New hunting place for me tomorrow. Going to make a trip there since parking is now FREE. hahah :P
Also heard that got Diaso, ESPRIT outlet...etc.
Happy New Year to all and May you have a GREAT 2009!
This christmas is very special, I received quite a no of gifts from my frens and colleagues. This ended up with my tree filled with real presents as compared to the usual years of old empty boxes.
Will post my tree with presents later
One more thing, I think I forgot to wish for what I want...hahah... though already gotta a doughcake maker on Christmas day. :P 
Now I am thinking of getting this Canon PowerShot E1. I hope to own another digital camera by mid neat year 2009 so that I can have a take better pictures I hope.
hahha... today finally to go the gym again.
This time round is to try out on the step machine.
All-in-all did for 717 steps within the time of 12:17 mins and suppose to burn 170 cals. Wondering have Kilo to the calories or not, else the rate I am eating I would be getting fatter and fatter only.
Guess need to think positively is that to exercise and sweat better than none right? :)
Next target: 800 steps.
Last Friday, sitting beside my new colleague in meeting only and with his one time sneeze of his, I am down with fever that night and it totally spoilt my whole weekend. :(
Today I am back in AMK office again. This time round I am disgusted by what I seen in my dustbin. My new colleague has actually throw lots of tissue paper in it and then placed the bin under my table!! For the whole day until now, my nose is itchy. Pray hard I would not fall sick this time round again. Thinking maybe I should go and look for a new corner to hide and do my work.
Today is sort of a crazy day for me.
Wake up and go to various places- my son's school for meet parent session and then to my in-law's place in the late afternoon. We were all fixing and re-arranging things in the bedroom to get ready for the shift next month. Major work right? I threw away quite a fair bit of my hubby's clothing. We set up another table and a chair within the room. Now pending item is the left single bed to be shifted here and purchase of some shelves.
Just now after dinner at the supermarket, we purchased a little christmas tree. It is about 15cm tall. What a cute little tree to be place on the writing table. Think I would go and get another one for my office table tomorrow.
Last weekend managed to go IKEA and i got a set of accessories for my christmas tree. This year theme colour is RED and my son is the one who decorate the tree all by himself. He was a little dissapointed when the lighting is spolit.
This one is a off the shelf purchase for the table.
Was at downtown east last thur night and took this ferry wheels in lightings.
It seems to be a long time since I last took this. Should I go for the Singapore flyer?
Yesterday afternoon was my son graduation day.
See how the children and teachers prepared for the day. Seems like a great event for them. My in-laws and my mum all attended their 1st grandson graduation day! A special event for him to remember as it was his 1st performance on stage.
Busy getting ready
Welcoming the MP for the event
Octagon class performing on stage - The Rainbow Fish. Can you spot that colourful fish?
Teachers performing for the parents and kids, seems not easy to be teachers these days. :P
Finale all on stage to sing together
We need to save electricity. This month the electrical bill is going up by 20%. My goodness..now wondering where can I cut down on the use of the electrical appliances.
Table on Electricity Consumption by Appliance (for reference only)
Let me do a calculation using the HOME ELECTRICITY AUDIT tool:
Your estimated electricity consumption in a month is:
850.62 kWH or $259.01
(Based on the current tariff rate of 30.45 cents/kWH)
This is a breakdown of the electrical appliances which contributes to the electricity consumption in your home:
Description Electricity consumed per month (kWH) Electricity Cost per month ($)
Rice Cooker - 600W (2 to 4 persons) 18 $5.48
Electric Toaster - 1000W 15 $4.57
Energy Efficient - 18W 15.12 $4.60
Energy Efficient - 25W 6 $1.83
Air Conditioner - System 2 540 $164.43
Refrigerator - Frost Free (400 litres) 144 $43.85
Electric Fan - 75W (Standing Type) 9 $2.74
Colour TV - 26 24 $7.31
Computer - 300W 72 $21.92
Notebook - 50W 7.5 $2.28
Based on the above, I need to cut down on aircon usage as well as computer. Maybe should just change the Computer to Notebook instead. Good execuse huh?
Finally, the exercise fever is back with me again.
Yesterday evening walked up and down the 4 level stairs once only and skipped for 120 times using the skipping rope. I realise all in all my exercise is less than 10 mins! After skipping for about 60 times, my legs began to feel weak... i tried hard and managed to do another 60. I hope by the end of the week I am able to do 150 times on the skipping rope.
How simple breath work can lead you to a deep state of relaxation.
