Period Of Transition

2012-01-30T23:13:00.002+08:00

A.L.A.M.A.K.

Exam in 49 days!

Trying all sorts of stuff to get myself motivated.

Best tactic of all is to dangle a huge carrot in front of myself.

Focus focus focus!

2012-01-27T00:27:00.003+08:00

Sometimes I do wonder why I write the things I write. Do I write them for an audience? Do I write for release? Do I write because there is "anonymity" and although there really isn't I just love the idea that there is? Do I write for pleasure?

Anyways, we're in 2012, and as much smuncho muncho the world and people out there try to adopt and implement new age methods, paradigm shifts and whatever heck that sounds cool and bool, some things are best done the old way.
Repetition, repetition and repetition.

I'm just saying, you know. Sometimes the best way to learn new things is by repetition. Wait, not sometimes. It is THE best way. REPEAT, REPEAT AND REPEAT. And one day, whoosh, it will come ever so effortlessly.

Case in point : Brushing your teeth. Repeat, and soon you'll get the hang of it.

I think this is the greatest lesson I've learned so far. In 2012.

Brushing teeth is just a CASE IN POINT. I know some of you think that I have just mastered the art of brushing my teeth. In the past I'll be cool with that, but I'm mature now, so I'll smack you if I find out you think that. Just saying, you know.

Anyway, this is my message for the WORLD today. (Hello, WORLD!)

REPEAT, AND SOON ENOUGH YOU'LL GET IT.

2012-01-20T23:51:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner. This year, I had no mood to shop. I'm doing a short attachment at the Histopath Department at the National Skin Centre, and everyday, my train ride goes past Orchard Road and Somerset. Somehow this year, I'm just repulsed at the thought of shopping at what in the past used to be something I looked forward to. I think it's a sign of maturity :) I never once stepped of the train at these stations in my so-far 2 week attachment. In fact, for some strange reason I am getting repulsed by the sight of clothes these days. Strange. All I can think of when I get off work is to get home a.s.a.p so that I can sit on the couch and slump into a ball of sloth. But, I did get myself a pair of jewelled sandals, because I'm wearing out my oxfords and the humid weather has caused some of my shoes to grow mold, resulting in them getting thrown out. (I thought I need to clarify that I have THROWN them out. Just in case you think I was gonna WEAR them still.)

Anyway.

I'll be going back for CNY! Yay!

Anyway.

Why is this post so grandmother-story like?

Because. That, is a sign of maturity.

Sorry, maturity has made me a boring person.

Excuse me, I have to go water my plants.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Goodbye.

2012-01-17T22:53:00.002+08:00

Phew!

I had never had a gastroenteritis this bad. Started with diarrhoea, high grade fever (recorded at 38.8 Celsius at the doctor's), chills (I shook until I was breathless), nausea, headache and proximal myopathy. It was madness. I walked around the house in a daze, losing my balance frequently. Couldn't eat a thing. Basically just stayed in bed the whole day. Spoiled some dinner plans with an out-of-town friend, but I was literally incapacitated. Thank God it only lasted all of 2 days, the fever finally broke and my strength returned as suddenly as it went. And my appetite returned as well. All that is left is the frequent explosive diarrhoea, which is more of an inconvenience than an illness, it feels as though. I'm going back to work tomorrow, and fingers crossed no incessant trips to the toilet!

Birthday prayer came true!

2012-01-14T18:49:00.003+08:00

My prayer (when I turned 29 last year and blogged about it too) was from Psalms 23:

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want (meaning : I shall not lack)
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside still waters

I'm getting ahead here, but my heart is bursting in joy because this next portion of the verse has never failed to make me look up to heaven in amazement and wonder "Why Lord? Why do you bless me with so much? I am so undeserving, but You have showered waves after waves of goodness, waves after waves of blessings. It's all because of what Jesus has done on the cross. This is really amazing, but I'm telling you, His words and promises are true!

The portion is this:

You anoint my head with oil
My cup runs over
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In this instance, my Heavenly Father has provided the money we needed for our house, which I talked about in the previous post. The amount of bonus received this year almost made me fall of the chair. I hope I don't sound boastful here, but it's just pouring from my heart to share with my Christian readers, that our God is so good, and believing, you will receive! He is not a God who will withhold any good thing from his children. If He gave His only Son, He will not withhold anything else from us. Even in the time of draught, there is abundance.

Hallelujah! Praise God!

(We have more than enough for 2 Lazy-Boys now! But whether we'll really get them, is another matter. Hmm)

Updates

2012-01-08T22:31:00.003+08:00

1. This is going to be a year of increasing fruitfulness. I proclaim it over my life, and I believe it. In Jesus' name.

2. Meditation on God's word over worry.

3. Cab fares in Singapore during the weekends have changed for the worse. I'm planning to boycott them.

4. Even if it means an hours' ride on the bus/mrt including transfers and walking (see no. 3). It's a matter of principal. And saving money.

5. We are 3 weeks away from taking the keys to our house, and I'm excited.

6. And scared. Seeing my bank account go from comfortable, to rapidly depleting, to a possible 3 digit figure in the next few weeks. See 1, 2 and 3. And 4.

7. I have set my eyes on La-Z-Boy recliners. 2 of them in fact, since I always lose to my husband when it comes to wrestling for chairs. Even though we cannot afford 2(maybe not even 1) at the moment. See 6.

8. See 1.

9. We're doing some minor renovation works, which involves hacking and redoing both baths, some built in cabinets, repainting, etc. Most of my time now is spent browsing decor mags and interior websites. houzz.com was recommended by Brian and is a current favourite .

10. Before renovation starts, we're dreaming Victorian, with marble, granite, quartz, wall panelling, cornices, vintage taps, luxurious drapes, gold-gilded toilet seats, the works.

11. Once we get the keys, we are going to have to return to planet earth. And look for veneer, laminate, marble-look tiles and horror of horrors, plastic. Well, let's hope we can find middle ground.

12. Finding a renovator : We have heard enough horror stories to be reasonably afraid. The advice that has been repeatedly repeated and that we'll heed : get someone from a recommendation, not someone you find from a magazine/showroom.

13. Last, but definitely not least : Studying for FRCPath Part 1. People say it's not too difficult, and it's MCQs, but boy I'm a little freaked by the QUANTITY of material to go through.

