Eternally Thankful...

My bags (3 huge ones) are packed and I'm all ready for my annual In-Camp-Training (ICT). My laptop's blasting great music and I am still wide awake even at this hour.

I am suddenly reminded by God's faithfulness and the blessings He has poured upon me throughout these years. Especially for that of my first ICT.

Close friends will know that the ICT period of last year was when I went through what is probably the most troubled and tumulus time of my life. Last year's ICT was right smacked in the middle of Semester 5 of my undergraduate life. It was in the middle of project commitments, mid-semester tests, tons of administrative work for applications for my exchange to US. Semester 5 was a killer semester with arguably the toughest modules of the undergraduate curriculum.

Furthermore the only grandparent I ever knew passed away on the second day of the ICT. My dear Gramm. I was devastated. I was not even anywhere remotely close to her when she left this world. I was distracted and detached. Losing someone this close without the ability to do anything about it, without the ability to be with the family immediately in this time of grief, without the ability to comfort those she left behind, is one of the worse experiences ever. I was unable to carry out my duties to the best of my abilities, unable to concentrate on the lectures (both in ICT and in SIM), unable to keep up with school work and projects, unable to do pretty much anything non-menial. I was lost in my despair and sorrows. I will never forget that period of time.

But God you forsee what was going to happen and You have already placed guardians by my side in this most challenging and difficult time of my life. You for one have brought Gramm to a better place and I am really glad that she knew you before she left. You placed above me good direct commanders who are able to understand my plight and grant me leave to be with my family and to send Gramm off. You provided me with XinYi, my quiet comforter, who is able to in my stead be with my family and carry out the duties back home that I can't when I am back in camp. You blessed me with my two awesome brothers who were the pillars of strength for the whole family this period, overseeing all the details for Gramm's funeral. You provided me with ICT mates who live nearby, who facilitated my otherwise long travels to the camp and back. You provided me with good classmates, who carried my share of project work, kept me updated with school work, who took notes for me, and assisted my exchange applications till I was able to complete my ICT. You gave me good cousins who were able to get off work the whole week to stay in my house to help out with all the funeral proceedings. You put by my side, good friends who sent messages of comfort and in their own ways supported me in this difficult period. More importantly, You gave me and my family, especially Mom, the courage, belief and strength to move on.

1 year on, with a smooth first ICT, decent grades for Semester 5, and a fulfilling exchange in USA, I smile as I type out this post. I can thank You God for a million other things. But its in times as such that the footprints in my life is more visible and tangible. I understood more clearly than ever, for the first time, the phrase "it was then that I carried you".

Thank You God for being there always. May You continue to shape and guide my life according to Your will.

I know I am going to have yet another great ICT. =)

Looks like tonight's sleep will be exta comfy...

This is pretty-pink-nose-kitty. The most handsome cat in Lengkong Tiga.

I was walking home just this evening and I saw it lying so comfortably on a red blouse on a hanger. It appears that the blouse was blown off from one of the apartments above to the ground floor. So he chanced upon it and decided to rest there for the night. I immediately whipped out my phone to capture this rare moment of overt expression of feline behaviour.

Cute eh? Lucky duck...


"You had your picture! Now get lost and leave me alone."

Visit to Jia He's New Restaurant

Long Time no Blog! But the AWOL blogger is back!

Here we are at PS Bistro & Bakery at BLK 82 Macpherson Lane #01-27. This is a semi-restaurant cafe that Jia He's Dad has just set up and Jia He is there working full time now. So as good friends, we are here to support this new establishment.

Upon reaching there, I realised it is just a stone throw away from my chuch at Paya Lebar! So I will be there pretty often I reckon.

PS Bistro serves Pizzas, Ciabatta Rolls, Baked Rice, Pasta and other baked delights.


After placing my orders I wasted no time taking photos of Jia He in action...


Some random light decoration in the cafe.


There's Vivian and Kang sneaking a peak at the chef at work.


Desmond joins in too... Hahaha. I bet Jia He is stressed seeing us looking at him while he prepares our food.


There he goes...


The exterior of the cafe...


This figurine is made in the image of Jia He's Dad. Really uncanningly lifelike.


Vivian's personal pan seafood pizza is ready!


Vivian holding the pizza looking estactic. It was really good. With Mayo base!


My Pepperoni and Ham Pizza at current promotional price of $4.90.

We arrived in time for dinner and had a good time of catching up with the SIM gang. So much stories to share and so much stories to hear. I will miss the good ol carefree days such as these when I start work.





Random photos of us mucking around the joint...


Jia He digging for ingredients to prepare orders for other customers


The kitchen was a lil' messy so handy 'kopi-soh' Vivian helped spruce things up a bit.


The 'kopi-soh' in action...


The Chef cum waiter cum cashier taking a break...


We chatted until the sun faded into the darkness


The last order for the night! A pizza takeaway. And no I didn't bake this Pizza...


