general update
So for the past one month plus (november), I started training for a fight on 17 december. It was more of a friendly match within onyx gym. The training process tested more of my mental strength, as you had to follow the training schedule 4 days a week. Having to train after work, and lack of time to take proper meals, on top of the 4km run before training everyday. However, after struggling for the first two weeks, I kind of got used to it :O I also realised my body toning up from all the exercise, such as leaner thighs and flatter tummy -ᴗ-
Back to the fight, the match ended with a draw, which I was super glad at the outcome, and the fact that I was pretty calm before the match. Didn't let my nervousness get the better of me. And hopefully, I made the trainers proud, with all the effort they put into training me ᵕᴥᵕ Also super thankful to the onyx east peeps whom "journeyed to the west" to support Nicholas and me. After the fight night, a few of us onyxsters headed to Bugis cube for some ktv/drinking sess ¬ᴗ¬
If only the trainers could join too~
Ever since joining Onyx East in Mar 2021, I have met many more friends (as compared to my small social circle previously). It feels like a community of like-minded, and super nice peeps! (>ᴗ<)
Rainy days, what more a suitable time to be emotional... Feeling the breeze against your face, smelling the rainforest-like scents. Truly letting yourself drift into thoughtlessness.
Tumblr updates...
“How beautiful to find a heart that loves you, without asking you for anything, but to be okay.”
(Khalil Gibran)
“Sometimes, all you had to do was exist to be someone’s saviour.”
(Keigo Higashino; The Devotion of Suspect X)
To love someone is firstly to confess: I'm prepared to be devastated by you.
“We… need to forgive ourselves… for all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.”
(Mitch Albom)
22 June 2022
Long awaited update. So there was another Onyx dinner gathering at Mitsuba :D I sat at the drinking table, as usual, with weelee, ervinna, yanxiang, vera, linder, arinda and hamizan. We had our usual jap buffet spread with free flow asahi beer, as well as some hot/cold sake ¬ᴗ¬ Linder, arinda, hamizan and I was mostly talking about woes and problems faced at work (which probably led to more drinking). Weiqi was seated at the non-drinking table, together with desmond, yuhao, skye and others.
So after dinner, weiqi came to offer me a ride home with a group of the non-drinking buddies and I chose to stay til the end of dinner (which i now regret due to my own actions afterwards). Upon leaving Mitsuba, I expected that we'd all be heading home, however... they suggested going for a second round at one of the pubs around clarke quay. I was at the back of the line, and it was quite a sight, watching my gym buddies high as can be oᴗo We ended up at Cuba Libre Café & Bar for some beer tower. Arinda started vibing to the music and us girls starting dancing lots. (>ᴗ<)
Also remembered the live band playing It's My Life, and everyone in the pub started singing out loud together. There were moments where we rushed from our table, towards the stage where the crowd was jumping to the live band's music. After sometime, I remembered heading back to our table, and I was standing beside hamizan drinking my beer. And I blacked out. I don't remember what transpired after. My memory returned when I was in the lift to my house, and I was surrounded by hamizan, vera and yanxiang. LOL.
So the next morning, I woke up fine with hardly any hangover, and left home to collect my mobile phone from vera's place before heading to half day of work. Immediately, I texted everyone to thank them for taking care of me, as well as tried to fish for more details, of the time when I had blank memories of. Of course, they were all nice about it, and said nothing much happened... O_O which til today, I'm still curious as to the events that followed.
I've heard different stories here and there, like of how arinda went missing and ended up home by herself, and weelee said that hamizan carried me around the clarke quay area to hail a cab (of which I'm very grateful for). It was my first black out... hopefully last oᴗo"
28 June 2022
My dad decided to buy a puppy, golden retriever which he named him Oliver, born 03 January 2022. And we were supportive of it, as we were hoping that being a pet dad would help him pass time, and have less negative thoughts/feelings. We were very lucky as Oliver, second brother to his four siblings, is such a gentle and obedient boy. However, as our home isn't ready, Oliver was temporarily placed at my second sister's home, where he is constantly adored by my three nephews ᵕᴗᵕ
Speaking of our new home, I can't wait for it to be ready! Initially, I was afraid that the floor tiles I chose for my room was too different from the other rooms, but recently when I visted the new house, the tiles tied in perfectly with my room's wall paint and mini balcony (giving it a dreamy vibe) -ᴗ- Can't wait to unpack stuffs into the new space!
