slow white no more...

being 'patient' by nature, i always 'love' to play the waiting game... as a famous saying goes 'i want patience and i want it now!" that probably depicts my ideal definition of 'patient' (as a adjective)..

not that eager to wait for the slow white to be born and shipped to sg, re-read the bulletin on the red umbrella telco's website re: the snatched up slots.. i finally spotted the paragraph below - i can actually reserve one by physically heading down to either the telco's retail outlets or their authorised dealers. So primitive rite? In the online age, you have to QUEUE physcially for a reservation slots unlike competitor which allow online reservation.. anyway, dislike the hassle of changing phone no.. decided to stay red.. and went to the authorised dealer @ vivo during lunch time to just reserve and pop back for lunch.. Goodness gracious me.. I was told by the staff that i could reserve with them but it'll take 2 mths.. it would be a faster avenue to get phone should i booked at the hello shops instead.. Hence, redirected my path and headed to the nearest hello shop @ bugis.. After much queuing .. i finally book a reservation slot! and ended up a wee bit late in returning..

still happy that i managed to book the coverted gadget! and i've also unduly influenced my two friends who wanna wait for 'snow white' but decided it was slow white..and they went ahead to reserved two darlies before i did!

snow white apple!

 source

:) time to sleep cuz it's gonna be a long weekend... and revolves mainly around the SIS.. heading there in few hrs time for rehearsal..*oh yeah, my two right feet will be having  fun.. * then head to gym to fulfill the long run.. meet friend for dinner then pop down to sis again for fop. [side track..  for the first time ever, i was turned away just 30+ pple from entering at 20:15 ish though at 20:50ish saw a friend updated in fb that pple still heading into the overflow area where he was.. oh well... :( ] sunday - at the sis again early in the am until noon.. perhaps a quick bite and then head for training.. and hopefully still able to complete that mid-distance run after that... if not, head back for dinner and raincheck on the run..shhhh!

good nite!!

delayed... :( but not denial

It's nothing major, just semi-disappointed that I can't get my blackberry (cuz it's black in color and most of my gadgets are named xx-berry so it being black in color, is tentatively referred to as blackberry, though not being the bb phone..LOL) cuz though I'm eigible for mobile phone upgrade (oneof the perks of the mio plan)., but i can't  buy a phone online via Singtelshop. Apparently due to system hiccups or I should say database inconsistency.. :( bleh.. Despite Jac managed to help me get into the appt booking yesterday (my superb IT has blocked off the singtelshop site apparently), she wasn't able to book a slot for me as in the darn singtelshop's database, my mobile no. was apparently not eligible for re-contract. =.=

Nonetheless, a phone call to the mio service helpline shed light to the puzzling situation.  And I need not unbundle the mio plan as the red telco has a new promo that includes 3GLflex/iFlex plan in their subscription bundle plans.. woot! (Maybe they heard my wishlist!)All I need to do is switch to the 6mbps (apparently, the 3mbps broadband svc has been phrased out!) and if I wanna switch to the data-based mobile plan – I only need to pay additional $5.48 if I changed from my iTwo value to the iFlex Value.  Oh happy day! The cons – I need to visit the Hello shops personally to do the mobile upgrade.. Oh well, with all the limited appointment slots taken up, I will wait for Singtel to open up for walk-ins. Maybe by then, I need to wait for the new stock to arrive or perhaps by then, I can get snowberry instead of blackberry. Hopefully, my Samsung phone trade-in value has not dipped further by then.. but i think it's still worth $300 now..

Waiting patiently for either blackberry (if I ain't that patient) or snowberry (if I'm that patient). Translate (black or white iPhone)

Incidentally, saw a friend's comment on fb regarding the rapid snatch up of appointment slots from Singtel – all gone within 2 hours a. He commented - "seriously, do people here really know how to utilise the smart phone?"   

I can't help but concur with this statement. A safe estimate is that 50% of the iPhone users here don't  allow their smart phones to function to their full potential. I'm not being bias but I see people from all walks of life (from students, to housewife aunties, to foreign domestic helpers, to old folks, and yeah the working peeps ) using the much-coveted phone from apple. Perhaps, to some, it's a hip-phone to own, for some, it's the wide arrays of apps to keep one entertained / or even for work. For the apple fanatics, it's an apple product, whatmore to say?

