She reads my blog

Vivianne
Originally uploaded by ying22.

And thats enough reason for me to maintain it. Think this also answers the question Miss Vega Chang had previously for me then.

"This afternoon my main activity has been catching up will all your entries in chronological order since we left Sweden.
I can't express how cool it is to feel like I kinda caught up with what you've been up to, and especially with your state of mind. I remember starting up a blog in Sweden and never really having the patience to follow up with that. Now I value much more the coolness of the whole thought process giving for others to read. It was cool to hear your thoughts on salsa classes, reintegration, traineeship, food, trips, "culture shit" as my favorite roomie would say."

:)

Guess who is in town?

Ana
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Miss Ana Marquez, from Venezuela, one of the Stockholm trainee gang, has breezed in for the weekend before she starts her 3 week tour of Asia, Singapore- Malaysia (Penang)- China- Thailand, my 1st reaction was " Are you crazy?You are going to be so tired with the bus/train rides/flight!"

Oh well, its always nice to visit another continent ;)

You could have done better, Dad

Singaporean parents don't understand their kids: Survey

One of the few news articles that is negative about Singapore, which apparently is quite rare, accorrding to another fellow singaporean Doubleyellow :)

Do u prefer Hot or Cold?

I am always puzzled when I read news articles on Heatwave killing millions of people especially in European ctys like France in 2003, at only a mere 36 degrees whereas in Singapore its pretty common everyday thing to have 30-36 degrees. So why is this such a danger? Could it be the abundance of air conditioning we have on this small isle that protects us from a widespread killing spree, afterall we only have a mere 4 million pple living on the isle.

Recalling a discussion sometime back with my friends back in sweden, we were analysing which is a worse way to die, on the streets during icy winters or to die in a heatwave? We concluded that if its during winters, you probably get so cold that you just fade into sleep and then you just freeze to death, whereas you can't sleep that comfortably under immense heat.....So there you go

Weekend of apple green nails, sore legs with messed up ligaments and home parties

Think that pretty much sum it all up, starting with me now constantly "staring" at my nails now, still getting a hang of it, to see them coloured....how it contrasts with my keyboard, my skin, reflects under the light and everything else. Its vastly entertaining :)))...

Masks
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Had a girls' sleepover at my place on fri, where we experimented with fruit masks, ( very yum, almost tempted to eat it off), nail painting, ripping music from my cds, red wine and trying out the new epilator that i bought. It was suprisingly fun!!! We are not very girlie girls, and have never done this before ever, one of my friends is a physical eduacation (sports) teacher, so what you think? We took photos of us in masks, (which reminds me of Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs), eye firming stickers and when we found a cockroach in one of my unsused portable bed, we exercised our lungs by screaming quite a bit :)

On Sat, after changing the course of our cab journey twice becoz of road blocks for the National Day rehearsal, me, tee and pili made it for the Hungarian movie, Kontroll, late by walking/running all the way from beach road through suntec to marina square. Was an interesting movie, seems that more movies nowadays are using the subway system as themes of movies, like Spring Subway from China. Determined to make the most of the California Fitness membership, went to the gym after and ran for 1 hr NONSTOP! Was proud of myself, i like to give credit to the television whom distracted me successully from my lazy self and I actually watched a really good documentary Invisible People, by ChannelNewsAsia hosted by Diana Ser about the public's attitudes towards cleaners. But running an hr was no joke, now my legs feel messed up, its not even like cramps, i am sure my veins/ligaments are somewhat tangled in there.

Tee at her farewell party- We miss you!
Originally uploaded by ying22.

We had a party party Sat, as there were 3 parties at the same time ( Chau's, Tee's and Yam's), but i only managed to attend Chau's housewarming party and Tee's Blackout Farewell party, just wished the nights are longer. Guess if you have been in AIESEC long enough, you would probably be used to people coming and leaving, someone's welcome is also someone's farewell, sounds like the cycle of life perhaps. Still affects me in a way, afterall I am supposed to be an veteran to all these ( being an ex memeber, ex trainee and back) , that meeting these international friends of ours, could be a few years from now, and its not as easy as taking the mrt train to the next.

