1st Step to Going Home

I've officially started packing for our shipment back. It took me 1.5 hrs to individually wrap 20 pcs of Corelle dinnerware and 2 ornaments. Am I slow or what? I reckoned I'm going to spend the most time packing glassware, since they need to be bundled up separately in serveral layers of papers to prevent breakage. Thus here I am, packing 2 months ahead of our final shipment.

Hubby has arranged to share our shipment with KY and SK, hence we're going to have 3 staggered shipments. Perfect plan since I need to send my work clothes, shoes and bags back early in preparation for interviews, if there are any. On the other hand, we will need our kitchenware and other necessities till Dec, and these will go in the last shipment. Oh and those Kate Spade bags that you girls have ordered, they've all arrived in 2 huge boxes today. I should be sending them back in my 2nd shipment, in time to distribute them when I'm back in Jan.

Talking about Kate Spade, as I was doing my calculations on the amount spent on those bags (for you gals!!), I realised they are soooo freaking cheap! At about 50-60% off the retail prices, they are easily 60-70% cheaper than those ridiculous prices in SIN! For example, a full leather KS bag cost USD425, which could be about SGD700, was selling at only SGD190 during the outlet sales! That's an insane 27% of its original price only!!! I can't stop sneering at those silly wonkas who paid SGD500 for a KS nylon bag while I only paid SGD150 for mine. Wahahaha! How can I curb myself from shopping here?!

Alright I've digressed, but I just have to comment on how ridiculously cheap stuffs here are!

Anyway, back to my packing. I can't wait for those empty boxes to arrive soon, cos there's going to be no space for footing in my studyroom soon. My bags of purchases are strewn all over the floor. Boxes of online buys are randomly (read disorderly) stacked on the empty spots I found. The mess is really such a pitiful sight.

Packing is such a chore. Unpacking is nerve-wrecking. Doing these twice in 18 months is pure nightmare!!! We literally packed our entire home in boxes, unpacked them here more than a year ago, and now I am repacking them to have them unpacked again in 4 months time. I'm working harder than a fruit packer. At least they get to eat free fresh fruits while they pack. Me? I breathe and eat dust while I'm at work. And the worst part, it feels so depressing to take that 1st step into preparing to leave STL for good...

Poignant

I chose to take a longer route home after school today. The scenic and quiet drive was necessary for me to gather some thoughts, and clear my mind.

Last year this time, I was welcoming Fall with much gusto. When I arrived home today, I was perturbed to be greeted by a pink shrub by the doorway.

The pink shrub.
It's other half still in green, at the other side of the doorway.
Another counterpart few steps away, already totally bare.

饭

Just as when the sack of rice was depleted last week, the rice cooker decided to die on me. Very good. To begin with, I was never exactly into cooking; I cook more for health reasons since dining out often doesn't do justice to the heart and waist. Now without a rice cooker, I absolutely dread preparing dinner. To watch over the stove for 30 mins is a feat!

Are u there, Vodka?

Alcohol intoxication - I'm thirsting for it.

I am seriously in need of a good night out, filled with alcohol and my trusty pals. I want to dance till the lights come on and laugh till my jaw drop. How I miss those crazy times with my girlfriends, getting wasted night after night.

Yet now when I think of a clubbing buddy, I realised I've got none. They have all either embarked onto another phase of their lives (read motherhood), or have decided to never look back on alcohol. What's so bad about wines, martinis, vodka and cognac? It's all about getting that kind of satisfaction & happiness that can't be achieved anywhere else, isn't it?

Maybe I should start searching for a drinking buddy all over again...

A Month of Celebrations

Happy Birthday Dearest!

A Taylormade R7 driver, his bday pressie upon his request. Nice!


We celebrated our wedding anniversary with fresh seafood @ Bristol just 4 days ago. I was surprised we were able to find really fresh seafood in STL; the seared scallops and lobster mac & cheese were soooo good!

My bday's round the corner, and Hubby got me the red epi Sarah. Received it yesterday, but am now thinking of exchanging it for the black instead. Red is my all-time fav colour, but black is sleek enough for a long-time use. *Indecisive*


*Updated on 09/21: I've changed it to the black Brazza instead! :P

More Family Matters

Mummy just msned me to say "I miss you, for not going lunch with me. Sometimes quite bored now. You used to call me out for lunch and shopping when you're not working."

Yah I miss those mum-daughter high-tea and shopping trips too, which took place once every fortnight during my off days in the past.

It's such a struggle and a nasty feeling. I am absolutely not looking forward to going back to SIN, to slog @ work, and to lead a high-stress life. Yet I miss my family and friends to bits. sigh....

I Love My Family, Tons!

I received a long "letter" from Mel this morning. It of cos wasn't one of the most pleasant thing to wake up to in the morning, but I am so glad she'd told me what she has been feeling. A lot of grievances, and tons of emotions. Yet, as the eldest sis, I am extremely touched how much my opinions and thoughts affected her.