By Claudia Cummins
Beginning students often ask for instructions on the "right" way to breathe. Alas, there's no single answer to that question, since the optimal breathing pattern at any given moment depends on the type of practice. Restorative yoga focuses solely on relaxation, though, and emphasizes breathing that creates calm and serene states of being. When you settle into restorative poses, try the following techniques for cultivating breathing patterns that are hallmarks of relaxation and well-being.
MOVE THE BELLY WITH THE BREATH. When we are at ease, the diaphragm is the primary engine of the breath. As we inhale, this domelike muscle descends toward the abdomen, displacing the abdominal muscles and gently swelling the belly. As we exhale, the diaphragm releases back toward the heart, enabling the belly to release toward the spine.
KEEP THE UPPER BODY QUIET. During high-stress times, it's common to heave the upper chest and grip the muscles in the shoulders and throat. When we're at rest, the muscles of the upper chest remain soft and relaxed as we breathe, and the real work occurs in the lower rib cage. To promote this type of breathing pattern, consciously relax the jaw, throat, neck, and shoulders, and envision the breath sweeping into the deepest parts of the lungs as you breathe in and out.
BREATHE EASY. Although some breaths may be deeper or faster than others, when we're relaxed, the alternating rhythm of the inhalations and exhalations feels like a lullaby—smooth, soft, and uninterrupted by jerks and jags. Consciously relaxing into this wavelike, oceanic quality of the breath deepens our sense of peace and ease.
LENGTHEN THE EXHALATIONS. When we feel stressed, our exhalations tend to grow short and choppy. When we're relaxed, though, the exhalations extend so completely that they are often longer than the inhalations. Some teachers even instruct that if we're deeply relaxed, each exhalation will be twice as long as the inhalation. To facilitate this, try gently extending each exhalation by one or two seconds.
PAUSE AFTER EACH EXHALATION. In our most relaxed state, the end of each exhalation is punctuated by a short pause. Lingering in this sweet spot can be deeply satisfying and can evoke feelings of profound quiet and stillness.
LET THE WHOLE BODY BREATHE. When we are at ease, the whole body participates in the breathing process. Imagine a sleeping baby: When he breathes in and out, the belly swells and releases, the hips rock to and fro, the shoulders bob, and the spine gently undulates. This offers a mini-massage for the muscles and organs of the whole body, and turns each breath into a soothing melody that further calms and quiets every cell within.
Maybe due to age, now I am beginning to have those aching at the back and legs when I sit for long hours. So now I am into the stretching exercise. At least do a little bit I was telling myself in my heart.
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When you take the shape of a forward bend, you fold in toward yourself, which encourages a sense of introspection and stillness. 
Steps:
1) Sit in Dandasana, then lean your torso back slightly on your hands and lift and open your legs to an angle of about 90 degrees (the legs should form an approximate right angle, with the pubis at the apex). Press your hands against the floor and slide your buttocks forward, widening the legs another 10 to 20 degrees. As with Dandasana, if you can’t sit comfortably on the floor, raise your buttocks on a folded blanket.
2)Rotate your thighs outwardly, pinning the outer thighs against the floor, so that the knee caps point straight up toward the ceiling. Reach out through your heels and stretch your soles, pressing though the balls of the feet.
3)With your thigh bones pressed heavily into the floor and your knee caps pointing up at the ceiling, walk your hands forward between your legs. Keep your arms long. As with all forward bends, the emphasis is on moving from the hip joints and maintaining the length of the front torso. As soon as you find yourself bending from the waist, stop, re-establish the length from the pubis to the navel, and continue forward if possible.
4)Increase the forward bend on each exhalation until you feel a comfortable stretch in the backs of your legs. Stay in the pose 1 minute or longer. Then come up on an inhalation with a long front torso.
After a long time of talking about going to west coast park to the BIG playground, finally I made it last saturday.
Here is some snaphots:
My son enjoyed playing there.
See my mulberry plant 1st time bearing fruit for me!
Picture is took quite some time back :P
Was crossing the road and then thought of taking an external view of the hub. :P
Abit "wu liao" right?
Held at Bishan Junction 8 think 1-2 months back. :P Now then have time to extract and post it here.
This building is located somewhere near IMM there, sent my cooler unit there for repair and need to drive up 9 storey high. And the last storey is not even covered (the side of course got walls), so I am abit scared.
Today 1 Oct is Children's Day. It happened to be Hari Raya as well.
