I love Christmas!

This period is my favourite time of the year. Last Wed was my last working day of the year 2007 and I was enjoying my break. Simply loved the Christmas goodies & deco everywhere. Had great fun shopping & enjoyed the giving spirit of Christmas.

Time passes really fast though. Christmas went passed so quickly. We got our first Christmas tree this year and now I can't bear to bring to bring the glittery deco down.

Christmas eve was spent at our house where we had potluck and gift exchange. Had the deja vu feeling becos we celebrated christmas the same way last year and the people are mostly the same except for some new faces and of cos some missing faces.



Love my christmas present! Gerald got me the limited edition mont blanc business card holder. There's only 1906 pieces in the world and it's in my fav white colour. Almost thought he didn't get me anything and was beginning to sulk. Haha. Very happy because I always wanted impractical and dreamy christmas present. =)

My first half M..

Completed my first 21KM in the Standard Chartered half marathon on 2 Dec 2007. It was my goal to complete one since the SA OBS experience in year 2005. Slowly I worked towards it.. participated in two 10KM runs in year 2006, and quite a few runs this year to increase the milleage. It was certainly an accomplishment since I started developing knee pains 3 weeks before the run. Saw a sport doc and luckily there wasn't a major injury. Just overworked knees which were swelling even the day before the run. Cliche but it brings new meaning to the Adidas tagline "Impossible is nothing"...

OSIM Corporate Triathlon (3 Nov 2007) - 5KM

We formed 4 teams to represent the company. 3 in a team and it's relay style i.e. swim 750m, cycle 20km & run 5km. Contrary to common belief of triathlon, it was certainly not tough or competitive.. just some fun with colleagues.

Here's my SL Team with Claudia & Bernard. Real Run (28 Oct 2007) - 15KM

My best running experience this year. Very tough route at the Changi Coast Road area (12km road, 1km sand, 1km trail, 1km runway) with minimal trees providing shelter. Glad I did it in 1h 39mins.

Great Eastern Women Run (21 Oct 2007) - 10KM

Did this with Jennifer. Particularly like the pic on this cert. Very focus... hehe

Bull Run (12 Oct 2007) - 3.2KM

Another fun run with colleagues. We left office early on Friday to join this and it's foc! Many other companies do it for fun too and every year they have the bosses challenges where bosses will run in shirt, tie & pants.. what a sight!

Linkin Park Concert (13 Nov 2007)

This was the best concert I've attended so far! Although the concert was on a Tuesday night, the crowd was so hyperactive, everyone was basically standing and dancing throughout the night with arms high in the air.. haha real rock & cool. Simply loved their music =)

HK Holiday (8 - 12 Nov 2007)

Decided to go for a short holiday over the Deepavali long weekend to spend some quality time tog with Gerald. It was a pretty last minute decision and we were deciding between Bali & HK. We only departed Singapore on thurs afternoon as I wanted to attend my company DnD on Wed. Turned out to be a good move as I won the 17th lucky draw prize.. hehe not too bad =)

Reached HK around evening time and we stayed at the Kowloon Hotel which is just next to the Peninsula Hotel and above the MTR. Real accessible! Day 1 was spent walking around Nathan Road, enjoying the cool weather while sourcing for a decent dinner place. Finally had wanton noodle at a HK cafe, followed by hot red bean soup at a nearby dessert shop.. yummy!

Woke up early on Friday and we walked to the HK Cultural Centre for tim sum. Food was delicious all thanks to KM's recommendations. I particularly loved carrot cake from HK.. so tasty unlike those in SG. Loved the sunny but cooling weather in HK..




After breakfast, we took the train to HK Island to checkout Central. There's H&M in HK and the accessories are nice and not expensive. We then took the tram up to the peak to rest and enjoy the scenary while waiting for the sunset to catch the nightview.



Terence & Jennifer who are currently based in HK then brought us to a local eating place at Happy Valley for dinner. Yummy food especially the cantonese soup. Spent the rest of the night at LKF for drinking and supper. We went to 3 drinking places and I particularly like this chic place at LKF hotel (a boutiqute hotel). Cosy with contempary deco and a good night view of HK island.

Sat was spent feasting on roast goose at Yung Kee, followed by shopping at Causeway Bay. Also tried roast pigeon for dinner before heading for ladies market to experience the night streets.