14. Striking a balance between study (which should be top priority) and planning the renovation (which can be very distracting). Working on it.

15. Here's another resolution : If I pass my exam, I'm definitely getting that LazyBoy

2011-12-30T19:16:00.002+08:00

It's 2 days before 2012.

I'm heaving a sigh of relieve because I managed to clear my backlogged 20 or so Pap smears with my boss, and my pending work is at its minimal.

I'm having a smile on my face because we're heading to Penang tonight for New Years :)

I'm having a peaceful moment right now.
Ok, I'm thinking about contraception. But I guess you don't want me to go there.

I'm thinking about how great 2011 has been, despite predictions of economic gloom. The disasters were certainly nothing great, but it has been a year of touching moments, of seeing that humanity is well and alive. It's a year of many events, many life-changing ones.

For me personally, it is the year I completed my first year of training, fell in love with Pathology, passed my Basic Pathological Sciences exam, cut my tendon, underwent microsurgery, did a 3 month stint in Cytology, lost a crazy amount of weight (I went down to 49kgs from 56!) ,developed a love of drinking wine, bought a house together with my fiance, got married, and er..had sex. (Too much information, I know)

It has been a whirlwind romantic kind of year, this 2011.
And I loved every bit of it.
(well, not the work-stress and living with a hand-in-a-splint part and the whatever not nice part, but really you don't want to hear about those)

For 2012, well I have my resolutions, but I'm not telling.

Bah, nobody wants to know, but let me tell it anyway :-

-Spend less time on Facebook
-Study more
-Exercise
-Develope relationships

Sounds like a million other people's New Year Resolutions, but,

WHATEVER

Love and best,
Adeline

2011-12-16T20:57:00.003+08:00

It has been an incredible year.

I am incredibly blessed with love from family, friends and the man I love.

Thank you for sharing our joy.

A shout-out to those of you who came to our wedding(s!), we could not have done it without you :)

From the bottom of our hearts : Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-11-19T16:53:00.003+08:00

Two weeks to our wedding, God has been amazingly good :)

Our wedding preps are going smoothly, thanks to help from our families.

We 'stumbled' onto a piece of property and one thing led to another and we finally bought it. The house fulfills all the criteria we wanted: freehold, at least 2 bedrooms, relatively near to MRT, good size, good price and we managed to get it below valuation! We are not even permanent residents(PRs) but our loan was approved in 2 days.

I am just so humbled by God's grace and His providence.

You know just about a month ago I was complaining that weddings are not for the couple but more for their families and guests. I suggested we elope. I was unsurprisingly stressed out by the preparations and the guest list.

I retract that statement now. I have experienced so much love from family, friends and even colleagues and my boss leading up to the big day that I think the wedding is truly a celebration of love between two people, together with other people who love them. Everyone has been really supportive and friends even booked their air tickets for a daytrip up to KL just for the wedding.
(I, of all people, know that attending weddings can be a pain for a lot of people, that's why I really appreciate those who make the effort! LOL!)

I am looking forward to the big day!

The Proposal - Finale

2011-11-06T23:34:00.012+08:00

.......So anyway, he took the ring out from a small little plastic ziplock bag from the coin compartment of his wallet and showed me. I looked at it for a split second, and curled up in a foetal position on the bed, and suddenly felt like crying. My dream of a Parisian proposal is dead. The ring is 7 sizes bigger than my finger (size 14. I'm a 7. It doesn't fit even my thumb. Hilarious!) The ring was taken out of a plastic ziplock bag. I'm traumatised. No proposal ring should be ever presented in a plastic ziplock bag.

He came over from behind, gave me a hug with his big strong arms and said "Will you marry me? I want to take care of you for the rest of your life... I want to grow old with you." (something like that, I think, I was already too emotional then to think straight.)

At that point, the tears spilled and I started sobbing. Wasn't sure if I was touched, crying tears of joy, or crying because I was sad. (I'm fickle like that sometimes. I can't decide what kind of emotion I'm feeling) *sob....sob* "I want to marry you, but I don't like the ring" *sob* (meaning: This isn't how you should have proposed. *sob*)

3 seconds of awkward silence....

(I'm making some of the rest of the talking part up, because frankly I can't remember verbatim the conversations that took place. Heh)

"Why? Don't like that la." *wraps arms even more tightly around me"

"I thought you were going to propose in Paris" *sob* *hugs him back* (ok, maybe I'm happy and sad all at once)

"Paris is dangerous mah, a lot of crooks. Later get robbed how?"

"The ring is so big. Can't even fit my thumb. Please don't hug me so tight. I can't breathe."

"I was so busy ma, not enough time to resize it. I only got it two days before we left....But the diamond is nice right? Woo!" *holds the ring up, feeling pleased with himself*

"It's ok lah"

"What? Ok only??"

*take a better look at the ring* "It's nice la." *came to my senses, wiped away my tears, felt silly, and gave him a smile*

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Propose to me again at Eiffel Tower, ok?"

THE END

He did eventually propose at Eiffel Tower, but it was so ridiculously cold he just whispered into my ear "Will you marry me" and I said "Yes" even before he finished asking just so we could start cuddling for warmth. (Proposals at Eiffel Tower are overrated. *self-consolation* But Paris is magical!)

Overexposed photo (only after we came back did we realize a good camera with good night shots is so important!) but it was really THAT cold.

The Proposal Episode 2

2011-11-04T23:45:00.006+08:00

.................... I kept smiling to myself, I was so excited! I thought he wasn't ever going to propose (ya, he's not really the romantic hula hoo type). I had thought we'd go to a shop together and he'll tell me to choose a ring and then we'll choose a date and that's it.
And this happened roughly 2 weeks before our trip to London/Paris, so maybe my dream of an Eiffel Tower proposal is indeed going to come true!

Wee!

So after what had happened, I frequently gave Brian a sneaky smile and think in my heart "I know a little secret. You don't know I know your secret but I do *giggle giggle giggle* " And boy did I treat him so extra exceptionally very nice. And I fantasized about Eiffel Tower, about being proposed to on one bended knee (boy that would be embarassing, please don't), walking hand in hand along pebbled streets, about floating on air, drinking macchiato(say that with a squeaky high-pitched voice, it sounds very funny) and eating croissants. About Eiffel Tower.

So after maybe 2 weeks, we left for London, our first stop.

