I had my fair share of ups and downs this year. On this last day of 2009, I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane to freeze the year's gains and losses, happiness and sadness, into one blog entry before charging into 2010 with newfound energy and fresh hopes for a better year.
A '+' denotes a positive event/emotion while a '-' represents a negative event/emotion.
January
+ I found a sister in Sunshine23.
+ I rediscovered Sydney and Australia in general with a fresh pair of eyes and saw how beautiful this country and her people are.
+ My relationship with Mum got better.
+ I found meaning in upholding the traditional practice of paying my respects to Dad instead of just going through the motion of lighting joss sticks and burning offerings.
+ Bro for the first time, opened up and shared with me his love life, his career plans, his finances, his observations and opinions on the various incidents and events surrounding us, his worries, and most importantly on something that's been bothering me for a long while because I never knew where he stood in this taboo topic and never dared ask - his feelings and thoughts on Dad's passing and how he coped through the years.
February
- I ate my way around Singapore and gained 5 kg in 2 weeks. (!!!)
+ Thanks to the amazing social networking site Facebook, I found my long lost Secondary 3 & 4 form Teacher.
+ I made my first trip back to the island (Pulau Ubin) I grew up on after having permanently 'migrated' to 'mainland Singapore' since the early 1990s.
- I was painfully reminded of my ex boyfriend after watching the movie 海角七号.
- I got severely homesick after coming back to Sydney from Singapore.
March
- In need of some distraction from the downward spiral into depression, I buried myself in work.
+ I finally bought a car and that greatly enhanced the quality of life here in Sydney.
April
+ Went for the Sydney Royal Easter Show for the first time and enjoyed myself greatly.
+ I started plurking, which brought me closer to the animews.
+ I signed up for a gym membership in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle.
+ Participated in several social gatherings so as to widen my otherwise non existent social circle.
May
- Nothing much. I felt empty.
June
- Felt empty for most part of the month.
+ Bought myself a digital SLR as a birthday present in advance to cheer myself up.
July
+ I got a promotion and pay increment.
+ Went on lots of photowalks with my new camera and polished up my phototaking skills a bit.
- Went into recluse.
- Cried non stop for days on end. Stopped eating and lost 5 kg in 2 weeks.
- My health took a massive hit.
- I was depressed.
August
- Went through the first part of the month in a zombified state. The first realisation that I lost someone I held dear hit me.
+ Took off to Singapore to regain my sanity and rediscovered my self esteem.
September
+ Project Chio was born with the objectives: eat healthier, sleep better, get outdoors more, generally love myself more.
- A severe dust storm engulfed Sydney which affected my lungs badly.
October
- Organised a road trip to Canberra which was disastrous to the point I didn't even want to think about it when it ended. (To Likklegirl: sorry, I didn't blog it as promised as it would have brought back unwanted bad memories)
- Took another weekend off to recuperate in Melbourne which turned out to be a nightmare too. It was so bad I ended up crying more than before.
- I terminated the gym membership.
+ Three of my photos were selected for inclusion in the Schmap Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra guides.
November
+ I fell in love with the Diana F+ kit. I have not purchased it (yet) as I don't have time to devote to her at the moment. I have been reading up on and checking out lomography since.
+ Attended my first black tie event in Australia in which a work paper I wrote and submitted got my nominated company a joint winner placing for the Best New Business Award at the Wagga Wagga Golden Crow Awards.
+ A photo I took and named 'Leaving Home' was featured on the Flickr blog on several days and hit my personal all time high in terms of hits and interest garnered according to the stats.
+ I signed up for guitar lessons.
+ I discovered Muse and rediscovered Nirvana.
- I gave up on a work assignment.
December
+ I re-emerged into the human society by attending parties and functions in an attempt to re-build a life outside of work.
+ I splurged on gifts for myself as a priority over getting gifts for others, which was a first for me. And it felt good.
In summary, I scored well in friendships, family love, materialistic comforts, pursuing personal interests and career but failed terribly at romance, personal well-being and health. So then, farewell 2009. I hope 2010 brings me someone who loves me for me, better state of mind and good health.
year in review - 2009
je m'appelle hélène
I would like to add this song to the list but I can't find the guitar tabs/chords anywhere on the net.
