My 2 Nephews

TJ and Brian met for the first time on Christmas day.

Male Bonding

It's nice to know that my two loves are bonding.

:)

Month of Celebrations

Happy Birthday, Pa!

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Happy Birthday, TJ!

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Happy Birthday, Michael!

... ... ...

Happy Anniversary, Ma, Pa, Mi and Di!

Three's A Company

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. And no, it's not an image manipulation via Photoshop. We adopted another reindeer! Only this time, it's for my mum. Hope she likes it.

:)

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I'm on leave tomorrow! It sure feels good. Can't wait to see Patch tomorrow.

:) :)

Joint, Belated Birthday Celebration

Met up with Khin Wee, Jen, Daniel and Marlene for lunch today. It was a joint, belated birthday celebration for Ed (10 Dec) and Marlene (3 Dec). We went to Spageddies at Orchard. Food was yummy, company was great. :)

(Too bad the lighting wasn't too good. The pics came out somewhat reddish because we were sitting right under the restaurant signage! Thank god for Photoshop.)

A Touch of Christmas

Did some shopping at Orchard this morning. Was thinking of buying a small Christmas tree to put in the house but ended up buying reindeers instead. Don't you think they are so much cuter?

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Dang, the more I look at the bigger reindeer, the more it reminds me of Patch.

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Before and After

Ed got a new phone.

Before:


After:

Haircut = Depression?

Yea, in case you haven't noticed, I cut my hair.

Actually, I cut my hair twice in the space of 8 days --- as usual, I was torn between two hairstyles, selected one, didn't like it, then had a second haircut. (Somehow, I think Eeleng won't be surprised when she reads this.)

It's odd how everyone's asking me whether I'm upset or depressed. I mean, is there empirical evidence to support a positive correlation between length of hair and depth of happiness?

And the answer is no, I'm not upset or depressed.

...

Had dinner with Siew Theng and Winnie tonight. It was nice catching up with the gals. It's funny how we work in the same office but rarely get the opportunity to really talk and share.

:)

Happy Birthday, Monke!

It's Ed's birthday today. I came home early with his pressie and am now waiting for him to come home. He wants pizza for dinner but I'm not sure where to go, so am surfing online for ideas.

...

We had planned to go to Al Fresco at Siglap but, as it was raining heavily, ended up going to Billy Bombers at Tampines Mall. I had sirloin steak and Ed had a burger.

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In case you're wondering, here's what I bought Ed.

Enlightenment

Ed and I have been enlightened. First, we started subscribing for HBO. Next, we upgraded from a 21-inch TV (unknown brand) to a 29-inch Sony.

:)

Stressed

I'm stressed.

Ed and I checked out some property prices online. As our tenancy expires in April 2009, we need to find a new place latest by the end of next year. It's amazing (and depressing) how property prices have skyrocketed in less than a year. Where a 2+1 apartment used to cost SGD350-500k (depending on size and location), it now costs easily SGD700-800k! And that's less than 1,000 square feet.

Sigh.

:(

Sick and Disturbed (but Not Dangerous)

I'm sick. Got a nasty throat. Perhaps the delayed effect of 4 consecutive days' of Tom Kha Kai (Thai chicken-coconut soup) in Phuket?

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I feel so disturbed. I read in the papers of a recent incident where a Jack Russell Terrier (Mambo) was attacked by 5 rottweilers!

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,149106,00.html

Poor Mambo. :(

Cool Mum-In-Law

My mum-in-law just started her own blog. How cool is that!

:)

A Second Honeymoon

Ed and I just got back from Phuket (yeah, our second trip there this year).

We really went for our close friends' wedding. Congratulations, Brandon and Megu!

Dinner with the Guys

Keat and Sean came over for dinner last week.

Visitor from Home

Hsiao Ley came to visit.

:)

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Today has been productive.

First, I (finally) handed in my PR application. I'm so glad we woke up early (6.20am). As it turned out, when we got there (7.15am), there were more than 100 persons ahead of us. In less than half an hour after we arrived and got in line, the queue doubled! When the gates finally opened (8.00am), everyone rushed in. Thankfully, I had Ed with me. As he's done this before, he knew exactly what to expect and where to go. Unlike most of the other applicants who took the escalator, we took the elevator and, in so doing, effectively overtook some of them (ha!). After taking my number, it was pretty much smooth-sailing. All in all, it took us less than 3 hours to get everything done.

Second, on our way home, we stopped by Geylang for breakfast. We had dim sum (yum!). Everyone's always telling us how there are lots of nice eating places in Geylang but this is the first time we've actually eaten there.

Third, we went for a jog this evening.

... ...