On the third day (I think), Brian went to watch Arsenal vs Tottenham at Arsenal. I didn't join him because I hate football. Ok, hate is too strong a word, but I prefer shopping to football. The (illegal) ticket cost 200 pounds, so yeah, no thank you. We went separate ways, I left for Oxford Street (crazy shopping heartbeat of London) while he watched football, and then I went back to our hotel first.

This was where we stayed, so devoid of character! It was a "safe" choice, and very close to the Euston station, and Brian is a bit 'kiasi', so it was.

I remember he came back around 4, a little sad because Arsenal lost. (This was probably where it started going downhill. For Arsenal I mean.) At the same time he was pretty pleased for having watched his team in action. (Ok, what is it about boys and football? Why do they get so emotionally attached?)

So anyway, we chatted a bit about the game (my duty to be an understanding partner, although it was only pretend). And then he suddenly whipped out his wallet and asked me "Do you want to see something?" - with the same sheepish smile I have come to recognize as the "secret proposal plan in making" smile.

I froze and stopped in my tracks (I might have been walking to the toilet to pee). My heart sank.

And I said, slowly, "Huh? No, I don't want to see".

"You want to see something?" as if he hadn't heard me.

And I said again, with an almost pleading voice "No, I don't want to see".

And he asked again "Huh? You don't want to see? Let me show you something."

At that point, all the romantic, fuzzy, lovey-dovey air has evaporated (does air evaporate?).

"No, I don't want! I don't want!" I was desperate, pleading even. Please don't, please don't please don't. Whatever happened to Paris?

Anyway, he didn't get it. He didn't get the desperation in my voice to NOT do it.
Because while I said I don't want, I was peering over his shoulders a little too earnestly to SEE whatever he was hiding, because Hello, I cannot tahan anymore la. But I just want to have a look, I don't want to be proposed to. I know, what kind of a funny weird manipulative control-freak woman am I?! I know, but you know, I just want to be proposed to in Paris, at Eiffel Tower. Is that too much for a woman to ask? Is that? Is that? It is? Oh, OK.

So anyway, he took the ring out from a small little plastic ziplock bag from the coin compartment of his wallet and showed me. I looked at it for a split second, and curled up in a foetal position on the bed, and suddenly felt like crying.

My dream of a Parisian proposal is dead.

The ring is 7 sizes bigger than my finger (size 14. I'm a 7. It doesn't fit even my thumb. Hilarious!)

The ring was taken out of a plastic ziplock bag. I'm traumatised. No proposal ring should be ever presented in a plastic ziplock bag.

To be continued.....(tomorrow, maybe :))

The Proposal

2011-10-30T20:48:00.003+08:00

I don't think I've ever told this story here before.

It's the infamous story of how Brian my fiance proposed marriage. To me.

It is a story of how things that could go wrong went wrong, and how things that shouldn't have gone wrong went wrong.

It's not a fairy-tale romantic proposal that I (not-so) secretly had hoped for, but it's a story I lived to tell. Anyway, you already know the end-result, haven't you heard me ramble on-and-on-and-on about my wedding? (So obviously I said 'Yes')
Yes, I'm getting married. To Brian, the guy who proposed to me. The same guy I talked about a while ago.

Enjoy.

We had started dating since August 2009, after we met at a mutual friend's birthday dinner. In the course of our relationship we talked on-and-off about spending our lives together (i.e marriage), and from the moment we watched the cartoon 'Up' we decided we were going to grow old together. We looked at diamond rings on displays (they're everywhere), and I not so modestly gushed at a few. I'm a girl what! But I never pestered him to get married. Really. Life was good for us and there was really no pressure to 'step it up'. (We did go ring hunting together though, but it was just too time consuming and unfruitful. So we just sorta gave it up.)

I remember though, that I gushed (again) about how romantic it is to be proposed to at Eiffel Tower. It was wishful thinking, something like thinking out loud. Didn't have a sliver of hope it'd happen. So cliche, but this cliche is romantic!

That was months before. Months before we made some pretty last minute plans to visit London and Paris in November 2010. It was initially planned to coincide with my cousin's working trip to Europe, but in the end we only met her for a day. Anyway, we were just desperate to get out of Singapore, and London/Paris seem like a nice holiday destination, a nice little reward for our overworked souls.

Weeks before we went on holiday, Brian started acting suspiciously. Well, not so suspicious to the undiscerning, but I KNOW this guy VERY WELL. One suspicious act and my antennae will go boing boing boing. First he hung out (at Orchard Road, no less) with a very close girl friend without telling me first. Now before you think I'm a crazy-possesive-Glenn Close in Femme fatale woman, let me tell you that I'm not. Ok, I wasn't, now I am. Ok, I'm kidding! But it is a habit of ours to let each other know where we were going and who we are going out with. That's a good way of building trust, I think. No one ever said Cannot! I digressed.

The second incident that got more antennaes up was a couple of mysterious phone calls. Something about location - Bishan (where we were living) versus Suntec City (where church is). And the sheepish suspicious something-up-his-sleeve smile Brian gave me after he hung up.
For a while I was mad at him because I suspected he was keeping something from me, and I don't like it! (It's not like I thought he was having an affair, it's more like I thought he was not communicating properly with me!)

And then one day, suddenly it all just clicked. He was secretly getting a ring! A ring! He's going to propose! He had gone ring shopping with his girl friend and the phone calls were from the jeweller! Woo...I'm so smart! I became very excited and started hunting around the house for the ring.
Ya, I'm a killjoy like that.
And no, I didn't find it.
I kept smiling to myself, I was so excited! I thought he wasn't ever going to propose (ya, he's not really the romantic hula hoo type). I had thought we'd go to a shop together and he'll tell me to choose a ring and then we'll choose a date and that's it.
And this happened roughly 2 weeks before our trip to London/Paris, so maybe my dream of an Eiffel Tower proposal is indeed going to come true!

Wee!

To be continued....

2011-10-28T20:40:00.000+08:00

I make a conscious effort to run away from crowds, I slather on 16 different face creams before I go to sleep and I get irritated if I'm made to stay up beyond 12am. I think I'm finally maturing, and I'm ecstatic! Wee!

2011-10-26T13:17:00.000+08:00

Thoughts on wedding:

This is going to happen only once, so enjoy the ride.

