The Wads

Love!

2009-05-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Awww my babies are finally getting along!

Aren't they too much? =)

I'm a proud mama!

Mommy of Two

2009-04-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have 2 kids...who can't get along!

In many ways, they are both sweethearts.

But the little guy bullies my Wittle Wad! She would be sitting in the hallway, minding her own business, and he would, out of playfulness, pounce at her!

And that would cause her hair to stand on ends, her tail pouf up like I've never seen, and she would jump up and scramble to run away from him.

So the little guy would now think that she wants to play, so he chases after her.

And Wittle Wad would hiss at him, terrified.

CAN'T EVERYONE JUST GET ALONG!?

Lol what a rude awakening. Makes me think twice about having kids in the future! Lol.

In case Jesse's reading this, I was just kidding about the last line. Love you. =)

But even though the little guy can be such a pain, he's so easy to love too. Such a character!

Wittle Wad's slowly getting used to having him in the house. She's learning to realise that she's the bigger one out of them two, and that she don't have to run away all the time.

(Little guy's potential names: Billy - Jesse's idea, as in Billy Goat. I told him he should be called Billy Mays - cos he's loud and can be annoying. Lol!

And I suggested Nitwit, or Nit for short. Or Nitnit. Hahaha. My poor cats! Stuck with funny names!)

Update: We've come up with his official name... it's.. Little Mo! Last name Ron. Hahaha you put two and two together and figure out how we came up with his name. =p

Our new little guy!

2009-04-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Meet the new member of our family... (...........)

This little guy!!! (We can't figure out a good name for him yet)

Super-hyper little kitty who zips around at the speed of light (pretty much!)

And he loves to cuddle, and show affection.. he would climb up on us when we're sitting and rub his face against ours. And jump up on our shoulder and just sit there, or rub a little more. =)

Ain't he a handsome little fella!

Cute little grey tufts of fur at the back of his ears.. lol =p

He was a stray when we got him today. Our neighbours were taking care of him for a day, feeding him and giving him water, but they couldn't keep him cos the guy is allergic to cats!

His eyes actually got all itchy and became red from coming in contact with the kitty. Poor guy!

So Jesse decided we should keep him, since he's a total sweetheart and we figured Wad could use a buddy!

Wad hasn't taken to him so well yet, tho. She hissed at him and was actually growling! My poor baby.

So I googled "how to introduce a cat to a new kitten" and I got some good links..

This one, and this.

So we're doing our best to take the necessary steps so they would get along and be buddies.

Tomorrow we'll be off to Wal-Mart to get him some proper kitty food and kitty milk. And maybe some toys. And his own bed.

Oh he's spoilt now! =p

2009-04-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

When people give you the full once-over, don't they realise that the subject can see that they're doing it?

I just woke up and ran downstairs to check the mail. (Just a TV-guide mag today -- I don't even know how I got subscribed to that..)

Anyhow, on the way down I ran into my downstairs neighbour, whom Jesse and I are always cordial to.

They appeared to be packing up their stuff to move, so I asked the guy where they're moving to?

And while chatting with him for a little bit in the doorway, 2 of his friends (a guy, and a badass-type chick with a nose stud and a scowl on her face) who were helping them move stopped at the door.

So I, being the friendly chirpy idiot, said a big smiley "Hi!" to them two.

What I got from her was a smirk on her face and a total once-over from head to toe, and a forced "Hi..".

And I think I saw her do a double-take at my feet.

Probably bcos I was wearing flip-flops with socks on. Hahah!

But it was obvious to me that she was eyeing me up and down.

So I returned the forced smile back at her and in my head, I rolled my eyes.

I'm too nice to be a bitch sometimes.

I wish I had more of a mean streak in me, but I just can't find it! lol.

So anyway Jesse's away on a fishing trip right now, with a couple other guys. Apparently there's some good fishing there and they're staying at Punk's family cabin.

Not my kinda trip..total man's thing, so I didn't go with.

It was Jesse's birthday on Tuesday, and I made him a birthday cake and invited some friends over.

It's not the best cake ever, but I was pretty proud of my amateur self for pulling off something decent-looking. Let's just say it looks tantalisingly home-made... lol!

Dan and his two boys checking out Jesse's trophy trout

I think this is turning out to be his signature birthday pose. Lol what a big moron! But yet I do still love him. =p Oh and we didn't have birthday candles. Yeah, sad story.

Hunter wanted a huge piece of cake but when he got it, he didn't even touch it. He was more worried about his cheese crackers. Lol goofball kid.

The cake turned out to be a hit! And I was glad even the kids liked it. That's always a good thing.

I was a little worried about the cake turning out at least decent, because i'm not that big into baking and this was my second birthday cake ever that I've made.

If you wanna try it out, here's where I got the recipe from. It's pretty fool-proof. I suggest tho that you do read the comments on the page for some useful tips.

OMG this I gotta share with you... lol.

I read about this website called Weightview.com in some magazine.

What you do is send a picture of current self to the website, and they will edit your photo to make you look like your desired weight.

So out of curiosity, I sent a pic of myself, and stated my desired weight loss to be 10lbs.

And this was what I got back...

Me, supposedly 10lbs lighter!

OMGGG it's effing hilarious I tell ya! I showed it to Jesse and he was laughing his pants off! Lol!

I look like a frickin bobblehead!! I didn't realise how huge my head was!

I'm glad that I'm perfectly happy with my current weight and I promise you I will never look like that! lol

I could even pass off as an alien in that photo! I mean, look at my hands! Lol it's so freaky-looking. Looks like I have 4 fingers on each hand.

Anyway I'm glad I got this over with... I finally blogged again!

I've been so uninspired lately. Lol.. but well I have more pics so I'll do that in another post.

Later!

=S

2009-03-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

I think I going to be sick again.. boohoo!

Aww my sister wuvs meee

2009-03-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Lovely mail day today! Got my new phone, some magazines, and a lovely care package from my sis Toot Toot!

In the package was this pretty tunic in a lovely teal colour..

..and a batik sarong she got for me when she was honeymooning in Malaysia

..some cute coasters that I'm probably gonna frame up, a Malaysia "kampong house" magnet, and of course, Miloooo!!!! Lol I havent't had milo for so long, so I requested for her to send me some!

And she also sent me some other magnets (Singapore civil defense magnets.. lol I asked her why she sent them and she just laughed, just being a Toot lol) and also a lovely cream-gold coloured table runner with Oriental motifs on it.

So THANK YOU TOOT TOOT! I love all of it =p.

Yayyy happy now.

2009-03-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hey guys...how have you been? Hope none of you have got the flu/cold bug like I have!

Jesse and I have been sick this whole week!

I got sick from him, and he got it from Dan who probably got it from his kids who probably brought it home from Doodlebug!

(Doodlebug is their daycare by the way, and it's an awesome name =p. )

Anyway, kids!!! The transmitter of deadly diseases!!!

Lol just kidding. I do love kids honestly.

Except the overly bratty spoilt ones who cry at everything to get what he wants. Ughhh...I shall not mention names. :-I

And Dan's wife Jan got it worse, she even had to go to the hospital for it. I think she's doing better now.

I'm still recovering; yesterday we went out for a walk at the park and I was quite winded from just walking...I felt so out of shape!

Anyway here's some pictures from last weekend, when we were helping fix up Dan's kitchen.

We primed the ceilings and walls, and painted the walls like a taupe-y, cocoa-ish colour. The colour swatch says 'natural beige' but it dries much darker than that.

Cut a hole in the wall to make way for a bartop. Still got more work to do in the kitchen!

Working on the tile backsplash.

What should have taken them only a couple of hours, took them all day cos the tile-cutter kept giving problems.

Voila... at the end of the day, pre-grout.

Earlier that day Jan and I went to Renninger's auction/market to get some grubs for the hungry men, and we stopped by Scott's to get some chicken fingers.

So we already made our order and was waiting around, and the man working there (I'm assuming Scott) asked me, "Were you born here in the States?"

And I was like, nope, I'm from Singapore.

K well here's the rest of our whole conversation:

Me: Where did you think I come from?
Scott: Like Philippines, Thailand, somewhere in that region.
Me: Yeah, I get Philippines alot.
Scott: Now, what's the big city in Singapore?
Me: It's Singapore! The whole country is a whole city in itself cos its so small.
Some guy working there(in his late teens or early 20's I would say): Yeah it's like a island or something right? It's really small.
Me: Yeah! It's not big at all.
Guy: Wasn't it part of the British colony at one time?
Me: (shocked) Yeah! Wow you know your history!
Guy: And didn't the Japanese take over too?
Me: (Mouth agape) Yeah, they did!
Guy: Now, who took over the country first, was it the British or the Japanese?
Me: (racking my brain trying to remember my own country's history) Uhmmm.. I think it was the British... you know what? I really suck at history so I might get this all wrong. I think you know more about the history of my country than I do! (laughs)
Guy: (laughs) What about the Khmer's, was Singapore ever part of that?
Me: Uhhh....no it wasn't but I think it was like...(racking my brain again)...Vietnam or something in that region.
Guy: Was it Cambodia?
Me: Yeahh that's it!

Lol at this point I was just amazed that somebody knows anything about Singapore or South-East Asia, let alone a young guy.

Cos out here, pretty much nobody knows about Singapore. Lol so I was quite impressed!

Oh and Scott was impressed that I spoke really good English, so I told them about our school language system, and everyone learnt English in school.

Which of course the other guy knew about too. Lol.

We chatted a little bit more about Singapore and then me and Jan had to make our way back to the house.

All I know is, I'm gonna frequent Scott's more often just cos they actually know about Singapore lol unlike most ignorant Americans. And they're really nice people too. =)

Anyway I have been trying out new recipes lately and working my magic in the kitchen. Lol. Amateur-level magic, but whatever. =p

I made baked manicotti, orange-chocolate biscotti, honey-baked bananas(real easy) and maple caramel sauce over the past week.

I'll put the recipes on my kitchen blog when I get to it sometime! =p

xoxo

Oh and happy birthday to my brother Zul! (He turned 28 today.. omg so old! lol j/k)

And congratulations to me cousin Farin in Brunei, he is getting married this weekend. Wishing you wedded bliss and a lifetime of love and happiness. =)

GalzNextDoor Lush Collection X!

2009-03-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous dresses, satin tops, trendy vests, accessories and much more in the new collection!

Enjoy browsing and happy shopping! =p

My current playlist

2009-03-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some download-worthy songs, if you agree with my taste in music:

1. Careless Whisper - Seether (just heard this today, love this version!)

2. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

3. Bossy - Lindsay Lohan (produced by Ne-Yo, I love his work!)

4. Love Lockdown (Remix) - Kanye West & LMFAO

5. Hurt - Nine Inch Nails (Rock version, this is the original) or Johnny Cash (Rich, awesome Americana version)

6. Girls - Beastie Boys (Oldskool!)

7. Crazy Bitch - Buckcherry (Catchy chorus =p)

8. Something In Your Mouth - Nickelback (Jesse's contribution to the list. lol)

9. 3's and 7's - Queens of the Stone Age

10. No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age

For you fans of Nine Inch Nails, I have a link here, for a free download of their new album! Download instructions are easy to follow!

Enjoy!

2009-03-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Got up early today to head to Newark Airport again..too early for me! We left at about 5.30am...so by mid-afternoon I was egggzausted! Bear in mind on a typical day (of late) I wake up at the crack of noon! Lol (don't hate me!)!

But I've been going to bed late too, at about 2am every night, so it's not like I've been sleeping too long every day.

I kinda wanna change my routine, cos I hate waking up with the day half over!

Anyhoo it went well at the airport, the officer was so nice (I can't think of his name...too tired to think!.. starts with a G i tink...).

At first he was like, I know I may look like a nice person, but I can be really mean.

And then later he must have changed his mind about himself, cos he said, I know I can look mean but I can be really nice.

Lol! Whichever way works I guess! Either way I was glad I got him cos he was awesome.

We talked a little about the whole immigration service and how it pretty much is not immigrant-friendly.

There's like a million and one forms to fill up, and without a lawyer, you're quite screwed, cos you're left to figure out what to do yourself.

And there's nobody you can call at the service center to get help with what forms to fill etc.

So he completely understood how I got into this whole mess in the first place. Some officers can be snooty jackasses, but he was so comforting and understanding.

The amazing thing was, he said when he first started out at the job, the filing fee for my forms was only like, $200, tops. And now it's gotten to be $1010!

And you would think with the government charging so much more, that they would provide better service to immigrants.

But heck, no. What the money's going to, I don't know. But it's way too much, I say.

Anyway, I'm done ranting.

I took a late-afternoon siesta earlier, and woke up about an hour later soooo tired. I tried to get up but my eyelids felt so heavy and I felt so beat.

But I did finally snap out of my trance, cos I had to prepare dinner and stuff.

I don't usually like to take naps anyway, I like to save my sleep for bedtime.

Tomorrow we're going to Dan's, and Jesse's gonna finish up his work on the wall adjoining the kitchen and living room. They basically tore down the wall and rebuilt it, cutting a hole in the wall, to allow for a bartop, and so you could see through from the kitchen into the living room.

And I'm gonna help them paint the living room and the kitchen walls, cos right now it's bone-white and with two little boys in the household, the walls look too dirty too fast.

And with colour on the walls, they could at least look clean longer. Lol you know how it is.

Anyway I'm gonna leave you with a little fun fact today that I learnt from my Snapple bottle cap!

Did you know that penguins have an organ above their eye that converts salt water to fresh water?

Lol betcha didn't know that huh! I didn't!