Makes it more apparent for international friends, though the theory applies for your local friends as well, that what we have at this moment, the companionship, the dialogue, and those little moments are no longer going to be the same as things are going to be different when we meet again ( be it months or years). Afterall being on a traineeship with other trainees, you undergo the same external experiences, phases of culture shock, the bitching about the surroundings, you share travels, lunches, stories about these funny native people :P, the feeling of shared experience is what fuels growth and bonding among the "outsiders". I remember one of my ex trainee said, " Well what we have is each other" and another returned singaporean trainee recounted what her flatmate said jokingly as she shared her experience in the US , " We are friends, .... by default". But saying all that, doesnt mean that the friends you make during your traineeship mean anything less, in fact we always think they are more interesting that the local friends we have, the diversity of conversations stretches from how you cook beans in your country to the evolution of your country. In fact, because of how fleetingly short the time span you have together, which the cap is usually 1 year for AIESEC trainees, you treasure them more.

Anyways, friendship, or in any relationship, it all boils down to chemistry in the end, regardless of what kind of people you meet, and even in the most random circumstances, like the perfect stranger in a cafe or the person you are standing next to in a lift:)

The day when the heart took over

my shoes :)
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Disclaimer: If you are a guy, you can give this post a skip

They say that girls are crazy over bags and shoes....I always wondered when will that hit me? Diamonds will probably take a much longer time.

Till the very day when I was in KL Megamall, finally found a shoe to my liking,( i could go on and on how DIFFICULT it is for me to find shoes that i like, i am very very picky, it has to be flats if possible, low heels, no back and yet it must look nice, my frens were saying, its hard to find a shoe like that and YET look nice, but i am adamant, so all my shoes have the same pattern, like when one breaks, i would buy another similar one to replace it, subconciously, boring i know, so i always wear few limited flattie shoes)

Back to finding that shoes in KL,they didnt have the colour i wanted but they have the other colours..so i was thinking,,,,let me think about it.....so for the next 2 hrs when i was combing the mall, the buy or not to buy question was nagging at the back of my head. Till i finally decided i wanted to get them, went back to the shop, the sales assistant HAD to tell me that there was NO MORE STOCK! I was like, wat do u mean?!?!@!@&!*^@(^$*!^(^(%^%@&^(*^^&)(*(((!@!@@ i was here 2 hrs ago, wearing that pair of shoes and i wanted to buy it!!!!!!!! After much disbelief and really pissed off at myself, I left that freaking shop, and on the whole 6hr coach ride back to Singapore, i was still cursing myself and argh never forgave myself. Its weird isnt it, but the more i think of it, the more i want it.

When I was shopping in Sg, I just casually looked at shoe shops hoping to find that shoe that i was by now obsessed with.....and there was this instant where i found the subsidary shop under a different name of that same shoe shop in KL, my heart gave a little leap! They have that colour combi in the entire shop, and not the shoe...Sad... :( and i didnt ask...

That was 1 month ago...and during this period i still thought about my shoe and even described/drew it out for my galfriends on one dinner. Then yday my friend, GSY smsed me saying that she saw something similar at this shoe shop yday at suntec and so again i was anxious to find it out...could it be DA ONE?!!! Went to Suntec found the shop, and found that somewhat similar shop but ITS NOT WHAT I WANT!!!

Oh well...walked along City link, as I was going to pass by the subsidary shop again, popped in, like who knows right? But sorry they dont have it on display, and finally i cant take it any more, and ASKED! Whether they have this design with the zip instead,,,,::" Oh its OUT of STOCK! a couple of months ago" " Is it 3999? we have a damaged pair, let us try other outlets" " Yup they have it at Harbour Front" I was like crossing my fingers the entire time when the 2 sales assistants had this dialogue.....ahhhh cant believe how happy i was!!!