2011-10-24T21:27:00.003+08:00

I have been wedding shoe hunting for the last week or so, which has been unfruitful, really. I want a full white/ivory lace slightly pointy toe pump a-la Kate Middleton(I know, so cliche! But very nice! And elegant!). My fiance, who is going to be my husband, and the father of my children, and the son-in-law of my parents, and the...ok, you get it, keeps pointing out bling strappy sandals to me, but I don't want bling strappy sandals. I want A. LACE. PUMP.

Specifically, I want THIS:

(And this is not even Katie Kate's real life shoes. They're imitation. But I so likey like!)

However, I am not going to get worked up over finding a pair of lace pumps, because I am in-love with a man who is so fabulously wonderful I 'll mary him even if I had to go barefooted!

(Now that's what you call self-consolation)

I am so in love! (with my man, of course. and the imitation shoes)

Edit: THOSE are the ACTUAL shoes Kate wore. I have good taste, and poor judgement (since I thought they were fake.) Ha.ha.ha

2011-10-19T23:04:00.002+08:00

I just discovered an inspirational wedding site called ruffledblog.com, and I can't stop browsing! Simple, clean, DIY-ish, with burst of colours, au naturel photography, the ethereal-ness of weddings in natural surroundings, I want a wedding like that!

2011-10-15T21:05:00.004+08:00

Part of me can't wait for the wedding to be over so I can spend money on my hobbies (wanted to say frivolous stuff but it sounds politically incorrect) again. I can't really spend on much now because weddings cost money! High on top of my to do list is to go traveling again! We have only gone on a short trip to Bali this year, as well as numerous trips back to our hometowns. I'm thankful and blessed that we are even able to travel, but I am yearning for more traveling adventures!
If all goes well, we're planning a backpacking/honeymoon trip of Italy-Austria-Prague next year. I'm looking forward to it, but first, the wedding. Ah.

2011-10-14T23:55:00.003+08:00

There has recently been a spat of complains from my peers regarding the level of competency of housemen in Malaysia. While I'm no longer a part of the local Malaysian system to experience it firsthand, I cannot help but feel enraged, followed by a sense of sadness and disappointment (again) at what our country has become.

In the year 2000(afer SPM), I actually did 2 months of pre-university with the Moscow Medical Academy in Russia, Moscow. I did not manage to last longer than that (came back for a JPA interview which in retrospect thankfully I failed to obtain; and decided I was not going back. My ear hurt for a while because my mum was certainly going to let me know that I have squandered my dad's bonus and a significant portion of our family's savings for an unjustified two month holiday in Russia. But at least my parents supported my decision to do STPM, and seeing how they were so willing to sacrifice for my future and letting me do whatever I wanted strengthened my resolve to study hard and make it into a RM900 per semester local medical school. And also, I needed to show my mum. I'll show her. That's for nagging me.)

So anyway, you'll probably ask, Why Russia?
Well, you see, I have two other brothers, and they eat alot.
Ok, because it was the most affordable option then, and for me it was either Medicine or Mail-Order-Bride (again, in retrospect, how silly! I mean the Medicine and nothing-else part. The mail-order-bride part wasn't such a bad idea).
My parents certainly couldn't(and wouldn't, they're fair like that) spend RM1milllion for a medical education in Australia/UK/even India .
STPM was also reputedly THE MOST DIFFICULT EXAM(I'm making this up) in the world, so I thought Russia was a good place to go.
Seriously, I enjoyed Moscow very much, it was rich in culture, architecture and I was away from my parents! (ok, I cried like mad whenever I called home)
The students were a mix of people, a great and happening bunch. We stayed in a hostel with mostly Indians, as well as some from Mauritius, Romania and I-forgot. And of course as in any student hostel you will have a good mix of the weirdos, the industrious, the sleep-arounds, the motivated, the serious, the boozers and the sobers.
It was really an eye opener, and I think it made me a little mad. Mad as in crazy, not angry.

So anyway, my point is, I feel sad for some the current HOs, as well as the patients. Not all the HOs are bad, but they have been lumped together, generalized into one homogenous group and called incompetent, whiners and lazy-bums. They have also been robbed of a rich clinical experience because they have to share the patients with so many others, and the wealth that can only be gained from being on-call is lost on them (I'm not sure if they will agree though).
Do you think some of them, if given a choice, a scholarship or the benefit of finance, would have chosen Russia or Indonesia? I highly doubt so.

First it was in education, and now it's in healthcare. I think it's UMNO politics that has brought us to where we are today.

As a side, I am someone some people will call a pengkhianat. After all, what am I doing here in Sg? Cakap saja pandai. Tak serve negara sendiri, ah. It's ok, I'm actually alright with that.
That's because I'm am planning to go back one day to serve my country. I'm here for training what. I'm probably delusional, but as I have said, I'm a little crazy.

2011-10-10T20:55:00.002+08:00

This has probably got to be my favourite picture of the lot, because there are so many of me in there, LOL!
Also it makes me look demure, sweet and submissive to my future husband...which, uh... is probably not true most of the time.
But oh what promise the future holds!

(My fiance got chided by the photographer quite a few times because he kept giving me the 'serigala' look instead of the loving look. LOL! I guess most guys suck at doing this.)

2011-10-06T14:14:00.003+08:00

After my blog post yesterday, I went for a Pilates session and had a good workout. And then I went to have a talk with the man. After much bargaining, exchanging of insults, bargaining, punching, hugs and kisses, I felt very much in love again. (Being in love is a dangerous thing for as woman.)

I spent the whole morning researching and preparing the Order of Service for our church ceremony, including googling for Master of Ceremony sample scripts. Watched some weddings on YouTube along the way. I quite enjoy doing this :)
While I'm not quite the protocol-ly, ceromonious pomp, by the book type, I do love traditions. It somehow gives me a rustic, nice warm fuzzy retro touching feel.

That's why I don't mind if I'm gifted a pig on my wedding day.

2011-10-05T13:26:00.002+08:00

Geram betul. My table is in a mess, and so is my mind. The man is not helping much when it comes to the details of the wedding preparation. I want to strangle him sometimes. And oh, I got mad at him so many times I've lost count. We've got to get the invitations out out out! Who would have thought small and simple wouldn't stay small and simple (okay, it's still SUPPOSED to be small and simple; but that doesn't translate into EASY. small and simple also got alot of details to look into). I am morphing into Bridezilla, and this is so not me! I think I'm causing myself unnecessary stress, but we're less than 2 months away from the day! And someone's gotta get things going!
Can't wait for the wedding to be over and start married life already!

