Ubin Camp!

Finally, I received most of my Ubin's camp photos! And I came to one conclusion(besides that the camp was fun, tiring, etc) - I have put on a hell lot of weight! It is so obvious in EVERY SINGLE photograph! URGH!!! More gym sessions, please!

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Day 1

I went to meet the tents rental company early in the morning and managed to carry the tents to Clementi Mrt Station where I would be meeting the peeps. I was there quite early and I watched the sky turned cloudy and grey. Eventually, it started to rain cats and dogs.

Dark and cloudy

Some of the blocks of flats were hidden by the heavy rain

I was rather worried at that time because we had no wet weather plans. I was afraid the others might scrap the camp.

Luckily, we have some enthusiastic and crazy people who are not going to give in to the weather. And so... We decided to travel to Changi and then made our decisions there. Phew..

The sky looked clearer at Changi village and the rain seemed lighter. We decided to check out the jetty and see if the boats were running. (They may stop if the weather is bad.)

Luck was on our side! We finally made it to Ubin!

Now, I shall let the pictures do the talking.

We started the long journey on the train...

Up and down the escalators..

On the bus...

On the boat..

Arrived in Ubin and were all suited up to go! I kept complaining that we looked like green peas and carrots but no choice, it was that or get wet. =P

We pitched out tents at Mamam Beach, known for its flying insects. 16 of us had to help to pitch the 8-man tent! What happens if there are only 8 of us?

"What are they doing?"
"Trying to set up a makeshift shelter from the rain."
"Out of 2 ponchos?!"
"Yup."
"Can't they see the big hole in the middle of the 2 sheets?"
"Ego blinded their eyes."
"Are the ponchos big enough?"
"I don't think so."
"So why are they still continuing with that?"
"Ego is their (only) main motivation and reward."
They took half an hour to realise that their efforts were in vain.

The tents were up! A group shot of us!

Some of went to sent off the non-campers to the jetty. After which, we cycled to Chek Jawa. It has undergone a revamp currently and we were curious about its new image. Here we are, on top of the watch tower where we can see most of Ubin.

At the boardwalk which leads us out into the sea.

This used to be a dilapidated haunted house/school. They renovated it into a exhibition hall. We love the cottage-like appearance!

Trying to be artistic but failed terribly.

It was ODAC Sing-a-long session after dinner. ZR printed out the song sheets for us! Haha! It was rather funny because we really poured our guts out singing! Unique experience..

After that, we went for a night walk with only 6 of us in a group. No photos though. I was damn scared.

Day 2

Woke up at 7am and started to unpitch our tents. We wanted MacDonald's breakfast!

One last group photo before we leave.

I really really enjoyed this camp! After we put on our yellow ODAC tee, it felt like we went back in time and was back in our JC days. The guys were real gentlemen during the camp and they really wowed me with their sensitivity and gentlemen ways. I felt like the girls were truly looked after during the 2 days. I like... =)

Really look forward to our next camp......

Gym Sessions

Capitalising on Birdie's holidays, I've managed to ask her to accompany me to go gym. So far, we have tried two gyms. One is at Clementi Sports Hall and the other is at Civil Service Club at Bukit Batok. The amazing thing is that both have very very good-looking guys as receptionist! Black brows, big eyes, broad shoulders, you'll get the drift. Well, source of motivation, huh? =P

Birdie and Jiang Hao is the most sociable couple I've known. On both occasion, Jiang Hao came and meet up with Birdie and I will tag along for meals. Ya, like one huge glowing light bulb. But they totally put me at ease and the conversation was fine. Thanks, Birdie, for accepting this light bulb on both occasions! =D

I cut my hair again! Now, my bangs are super short (according to my standards). Hope it will grow longer soon because short bangs do not make me look fierce enough. Haha!

(Ubin post up as soon as I received the pictures!)

Birdie: Wah.. The (reception) guy is very very good-looking!
Me: Yah!

Birdie: And he is so tall, too.
Me: I bet he's gay.

Birdie: ??!!
Me: Good things never happen to me.

Ubin Camp, Here I come!