Now and Then

It's Saturday morning. I'm back at my parents' place in Malaysia and Patch is sitting by my feet as I update my blog.

This trip has been truly nostalgic. For one thing, this is the first trip back to Malaysia (since I got married) where I get to stay with my parents. Second, I paid my very first visit to the new GfK Malaysia office yesterday. Seeing all the familiar faces made me feel like I'd never left --- like I'm still single, staying with my parents, and working in Malaysia.

And yet, things have changed. I'm now married, staying with Ed, and working in Singapore. Even here, in good ol' Malaysia, things have changed. My parents are now staying in Subang, no longer in the house that I grew up in. GfK Malaysia is now located in Mid Valley, no longer in the heart of city.

It's funny how so much can change in so little time. It's only been less than 2 years since I left GfK Malaysia (and less than half a year since I got married). Sigh.

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Mum is now preparing one of my favourite dishes: pan mee. It sure feels good to be home.

:)

... ...

Space Dog

Patch is back home and active as ever. :D

The operation was a success, the lump on his left hind leg has been removed. He apparently has an allergy to Thiopental (type of GA) and reacted badly during the operation but the doctor managed to stabilise him. I am so thankful we brought him to UPM instead of just any vet. Thank you, ma and pa (for taking the trouble to go all the way to Serdang). Thank you, Doctor Lokman and team (for taking good care of Patch before, during and after the operation). And thank you, Lord (for keeping Patch safe).

Now Patch has to wear this cone around his head to prevent him from biting his stitches. We'll be bringing him back to the doctor to remove the stitches in 2 weeks' time. Pore him, he looks so miserable. But he does look very funny, and I can't help laughing everytime he knocks into a chair or table.

Ops Patch

Patch is undergoing surgery today ...

In the Depths of Despair

We're getting Patch neutered next Tuesday.

It all started because of a lump on his right hind leg. The lump has been there since April last year and it's grown considerably in size since. After 3 visits to 3 different vets, we've decided to put him under the knife to remove the lump. In addition, the third vet (UPM) strongly recommended neutering him for 2 key reasons:

• Health: Neutering minimises risks of testicular and/or prostate cancer
• Behaviour: Neutering makes males dogs less likely to roam, bite, run away or get into fights

I've been having trouble sleeping the last couple of nights. I just don't know whether we're doing the right thing. It seems so cruel. Or perhaps I'm projecting my own human thoughts and feeling on Patch?

:(

When a Geek Marries a Nerd

Ed and I went to the Kinokuniya sale yesterday. I bought 3 reference books and he bought 1 comic book. This is what our bookshelf looks like now.

By the way, I'm the geek and he's the nerd.

;)

Marriage is Like a Box of Pineapple Tarts

Ed and I have been married for almost half a year now. I'm starting to really understand why people say marriage is about giving and taking.

Last night, we met up with my sis and family for dinner and drinks. My sis bought me 2 pineapple tarts from a bakery in Clementi. I love pineapple tarts, so I kept the pineapple tarts for myself (read: TAKING). Today, I had 1 pineaple tart for tea. The pineapple jam is good enough but the tart itself is just okay. I'm leaving the other pineapple tart for Ed (read: GIVING).

It's really quite simple, isn't it?

...

Yesterday, Ed and I had a discussion about the wife adopting the husband's surname post marriage. I don't see what the big deal is really. As far as I'm concerned, I'm both Anne LEE and Mrs. QUAH. I don't see why I have to merge the two to become Anne QUAH (in short, Aquah?). But I don't mind keeping my surname and adding his surname, so that makes me Anne LEE QUAH (like Pamela Anderson Lee when she was still married to Tommy Lee). But that's a mouthful, isn't it? Life is confusing enough as it is, I think I'll keep to Anne Lee, thank you very much.

... ...

Lazy Saturday

Ed and I woke up this morning and couldn't decide what to do so we ended up spending the whole day at home.

This was what our agenda looked like:

- Breakfast (homemade French Toast);

- DVD (yep, another B-grade movie);

- Photoshop and ImageReady (me), and Transformers (Ed);

- House-cleaning;

- Dinner (packed home);

- Back to Photoshop and ImageReady (me), and Transformers (Ed).

We're now waiting for my sis and family to arrive.

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By the way, Ser May's in town! Can't wait to see her tomorrow.

:)

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TJ is starting to be more responsive and is a lot of fun to watch.

Grammatical Error or Logic Error?

"Please notify us if you have changed your mailing address."

I've always found this phrase odd.

