And if I ever do, Im gonna blog a real long entry, a whole long entry of complaints!! Im just so damn pissed over the entire thing. Haha...

Before the surcharge system (35% extra of the meter fare during peak hours in the morning & evening) was implemented, it was already HARD to get taxis in my area. Back then (probably 3 years ago??), taxi ride was quite cheap. From Bt Panjang to Bt Batok Central, it probably costs me S$5.50.. Now.. Fat hope!! $5.50 will only be able to take me to Choa Chu Kang!! Anyway, let's dont digress.. Back to the main story.

As I mentioned, it was already hard to get a taxi in my area, especially in the morning, hence when the surcharge was implemented, I was welcoming it with cheers cuz (i) I thought people will abstain from taking cabs cuz of the exorbitant charges (ii) Alleviate the traffic congestion. And yups, it did for a moment, until recently, somehow the cab demand in my area went up again!! And that's where some of the unscrupulous cabbies started to take advantage of this situation.

And so the story goes like this.. Knowing how difficult it is to take a cab from my place after 8am, I decided to call for a cab and i managed to book a cab which will arrive in approximately 7min - 10 min time as informed by the machine operated operator. As I was making my way to the destination where I got my cab to wait for me, my phone rang. It was the cab prompter to inform me that my cab has arrived and yups I spotted it, which is approximately less than 50m away from me. But guess what, as i walked towards the cab, the cab driver actually DROVE OFF, without realising the poor passenger is already there??!! Excuse me, I wasnt even late in the first place, and from the time I received the notification call to the walk to the cab, it was JUST LESS THAN 30 seconds!!!

Fine. So I called the operator and they told me they will try to get a cab for me. BUT guess what, I was put on hold by the operator for 30 min and telling me there is no cab in my area when I actually saw 3 empty cabs zoom past me, all eagerly waiting for "On-Call" job!!! I was totally peeved by then. The last straw was.. The line got disconnected suddenly and at that point of time, I really felt as though im an active volcano, going to explode!!! And I swore im never to take that XXX company taxi again!!

While the peak hour surcharge was to help to alleviate the traffic congestion, the cabbies have abused the system and whole intention of starting it, leaving the poor consumers (us) totally at their mercy. Shouldnt LTA or the Company of these cabbies do something?? It's totally unfair to us!! 3 days ago, while I was waiting for a cab ~~again~~, I saw this empty cab turned into a carpark, and when it came out less than 30 seconds later, it has accepted a phone booking job. And so, the vicious cycle just goes on and on... No cab, call cab, more unscrupulous cab drivers!! Sometimes, I really pitied those elderly who were waiting for cabs along the road, with a flustered look on their face. Had it ever occured to anyone that someone out there could have really NEEDED a cab urgently & all this cab driver strategy thingie is just TOO MUCH??

It could have been a matter of demand and supply as argued, and the passengers are all willing parties which eventually shape the behaviour of the cabbies but shouldnt it be time now that we START doing something to regulate this whole nonsense?? Or is this a sign that it's getting too crowded here in Singapore?? I dont know.

But one thing's for sure. Im surely very pissed over this one whole thing and.. im sure there's many people out there feeling the same! And probably, I should just avoid taking cabs. Squeezing in the MRT & buses definitely beats waiting for cabs, except with the occasional breakdown which got the entire system corked up. Haha..

-MS-

Friday, October 16, 2009

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:26:48 GMT

Haha! I just booked my air tix to Bangkok & Hong Kong!!!

Yups I will be spending Christmas in Bangkok this year and next May gonna go shopping in HK with colleagues!! Im soooooo looking forward to it!

And in return for this.. Im probably pushing off my trip to Amsterdam.. Heex!

-MS-

Wedding of the Year

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:05:25 GMT

Wedding of the year!!! It's Cousin Qin Hao's wedding yesterday. Yea... We have now stepped into another milestone of our life. Everyone is getting married one by one. It seems as though it was just yesterday where we were playing hide-and-seek, 'RISK', 'Monopoly' and Masak Masak together. Din expect that before we even have the time to say "WOW!", everyone is becoming a daddy & mummy!! (I also wanna be a mummy too!) Haha...

And now.. Photos from the wedding~!

My kaki for everything.. haha.. he's fated to be torture by me! Roar!!!

Cousin Tricia, BRIDE, aunt and me!! The bride's looking great & gorgeous.. :) Pretty mum-to-be!!!

My dearest uncle who's just like a father to me... For his unwavering care & concern.

I so super HEART Sam's hair! It's really gorgeous.. We are the best pair of sis in the world.