And I thought Joi Chua did a fantastic rendition of the song.
dune chronicles
I've been wanting to read Frank Herbert's Dune Chronicles since eons ago. Although the first book Dune was published in 1965, I never knew its existence until I played the PC game Dune 2000 (a real-time strategy game based on Herbert's Dune universe) when I was in college. I got so addicted to the game I would spend days and nights in front of the computer without food or sleep (not unlike my MapleStory addiction LOL).
Seeing how the chronicles have made it to the top few spots of so many must-read lists all over the net, how frequently they are cited as the world's best-selling science fiction novels, and how it was acclaimed that Frank Herbert had set the trend for 'planetary ecology' sci-fi, I decided I have to find out for myself if they are really that good.
Any comments from anyone who's read these books?
little miss sunshine
This is a screenshot of the first page of my Yahoo mailbox. Joyce Wong aka Sunshine23 aka Angel J and I have been emailing each other intensively for the last couple of months.
I am so glad she came to visit last Christmas. Sure, we've known each other since we were 13, but we were never this close like we are now. We bared our hearts to each other, talked and did more things together in the two weeks she was here in Sydney in December 2008 than in the 16 years we've known each other.
From playing dress up, to beaching and bitching, to linking and lancing ourselves silly, to road trips down south, up north, inner west and everywhere else here and there, to stuffing ourselves with food until we developed tummies so big we looked pregnant, to pure inexplicable madness, by the time we said goodbye, we had forged a bond so strong it was like we both gained a sister.
I am glad for it. I would never have gotten through the dark and depressing periods without friends like my little miss Sunshine. And I am blessed with lots of Mr and Miss Sunshines in my life.
Those of you who were there with me as I cried buckets of tears earlier this year, I thank you. It was because of each and every single one of you - the words you said, the things you did, the lame jokes, the virtual shoulders you offered in lieu of your physical presence right here with me, the smses, the emails, the plurks, the blog comments, the phone calls, the MSN chats - that I managed to pick myself up and gradually learned to love myself.
So which one of you wanna tell me a lame joke now? :-*)
an arty farty party
I received an invitation from a bunch of architects and interior designers for an event on the eve of X'mas eve and gamely attended the arty farty party held at their office garage in Neutral Bay.
Beautiful Vanisha was my date that evening. We thought we looked like the national flag of Singapore as we strode into the Leffler Simes Architects (LSA) building in our chilli red and snow white dresses.
Lots of effort was put in by the organising team to decorate the party venue. They even painted an entire wall to reflect the city skyline of Sydney with real smoke billowing out of the 'Sydney Tower' at the press of a button. And I was told that hours of work were put in by the girls to cut out thousands of leaves from coloured paper to decorate the otherwise plain looking floor we stood on.
Here you see me and my two travelling companions for the upcoming Byron Bay trip making faces at the camera.
We do pose for the occasional nice decent shot too. (Beakee and Fav Tudi: check out what accessory I was wearing!)
Here's a shot with the (weird and funky) Chief Architect I liaise with most of the time for my current work project at the pilot academy. Incidentally, the smokey tower behind me was his brainchild. Yes, you can tell it worked perfectly well from the photo below.
Natalie here who so kindly offered to share her X'mas party loot (she won two return flights to anywhere on the Rex network at our X'mas party draw) with me is the key Interior Designer for my project. She is one helluva capable woman! Guys take note!
And finally, group shots with my arty farty project team before we headed off for round two - more partying!
And this was the last X'mas party of the year. It was a simple party but lots of great fun.
月亮代表我的心
I have added the above song - 月亮代表我的心 (literally translates to 'The Moon Represents My Heart') to my 'Ultimate Song List' due to a special request by Flyaway. I prefer this above version by Qi Qin to the original version by Theresa Teng because I find that he sings it with more feeling.
So I now have 12 songs on the list that I endeavour to learn and after four lessons with my tutor that mainly focused on the basics of picking, chords, scales and arpeggios, I'm beginning to include the intro for Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine in my daily practise sessions. Progress on this simple song so far has been satisfactory - I just need to try to gradually increase the tempo and yet maintain the smooth transition between the fingerings.
My tutor has gona on a three week break and I'll only resume my lessons from 9 Jan onwards. Meanwhile, I have to perfect six chords C, G7, G, D7, Am and E7, six sets of arpeggios for these chords, two scales, and the first two bars of the opening intro for Smoke on the Water before I see him again. Stressful hey?
girlie lunchie
I promised JJ last week that I'll pop in for lunch on X'mas Eve and since the girlies at work were organising a lunch session before we go on the long Christmas weekend, I took the whole bunch of them to Pablo's today.
