Complacent

It's been snowing for the past 2 days and nights, and I had lots of difficulties driving to/from school. Roads were extremely slippery and my avergae speed was only around 22mph. Took me almost an hr to reach my destination each time, when it normally takes only 30mins max. The worst part was my weak heart was pounding hard for the entire time my hands were on the wheels on both days, and by the time I'm home, my heart felt so tired, it could barely beat another beat.

The sun's up and bright this morning, but the thick snow accumulation (by my stds)- about 6 inch- looks like it's going to stay perhaps till tmr. I love it because the sight is so pretty and I wanna go down to build a snowman later. I hate it cos I have to attend a talk in school later, so I have to head to school again, despite the dreadful road conditions. Maybe i'm just too timid; maybe I really gotta be alittle more brave, but it's really tough not to be afraid when I've never driven on icy roads before, when my car's airbag light is on all the while, and when my car seat belt is not working well! The image of the car skidding and hitting a tree/ other cars and of me being flung out of the windscreen just seems to get stucked in my mind all the while. I suspect the airbag is faulty and cannot be deployed in situations like this, and my seatbelt perhaps won't do much to hold me in my seat. What's worst was it was raining icy sleet yesterday, and the sleet accumulated and form an ice sheet on my windscreen, blurring my vision while I drive. I had the most unbearable driving experience during that last 15mins when I could barely see beyond 5m ahead of me. I had so wanted to give up driving and just stopped by McDonald's to rest my eyes n heart. However, it was the thought of the warmth of our home that give me the much needed determination to complete the journey back.

Oh it's time to prepare for school and I need to decide if I'm leaving quick! *stressed* I'll post pics of the white white surroundings later!

It's snowing!

Finally! After some hiatus, snow has decided to visit us again! According to the weatherman, there's about 30% probability that 4 out of the next 5 days will be snowing. Woohoo~ I hope it'll snow everyday, so that there will be enough accumulation for snowman and snowfight!

Too bad we haven't received our camera yet, and seems like it will reach us only after next week. Damn! If we had known it'll take more than a week for Amazon to send out the camera, we would have bought it from Best Buy for another $40+ more. Now I have to miss out on taking nice pictures of the long-awaited snow!

P.S. It's past 12am now in SIN, so Happy Bullish New Year everyone!

Everything Pink

I went gaga at the infant department again today, and rang up $65 on my card. Managed to grab some Ralph Lauren casual dresses, a sweater and 2 other pretty dresses with can-can; all for 6 and 9-month old baby girls. They're soooo adorable and sweet, I just couldn't resist not buying any. With the factory-outlet price tags, they're my must-buys!

Just incase anyone of you got the wrong impressions, no, I'm not pregnant and am not planning for one any time soon. I'd cultivated a profound interest in baby girls' apparels ever since I discovered how dirt cheap these branded labels are here. Thus, no harm buying and keeping till I try for a girl right? Heh... Anyway with 2 cousins, 2 friends and another's sis currently pregnant, I have a perfect reason to buy lots of baby wear to distribute. The first bag of OskKosh and Ralph Lauren wear were passed to Rach's sis during my last visit home. I'm planning another trip to the factory outlet before I head home again in May to lug more OshKosh pieces, since they're mostly less than $10. $8 for it's jumper, where to find in SIN?! I need to buy some to keep for my own produce in the future too. =P Too bad no OshKosh in STL.

Anyway, back to my purchases for the day. I was surprised Marshalls and TJ Maxx, both just outside WH, were having some sort of mini sales for baby wear. Given that the selection is quite limited (cause it's Winter now), I had to spend some time digging my head and hands through the pile to get the prized pieces I managed. (Poor Hubby dozed off in the car while I dig for my loot.) Quite a feat, but I'm absolutely pleased with my buy. They're extremely ultimately exceedingly, and whatever-ly adorable, especially those can-can dresses!!! I bet those similar dresses must have cost quite abit in SIN, given the small infant market; branded one smore leh!

With a growing interest, I now have part of the wardrobe in the study assigned to my baby wear. Currently it's for girls only, cos the bluey, boring boy's clothes don't appeal much to me. Haa... So that part of my wardrobe now consist of mainly pink dresses; all in different hues of pink, some has a combination of other colours, some just purely pink. Pretty pretty!