Yeah! In a few more hours, I will be making my way to Clementi Mrt station to meet up with my odacians for our ubin camp! Like finally... The last camp we had was back in 2004! Wow... It has been 4 long years..

That is why I decided to organise one this year. Otherwise, it will all be empty talk again. Keke! Managed to rent tents from Tent Motel since I can't contact Jia Hui who is in Australia. I hope the tents are in good condition!

Damn! Just realised I have not packed yet! Gotto go! Ubin, here we come!!

Between Coke and Water

A lone man is walking in the dessert. His feet drags at the dry sand and in his eyes, there is a vacant look. “Water”, his dry lips crack. It has already been 3 days without water. His skin clings to his bones as he clings to the last hope of finding water.

Suddenly, he sees something shiny on his right. He turns and looks and behold! It is a glass of water! He musters the new energy hope brings, shoots out his right hand and grabs the glass of water. He takes a gulp from the glass. He smiles. The water refreshes his soul and new life pour into him. His eyes lose the vacant stare as hope, once again, glimmers in them. He raises the glass again and is about to take a second gulp when he notices something on his right.

It is a glass of ice cold Coke! He cannot believe his eyes! Coke! If water gives him life, then Coke gives him the will to live. Thirstily, he reaches out for the glass of Coke.

“Stop, my friend.” Is he going crazy? His mind recognizes the speaker but his heart cannot believe it. In front of him stands the devil, red and glowing and on his face is a recognizable grin.

“I am here to offer you a proposal. In your left hand, you are holding onto a glass of Coke. In your right hand, you are holding onto a glass of water. Should you wish to drink the glass of Coke, you will have to forfeit your glass of water and vice versa. Now, make your choice.” The devil grins even more widely. It seems that he is enjoying this little game he is playing with the man.

The man looks at the glass of Coke. Oh, how mysterious and dark it looks. He can almost remember the taste on the tip of his tongue; to feel it sliding down his throat and swishes in his stomach. The man grasps at the strand of the memory as the desert sucks it out of him.

He looks at the glass of water. How bland and uninviting. Moreover, he has tasted it and has lost a bit of interest in it. Why should he still choose it?

“No! Water has saved your life! How can you discard it after it saved you?” He asks himself.

“You are going to die soon anyway. Why not have some pleasure before you are gone?” The devil must have an acquaintance living in him.

“Water will quench your thirst and you may survive this ordeal! You can drink coke for the rest of your life if you get to live.”

The man looks at the glass of Coke and water. The mind argues back and forth. Which one shall he choose? Which one.


Which one will you choose? Coke or water?


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This is what happened when I can't get to sleep at night. I'll start thinking of stories.

Chinese Songs

Currently, I'm hooked onto youtube. I know, you must be thinking that I am so outdated when the youtube craze has already died down. Well, I never know youtube can be so fun and interesting! I also never knew youtube can help me retrieve a part of my childhood.

Because of youtube, I managed to track down some of the old chinese songs which I used to like when I was still very young. I remembered an incident when some of my secondary school seniors laughed at me when I told them I listened to FM 95.8. I just feel that nothing can replace the oldies.

As time goes by, I gradually stopped listening to chinese songs. However, I guess my affinity with chinese songs has not ended. It all started when I found the mtv of〈〈一个人的我以然会微笑〉〉on youtube. One song leads to another and soon I managed to dig out a list of my favourite chinese oldies.

My friends used to say that chinese songs are better than english songs as they reach out to my friends better. I did not agree but now I do. I do not understand what happen to the english song-writing industry. They no longer produce songs of similiar quality as before. Nowadays, they only write songs that talk about loose sex, drugs, rehabilitation, boobs, etc. Things that I can't relate to.

I guess I have to seek solace in the old chinese songs.


"When I was young I listen to the radio
Waiting for my favourite songs
When they play I'll sing along
It makes me smile.

Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wonder where they've gone
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away.

Every sha-la-la
Every Woo-woo-woo
Still shines

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
As they started to sing
So fine

When they get to the part
Where he's breaking her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before

It's yesterday once more."

This song best describe what I am feeling at this moment. Now you know where I get my blog address from.

Sze Chuan's Earthquake

I've been wanting to blog about the Sze Chuan's earthquake for quite some time but never really got down to it. I guess a part of me do not want to put down this depressing post to remind me of this incident in the future.