This afternoon got quite a pleasant surprise from my neighbour. My malay neighbour actually cook some food for us to eat. Nice it seems however, I shared with my relatives. :P Most of the relatives meet up at my parent's place and we had buffet + some additional cooking. Those younger cousins of mine are mostly in the teritary education already. However, none of them now at NTU :(, else I would go their hostel to nap. :P
Another surprise is that one of my cousin who is same age as me, but older in months actually called me Jie Jie! Hahahha.... maybe coz' I am married while he is still collecting Ang Pows. I enjoyed the short meet up very much. I still remembered last time when we are still young, each Sunday we would gathered at my grandma's place. Every week we would meet up, we are then all so close together. Think until JC time, when my grandma shifted to my 1st uncle's place..this type of gathering somehow appear to be only a monthly event. Now my grandma is gone, best case is like quarterly or semi-yearly..worst is get to see each other after a few years due to timing issue.. though i saw most of them due the CNY.
The following is a beautiful poem that I learnt and liked while I was in my secondary school.
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One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson
Copyright © 1984 Mary Stevenson, from original 1936 text, All rights reserved
Last night was mid-autumn festival to the younger generation maybe it is known as "Lantern Festival' or "Mooncakes Festival". We didn't really celebrated the event as usual only me and my son played the lantern and the sparklers. He really enjoyed it and we managed to cleared about 20 sparklers. :P We also lighted our 2 musical lanterns and 2 of the candles type one as well.
We didn't have mooncakes and tea last night, guess we are too heaty for te food. Have been eating those stuffs since 2 weeks back.
Also on Saturday, I accompanied my son carrying our own laternal round the estate. Ours are the musical kind, it have been a long long time since I carried the lanterals until my son is born. See the items we have for the celebration.
P/S: Need to stock up on the sparklers again. Any lobangs?
Story Time: Legends of the Moon
Hou Yi was a great archer and architect, who shot down nine extra suns that had suddenly appeared in the sky and thus kept the earth from being scorched. He also built a palace of jade for the Goddess of the Western Heaven. For this, he was rewarded with a pill containing the elixir of immortality, but with strings attached--he must fast and pray for a year before taking it. His wife, Chang Er, whose beauty was surpassed only by her curiosity, discovered and swallowed the pill and in no time soared to the moon and became a permanent resident there. Upon reaching the moon, Chang O, in dismay, coughed up the pill, which turned into a jade rabbit that, day and night, pounds out a celestial elixir for the immortals.
Another permanent lunar resident of Chinese origin is Wu Kang, a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time before disappointing his last master, who was an immortal. From him Wu learned to be immortal himself, but he was punished by being required to chop down a cassia tree in the moon, an impossible mission. The cut in the tree heals completely the same day, so Wu Kang is still chopping away for eternity. Some Chinese crave to drink his cassia blossom wine.
The Chinese believe that the moon is at its largest and brightest, and Chang O at her most beautiful, on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month. They are at least half-right, for at that time most of China is in the dry season and the moon looms brightest. It's also cool then, a perfect time to celebrate the harvest which has just concluded; hence, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Harvest Festival. The festival is a time for family reunions to appreciate the moon (shangyue) and eat moon cakes together. Bathed in bright moonshine and with the company of chrysanthemum and cassia blossoms, poets eat crab meat and moon cake, drink tea and wine, and versify the night away.
Hi all, I am back from my kukup trip with my collegue (Candy ) and her big gang of relatives. Very friendly group of people to travel with. Their family relationship is close as compared to mine. There are about 45 of us for the trip and about 30 are Candy's relatives.
Map of KuKup 
Woke up at 6am to get ready to leave the place at 6:20am. The meetup is at Woodland mrt station at 7:15am. Was quite timely as we reach around 7:20am and the transport was there about 7:25am. We soon headed our way to Kukup after we passed the check points. In between, we would brought to a place for breakfast about 9am. Sad to say there is limited choice of food there. My family had roti-prata and guess what 2 plain prata and 1 egg prata only cost me RM$3. Now I know I am being over charged in Singapore for my roti-prata! Left the place for a short visit to the temple nearby and then Kukup fishing village around 9:45am. 
We reach the Kukup fishing village - Hello Leisure Resort slightly before 11am. We choose the room at the back at the house instead. Stayed in the room with Candy’s sister family. We stayed in upper deck and for the first time, my son got a chance to climb up the double deck. Only then we realised that he have been too well protected that he does not even know how to climb up and down the steps of the double decker bed! Luckily at the end of 2nd day, he already master the art of doing so.
Had our lunch at around 1pm. And this is what we have for the lunch. Thanks to Candy for taking the shots.