29 June 2022
Tried some mexican food with weiqi at Piedra Negra, which we thought were meh~ Except for the guacamole and totrtillas :) Updated her that I was still going for the bangkok trip (with other onyxsters) despite her not going :| (was hoping she could join) My mom urged me to take the short trip as I haven't travelled since the start of 2020. We then headed to Chocolate Origin at bugis, for weiqi's favourite, dark chocolate ice cream ᵕᴥᵕ
30 June 2022
Haha throughout MT training today, they had the latin songs playing, playlist from that faithful night. Had to keep my cool xD But it was fun though, to have upbeat songs playing, and fighting to the rhythm
01 July 2022
Met up with xinyun and chewen for a korean movie, Broker. We met at Vivo City, and had Hoshino Coffee for dinner (to avoid the long queues elsewhere). It was quite the emotional film, which depicts how bonds could form, even between strangers. The cinematography was pretty during certain scenes.
01 July 2022
Over the last few months, been spending lots of my weekends with family, whether for shopping for the new home, or to spend more time with my dad so that he'll not fall back into a depressed state. So finally in a long while, I met up with my cousins in the evening for some basketball and dinner. But I headed home right after (usually I'd go over to their house for games or chats)
04 July 2022
So my family headed out for some Vietnamese food, and I ate lots of beef. Which I think, resulted in the inflammation of my right wrist (there may have been some internal injury from basketball :B) The first thing I dreaded was not being able to attend MT for the whole week, who knows if it'll extend to two weeks... :(
09 July 2022
Headed over to my cousins' place in the night time, and all their girlfriends were there as well. So we played nintendo switch, poker, and a drawing game https://garticphone.com/en/ which was super hilarious! We were laughing 80% of the time, at each other's drawings and guesses. Shawn then sent the rest of us home, kunjie, evangeline, verriona and I squeezed at the back of a blue sg, while dickson and shawn sat at the front.
A clip i chanced upon 10 years ago... loved the tranquillity the video provided, and proceeded to download the song. Recommeded for all insomniacs -ᴗ-
And a song which a secondary school friend introduced me (the version by Placebo), way back when we were in school. Recently, the version by Kate Bush has been mades POPs again as it was used in the netflix series, Stranger Things Season 4. Found this beautiful piano cover, love the bridge/outro, towards the end of the composition by the talented pianist.
20 May 2022
Joined a ONE fc live screening, organised by Onyx East. Didn't really know what to bring for potluck, but brought some snacks and chipped in for the pizzas desmond ordered. I didn't expect the screening to start early, and arrived only at 09:30pm to find everyone else more or less seated. Hence I stood around the back, eating by myself. Shortly after, joined by chyehong, vera, dave, deepak and linder. After standing for 2 of the ONE matches, we finally decided to take things into our own hands ¬ᴗ¬ While the guys were chatting, us 4 girls moved a picnic table/benches towards the screening area, where we could finally rest on. #girlpower #lol
After the 3 ONE matches of thailand vs foreigners ^ᴗ^", many of the onyxsters left for home. Our little drinking group was then joined by weelee, desmond, yuhao and zhenhong. Desmond brought out his bottles of Moscato, which tasted good ᵕᴗᵕ (never tried it before) Started touching on the topic on family (mainly parents), preference for kids, pets and etc OᴗO (and i realised i didn't gave much of my opinions, as usual O_O) As much as I try to lessen the distance between others...
Anyways, some of us started clearing the area, and I was given a jar of achar and a container of salad cause they didn't know whose was it. As much as I wanted to stay longer, I decided to grab home around 2:30am as I had a trip the next day with my fam.