I had the boscaiola with extra mushrooms and a glass of refreshing watermelon and strawberry juice. I prefer fettucine to penne when having boscaiola but Pablo's seems to run out of fettucine almost all the time. They should really stock up on the italian mee pok!
Check out the Christmassy table setting...
We got a complimentary plate of sweets... very sweet of the boys - thanks JJ and Tres!
Have a Merry Merry Ho Ho Ho X'mas!
sackboy fashion show
I have a TV box for a head...
I'm a grumpy old Santa...
And I'm the Monkey King (Sun Wu Kong) with a perfect set of gleaming white teeth!
You can download all the above costumes for FREE at the PlayStation Shop!
testing mobile blogger
Does this work?
(Update: OMG I finally got the f**king mobile blogger to work! Could have vomitted blood over the setting up! Btw, above pic shows the X'mas pressies I got at work last Friday.)
final fantasy xiii
Final Fantasy XIII will be available in March 2010!!!! I MUST MUST MUST get the game!
All pictures from the official FF XIII website.
I'm a huge FF fan. Points 46 and 47 of the outdated 100 Things About Me entry state:
46. My favourite ps2 game was and still is Final Fantasy VII and VIII. It's not so much about the game or the graphics but about the characters and story. I cried when Aerith died (FF7 I think) and threw my controller down and refused to continue playing. It took me several months to recover from that 'ordeal' and continue the game to completion.
(I couldn't stand FF IX cos of the cartoonish characters. I didn't complete FF X because the story unfolded too slowly and I got bored. However, the ending is apparently extremely heart wrenching. I didn't have access to a PS console at the time when FF XI and XII were released and hence totally missed out on these two.)
47. I always name the main characters in my FF games as Jack. So I tend to forget their original names.
The main character in FF XIII is female and she's called Lightning. I think I will, for the first time in my FF history, not rename my character Jack. And it'll be the first time for me playing a girl character. I am extremely mesmerised by Lightning - she's like so damn beautiful and stylo! Just check out the pics below.
Is it like, ermm... possible to fall for your own character???
the monkeycrab sackboy
This is the most fancy set of costume my sackboy has at the moment. Little Big Planet rawks!
i'm officially broke, but extremely happy
Well, I did mention in this previous entry that a TV is next on my wishlist just so I can PS3 all day long in my room. And so I went a-TV-hunting over the weekend. I scoured every single electronics store, big and small, in the vicinity with a budget of A$300+ for a minimum 22" LCD TV. Just when I thought the Hisense 22" HD LCD TV at The Good Guys that was on a promotional price of $348 was the only set I could afford (all others were A$499 and above for a mere 22" set! and no, not a CRT TV please cos it will probably take up half my room space!), I came across this Electroview 32" HD LCD TV at Harvey Norman going for $498, down from $899.
I have never heard of this brand and was rather suspicious of it. But after comparing it side by side with all the other known huge brands like Samsung and Sony, the quality isn't bad at all. Because I only needed a half decent TV to play games and occasionally watch movies on, because I've never been a huge fan of big brand names where you pay more than necessary to subsidise their extravagant marketing costs, and because I go for functionality and practicality more than looks, style and brand, I grabbed this dodgy Electroview TV that was way bigger than what I'd aimed for at the start of the hunt and which surpassed my expectations of a standard humble TV to wreak havoc on with my PS3. Oh and I 顺便-ed bought the Little Big Planet game at a 40% discount too; how often do you get to buy brand new original PS3 games for 20 bucks?... =p
Below pic shows the TV and PS3 all set up and functioning. TV screen is showing part of the game play in Assassin's Creed II. (OMG I'm so rusty with gaming that I fumbled with the controls like I had two left feet for hands. This is probably not the best game to start conditioning my motor skills all over again.) My bank account took a massive hit from the intensive spending spree such that I don't think I'll be splurging on a console for the TV set just yet. The sturdy vintage suitcase I picked up at a garage sale that had been lying around for months not serving any function at all finally came in handy as the best available stand for the unit.
Even with empty pockets, I is a very happy monkey right now. :DDDDDDD
i bought myself...
...a whole heap of presents for Christmas...