Cheesy Dear B series II

2011-09-30T18:32:00.006+08:00

The words in italics was written at work, before I got summoned to accompany my king for dinner.

Hello! This a blok fill with English mistake and spelling wvong.

(Thanks for pointing out the Cheesy, Caroline!) Heck even my romantic literary intentions have spelling errors, how unromantic!

Anyway, I'm blogging from work. I think it's illegal. But I like to live life in the fast lane. That's just me.

Oh wait. Maybe it's not illegal. Since it's like, after hours. Duh. *in a whisper* it still feels illegal

So anyway, I dropped by because I'm so happy it's Friday! (I wanted to shout out on FB but I'm still hiding from someone, so...{I hide from people on FB, how pathetic can someone get})

Anyway, nevermind because WOOHOOO!! IT'S FRIDAY! Is it me or what but I thought this week time had been moving on extra slowly. It's Friday so I think I shall update you on cheng cheng cheng...Wedding Prep Progress! (I have been reading a couple of bride-to-be blogs, and they got me excited about lace, lingerie, flowers, cards, photography and teacups. And Guo Da Li! No Guo Da Li for me though, I think, because B doesn't care about all this Chinese stuff. And neither do I, really, but it sounds like a fun tradition :))

And here it stops, because duh, I have a short attention span, and I don't want to write about wedding prep anymore. (Let's hope I don't do the I-don't-want-to-get-married-anymore- thingy when I am. I'm scary you know. I scare even myself.)

I want to do a Dear B instead. By the way, future sis-in-law who may be reading this (Hello!) B shall never ever know about Dear B series okay? Because it's cheesy! And he gets horny rather easily! (Oops.)

Dear B,

I still want to marry you eventhough there probably will not be any Guo Da Li. (Nevermind that I nor my mother know what that is). But but but can I ask for a Chanel 2.55, pleasy please? Nevermind that I will never spend my own money on that frivolous piece of leather, but it will be really nice to have it from you. And since we're there, can I also ask for a Cartier watch? And a BMW? And a house? And the universe?

Love you eventho there is no guodali,
Adeline

Ps to my readers: It's okay to ask rite, because technically since he doesn't know about this, I'm not really asking right?

Chessy Dear B series, hahahahaha

2011-09-29T22:27:00.003+08:00

Dear B,

Sorry I had such a terrible meltdown the other day. I'm sorry I blamed you for everything that was not going right. Thank you, for holding me tight when the doubts become overwhelming. Thank you, for being a stable rock to my high-strung, drama mama weeping and overthinking. Thank you, for trying to help when I whinge. (But I just want to cry sometimes) Thank you for sharing the house chores. Thank you, for paying the bills. Thank you, for cooking the meals.
Life is so beautiful (and easy) with you. I know you'll be there when the sad, the bad, the tough, the stinky, the noisy and the dirty days come. But of course there will be more good, beautiful, intimate, romantic, fragrant, happy and blessed days to come. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.

Mucho love,
Adeline

2011-09-27T19:28:00.002+08:00

Today I not happy lo...wanted to sign up for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital pathology course in Sydney in February 2012 but they were full already. In the span of 3 working days!!! Sigh. My friend faxed in her application right after we received the e-mail that they were full, and they accepted her lo! I faxed mine about 2 hours later and they told me it's full, I'm on the waiting list. :( Double heart pain for me. It pays to be more aggressive sometimes. Don't think so much uhm ahh uhm ahh, by the time you made up your mind the boat left already. In life hor, sometimes have to take chances lo...not sure nevermind, just jump. Worse comes to worse die only lor. So what to do? Wait lor. Consolation is to sign up for Sheffield course next year lor...suddenly become so obsessed with courses, dunno got infected by what bug.

2011-09-23T23:08:00.005+08:00

Hello peeps :)

I'm going to do a little product review today.

Sidetracking a little, I actually dislike blog posts that do PAID product reviews. I know it's a LEGAL way of earning money and some people do make their living from writing blogs, but I often feel 'cheated' when I read through a lengthy post and realize near the end that it is actually an advert for some kind of product. I mean, when people are paid to review something, of course they are going to say good things about it. Duh. (I know, bug off if you don't like the paid post, whatever, so yeah, I DO bug off the post.)

On the other hand, unpaid product reviews do get my attention, and somehow I feel they are more productive in terms of advertising. I know, it's a paradox. Advertise without advertising (only if the reviews are good). Bloggers who do unpaid reviews actually get my respect (as if that's worth anything to them). But I think people do trust them more too. Say it as it is.

THIS IS AN UNPAID PRODUCT REVIEW.

So anyway, I just feel compelled to take about sun protection today. I'm 29 this year, happily so, but one thing that I noticed is that I get pigmentation on my face rather easily compared to when I was 28, even without prolonged sun exposure. I do use makeup once in a while but I like my face bare. I used to put nothing when I was younger but now I use a little gel-based moisturiser. I used to skip sunscreen, but I learnt my lesson, the pigmented way. So I'm sharing this with you, in hope that you will go the unpigmented way.

There are a few points that you need to know:
1. Prevention is necessary, and better than cure.
- Once you get pigmentation, it will be very hard to get rid of them.

2. Skin damage from the sun is scientific.
- I know. Trust me, I'm a doctor. Albeit a bimbotic one.

3. When you hit 29, you get pigmentation easily. See 1.
- 10 seconds of afternoon sun exposure, and the melanin becomes incontinent. Or start aggregating. Or something like that. Did I say something about bimbotic?

4. There is no shame in carrying an umbrella in the sun.
- What do the angmohs know? Melanoma is more common in angmohs, that should tell you something. Cancers are racist.
- I don't do this often enough, because it is inconvenient. Plus, I can't get over the fact that I used to mock people who carry umbrellas in the sun.

5. Please, please, please use sunscreen/sunblock, even if you hate any kind of facial products.

So anyway, that brings me to my product review. I have tried out many different types of sunblock, but they usually cause me some kind of discomfort.

I've tried Neutrogena Ultrasheer Dry-touch Sunblock - but it leaves a flaky residue on my face after a few uses. It is kinda hard to wash off, unless you use some kind of oil-based cleanser (which is, in my opinion, too much trouble).