But I sliced it and packed it under the watchful eye of the 'supervisor'...



Kang helpful as always, clearing up our drinks and helping Jia He close the cafe for the day.


Our final photo before we left.

Well if you visit it and say you know me you will get a special discount! Hahaha. But don't expect much. Big Shot me only got an 80 cents discount for my total order of $15.80.

So you other minnows can erm expect... Aiyah go there and you will find out. But if Jia He gives you a bigger discount than he did for me let me know hor.

Gosh my forsaken writing pad...

Too much lazing, resting and partying...

Anyway check this out!

I was doing a personal profile test online as I search for jobs and this is what they say about me...

Putting in a lot of effort to meet the demands of work is not Mr Fu's preference. He does not like to rush around doing things and may feel demotivated if work constantly encroaches on his personal life. Although he does not like excessive work demands, Mr Fu may still be prepared to put in extra effort if it is on a short term basis.

Mr Fu is relatively dependable to deliver results on time. He may sometimes be late in meeting deadlines.

Mr Fu generally will persist with work until it is completed but may at times not complete his tasks.

Mr Fu is likely to be quality-conscious and achievement-oriented. He is motivated to produce work that is of a high standard. He is observant, quick to spot errors and critical where work is concerned. He is likely to be meticulous, careful and pre-occupied with detail.

Mr Fu is an objective person who is impartial and rational. He speaks factually and often does not involve his own feelings and emotions. He may sometimes be perceived as distant or detached.

Although Mr Fu is usually a sympathetic person, he may at times be selective about being involved in the personal problems of people.

Mr Fu is friendly and outgoing when he is with friends although he may at times prefer to be quiet.

Mr Fu is the sort of person who forms long term bonds and attachments. He is faithful, trustworthy, and devoted in such relationships. He tends to be trusting, dedicated and protective towards those he loves. Patriotism and sense of duty is a significant aspect of his character.

Taking ownership of His responsibilities and being accountable to higher authority are strong trademarks of Mr Fu. He is responsible, courageous, commanding and forceful. However, others may see him as being territorial because he is likely to assert control over work situations. Mr Fu will probably feel demotivated when not given enough responsibilities.

Mr Fu is moderately concerned with prestige, rank and reputation.

Mr Fu sees people as friendly, reliable and honest. He is trusting and believes what people say. He tends to be unsuspecting of people.s behaviour and motives. He is uncomfortable when he has to wheel and deal.

Mr Fu's leadership qualities are moderate and he is sometimes able to get the support of people.

Intellectual matters do not interest Mr Fu. He is more concerned with practical issues than abstract theories. Mr Fu prefers to talk about useful and workable solutions than discuss hypotheses and concepts. He is more likely to build on ideas rather than generate them.

Mr Fu puts in effort to plan ahead some of the times. He may at times not be as detailed in his planning.

Mr Fu is generally able to express himself although not to a high degree of eloquence.

Being one who needs clear and thorough instructions before he can proceed on action, Mr Fu resists when conditions are uncertain. He does not adapt easily to changes. Before he embarks on a new project, expect Mr Fu to find out more and probe deeply.

Well some of the points are debatable but most of it is quite true! I am really amazed.

I am enjoying my last week of holiday now before I start reservist. I'm also 'passively' looking for a job. Ie. Just uploading resumes in central job hunt websites but have not sent out any to any organisations as yet. I am really in doubt of what I want to do in life. Haiz.

Its a conundrum that I've been trying to solve for the past few weeks since my return from America.

I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed wisdom and enlightenment.

Day 4: The day Sel is left with 5pounds in her wallet

London seems so far away....

London day 4: Market day!

First stop was Liverpool Street station: Spitalfields Market.


At the station...


Enroute to Spitalfields Market! It was a super sunny and hot day!


Generally quite expensive stuffs and mostly brand new..

Absolutely love this shop! And this was how I picture all flea markets to be!

With my newly bought handmade hairband! Which I broke on the way back.... anyone know how to salvage it? I'm very sad coz I really love it alot! =((

Then we wandered to Petticoat Lane Market!!

Which was really dodgy but had really good and cheap finds! I got one of my dress at 6pounds cheaper!

Dodgy area....

Then it was off to the Sunday Upmarket at Bricklane!

Many artsy stuffs and Sel went crazy! She says "must support artists!!"

Clothes are mostly similar to Spitafields market and kinda expensive...

Too bad i did not manage to take Sel with her buys!

Along Bricklane!

Happiness is finding cheap buys!

Crazy stockings day!

Surprisingly we ended the day quite early (about 4plus) and went home to have dinner. And since the weather was so nice, we had dinner in the backyard!

Curry noodles! Made with lotsa love by Auntie Yong! YUM!

Not strawberry season yet... =(

Beautiful roses!

Bluebells?

Beautiful purple flowers... All found in the backyard!

Next up: Windsor Castle!