21 May 2022
Got woken up by my mom at 9am, to order Mac breakfast for the rest. Was just a lil groggy, since i didn't have any "hangover soup" or pills (if only they sold those, like in korea) After breakfast, we headed towards JB, my brother on the wheel. The jam from sg to jb was pretty ok... we arrived at the furniture shop, where our ID wanted to help us get cheaper furniture for our new home. Shopped about 3 hours there?! (i mean... you know moms ^-^")
After all the shopping, we headed to a random bak kut teh stall, Tun Aminah/Shun Fa Bak Kut Teh, which my oldest sis googled. Although the wait for the food was a bit long, due to all the grab food orders... Boy~ the food was delicious! I mean, it should be if we have a consensus. Bak kut teh, sesame sauce chicken, braised pork trotter. -ᴗ- After our delish meal, we headed to Sutera Mall for some grocery shopping.
On our way home, we passed by this Euro Fun Park fair, beside Angsana Mall. It looked damn fun, but everyone was tired and restless already. Furthermore, i don't think my fam are the right crowd to be bringing to such amusement parks. I mean, with the thrilling rides and all. The jam from JB back into sg was way worser, and out faulty airconditioner wasn't very ideal for the long wait.
22 May 2022
Forced myself up at 09:30 am, for back-to-back yoga classes with ervinna. Weiqi jio-ed me while i was in jb, and i thought "why not?" Have been interested in joining the past few sessions. The first class was a Twist class, which was fierce! Weiqi and i were dripping sweat all over our mats by the end of the lesson. And i never knew that my body could twist into the positions which ervinna guided us into. #aneyeopener At one point, our heads were upside down, staring back at ourselves through the mirror (fish pose). It felt like intermediate level stuff, which was really cool OᴗO
The second class was Hip Opening, which wasn't as tough as the first class, but still required much stretching especially at the legs area. I felt like a ballerina with all the splits done in class ᵕᴗᵕ Ervinna was very professional, like she knew when we had more potential to stretch further and she would encourage us to push further.
After the end of lesson, we bumped into chocolate, weelee and pkhorn, whom had just closed the gym for the day. Chocolate was mentioning about some achar which her mom made, which they could not find in the gym, and immediately in my head "gg~" Futhermore, the achar was meant as a gift for eunice! xᴗx I was like the thief/sinner of the century as I admitted to them that I brought it home. Wl started poking fun at the side, and said that they just spent so much time searching for the missing achar in the gym ^-^" Chocolate was being nice and brushed it off, saying that she hopes my fam enjoys it (which we did!) ᵕᴥᵕ
Ending off the post with a very apt pic of a cat in a rolled up position x)
07 May 2022
Got invited to attend Leck Qi & Malcolm's wedding ᵕᴗᵕ Met up with alvin at the Chapel where the wedding ceremony was taking place, which was very near my family's upcoming new house. We saw a few familiar faces from sceondary school, and quickly headed to take our seats. Leck qi was so pretty in her wedding dress, as she walked down the aisle. Upon the introduction of the couple, the wedding service led into a gospel service (which I wasn't sure if everyone present were christians) Once it was over, the pastors went over the wedding vows with the couple.
The last part of the wedding was the photo session with guests. Alvin and I continued catching up on life while waiting for our turn. He relayed the good news of his planned proposal to desiree in june ^ᴗ^ Another wedding to attend soon? I passed leck qi a little gift too, which she was over the moon with ;) And we left with some freshly baked pastries (wedding gifts by the couple)
After heading home to have lunch with my parents, I headed out in the evening, to meet xinyun and chewen. My oldest sis and bro-in-law took over my role of accompanying my parents :B The girls and I had Tsukada Nojo @ Plaza Singapura before we went for a 3 hours ktv session at K Star karaoke. Been a loooong while, since singing into a mic -ᴗ- Some of the surrounding rooms had groups of drunkards shouting at the top of their lungs xD Everyone's in party mode already.
After the ktv session ended, on our way home, xinyun commented on how thirsty she was. And she suggested we have a drink at Tipsy Penguin, which we did -ᴗ- Caught up, and delved into some emo, deep topics about our past friendships, our own family dynamics, what we expect in our future, respective relationships. Halfway into our talks, a girl from a neighbouring table came by and leaned into my ear, "my friend likes you!" She was at a table with two other guys.
I didn't know how to react to that, and being the shy introvert I am, I just became more mindful of my surroundings, trying not to meet their gaze. Xin yun was screening their table from time to time and describing to me how they looked like, lol. Though I knew this wasn't the scenario I was comfortable with, in meeting someone. I would need time, to open up, to be more comfortable around and act myself. Anyways, it felt like a fufilling weekend, bonding with my two groups of buddies.