I got this Bobbi Brown UV Protective Face Base as a sample gift - it makes my face even, but it smells heavily of sunblock. I dislike the sunblocky smell. As it makes my eyes itch too, maybe because I like to rub my eyes. Can be a little drying as well if you have dry skin.

(Ps: the surface is my table, not my skin. In case you are wondering)

I have also tried Lancome's sunblock before, but I think it made my face white or something, because I stopped after a few tries.

I have found the sunblock that suits my skin type very well, and it's this one :

I went for a facial at Aster Spring (recommended by the bimbotic website Flowerpod) in Gurney Plaza when I was back in Penang - lovely experience, shall talk about that more, and they have this promotion where they give you a free facial worth RM198 if you purchase any products RM200 and above.

This sunblock is great - it doesn't smell too much (it does a little initially), a little goes a long way (I usually squeeze out slightly less than a pea size), and it's not greasy or drying. It actually feels more like a light moisturiser which disappears a few seconds after application. The SPF30 is sufficient without suffocating.

I love it! The only downside is the price tag. It's RM258, but since it's 50ml and I use very little, I think it will probably last me 4-6 months.

2011-09-13T21:56:00.002+08:00

I have been doing Cytology for the last 1 month. The best thing about this 12 week posting is that the workload is very moderated throughout the day, unlike Histo. In Histo I used to have the entire morning free to file my nails, check my e-mails, arrange the empty biscuit boxes on my shelf (I hoard junk, so what), scrub my desk and go to the dodgy food court opposite my office to get lunch, only to get my trays of slides all at once at 1pm; and thereafter have a panic attack trying to finish seeing the cases and at the same time scramble to read up on things I have never seen before. During times like these I often leave office after 630pm, and sometimes at 8pm (which is late, in case you are wondering).

So anyway, in Cyto I usually leave on the dot. My eyes and brain would have been tired anyway by then, so there is no point staying late trying to squeeze something out of a tired brain.
Recently I have developed a really nice ritual of reaching home, making myself a cup of coffee/juice, sit at my desk (sans laptop), kick back, relax and watch the outside grow dark from my bedroom window. It's so much more relaxing than wasting 1hour of my time on Facebook. I unwind, read something from the Bible/Devotional and feel so wonderfully refreshed. And I even study!
I had some kind of "revelation" the other day. Not some great, astounding mind-blowing revelation but the type where you know it all along but finally 'get it' type of revelation. You know, I have come to realized that studying pathology is not just fun (it's why I entered med school - "to study about diseases" was my cliche answer then, little did I know it will manifest literally in my life later), but it is actually an investment in the future. Investment as in financial, material type of investment. (We are all adults now, we can talk about money, no? It's ok to want to be paid for the work we do, right? As long as we do not become greedy or materialistic. That's my opinion anyway.) Struggle for 5 years (so what if people accuse you of having "no life", it's a temporal phase), pass the exams, get the license to sign-out independently, and then I can relax. Practice anywhere I want. (My final aim is to part-time, like some of my female consultants - 1 week on and 1 week off...that's wishful thinking anyway)
I'm not too sure why but this realization has fueled my determination and motivated me to be more focused. The promise of a better future is really really powerful.

I wish you the same, fellow comrades in training!

2011-09-09T22:01:00.002+08:00

To do this weekend - forget the worries - forget the finances, the decision making, the bills, the pending stuff, the heat, the dilemmas, the future, the ants in the kitchen, the laundry, the pressures, the expectations. I'm just going to soak in God's presence, and trust Him to take care of it all. It's time to rest.

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest..." Hebrews 4:11

Resting in Jesus' finished work on the cross, there ain't nothing better than that.

It's so awesome that just by looking at pictures of my young punk brother having fun with his friends in church camp can be so inspiring!

2011-09-06T21:37:00.004+08:00

This is a ranting post.

Some people just don't have any sense of humour. I can't get along with those type of people. I can "hi-bye" them but that's about all.

Are you one of those who takes every FB post seriously? If you are, I'd suggest that you get a life.
(Of course none of you who read my blog are, because if you are, you'd have shot me long ago.)

This blog is a blog which pokes fun at the things in life, because seriously, life is meant to be fun even when it's dreary.

I need more self-deprecating people in my life.

Okay, edit, since the humourless person above MAY happen to be my relative: I'll TRY to get along with them. Because the world never revolves around one single person, least of all myself.

2011-09-01T22:24:00.005+08:00

We went for our pre-marital counselling session today, and have been really encouraged and blessed by the session with our pastor.
It was more like a chit-chat and sharing session, very informal and comfortable, yet I felt seeds were planted, and that the presence of God was with us.

Pastor reminded of how Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine; and not just any wine, but BEST wine. We were encouraged to trust God for our own 'wedding' miracle, to just surrender everything into God's hands. This particularly spoke to my heart, because while financially we are within comfortable budgets (our receptions will be relatively small), I have been pretty stressed up about the wedding. Not really about any particular thing, but generally the not-so-small fear that something may go wrong, that nobody will be available to emcee/worship lead, my guests will lose their way trying to find the venue, my cheongsam will tear at the seams when I sit (it fits so well but is so unforgiving!)etc etc that blergh...I-know-it-but-I-can't-pinpoint-it type of arrogant pessimism.
So anyway, I am surrendering my wedding into His hands, and even if things don't go according to plan, we're going to enjoy the process!

The other thing (among many) was about bringing Jesus into our marriage, supporting one another and reminding each other about God when one has gone a little distant. About not looking at our circumstance (we are trying really reaaallly hard to save up for a house here in Sg but sometimes I get discouraged and start SPENDING money that has been painstakingly saved instead) but believing God, He will provide in just the right time. The union of marriage is powerful, because "one can take down a thousand, but two can take down ten thousand".

Jesus be the centre.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna get some printing work done!

2011-08-23T21:30:00.003+08:00

I joined a really bimbotic forum called Flowerpod when I was on MC, out of boredom and since my metrosexual Singaporean colleague said that "every woman should have a Flowerpod account". (PS: Go join it, it will provide you with tons of entertainment! e.g forum topic: How big is your diamond? Do your SO give you money even if you are working? Are you ok if your SO wears your panties{???}

So I was really scratching my head trying to figure out what the heck does SO mean. Do you know? I mean, if you're going to discuss letting your SO wear your panties you better ham well know who SO is.

So, anyway, SO means Significant Other.

Cheh.( I have to put this in. Really "cheh"-ed me out)

I told you, it's a bimbotic website.
(I have a feeling the panties question was asked by a guy. Oh well, whatever works for them.)

2011-08-20T21:40:00.005+08:00

Hello hello!

I'm still typing this with one hand, so please keep the comments coming! It makes me happy :) (see? the finger is a convenient excuse to get whatever I want)

My wedding is about four months away, and most things have been kinda settled. We have booked both wedding venues, one in Penang and another in KL. We signed up with Blissful Bridal in Penang for their wedding package which cost RM2999; including photo albums, 1 wedding gown, 2 evening gowns, corsages, a bouquet, car deco and an MV. Whatever that is. This is actually pretty cheap compared with the packages in Sg. We also did some cool shopping during the Bersih weekend while we were in KL. We bought our wedding bands and scored a red silk cheongsam which was on sale in E'tho MidValley.

I guess the only things left to do now are to plan our church wedding (worship team, MC, rehearsal), get the invitation cards out and the guest list finalized!

I'm really thankful because both our parents are quite chill when it comes to tradition, so that actually takes out a lot of stress. To be honest, when it dawned on me that I was to be married to someone's (only) SON the only thing I was a little sad was that we'd have to alternate our CNY celebrations between Melaka/Ipoh and Penang. It's not a bad thing to celebrate in Melaka/Ipoh, and my in-laws are fabulous but it's just going to be... different. (I think my parents will be sad. I. THINK. They may not.) So anyway Brian asked his dad the other day and my future father-in-law says we "have dinner together one or two days before CNY" then we can head up to Penang!" So I'm relieved. And I think I worry too much.

(tried posting a pic of my wedding invitation card which i ordered from weddingpaperdivas{splurged a bit on this-because I am a sucker for pwetty stationery}, but i can't seem to blur out the details. {I scared someone will started prank-calling me.})

2011-08-18T23:04:00.001+08:00

Had a little finger laceration which resulted in my tendon, digital artery and nerve being severed and had to be repaired microsurgically. Happened three weeks ago while I was trimming a colon on a morning when I had lots on my mind - including a bunch of unsigned-out cases from the week before. Those stuff never fail to cause me undue anxiety even after all these while. Anyway, I have to be on this ugly-looking splint for 6 weeks. Yup, the whole of my left hand up to the forearm, not the little finger only. Oh well, try to look for a silver lining, I tell myself. So the silver lining is, I have justification for taking that 10dollar cab ride to work every morning, we have employed a cleaner who comes in 4 hours every fortnightly, and I can use my injury as an excuse for anything I don't want to do, and want to do. For example:
Naughty Adeline: I want to eat KFC today.
Good Adeline: Very unhealthy la...fat fat fat
Naughty Adeline: My finger is injured. I lost blood. I deserve that dang 2 pieces of fried chicken. It's the least I can do for myself. I SO NEED the protein.
(Nevermind that the injury happened 3 weeks ago)

So there.
I typed this with one hand. I'm injured, please heap praises on me.

Rambling

2011-07-12T17:51:00.003+08:00

The sun is shining brightly outside my window. I see people walking like ants towards the train station to go home. I am comfortably snuggled in my cubicle. Three more reports to finish, and then I'll pack my bags. There seem to be a lot to do this month. A journal club presentation, a logbook to fill before the meet-the-trainees session next week, house cleaning, studying, weddings to attend, pre-marital seminar, etc. Too little time, so many things to do. The darndest thing is that I am waking up later and later these days. 730am the alarm clock rings and I say to myself " I feel lazy today, nevermind 10 more minutes." Duh. Tonight I will sleep at 11, and rise at 7am tomorrow. No more gulping coffee, I will drink it with my pinky raised.

2011-07-11T23:17:00.002+08:00

Everyone in blogosphere is talking about the Bersih Rally, so I think I'll do that as well. Join the bandwagon.
I was in KL on Saturday 9 July 2011. It was a very pleasant experience, because the Federal Highway was easy as a breeze and the shopping malls were stress-free. Ample parking space, no need to jostle with shoppers. I was on a shopping trip, and I had a mission to accomplish. Nevermind fighting for the betterment of my country.
Frankly, I didn't think Bersih would have any impact on the idealisms they are fighting for. But I think it made the Government sit up and take notice. Frankly, I am really sad at the state Malaysia is in now. Now I know why people always say that Malaysians and Singaporeans are rivals, etc etc. To tell you the truth, Malaysians are welcomed into Singapore with open arms. Seldom(maybe never) do I a derogatory or racist remark uttered against me or fellow Malaysians by another Singaporean in Singapore. I think the so-called rivalry is actually one-sided, that is Malaysia Government against Singapore. We started at the same level, but 54years later, we have lagged so much behind. This is despite having plenty of land, natural resources and human talent. So much potential, yet kept backwards by leaders without wisdom.
I really love Malaysia (not KL, but Malaysia) and I want to see it shine with what God has blessed the land with. Political awakening starts by casting that vote.

29

2011-07-07T10:57:00.002+08:00

I turn 29 today. To tell you the truth, I was a little inny-weeny-tiny bit sad before the clock struck 12 yesterday. It's like I was letting go of something I did not have enough of, knowing that there is no turning back, and I nearly shed a tear. And then I snapped out of the drama-mama and went to do laundry.
Today I woke up a little later than usual, and just praised God for his blessings and grace. 29 years of life, and I am at peace finally. At peace career-wise, monetary-wise, relationship-wise, appearance-wise, identity-wise, weight-wise, location-wise. That's not to say that things are perfect, but I have come to not worry or stress myself up over all these things, but instead I count them blessings I probably do not deserve. There's still lots of room for improvement, but I strive no more, instead I let God take over, steering me in the right direction.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want,
He makes me to lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul,
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
Your rod and You staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever

Psalm 23

What beautiful and encouraging verses. I want to hold on to His promises and shall make Psalm 23 the theme of my life this year!

2011-07-05T13:32:00.004+08:00

I'm having a lack of inspiration at the moment to blog, and I don't want to talk about what I did, what I ate and where I went.

I just want to hide in the safety of my shell for a while.

Life is normal, and it is good that way.

Oh, whenever I type the above, I suddenly have an urge to do just exactly the opposite. And this blog IS THE PLACE to do whatever I want, so I shall tell you what I did, what I ate and where I went.