Dear and me.. We are the emcee for the night. It seems like we are getting more & more lobang to be emcees. We make a great team!! In everything. hahaha...

Alright.. Finally my bro's pict!! Can you even see that they are twins? They are identical twins!! But as they grow older, they probably look less alike. haha.. Hairstyle also different now. So it's actually easier to distinguish who is elder and who is younger.

Cousin fen and me! My dearest dearest sis too!! The one who is ever so concern over everyone of us. She is Miss Popularity!

And now.. The highlight of the event.. The non-stop yam seng which got everybody so excited!

YAM SENG x 3 times!!! Hooray!!

Alright we played a little trick on them.. Got them to kiss for 1 min till they got out of breath!

Coming up next.. We got cousin to sing!! It was such a great opportunity to get him to sing cuz he RARELY sings!

Dear niece and nephew.. Dont you find that they super look alike? Confirm from the same factory. Guarantee. Hee..

Uncles and aunties.. I suspect Xiao Gu and Xiao Gu Zhang are Burberry's & LV's ambassador.. Cuz everything from top to toe are from the 2 brands!! haha.. Even ordinary tee shirts!!

3 super pretty ladies!!!

Alright.. Our mood inspired everyone to act cute with us! And yups he's the actor! hehe

The younger generation in the family.. hahah.. i still feel so much like a baby!!

She loves me too much. I knew it.

\\

Cousins power!! some are not around though. Busy entertaining the guests..

And yups, i really enjoyed myself throughout the night! Had a great time catching up with everyone!!

And so.... Who's turn is it to get married next year?? Definitely not me. Yet.

-MS-

Mental Block

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:54:35 GMT

Gosh.. I have been suffering from mental block today!

First, I cant remember my handphone number~!! Second, i wanted to use nets to pay for a purchase, but at that moment i cant remember what is that (NETS) word. So i said,"ATM, please."

For a moment , i could see everyone having a big question mark above their head. ATM???

haha.. And guess what.. I am emcee for 4 weddings this year and emcee for a talk. This year is emcee year!!! hee..

Alright, gotta turn in early today! *yawn* Im so super tired!!!!!

-MS-

Starry starry Night

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:35:12 GMT

"Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land."

The Hong Kong Drama "Heart of Greed" has introduced me to the song 'Starry, Starry Night'. It never occurred to me that this song would carry so much meaning to it. And unknowingly, it seems like we can understand how Vincent Van Gogh was feeling at that time... (The song "Vincent" by Don McLean is making an actual comparison to his life.)

Vincent Van Gogh was such an inspiration to many. His tragic death has devastated many. Nevertheless, he has left behind a legacy which many will never forget.

It's just weird how people only start to realise the importance of certain things in life after they have lost it.

-MS-

Hanoi Trip 5 Sep to 8 Sep~!

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:30:30 GMT

Woo.. It's been a long while since I last blogged. I've been soo busy recently. My boss muz certainly give me 'Most Hardworking' employee of the year award!! haha.. The last few weeks had been so terrible. Slogging my guts out man! I was sick & i dont even have time to see a doctor or excuse myself from work! that's how horrible it is! My colleagues told me it's not worth sacrificing health for work. But... It's just not me to leave things undone halfway. There's so much issues to solve that sometimes Im even dreaming of work in my lala land. Im hopeless. Is that even consider a workaholic? Haha.. I really dont know. All I know is, i want to get things done~!

Speaking of which, i recently went to talk to my boss on my performance. I was really nervous & afraid. Haha.. Cuz no one wanna hear bad things right??!! Anyway, the conclusion is.. My boss is really happy with my work & i should keep it up~! And im doing a good job & dont worry too much (cuz of some issues recently.. but he understand that im new & still need guidance~!) Anyway, yups, im really thankful to have such a wonderful boss, who has provided me with so much guidance over the past few months. Now... what im hoping is.. To finish up this current big project on hand & life will be normal again!! Woohoo!! TWO MORE MONTHS!!!

有人说休息是为了`要走更长远的路... That's probably part of the reason why I took a short break to Hanoi!! It's really good!! For the first time in many months, i can totally take work OFF MY MIND!!!! And those 4 days are the most relaxing days I have to date! And of cuz to visit the famed Halong Bay & try the highly recommended Cha Ca La Vong!!!! *slurps*

This cathedral is totally soo cool~! Really nice place for taking a wonderful shot. Love it~!

It's actually quite easy to get around in Hanoi. We are staying in Old Quarters & majority of the attractions are located within the area, accessible by foot. But crossing the road there is certainly a challenge! There SOO many bikes (simply uncountable) on the road that I can just stand there forever cuz im so lost on how to cross. Luckily dear dear is the easily adaptable & courageous one. He was the one who guided us safely to other side of the road most of the time! Laughs.