Then I went to Raffles City to find Ceci as we are going to the Air Supply Concert later ( me with my mum) and she was queuing for the ohmygawdfreakingcrowded MANGO sale....( side note: its even a culture shock for me, to see PILES and PILES of clothes, messed up on the displays and the FLOORS, girls trying on clothes/skirts/shirts, over their exisiting ones...freaking scary!! and its not like its FREE, they still cost quite some monies u know!)..

In the end, I snapped, stopped thinking, decided to let my heart take over, left the sale and told ceci that i am going to cab to Harbour Front and get the shoes, and i had only 1 hr before my Air Supply Concert, wat the heck! Its now or never, i cant wait any longer.

And the rest is history, bough 2 colours of the same pattern that i wanted and 2 other pairs of shoes....am one satisfied individual, and as i explained to the cashier, i normally dont do this, its really hard for me to buy shoes you know...If i could apply this kind of persistance in the other areas in my life, wonder how different would i end up,,,,probably very screwed,, :)

My friend says

Finally, a tangible and observable change, after 6mths back to Singapore. Written to me by one of my dearest friend, whom I grew up in AIESEC with,Shahrin, this is an excerpt of it.

"Maybe it’s the egalitarian and equality attitude of the Swedes that you picked up. You always gave everybody the benefit of a doubt, you treated people objectively and fairly, and you always listened and not interrupt. Even when the person kept on yakking and almost bore you to death.I remember you used to signal to the person with your hand to tell him/her to talk faster and get to the point, and now you just look at the person in the eye and listen and even smile on occasion. You believe that you should be nice to people, and even at times getting yourself disappointed."

Funny how I forgot how impatient I was in the past with the hand signalling thing, especially during meetings, which borderlines on being rude as I think back now.

Little things that impact you along the way and you only see the effects much later in time.

Quote of the day:

The world is not without its flaws.
There will be earthquakes, there will be suffering, and skyscrapers will fall.
Junk mail, sour milk,botched-up presentations
and big red F letters on our test papers.
And supermodels will continue to fall off runways.
Yet, the world moves on. And so can you.

Happy Indian Shoppers

In the spirit of good old Singapore Sale, this posting comes about, with Indian shoppers being the Happiest in the world :)

International Foodie Fest, "Cooks" and "Sisters"

swedish food
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Last night was the International Cooking Night organised by Vega and Housemates and AIESEC last night, where we were notified 1 mth in advance to bring something "international".. Lucky for me, there was the all time favourite IKEA, where i got my swedish meatballs and my swedish candy collection...just microwave them and ta da, ready to eat and just on time! :)

Ms Chang and Mr Kostic were nice enuff to loan the venue to us, and there were like around 40+ pple at one time in their apartment, super crowded and we have some quite interesting food, think the most hardworking cook award goes to Vega for managing to stay in the kitchen most of the time, and cooking fish, portugese chicken etc etc ..anyway just a poser photo of Vega and Cheryl battling the oil from the pans in the kitchen, such posers :P

posers
Originally uploaded by ying22


Last but not least, found my "long lost sister" June Lawan Tangsakul, actually it isnt the 1st time that pple think that we look like sisters, its the hair and small eyes i guess, i was one batch before her in AIESEC but we hang out with the same friends,,,oh well june, its just pure gd luck on your side haha..


me and june
Originally uploaded by ying22

IC2002

tee at the back
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Finally got my hands on my ic2002 photos ( actually they are jenny lim's judging from the frequency of her face appearing in all the photos..and still she refuse to give me her photos after 6 mths, so thanks miss wong ), after my photos are deleted on snapfish and i lost my originals 3 yrs back....

THE CONFERENCE WHERE:
1. Tee doesnt rem me at AP pre meeting
2. Tee and I dont rem Devrim
3. Devrim dont rem Tee and Alfy
4. Alfy thinks i have changed so much and remembers me as an asian gal who ALWAYS wore glasses yes i had short hair but i rarely wear glasses coz i am too vain)

Alfy
Originally uploaded by ying22.

5. Where me, bulan, vega were MCPS ha!
6. And I spotted Trinn too, where she was having her straight hair ( unlike in sipo where her hairs becomes wavy because of the humidity:))

trinn

Originally uploaded by ying22.

7. Where my team were out taking photos of mountains when i was stuck in premeeting....god i rem how "surprised" i was when i saw all their photos after the conf!

my team with alen

Originally uploaded by ying22.

8. Where we bunked in with Celine when she was back in Canada ( as i told her, whenever i see my ROOTS tshirt, I think of her):)
9. Oh god think i saw pple that i met now in Singapore in my group photos

Ha such a flashback! So hilarious!

its not everyday

that you meet inspiring pple...had lunch with my ex- boss yday, an early 40s, director of some big ngo here in Singapore, actually did some work for her for a month or so for intercultural games with international students before i went for my traineeship, improved my already non exisitent current knowledge then as i was given the task of building this database bank of i think 300 questions for the games. But one ear in, one ear out, i dont remember anything anymore...i have become stupid again..sigh :(

Anyways back to the point, i met her when i was still in AIESEC, where i first invited her as a speaker for our SN conference, and subsequently met her for other contacts/confs too. I guess in a way she was one of the few women that i know in a high position working for a singapore government linked organisation, and she is really easy going and friendly too. What amazes me was when I learnt from Shahrin that she is going to take a break from her work and go 1 year competitive sailing across the world!!! Hence a lunch date after 2 years of absence.

I go Wow,,, as not alot of Singaporeans deviate from the usual path of studying for the best education, working in a secure job , better if its the government ( we call it the metal rice bowl, where you will never break it aka lose your job) , getting married, having kids......so whenever i see any deviant, i would be easily impressed.It was easy to go into any topics with her, be it life, work, volunteerism etc etc...and she could always give me advice that made me think deeper into my well thought problems.

Maybe everyone needs a mentor figure in their life, while in most cases, parents would be uncool haha but yeah just someone who "ate more salt that you have eaten rice" to tell you a thing or 2.

All the best!

Do you accept credit card then?

I have fond memmories of sprinting ALL THE TIME!!! across wide roads of Shanghai as the bloody green light ticker is ticking too fast and the huge masses of pple crossing the street blantantly even though its a red light and even when there are traffic volunteers with whistles in the middle of the road!!!! This will take time, as my dad says, all chinese pple are hard to govern.

Fearsome, but toothless

Shanghai’s pedestrians and cyclists are having their first brushes with a new squad of traffic police. The officers dart around on motorbikes and shout into headset microphones at anyone breaking traffic laws. This rather entertaining show is part of a city-wide campaign to crack down on road violations, ease congestion and increase road safety (382 pedestrians and cyclists were killed last year).

On-the-spot fines range from Rmb10 ($1.25) to Rmb50, and are levied for such crimes as running red lights, ferrying passengers on the back of a bicycle and cycling against traffic. But attempts to collect the fines are proving all but impossible: 90% of offenders claim they do not have any cash.

Ohmygawd

mrandmrssmith
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Have to say that i take everything back..used to think Angelina Jolie looks like a duck with her pouty lips, now i am totally bowled over how gorgeously HOT she is, after catching Mr and Mrs Smith tonight, ( yes not even after Laura Croft movies)...Was actually commenting on how gorgeous she was, what nice legs she has, to my friend time to time instead of drooling over Brad Pitt as every heterosexual female...so oh my gawd..cool movie, sizzling hot chemisty, they looook so good together...hope they dont grow old that soon...

Gorgeous bedsheets

Gorgeous aint it
Originally uploaded by ying22.

And i got them at my favourite swedish place...(or rather only swedish place)..hehehe IKANO aka IKEA. Was actually accompanying Chau shopping for his new apartment, and i ended up buying stuff for myself too...For example this blue/brown reversible quilt cover...ahhh reminds me of winter, and it so goes with my room colour..instead of my usual brown..just had to get it!!! Something tells me that i would go crazy at the Singapore Sale...