So here goes....

Wedding Matters
Brian and I took our pre-wedding photos in Penang during the ast lweekend. It was all kinda rush, but we were relieved to get everything done within 3 days. We didn't intend to take pre-wedding photos initially, but after shopping at 3 bridal houses we decided it was just more worth it to get the whole package including the photography. It went something like this:

Thursday - Bridal Shop hunting, decide on one, ask if they could take our photos the next day, choose and try all gowns.(no mean feat, there were 5 gowns in total, but luckily I wasn't choosy poosy; I just want to go back and tick my "To do" box!) My nails were ugly and my cuticles were coming off at the sides, and the skin on my nose were regenerating, but we had to do what needs to be done. Frenzied shopping in the evening hunting for shoes, belt, socks and uh... nude underwear.

Friday - Whole day at the studio being photographed. We chose The Botanical Gardens and the beach for our outdoor shoot. I was a little regretting signing up for the photography halfway through the shoot. Exhausting! Our photographer kept telling me to 'put out my head', whatever that means! He was also very demanding, telling us where to stand, how to stand, how to contort the body, etc...to the point of being naggy. Brian was a little slow in following some of the Hokkien commands, cause duh, he ain't know Hokkien, and the photographer was chiding us for moving a just a second slower! I wanted to punch him. The photographer, I mean. I'm protective like that. (Thankfully Brian was very patient.) Okay, in retrospect the photographer was doing a bloody good job.

Saturday - Choose 50 photos out of 200 shots, I think. After looking at the photos, I forgave our photographer. They turned out quite nicely even before photoshop, and we even told the Sales Assistant not to photoshop them too much. Don't delete my moles! Of course they tried to sell us more shots than what the package gave, but we just gave very 'blah, not interested' look. Or maybe we just looked cheap and kiam siap. They didn't try too hard to hard-sell us. Hoping the final result will be ok!

So far the wedding preparations are going quite well, I have decided to adopt a "cincai"/"I want simple" attitude in order not to be stressed out, and it kinda worked a bit. I initially was really into Augusta Jones's dresses but they are kinda expensive and will only be worn once, so I'm placating myself by thinking of all the overseas trips I can buy with that money.

What I did
I shifted to an office with a window, in other words, I have been upgraded, with a cubicle of my own. (It came with a lot of begging, crying and reasoning with our Chief Resident before we got our places! "We need to move! It's bad for our psyche to remain in the same place for more than a year!{pretend to shed a tear}" It's a whole load of BS, to tell you the truth, but it worked! ) Ironically, the room I'm in is called Jurassic Park, it's full of old furniture and someone cheekily decorated the room with miniature dinosaurs. I'll get a pic up someday. It's fabulously liberating to have a sink and a fridge in the room.

What I ate
I ate a lot of things when I was in Penang. Now, back in Singapore, I'm still in the 'excess' mode, and went crazy when shopping for groceries. Groceries are now the only things that you'll still feel rich after buying lots of it. I forgot about the pack of onions at home, so I now have two bags of onions in my fridge, and I have to figure out what to do with them. I'll probably fry them with eggs or make ABC soup. I made Chicken Stew yesterday, and it turned out ok.

Hmm....nowadays, maybe because of advancing age, I'm feeling a little more private about my life. I want to share, but I don't know who might be reading. Gone were the days when I freely discuss my ovaries and my cavities. I am torn between laying it all out and writing mysteriously, which always end up limp anyway. And I don't want to do too much of the classic "showing off without sounding/appearing like I'm showing off" thingy, which is how I am coming to define most blogs nowadays. I do it all the time, but it's becoming too much! (Okay, I can't believe those people who LOVE to eat but stay so SLIM, maybe it's called JEALOUSY.) Looking for new inspiration, need to inject some fresh air here!

Anyhoo, have a great week!

Ps: Ok, we didn't really had to beg so hard to shift into our own cubicle, but I love to make things dramatic, it cracks me up.

2011-06-25T20:02:00.003+08:00

Ann Siang Hill, near Tanjong Pagar MRT.
We discovered this little serene and rustic place after lunch today. The colonial type buildings, narrow streets, quaint little cafes, beautiful flower tiles (couldn't help but stroke them in awe), each shop is just so unique. An antithesis to the mass comercialism that I have begun to loathe in the malls.

PS cafe, which serves fabulous deserts is there too. We shall go back one of these days. It's just so calming, a little oasis in the Central Business District.

2011-06-11T00:25:00.002+08:00

This is my boss.
When grow up, I want to be like her.
Caring(she brings us breakfast for her Monday morning tutorial every week without fail), committed(she arrives at work before I do, and leaves after most people have), brilliant(she is the editor of the new WHO Breast Pathology guidelines, and has published multiple internationally acclaimed journal articles), excellent teacher(always taking every consultation of a difficult case as an opportunity to teach, and taking time to polish the final report), mother of four. She is such an amazing woman!

2011-06-06T21:50:00.002+08:00

My fiance is singing his heart out and strumming his guitar along to gross Russell Brand songs, and I'm trying to look intense on the computer, trying not to burst out in laughter.
This guy is crazy!

2011-06-05T21:22:00.001+08:00

We now own an Espresso machine! Wohooo!
We bought the Citiz&Milk Nespresso, I am so in love!

2011-06-02T22:30:00.002+08:00

Hmm..work this week has been rather exhausting. I'm so glad the weekend is coming! We are planning to go Nespresso machine shopping on Saturday, I am so looking forward to it. The Great Singapore Sale is here, and suddenly I've got so many things I want to buy! But then again, this is not a good time for agarophobes like me to go out, because it's really like a battlefield out there! You'd think that Singaporeans are damn rich people by just walking along Orchard Road -see them queueing up to enter the Mega Fashion Houses, grabbing stuff off the racks, flipping through the clothes like kiasu queens; it's madness I cannot handle. (They are not all Singaporeans. Actually, it's the mainland Chinese who are damn rich.) By the way, I think it's true that Singaporeans love to queue. We once went to Ippudo Ramen at Mandarin Gallery, supposedly serves really good ramen and we had to queue 45minutes! The ramen wasn't phenomenal either, it was great but we wouldn't want to queue even 15 minutes for it again! I would rather just eat a 3 dollar "chap fun". I love the unpretentious. And most importantly, I love the cheap.