1) PS3 console
2) PS3 game - Assassin's Creed II
3) Sony Ericsson AINO
4) Braun Silk-epil Xpressive epilator
5) Rainbow mobile sock for the phone (below pic)
Next on the list is possibly a TV... LCD TV... just so I can coop myself up in the bedroom and play games all day long! Oh and a pair of retro Ray Bans too - Frame Color: Arista Gold, Lens Color: Pink Gold Shaded Mirror.
Almost all my life, I've been pampering others, showering them with gifts all year long special occasion or not, and neglecting myself. This year, due to non stop nagging by THE FRIENDS to love myself more, I decided to go all out. I hope I haven't overdone it. Man, it feels good to be surrounded by new toys!
byron bay long weekend
I mentioned here that the wing woman I brought to the Rex X'mas party won two tickets to travel anywhere on the Rex network and I was invited to go along with her and even got the privilege to choose our destination. And so I chose (and which she agreed to most enthusiastically) Byron Bay for our little weekend chillout getaway over the Australia Day long weekend in January.
I spent a morning getting the flights, transfers and accommodation bookings sorted and yay! we'll be staying in a beach motel right next to the main beach! Woohoo!
Here's a sneak peak at beautiful Byron Bay - all pictures ripped from tourism sites. I hope to come back with my own collection of fantastic shots too.
Some of the things I plan to do on this trip are:
- to have utterly sinful breakfasts at the beach every morning
- trek to Cape Byron Lighthouse to catch the sunrise (Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia that projects into the Pacific Ocean and is one of the extreme points of Earth.)
- laze around, suntan and ogle at beach hunks at all the fantastic beaches
- chill, chill, chill
- pig out, pig out, pig out
Can't wait!!!!!!!
samsung vs sony ericsson
I've been on the hunt for a suitable new phone for the longest time. You may remember I had a phone on my birthday wishlists for the last two years, but each time, I got myself some other toy and never a proper phone. Distractions distractions.
With Christmas coming in less than two weeks' time, and my dinosaur pink Razr approaching the limit of its lifespan, I'm thinking I should really stop procrastinating and get myself a new phone before it dies on me. Furthermore, having been on a prepaid plan for three years and four months now and not gaining anything from it, I might as well sign up for a proper contract in exchange for a free mobile phone of my choice.
After spending the first half of a morning on the internet, I shortlisted five potentials:
- iPhone 3GS
- Samsung S8300 UltraTouch
- Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
- Sony Ericsson AINO
- Sony Ericsson SATIO
After more web surfing for the rest of the morning and considering all aspects of the purchase including the technical specs and budget, I narrowed down to just the two below. The iPhone which has been top on my want list for two years has now slipped to the bottom; its specs are really quite crappy when you do a full-on comparison. I guess it's more of a fashion accessory deemed by many to be the 'in' phone to have. Besides, I don't think I'll ever have the time to play with all the apps. So might as well save that money for something else more practical.
1) Sony Ericsson AINO
View full specs here.
2) Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
View full specs here.
In comparing these two, I think it all boils down to whether I really need the HD video function that only the Samsung can offer.
rex x'mas party 2009
This year, the Rex X'mas party was held on board the South Steyne, a floating restaurant at Darling Harbour. The above picture of the vessel was ripped from the website here as I didn't think of taking any photos.
Here I had the honour of posing for the camera with Vanisha the lucky winner of two air tickets to New Zealand! Although at that very instant, she indicated she'd take me with her, subsequent overwhelming response from all in the know who are interested to apply to be her travelling partner meant that she probably needs to give more thought on selecting her New Zealand tour buddy. I hope my name gets drawn if it eventually becomes a raffle. I've never been to NZ!
Well even if NZ doesn't happen, I still get to go to Byron Bay with lovely Natalie (left most lady in above pic) because she won two tickets to travel anywhere on the Rex network and I got to choose our destination! Woohoo!
And here is the best photo taken of us girls that night, thanks to Ernest and his new Lumix baby. What a great difference it was from previous years in terms of number of photos taken. To recap, these are the highlights from 2008 and 2007. Oh and can you see I've lost weight? I targeted to lose 9kgs in order to regain the slim toned self that I was when I first arrived in 2006 and I'm happy to announce I'm halfway there!