There, I taught you something today; there's my good deed for the day! =p

Spring is coming!!!

2009-03-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Daylight savings took effect today... so as of right now, my local time is exactly 12 hrs slower than Singapore time. Your PM is my AM and vice versa.

The weather has been beauuuutiful lately, hitting the 70's yesterday, and now it's in the 60's, although it's not such a beautiful day today, cos the skies are gloomy, and I expect it to pour sometime soon.

I loveee warm weather!

But I think this weekend was just a tease and we're gonna get a little more winter weather before spring arrives sometime later this month.

Haven't been up to much lately, still waiting on my letters of approval to get here before Thursday. ( I already got one back! =p Waiting on the rest now..so anxious!)

We played poker the other night at Landis's house...his basement/game room is so awesome. It has basically everything you need in a game room.. poker table, dartboard, foosball table, pool table, large screen tv, air hockey, Wii game set, and even a deep freezer filled with ice cream bars lol. It's a well decked out game room!

So I turned out to be the breadwinner of our household, winning $10 in a game, which equivalates to a free game! Lol and we played a couple rounds of poker, and we lost some money. But we had a lot of fun. =p

Oh and the guys had fun with my name, they thought my name was cool, and I went from being Zubby at the start of the night to Zubby-doo-be-doo to Scrappy at the end of the night. Lol could you tell they were drunk?

It was our first time playing with the group, and Jesse says he's just setting them up this time to think that he's a big bluffer, so next time he can hopefully win some money.

And I do believe him, because he is one of the better poker players that I personally know of, and I couldn't believe he didn't win any part of any pot the other night.

So we'll see what happens next time. =p I'm still a real amateur at the game tho, so I've been trying to get a lot of practice in playing online poker, and getting my ass kicked badly a lot of times. Heheh. I'm not the worst out there, but I'm sure as hell not the best either.

How well do we know each other

2009-02-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Recently I did a sorta quiz on Facebook, questions regarding Jesse.
(This is for you Mayuka! By request. =p)

Here it is..

"The cover note of dis tag ...Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband/boyfriend/lover. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then shoot, you know what to do. The real challenge is to send it to your partner to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?- Some outdoor sports channel / Football / Nascar / Golf (zzzZzzz) / Ice Hockey / Manswers lol

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?- Ranch. Yeah occassionally he has some salad with his dressing.

3. What's one food he doesn't like?- He's not a fan of weird seafood like octopus/squid or any of that rubbery stuff.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?- Pepsi or Mt Dew. Sometimes chocolate milk.

5. Where did he go to high school?- Northfield High School or something

6. What size shoe does he wear?- 11 1/2

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?- Hunting stuff. A collection of guns maybe.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?- Hmmmm... meatball or cold-cut sub, Johnz's special cheesesteak, PB & J I guess?

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?- Mac and cheese and 10 million eggs and tacos.

10. What is his favorite cereal?- Rice krispies I think or frosted flakes lol I don't know. He doesn't eat cereal much.

11. What would he never wear?- Anything pink.

12. What is his favorite sports team?- Colts and Dallas Stars. And umm Tony Stewart.

13. Who did he vote for?- Didn't vote lol.

14. Who is his best friend?- Me myself and Zubby =p

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?- Wear makeup / Take too long to get ready

16. What is his heritage?- American white boy, his dad's side tho has French heritage, mom's side has German heritage and Grandma has Indian/Native American blood

17. What is his favourite colour?- I have no clue but I would go with... maybe green cos its a camo color?

18. What is his habit?- Something to do with his nails but I won't say it.

19. What is he proud of?- He is proud of scoring big when he found me! wooo he hit the jackpot baby! Lol kidding.

20. Lastly, do you think he will read this?- Yes cos he is N O S Y.

THE RESULTS!: Most of them I got right, except:

#10: He says he likes lucky charms type cereals or any kind that has marshmallows in them. He likes his sugar I guess!

#17: This I just found out thru doing this little quiz.. his favourite colour is brown! (Brown?!) lol well I know now I guess.

And of course he says #14 and #19 is wrong too. Lol you see what I gotta deal with. Hmph!

And then he did one about me... (my comments/evaluation of his answers are in PINK)

"1. She's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?- anything from hgtv channel or Jay leno

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does she get on his salad?- Ranch.

3. What's one food she doesn't like?- umm pork

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does she order?- Milk or tea

5. Where did she go to high school?- singapore (Could his answer be any more vague lol)

6. What size shoe does she wear?- 7 or 8 (Mostly 7, and I go a size up for boots.)

7. If she was to collect anything, what would it be?- bags or shoes ( =p =p =p =p)

8. What is her favorite type of sandwich?- Hmmmm... chicken (umm.. sure. I don't know my own answer either)

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?- sea food or pratta or malay-food (dying for all these!)

10. What is her favorite cereal?- Total (honey clusters)

11. What would she never wear?- anything that is practical not cute!!! (lol he has the idea that I would compromise comfort for cute. But he's wrong!! Most of the cute stuff I wear are comfy =p )

12. What is her favorite sports team?- Cowboys or Dale Ernheart jr. (Wrong on cowboys)

13. Who did she vote for?- Didn't vote lol.

14. Who is her best friend?- Imginary or her sister (toot-toot) (Haha at least my imaginary friend is nicer to me than Jesse is. lol. Kidding. No imaginary friend. And Jesse is an imaginary non-pain-in-the-butt)

15. What is something you do that she wishes you wouldn't do?- loose my patience when out shopping (He does this ALL the time. He hates shopping. Unless of course if we're at Cabela's, then it's a whole different story *rolls eyes*)

16. What is her heritage?- Javenese / Malay/ Singaporean

17. What is her favourite colour?- blue red green yellow (Yeah he might as well start listing all the colours of the rainbow lol. My current favourite is red and royal blue. Used to love yellow. Green was never a favourite.)

18. What is her habit?- annoying me ALL THE TIME (Ditto)

19. What is she proud of?- I have no clue

20. Lastly, do you think he will read this?- Yes cos she is N O S Y. (Haha copycat)

To sum it up, I think we know each other well enough.

Although sometimes I think I know Jesse a little too well. Lol like he has this "Hmm... I'm craving a little snack.. wonder what we have in the kitchen" look that I recognise.

And sometimes just by looking at him I can literally see his thought process mapped out in front of me, and even almost see a lightbulb go up over his head when he comes up with a "brilliant" idea (which most of the time involves him tormenting me).

So Jesse says he should probably trade me in for someone new, cos I know all his moves and thoughts like the back of my hand. Lol. With someone new, he says at least there would be an element of surprise.

Lol but it's all in the name of fun, and we still have a lot of fun with each other, and I have to say I'm not sick of him yet.

So it's looking like I'm gonna have to deal with him for many many years to come. =p

I wanna be a kid again

2009-02-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Being a grown up is the absolute PITS.

Worrying about bills and just working to survive day to day, I could do without all those.

I want my mommy and daddy to worry about all that for me.

So I could be carefree and only have to worry about things like which sister I should bug today. Heheh.

But, all that only plays out in my fantasies, and unfortunately I gotta deal with the reality and face the music. (wak wak wakkkk...)

Today I just put together about 40 pages of documents and forms, all of which I'm mailing to the USCIS (immigration service) tomorrow morning.

I'm so sick of filling out forms already.

But I'm glad I got it all done already and just hope and pray everything was filled out correctly and that all my forms will be approved.

*Cross my fingers and toes!* Pray for me!

Jesse is NOT my dad

2009-02-15T19:33:00.001-08:00

We were over at Dan's earlier and I was on the computer printing out some pictures and the guys and the kids were playing poker.

Cody (one of the kids) just won a hand and he was all excited so he had to tell me about it and he said, "Hey Zubby I beat your dad!!!"

.....................

!!!!!!!!

I went, "What??? Jesse's not my dad!"

Lol omg that is just so wrong on so many levels.

So later I joined them in a game and I still couldn't get over the fact that Cody thought I was Jesse's daughter so I asked him, "Cody, how old do you think I am?"

And he looked clueless and shrugged and said, "I don't know."

So Dan helped him out and asked him, "Who is Zubby's dad?"

And with absolutely NO hesitations both Cody and his little brother Hunter pointed to Jesse.

!!!

Lol I had no idea that's what the kids thought.

Jesse thought it was funny and went, "Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?"

I know Jesse and I have a huge height difference but I didn't think I look that young.

The kids probably think that I'm just a few years older than them! Lol!

And I know Jesse and I look funny when we stand next to each other because of our height difference, but I'm really used to it already so I hardly ever notice it.

But occasionally when I catch a glimpse of our reflection in the mirror, it makes me go, "Holy crap, I'm short!"

Anyway I just wanna make this clear to all you little kiddies out there, that Jesse is NOT my dad! lol

Oh it's just too hilarious and weird at the same time.

Lucky Friday the 13th

2009-02-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Got up early this morning and we headed to the Newark Airport to attend to some immigration issues.

When we pulled into the airport terminal B parking lot at about 8am, there must have been about 10 news crews parked and set up there to report on the plane crash in upstate New York.

You might have heard about it by now..sad story.

The commuter plane departed from Newark and was headed to Buffalo by the way, hence the throng of news teams being on location at the airport.

Anyway my immigration issues were settled as best it could, and they were once again really kind to me. Thank GOD.

Dealing with immigration stuff is so frustrating though, because there are forms after forms to file. And a regular joe like me has to figure it out by myself, cos we can't afford a lawyer to help us out thru these immigration proceedings.

And one of the forms I'm going to file costs $1000!

And that's just one form. Can you imagine how much money the government makes off immigrants alone?

Anyway there's a good chance I can get a job this year, bcos I figured out what to do to be able to work here (legally).

So I'm excited about that; I can't wait to start working and making money again. It's been a while! Lol too long.

So it turns out that Friday the 13th wasn't so unlucky for me, and boy am I glad!

I'm not a superstitious person though so I wasn't really worrying about the day jinxing me.

And Valentine's day is tomorrow, we are probably not doing anything fancy this year. Just spending time with each other (and being really nice to each other =p) is good enough!

Although I did request for him to not get me any flowers this year (cos they are so overpriced and the economy has bit us in the ass), but to get me a box of Entenmann's frosted cinnamon rolls instead!! Wooo! *Drool*

I've been a good girl, I haven't had cinnamon rolls in a longggg time so I'm gonna have me some delicious rolls tomorrow! Yum! They're soo good warm. Mmmmm....

Entenmann cinnamon rolls to me are second best to Cinnabon's, but sucks to be me, there isn't a Cinnabon outlet within close proximity to our place.

And we aren't about to drive anywhere far because our car literally smokes up when we drive it. It is that bad already. So we'll be getting a new car by next week I'm guessing.

Anyway I wanna wish my sweety happy valentine's and I love you too much! xoxo =p

Being with him has made me a better person, mentally and emotionally.

For one, I have learnt to be more patient and more tolerant of pain in the asses like him. Lol!

Just kidding... =p Not! Heheh.

Jokes aside, I still love you and I'll keep all the mushy stuff private so as not to make everybody gag.

Oh and sweety if you wanna put some hunting credits in the bank, you gotta be super nice to me! =p

And happy valentine's to all of you too! Have a great weekend!

Gloomy

2009-02-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Oh, when it rains, it pours.

Who says money can't buy happiness?

Short-term happiness is better than none.

I'll take short-term any day.

Love these ads!

2009-02-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

These are for cat-lovers like me! These ads are so cute!

They have been around for a while in American magazines. It's for Fresh Step cat litter.

Enjoy! =) xoxo

The fine print reads, "It's hard to find your litter box if you can hardly smell it"

Lost in Translation

2009-02-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Last night I was showing Jesse a picture of some camels that Aishah took in Abu Dhabi that she uploaded on Facebook, which she captioned "These lazy camels are specially for Zubby".

And to which I commented in a mix of English and Malay, "Thanks eh. Sungguh berkenan i. Senyuman nya sungguh menawan."

So Jesse told me to translate my comment for him cos he can hardly speak a word of Malay.

And this was the first thing that came out of my mouth trying to translate "Sungguh berkenan i"....I said, "I am attracted to the camels."

Omggg Jesse couldn't stop laughing.

So I tried taking back what I said, trying to explain to him that that's not what it really means, and that my Malay is not that good but he wouldn't hear any of it.

Ughh this is what I get for having a mouth that moves faster than my brain does. Lol.

He was still laughing so hard, and he shoved a pillow under his shirt on his back, and walked on all fours (ala camel) and said,"Is this what turns you on Babe?"

Omggg hahaha I AM NOT ATTRACTED TO CAMELS.

That's the last time I'm translating any Malay for Jesse cos I know I will say something stupid like that again, and I won't hear the last of it for the rest of my life.

Speaking of Facebook, literally (almost) my whole family is on facebook!! Even my dad and my mom, and some of my aunts.

Haha at first I freaked out seeing my dad on Facebook, but now I think it's totally awesome, we're all connected and we can keep in touch all the time!

And now a lot of Jesse's family are on Facebook too. Some of them he hadn't talked to in a while, and he found plenty of old friends and buddies there too.

So as of right now I say Facebook is awesome!

Post-superbowl

2009-02-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

So my team won the Superbowl last night! Making them the winningest team in Superbowl history, with 6 wins now, I think.

Well I guess I wouldn't really call the Steelers 'my' team, considering I only picked them between the two bcos they had a higher chance of winning.

Although halfway into the game, I found myself rooting for the Arizona Cardinals to win, just because they were the underdogs and it would be nice to see them win their first ever Superbowl.

It was a really good game tho, the final score was 27 - 23, so it was a close match, really exciting to watch.