23 April 2022
Headed to Jypsy @ One Fullerton to celebrate che wen' birthday, with shirley and xinyun. Was a bummer that we couldn't get the outdoor seating, to enjoy the night view of singapore river. The salmon tacos were delish. We thought that their interior decor was quite nice, their open concept kitchen counter and their bar. The girls were thoughful for me, by snagging some of the restaurant's cat printed coasters ᵕᴗᵕ
Afterwich, we headed to Super Loco Customs House, which we felt the service by the staff were superb. One of the waiters asked us if we wanted to keep the cake which we brought, in their fridge; and when it was time to eat the cake, they even provided us with a candle. To top it all, they served us two slices of their in-house cakes, on the house! We finally had our chill session by the singapore river too.
01 May 2022
Due to the long weekend, I decided to visit the kids (my nephews) at my second sis' place. A whole sunday of games and chaos, and I had my dinner there as well. After dinner, I got a text from the cousins (shawn and kunjie) that they were drinking at Obar @ Pasir Ris Downtown East. And I ended up promising to meet them -ᴗ-
Reached when they were halfway through the beer tower, and we proceeded to finish it. We then headed to Cow Play Cow Moo, which I don't often visit. Due to beginner's luck, I helped them scored 500 over tickets with one well played game. We then watched one uncle on the claw machine, who was very pro at it and got two prizes after less than 20 tries. Finally, ended the night with late night poker at shawn's house, which was super fun! (also because I won due to beginner's luck again ^ᴗ^)
02 May 2022
Was invited to another one of Onyx's little celebrations ᵕᴗᵕ Potluck style, which resulted in a food galore! Wei qi and I started gobbling down the food while being audiences, watching our trainers on the pads with their trainer/founder of onyx OvO Their padwork sessions looked so much cooler and more pro~ Had lots of chats with the other members, me usually mostly just taking the backseat and listening to the conversations, but nevertheless, intriguing to learn so much more about them. Wayne, joceyln, weiqi and i were discussing lots about MT skills and briefly touched on the topic of astrology again :P
The drinking was fierce though... i started off with beer, and was introduced to pineapple soju and coke soju concoctions by desmond (bartender for the night), and ended the night with more beer x_x (Is this akin to soju bomb?) Into the night, was listening to wl and dave's interesting conversation on vices which were common and accepted in thailand, cambodia etc. And was chatting with the rest, on what types of alcohol we preferred. Enjoyed another bonding sesh with the onyx community.
Self
“Never apologize for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night. That is how galaxies are made.”
(Tyler Kent White)
“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
(J.R.R. Tolkien)
Crush
“When you love someone, you are sure. You don’t need time to decide. You don’t say stop and start over and over, like you’re playing some kind of sport. You know the immensity of what you have and you protect it.”
(Nina LaCour)
“I wonder how many people don’t get the one they want, but end up with the one they’re supposed to be with.”
(Fannie Flagg)
Release
“There are things we don’t want to happen but have to accept; things we don’t want to know but have to learn; and people we can’t live without but have to let go.”
(Jennifer Jareau)
“Some people come into your life just to teach you how to let go.”
(Reyna Biddy)
02 April 2022
So decided to meet wei qi and her colleague, tzekai, her idea~ Went to Well Played Cafe for some cafe food, beer and board games. Played Sequence, Catan and Cards against humanity. Would say we won one game each ᵕᴥᵕ Chatted lots about work life, a lil on family and some travels. Afterwards, we headed to Good bbq for some chinese food on skewers. Followed by an impromptu trip back to Bedok for some ice cream and waffles at Milk & Honey.
08 April 2022
Met up with wei qi and xin lin to celebrate wei qi's birthday, dinner at Merci Marcel Club Street. Caught up with xin lin on her current job, her exciting travels and updated her on wei qi's job and our membership at the gym. The food was dee-lii-cious! Esp loved the Ravioles de Royans (French dumpling pasta filled with Tête de Moine cheese) We initially had plans to go batting (baseball) or sth, but the night ended young with xin lin's tummyache and wei qi's tipsiness from the drinks :B
15 April 2022
Despite my mom's dissuasion, and my own hesitation (not knowing what to expect), I accompanied wei qi to a free trial class at a nearby gym, not far from our current one. They had lots of trainers, which seemed intimidating at first but they were really nice. The session was an hour and a half, which felt much longer than our usual class. I felt like dying 40 mins into class, but re-collected myself and was pushing through til the end of class. Finished my bottle of water by the one hour mark. Was quite shock at myself when I was kicking and punching faster towards the end of class. Like a last-ditch of effort(?)