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Lousy Movie Critic

Watched "Prey" last night. It's about an American family on holiday in Africa, who becomes lost in a game reserve and ends up stalked by lions! I'm guessing most people have not even heard of the movie. Frankly, neither had I until we were flipping through the folder at the DVD rental store yesterday. I have a confession to make: I love B-grade movies. Especially ones with lots of gore and human mutilation.

;p

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My sis gave me the fright of my life this morning. She called at about 8.37am and left a voicemail (I didn't hear my phone ring). She sounded very down and said that TJ (my nephew) is sick. That's it. Seriously, people really should learn to provide more details. It's just like my mum. She'd call and say to call her back. Full-stop. Nothing else. Then I'd be all worked up for the rest of the day wondering if something had happened to Patch (my beloved dog).

Anyways I managed to call my sis back and she sounded much better. Apparently, TJ has got the stomach flu.

... ...

Happy Birthday, Khin Wee!

We celebrated Khin Wee's birthday yesterday. We had wanted to go out for a nice lunch after church service but it rained heavily so we ended up packing Botak Jones and eating at the birthday boy's (man's?) home. We also bought him a small birthday cake and sang him a birthday song.

By the time we got home, both Ed and I were stuffed and had a major headache (too much food? or the heat?). We went to bed and didn't wake up until 7 plus! Forget about jogging, will try and make up for it tonight.

And there goes our weekend.

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Dogsick

I miss Patch terribly. It's been almost 2 months since I last saw him. Everytime I think about him, I cry.

Everybody asks me why I don't just bring him over to Singapore, but nobody understands how complicated it is. First, Ed and I leave home at 8 in the morning and return at 7 at night from Mondays to Fridays so, if Patch were here, he would have to be tied up and left home alone for almost 12 hours a day. Second, my dad - who's retired - is very attached to Patch so I don't think I should take Patch away from him. Third, Patch would have to undergo 1 month's quarantine into Singapore and, if we eventually leave Singapore, another 6 (!?!) months' quarantine out of Singapore.

Sigh.

:(

Overtime

It's now 6.18pm and I'm still in the office. This is probably the latest I've ever stayed (and probably ever will stay) since I switched jobs. No, I'm not working late. I have a dinner date with my ex-colleagues at 7.00pm so am just kiling time before I leave to join them.

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Today was interesting. I went to check out Elizabeth Hotel for an upcoming workshop in December. The place is really very sweet, except for the construction next door. So far, I've checked out 2 places - with the other being Scarlet Hotel - and I kinda like Elizabeth Hotel better. But I'm planning to check out Changi Village Hotel tomorrow or next week before I make up my mind.

... ...

A Whole New World

Today, I discovered GIF. I learned how to create my own GIF files using Photoshop and ImageReady. How cool is that?

I thank god I'm married to an animator. ;)

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Now watching "The Pursuit of Happyness".

Tapestry of 3 Kids, 1 Grandma and 1 Dog

I know I'm probably one step behind but am only now starting to learn about Photoshop.

:)

Family Day

Spent the day with my parents and my sis and family.

First went to Pasir Ris Park in the morning, was strongly reminded of Patch.

Headed home after lunch, where TJ got acquainted with one of our monkeys.

Ended the day with dinner near my sis' place, where TJ was in his element.

If You Can't Bring Mohamed to the Mountain ...

Ma and Pa are coming to Singapore this weekend. Yippee!!!

:D

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Only wished Patch were coming too.

:(

Lousy Food Critic

Ed and I went to the food court for dinner tonight (rather anti-climatic after two consecutive nights' of fancy dining nonetheless highly necessary in light of our tight budget).

Although most Malaysians find Singaporean food "tasteless" and "bland", I actually like the food here, in particular the food courts. In fact, I daresay that there is not one food court that has disappointed me (thus far, anyways). Admittedly, some food courts are better than others but all food courts have something to offer. Ed agrees with me, by the way.

So, either it's simply a common misconception amongst Malaysians that Singaporean food is not good or I'm a lousy food critic. Anton Ego (Ratatouille) would be disgusted with me.

;)

Happy Birthday to Me

Can't believe I'm finally 29. Maybe it's too early to judge but, so far, I kinda like being 29 better than 28.

My big day turned out to be quite small after all. I went to work as usual, told none of my colleagues that it was my birthday, finished my work as fast as I could and came straight home. Ed and I went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. I had wanted Thai or Vietnamese but we ended up having Peranakan cuisine. The food was really quite good, sadly the pics we took don't do the food justice (we were so hungry that we didn't get around to taking pictures until after we had finished).

I love my birthday pressie from Ed. :)

Early Birthday Celebration

Tomorrow's my birthday! Had an early birthday celebration tonight with my sis and family. We went to Stewhaus for German cuisine.

Afer dinner, we headed home for dessert: my birthday cake. :)