Bought swedish meatballs, bilar(car) marshmallows, Kex and Daim chocolate candy for this international cooking thing happening next Sat...Chau says that i looked blissly happy in that swedish foodstore, in fact i was home sick..sigh... pickled herrings, princess cake, toothpaste look of salmon paste...:((((

Ok...Back to admiring my bedsheets, probably i would sleep on the floor and just admire them from a far...

Consequences of club hopping on a weekday

In the morning at 10am, " I feel absolutely fine! "
During lunch, " just need a cup of coffee"
In the afternoon at 4.33pm, after 3 cups of coffee and a tea,
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Countdown for knock off starts.....:)

We went to a hip hop/rnb club then to the opening of Club Momo, more of house/pop/ trance, this new big dance place at Central Mall...Stark opposites on the girl to guy ratio and the number of pple u see on the dance floor! ha! Missed clubbing alot, always felt that its some form of an exercise!

Anyways will miss this girl when she gets married off to Dubai, "chiong"( hokkien term of hard core clubbing) kakis ( hokkien for friends) who really enjoy clubbing in singapore are dwindling, they have either converted to the sit and drink beer type or they have just got boring...:P

原点 - 蔡健雅/孙燕姿

拥抱的时候 心情有点痛 也去提早感受到寂寞
离开的时候 只听见沉默
除了沉默我还能怎么做选择
别对我抱歉 别总觉得对我亏欠
现在他在你的身边 就对他好一点
不要再让你们的爱败给了时间
既然遇见了永远 就不要说再见
不要再让你们的爱输给了永远
我们经过那么多考验 最后还是回到了原点
总有那一天 相遇的瞬间
确定那些冷漠的从前 已走远
别对我抱歉 别总觉得对我亏欠
现在谁在你的身边 就对谁好一点
我应该 就走开 就算感情还在
我应该 就放开 对他不再依赖
忘了曾有过的片段 这是属于你们的未来
不要看到你们的爱败给了时间 我能愿选择离别
没有一句怨言 直到你能若无其事聊起了从前
我才发现彼此都了解 默契是最宝贵的语言

Latest Chinese duet- song that i am in lurve with, that i keep playing the same song over and over again :) and i really like these 2 chinese singers, Stephanie Sun and Tanya Chua, both Singaporean singers. You can hear me crooning their songs in karaoke anytime :)

1hr and a little more

Felt tired and antisocial this afternoon, didnt feel like talking to anyone during lunch, so was thinking, where can i go have my lunch break of 1 hr and a little more, read my business week magazine( its kinda stressing me out to see the stack of unread business week piling up on my desk) and not talk to anyone, preferably to sleep as well, and my colleagues wont find me and CONFIRM that I am really anti social :PPPP

Ta da! I did all that in a hair salon! Slept, read, had biscuits and tea, while had a relaxed/therapeutic massage and have gorgeous hair in the process! Wanted shorter and less hair mass, so the hairdresser did quite a bit of layering and i feel that i can lift my head up again, without feeling the pull of gravity. Plus weather lately is really too much...freaking HOT!

Best decision i made in months!!!

I remembered why i wanted to go Egypt

raiders
Originally uploaded by ying22.

since young...when i caught the Indiana Jones- Raiders of the Lost Ark on cable today! Yeay! Plots revolving the quest for the lengendary ark by the Nazis and US govt, the mediallion which holds the key, snakes at the underground tomb in Cairo, car chase and of course Harrison Ford can outrun a jeep with a horse!

Was screaming and smiling half of the time, and boy does Harrison Ford looks young and gd looking then...Nice!

Its Nihon Shibun again!

Cant you tell that i really like Japan, and its zany news :))))

If temp in the buildings of Singapore are set to no lower than 28 degrees, I have to work in an ice cream parlour and fulfill my childhood dream.

From the Economist Cities Guide:

Dressing down to Conserve energy
A dark suit, white shirt and unadventurous necktie have been de rigueur for generations of Japanese salary men and government employees. But this summer the government is asking them to ditch their suits in a bid to conserve energy. The campaign to use less air-conditioning is part of a plan by Junichiro Koizumi, Japan's prime minister, to cut electricity usage and reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases.