For me, nah, it's not because everyone's has it (in fact, I would prefer NOT everyone is using it – I like exclusivity !  Came out with an non-exhaustive list to defend my to-be-purchase:

 (a) my iPod is max-ed out and I don't have access to its iTune library cuz the old PC crased and I didn't wanna erased the songs/sermons (not to mention the podcasts will be all gone) cuz I can't be bothered to re-rip the songs for the CDs…

(b)my phone is not under warranty (cuz its prize and I dun have a place of purchase and hence dunno how to fill in the warranty card) and haha so anytime it fall sick, servicing needs moolah. And the phone internal memory is being locked and left a miserable <1 mb.  

(c)i need music to fill in the pockets of time during travelling, on the threadmill,

(d) I can sync my runs with iTunes

(e)the child in me needs to be entertained.. apps will come in handy

(f) I don't have a pda so this can double up as one too..

(g) I don't wanna carry so many gadgets out to fulfil the geeky-needs. With the iphone (or perhaps the bb too) I can lighten the load of my bag..

(h) I like apple (as  a fruit) so I like apple products (lame)

(i) I need a new phone...

(j)I want a new phone…

I suspect that perhaps some of those who will lay hands on the iPhone 4  at stroke of midnite today will be auctioning theirs off ebay and such. (Darn these peeps who deprive us serious coveters of the new toy on the market!)

Alright, time for lunch!

crash.. boom... bang

I think the whole of SG, okay, maybe not whole, is crashing the Singtel pre-order site for iPhone 4. After tens of minutes of trying.. I gave up. 

 

I went ahead to reserve my phone with M1. Afterall, there's corporate plan with the sunshine telco. Or else.. pop down to paragon at 12midnite - cuz I've the email!! :) hehehe...

 

Maybe I will consider porting my line over too.. though there is early termination penalty charges but it should be not much.. since I would need to pay $100 cuz i've not pass the 21mth mark for free upgrade of the mobile phone though under the mio plan i can do phone upgrade but it's not an iFlex plan wo.. :p

 

I think the singtel pre-order site is partially up but still s-l-o-w. Maybe i should wait for snow white if i want to stay with the red umbrella.. :)

black or white ?

After months of waiting... it's finally coming,,

I missed the 3G, I opted for SE instead waiting for 3GS last year .. Finally, 4 is here...

Now deliberating whether to wait for the white (which will only be available second half of 2010) or the black ..

Personally, white version reminds me of the LG white chocolate.. while the black version, though it's the more popular colour (apparently), appears to be more sleek . since when the phone lcd screen is not being lit up, it will be totally black..sleek..

So.. verdict? If i manage to get a slot when the "balloting" opens at 2pm tmw [hopefully the site ain't blocked by the IT dpt, else i will consider lugging my thinkpad out at strike of 545 to the nearby wifi hotspot) for a brief moment to book the slot.. or perhaps engage the help of my apple-keen friend to assist.. lol], i think i will get the darlie black.. if not.. i will wait patiently for maybe the white chocolate...

cuz the samsung is not a phone that keeps me entertained and i dun really like bring the ds lite to entertain me during the train ride to work..Nah, iPad is too bulky for me.. the phone is good so in event i forget my nike+ sports band, i still can sync my runs via iTunes.. :)

Probiotic

Since I've been having frequent spells of bloatedness/diarrhea/stomach cramps since the last the last stomach flu .. I decided to up the intake of bacteria (i.e. good bacteria) to improve the gut flora - the natural way (rather than via supplements in pill form).  Since good bacterial is supposed to be effective in alleviating IBS which the doc has suspected what has been causing the diarrhea and flatulence … I decided that - a tub of yogurt a day, keep the gas away!

Since that bottle of Yakult which I'd been taking regularly on a almost daily basis is not helping, I should perhaps include a tub of yogurt in the daily diet.  So far, the tummy's bloatedness has sorta reduced.. so perhaps it's working… Anyway, it's somewhat healthy so it's a welcome inclusion to the otherwise bleh diet that kept my ears at ease. :)

Breakfast : one small tub of pink grapefruit yogurt!