Anyway, the first day in Hanoi, we went to watch the Water Puppet show. We bought first class seats cuz it's just soooo CHEAP!! Only S$5??? It's really good, at least in my opinion. But probably too dragy cuz both of us dozed off during the last 10 min (the show is in vietnamese language. we dont understand what's going on 99.9999% of the time!).

After the show, we went to visit the Hoan Kiem Lake which is just opposite the Water Puppet Theatre. Actually both of us have no idea why is this an attraction. But that's probably because we are ignorant and have no idea of the history behind the place.

Nice view of the lake at night.

After visiting the lake, we went to try the famous Cha Ca La Vong (if you refer to my blog entry earlier in Year 2007, this is one of the top must try food on my list after watching a travel show, and this is 50% of the reason why i wanted to go Hanoi so badly!!!!). But you gotta be really careful not to enter the wrong shop cuz there's just a 'fake' one a few shops away.

Pls dont get it wrong! This is not a vegetable dish. It's actually grilled fish and it's hidden away by the 'greenery'!!!

After dinner, we walked around the area before we went back to our hotel. Actually, Hanoi is not as backward as most people imagined it to be. It's probably just old & most of the buildings retain the look of during French Colony. That's why it seems to be pretty under developed?

Anyway, just look at the NUMBER of vehicles on the road!!! It's certainly worse than China!! And wherever there's road, there's bike/car!!! So you gotta be real careful and be alert.

And finally.. Our hotel. It's really very cosy & clean & the hotel's staff couldnt be any better!

It's certainly one of the top few in Old Quarters. Hanoi Elegance 4!

And that marks the end of our first day adventure in Hanoi. The next day, we travelled 3.5 hours to Halong city to cruise around Halong Bay for 2 days and 1 night! It's a trip worth remembering!

Along the way, we observed some really interesting things.. Like railway track just OUTSIDE the house?? It's that near lor!!!

After getting lost for half an hour (our driver's probably new), we finally get to board our junk cruise! This is where we gonna stay for the next 1 day! *excited*

Inside of the room. Dont be deceived by the photo. What you see is what you get. This is the amount of space we have in the room. Really cramped! But comfortable.

Our start of the cruise.

Lots & lots of limestone formation. Thousands of them!!!! Really!!! I wonder how they can not get lost inside there!! Everything just look the same to me. Hee. Anyway, the guide told us that if you are to take a helicopter, from the top view, all the limestone formations actually makes up the shape of a dragon. Legend has it that God sent a dragon to protect the vietnamese from sea attack, that's why there's so many formations that help to block the ships from entering the bay.

Really hot weather. The air con can only be on after 5pm... And it's a freaking hot temperature of 36 degrees!!!

More pictures of the bay.

The interior of the limestones formation. It's really nice.

Somehow.. This picture remind me of Sahara desert. Dont you think so???

Swimming in the middle of nowhere. All but me jumped from the junk cruise into the super salty water!

Night view. A view that you will never be able to catch in Singapore. In the middle of no where.

And the next morning, the local (they actually live in a nearby floating village within Halong Bay) brought our kayak to us! I was really freaked out. Cuz i seriously dont have the courage to climb down from the junk cruise into the kayak. No wonder can ever understand how water strikes the fear in me!

The last night in Hanoi, we splurged on a really good meal & it's really good!!

And this is a really nice Pho!

Overall, the trip to Hanoi was really enjoyable. But im probably not used to the environment there. Im a city girl!! haha..

And im soo looking forward to my next trip out again soon! Where? No idea yet!

-MS-

Quick update

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:25:06 GMT

Yeah! Im finally free today!

Quick update for the next 2 months:

(i) Yeahs!! Hanoi trip in a week's time!

(ii) Attend NDP 09 Appreciation Function. Full of anticipation & excitement.

(ii) Emcee for PRM Freight & Insurance Talk

(iii) Preparation for Exams in Nov (what again???) sobs sobs..

(iv) Resume my driving!! I can book for test soon! I've actually stopped going for lessons 3 months ago cuz I've been SOOO busy!!!

(v) Time to start my tennis lessons in Oct!!! Finally i can have my precious weekends back!!!!

(vi) Anniversary BIG PLAN! I havent thought of it yet but already had a rough idea. Wahaha...

And my 死期 is drawing nearer.... OT 的日子又要开始了 (I just ended the OT cycle yesterday...Time to take a break for 1 week before I go mad chasing people to approve my paper again). Arrghh.. Work!!!

-MS-