After the trial class, one of the assistant trainer walked us through the packages and class schedules. I was certain, to continue sticking with onyx though. The guy then mentioned some stuff which I thought was disrespectful to the other countless gyms out there, and I think it hit wq in the same spot.
BTS - 전하지 못한 진심 (The Truth Untold) (English Translation)
[Verse 1: V]
Full of loneliness
This garden bloomed
Full of thorns
I bind myself in this sand castle
[Verse 2: Jungkook]
What is your name
Do you have a place to go
Oh could you tell me?
I saw you hiding in this garden
[Pre-Chorus: Jin]
And I know
All of your warmth is real
The blue flower your hand was picking
I want to hold it but
[Chorus: Jimin]
It’s my fate
Don’t smile to me
Lie to me
Because I can’t get closer to you
There’s no name you can call me
[Post-Chorus: Jungkook]
You know that I can’t
Show you me
Give you me
I can’t show you a ruined part of myself
Once again I put a mask on and go to see you
But I still want you
[Verse 3: Jin]
Bloomed in a garden of loneliness
A flower that resembles you
I wanted to give it to you
After I take off this foolish mask
[Pre-Chorus: Jimin]
But I know
I can't do that forever
I have to hide
Because I'm a monster
[Chorus: V]
I am afraid
I am shattered
I’m so afraid
That you will leave me again in the end
Once again I put on a mask and go to see you
[Post-Chorus: Jungkook]
The only thing I can do
In the garden
In this world
Is to bloom a pretty flower that resembles you
And to breathe as the me that you know
But I still want you
I still want you
[Chorus: Jin]
Maybe back then
A little
Just this much
If I had the courage to stand before you
Would everything be different now
[Bridge: Jimin, Jungkook]
I'm crying
That’s disappeared
That’s fallen
Left alone in this sandcastle
Looking at this broken mask
[Outro: Jimin, Jungkook]
And I still want you
But I still want you
But I still want you
And I still want you
This song always hits me in a soft spot, everytime I listen to it... both the melody and the lyrics...
“One of the best feelings is finding someone who really gets you. A person who lets you be vulnerable and honest. The kind of person who encourages you to push past your flaws because they accept you as you are. Someone who never tells you that you’re too much of this and too little of that. Because to them you’re just enough of everything they love.”
(Sylvester McNutt)
Tumblr updates...
People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.
“All of life is not lost (…). And perhaps something good has been sprouting in the small numb darkness all this while.”
(Sylvia Plath)
Can't wait to meet my soulmate, and embark on lots of adventures... travelling... see places akin to Narnia, and meet the wise, talking Aslan ᵕᴥᵕ
Having a sudden fever now, but checked on the ART test kit, negative. Hope I am well~
Have been busy with discussions over the new home, with my family, over the past few weekends. We would leave home in the morning and return home in the evenings. Tile shops, lighting/bathroom store, aquarium shops, and dropping by the new house. Haven't been going out much, meeting friends or people... though weiqi has invited me to join her and her colleague for dinner next week (always meeting new friends through my close friends)
26 February 2022
The day for my mom's and my staycation has come... again ;) Used my dad's rediscover voucher cause he didn't wanna use it. Booked a night at Conrad Centennial, and gtta say, the room was spacious and clean. Our view was of the Kallang river and Suntec City's fountain of wealth (which of course also means we're facing the office buildings). It was nice nonetheless, and the room service was great (seeing how the housekeeping staff was able to adhere to my mom's countless requests 'v')
We headed to meet my brother, sis-in-law and dad at Wagyu Yakiniku Wano Niku (near Tanjong Pagar area) for dinner. It was dee-li-cious! Budget wagyu meal at its best! Afterwich, they headed to our hotel room to chillax, and left late around 9pm. Had a short soak in the tub, bathed, drank a bottle of sparkling rose alcohol which my mom brought and watched moives before heading to bed. But... got woken up in the middle of the night by her snores, hence, I didn't have a proper sleep :) Followed by another whole day of shopping for the new home.