My family means more than anything else in the world to me. My loving and devoted parents, the two silly but extremely intellegent geese, and my hubby are my everything. I have always seek support from my parents in all the major decisions I'd made in life. Likewise, my younger sis will look up to me for some form of encouragement. As part of a close-knitted family, why didn't I think of how much pain I had caused when I showed my disapproval? I'm disappointed with myself for causing emotional distress to the little goose. Albeit all these anguish, I'm glad we're still as close as ever, and that I play an important role in Mel's life.

I'm proud of my 2 silly geese, one of whom had graduated from Law sch and is now working in one of the top and largest law firms in Singapore. The other is in Medical school, nurturing to be one of the best & most dedicated doctors (perhaps a pediatrician?) around!

My Marvellous Family & I:
Taken 3 years ago on Geri's 21st bday.
Taken 2 years ago on Larry & Jenny's wedding night
Taken last year, while sending Mel off in T3.

Float Trip @ Meramec River

Float trip? Blah! It's definitely NOT a float trip, kid me not. I was told we don't really have to canoe much, but just float down the river together with the current. Instead, we took 6 hours yesterday to CANOE down the long winding 10 miles river, with some breaks in between. Now, I wake up with excruciating ache on both shoulders.

We should have gone during Falls actually. The scenary will be awesome with the yellow and gold leaves, and perhaps make me feel a lot better while I paddle the hell out of myself. :(

Me, hard at work while hubby snapped away happily.
Meramec River.
A break at the "gravel bar", which is just a gravel patch with no physical bar in sight. Boo...
A one-minute break for pictures, while I take in all the beautiful sights. But seriously I was too grouchy after all that tedious work to really enjoy much.
Preparing for lunch at another gravel bar.
My first meal cooked in a primitive way! I'm impresssed that Ed took only 5 mins to get the fire going with stones, branches, twigs and paper. Nice!

Infinite Savings?

As an avid fan of Dermalogica products, I'm glad to purchase them at about 60% the prices in Singapore here in the States. I received some coupons from Beauty First, and decided to use them for stocking up on Dermalogica. Went down to the store yesterday and bought what I'll need for the next year's usuage. Was extremely thrilled with the huge amount of savings and I just had to annouce my achievement to Hubby.

Happy me: Hey I bought my one year's worth of Dermalogica products liao! I saved almost half leh with my coupons and the current promotion they're having!

Hubby (trying to sound like he's interested): What did you buy this time round?

Me: Large cleanser and moisturizer, scrub and mask, and a free toner. All 5 items cost me USD150 only! These would have easily cost me more than SGD350.

Hubby: Oh... Good lor.

Me: I saved almost SGD150, very happy leh. Btw, I used ur card for my purchases today.

Hubby paused for awhile before he continued: You saved an infinite amount lor. It's not just SGD150.

Me: Huh? No lah I saved around SGD150.

Hubby: U used my card leh! So u didn't pay for anything what. $x divide by zero is infinity.

Me: Oh yah hor... *giggled while I quietly walked away*

LOL!!! How true!


*I shall try to get some afew winks now, before getting up early for gym n shopping in the morning!

Insomnia Again!

I'm an insomniac; officially. I've been drifting in and out of insomnia for the past year or so. It hits me in phases, and I don't know when it'll occur or why am I sufferring from this illness. What I do know is that I should definitely stay away from caffeine. Coke, all sorts of tea (even bubble green tea!), green tea ice-cream, and of course coffee will make my brain extremely alert. Insomia comes and stays for up to a week, and then it usually leaves me alone for two months or so before it creeps onto me again. The last 4 months I was left alone, to much relieve. Perhaps cos the long holidays were stress-free, or maybe the regular gym sessions helped. I'm pretty much clueless what causes insomnia in me. It's seriously affecting me alot, especially when I'm one who needs at least 8 hours of sleep everynight. Tonight, it's my 7th night wide awake at this weird hour. Just when I needed some wine to make myself feel drowsy, I ran out of it. Damn! My eyes can barely remain open now, yet when I lie on the bed, tons of activities are carried out in my brain. What is wrong with me??!!

Sweet & Sour Pork

This is what we had for dinner tonight. Quite a good job for a first attempt huh? Of course it's as tasty as it looks! ;P No more of this in my kitchen again, not at least in a year or two. Frying is such a hassel! Lucky I'm not a fan of deep fried food.

Mooncakes

It's the time of the year again! I absolutely adore mooncakes, especially the Teochew-styled yam-filled ones, the durain mooncakes, and of course the traditional lotus paste gems. It doesn't matter how many yolks are in there, I love them all, even if they're without the yolks!

Bought a box of Guangzhou-made lotus paste mooncakes with double yolks from Olive market today. They tasted heavenly! It was of a different brand from the one I bought last year, and cost double the price at USD20. Still, I thought it was a steal, considering the steep price of good mooncakes sold in SIN.