Hope this works in the long run!

Bloated tum tum

that's what e described my bloated stomach.. a cute description for an irritating condition... The gassy situation within the stomach cavity became that bad that the stomach tautness is comparable to that of a drum.. :(
and it was that noisy and loud that i can hear the gas within without a scope..:(

not to mention the frequent burps and ordorless gas discharge.. ate doc's prescription but it's not helping much.. I think i need a colony of good bacteria to fight the war in there..

And having a gassy stomach made running more challenging than usual..cuz breathing was sorta affected.. drats hope the gas would have dissipated by this sun.. in time for the shape run.. hopefully can do a under 55.. since i'm doing like under 57 for like a couple of months.. time to zzz. on course at amara hotel in 5 hrs time..

Tea time @ Rose Veranda

A couple of weeks ago, celebrated mom's birthday @ The Rose Veranda - Shangri-La Hotel. Last time i went Shang was eons ago.. My JC's prom..lol

 @ the foot of the stairway..

Wasn't that keen on buffets but since it was foc (bro's foot the bill) , i joined in as the free-rider..:)


Best thing i enjoyed was the array of teas .. there were a total of 128 varieties!

Tried Valentine's breakfast tea & white house. both were lovely. The description of the tea blend made them sounds so exquisite. Preferred the white house out of the two brew i ordered.. But presonal fave tea is still TWG's grand wedding..:)

i like the rose theme tea pots and cups.. it's so english!
 

 

 sweets for my sweets.. sugar for my tea..(but i'd the tea sans sugar)

 my placemat & napkin, <3 the embriodered rose

my second pot of tea....

 which was white house tea. I'd two pots of this...

 bright red chandelier! :) i want this for my place!!

 Food...The desserts stood out from the mains.. (though there weren't much choices..) like the mango minetrone best .;)

 i'd 8-9 slices of salmon sashimi.. - i gathered this would not be that sinful.. :) hence qualified to indulge in.. sadly, sashimi choice was solely salmon..

strawberry marcoon.. nice to look at.. but.. uhm..taste bud dun fancy it.. the dark choc moouse in the background was yummy...

 tiramisu was good.. my fave mango minestrone.. creme brule - bleh.. matcha coated white choc with matcha praline..- uber sweet :(

 strawberry sorbet with raspberry sauce.. - refreshing & slightly tangy.. :) pefect thrist/ heat quencher..

 second helping of my fave.. it's actually conocotion of mango cubes & chopped fresh mint infused with syrup..

 

and that marked the end of tai-tai dom for the day.. i don't think i can survive as a tai-tai.. occasional indulgence of dessert is fine.. but not a daily or even weekly event.. And that pretty summed up what i ate for a buffet.. not buffet-worthy rite? whatever..:) but it was an enjoyable lazy afternoon.. :)

Despicable Me

Monday nite, caught this hilarious movie with ms i & her hubby (i.e. my cgl), estelle & amy.. Hilarious cuz I simply adore the yellow almost balded minions. :) Very tickled by their minion-tongue... Alright, it's mostly gibberish, with the occasional injection of a few English words. But I like the gibberish. Apparently, the minion-language was coined up & voiced over by one of the directors, Pierre Coffin. Brilliant.

the army of Gru's minions..

And not forgetting the big teary-eyed Agnes who likes anything fluffy  - her fave phrase..  "It is so fluffly!" – ohmigosh, she is so likeable.  

Agnes with her bedtime story book.. *I like that finger puppet book, you put your fingers in and they became the three kittens! :) *

Simple story, need not much of a processing power to enjoy the wholesome kiddy fun.. Though there are certain pokes in the movie which i guess kids won't understand.. Like the name of the bank that Gru deals with - Bank of Evil formerly known as the Lehman Bros. LOL.

Looking forward to catch Eclipse with maybelline next week.. Haven't really catch up with her for like AGES...  hopefully there are normal screening time next week.. :)

Big Walk 2010

Thanks to the dear couple who started me on this running streak, i.e. mr & mrs buttercup, I joined them for the New Paper Big Walk on Sunday. Alas, I stayed up late partly because I was playing the Plants Vs Zombie (beta version) until 2+ to 3.