Been so tired despite the weekends, but worth it~ When I think about the new room I could decorate, and the queen size bed I could place in it ᵕᴗᵕ My parents also agreed to hang my uncle's punching bag (he didn't have any place to hang it after moving to his new home last year) at the backyard -ᴗ-
JEREMY ZUCKER & CHELSEA CUTLER - THIS IS HOW YOU FALL IN LOVE
Found these on tumblr...
When Haruki Murakami said, “Sometimes I feel like a caretaker of a museum - a huge, empty museum where no one ever comes, and I’m watching over it for no one but myself.”
And when Audrey Hepburn said, “Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can’t take it in all at once.”
“I know this transformation is painful but you’re not falling apart; you’re just falling into something different, with a new capacity to be beautiful.”
(William C. Hannan)
Been through a crazy day at work yesterday, to the point of breakdown or malfunction by the end of the day -.- Felt so much lighter today, also with something to look forward at the end of the day -ᴗ-
12 January 2022
So my birthday celebrations started with a sumptous meal of Jack's Place with my family, at the comfort of our own home. Also had my first cake and wish making for 2022. Followed by a midnight movie with weiqi, Spider-Man: No Way Home. We were in such a heated discussion over the spider-man actors on our way home ;) Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland; all so dashing in their own way. And budd passed me my birthday present, a new pair of gloves! ᵕᴥᵕ Now I'm stressing over getting her what she needs and would love, for her birthday this year... :S
13 January 2022
Spent my actual birthday with budd at Adventure HQ HomeTeamNS Khatib, for the whole afternoon. It was so fun! A larger sized, kids' jungle gym. Loved the 16-course high element obstacle course! Had so much rock climbing til my hands were weak~ And we were worried for a moment as we had MT training the following night :B We then took a scenic bus trip to Seletar Air Base to have our early dinner at Wildseed cafe. Had some cocktails n gin, explored the estate a bit before heading home.
14 January 2022
Spent the day doing chores at home, had lunch with my parents and an early dinner before heading to MT -ᴗ- Felt like I recevied some PT today, hehe...
15 January 2022
My brother and sis-in-law prepared a hearty brunch, to encourage my dad for his determination to curb his drinking addiction. He seems so much more approachable now that he's fully sober. And I feel a weight off my chest, one less unhappy situation. Actually, that was the main negativity for the past 3 years. Now, everyone seems to be brighter at home ᵕᴗᵕ
After some chatting at home, and my oldest sis dropping by home, I headed out ;P Met chewen and xinyun for some Seiwaa Okonomiyaki, something I've been craving ever since watching some youtube video of an authetic japanese restaurant. Conincidentally, they sugested to eat okonomiyaki ᵕᴥᵕ Afterwhich, we headed to Well Played Cafe for some board games, beer bucket of 5 bottles, delicious wings and truffle fries. The staff were friendly and keen to recommend games for their customers. We played Jenga (whereby we ask each other questions as distraction), Tsuro, Sequence etc. Chewen also bought for us custom-made cakes -ᴗ-
08 January 2022
Used my mom's Rediscover Vouchers and booked a staycation at Fort Canning Hotel with her. Also a little treat for myself before my upcoming birthday ;) Upon check-in, in the late afternoon, i immediately headed for a swim, while my mom chilled by the poolside on her phone. Was super awkward though, as there was a wedding reception held beside the pool, and people would just stare while waiting to enter. After the swim, i headed to wash up at the clubhouse and joined my mom for dinner at the hotel's in-house restaurant. We took a few photos around the hotel, before heading back to our room for complimentary coffee, somersby alcohol which we brought ourselves and a good long soak in the bathtub individually. Love the view from the toilet, if only it was an outdoor bathroom...