And what better food to watch a game with than pizza! We got 2 large ones, which was way more than we both could possibly eat, so we have plenty of leftovers.

I recalled seeing some recipes using leftover pizzas, so I went online this morning to look for some, and only found this.

I don't care what you think but it looks pretty good to me, and i think it's worth a try if i get really bored later and feel like tinkering around in the kitchen. =)

So it was a beautiful day out yesterday, so we went to the Sweet Arrow Park/Lake before the game, bcos Jesse wanted to check out some streams to fish.

It was gorgeous there, there was so much snow on the ground, we (I) took plenty of pictures, threw snowballs, and I made a snow angel, and all that good cheesy snowtime fun. =p

And the lake was frozen over too so we walked across the lake, and there were some people ice-fishing on the lake. I would have taken pictures of us there, but the darn camera battery died so I was sad. And Jesse was elated. lol.

But I'll be back there next week! For more pictures! =p Hope the lake stays frozen tho.

Some car pulling out of the parking lot

The sky was the perfect shade of blue

Jesse on the bridge, looking down at the waterfall

The waterfall with some snow around it

Making our way up the newly built walkway

Checking out the stream below

Me and my sweetheart

Weeee

Snow-covered rocks

Heading towards the lake

Hahaha me and a pinecone

The sun going down.. last pic before my battery died =(

2009-01-31T16:39:00.000-08:00

My baby trying out his "poker look" hahaha he's so gonna make me take this down
All together now.. I wear my sunglasses at night...I wear my sunglasses at night..

The skinny bastard, I can't stand him.. he can pig out all he want and not gain a single pound.

On the other hand, little ol' me gotta watch what I eat, otherwise I'd balloon up. I wish I was as tall as him, so my weight would spread out more evenly..? I guess that's how it works with tall people. Lol that's my theory.

Anyway he's out to a friend's house for a game of poker. I wished him luck and told him to bring home some moolah! lol he's pretty good at poker though.

I on the other hand am really bad at it.

Oh and tomorrow's Superbowl!! I'm betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win... I'm not much of a football fan, but I do love to watch the Superbowl, and although I couldn't tell you all the technical terms of the game, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Two years ago when I got here and started watching football (when I had no other choice but to), it was all foreign to me.

Now I think I got the basic gist of it, although the thing that has got me particularly enamored is the ref's hand signals. lol I find it quite amusing to watch. =)

On a different (sadder) note, today marks the 1st anniversary of Blazer's passing.

Blazer was Jesse's chocolate dog and best hunting bud, and he was a total sweetheart.

And my heart breaks for him because I know how much Blazer meant to him.

Maybe he will come visit Jesse again in his dreams tonight like he did last year.

Jesse in his teen years, with his puppy Blazer

Lucky to have so much to lose

2009-01-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

This whole excerpt is taken off Redbook magazine's February issue, and in the spirit of Valentine's day, six writers were asked to share what romance means to them.

This story touched me the most..

" "Is that your husband?" The ER nurse is pointing to you, the fever-spiked lump who is snoring softly and muttering beside me. We've been here for hours, and for hours I've returned my lips over and over to your scalding forehead, as if to cool it, or, perhaps, to comfort myself. In just a little while longer, we'll find out that what you have is a severe case of strep, and you will swallow the prescribed pills, and I will finally put my lips to your quietly sleeping forehead and feel a welcome coolness. But for now the nurse's face is creased with compassion and weariness - she is waiting - and it's not really the right time to tell her about your gentle strength: the way you rocked our baby in the sling for hours on end while you graded papers, rocked another baby three years later while you did your anatomy homework, babies peacefully asleep across your broad chest for what feels like my entire adult life. It's not the right time to explain what a funny contradiction you are, a hockey-playing massage therapist, or how just last week you lay your hands on a friend's father while he lay dying in hospice. She wouldn't understand how funny it is that you gave me bedtime coupons - promising to turn in early on the nights I redeem them - because you're a night owl and I miss you in bed, or how it feels when I come down in the morning to a toasty kitchen because you've already lit a fire in our wood stove. She doesn't know that I'm strangely euphoric, sitting here thinking about how lucky I am to have so much to lose - my rock, my mystery, the love of my life - that I'm sitting here thinking in sickness and in health. I will, I think, I do. But all I can say is yes. "Yes. That's my husband."
Catherine Newman is the author of Waiting for Birdy"

Nummy nummy

2009-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Made these today! These are called melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies, and I made the thumbprint cookie version of it.. sooo good!

True to the name, they literally crumble in your mouth.

Definitely not your go-to cookies if you're watching your weight, but definitely try it if you want something delicious.

The recipe calls for very little ingredients, and the trick to it is to whip the softened (room temperature) butter with an electric mixer for at least 10 minutes, till it's so light and mousse-like.

Recipe here! (I added a teaspoon of vanilla essence to my butter)

Enjoy!

To make the thumbprint cookies, shape dough into 1-inch balls, and using a finger (dampened with just a little water), make a well in the center of the dough balls.

Fill the well with jam of choice before baking. I used strawberry preserves and grape jelly for these ones.

Aging gracefully?

2009-01-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

I got asked what my age was the other day, and the number that popped up in my head was 22.

And I was like wait, that's not right..

And then it finally registered in my head that I was already 23 and turning 24 this year! Oh my god do I feel old.

Age sure creeps up on you really fast the older you get, and I'm hating it.

At least I don't see any signs of aging on me yet... no wrinkles or anything to freak out on.

I think I read somewhere that Asians tend to age slower than Caucasians, so that's great news for me =). However I hope the four seasons and cold weather isn't a catalyst for aging. Lol anyway I guess I shouldn't worry too much yet..

I'm still young..

*Age is just a number...age is just a number...*

I'll have to make sure I slather on enough lotions and potions daily and hope I'll age gracefully.

Jesse's turning 29 this year, and will be 30 next year!! Omg omg lol wow it would feel so weird to say I'm with a 30 year old guy.

I can't get over it...

Well at least he doesn't look like a 30 year old, nor does he act like one.

90% of the time when he's with me, he acts more like a 10 year old, or at most, 12. Lol boys will always be boys, and they always think gross is funny. *rolls eyes*

But that's what I love about him, he's fun to be with, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and I guess we're quite on par in terms of our sense of humors.

The only thing old about him is the physical condition of his body. Working hard for more than 10 years in the construction industry has taken its toll on his body; his right shoulder is pretty much busted and he says his body feels like that of someone 10 years older.

So we're hoping to have little Zubby and Jesse juniors before he gets too old... So he can run around with the kids and not feel like an old grandpa watching the kids grow up. So he can take our little boys on hunting and fishing trips, and I can take our girls shopping and do girl stuff. Lol =)

One thing I know for sure is that Jesse will make a great dad; he is so great with kids, and kids just love him.

I can't wait for that next chapter of our lives, when the time comes and when the time is right.

Anyway. On a different note..

My dad will be undergoing a minor surgery next month to remove his kidney stones. Hope all goes well with that and that it goes without a hitch.

He had some kidney stones a couple of years ago, and it passed, but it came back again.

Here's a link if you wanna read up on it.

Basically one of the main causes is not drinking enough water..so make sure you drink enough to try to keep your urine clear! However some people get kidney stones because of a medical condition or family history.

So here's wishing everyone great health always, and please take care of your body the best you can!

2009-01-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Dan's, am pretty beat and just about ready for bed!

I might be going with the guys to hunt for crows tomorrow.. but we'll see! I hate crows! I had my terrible experience with them in Singapore.. okay, so maybe I shouldn't judge all crows based on the actions of 3 evil ones, but I still don't like them too much! Heheh.

Watched the movie Saw 5 today with Jan... wow was the movie gory. It was brutal and sadistic and very bloody, but overall a good horror flick if you're into blood and guts and all that good stuff.

Here's some pics for all you suckers for cute kids..!

These are Dan's kids Hunter and Cody.

Hunter is way too hilarious. He would walk up to Jesse (who was sitting down) and slapped him with both hands on Jesse's thighs and go, "Dude!!!" lol. Little tough guy. And he's got quite the little mouth on him too. So adorable =).

Me, Cody in red and Hunter in yellow

Need a new car

2009-01-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

Our car Ol' Betsey has been a piece of junk lately.

The other night we were almost frozen up on our car rides to and from Dan's, because the heater didn't blow hot air! It blew cold air instead so the ride felt a lot longer than it usually does. And we had to keep the heater on to prevent the windshield from fogging up.

Good thing I was bundled up; I had a couple layers of clothes on and I had to sit on my hands to keep them warm.

Today Jesse is hoping to get the thermostat replaced; he thinks that's what's causing the problem. I don't know anything about cars so I'm gonna go with what he says.

Or if there's any kind souls out there who would like to donate a car to us (brand new or used) we would gladly take it. Hehehe.

An 09 or 2010 Ford Fusion would be just sweet. I'll take it in red. =D

Just cos I know you care. lol

2009-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

1) Who did you last shoot a dirty look at? Jesse

2)What kind of car do you drive? I don't drive but our car is a Plymouth

3)Have you ever had a garage sale? Nope

4)What color is your iPod? No iPod but my cheapo brand MP3 player is blue

5)What kind of dog do you have? I have a cat who thinks she's a dog

6)What's for dinner tonight? Fried macaroni (Malay style) I think, with some veges on the side

7)What is the last drink you drank? Hot sweet tea

8)Last time you were sick? When I got back from Singapore, about a month ago

9) How long is your hair? A little past my shoulders..time for a haircut!

10) Are you happy right now? Very happy yet very stressed out at the same time

11) What did you say last? K bye

12) Who came over last? Dan or maybe the UPS guy

13) Do you drink beer? Nope I don't drink

14) Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? No but I think they're all adopted. Heheh! =p

15) What is your favorite key chain on your keys? I'm using the Australia kangaroo one that Yazzy got me

16) What is in your pocket? Lint and fuzz maybe

17) Who introduced you to your boyfriend or girlfriend? Fate. hahahaha

18) Who is the last person you had a phone conversation with? Jesse

19) What DVD is in your DVD player? Pendekar Bujang Lapok

20) What's something fun you did today? Swept some snow? No too fun tho.

21) What do you think of when you hear the word "meow"? Wittle Wad you're making too much noise

22) What are you listening to right now? Flobots' The Rhythm Method...my favourite song to get me going in the mornings!

23) What have you had to drink so far today? Tea and milk

24) When is your birthday? 24th October and a proud Scorpio!

25) What's the area code for your cell phone? 570

26) Where did you buy the shirt you're wearing now? Wal-Mart! Sweatshirt was on clearance for a third of the price, so comfy!!

27) Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? No Jesse says you can get fined for that stuff. Don't wanna get into trouble for something stupid like that. And PA is a crappy state.

28) How many states in the U.S. have you been to? Maybe 10? 10 to 15 I would say

29) What are you going to do after this? Grab a snack and do my daily workout

30) What is something you need to go shopping for? Clothes and shoes!!! Although I'm running out of room in our closet heheh. You can never have too many! Oh and groceries I guess.

31) Do you like pickles? Nope but they're not too bad in burgers.

32) How about olives? Don't like them too much either but I'd eat them with my spaghetti.

33) What is your favorite kind of gum? Orbit sugarfree gum, sweetmint

34) Do you have any tan lines? Yeah

35) Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher? Mdm Aishah, Miss Linda, Miss Cher i tink (not like the singer but like teaCHER)

36) Who was the last person to call you baby? Jesse, but not in the sweet way. He probably called me a crybaby or big baby or something lol. Oh isn't he so sweet..

37) When you're at the grocery store do you used the self checkout? Yeah when I can. Lol its fun.

38) Has anyone ever sang to you? Yes =) hehe I'm a sucker for romance.

39) Has anyone ever given you roses? Yup

40) If you were abandoned in the wilderness, would you survive? If I was with Jesse I would totally survive, he's really really smart and reliable when it comes to stuff like that. (and I think that's so hot =p ) If I was totally alone, I would probably not make it lol.

41) What is your favorite color? Red and royal blue

42) What color are your eyes? Very dark brown or black

43) What is a compliment you receive way too often? .....

44) How tall are you? Not too tall. 5'1

45) Who was the last person to say they loved you and when? Jesse, this morning

46) Do you like your parents? Yup love them =)

47) Why did your last relationship end? Cos it was going nowhere

48) Who was the last person you said you loved on the phone? Jesse.

49) Where is the furthest place you've traveled? Singapore? From the US it's Singapore, from Singapore it's the US. Too long of a flight.

50) Which do you prefer, to eat or sleep? I prefer to sleep! Although I do love food.

51) Do you look more like your mom or your dad? I get a lot of people saying I look like my mom alot. =) But my face shape is like my dad's.

52) How long does it take you to shower? About 10 minutes. Although I spend a lot of time in the bathroom lotioning up and stuff.

53) Can you do splits? I wish I could but I'm not that flexible.

54) Can you use the grill? Yeah I can grill it's easy

55) Are you flexible? Somewhat flexible but I'm definitely not a contortionist.

56) What movie do you want to see? Madagascar 2 and the new one with Clint Eastwood...Gran Torino...looks like an awesome movie.

57) What did you on New Years Eve 2007? Was at home maybe?

58) Was your mom a cheerleader? If she was, I'm not aware of it.

59) What is the last letter of your middle name? H

60) How many hours of sleep did you get last night? About 8 or 9

61) Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? All the time, cos Jesse is a crazy driver!

62) Are you scared of flying? Not really.