On the 12th of May 2008, there was a major earthquake in China Sze Chuan which caused the deaths of 70 000 people , many more injured and millions of broken dreams and hearts. The things that struck me most was the deaths of soooo many school children. Being a teacher myself, I was horrified and saddened by this fact. They were just little boys and girls and to see their little bodies crushed by the school buildings really made me cried. They were in school! School is supposed to be a very safe place where little children study to pave their way to a good future. In the end, the children died in that "safe haven". What an irony...

When I saw pictures of parents crying over their dead children, I could not help but cry. In a country where the law only allow "single child per family", I can imagine the pain the parents felt when their only child is dead. Moreover, their children died in such an abrupt and painful death. There wasn't even enough time to say "goodbye".

This incident revive in me the reason why I want to teach. I want to teach because I want to protect the children. I want to protect them from falling into bad company. I want to protect them from falling into poverty. I want to protect them from being cheated. I want to protect them so that they will learn to protect their loved ones.

It is quite sad to think that I have forgotten about all this in the midst of chasing after good results. Now, I can look back at this post and remind myself.

Back from Genting

I am back from Genting! It had been a fun, interesting and exciting but super tiring trip. After blogging the previous entry, I had only 2 hours of sleep. We boarded the coach at 6am and then it was off to Genting!

Day 1

I had a lot of my nieces and nephews coming along as well. Of course, Ethel was there and so, this entry is going to be filled with lots of her photos. Children make such pretty and interesting subjects that I can not stop snapping them. =)

Ethel with Bear Bear, Ruth's teddy bear.

That is Ruth, Ethel's new found friend. Another of my many nieces. So cute, right?

To our surprise, we had a tour guide! The first stop was to have breakfast at Yong Peng. My uncle's idea of breakfast is drastically different from ours. For the two days, we had about 5-6 dishes of noodles, porridge, vegetables, etc, for breakfast! It was lunch to me!



After the heavy breakfast, we went to a 妈祖 temple at Yong Peng.

My brother with his zodiac animal, Rabbit.

Me with my zodiac animal, Tiger.

My cousin with her zodiac animal, Dragon.

Ethel with her zodiac erm.. plant, Tree. Haha! She refused to take photo with the Dog which is just beside her. Well, the Dog actually looked like Wolf so I don't blame her.

The temple. Very nice, right?

After travelling for a few hours, we stopped halfway up Genting for Lunch. It was at this restaurant called Gohtong Jaya and the food was good!

We also had this wine which is made from Dragon Fruit's enzyme. Very nice!

We went to another temple after lunch. It is situated halfway up Genting. It is a very nice place. Very serene and peaceful..

The guy in the picture is another of my cousins. Ethel sticked to him a lot during the trip. Another new found friend. Haha!

Climbing up a long flight of stairs...

Was rewarded with a spectacular view. Made my legs turned into jelly though.

We went to pay our respects to Lim Goh Tong, Genting's founder. I really admire his vision and courage to turn a moutain into what Genting is today. It was like a miracle story. Another fact about him that surprised me was that he was my fifth uncle's wife's uncle, my 五伯母的舅舅!

A memorial for him.

When we checked in at Genting First World Hotel, it was already 4pm! We had travelled for 10 hours!

I do not really like First World Hotel. It is very small!! The tv is also very small! And they do not have my favourite cartoon channels! Moreover, they do not provide toothbrush nor toothpaste! Which was bad news to me because I did not bring any.

Alas, we did not have time for the Outdoor Theme Park. HAIZ!! We only went to the Indoor Theme Park's Motion Theatre where we were annoyed by some foreigners (I guessed from India). They were very rude and loud. One kept making very shrill whistles in the theatre which pierced through my head. Really felt like scolding vulgarities at that time but I did not dare. Grrr...

The two of us acting cool with the 3-D glasses.

After walking for around, we had dinner at an Italian Restaurant! Haha! I just cannot stand Genting's food and I craved for something better. Actually, it was quite cheap. Only RM73 for the 2 of us! I will definitely recommend this place.

An artistic shot of my brother.