My mom was hesistant to fall asleep at night, due to my brother telling her that fort canning had its share of haunted stories. So she had me accompany her browse through the list of channels on the hotel's tv before I finally gave in at 3 to 4am. The next morning, we woke up at 6:45am for our complimentary breakfast slot. *ded* x_x We then headed for a short hike around fort canning, with the cool breeze and "people-watching" other joggers, hikers and tai chi practitioners. Ended the staycation with more cups of complimentary coffee x)
my mom constantly taking pics of me to find nice photo spots, afterwhich I would take pics of her. Also her, telling me to smile more naturally, or asking why my eyes look so small when smiling.
09 January 2022
After sending my mom home, I immediately rushed off to meet my cousins shawn, dickson, kunjie and shawn's gf, verriona(wt) at Punggol Settlement. We are the SUPPORT CREW to nicholas' proposal to jiayi at Coney Island :D But first, we had a hearty lunch before heading there. We walked from Punggol Settlement to Coney Island, and took about 15 mins(?) before we arrived at the proposal spot. Initially, they had wanted to hold it by the beach, however, the sea level was pretty high and the area was already filled with rubbish (washed ashore by the waves). Hence, we decided on a more sunny but just as secluded spot, in the middle of the forest.
The preparations were pretty rushed as we had only about half and hour to an hour to get everything ready. Some of us were setting up the tent, some were blowing the balloons, and eventually, we even had to find a hiding spot to ambush jiayi after she agrees to the proposal ;) All in all, it was a memorable experience, helping to prepare for nic's proposal. Next up, should be shawn :D After the surprise event, I headed over to their place for dinner, nic's treat. Had a bath and K.O.ed on their couch while waiting for the food, as I was out of energy. Couldn't stay any longer cause it was a Sunday night and headed home at 10pm.
Listening to more upbeat songs these days, can't let myself fall below the...
After struggling for over weeks, with all the chaos, things finally simmered down. Due to some miracle, dad's back at trying to curb his addiction. Since last wednesday :) Let's hope it lasts. Been having movie nights over the nights with them parents, to peak his interest elsewhere and not let the temptations surface. Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained, 12 Strong (lots of the cool movies which I suggested to them) Didn't mind rewatching either.
23 December 2021
Left work on time today and darted back to Tampines to get cakes from Chateraise for the trainers ^ᴗ^ Had a long queue and I was anxious about the time constraint, as I had to grab dinner as well. Didn't help that the lady before me was taking her time to choose 15 cakes, thankfully they had sufficient sales staff whom gestured to take my order and make payment first. Was in a good mood during MT, cause it was the Christmas season. Was glad that weiqi like her gift too, i thought they suited her.
24 December 2021
Headed over to my cousins place for gift exchange. Shawn and his gf prepared a delicious pasta dish, while my aunt bought rotisserie and baked potatoes (with sour cream, bacon bits and chives). Afterwhich, they brought out the alcohol -v- Instead of the usual drawing of lots, we had to bid for the presents (with sips of beer, and to the extent of shots of alcohol) without knowing the actual contents. Afterwich, we took out Shawn's present which Nicholas received, Bounce Off, perfect family game X) Even my uncle and aunt were competing for the finals. They then suggested a game of mahjong past midnight (which ended at 4am) and I ended up staying the night, on their couch :B
25 December 2021
The girls booked for Christmas dinner at Artemis Grill and Sky Bar. We had beef tartare, angus beef striploin, iberico pork chop, duck fat roasted potatoes and blueberry clafoutis with ice cream. Had our gift exchange and took lots of pictures. The restaurant was so quiet though, despite the number of tables occupied. I was a little too conscious of our surroundings whenever we laughed out loud. After dinner, we walked about CBD and wanted to head to Fullerton Hotel to snap some pics with the teddy bear christmas tree. However, to no avail as only hotel guests were allowed in ;P So we ended the night early.
31 December 2021
My brother, sis-in-law, my parents and I headed to Anstons Speciality for some meal before the new year. Ended the night with my parents, watching channel 5's local countdown. As with every year, we could also see the fireworks display at Tampines Hub from our home.
01 January 2021
Aside from my oldest sis (whom comes home to visit every weekend), My second sis, her hubby and the kids came over for my dad's early birthday celebration. Had a sumptous seafood meal. My mom has been bringing our maternal grandmother over to our place these days, to spend some time chatting with my dad. Everyone's spirits seems more lifted. I feel that every pillar in a home is important, everyone is indispensable. (although I used to feel that way about myself)