After lunch some of us decided to take a short walk out into the main town area to do some shopping in the small town. It is a small town that is so small that my son keeps asking where is it? When walking around the small town, you would feel like you are in the old kampong back in 1970’s or early 1980 in Singapore before those wooden houses are removed to make ways for the HDB. My grandparent used to stay in Sembawang area. Good thing about it is that there is not so much tourists around except the BIG group of us loitering around. However, if you’re into shopping for clothes, fancyful stuffs etc, you’ll probably be disappointed since the stalls mainly sell foodstuffs like cuttlefish, keropok, etc. There aren’t many shops with a few being restaurants and some selling foodstuffs and souvenirs.
We headed back to the resort after about 1 hour of shopping and were treated to the sights of fried prawn pastries by the owner. The prawn tasted sweet on the prawn pastries. 
Sunset view:
Then rest and relax until dinner time while some of them sang karaoke and played mahjong. I quite enjoyed as there is people there singing for me to listen. :P Dinner time starts only at around 8:45pm and you and expect how lunch we were then. My family didn’t managed to have a chance to eat even a stick of satay. :( Guess there are too many hungry people around. We had BBQ dinner without us getting our hands dirty! Satay, fishballs, sweet potatoes, stirred fried sotong with lady fingers, steam prawns, BBQ sting ray and last not the least BBQ chicken wings.
After dinner, we played with some crackers (a ban activities in Singapore). I brought those “PoP PoP” for my son to play, just throw on the floor it would “POPs” upon contact on the floor. Also try the one with firing 15 shoots into the sky creating like the fireworks, but a mini version one though. R&R until bed time.
Day 2, I woke up early guess the it must be the side-effect of working at NTU project site. So I walked around trying to get a picture of the sun rise at Kukup.
After breakfast, my family went back to bed to nap again until time for us to take the boat to one of the floating fish farm to see how the fishes are reared. This is my 1st time on the fish farm, quite scary due to the wooden planks that we are to walk on only.
Soon after lunch, we left for the shopping trip at Jusco. Despite of 1 hour shopping, hubby and me still manage to grab some stuffs – fertilizers & some wind screen wiper. :P
Back in Singapore at about 5:30pm despite of abit jam at the malaysia checkpoint.
Last night was at Gek Poh Shopping Centre. Guess what the mooncakes are now on 50% discount. I suppose there is too much competition these days. Tried a new flavor – Seaweed Lotus Mooncake, it turn out quite nice and the mooncake was not so sweet as compared to those just having the lotus paste.
There we saw also the Cartoon character mooncakes and my son requested for his favourite – Doraemon one. We got 1 full doraemon picture one, 1 with just doraemon head and then 1 kola bear one. They do carry others like hello kitty, teddy bears, fish, etc. What a way to attract the little ones to eat mooncakes.
Have you ever wonder how many kids you going to have in your lifetime and what are their respective gender?
This is being shared to me by my collegue and a few of them vow at its accuracy.
Believe it or not, it's up to you.
Gender Prediction Test (the ring test)
Find out how many kids you're having(the ring test)
It have been raining the last weekends. Cool weather for one to nap on weekends. However, it is also kinda of waste of my time catching up with sleep.
Last weekend as usual, go out walk walk back at home for nap in the afternoon. Then since I do not want to cook, called my mother-in-law to prepare our dinner.
By the time we woke up, it was already 7pm+. Ended up dinner only starts at 8pm after we reached. :P
Last night Joel helped me in making a Pandan Cake using the premix. He likes it alot and is proud to make the cake by himself - cracking the 7 eggs, pouring flour and liquids into the mixture and wisking the mixture. Maybe I should get more premix for him to work on. :)
Took a leave today to spend sometime sending my fan to repair. What to do these days even the service centre only operate on weekdays only.
Afterwhich, I went shopping at IMM and at DAISO, guess what a surprise for me there.
There I met Serena and KweeTong with their 2 kids (Reiss and Ryan). We last met think at least 3 years back and now we met each other there. :) Too bad Joel is in school, if not it would be great playing with the 2 kids. Ryan is just like Joel loves to push the cart and refuses people to help. But it is sometimes good to have a cart pusher around. :P
It is a walk-about day for us! It just feel like we are oversea travelling, drive and shop awhile then move on to the next destination to see see look look. I wonder when would be the next time I have chance to do such thing again.
Have a look at the chicken wings that I had made sometime back.
I only marinate them with Char Siew Sauce and then baked them:
