A Relaxing Afternoon @ Great Falls State Park, VA

Taking in the view of the magnificiant falls craved by the Potomac River...


Lazing around on a lovely afternoon...


and enjoying the feeling of being close to nature...

Love the feeling of spending a relaxing afternoon at the Great Falls State Park in Virginia, USA. :)

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

Yesterday was the 45th birthday of my homeland Singapore. I've never felt this day was so special until I'm away in the States. I guess I really took that for granted when I was in Singapore.
Well, at least I had a nice mini National Day hangout at my apartment together with my other Singaporean friends. We had drinks, fruits and chips while we played national day songs. It was fun just getting together and talking throughout the night. =)
I'm sure the Singaporeans out there are enjoying their long weekend. Just want to say: "Happy Birthday, Singapore!!" :D

Missing You...

I miss going home to find mum busy in the kitchen trying to whip up a delectable meal for us. I miss her constant nagging which is also a way of showing how much she care for us. She always like to chat with me some time be it in the day or at night about the daily occurences in her life. Now that I'm in the States, I feel somewhat emotional but happy too whenever she called. I know she misses me. I misses her too.. very much.
I miss my cute little baby niece too. Every morning when she wanders into my room with small wobbly steps and looks me in the eyes, waiting for me to play with her. I miss holding her tiny hands in mine and scooping her up into my arms. I miss chasing her around the house, trying to prevent her from getting into "accidents". I wonder how tall she'll be by the time I come back on home leave.
Basically, all I can say is that I miss all my family and friends back home in Singapore. Hope we can get to see each other real soon...

Life in the Land of Stars & Stripes

It has been 2 weeks since the day I first set foot in the United States. I could still vividly remember the torturous 25hrs flight with a rushed transit at the SFO airport. I was so glad that me and my luggages arrived at the United States without any glitch. We settled at the hotel Residence Inn by Marriott, a place I've been calling home for the past 2 weeks.
Our 1st 2 weeks were spent with a hectic search for apartments for rental and shopping for things to buy for our new apartments. We have been driving around a lot, been to Washington DC for the 4th July Independence Day celebration and also to the outlets shopping at Virginia. We have also shopped at Walmart, Giant and even the Korean/Asian Mart Lotte at Germantown for groceries to make our own dinner. Our DIY dinner always didn't turn out too well but I'm sure we'll improve with time..LOL.
We've started our 1st two days of orientation at our new place of work. The people there were rather nice and friendly. But it seems like we've got a lot to learn as we go along. Let hope we could all intergrate into our new work environment asap. :)
Well.. I'm still feeling rather sad at times when I start missing home, my family n friends back in Singapore. Looking forward to CNY next year so that I can go back to Singapore to visit them. :)

The Marmalade Pantry @ Ion Orchard

Had a great afternoon with friends enjoying nice food and quality time together... :)

Latest Updates

Ok, my visa interview is scheduled on the 15th June and my flight is booked on the 24th June. Finally having some updates. Even with all the gradual clearing up of things, I still feel rather nervous. Our two group discussions so far have yet to settle issues like cars and accomodations. There are still a lot of things to discuss and find out before we jet ourselves off to the States.
I think I'm still having the "I-miss-my-family-and-friends" kinda mood... hmmm..
Now I think I'm having problem with the baggage I need to bring through to the US. We are strictly only allowed 2 luggages 20kg EACH, no adding up of the luggage weight requirements. Well, it's all myself to blame for not reading the requirements carefully and happily bought a BIG new luggage thinking I could stuff all my things in and save the hassle of taking a 2nd luggage. Bummer... :(

Finally...

Good news!! Our H3 visa petitions are finally approved! One more hurdle to clear-- our visa interview at the US embassy. Good luck peeps! :)

My Latest Gadgets! =D

Tada... the latest addition to my personal collection... The Samsung ST60 ultra-slim camera. Such a beauty. I wanted to go for a Panasonic Lumix initially but can't help getting swept away by the looks of this new Samsung model. Let's hope it works as well as it looks.


Next up, the new Samsung Monte. It's a touchscreen phone with Wifi. I've gotten it free through the recontract of my M1 line. :)

Ok there, I know what u r thinking... But no, I'm not a big Samsung fan.. haha, that was just pure coincidence. :p

Dental Visit

Image taken from http://www.gibbleguts.com

I just went for a last minute dental visit today for scaling and polishing of my teeth. I hate having to book appointments because there are always limited slots available and by the time u got the appointment, u dun feel like going anymore. Well, it really takes the guts to go visit the dentist for me..:p Fortunately, there was a dental clinic near my house which does not have much patients and best of all, u do not need to book any appointment. All it takes is just to pop in at the spur of the moment and do your teeth. As usual, it was a painful experience when the dentist started digging at your teeth and gums to clear the "debris"... OUCH!! :((

I remembered that I used to be afraid of going to the dentist when I was a child. It was due to my bad experiences with the school dental nurse. My memories of the dental nurse was that of a fierce woman who wouldn't stop nagging at how we are always not brushing our teeth correctly and so on... At that moment, I just can't help feeling she's venting her frustrations on my teeth by causing so much pain... haha. However, as I grow older and understand the importance of taking care of my teeth, I will still force myself to go visit the dentist once in a while... :> Anyway, the dentists are not really as terrible as I thought.. well, at least they dun really nag anymore... :p

Tired...

I'm so tired... Have been feeling rather down recently. I wonder whether it's because I worry too much, or I'm just feeling plain uneasy about how things are going recently.
I have just rejected a job interview today. The HR person on the other end of the line sounds rather unhappy. She didn't even bother to answer me as I explained to her that I have got another job offer and won't be coming down for the interview. I think she's pissed off, but I'm even more pissed off at her attitude. Oh come on, at least I bothered to send her an email as well as give her a call to explain why I reject the interview offer. She should have at least acknowledged me. So much for the attitude of the HR people. I really wonder how she got the job in the 1st place.
As though a follow-up to the bad beginning of my day, my supervisor wants me to hand in my resignation letter by tomorrow because she needs to settle some admin issues so that the HR side can grant her permission to start interviewing candidates. I have already told her I will tentatively be tendering in mid-May but in the end I would have to tender in advance before my visa is confirmed. I can't help feeling sad because it seems like they are pushing me to resign... :(
There are no news regarding my visa yet. I really hope the people involved will approve it asap so that things will get going. Maybe when all that is settled, my negative feelings and uneasiness will go away...
In the meantime, I really need to cheer myself up a little. Hate to see all the negative entries in this blog but I guess I really need a place to vent my frustrations. Well, things will be going well soon. I'll just need to be more patient...

MRT/LRT Extension

The Singapore MRT/LRT system is something that is worth being proud of as it is a boost to Singapore's extensive transport system. Recently, there had been a few extensions to the current MRT/LRT line. In 2010, there was the start of the Waterfront Station of the Sentosa Express to serve the masses flocking to the new Sentosa Resort World and Universal Studios Singapore. From today, the new Circle Line is opened for 11 stations along the line. =)

So Sad la...

Just thinking of me missing my june bonus this year makes me very sad. An extra 1 mth plus to 2mths of bonus makes a lot of difference to me lor... urgh, why do I have to leave in June? This is so super wasted... Almost half a year of work and no bonus. Feel so cheated. Haiz... I'm just so sad la... leave me alone or I might bite... :(((

The Day My Hair Changed Colour...

Went for a highlighting + treatment + haircut session with sis at Tampines today as we were both on leave. I chose a burgurdy red colour for my highlight and sis chose something blondish/yellowish. Since this was the first time I highlight my hair, I was rather nervous about how it might turn out to be.
After about 3hrs, everything was done but I couldn't really see much difference to my hair except for a tinge of reddness. I was a little disappointed at the outcome cos it wasn't like a totally fresh image of me with highlighted hair. I guess it was because my hair was quite stubborn and didn't take in the colour too well. Otherwise, it could be cos my hair was too dark in the 1st place. Anyway, the haircut itself was not bad la, although I feel that the hairstylist kinda snipped away too much of my hair...
However, I found the price a bit too steep as my highlight was only a single tone (mine cost $170plus) and also cos the result of my highlight wasn't that satisfactory.
Since I will be back to work on Thurs, let's just see whether my colleagues notice anything different about my hair... haha :p

Dinner @ Sushi Tei

It's my friend's birthday tomorrow and I decided to arrange for a last minute gathering with her and another close friend of ours. We met at Sushi Tei @ Tampines 1 for dinner. All 3 of us had known each other since primary school but had only recently started to meet up again. It was a nice gathering and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
Hope I can have more of such gatherings with close friends of mine before I leave for the States. :)

感慨。。。

有时候，难免觉得这个社会很现实，也很残酷。很多事情都是我们无法控制的。也有很多人和事不是我们想象中那么完美的。我们必需学会去接受和面对，才能融入这个生活的圈子里。所谓“适者生存”大概就是这个意思吧。。。

I hope I did the right thing by telling her the truth...
When she asked me directly, I didn't know how to react and hesitated before trying to deny it. However, it was not in my blood to lie, I feel uneasy and eventually decided to tell her the truth. I will be leaving soon and what harm does it make? I just hope that she'll keep it to herself like she promised...