63) What do you sleep in? PJs

64) Do you have any tatoos? Nope

65) Have you ever been to Los Angeles? Yeah but only to LAX

66) What jewelry do you wear all the time? My ring =) and earrings

67) What is your favorite song at the moment? "Live Your Life" by T.I. and Rihanna.. I love that a rapper is singing such a positive song. And I've been really into Lil Wayne's music lately.. "Shooter" is a good chillout song. "The Pot" by Tool...soo reminds me of Jesse when I hear this song.

68) What song do you HATE? Easyy question... I absolutely HATE that Superman song by Soulja Boy with so much passion! Easily the most annoying "mat" hip hop song there ever was. If you wanna torture me, put me in a room with this song playing on repeat. I can't even get halfway thru this song without cringing and wanting to shoot myself lol.

69) Do you like chocolate? One of the best things in life!

70)Are you easy to get along with? Yeah I think I'm pretty easygoing.

71) Any up coming events you're excited about? Xmas in Nebraska in December, and my bro's wedding in November (hope I can make it)

Duck hunting

2009-01-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

Jesse and Dan shot a couple of mallards today (the ones with the green heads are the males).

He's happy he has found a buddy out here in PA who is as passionate about hunting as he is.

Tomorrow is the coldest day of the week and yet they are gonna go out to hunt, that's how crazy they are! Boys will be boys!

Yes, Dear you look hot in this photo. =) I think she knows how to pose for pictures. Look at how she leans towards Jesse. =p

Dan with his puppy lab retriever Kylie

2009-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's so cold this week!! No thanks to the Arctic air blowing our way.

In the midwest, the temperatures have hit a low of -35F! That's about -37C. Freaking cold I tell you! With a wind chill of -50F (-45C)!

Quoting an MSNBC.com article, it's so cold that zero seems warm! lol

Good thing we're not hit so bad here in the eastern states, the coldest its gonna get this week here is about 4F (-15C).

I am so not looking forward to winters in Minnesota when we do move there. I think I would be bundled up and looking like a giant marshmallow and permanently stationed right next to the fireplace all winter.

Yummy in my tummy =)

2009-01-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yay I have found THE perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe (that I know of). =D

If you like crunchy cookies, then you'll like this!

I'll put up the recipe on my recipe blog tmw!

For now just enjoy this..

Oh so good with a cold glass of milk!

Update: Recipe posted! LINK Enjoy!

Me & You Belong

2009-01-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

"They don't know how long it takes, waiting for a love like this, everytime we say goodbye, I wish we had one more kiss.....I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend"

You push my buttons, and I push yours... and we couldn't be any more different than each other; we hardly ever ever like the same things!

But you somehow complete me, and will always be the one I love. =p

P/S I'm not a poodle. You're the poodle!

P/P/S: Sorry, didn't mean to make you guys sick. lol I'm listening to love songs, got a little carried away! Teehee!

Music love

2009-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Loveee Lesley Roy.

Listening to her voice on "Unbeautiful", my idea of how she looks is someone butch-y or androgynous, kinda like KD Lang or...Annie Lennox?

But holy crap she looks like Amanda Bynes, so feminine-looking with flowing blond hair.

Check out her music here (LINK) her voice is awesome, I absolutely love it!

Some of my favorites are Dead But Breathing, and of course, Unbeautiful.

I'm not so into the punkier, upbeat Paramore-sounding songs, but I love the ballad-ier ones.

These are the lyrics to Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy...

Don't hang up, can we talk?
So confused, it's like I'm lost
What went wrong, what made you go
Don't pretend you don't know
This is me, I'm unchangable

When did we fall apart?
Or did you lie from the start?
When you said, it's only you
I was blind, such a fool
Thinking we were unbreakable

[chorus]
It was you and me, against the world
And you promised me forever more
Was it something that I said?
Was it something that I did?
Cause I gotta know what made me unbeautiful

[verse 2]
I've been told what's done is done
To let it go and carry on
Deep inside I know that's true
I'm stuck in time, stuck on you
We were still untouchable

[chorus]

[bridge]
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
Cause I'm only dreaming
Get out, get out, get out, get out
Get out of my head now
Because we're much better altogether
Can't let go...

[chorus] x2...
made me unbeautiful

Yappity yes..or yappity no

2009-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

Wow I really have nothing to yap about.

Should I yap just for the sake of yapping, or should I not cos I have nothing to yap about.

Hmm...

I think I won't yap this time. =)

p/s: But I guess I just did after all! =S

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T03:53:00.000-08:00

My new year's eve started out at 5am, when Jesse got up to go for an early morning hunt.

Their initial plans were to go duck-hunting (Jesse was gonna show them how to use the duck-call), but his new hunting buddy Dan (his BFF!! =p lol) spotted a big buck yesterday; so, easily, they changed plans.

And before he left this morning, he said "Oh by the way, I was up last night on the computer and I think there's a virus on it now. I tried to remove it but I think I did more damage than anything."

So I thought ohh goddd... But I told him I'll take care of it.

Thank god there's a computer geek between the two of us... oh I feel so smart now! =p

So I figured out what happened and got it all taken care of.

Turns out a pop-up window came up, claiming to be some kinda anti-virus software and that the computer is infected. (I've came across it before.)

But instead of closing the window, my genius of a sweetheart fell for it and clicked "Install" or whatever and that's when all the nonsense started.

Basically what it was, was a rogue application which provides false information about the safety of your computer as well as give erroneous scan results or put their own malware on your computer.

And it's really really annoying bcos it automatically starts up when you turn on the computer and it keeps telling you that your computer is infected, and the window always pops up.

So if that ever happens to you, what you gotta do is download an anti-malware program like Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware software, and it will detect rogue applications and remove it for you. (The rogue application doesn't show up in your Programs list so you can't remove it how you would a regular program)

Anyway geek talk aside...boy am I so glad this year is almost over! I'm so looking forward to a fresh new year, cos maybe it will bring us something better than the crappy 08?

Obama will be inaugrated; we'll see how he fares! Hope he doesn't screw up after all the hoopla over him... I do have hope for him tho, he seems like a capable leader. But, we'll have to see!

The best part about 08 for me was that my family bonds are stronger than it has ever been in a long time! =) My short Singapore trip after being gone for 2 years was way beyond all my expectations, and for that I feel so blessed and so...fulfilled! There used to be a big gaping hole in my heart, but now it's pretty damn close to being whole again. And I'm a happy camper. =p

Oh and 08 sucks because I still haven't got a job yet! So I guess that's gonna be my new year's resolution.. to get a darn job!

Although it is not really something within my control. I'm just hoping the government would just get on with it and process my green card already! So I can get a job!

Me getting a job = more income = better financial freedom for us = a happier life! (i think... =p)

And the year 08 also took me to Tokyo and made me experience it in the way that I didn't want to! Sorry Tokyo I don't like you so much right now no thanks to my nightmare there, but I'll give you another go in the future...I'm sure I'll love you then! As cliché as it sounds...it's not you, it's me! lol!

So enough yapping...all you party people, go party hard! And have a blast! I love all of youuuu!!!(my friends, family, anybody reading this! =p)

And I shall wrap up this blogging year by leaving you with MSNBC's Photo of the Year....

Stunning, isn't it? The photo is of an electrical storm over an erupting volcano in Chile.
Click here for more photos!

Late Christmas present! =p

2008-12-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

It wasn't really late bcos I received my Fedex package the day after Christmas (there's 12 days of Christmas isn't there?..so it's still Christmas? lol anyway)

I had signed up to be a Beauty Tester for Self magazine, and I got lucky enough to be picked! =p

Yay to free stuff!!!

Here's the e-mail I got..

Hello Beauty Tester!

Thank you for participating in the SELF 2009 Healthy Beauty Awards! Your products have been shipped, and you should receive them in a few days. Please try every product and determine which one is your favorite.

When finished testing, don’t forget to submit the online questionnaire by January 15, 2009. Just go to:(website)

Follow the instructions for filling out and turning in the form and please make sure to refer to the product category that was included on your instruction sheet in your package. And remember: One lucky tester who returns the Questionnaire on time will receive the entire collection of winning products (approximately a $2000 value)!

Keep in mind, the quotes you give us when filling out the questionnaire may be used in the story that will appear in the May 2009 issue, so please be as specific as you can. Note everything you can about the products and your experience testing them. If you have any questions, email (e-mail). We look forward to hearing from you!

Happy testing,
The SELF Beauty Team

I think the product category I was given to try was the "organic lotions" proabably, cos that's what they all seem to be! ..The kind of lotions you can find at a spa.

So here's all of what I got..! (and I've added the links to their various websites)

The Body Deli Rose Euphoria Body Lotion . Retails at USD22. If you know what rose syrup is, this TOTALLY smells like it. It smells so sweet and rosy! Almost too sweet. I'll probably smell like a (short) walking bottle of rose syrup when I try this out!

It contains certified organic ingredients, pure essential oils, vitamins A, C & E, plant enzyme complex, ionic sea plant minerals and nourishing oils (evening primrose, avocado, rice bran, borage and jojoba).

And Body Deli lotions are chemical and synthetic free! So it's all natural and good for ya! And because it's all natural, it's recommended to be stored in the fridge to extend the potency and therapeutic benefits of the product.

When Hope Is Not Enough Omega 3-6-9 Replenishing Body Lotion by Philosophy. (Yes the name is as short as it can possibly get! Lol) Retails at USD35.

This lotion is so lightly scented (I can't figure out what the scent is). I put this on after my shower last night.. so far so good!

The lotion replenishes the skin with omega 3-6-9 essential fatty acids, and has peptides which provides optimum age-defying benefits from head to toe!

Wen Nourishing Body Lotion by Chaz Dean. Retails at USD32.

This lotion is lavendar-scented, with a blend of goji berry and white tea leaf extract to help nourish and protect your skin from environmental toxins.

Did you know that the key ingredient in this lotion (lavendar essential oil) has antibacterial and soothing properties, is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. Promotes healing; revives and soothes. (Got all this from the website lol)

I also got sample packets of SpaRitual Moisturizing Lotions. Got 3 different kinds, the Instinctal Lotion, the Open Your Eyes Organic Lotion and the Close Your Eyes Organic Lotion.

I haven't opened the packs yet to try it out tho, but more details are on the websites linked!

The last item in the package is the Kiss My Face Olive My Body sensuously soothing balm with Extra Virgin Olive Butter. Retails at USD8.95.

This product contains no animal ingredients, artificial colors, or unnecessary chemicals and was not tested on animals.

The smell is very subtle with a slight hint of grapefruit scent that adds a little zing to the senses.

It comes in a small can, and in the form of a balm, so it is pretty hard to apply with using just the fingerpads. So I'm probably gonna have to use a lipbrush for this one. Recommended to use on the nails, knees, neck, lips, cuticles and anywhere else in urgent need of attention.

Awesome set of gifts to wrap up my Xmas, all thanks to Self magazine! You guys rock!!!

Christmas 08!

2008-12-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Had a wonderful Christmas this year, I finally got a new camera thanks to Jesse's Mom! Thank you Mommy I love it so much and I will be using it for all it's worth! And then some! And I can promise you that =p lol!

Our small pile of presents under the tree on Christmas morning!

Jesse messing around with my new camera!

Weee! lol

Done unwrapping gifts!

My baby girl

Tray of Chrismas cookies to bring to Dave's!

Made an apple pie to bring for the Christmas meal too! Yum!

Hehe

Rock on!

Happy!!

At Dave's, Jesse helping Nicole figure out her new toy

Talkin about guy stuff while waiting for the food to be ready!

Jesse aiming right at Dave! He was a little way too far!

Haha missed! Good try sweety! Not!! lol

Totally cute snow angel =p

Headed over to Al and Val's later to exchange some presents!

Sunny boy was there to greet us..! No one was home when we got there.

Little Grey Cat makes a terrible guard of the house. Lol. He can't be disturbed from his sleep!

At the cosy basement later after exchanging presents..me with Jesse's dad! =p

Weee love you! I was so sleepy and tired and full! Time to head home!

I am so thankful for...

2008-12-25T04:35:00.000-08:00

Jesse for being my best friend and sweetheart. Love you too much! Distance does make the heart grow fonder, and thanks for holding my hand thru my little nightmare in Tokyo.
My family and friends back in Singapore. I can't do without you guys! Miss all of you more than ever now!
A Mr Post from the Newark International Airport (didn't catch your first name). You are a good man with a HUGE heart. I am indebted to you big time and so grateful beyond words. (Thanks to your wife too; a lot of things you did for me with her in mind. =p )

Thanks to you (and the chief!) for the best Christmas gift ever ever everrr!

I would knit you a Christmas sweater or something but I don't know nothing about knitting! lol you guys are awesome!
My lucky stars. I have been so lucky this year (or just this month), I have been so blessed.
My guardian angels, or whoever's been looking out for me (Or maybe it's just the wonderful work of God). Thank you for watching over me and taking care of me. =)
My baby girl Wittle Wad! Oh she loves me unconditionally! (And I love you too baby!) I can tell she missed me when I was gone, cos now that I have got back, she's been wanting to play with me at every waking minute! She's been in my face (or foot!) every second lol she's now driving me crazy, but it's okay cos she's a sweetheart!

Have a merry christmas and a blessed new year you guys!!! xoxo

Cold!!!

2008-12-22T11:21:00.001-08:00

Got up early this morning to get some Christmas shopping done.

I got on the computer and looked at the temperature..it read 11 deg F! That's negative 11 deg C.

Aiii cold! Coldest I've ever been in.

When I stepped outside it wasn't so bad, until I got hit by the wind gusts, oh man it was brutal. I felt all -11 deg C of it!