But in terms of the fun factor, it was definitely a smashing party. Way better than last year's. I got upset by a small incident that took place at our party round two at Pontoon involving a bouncer which resulted in me stranded outside the club and refused re-entry. But it all ended ok with an unexpected someone putting a smile back on my face.
smoke on the water
Went for my third guitar lesson yesterday and my tutor started to teach me to play the intro for this song - Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. I was like OMG, isn't that a really difficult song to play? Apparently my tutor categorises his students into the juniors and the seniors by age not skill level and I actually fall into the 'seniors' group and Smoke on the Water is sort of the test song for us. I am so not going to be able to play it even with a thousand years of practice lah!
On the basics, I learnt another chord - the A minor, bringing the total number of chords I have to practise daily to five, and to scale the notes on all the six strings.
Learning a new instrument is a tough business!
lesson #2
I added the 11th song on my ultimate song list: Tears in Heaven. Here's Eric Clapton performing it live in NYC in 1999. Don't you think he looks better and better as he ages?
Early Saturday morning, I dragged my hungover (for 2 days) self to guitar class and learnt two more picking exercises, one more chord, and practised arpeggios on the chords C, G7 and G. I think I may start learning to strum next week.
My tutor Karl reviewed my ultimate song list and raised his eyebrows at some of my choices, particularly when his gaze stopped at Nothing Else Matters by Metallica - that was when his eyebrows disappeared under his hair. I was quite embarrassed. I wonder how long it will take me to even play one of those songs decently.
And oh... I can't quite feel the fingertips on my left hand now. Great. It means I am progressing! (I think)
green plum is me is green plum
This is specially dedicated to my dear BambooHorse.
Going by the market rate and my weight now, I think I would cost $549.45.
I wonder how I taste like...
kimberley quest
I got volunteered by my MD to attend a work function on board Kimberley Quest organised by the publisher of our inflight magazine. Thursday turned out to be a perfect day for cruising out of Sydney Harbour. In my excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the posh vessel so I ripped the below photo off their website for showcasing here.
And here's me with part of the boat when we docked back at harbour at sunset. Special thanks to Izzy for loaning me a dress for the occasion! It's actually a very nice silky black dress with emerald green patterns which unfortunately don't show quite well in this overly dark photo.
And here's me with the very grandfatherly Skipper in the boat. On the left, you'll see two of their super friendly service staff who kept us well fed with fresh oysters, succulent scallops, assorted yummy pastries and endless flow of champagne and wine.
The cruise was over too soon in just four hours. A bunch of us headed to a nearby pub for more drinks and networking where a very sweet one-girl band was strumming the guitar and singing along. I went up to her on an impulse and asked if she knew how to play Unintended by Muse and she sang it for me right there and then. Awwww...... I let loose a few drops of tears cos she sounded just oh so sad (it must have been the song). And she sang it again as the last song of the night before she left. OMG, I was so besotted by her voice.
And there... I had one of the most relaxing evenings in like... months? I have been sad for too long. I think I need someone to come along, sweep me off my feet and put a smile back on my face.
endless, nameless... even in his youth
Ain't it a Shame I've never had someone who looks like this and who's half as talented? Is there someone or Something in the Way? Wherever you may be, I wish you would Come as You Are in a Heart-shaped Box. Please don't Stay Away. Turnaround, and Talk to Me.
F***. I lost my Nevermind. Now I Hate Myself and Want to Die.
K song
Grabbed this off Angel's blog. Sibeh lian right? But ai rike. This is one for the Hokkien K song list to be perfected before I hit the shores of Sunny-pore in February next year. Who wants to go K with me?
all things used
Driving around in Sydney can be full of surprises. On one occasion many weekends ago, I saw a hastily scribbled 'Garage Sale' sign stuck on a traffic light post, followed the arrow on it and managed to pick up a huge vintage mirror with a broad stainless steel border with intricate designs, a vintage Regal suitcase and a tiny wooden chair (I intend to place a flower pot on it in a corner of my room) for only $30.
Today, I drove past a used furniture store and made an unplanned stop there while on my way to the beach. Great decision, because I finally found a nice, simple and very affordable bookshelf I've been hunting around for ages. It's made of a dark solid wood and in excellent condition. I love it.
After an hour or so at the beach, the rest of the afternoon was spent doing up a section of my room next to my reading corner - you can see the used bookshelf and vintage suitcase in the picture on the left below, and then practising my guitar (even the guitar is vintage - hand me down from Mama!). Don't I look like a really cultured lady in the picture on the right?
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