Disappointment...

Can't help feeling so disappointed with my current boss and supervisor...
I was given a good grade for my appraisal this year. However. they have recently heard from a colleague which I confided in about my plans to leave the company and asked me about it during appraisal. I felt a tinge of betrayal. Why that of all times? I do not intend to keep it from them since I had already decided. So, I went ahead and told them the truth. To my disappointment, they actually wanted to change my appraisal grade in view that I may not be able to benefit from it if I intend to leave soon. At the moment I really feel like crying. This is so so unfair... If they think I deserve a good grade, they shouldn't do that to me. It's not the monentary value that counts. It's the satisfaction that you get from knowing that you have done your job well. Therefore, getting a good appraisal grade is like a form of encouragement for me. Although they didn't make any changes in the end (but who knows whether they will change their mind later...), it was already a wound etched deep in my heart with recognition of what kind of people they really are.
It's really hard to have employers who do not understand or appreciates you well enough. If they still decide to change my appraisal grade because of such a stupid reason, so be it... Maybe I had made a right decision to leave after all...

Baking Frenzy

More of my baking class photos...
Black forest cake, durian fudge, chocolate fudge, mango mousse, cheesecake, fruit tarts... haha, time to take your pick! :))

Mixed Feelings...

It's a rare opportunity, the fact that I successfully got into the overseas training programme. The training is scheduled to last 18 months far far away in the United States. I am supposed to be elated, to be able to get such an opportunity to train overseas with most, if not all, of the expenses taken care of while I am there. However, I can't help having mixed feelings about the whole issue. The fact that I have to leave my family and friends behind for 18 months was something hard to bear. I knew my mum was struggling with the decision to let me go ahead. I knew it was hard for her, cos it's hard for me too... the thought of not seeing her for 18 months makes me feel like crying. But I need to move on, I need to get out of my comfort zone and learn to be independent. It's a good opportunity for me to learn new things, get more experience and explore new job options. As the saying goes, opportunities don't always come knocking on your door. Think about how students younger than me spend 3 to 4 years studying overseas, away from their loved ones. It's just as hard for them to cope, but eventually they'll have to overcome it. Fruits of labour don't come to you without hard work and sacrifices.
I really need to buck up. 18 months will be gone in a breeze. By then I will be back home again with my loved ones. Back to my good old Singapore....

Shopping Delights

Went to 313@Somerset after work today for some shopping therapy. Some of my recent favourite hunts were the NewLook & Forever 21 outlets there. I had bought 4 jeans at NewLook so far since my 1st visit there after Christmas last year. I like the interesting mix of fashion there with the different types of jeans ranging from skinnys to straights and bootcuts, the tops and coats as well as the range of footwears and accessories. All these are priced rather affordably thanks to the current opening sale. The footwears are also nice and trendy, the only downside being the limited sizes available especially for items that are on sale. Today's visit added a pair of bootcut jeans and a black belted coat to my wardrobe collection. I was hesitant about buying the coat initially since I may not have a chance to wear it given S'pore's weather conditions. However, I couldn't resist the urge since it was going at less than half price below cost. A great steal considering how much you'll normally pay to buy such a coat.
Well... it has been a great shopping day and I really love my buys today! :)

Cake-Making Lesson 2010 (Lesson 1 & 2)

Haven't been updating my blog since the start of the new year... Well, I've just started on my cake-making lesson (stage 3) at Ang Mo Kio CC every Sunday. Here are the products from Lesson 1 & 2.

Lesson 1: Fruit cake.

Lesson 2: Kueh Lapis & Shanghai Mooncake.

Must really try to make at least one of these someday when I'm free. Hopefully before CNY comes... lol :p

PS: Stay tuned for more photo updates... :D