With weather this cold, I hope we finally get a white Christmas this year! With pretty snowfall. None of the icky freezing rain or sleet nonsense please. Lol!

I told Jesse that today and he said I was being way too picky. Snow on the ground is good enough, he said. And if we get snowfall, we're lucky.

I'll take whatever I can get I guess! =p

Oh I have to mention something sweet that Jesse did for me recently =)....

He knew I've always wanted a Christmas tree for Christmas and we never got one last year or the year before.

So I wasn't expecting one this year either cos we kinda agreed on it.

But when I got back from Singapore, and I got home, there it was in my living room, my first Christmas tree!! =p

O twithmath twee o twithmath tweeee nanananananana! lol

He even decorated it for me! I was so touched! Later of course I added my own touch to it and put more ornaments that I already had. And the candy canes and stuff.

In my eyes it was the most beautiful thing ever, especially on the night that I first saw it and it was lit up and I was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions(long trip home, long story); and that I told Jesse. And he said, well that shows how much you know cos that's actually an ugly tree. Lol! Whatever dork it's the thought that matters and that's the beauty I see! =p

Oh but the best part of all about the tree that I so so love has got to be this..

The ribbon at the top of the tree that he put together! Omg it's hilarious but so damn cute! Lol Jesse used leftover red felt material that I had and used some hot glue to make his idea of a ribbon!

Omg it's the cutest thing ever. You might think it's ugly but I absolutely love it cos that ribbon is so totally Jesse. Lol! And it's staying put right there, just the way it is! =p

Anyway happy last-minute Christmas shopping everyone! We got ours done in one day! Today! Lol!

I'm making apple pie this year for our Christmas meal at Dave's! Jesse loves it so it must be good. He's quite particular when it comes to his desserts.

And I'm gonna work on more Christmas cookies today too!

Later!!!

My Singapore Trip!!

2008-12-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

For this post I'm just gonna talk about my sister's wedding and post plenty of pics from when I was in Singapore!

Basically just the happy times! =p

(Warning: Super long post ahead)

I am so exhausted right now, partly because I'm still suffering from jetlag, and also cos I'm down with the cold!

These past few days have been such a blur, it feels like the days just came and went like they never happened. Also it doesn't help that days are much shorter in the winter. (It's already dark out by 4pm!)

My trip to Singapore was awesomeeee and fulfilling (albeit way too short). It turned out way better than expected and I had a super-packed schedule from the day that I got there to the day that I left! So that was great to catch up with friends and family. =p

---------------------

On the 7th, Jesse and I drove from home to the Newark airport in New Jersey, and that took about 3 hours.

New Jersey to Tokyo took about 14 hrs (with 2 hours transit in Tokyo), and Tokyo to Singapore took about 8 hrs.

I have to say tho that American (airport) customer service sucks so bad. I didn't think anything of it until when I got to the Narita airport and I noticed the stark difference in the quality of their service (compared to the Americans).

The Japanese were so nice and so eager to please; they were always accompanied by (what seemed like) genuine smiles on their faces and their constant greetings (arigato gozaimasu!).

The Americans (or at least just at Newark) on the other hand, were pretty brash and their level of customer service was like a 4 compared to the Japanese's 10. All they cared about was getting their job done and not bothering to go the extra mile.

Anywayyy my plane landed in Singapore at like midnight Singapore time, and my wonderful sister and (now) brother-in-law were there to pick me up from the airport!

After having been gone from Singapore for a little more than 2 years, the humidity hit me like a ton of bricks as soon as I stepped foot out of the airport! Also coupled by the fact that it had rained all day prior to my arrival, it took me a little while to re-accustom myself to the heat.

One of my top priorities when I got back to Singapore was to eat a whole lot of local food that I had missed so much! Hehhehe cos I lovee fooddd!

So the first thing we did was to head to Simpang at Bedok to eat prata!!! With cheese and egg hehehe yum yum. And a glass of teh tarik! (Thanks Toot and Cik Awak for taking me there so late even tho Cik Awak had to work the next morning!)

Anyway I don't think I'm gonna go into complete detail of day-by-day events that happened while I was in Singapore, so I'm just gonna let the pictures do the talking!

(L to R): My childhood buddy and next-door neighbour Nazlyn!, me, my sis aka the blushing bride!

I HEART U TWO!

This is what we Singaporeans enjoy doing.. take lots of pics!! =p

Me, my little baby cousin Julian and Kak Ayu's helper

My sis and them

Juju's so cute!!! His eyes are gray and he smells like babies! (i know duh =p )

My aunt Kak Ayu and her firstborn Damien!

On the second day in SG I went to Saf's to visit with her dearest family and Yaz, and after that I met up with my lovely sweethearts Sheila and Shanice for dinner (still waiting for the pics from Sheila!).

And later that night I met up with Yaz again and Farah and Ekasith for dessert at Dempsey! Dempsey Hill is a lovely place to go to dine especially at night! The cafe that we went to was called P.S. Cafe. Lovely atmosphere, but just slightly pricey.

This was their order..chocolate fudge brownie/cake thingy with marshmallow (VERY chocolatey), flourless orange cake, and key lime pie

This was mine!! Carrot cake with of course the cream cheese frosting hehe =p Lovely hints of cinnamon + cream cheese.. totally my cuppa tea!

Can you make out a ghostly hand making a peace sign in this pic? Woooo!!!

Me and my babe Yazzy!

Me!

Farah getting giddy with excitement.. ready to take lots of pics! =p

(L to R): Me, Yaz, Farah, Eka

Squeezeee!!

Weee!!! =p

Me and my girl Saffy at Orchard Rd shopping!!! =p On Day 3.

Went with Yazzy too!

Us with the Coke "Christmas tree"

Came across this restaurant at one of the malls. I just had to take a pic of it cos I thought it was interesting. lol! (click on it for bigger picture)

Went to my sister Rinah's place later that day with my other sis

Kawaii!! hahha

(L to R): Zuraidah aka Toot, Me aka Zubby aka Boot, Zarinah aka Girl

Having way too much fun

There's a supernatural presence in the pic with me..in the form of an orb! Ooooo!
lol j/k I don't believe in such things. It's just a speck of dust, people!

Me at the dining table

Me trying to tell time. My eyesight must be really bad huh.

Awww how sweet!

Us and my brother-in-law Zuraimi aka Scooter boy hehe =p (That's mine and Jesse's nickname for him lol)

The next day Farah took me, Yaz and her Nepali friend Samira to *a secret undisclosed location* lol to shop for dresses at wholesale prices!

See, I don't get how I've been away from Singapore for 2 years and I end up being way tanner than everybody else I took pics with (refer to below pic) lol. Mind-boggling if you ask me! =S

Anyway after shopping my mind was set on food! In particular, a Malay dish called Rendang, so we headed to the Geylang Market to satisfy my cravings!

I was full and contented! =p Weee!

Take two!

When I got home my sis was getting her hands, lower arms and feet henna-ed by her friend Wani. It is a tradition for Malay brides to do so in any design of their choice.

The henna dries off after about 5 or 6 hours, and after washing it off, it leaves a red/brown/black stain on your skin. And it looks sorta like a tattoo, except henna is temporary, it fades off within like a month.

Getting it done on her feet

The end product of henna

Later that night a crew of decorators came to spruce up the bridal room

Pretty!!

The next day was the day of solemnization, meaning the day my sister was legally married!

(Special credits to Nazlyn for doing my hair on both days!!! Thanks babe you're such a pro.. and a lifesaver! What would I do without you? =p )

My sweeties Sheila and Shanice (and her bf Dixon) came kinda early that day, and left pretty early too, but we still managed to take pics! =p

Shanice and Dixon

Us 3 Scorpio babes! Don't mess with us, we can sting!

Love you Xinmei!!!

And I love you tooo Poonpoon!!!

Us again on the Pelamin (wedding stage). The Pelamin seat is of course meant for the wedded couple during the ceremony.

My cousin Wani and I

This was in our house. That's my dad in the maroon! The tradition is to exchange gifts between both parties. The gifts in the pic above are from the groom.

The nervous groom eagerly awaiting for the ceremony to start!

Me, Nazlyn and the beautiful bride

My sister and her make-up artists

Sisters

My brother Zul (in jeans) was one of the official witnesses

The qadhi showing my sis where to sign on the official documents

The qadhi assisting my dad during the ceremony. The qadhi typically marries the groom, but this time my dad wanted to have a go at it!

The groom signing the official marriage certificate

Kissing the hand as a sign of respect to the elders

Weee!!! Big weight of his shoulders now! The ceremony went without a hitch!

Reciting some prayers

The bride and groom are finally united

Exchanging rings! I do I dooo! =p

Kissy kissy on the forehead

Can you see the glistening tear of joy on the groom's face? Lol! j/k that's just sweat I swear.

Doing our thang for the videographer and cameraman

Me and my buddy Saffy! The outfit I wore is borrowed from her! And thanks to Cik Bibah for being so generous and making Kueh Kaswi for the reception! Sooo yummy!

Heading down to the reception

This is so delicious I wish I could eat it everyday! There's fish, chicken, beef and sambal goreng (a Malay mixed vege dish). So unhealthy but so good! =p

Us girls and Mr Popular, my cousin Munir lol

My tiny super adorable great-grandma and I! She's already 98 years old, and shrinking more and more each year. So cute!

The whole family sans the step-siblings

Lol happy people in the back!

Hanging out in my balcony after a long day

Hand-in-hand, making their way down the aisle, for berinai

This is the stuff used for berinai. I wish I could explain what happens during berinai but I'm quite clueless myself! I just know the one part, you take the hard-boiled egg and boop it on the wedding couple's noses! lol! That's as much as I know! =p

Me and my little niece! She's so adorable and roundddd! Lol cute!

Me messing around with the keris (Malay dagger) worn by the groom! Hehe! =p

______________________

Sunday was the day of the wedding reception, when many relatives and friends came to eat delicious wedding food and expressed their congrats and well wishes to the bridal couple.

There was a special moment for me when the DJ read my sister's song dedication to my late mom and grandma. As soon as he read the message, oh boy the waterworks started and I had to run to the back of the stage to calm myself down. Lol.

And when I finally got myself together and returned to the reception, and I saw Nazlyn, her eyes were all red too! And I was like oh no, you too? And we laughed about it. And my gf Saffy teared up too! Lol we're all big crybabies!

Poor Nazlyn tho she misses my mom too I bet. She was there with us at the funeral, and she cried a lot for my mom too when she passed.

Other than that, it was a big jolly occasion, and now back to the photos..!

And of course, we took pictures while waiting for the groom to arrive!

The Mak Andams and us

The groom has arrived!

The Mak Andam doing some ritual thing that symbolizes something. Lol told ya I'm clueless!!

Us kids (with the step-siblings this time) hamming it up for the videographer!

Saffy and her fiance Adi. Thanks for coming! =p And for getting the poppers!

Enjoying the good food!

Awwww sho shweet... feeding each other!

My favourite uncle! Papasu! =p

The couple paying respects to the elders

The wedding procession heading off to the groom's house

Having a little fun in the bridal car!

Me in the back seat!

The Kompang performance at the groom's reception

My sis with her in-laws!

Aren't they cute together? Her purple outfit is my favourite out of all.

Hehehe we were being meanies taking pictures with the sleeping makeup artist! =p All out of love tho lol

Back at the bride's reception, welcomed by the traditional Malay dancers

That's my bro's gf in white, Busu in blue and Uncle Yem in gray

My cousin Wani singing her heart out at karoeke!!

Sharing a wedding cupcake during the cake-cutting ceremony =p

Hehe the couple being interviewed by the DJ! And my new brother-in-law gave the wrong answer to "How long have you two known each other?"! Lol too funny! He said 6 years, but the right answer was 8!

Me with Aunty Chan and Viki! Love them two! They're like family!

My mom being all shy when being interviewed by the DJ =p

My bro and his gf Aishah and Farhan having a little fun at the end of the day! Too funny!

My sis Rinah with the paternal side of my family. The one next to her is my lovely grandma!

Weeee! Wrapping the day up with a little photo session!

Congrats to Toot and Cik Awak (Abang ipar!)!!! Syukur alhamdulillah everything went smoothly. Love you both! Thanks for everything while I was in Singapore!

______________

My flight back home was the morning after the wedding.

My sister and brother-in-law were so sweet to send me to the airport, and there we met up with Saffy and Adi, who were also there to send me off!

Thanks all of you for waking up so early for me, I really appreciate it!!

Sneaking in some last pics before the departure

Me and the guys!

_________________

Thanks to all my family and friends for the great time I had in Singapore, I loved every single minute of it!

Thanks for all the gifts, and all the help!

Miss you all so much already and I can't wait to get back there again in the near future!!! (Maybe with Jesse next time! Travelling alone sucks!! Big time!)

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!

Zubby =p

Finally!

2008-12-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

I'm back from Singapore!

Oh my god, it was hell; the trip home.

It took longer than expected. I will tell you all about it in my next post, and of course i will upload the pics!!

R.I.P.

2008-12-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Noopies.. ='(

You will be missed my quiet little buddy.

May you be able to meow your little heart out in heaven!

Holiday Tequila Cookie Recipe..hilarious!

2008-12-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Got this forward e-mail from my Aunt Kimmy!

Tequila Cookies

1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups of dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila (silver or gold, as desired)

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.

Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar...Beat again.

At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another cup...just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, pick the frigging fruit up off floor... Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.

Check the Jose Cuervo.

Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

=p

i heart my little girl

2008-12-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

My miss kaypoh helping me pack =p

Xmas came early!!!