It was casino time after dinner!! Met up with my cousin and went in search of the casino. However, we got lost for a while and managed to stumble into this garden where some couples were making out. Suppose to be steamy, right? But it was damn cold! Shiok!! I love the weather there! It was 17 degree celcius that night!

Had fun taking photos there!

Finally, we found the casino. It is such a interesting place. The dealers are so skilled in dealing out cards and chip. They also had very arrogant faces. These made the games so serious. And we could see people betting a few hundred dollars for each game and, in the end, lost their money after a few seconds.

We played Roulette and luckily for us, we won about RM300. Not enough for my Gucci wallet though. Haha! However, I was super nervous the whole time. My hands were clammy and I was cold. The feeling was like how we felt when we played Mahjong and we were waiting for the winning tile. The heart beats faster, the mind is more alert and we keep hoping that the next tile is the one we want. It was like that for me except that this feeling repeated itself every 50 seconds. Really fast and crazy.

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Day 2

We only had about 3 hours of sleep. This is because our coach left Genting at 8am!! SUPER EARLY!!!

We had breakfast at Gohtong Jaya again. And again, we had 5-6 dishes for breakfast.

That is Ethel's grandmother, my 2nd Uncle's wife.

After breakfast, we visited the Chocolate Gallery situated halfway up Genting. Using my woman's intuition, I clearly recognised that that was a tourist trap. And so, I bought nothing from there and brought Ethel out for a walk in the area. Haha! My aunties and uncles spent about RM100 per family in that place! *Faints*

We then travelled to Malacca for lunch. The lunch was super good!!! We had roast pork, steamed promfet, abalone, etc. We dined like royalties!

There was this special dish - Yam Paste. It was different from the Singapore's version. Just look at the pictures.

There was a strange sight behind the restaurant.

So weird, right? A huge statue of a man in the alley. Wonder what it is for? Creepy...

We saw this school on our way to the next destination. Look at the name of the school.

What happen to their self-esteem?? Haha!

When you go to Malacca, you will definitely go to this place. So did we.

The weather was freaking hot! I think the tour guide must had sighed in relief when we decided we do not want to climb to the top.

After that, we went for dinner. It was only 530pm though but they wanted to beat the jam at Tuas. Clever people. My sentiments exactly. =) Well, we had roast pork again. We even had 佛跳墙!

Finally,we arrived back in Singapore at around 830pm without jam. Phew..

I really enjoyed this trip though it was packed to the brim. Had a lot of fun and saw a lot of interesting things! Wished that my parents had come with us. Nevermind, maybe I'll organise one in the future? =P

I love this picture.

Since I started with a photo of Ethel, I shall end with one of hers too.

I'll be back.

Off to Genting!

In about 4 hours time, I have to ready to go to Bukit Panjang Road (where my family's pawn shop is) to board the bus to Genting. Yeah! I am soooo excited. Even though I have been to Genting more times than I can remember, I still felt excited every time. I guess it is because Genting brings back a lot of happy and fond memories of my childhood. Also, this time round, I'm going with my relatives. We have booked a coach all to ourselves. Cool! My fifth uncle was at work again. He is the one who organised the trip and sponser us fully. Heard from him that we are going to eat at different stops all the way up Genting and down again, I supposed. Haha! *Thrilled* I LOVE exploring different eating places!

Ok, I shall end here. I want to watch Bleach and maybe have an "early" night tonight. Genting, here I come again!!

Dedicated to Xiao Pang

Xiao Pang, I promised you right? I said I was going to write an entry to you before you fly off to the States. So here it is.

I think that this is a chance of a lifetime. What is better than working in a foreign country to know more about their culture and their way of living? So treasure your chance, girl! Don't come soon ar! We can still wait for our treasures. Keke!

There are sooooo many things I wanna tell/remind/warn you! I told you before I treat you like a younger sister so I tend to worry for you. But I know you can do it! Although you're so petite and soft-hearted, I believe and had been proven that there is a very strong side of you. So don't let anyone bully you over there! We are quite far away to help you so plan before you do anything. If you meet sucky customers, tell yourself that they are not against you as Pui Sin but you as a worker of the particular company. So don't let them get you down, k?