And my router went berserk and for approximately 20-30 minutes, I was trying to figure out what the problem was, since my phone can connect & surf the internet using the Wi-Fi. Then, the blinking Ethernet indicator on the router prompted me to check the modem and yep, the problem was with the mio modem – cuz the mio tv programs hung. As a result, I only slept at 4am ++ and woke up late (only when jac called) and cabbed down to the flyers. Made a mad rush, woke up, and spruce up and left home within 15 minutes! Not much traffic in the early sunday morning and hence, I made it to the starting point around 7:45, 15 minutes after PM Lee flagged off the Walk.:)

view of my destination from the moving cab!

It was an enjoyable walk, because it was uber cloudly and hence not much perspiration despite of the physical efforts exerted.. (okie, it's just a 3km walk)  It was rather interesting/ entertaining cuz some of the participants really took the effort to 'doll-up' for the event - apparently, there's a contest to be spotted by the TNP photographer..  saw "Pauline" - nicknamed by sc after the oracle Paul, on the head of this gal, trying to do a balancing act of Pauline on her head.. (which was a feat - cuz u gotta balance it for like 3km?) Which I think she gave up half way, cuz i saw her hand clutching Pauline near  the Sands Area.. :)

then, there's this globe walking in front of me..

It was certainly not easy to navigate around in that papier-mâché globe cuz it's heavy! (Having the first hand experience of carrying paper-made stone moulds during the JC' drama days, lesson learnt was that paper-made stones can be very heavy!)

Walked along the helix bridge, explored the Shoppe @ Marina Sands (shops were all closed, hence window-shopped).

doesn't the roof of the marina sands remind you of the base of a banana split? ;)

We did not spend much time at the carnival area since the dark clouds had decided to burst and started drizzling while we were half way through the stalls.. (nothing much was missed though).  Due to the rain, we decided to keep to mrt- friendly venues to fill our stomach.. Ended up at Bugis' Swenson's..

Sad to say, breakfast choices at Swenson's  was limited. Ended up ordering the Jumbo Sausages that looked fat, juicy and succulent..

But I was baffled when this arrived:

Doesn't the sausage looks kinda pale and not jumbo-size? and the half slice of egg-battered french toast looked very battered indeed..  (yeah, pun intended). Like the tomato the best..

It was not much of a physical workout but it was great catching up with ziv, jac and sc. :) Headed home after that... Fell asleep after a nice cool shower and slept like a log for 5 hours! :)

Inception

 

In line with the earlier post on sleep, I caught a movie that has to do with sleeping. In order to dream, you have to be sleeping right? Perhaps that was why I was motivated to write on that. LOL.

Thanks to my bro, I got a pair of ticket to the gala premiere to "Inception" @ GV vivo (perks of having a brother in the entertainment industry). Except for the duration of the movie (which perhaps I'd drank too much water during the day which makes the nearly 3 hours long movie exceptionally long – felt as in I was like in the dream of the dream of the dream.) Interesting concept of implanting thoughts into people, though I won't want that to be done to me, I think that's unethical. I wish I know how I could harness into the unused capacity of my grey matter, which is heavily under-used – as compared to its maximum capacity; though by the sg government method of classification via the education streaming, I am supposed to be of that of a higher tier among those that share the same year of birth as me (i.e. by the streaming, the schools attended, etc ). Don't think that my mind has degenerate by much despite, yeah, technically speaking machines do wear off with time. I reckon, so would the thinking machine embedded within the cavity of our skull.  

Pretty amazing that the heavy-eyelid syndrome did not attack during the movie and for once, it was a popcorn-less movie since both Estelle &I were in the starve-off-carb mode. Though we had nachos instead which ironically it is still carb-laden sans sugar but up in sodium content.. =.=  But enjoyed the movie nonetheless. But I don't think I want to be stuck in the architecture of the make-believe reality of non-reality. Nah, I don't want to play god. But then again, what's reality?? What if I'm not living in reality.

'Nuff said. If you wanna catch a thriller, go catch it.  Next on my list – the minions-filled "Despicable Me"

and

not a solar eclipse but the movie (my fave book out of the four..).. edward cullen .. awww.. (can i be bella?)