2008-12-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

How pretty is this...!!!

For a girl who loves bags, I have to say these are just about the prettiest things I have ever gotten in the mail! Never mind the bags, the packaging is plenty gorgeous enough for me! =p =p =p

It was quite magical when I opened the package .. *cue angel music.. Ahhhhh* (you know wat angel music I'm talking abt!)
And the box is even gorgeous on the inside! Lovely crimson red colour! =p *sighh*

...................

Unfortunately the Coach bags are not for me! =( I got them for a girlfriend of mine from Singapore.

But, since the big box is way to huge for my luggage, I'm keeping it!

So woohoo to pretty big box! =p

Working out!

2008-12-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

I've been working out a lot more lately, trying to shed and keep off the pounds especially during this festive season, which brings out the glutton in me! Cookies, cakes, candies..oo the goodies!

I still eat them, although I try to cut back. Moderation is key! And at the same time I don't plan to deprive myself of good food! It's one of the best things in life! =p

So our cable company Comcast has this thing called exercise tv on OnDemand. It is basically an exercise channel where you can tune in and watch as and when you like. And it has so many free workout videos it's awesome!

Here's some previews of the ones that I follow...

This is a Pilates workout by Kathy Smith, it is a great cardio workout, and it always gives me a good sweat! Easy to follow too.

This is an exercise routine by Cindy Whitmarsh to work out your abs, and it's not your regular abs workout involving just sit-ups and crunches. She shows you how to work them out in all kinds of positions. And you can feel the burn!

I also do some Tae Bo T3 (with trainer Billy Blanks for some kickbutt moves!) and for warming up I follow Carmen Electra's striptease workout. Lol it's nothing kinky! It's just a workout using all the striptease moves, but no clothes come off, rest assured! (or, sorry to disappoint! Hahaha j/k =p) And hey if you wanna learn how to do the bodyroll, it's all in that workout video! =p

It's all here if you wanna download them online (fees apply).

Here's some of my tips for working out:

1) Don't workout hungry! Eat something light at least 2 hrs before you exercise tho. So your tummy is not full when you're jumping about! =p

2) Keep yourself hydrated! With water of course. Don't waste your workout by drinking sweet drinks or soda, cos there's lots of calories in them. Water is 0 calories!

And contrary to popular belief, there's new studies that find you don't need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Just drink plenty enough so you're not thirsty/dehydrated. And also if you drink more than your body needs, it's not good for you either. (I forget why; you can go look it up yourself! =p I can't be bothered)

3) When you're working out, don't let it all hang out. For example, if you're doing aerobics, suck it all in and hold in your abdominal muscles, so when you're exercising you can feel it in your core and you get a more effective workout! (I hope this makes sense! lol i know what i'm talking about, so that's all that matters! =p)

4) Don't forget to breathe when you're exercising. It's the most basic thing but people tend to hold their breath when they're working out. What you gotta do is breathe in through your nose and breath out thru your mouth. Gotta keep the oxygen flowing and regulate your breath.

5) This tip is for those working out at home, doing aerobics or whatever. Workout with a full-length mirror in front of you! This way you can watch and correct yourself if you're not following the trainer's steps correctly. It works for me anyway.

6) And of course don't forget to warm up and cool down. You don't wanna jump into an exercise routine without stretching and end up pulling a muscle or hurting yourself.

Well.. that's all I got for now.

And speaking of exercise, I gotta mention my aunt Abidah Mahmood's work in this post.

You(or your mom) might know her better as Deedee. She has made a big impact on the lifestyle of Malay makciks in Singapore, by popularising exercise among the female Muslim community.

Here's an excerpt of her profile from her website:

Dee Dee (Abidah Mahmood) is a credentialed Exercise Physiologist and Nutritionist.

Winner of several accolades, which includes the Sporting Singapore Inspiration Award in 2004 and 2006.

In 2006 she won Gold Award (Adult Category) in the Sporting Singapore Inspiration Award, awarded by the Singapore Sports Council.

She is also the recipient of the Health Ambassador Award, awarded by the Health Promotion Board.

The Singapore Heart Foundation has selected her as the Go Red for Women Heart Ambassador 2008 / 2009.

She is a regular Columnist for Berita Harian.

You can go look here for the rest of the article and browse thru her website for more information on her work.

Also she holds workout classes for a low rate per session, so if you're interested, do sign up! =p

Dee Dee at her Singapore Heart Foundation photoshoot. Isn't she gorgeous?

GalzNextDoor 5th collection!

2008-11-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

Galz Next Door presents.. Fantabulous Five!

This new collection has lots of party dresses and tops, great for glamming up!

So go check it out here!

My fridge door

2008-11-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

The best part of my kitchen is my fridge door..it's my bulletin board of sorts, with lots of pics and postcards and magnets and notes... just colourful stuff to brighten up my drab kitchen. (Lots of white in my kitchen.)

I don't think I can live with an empty white refrigerator door. Lol.

Gotta "zubbify" it..Hahaha! =p

Yeah I said it.

Bear Black Bear hunting bow up for bids!

2008-11-28T08:59:00.001-08:00

Jesse is selling his Bear brand Black Bear hunting bow on Ebay, so if you're interested, visit here to place a bid or for more info and pictures!

It comes with the case, arrows, supplies box and of course the bow! lol

The reason for selling is that he doesn't use it (already has another one).

All you hunting enthusiasts, go bid! (Starts at USD$10.00)

Update: SOLD for the winning bid of USD$36!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's turkey day today and I'm stuffed. And sleepy!

I officially hate my camera cos it is oldschool for a digital camera. And my pics turned out kinda blurry bcos it does that in the cold, or some stupid reason.

So time to get a new one!

In the spirit of thanksgiving, I have to say that I am grateful for people who love me and whom I love back.

And for great food like cheesecake. Heheh. Yeah I had some cheesecake today.. mmm yummy!

And I'm grateful for my life that I plan to live to the fullest, living it how I want to, and how it makes me happy.

So all talk aside, here's some pics!

Pre-thanksgiving meal in the newly-finished basement. And that fire stove sure kept us toasty!

Jesse and Dan making some small talk

Serving up food!

That's me and Jesse and Al (Jesse's dad)! Doesn't he look like Santa? ..the ol' Kris Kringle! lol ..red shirt, big belly, white facial hair..!

Best photo-taking job in the world. Hahaha yeahh i dunno abt this pic. This is after the meal.

Great music!

2008-11-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey I may be biased cos this is my cousin's band, but I think it's still great music! lol

My cousin Farin (technically he's my uncle but we're the same age range so we're "cousins" hahah) introduced me to his younger bro Amir's music and yes I've said this many times elsewhere..I'm impressed!

Their band is called Klip and they're from Brunei, and if you're from a big record label in Singapore/Brunei/Indonesia/Malaysia.. sign them up! They're that good! =p Hehehe tolong promote eh!

Anyway judge for yourself and enjoy!

The singing is in Malay/Bruneian (is there such a thing?) and although I understand most of the words, I still don't know what is "ngilu"?

Haha my sis says ngilu is rasa sakit gigi lol! Uhh I don't think dorang nyanyi pasal sakit gigi! Hahaha anyways..

Oh and here's their blog .. Klip

Do drop by their blog and let them know if you like their music!

Klip

2008-11-22T18:21:00.001-08:00

After yearsssss I finally added a new recipe on my recipe blog hehehe. Finally!

Check it out here: Zubby's Kitchen

Enjoy!!! =p

Brrr!!!

2008-11-19T09:56:00.001-08:00

It's gotten so cold out this week! Right now the temperature outside is right around 0 deg C! Freezing colddd!!

And at night it gets colder, it gets to subzero (celsius) temperatures.

Thanks God for heaters!

As I'm typing now I'm wearing my warm PJ pants tucked into my Mukluk boots (with socks on too) and I've got a thermal shirt on, and on top of that I'm wearing Jesse's size XL sweatshirt, and yet I still feel the chills! Oh, and the heater's cranked up all the way too. Aiyaiyai!

We have now made a point to turn off the heaters in rooms that we're not in, bcos they cost so freakin much! I got the shock of my life when I received our latest energy bill, apparently we used double of what we did the previous month. Hence pretty much twice the cost!

We did get some snow showers yesterday. I was running around town getting errands done, and some snowflakes started coming down, and it was frigid cold! My ears started to get numb. lol. It's getting to be the time of year to pile on heavy warm clothes, and to bring out the gloves and hats!

I know Minnesotans would call me a wuss or a wimp cos I can't handle the cold weather, but I can't help it, I come from the land of sunshine! And warmth (sometimes too hot)! Haha yes, that would be Singapore.

I can't wait to get back there so I can get back on the beach and soak up the rays! Weee so excited! And so excited for my sister's wedding too. I've been appointed her maid-of-honour/bridesmaid..whatchamacallit, so I'm gonna be quite busy!

So we have ORDERED her wedding cake instead of having me MAKE it (which would be a total disaster! lol), so i'm ecstatic about that!

Anyway Jesse already went to Ohio for 5 days and came back early with no buck this time bcos it was gonna rain for the rest of the week. So they didn't want to hunt in the rain cos it would be just miserable.

But, since his Ohio hunting license is still good for a whole year, they're planning to head back there sometime after Christmas to hunt for a day or two. Hope he gets one then!

He really loved hunting there tho, he said he saw so many beautiful bucks, and there was hardly any other hunters out there besides them. And the acommodation that they stayed at can be considered a luxury for a hunting lodge. And cheap too.

So I approve. lol! =p

Thanksgiving is in a week's time and we're gonna spend the day at his dad's house this year. They just got their basement done and hooked up a firestove there too so we'll be plenty warm while dining there.

And then Christmas is coming up, time to do more shopping.. oh boy! I don't know how much we can afford this year for gifts, so I'm gonna do some of the gift shopping while in Singapore I hope.

So... nothing else for me to say, so, later!!

You make us feel like dancin! pt 2

2008-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

I love how Jesse appears to have tatas in this dance lol!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

You make us feel like dancin!

2008-11-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Money laundering scam

2008-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

I just got this message on my Facebook account from a Mr Mawukaka Ajulu.

"From The Desk Of Mr. Mawukaka Ajulu.
Auditing Department Banque Internationale Pour l'Afrique au TogoLome- Togo

Good Day Dear Hassan,

My name is Mr. Mawukaka Ajulu, I am the head of auditing and accounting section Banque Internationale Pour l'Afrique au Togo in West Africa. With due respect and regard, I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us at the end.

During our investigation and auditing in this bank, my department came across a very huge sum of money belonging to a deceased person who died on 26th December 2004 in the Tsunami that happened in Sumatra island, Indonesia. From the information that our bank has gotten so far, the Tsunami killed him with his entire family.Uptill now, no other relation has been identified. The person that he used as his next of kin was his 17 year old son who died along side the family.

Although personally, I keep this information secret within myself to enable the whole plans and idea be profitable and successful during the time of execution. The said amount was (U.S$8.6 MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS).

I thereby contact you, to:

(1) Assist me in the transfer of the said fund into your account.

(2) Confirm your direct telephone and Fax for our communication.

(3) You most contact me through my private emaill addresss:(mr.mawukakaajulu@yahoo.com)

Meanwhile, all the arrangement to put claim over this fund, as the bonafide next of kin to the deceased, as well as getting the required approval and Transferring this money to a foreign account has been put in place. I will Relay directives and needed information to you, as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist me, and also benefit your self with this great business opportunity.

I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free. On smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 40% of the total sum as gratification, while 10% will be set aside to take care of expenses that may arise during the time of transfer and also telephone bills, while 50% will be for me. Please, I advise you to keep this as a "top secret" as I am still in service and intend to retire from service after I conclude this deal with you. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible for further information.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Mawukaka Ajulu
Email:mr.mawukakaajulu@yahoo.com"

I may be a dimwit at times but I sure am not dumb.

This is an obvious money-laundering scam, and to those of you who don't know better, don't fall for it! (If they ever decide to target you.)

I've watched Dateline NBC plenty of times (hosted by the wonderful Chris Hansen) to know that this message sends out a big red flag. And if you get involved in it, it would only cost you, so don't be a fool! Lol.

So anyway this is what my reply was to "Mr Ajulu" (obviously not his real name):

"Good try, buddy. I'm much smarter than that. I do watch Deadline NBC.

NO THANKS"

I ain't a sucka!

Oh and feel free to spam him if you want to. (mr.mawukakaajulu@yahoo.com)

GalzNextDoor - 4th collection!

2008-11-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

"Presenting GalzNextDoor's 4th Collection...

Femme Forte!

Promotion: Buy any item off this collection and enjoy $5 off any apparel from all our previous collections.

Launching: 15th Nov, 3pm! "

p/s My personal fave is the black lace top! Gorgeous! =p

Link: Galznextdoor

More muks!

2008-11-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

Just got these links from a reader..these are original mukluks, like the kind that the Native Indians and Eskimos wear, and they are soo cute! (I know i tend to overuse the word "cute" but I can't help it when things are really cute! lol)

Oh and contrary to what I mentioned in an earlier post, I just learned that authentic mukluks are meant for outdoor use.

The ones that I got from walmart tho are like a simplified version of mukluks meant for indoor use, but still adorable!

Here are the websites: LINK and LINK (pictures are taken from these websites)

These are women's tall moccasin mukluks. The fur overlay on the lower shaft of the boots are rabbit's fur, and the insole and lining are made of sheepskin. Guaranteed to keep your tootsies warm! And some of the suedes are made from cows and some from deerskin.

I likey! The pompoms are cute! =p And these mukluks are made by the Native Indians too and very beautifully handcrafted.