I Miss Snow

For the first time yesterday, I drove while it snowed. For the first time, I realised snow is indeed in the shape of a snowflak! Lucky for me, it was a light snow fall. Else I definitely will choose to stay home, instead of braving the possibility of skidding off road on the way to/from school. I'd heard and seen too many horror stories, to even try to visualise myself driving on the icy roads. All along when snow landed onto my palm, they all appeared to be round, or some irregular shapes that are pretty similar to a dot. Till they fell on my windscreen yesterday, I realised they're mostly in the snowflak shape!!! I think I was in an ecstasy for a moment, cos I never thought I would actually see real snowflaks! My first instinct was to grab my camera and take pics of all those tiny pretty whities infront of me, but alas, no camera! I had so badly wanted to share my joyous encounter with Hubby. Too bad we haven't got a replacement for the lost camera. =(

While driving home awhile ago, I thought to myself how lucky I am to be able to experience attending school in Winter. To digress, I wanted to say "I am lucky to have the chance to attend school in all four seasons", but I reckon that's probably more unlucky than lucky having to spend almost my entire time here in school. Anyway, perhaps I was trying to look on the bright side and to cheer myself on in this term. However, I reckon it's fun and refreshing to go to school in coats, scarves n boots in some months, and shorts/ skirts/ sundress and slippers in the others. I've decided one of the first few pics I am going to take with our new camera, will be me with my school bag and what I normally wear to school. I want to have a keepsake pic of how young a lady in her late twenties look like in her winter wear and with a turtle shell on her back. Hahaha...

I've always complain about the eccentric weather in STL. Today was no exception. When I went out at 7.30am to send the guys to the airport, it was -7 degree celsius. I didn't have enough warm clothes on (maybe cos I was still sleepy then n didn't bother to pile up) and had to turn the car heater up to the max. When I leave for school at 12pm, with the morning coldness still fresh in my mind I ensured I was sufficiently covered up. Then, it was 6 degree c and I had to turn up the air-conditioner and wind down the window to let the cool breeze in! How could the temperature flunctuate so much within just a couple of hours? I know I should have check the weather before heading out (which I normally do), but as I was rushing late, I assumed it should be around 0 to -2 degree instead. Flunctuating between 13 degrees within such a short time is insane...

What's more annoying is, it's been pretty cold lately and yet I don't see much snow! The temperature has been hovering around -6 to 2 degree on most days, and -12 to -5 at night, but no snow! Except yesterday and a couple of nights during the beginning of Winter. Where is the snow? I haven't had the chance to build my own snowman, and I want to have a snow fight! As bitter cold as it is here, it seems weird that snow just decided not to visit us much this year. I can only listen in awe as friends described how heavy last year's snow fall was, and how they were able to play in the lush white surrondings. I wish for a blizzard, so I'll have the excuse to skip class due to the horrendous road conditions it usually entails.

I miss our Colorado trip...


P.S. Happy 20th Birthday Melinda!

New Red Toy

Yeah! I've finally gotten a new lappie; a red Vaio!


Isn't it a beauty? It's an extreme steal at US$760, considering that it's retailing at at least S$2000 in SIN. I'm so proud of my buy. It now ignites in me a whole new interest in my assignments; I just can't get my hands off the keys! Heh...


I'm now looking for a new red leather case for my iphone to match my lappie. Red is the colour to go!

Cluttered Post

I dread going back to school. I want more time to daydream, go for lunches/tea. I want to experiment more with cooking. I hope I could spend CNY at home with my loved ones.

I'm craving for the Nonya pineapple tarts, almond cookies, sugees from Bengawang Solo and bak kwa from Lim Chee Guan. To those pals who are going back to SIN over the next few days, "I'M JEALOUS!!!" I bet you all are going to pile on at least 2 kg over the next 2-3 weeks, and I will be the one having the last laugh then! =P

With almost the entire gang going back to spend CNY with their family and friends, only 5 of us will be left here to rot in WH; Jianhong's family of 3 and us. Pathetic huh? We've planned a lonesome 'reunion dinner' just among the 2 skeletal families, at a rundown but yummy Teochew eatery on CNYE. Jianhong's wife, Josephine, is starting the CNY celebrations early by inviting us over to her place for steamboat next Sat. Kim Sun and his family are invited too. (Kim Sun is from Air Force, attached to DSTA for the same F-15 project, and stays in St. Charles county - a 30mins drive from WH)

I guess I've been hit my the emotional mood swing again. Perhaps it is that time of the month again. It makes me feel worse knowing that I have aplenty of group projects to be completed this term. Presentations, case write-ups, reports, live investment, etc etc. This is going to be the heaviest semester, and of course I hate it! Searches for an internship has been futile; makes me ponder if my degree will really bestow upon me the very attractive remuneration package for my next job, at this rate the economy is going. If it doesn't, maybe I should stop harvesting more time, money and effort into the higher education. It hurts less to raise the white flag sooner, isn't it? If none could even secure an internship, what more can we hope for after graduation? I'm despaired.

On a lighter note, Hubby and I have been planning our next round of travelling. He's bringing me to Niagara Falls during my one-week Spring break in March (which ironically is still Winter then). Finally I will get to visit Canada, since we will be stopping over at Toronto for two nights. Actually I would prefer to visit Niagara Falls in Summer, but since it's tougher to match everyone's schedule then, we'd decided to move it forward. Planning for my parents and sis' arrival has been keeping me spirited lately too, amidst the unpleasant school workload. The main purpose of their visit is to attend my Commencement on May 15th. Thereafter, together with Hubby we will be visiting Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Los Angeles, and probably head back to Singapore for a 2-week vacation! Hubby's not included in the luggage though. =(

Two nights ago, Hubby asked if I will prefer to go East Mexico instead of Alaska in Summer. Since we do not get to see Northern Light then, I am equally thrilled to visit an exotic place. No concrete plans has been made yet since we have 2 trips to draft for now. It depends on our financial health at the end of our family vacation, and if Hubby still has some extra leave to spare then.

It's (suppose to be) the ultra long weekend ahead, with Monday being the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Ultra long because the weekend has started today since we've no classes on Fridays. I yearn to enjoy the comfort of our warm home with a cuppa hot choc in this bitter cold winter. However with much resentment, I am going to school tmr and on Monday for project discussions! This is sick...

Welcome Me Home!

I'm back in Singapore for a 4-day trip since yesterday noon. Finally satisfied my craving for sashimi at Akashi the moment we touched down. Their extremely fresh n thick slices of sashimi never fail to brighten up my day.

Looking forward very much to meet up with all my friends and lovable cousins, but due to the time constraint, I am sorry that I can only meet up with some of them. Bearing in mind that Hubby and I had quite afew errands to run; buying and packing groceries in bulk for our next shipment is a major chore.

Next up on the top of my to-do list is to gorge myself silly with or-luak, stingray, fried prawn mee, laksa n mee pok. However, the annoying Hubby infected me with his flu virus and thus, I'm now battling with a bout of blocked nose n sorethroat. Mummy prepared 2 different types of liang cha, yet they do not seem to work on me. =( I guess I'll still conquer those yummy hawker food anyway. What's a home trip without them?! Slurp!!!

Friends & family had commented that Hubby has piled on some weight, while I seemed to have lost a little. This probably reflects who has a much easier & carefree life in STL, isn't it? Sigh... My Hubby is turning into a bags of lazy bones.

Anyhow, though I am fighting jetlag and the flu bug, I will make every effort to meet up with as many dear friends as possible. Till then, see ya!

A Brief Travelogue

We're done with the first half leg of our travel. Came back from New York yesterday noon and will be leaving for San Francisco and Singapore tomorrow morning. I have more than 5 loads of clothes to be machine-washed and a couple more to be hand-washed. Not sure if the clothes will be dried enough to be repacked into our suitcases tonight though. Sigh... It's such a chore to pack, unpack, wash then repack! I wish I have more days in STL before heading out again n I definitely wish I can have more days in SIN!

Anyhow, the last trip was nothing too spectacular. The only 2 things worth mentioning were the once-in-a-lifetime countdown experience at Times Square, New York, and that I bet we walked/ran 50km in 8 days! It was horrendous and torturous at Times Square on NYE, standing in the cold for 2 long hours at -10 degree celcius, almost -20 deg with windchill. I do not know how I managed to survive through that. The last 30mins was the hardest to bear. I salute my friends who were able to remain in the open for 5 long hours! It was absolutely crazy! That was the pain we went through to be part of the world's largest countdown party; something I will never do again if given the chance. The saddest thing was none of us caught a glimpse of the ball falling when the clock struck 12. We were all too engrossed in the surroundings and taking pictures/video, that the highlight of the night was missed just at the crucial time. Hubby and I did not catch the fireworks too. What a waste.

Washington D.C. was at its quietest when we arrived on Christmas Eve. Such a shame. I could almost safely say that only the Homeless and us were strutting the streets on xmas day night. The homeless were somehow in abandance in D.C.. Most of the eateries were closed, the roads were pretty quiet, but the places of interest were all bursting with patrons. Those were probably the only places open during the festive season, thus the crowd. In short, we visited D.C. at the wrong time.

The streets near our hotel in Philadelphia were a nice sight. It's been months since we see crowd and pretty lighted shops. It was alot livelier than D.C. and STL. However, that's about Philly. The main attraction, the Liberty Bell, was not exactly a sight to behold.

New York was way beyond my imagination. I thought of it as a posh, clean, fun place to be in. Instead, it has one of the most dingy subway stations. The roads were dirty, buildings old, air polluted. Some parts of New York reminded me of Bangkok. Times Square and Chinatown were the only nice, brightly-litted place, but the roads were still in a pretty bad condition though.

Having at least 3 more loads of clothes to be washed, and luggages to be packed, I definitely have no time to describe our trip in details or to post pictures here. Look out for them on Facebook, if Hubby or/& I have the time tonight.


P.S. The problem we had with the 14-kg huge box has been solved. Going to deposit it at SFO airport storage facility since it closes just before our flight back to SIN and costs only $15/day. Phew... All thks to Eve for her suggestion!