S.L.E.E.P

I think I've not been doing enough of this. E would always comment that I don't need to sleep. (I think  was due to those fb updates from those fb application games on my wall, which once upon a time I was hooked to them.. now... i can't be bothered to.. maybe cuz my VAIO' s processing speed ain' t that jiffy and yes.. i need to sleep..)

Cuz of the longer mileages clocked weekly, it's especially easy for me to drop on bed and fall asleep - even if I'm lying on top of my remotes/ hp or whatever.. (alright, i guess if that's the case, I won't qualify to be a princess - . Princess' skin is supposed to be so delicate that it could be bruised uber easily.. Like the fairy tale "the Princess and the Pea" which, the princess whose skin was so delicate, was unable to catch a wink that night as the pea that was buried at the very bottom of the 20 layers of mattresses and featherbeds was bruising her and kept awake all night.)

source

Whatever the case, my new found past time is garfield's favourite activity...

source

Sleeping is a good habit. According to sources here & here, why should sleeping is good:

1. Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain! Apparently, according to this website "sleep helps to regulate the hormones that affect and control your appetite. Studies have shown that when your body is deprived of sleep, the normal hormone balances are interrupted and your appetite increases. Unfortunately this increase in appetite doesn't lead to a craving for fruits and veggies, no, instead your body longs for food high in calories, fats and carbohydrates!" So yeah, i should sleep more to shed pounds.. :p

2. Lack of sleep can affect the brain and its cognitive function adversely.. Hence sleep improves memory! So maybe that's why I didn't do that well for my exams.. too much midnight oil burnt.. (I should have slept more... )

3. Sleep reduces stress

4. It's during your snooze hours that your body repairs itself. ..

And wikipedia listed a whole lot of scary terms that may be the by-products of sleep deprivation:

• aching muscles
• dizziness and nausea
• dry mouth
• hallucinations
• hand tremors
• headaches
• increased blood pressure
• increased risk of diabetes & fibromyalgia
• irritability
• memory lapses or loss
• nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)
• obestity
• slowed word recall
  temper tantrums in children
• yawning
• symptoms similar to:
  
  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Psychosis

Eyelids getting heavier... give me my sleep!

pix source

Random snapshots of this week..

Thanks to e, who threatened to up the weekly mileage by 45% this week, should I continue with my carbby-laden diet (which in fact, is not that much & unhealthy, safe for the fruits at night and occasional pastry/ dessert or so and the occasional bubble tea) without improvement in the timing for the runs, I'm back to the "tingkat-stint' of concocting and bringing lunch since monday.. There's no way I'm gonna fork time out for an additional 30k (okie, that's actually do-able should i leave work promptly and reach the gym by 630..  but I don't want so many week nights burnt.. one late weeknight at the gym (training day) is enuff.. !)

E's comments for weekend ain't that fantastic - with all the 'cut this and cut that'.. until monday comes.. cuz it's easier to plan weekday meals.. So now, the daily intake is of satisfactory standard.. and doing it (reporting what I ate) on a daily basis (instead of my choice of weekly) and the threat of the extra long run should i consume trash, had made me extra conscious of what I ate.. but yeah, all for that extra few lbs to go..

Tuesday & today's brekkie

whole wheat cereals with almonds floating in lowfat hi-cal milk. The happy cow on the package never fails to cheer me up.. (Think the happy cow version could only be found at Mac.. Wonder if Mac'd some special tied-up with Magnolia?)

Tuesday's lunch

brown rice with half  fillet of a oven-baked saba fish + steamed ("nuked" it in the microwave oven) asparagus & baby carrots


Wednesday's lunch

cubes of steamed baby carrots + chicken breast with seasoned with smoked paprika& basil & dash of sesame seed oil - baked in toaster oven)


Thursday lunch

Pan-seared black-peppered chicken breast (marinated o'nite in shaoxing wine made it frangrant and pan-seared made the meat more juicy than toaster-oven baked..) with heinz vegetarian baked beans (my fave brand of baked beans)!