Come next year this time, I must feast on tons of the durain mooncakes from Goodwood Park Hotel to make up for the 2 years of cravings! Oh and those fried mooncakes filled with yam too! Just the thought of these darlings is making me drool.

It's time to hit the gym religiously again, as I forsee myself piling on more calories in the coming weeks. I should plan a strict gym routine after class, seriously...

Long Weekend Again!

It's Labor Day this coming Monday! For once, there isn't any trip planned over a long weekend. Such a waste. We're suppose to drive 5 hrs to the Aurora Outlet in Chicago, but I've decided against it since my cash reserves are running super low. Hotel and petrol costs will add up to quite a substantial amount, enough to buy 10 tops perhaps. I reckoned it's better that I save up for the Black Friday sales in nov instead.

Ironically, I kicked start the Labor Day sales by hitting the malls just as when they opened this morning. Grabbed a couple of good buys at our usual hunts, Gap and Banana Republic. No outlet trip doesn't mean no shopping. It just restricts my purchases since there are only limited brand names in STL Mills.

Shopping in Mills wasn't as satisfying as we thought it will be. Thus, PS & I decided we should brave the 3 hr-drive to Osage (the nearest outlet) this Monday. I don't know if I should rejoice or despair. It just feels weird to not visit an outlet during a Federal Holiday. I don't want to miss out on any good buys, yet I don't want to go back to an empty bank accout. I'm such a contradict and a loser.

Anyway, plans for the next 2 coming holdays are sort of confirmed. Seattle and Vancouver during the Thanksgiving week, and Yellowstone- Wyoming, LA and Tokyo in December. That's all for U.S. Thereafter, it'll be Singapore for good...


** Last year this time we were holidaying in Chicago, slurping up bloody steak in Morton's. How I wish I could turn back the clock! Sigh...

Time & Weather

Last year this time, as I sat in in the classroom for Tuesdays evening lessons, the setting sun will be blinding my eyes at somewhere between 8.00-8.15pm. Two days in the same room, the same sun was blinding my eyes at around 7.15pm! No doubt the days are starting to get shorter now, but why the vast difference within a year?! I recall the sky turned dark only around 9pm this time last year, but it's now dark by 8.30pm, sometimes by 8!

Summer days are so much cooler now, with temperature hoovering at around 20 degree celsius. It's depressing enough to know that Fall is drawing very near, and much more perturb to FEEL like it's Fall already.


** I just sinned, for I had a packetful of instant noodle 15mins before I hit my bed. Sigh.... Gdnight folks.

Preggers

As I am writing this entry, one of my besties is in the labour ward. I can imagine her screaming her lungs out n squinting her eyes while she is trying to push with all her might.

From this day on, our lives will never be the same with the arrival of a beautiful princess! More significantly, no more clubbing and no more getting sloshed. Yet I don't mind being the princess' nanny during our coffee trips. :p

I can't imagine going back to be greeted by my girlfriends, and BABIES!!! A good friend had given birth to a boy 6 months back, and 2 friends from the same group are now preggers with one trying to get pregnant. Just a couple of minutes ago, I received a msg on FB from the wife of one of hubby's good old pal, informing me of her first pregnancy. And last nite, G annouced her pregnancy over dinner too. I'm suddenly soooooooo excited with all the babies popping out, and am extremely overwhelmed by all the pregnancies around me!

Still, I think I am not ready for the pain and torture one has to go through during a pregnancy. As much as my galfriends are trying their best to educate me about the "ups" and "downs" of a pregnancy, I am still having jitters at the thought of myself carrying a huge tummy.

At least for the next yr or so, I do not have to be concerned with morning sickness, stretch marks n all that loot. It may be a blessing for me now, but I guess I will also be green with envy when I see my gal pals with their prized possessions.


***A, jiayou!!! I'll pray for u, and God is watching over u and ur gal. =D

Ouch!!!

It hurts, badly. School started today, and that is how I felt the entire day.

I had a bad dream last night. It was my first day back in SIN for good, and I was extremely lost. Looking back on the 18 months spent in STL, I was utterly disappointed with myself. Nothing spectacular was achieved and I've wasted 13,140 hours rotting my life away. I was devastated that I've not done a single voluntary work, not bought enough clothes/bags/shoes, not learnt to be a better person. It hurts so much when I woke up.

Dinner at Han Gook Kwan made up for it, partially. Though it was not as yummilicious as the Korean BBQ we had in KOBA months ago, it was a free meal from hubby's boss. (He flew in again for a meeting.) Which free meal isn't good?

I'm trying to drop one of the 3 courses I am taking this term. If I could rid the Tuesday evening class, I should seriously scout for a humanitarian work. I've sinned too much. It's payback time.

I felt like I'm overwhelmed by emotional waves now. I get easily depressed whenever the topic of our departure surfaces. I get upset, jealous, defeated, and everything negative.

God, show me the light, and some love.