By government decree, thermostats in public buildings are to be set no lower than 28º C from June 1st until September. To encourage hierarchy-conscious businessmen and government workers to adopt the casual look, Mr Koizumi promised that he and his cabinet members will shed suits and ties this summer for all but the most official functions. A newspaper advertisement of the policy has him pictured in a short-sleeved shirt. The environment ministry has plans for a fashion show called “Cool Biz Collection”—featuring Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of Toyota Motor—to show salary men how to cope with the change.

As the fortune teller says...

My aunt is moving to her new office this week and she managed to dig out this piece of paper where this feng shui master gave general comments to everyone in my Wu family for free...and i was laughing my head off as I saw the paper again as I was reminded of these very comments....8 years ago

Yes this prediction or analysis is done 8 YEARS ago! based on the date of birth/year and time when you are born ( otherwise known as the Shen Cheng Ba Zi)..amazing isnt it, like your chinese zodiac, i wonder whether the person who was born on the exact time, date and year would have the same fate as me?! there must be many babies being born at the same time across the world..so????

Anyways some of the comments are pretty accurate for me and my sibilings...like:( pardon the translation as it was in mandarin and my aunt did a quick translation at that time)
- Fall down often injuring legs
- Do things in an organised manner

Other things that I am not sure of:
- Quite intelligent but lazy (my gd friend Caroline actually vows by it, quoting that i used to copy her homework in sch! but hey EVERYONE does that! :P)
- Bring wealth to the family ( as in "Wang" father, mother, husband and children) ( well we have to see about that :P)
- Husband to be will be frightened of her and is a family man (WAHAHAHAHA, great feeds my feminist habits!)
- Male compatibility - Born in the Mouse or Dragon ( dont have any friends which are 4 years or 8 years old than me...anybody 29 or 33 this year?!)
- Lack of water and wood
- Should be in the servicing line ( shd i change job?:P)

But well ever since the fortune teller said too that my sis may get married in the year 2000 and it did not happen, we kinda denounced what he said...haha but a gd laugh for the day nevertheless...

Hipee Bootdag!

cheryl pretty
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Its the bootdag of my grand daughter, Miss Cheryl Wong today, heres wishing her all the best with her life, or whatever thats left of it.:D

What I talk to Ex Hong Kong MCPs about?

Definately inspired by Tee's earlier post....

MCP= Member Committee Presidents of the AIESEC organisation:
No. 1: Cecilia Tam ( ex MCP 99-01)
No. 2: Calvin Chan ( ex MCP 01-02)

ceci stretched! says:
u look at the mirror
ceci stretched! says:
then u'll see what u wrote
ceci stretched! says:
Ying says:
u lor
Ying says:
ur name
ceci stretched! says:
no la
ceci stretched! says:
u'll see a visual pig ying
Ying says:
its u!
Ying says:
eh next time send photo links to my gmail hor
ceci stretched! says:
u ah
ceci stretched! says:
fat ma
Ying says:
u ah
Ying says:
fat u
ceci stretched! says:
hahahhaa
ceci stretched! says:
yesyes fat me
ceci stretched! says:
giant ying
Ying says:
BED HAIR
ceci stretched! says:
hahahhaa
ceci stretched! says:
fei ying
Ying says:
fei si
Ying says:
fat shit
ceci stretched! says:
hahaha yeayea
Ying says:
i put this on my blog can?
ceci stretched! says:
?
ceci stretched! says:
put wat
Ying says:
the conversation hahaha
Ying says:
so dumb
ceci stretched! says:
well u'll surely delete all the bad things about u
ceci stretched! says:
very biased
Ying says:
we will see

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Calvin@NYC.US] No more WC '06 tickets says:
crazy Taiwanese
[Calvin@NYC.US] No more WC '06 tickets says:
traveling animals
[Calvin@NYC.US] No more WC '06 tickets says:
those days after ICs, IPMs....traveling all the time...
Ying says:
hahahaha
Ying says:
i shd email this to them!