Dark brown version. Too bad it doesn't get cold enough here in PA for me to wear real authentic mukluks! Winters here are pretty mild.
Maybe when we go back to MN I can get them cos winters there can be quite harsh.. or should I say...mukluk-worthy! =p

This is the short version of moccasin mukluks.

Cow prints! Hehe love it! It don't get better than that! =p

K I officially love mukluks! lol Buhbye now!

Turning back the clock

2008-11-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Daylight savings ends tonight so at like 12mn or 1am we turn the clock back an hour.

So Singapore and Eastern US won't have 12 hrs difference in time anymore; but 13 hrs, with Singapore being 13 hrs ahead.

Just letting ya know!

How oddly true

2008-11-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

I just got a forward e-mail from Sharon (Hi Sharon!!) about the "true descriptions of zodiac signs".

I like reading about horoscopes/zodiacs just for the fun of it, and to see how accurate they can get.

And omg these descriptions that I got in the e-mail is so true it made me chuckle.

Zubby: SCORPIO - The Intense One
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional.

Jesse: ARIES - The Daredevil
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge... EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

I keep telling Jesse to chill cos he gets angered easily.

And there it was. Aries. Easily angered. lol.

And everything else is very true too about him. Every single one. How weird.

As for me (scorpio), I have to say most of the descriptions are true too. With the exceptions of great kisser and attractive (that's not for me to judge - hey i'm not the egotistical one here hehe), I like romance, I can keep secrets veryy well, i do tend to hold grudges, and all the other stuff they said.

So that was inneresting.

Mukluk!

2008-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

So cute!!! I want!!! Hehehe

14 bux by OP from Wal-Mart.

And they're fun to say too.. MUKLUK.

Now say it a couple times.. muklukmuklukmuklukmukluk.

Hehe now you sound like a chicken!

Mukluks are meant for indoor use, and traditionally worn by the Native Americans and Eskimos.

See you learn something new!

And I came upon this line while doing some reading up that made me go whaaaa...?

" Aside from mukluk, no other words from Yupik have immigrated to English, perhaps because of the complexity of the language. Yupik is known for attaching extremely long and complicated suffixes to words, so that a single word can be a whole sentence. Here is an example that means "Also, he can probably make big boats": Angyarpaliyugngayugnarquqllu. "

From Answers.com

Orange you glad that that's not your native tongue?

Updates

2008-10-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

It's not even november and we already got some snow/sleet! And actual couple of inches of snow on the ground in some parts of PA.

I think it's safe to say we can expect some bad weather this fall/winter.

And even the animals know its coming.

When Jesse was up in the tree sitting in his treestand the other day, the squirrels and chipmunks nearby were making such a ruckus scrambling to collect food for the winter.

And the poor chipmunks too; the meanie squirrels actually dug up the nuts that the chipmunks already buried and stole them for their own! Bullies! lol

And a friend of Jesse's was telling how when he was at work he saw squirrels busy collecting so many black walnuts until their faces were all black around the mouths. lol now that would be a sight to see! These little animals can be so cute. =p Although sometimes they can be pests too.

And the doe that Jesse butchered up had a lot of fat on her for this time of year and for her small size too. They're probably packing up all the fats they can cos they know bad weather is coming our way. It is pretty amazing.

Anyway Jesse will be going to Ohio for a week sometime in Nov (not gonna say when for my safety lol) to hunt with a couple of guys, so he's really excited about that. Because he has never hunted for game outside of MN or PA.

I will be going back to Singapore in December sometime, for my sister's wedding, not sure when yet bcos I havent bought the tickets. Jesse isn't sure whether he can go with or not, but if he can, I'm gonna wanna take the same flight as him, so that's why I'm waiting on it. But I hope to get it soon so I'm not left with the crappy airlines!

My sister wants me to make her the wedding cake!! Pressure! I mean I'm gonna do it, but I'm not confident on how pretty it's gonna look! lol and I'm totally gonna need some help.

Or if Jesse is not going back with me to SG maybe we will have some money to pay for someone to make the wedding cake..like an actual pro who actually knows how to make a pretty cake! lol.

My sister is pretty low on funds for her wedding so I'm gonna help her out as much as I can. We're not as well-to-do or privileged as some other people.

Anyway I got some sad news today, a good family friend of ours passed away today.

She was a real sweety, and she used to call my late grandmother "kakak", meaning big sister, and she was always very nice to us kids. And we called her Nek Chom.

What a big loss... and I pray that she's doing well up there, with other families and friends that we have lost. Someone like her belongs to a great place like heaven.

Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiuun.

I'm in love =p

2008-10-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Anybody watch Lipstick Jungle?

I do I do!!

I only started watching it bcos I saw the trailer for the show with the hottie Robert Buckley and I've been watching it cos he's such a delicious eye candy. hehehe

He plays Kirby Atwood in the show and he's almost always shirtless (!!!) and his girlfriend is an older woman, who is one of the main characters of the show.

I tell you, if (when!) lol I become a cougar, I soo want a guy like him to be my boytoy! *sigh* so dreamy! =p

To me he's like a cross between Scott Speedman (from Felicity) and Josh Duhamel (from.. my dreams hehe). =p

And at first I was in love with just his character on the show cos I suspect he might be douche-y in real life.

But it turns out he's not!

He was on the Today Show this morning with Kathie Lee and Hoda, and he was so freaking hot!

And he has a great sense of humour too. =p Not douche-y at all, but a total flirt! The two lady hosts were giggling like little schoolgirls! Hehe. I would too if I was in their shoes!

And I totally dig hot guys with a sense of humour. *sighhh* =p Ahh dreamy.

He is part of Levi's latest campaign ad (Unbuttoned).. go check him out here! http://www.levi.com/robert/

And he and his friends made a little video that you can see there too. Funny!

My favourite line, "I think you got a really strong off-camera presence. You shadow is almost enough, you know?" lol

Him and Josh Duhamel (and Jesse of course) are now tied for #1 on my list! Hehehe! In fact my list only consist of #1. lol. I don't find many guys are the perfect package. But now I already found 3! =p

Here's what the perfect package is to me:
1) He must be hot!
2) Hot body!
3) Great sense of humour / funny
4) Not douche-y
5) Large amount of manliness =p I like manly. I don't like pretty boys.
6) Tall (Jesse, Rob and Josh are each at least 6ft 2)
7) Oh and I just realise this is another common factor among the men I like (all 3 of them) is that they all have dark, thick eyebrows. I guess something about it says manly and sexy to me hehe =p!

And that's all I can think of for now! =p

And here's the eye candy for ya..

Enjoy the body babes! This is him and his lady cougar on Lipstick Jungle

Yum yum

He floats my dreamboat! =p

2008-10-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

That's my Mama in the pic in green and the wittle baby is me!! =p Celebrating my 1st birthday.

( Notice my sis and cuz in those hats! Hahah! =p Hilarious but cute! )

She used to always spoil me with birthday parties every year, except my 9th birthday which was spent in the hospital. My other siblings were not as spoilt as I was.. heheh, I was the baby so I got the parties, and lots of presents!

Today (the 28th) marks the 14th anniversary of her passing, and if I could tell her one thing, it's that I always think about her and I never fail to do'a for her every day.

And, of course, that I love her.

Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat.

I hope we meet again in my dreams tonight. =)

Looking for nice skin

2008-10-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

I hate the custom free skins that you can find on the internet.

When I find something nice and apply it on my blog, it totally screws up my whole layout and stuff go missing!

Or maybe I have yet to find a good skins website that might be out there that's not stupid.

Or maybe I just need to learn how to make own damn skin for my blog.

But I can't quite be bothered. Heh. =p

So I've been making do with the boring default skins provided by Blogger.

They've added some new features to blogger like for eg, you can add a poll on the sidebar. (at least i think it's new!)

So do you believe aliens exist?

I know weird topic, and I'm not going weird or kooky, but I do believe there are aliens out there.

I'll go deeper into my reasoning some other time!

Oh and happy halloween!

Us at the halloween parade in town. We weren't dressed in costume so edited in some halloweeny accessories to get in the spirit! lol

Dawn and John, owners of Johnz Kitchen, all decked out for the parade!

Multiply my multiply

2008-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

If you have a multiply account, add me! (for people I know only la, if I don't know you I don't really wanna add you. lol)

My userid is zubbyzub.

Cheers!

O happy day!

2008-10-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

After long persistence of entering sweepstakes online, I finally won something! Woohoo! =p

I won a Fashion Rocks Giveaway which consists of an assortment of Nivea Body and lipcare products, a Duffy CD and a Nivea mp3 player skin.

It comes with the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite program too, which I've been wanting to try for the longest time, so that's awesome!

It was funny cos when I opened my package I was all woohoooo and clapping and cheering and Jesse just came out of the bathroom, he went, very nonchalantly "What did you get..?"

And I was beaming and smiling and I showed him all my goodies and he went, "That's it?" And I said "Yes!!"

And he said "See this is the fundamental difference between you and me. I win a gun and I get pretty excited, and you win this lotion crap and you're glowing and beaming?"

So I told him, "This is not junk! This is stuff I actually use and want! See the fundamental difference between you and me is you're a boy and I'm a girl. And girls love these crap! You should be happy that I won so you don't have to buy these stuff for me!" =p

Oh and also I'm excited bcos I've hardly ever won anything. Hehe =p

GalzNextDoor - the second wave!

2008-10-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

"Dear Babes, It has always been our priority for you to look great in our clothes and feel even greater in them!! This time, GalzNextDoor is back in The 2nd Wave with a Hand Picked Collection! We hope you love it!!

The collection is pretty Huge to be launched as one so we have decided to break it into two parts:

Hand-Picked Collection Part 1 will be launched on Sunday, 12th October @ 3pm!!

Hand- Picked Collection Part 2 will be launched on the Same day, Sunday 12th Oct at 5pm!!

More designs to be included!! See You There!!"

Link: GalzNextDoor

Plenty of cute tops and dresses to choose from! =p Show my girl some love and support! Cheers!

Easily Amused

2008-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Jesse would be the first to testify, that I am so easily amused. Or simple-minded, he would say. lol.

But I disagree with the latter of course. I have some dignity you know. =p

Anyway imagine my delight when I got some magazines in the mail today, and when I flipped open my Redbook magazine I saw this...!

It's a pop-up ad!! By Fruit of the Looms! Heehee that was quite a neat thing to find and great advertising idea too!

Hey, it totally captured my attention and got me, well, amused. Lol!

Fruit of the Looms mainly make underwears and undergarments so those butterfly-looking pop-up things are supposed to be panties I think.

Now I wish all magazine ads would be pop-up ads; now that would be totally awesome. =p

I would buy magazines just to look at the ads and to play boingky boingky with the pop-ups! Lol!

Can you say easily amused? =p So guilty as charged!

Anyway I'm still obsessing over boots. I've already recently got 2 pairs of them and now I've got a new one that I'm loving a lot!

They're actually high-top sneakers that look like Chucks but even cooler! And they can pass off as boots cos they're higher than regular shoes lol.

Anyshoesss...

!!!

They're from Zigi NY and instead of canvas, the material looks like soft-leathery. And I love the fuzzy-furry-tufts details! So cute!

I can't decide between the Natural colour or the Brown colour, which is this..

Although I'm leaning a lot more towards the Natural colour cos you can see the details a lot better and the colour is just more appealing!

I might be getting it for my birthday (hope the price will still stay at 50% off then!)!

Selamat Hari Raya!

2008-09-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Galz Next Door!

2008-09-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for dresses at an afordable price, do check out this website, newly launched by a good buddy of mine!

Galz Next Door

And this is her debut collection: LINK

Her pieces include kimono dresses, chiffon tops, and many more.

Future collections will include maxi dresses and lots more cute and gorgeous dresses!

Join the mailing list today and enjoy $1 off each purchase in addition to free normal mail! (for a limited time only)

Top on my list!

2008-09-25T04:15:00.000-07:00

Eeek!! So I've decided on THE sweater I want! This....

It's a supercute supercomfy-looking sweater coat from Alloy.com! Costs quite a bit (than how much I would usually spend on a piece cos I'm quite frugal!) but ahh it's gonna be soo worth it. =) I'm crazy over sweater coats and long boyfriend/grandpa cardigan types now! Not that I have any yet, but I will soon! lol. It don't hurt to love. And pine over something. =p

And even Jesse thinks its cute. Jesse-approved, so its good!

And I'm also crazy about suede comfy boot types!

I think I've decided on these boots from Charlotte Russe!

Either these comfy ugly but cute looking ones! Can be folded over to expose the faux shearling(fuzzy) lining.

Or these lace-up ones aiyaiyai so cute! Costs twenty bux more than the above but I think it's worth it? I dunno.. hehe =p Love it love it!

2008-09-10T02:36:00.000-07:00

I need to do some shopping for fall!

Trawled thru some websites this morning to get my gameplan on!

Boots?

How awesome is this... wedge rainboots. I personally have never seen people wearing rainboots out here, probly because people drive everywhere and don't walk around enough (in the rain) to get their shoes wet. But I totally wouldn't mind having at least a pair cos they're so fun and cute!

Blue-and-brown wedge rain boots

Red rain boots with white polka dots

But, my ultimate favourite has got to be these ones.......

Fabulously cool-looking COW rain boots!! Too cool for school I tell ya!

Okay on to some serious shoes!

I found these on Target's clearance..

Black patent oxford booties... for the whopping price of only $10!
I wish they had them in a different colour, like brown or white, but the black ones are pretty nice too!
It does look kinda cheap-looking in the picture, but buyers' reviews say they look great in person! So I'm gonna go with what they say and trust them!
I'm gonna get my hands on them soon before they run out, they would be great for fall with jeans. And perhaps keep my tootsies warm!