Aiyo... I must force myself to end. Otherwise, I can go on and on and on.. Remember to email us frequently! We will definitely email you often! Haha! Best wishes and take good care of yourself! I'll be counting down to the day you come back!

Lastly, a song for you.

<<祝你一路顺风 >>

那一天送你送到最後

我們一句話也沒有留

當擁擠的月台擠痛送別的人們

卻擠不掉我深深的離愁

我知道你有千言你有萬語

卻不肯說出口

你知道我好擔心我好難過

卻不敢說出口

當你背上行囊

卸下那份榮耀

我只能讓眼淚留在心底

面帶著微微笑

用力的揮揮手

祝你一路順風

當你踏上月台

從此一個人走

我只能深深的祝福你

深深的祝福你

最親愛的朋友

祝你一路順風

Haha! Actually, come to think of it, only the last stanza applies to you. The others are just too lesbiany..

Good bye and good luck girl!

一个人的我依然会微笑

如果想哭我自己会找地方
你不必担心我会弄湿你肩膀
走在街上到处是寂寞的人
我想谁都不要同情的眼光

受一点伤并不是可怕的事
人就是这样才会愈来愈坚强
谁叫男人永远比女人清楚
爱情它何时该收何时该放

你走吧
我不哭
无论多痛苦

你走吧
我不哭
就算会迷路

明天一个人的我依然会微笑
虽然它或许也是伤心的开始
爱情的轮回总是一次又一次
是悲是喜终将都变成往事

明天一个人的我依然会微笑
那怕早已没有人记得我名字
别问我为何执迷不悟的尝试
女人生来就多这么一点痴

Very meaningful lyrics...

Brother's 21st Birthday

Time seemed to pass so fast! I remember blogging about my brother's admission for National Service and now that kid has already completed NS, secured a place in SIM and has turned 21! Adult already though still behaves childishly..

Anyway, we celebrated his birthday at the Owens Restaurant in Turf City. Quite an expensive party and the blame lies in that kiddo. He suddenly declared that he wanted to celebrate his birthday with friends and my parents had to work wonders. In the end, due to time constrain, my Dad decided to hold it in a restaurant.

My brother only invited around 20 of his friends and our relatives made up the rest of the 40 plus people who attended the celebration. And IT WAS A GOOD IDEA! Haha! This is because the ang baos my bro received, wah, made me jealous. A huge sum, man! And my 5th uncle even distributed $2 Toto tickets to each and everyone of us. Haha!

Well, now it is photo time! There were some really good looking guys among my bro's friends. *Winks* Too bad I don't go for young meat guys.

The food. Got 佛跳墙, bamboo-like thingie, crab, etc. Thus, explained the expensive meal.

My relatives who attended the celebration.

Brother and his friends. Can you spot the good looking ones?? Haha!

Bro, his proud parents and his darling sister. *Pukes*

You know, they always say that younger brothers will look up to their sisters and follow in their footsteps? This is strong evidence. Copy cat! He also had strudels instead of cake.





Although I always "suan" him and use him as a channel to vent my frustrations, I love him very very much. And he knows that, I believe. Happy 21st birthday, Kai Cheng!!

I can DRIVE!

I went for my first driving today and there is only one word to describe it - Shiok, Fun, Interesting, Thrilling, Entertaining! Opps! Did I say one word? Just mashed all the adjectives above and you will get the one word to describe the lesson. Haha!

My instructor was pretty funny. He kept praying aloud when I drive. It was not because I might ram the car or get into an accident, it was because I was too rough with the gear stick and the accelarator. Hee! He kept asking me to be gentle with his car. He was also easily influenced by me. Everytime I saw red lights, I would yell, "Red light liao! What do I do now?!" He became flustered too everytime I did that. And when this car overtook me and cut into my lane, I scolded the driver and I guess my instructor must be wondering, "Wah. This is her first lesson and she dares to scold other drivers." Poor instructor.. =P

I also kept laughing my head off at my poor driving skills. When I fumbled around with the clutch, gear and brake and caused the car to jerk, I found it so funny that I could not stop laughing. My instructor said that I was a very happy girl. I replied, "Of course! I finally get to drive." =)