:: Lunch time shopping ::

As I'd brought lunch while the rest of my department went ahead to Marina Square's Hans for lunch (cuz the big Cat is away so the mice droveto their fave haunt - which I don't really fancy and I don't think I can't find anything on the menu that will go well with my low carb plan), I headed to vivo to get a new bottle. Found quite a number of tiny speck of molds had infested the base as well as the cap of the bottle. I'd tried scrubbing with a brush and trying to dislodge them with soapy hot water but to no avail - and the handle is half-cracked.. :( but cuz of the lovely hue of red, I'd defer replacing it till i spotted the growing fungi colony yesterday :( ) Bottle aside, I need to replenish the depleted supply of liquid fuel - gatorade powder! I figured it's more environmental friendly to get the powder form than the ready-to-drink bottles and it's easier on the wallet in the long run...

Gatorade lemon-lime


my new bottle - i like the print of the two dolls superimposed on top of one another!

On my way to the marketplace,  I was 'waylaid' by the 'SALE' sign in the Zara window and headed in for a good whole 30 minutes. Tried 4 items.. the work dress was too big ( small is the smallest size i found which was loose and alteration was required unless i favour the idea of being春 光乍泄). Tried a floral skirt which was too flamboyant and the denim jumper was a bit bleh for me.. ended up acquiring a floral jumper which is so sweet :)

 

Floral jumper shorts from zara (sleepy eyes cuz face sans make-up cuz eyes were sensitive and teary this morning)

Enuff of rambling.. time to work..

If I say it's a pj, you have to accept that!

A couple of days ago, I wore this black & white striped dress shirt thingy to work. I'd bought it during the bc warehouse sale last Dec.. It was stashed away at the back of my cabinet as it was too tight fitting then. Finally, after these few months of e-imposed strict regime of runs @ increasing intensity, it's ready to be worn.

It looks somewhat like this.. except it's not Gucci.

 

Guess what the aunty dept secretary exclaimed when she saw me during lunch time. "Why are you wearing pyjamas to work?"

Pjs?? Vertical striped = Pjs?

 

okay, this is a pretty pj :) maybe she meant this?

the closest that I can find that resembled what I wore.. which was still rather far off..

Okay, ms aunty secretary was lunching that afternoon too. While she was heating up her lunch at the pantry, whereby I was washing my cup, she explained that she made the remark earlier cuz one of her ex-colleagues made the SAME comment to her when she wore a similar dress. So she felt that I had over-reacted and I am too sensitive to criticism and I should just ACCEPT that comment. In fact, she felt that I interpreted that comment in the wrong manner and she quoted that a couple of others also commented that I'm easily offended. EASILY OFFENDED ? Okay, perhaps, I should live up to your expectation and post my frustrations whenever you offend me? (Like what the mass like to do on FB/ twitter these days..)

Accept the comment? If it was a constructive remark, sure, I will take it. If it's your personal opinion, and seriously won't edify others, doesn't the same Bible that we read teaches us that we oughta edify others? You profess to be pious and share second-hand revelations which you found to be inspiring and yet you can't comprehend the simple words in the Bible? Do unto others what others do unto you?? Nah right, do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Gee.. your colleague (who is probably tactless) commented when you wore a similar outfit doesn't mean that you have the right to pass that on to others.. (What are you thinking? An eye for an eye? But I didn't give you that eye in the first place!)

So I replied, it's actually not a flattering remark that you made and one usually don't wear pjs to work. It's alright, I choose to filter your comments and I disagree with you that I should JUST ACCEPT your comments which I don't think it's true.

 

source of pic

She was not satisfied with my reply and probably my refusal to accept her unflattering remarks – She came to me and started nagging, asking me that I should not interpret people's (i.e. hers)(insensitive, 'suan'ing) remarks as critical, but it's just their comments. Did I ask you for an opinion? No. Hence, if it's not flattering and not gonna do any good to the person – why do you need to make your stand.?
Having said that, I still think that I look good that day de. Else why would Gucci actually have a similar outfit in their collection? And I paired up the shirt dress with a belt and cardi wo.. You wear a belt to sleep?

I think the solution to her curt/suaning remarks in future is to discount her words at all cost. Maybe I should let her know that I've just blogged about her and how happy I am with her pie-smacked-into-your face comment.