On Sun, we headed to Macau with Terence & Jennifer after tim sum breakfast. It's about 1 hour away so I just knockout on the ferry after taking the seasick pill. Nothing much in Macau except casinos so we visited Wynn, Venetian & Sands. Here's some pics taken at the newly opened Venetian.

We spent our last day in HK feasting again. Gerald & I went to the same tim sum place Terence brought us the day before cos the food is really good! This was the 3rd tim sum we had within 5 days in HK.. hehe. After checking out and some shopping around the hotel, we ate again at Peninsula Hotel where their high tea was highly recommended. Basically had a good time feasting on chinese food and enjoying the weather during this short holiday.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Busy busy lately and just realised I haven't updated this blog for 2 months! Basically here's some recommendations on great dining places I've visited lately..

Great Places to Dine..
























Joner at Dempsey Road is great! We had a good time chatting while enjoying the cheese platter & red wine. Loved their concept where you can sample the different types of cheese before making a choice.

Their wagyu beef steak is the best I've tasted locally and the alfresco dining area is perfect for a romantic dinner. Loved their gingerbread man cookie too! Didn't buy it though because I certainly wouldn't bear to eat it.



Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria



I loved beef & BBQ food so I think it's delicious! Can't wait to eat there again though it's pretty expensive. There's salad bar & dessert (chocolate fountain & fruits) on top of the knife-welding passadors (meat waiters) moving around the tables, carving the succulent meats from large skewers onto your plates. Certainly not for the faint-hearted but I'm already drooling as I'm writing this.

Flutes at Fort Canning


Had a company event here 2 weeks back. Basically we spent a day at fort canning park for team building activities followed by dinner at Flutes. Very nice & exclusive place.. I think it's a perfect place for proposal (aiya, too late liao! *wink*)
Dinner was organised by the ang-mos so it was free-flow of finger-food & drinks for chillout till late.


PS Cafe @ Dempsey


This place is perpetually full all weekend. Loved their outdoor sitting area.. perfect for after dinner drinks & dessert (the chocolate cake is almost 15cm high i think!) Haven't had chance to eat it yet because we were usually too full by then. Can't wait to try it.. hehe

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Terry Fox Run


Woke up at 6am this morning though it was raining cats & dogs to participate in the Terry Fox Run at Sentosa. The rain didn't dampen everyone's mood and it was still jam packed. In fact, we started the run 30mins late because of the shuttle bus queue.

Nonetheless we completed the 8km route. It was certainly a marathon of hope. Along the way, I saw 2 individuals with prosthetic leg covering the distance on crutches. The first one looked confident and strong. The second person looked like he's in pain and struggling... but he persevered on. ®un your own race...

Friday, September 14, 2007

Oktoberfest 2007

Basically Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late Sept & early Oct. It is one of the most famous events in Germany where beer plays a central role and are served in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event. In S'pore, Oktoberfest was held over 4 days at The Swiss Club, in a similar tent & long bench setting.

Attended my first Oktoberfest on Friday night with colleagues and Gerald came along too since all staffs and spouse are given free tiks. Simply loved the atmosphere.. people standing on tables & benches to sing and dance along with the band.. Especially good to see some colleagues (who are usually pretty stony in office) let their hair down and party.

There's free flow of food.. simply loved the crispy but sinful pork knuckles and the rich chocolate pudding. Yummy! We were also given drinks coupon so we had 2 mugs of Erindger beer each. As usual, my face turned red after all the drinking so pictures have been censored.. hehe

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Fulfilling Weekend..


Had lotsa fun over the weekend =)
Gerald and I watched a play on Friday evening. Venue was the Action Theatre at Waterloo Street.. very small place with a pretty nice & cosy courtyard. Since we've 2 extra tiks, Felice & Janice joined us too. We also bump into Joey & his fren at the theatre.. such a small world!

I quite like the concept of using white markers to draw on the black background to illustrate their thoughts. It only lasted about an hour. Basically its a low budget production.. a "2 men" show but it was pretty interesting and something different.. a refreshing change from catching movies on the big screen.

Had a good dinner after the play.. basically pig out at our fav supper spot again! =) Thereafter, we joined some frens for fishing near Tanah Merah terminal. Cheap thrill.. we only used a fishing line, attach a hook at the end of the line with some prawns as bait. As the fishes nibble on the bait, we could feel the fishing line vibrate in our hand! Hehe.. I actually caught a fish for the first time in my life! It was a very small silver fish.. smaller than a palm size. hee

On Saturday, Gerald & I had high tea at Equinox. Haven't been there with him for ages! Our first high tea there was about 8 years ago, when we first started dating. Could even remember the exact spot where we took pictures! I always loved high tea.. plenty of variety and good ambience to chat. =)

In the evening, we drove into Sentosa for pinic by the beach. No elaborate feast.. basically just 2 mats and drinks to enjoy the breeze and the company. Weather was good and we had a good time relaxing. Timing was amazingly good too cos we managed to catch fireworks from the Songs of the Sea effortlessly as we walked towards the beach.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

A flower never fails to bring a smile to a gal's heart...



Thanks Jac! =)

Friday, August 31, 2007

Long awaited date..



Was looking forward to today for the entire week! To unwind after work, enjoy a good dinner and to catch Ratatouille on the big screen. The movie was certainly good.. so cute, it reminds me of the American Tale! I particularly like the Paris night scene. It looks so magical and dream... even more romantic than the real thing! The charm of Disney =)

After the movie, Gerald & I went for a drink at Balaclava. We both enjoyed the live band performance, In fact, I'm sooo motivated to start learning rock guitar.. something always on my to-do list but haven't put enough effort to make it happen. Okie, soon... very soon...

Already 2 months..
Time flies and by the end of today, I've joined DC for 2 months! Slowly getting used to the environment, the culture and even the lunches at Marina Sq / Millenia Walk foodcourt.

Working in town has its merits. It's a breeze to walk over to Marina Sq or Suntec to meet friends for lunch / dinner or to catch a movie. Shopping is also convenient.. I've basically forgotten when was the last time I went to Orchard??!! The cons would be the expensive food and coffee.

Definitely no regrets for the move.. and looking forward to the challenges ahead. =)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A brand new start..

Monday, July 09, 2007

Spread the joy...

Knock off early today so I went to check out the queue at the new Donut Factory in Suntec City (near Carrefour). Ended up I joined the queue and was feeling very happy since the queue was pretty short and moving. Shortly after I stood in line, the queue quickly extended towards the toilet area so I was feeling really excited. *cheap thrill*

I've always told myself that if I were to ever join in the queue, I would get the maximum 2 dozens and probably share them. So started calling my sister and Weiling knowing they would wanna try them too and got them pretty excited. Then I checked my wallet and realised that I didn't have enough $$$! They didn't accept NETS or VISA so I was starting to kick myself. =(

Not wanting to *waste the chance*, I eventually asked the person in front if he could lend me some $$ and I'll withdraw $$ from the ATM just round the corner. Luckily he was pretty helpful and he helped to keep my "position" in the queue while I quickly pop over to the ATM.

To cut the story short, managed to really buy 24 donuts and shared them with Weiling and my sister. The donuts sure tasted good and fresh.. But more importantly, I'm glad to share the joy and happy to see the smiles on their faces when they got the donuts.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Very Happy Birthday...

It's my birthday today and i felt particularly happy and contented this year.. all my loved ones and friends are around and things are smooth sailing which is all that i could ever ask for.

Since I've moved out from my parents house, we've grown closer and made more effort to be nicer to one another. Celebrated my birthday in advance with my family on Sunday. My sister bought me an awfully chocolate cake while my nephews & niece sung the birthday song & handmade some cards and presents. Mum as usual fed me with good food by cooking my favourite salted vegetable duck soup. Dad who is usually stoney & MCP called to wish me happy birthday and gave me a kiss over the phone! Even Gerald's parents gave me birthday ang paos.

Today also happened to be my first day of work at DC. I'm glad that culture seems pretty good and they do not advocate working OT which is great! Working environment is good too! Got a window seat with pretty good view except that the workstations are smaller.

And of course, there's Gerald. He got me a tiffany bracelet, from my favourite Atlas range. *nice* My first little blue box from Gerald and I hope there's more to come in future... hehe =)


Also got many birthday greeting from friends, especialy some longtime friends which was heartwarming. Ivy & Adrian were so sweet too. They got me a bouquet of flowers and turned up at Coca while Gerald & I were having dinner to wish me happy birthday... hehe a truly satisfying birthday.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Jes on Vacation..

Tired, dead tired from playing too much...
Knowing that this is my last week of vacation before a new and probably hectic working schedule kicks in, I packed my whole week with events! Instead of lazing in bed till midday, i woke up early from Monday morning till Friday and went out the whole day. *horror* Went for daily workout at the gym in the morning, meet up with friends for lunches, followed by some shopping (Zara started their sale yesterday!), coffee / high tea appointments, dinner appointments and on certain days, late night coffee and movie.

By friday, was surprised that the week passed so quickly and I'm gonna start work on Monday! Sianz.. It's a pity too that Gerald started working late (it's only his 2nd week of work!) so didn't managed to spend much time with him. Looking forward to Sat & Sun where we can finally slip coffee and catch a movie tog =)

Friday, June 22, 2007

Last day of work..

Today's my last day in ICA. I joined them in July 2002 right after graduation so it's been 5 long years! Most people would be in ROD mood on their last day of work, But for me, i was still attending meetings in the morning, handing over files in the afternoon, shredding docs at 5.30pm and packing stuffs till 7pm++. It's because I was clearing leave since I tendered my resignation on 1st June and there was only 6 workings days to handover the tons of work.

Had several farewell lunches with colleagues since news of me leaving got around. In particular, I like the buffet lunch at Carousel, located in the recently refurnished Royal Plaza Hotel along Scotts Road on Thurs. The selection is great, food is pretty fresh, the deco is pretty glam and most importantly, it's not overly expensive. =)


Final farewell lunch on Friday was Patrick and Seah at Sakae, Bugis. They were sooo sweet! They got me a swatch watch and wrote me a pretty touching card. Even my boss got me a farewell gift! Indeed I felt a tint of mixed feelings as I read the farewell cards from colleagues.. a bit sad to leave the good friends that I've made along the way, sad to leave my comfort zone.. and yet, I'm excited with anticipation for the road ahead..

Monday, June 18, 2007

Holiday in BKK (14-18 June 07)

Gerald & I went for a 5D 4N holiday in Bangkok last Thurs with 6 friends. There's a total of 3 couple & 2 additional guys. We had a good time shopping and eating. In fact, shopping started from DFS in S'pore airport. Bought my first La Mer product, their Refining Facial which is a miraculous scrub with pure diamond powder as ingredient... haha it reinforces the fact that diamonds are a girl's best friend.. Also bought the limited edition Guerlain Meteorites powder.. simply couldn't resist the pretty packaging. Had a good time shopping with the gals (Ivy & Jean) and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only spendthrift.. it's a women's nature to shop, shop & shop =PBKK never fails to satisfy us.. we tailored shirts / pants, enjoy massage sessions, stock up on lingerie.. basically eat, sleep then shop again. Simply loved the shark fin soup served in claypot and the boiled bird nest with coconut at Chinatown... we ate it twice and it made us real happy! Clubbing in Bkk is good too! The clubs are happening, the live band is good, the toilets are clean and huge and there's even foc masseur at the gents and a live band in the ladies.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Relax...

Had a good time bumming around for the last few days. I was on leave the whole week while Gerald is now taking a break before he starts his new job later this month. It was real nice that we could sleep late, shop around in the afternoon without the crowd, slip coffee and catch movies in the afternoon. Also had the time to meet up with friends for coffee & chill out and watch plenty of DVDs (we just finished Season 2 of Prison Break and it's really good!), and spent a big bomb on retail therapy..

Just a few weeks ago, I was feeling jaded from almost 5 years of working life and now, I'm happy and refreshed.. hehe. Looking forward to our Bangkok trip next week and another week of vacation in end June. =)

We also did our PC test on thurs morning. Arrived at the golf course for an early tee-off at 6.45am! The scenary is great and it's more exciting than playing at the range. Golf is a interesting game though.. almost like a roller-coaster. Still didn't play well and when we go practice at the range, always feel frustrated that my ball didn't fly so morale will hit rock bottom, and yet there's always the urge to play esp when we chance upon any golf related gear or magazines.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Yummy...

We had BBQ at our place today with a group of frens.. our first BBQ since we moved in about 5 months ago. Adrian recommended BBQ Wholesale Centre at Frankel Ave.. they offer a complete menu of BBQ essentials.. black pepper steak, marinated chicken wings, sambal stingray & sotong, even popcorn for BBQ! Two thumbs up for the convenience and taste!

It was very breezy downstairs so the bbq was enjoyable. Here's all our tired faces after the bbq.

Finally had the chance to taste donuts from the Donut Factory at Raffles City today. It's really fresh and soft.. absolutely divine.
My fav favour is the strawberry one on the bottom left. =)