Black suede lace-up boot from Nine West. They look hot! I absolutely adore lace-up boots.

Tan leather boots with a little crinkle in the calf area. Perhaps to give some leeway for people with bigger calfs like me?
I am built to never have skinny legs. =S Even when I'm a perfectly healthy weight my legs stay muscular-looking, never skinny-minny.
I think those genes I got from my dad.

This brand/line is called Minnetonka Moccasins. Minnetonka is in Minnesota so wooohoo!
Although I don't know if the brand name is derived from the place in Minnesota.
Lol anyways. Lace-up boots!
Love the colour, love the fringe detail at the top, love the lace-up-ness, not crazy about the fact that the bottom is actually moccasins. I'm not a big fan of moccasins.
But, overall looks really great for casual boots.

These boots I loveee! From DC. Great for winter I suppose. Love the pattern design on it.

And then there's the good ol' Ugg-inspired boots! (This one's from Target) Lol I think they're totally cute and most of all looks sooo comfy!
Jesse will probably laugh at me if I got them, but I don't care. Lol =p

And the ugliest boots in the world award goes to....

Stupid ugly Crocs boots!!! I can't believe they actually make these.

Jackets/coats/sweaters...

Double-placket belted coat from Old Navy. Just a basic.

Lovely peacoat in pretty red from I think Forever21, or was it Sears? I loveee red (it's my "in" colour now, along with royal blue =p) I feel like this coat should be paired with rainboots, and an umbrella to be twirled in hand while skipping in the rain. Hahaha.
The buttons' position looks a little funny cos like a bit senget.

Goooorgeous coat designed by Kimora Lee for BabyPhat. Love the flowy dress detail at the bottom. And I bet it's flattering for all figures. Too expensive for me though.

Cute cream-coloured jacket with ruffle details from Anthropologie. This is totally something I would wear and Jesse would totally say it's stupid-looking. Lol!

Lovely jacket from Forever21. Loveee the royal blue colour (and it's fitting too bcos I have direct relations with royalty. My sister is the queen. Hahaha.) This looks a little straightjacket-ish tho.

Cute jacket vest. It has some small patterns on it I forget what it's called. I need to get one of these too.

I've been wanting to get one of these kinda long and flowy cardigans for that casual chic-uptown-bookstore-owner look. Haha what am I talking about. Anyway I just like it. This is from Macy's.

Something like this sorta. But not really. Actually this is a little different than what I have in mind but still cute.

Yeah something like this. Although I would wear it unbuttoned. Very nice.

Craving!

2008-09-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking/dreaming about Bandung! Back in SG that was one my staple cold drinks for buka(breaking fast).

Unfortunately they do not sell rose syrup where I live..nor can i find rose extract to my own rose syrup! =(

And don't even tell me to buy rose petals and make rose extract out of that! Haha I'm not THAT motivated.

For buka I've been drinking strawberry milk, trying to fool myself that it's the same as bandung, cos they look the same! But it's not... =( it just don't cut it for me.

I'll be drinking bandung to my heart's content when I go back to SG in dec. And eat lotsa good local food. And maybe even tapau some back here. Haha!

Now I understand why some people bring boxes of instant noodles when they travel for a while. I'll probably be doing the same when I come back here in Dec. I probably won't be packing along instant noodles (well, maybe I will take the curry and tom yam flavours!), but other things like spices and condiments and all that good stuff.

Or maybe I should convince Jesse that we should take a trip to NY to Chinatown to do some serious food shopping... bcos they do have a good variety of Malay/Chinese/Indian foodstuffs there!

Hmmm...I think I should open a "Singapore food" restaurant here, just for my own pleasure! Hahaha. Bandung will definitely be on my menu, and prata, and roti kirai, and murtabak, and prawn noodles, and rendang....*drool* it will be a long list.

This is a lovely pic of my beloved bandung drink (courtesy of crystalbyblog)

Oooo so tempting.. yummy sweet milky goodness.

Don't even start about how "Eeyerr.. bandung so sweettt, so fattening.."

Nonsense la. It's worse to drink sodas cos not only is there lots of sugar, there's the high sodium amount, and all the chemicals in the drink.

Maybe I should make sugar-free rose syrup with splenda!

Here's a little history about bandung. LINK. I don't know if it's even true, but it's an interesting story. It's believable.

Ramadhan

2008-09-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

My fasting month has been wonderful so far! =)

At the start of the month the fasting day is longer: dusk is at about 7.30pm, while dawn is at about 5am.

But, towards the end of the month, the fasting days gradually get shorter, dusk on the last day is about 6.50pm, dawn at 5.30 am.

Fall and winter are approaching, hence the shorter days and cooler/colder weather! Yippee!

I've about had it with the hot scorching sun! lol my body is multi-toned due to various tan lines. Aiyaiyai! Being in the sun for just even 30 minutes gets me tanned.

I guess I colour really easily. Lol.

Jesse's been trying his hardest to fast with me =) He's such a sweety, he really is doing his best.

He only has been "food-fasting" so far, cos with his gruelling job and with this weather, he needs to drink plenty of fluids. Hehehe well he's gotta start somewhere right? =p When I was little of course I did the half-day fasts during Ramadhan when I first started out.

Oh and I've taught him to say the niat for breaking fast =p.

The first time when I said it out loud he had a hard time repeating along with what I said, because it all is still new and foreign to him.

And he was like," Can't I just say it in English?" lol. I guess you can, it really is the meaning and the intentions that matters, but I think it's better to say it in Arabic, the "holy language".

So to make it easier, I spelt out the niat for him on a piece of paper and stuck it on the fridge.

He's been doing pretty good with food-fasting, but my bonehead refuses to eat in the mornings when he's working (he finds eating before work makes him sleepy, or something of that nature), so by the time he gets home he's literally starving.

Lol. Poor guy. But he's also an idiot! =p

Last night I made meatloaf for dinner and the smell was so good and it wafted all the way into the living room where he was watching TV, and it was still an hour to go before breaking fast. He said he was just about ready to "gnaw his arm off". Lol he was that hungry.

But, the month of Ramadhan is about overcoming trials and tribulations and temptations (such as the above =p) with plenty of faith in your heart and self-restraint.

So I've been keeping myself busy during the days with little "projects", so that I can keep my mind off food.

I've been working on sanding and re-finishing some little side tables and our TV stand, from the living room and bedroom.

We bought the furniture in the living room separately, so they have different stain colours and finishes, so I'm trying to stain them all the same colour.

And some are a little worn so I'm trying to make them look brand new. =p

And I've been trying to learn Spanish online, from a website called LiveMocha, where you can sign up for free and can choose from various languages to learn.

I've always wanted to learn Spanish, because I figured when I start working here it would come in pretty handy.

I'm starting from scratch, right from the basics, cos I don't know no Spanish! So I'm taking Spanish 101.

Yo no habla español...?

Haha that might be wrong. I not sure. Supposed to mean I don't speak Spanish. =S

And I think for Spanish questions, it starts with upside down question mark at the front of the sentence, followed by a regular question mark at the end.

I've only started with the basics like The woman is not fat. She is thin. "La mujer no es gorda. Ella es delgada." Lol hey, it's something! =p

Besides that I'm gonna start learning knitting too. Yeah, I know, I should get a rocking chair and put my hair up in a bun and wear granny glasses, right? =p

I went to the pharmacy in town to pick up some knitting needles and some yarn, but I didn't know which one to get! They had short needles, long needles, curved ones; I was confused!

So I'm waiting for Jesse to go with me so he can tell me which ones to get. He knows a little about knitting cos he did it back when he was in school for Homec.

So he's gonna teach me a little bit. =p

I'm hoping to make a big afghan (it might take a while but I have plenty of free time!) to keep us nice and warm for winter.

Jesse's aunt Pat made for us a red-and-white afghan last year, so I wanna make one too!

Anyway its 5.40am and I've been up for 2 hours already, and my eyes need a break! So I'm going to head back to bed!

Politics

2008-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to get away from politics, especially not last night, when I wanted to watch some TV in bed, but pretty much every other channel was airing the Republican convention!

I'm so sick of this presidential race politics, what with all the candidates' ads on TV slamming each other (mostly exaggerations and lies), and them being in the media all the time (leading up the Nov. elections).

Jesse is a staunch republican (bleagh!) and he is as stubborn as a mule.

And although I'm not a citizen of the US, I believe I am an independent. (Initially I thought I was a pure democrat.)

So with the elections drawing near and with the country in time of crisis, I do believe that people should vote for the best president, instead of voting for their own party.

I think they have to look at the candidates with an unbiased mind; listen to what Obama and McCain have to say about themselves, listen to what they have to say about each other, and then do some research on which statements/claims made are true or lies or exaggerated.

A good place to go to an unbiased source e.g FactCheck.org which would tell you about the truth in the candidates' claims. And as it turns out, politicians are a big bunch of liars, so you would a learn that a good portion of stuff they say are not true.

And here's a biased source. Lol.. This site is highly pro-liberal, however it highlights a lot of deception by the Fox news (which are pro-republican) used in the media. Link: FoxAttacks.

P/S: I think Cindy McCain looks like she did a lot of plastic surgery/botox on her face. I saw an old picture of her and compared it to now, and now her face just look so tight and taut it looks really bad. And I think she looks kinda evil. Haha! Like if she was in a movie, she would totally be given the villain part.

I don't care too much for Sarah Palin as a future VP. I think if McCain was to be a president and dropped dead, I would not trust her to be a good leader of the country. I think she would be worse then Bush. lol.

I haven't decided on what I think about Biden, there's something about him I don't like.

I do think Obama is the lesser of the two evils. Jesse of course thinks otherwise, although he doesn't like McCain much either.

I'll be looking forward to the presidential/political debate.

Inneresting

2008-08-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is why we gotta love dogs and cats! Animals are smarter than we think! And can help save our lives.

LINK

I wouldn't want that cat Oscar to get near me though! I'll keep running away from him if I have to. Lol =p

Yay Phelps!

2008-08-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

Phelps is aweeesomee! Lol he absolutely deserves his 8 gold medals and all of his wins were record times! Woohooo!

And he seems like such a humble guy too!

Omg his 100m butterfly finals ahhh that was crazy! I was jumping up and down cheering for him cos it was so freakin exciting! Lol!

And the other thing I like just as much as watching Phelps win is watching his mother's reaction right after he wins!

How awesome is she! Lol her reactions are always priceless! And she's a big cutie too!

And Phelps is a big mommy's boy, so, awwww....

2008-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had a looovely day of shopping today with my sweetheart =) I got a couple of free stuff and we got some good deals and had dinner at Pizza Hut so we're beyond stuffed! (well I am still stuffed, Jesse's already having leftovers)

Speaking of food, do you know that Michael Phelps eats like 20,000 calories of food everyday? OMG can't stand him! Wish I could eat that much everyday. And even so he says he has a hard time keeping weight on.

A person my size can only eat between 1200 to 1500 calories each day.

And I lovee food! lol. There's too much good food around! Especially in Singapore. But I've learned to refrain my self from eating too much.

Or maybe I should become a pro swimmer so I can be a pig! Lol.

Yeah, I know. I'm very much not a swimmer. I'm good at sinking to the bottom tho. =p

Anyway.. back to shopping.

We were at the Schuylkill (believe it or not pronounced skool-kill) Mall and we stopped by the Gertrude Hawk Chocolate outlet store.

And we ended up with all these...

... for a grand total of 11 bucks!

For a whole bunch of yummy gourmet chocolates! (and a round suede box that I had to get =p ) How awesome is that!

The may all be easter chocolates (hence the bunny shaped candies), but still good eating! And great price too. Love outlet stores!

And we stopped by a Victoria's Secret store where I got this for free!

A VS Pink makeup bag worth about $25! (with any Pink purchase) =p

And then we stopped by a department store to go to the Estee Lauder counter to get my free Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara sample!

Weehee! Love free stuff!! lol

And then we had dinner at Pizza Hut cos we haven't ate there in a while and we got a set meal that came with 2 medium pizzas, breadsticks and the new chocolate dunkers dessert.

Omg there was enough food for 4! We brought home a full medium box of leftover pizzas and a full small box of chocolate dunkers.

These are the chocolate dunkers by the way ( I dunno if they have it in Singapore):

I told you there's a lot of em! lol And they're pretty damn good!

It's little chocolate pieces on a warm crust and you dunk it in the chocolate sauce... oohhh yummy!

So yeah I had a great day today! Shopping without Jesse getting crabby.. can't beat that! Lol.

Disclaimer: Jesse is a total sweetheart most of the time. It's just that guys, usually, as we all learn to know, are just annoying to shop with. Lol. =p

Bee sting

2008-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Last night my ankle and my wrist (where I got stung) were itching so bad, and this morning when I woke up my ankle and my wrist were swollen.

It got worse as the day went by and now my left ankle look like a pregnant woman's! Lol.

Now I think my left ankle is literally twice the size of my right one.

And I thought it was odd and was wondering why I'm getting this reaction even a week after I got stung.

So of course I turned to the trusty (?) internet for answers!

This was what I learned..

"Delayed reactions result when the body's immune system prepares for future stings, but some of the exuberant defense measures inadvertently turn against the body itself. These symptoms begin more than four hours after the initial sting. Delayed reactions include serum sickness (fever, weakness, rash, swelling, and/or intense itching which begin a week after the sting), nephrotic syndrome (inflammation of the kidney), neuritis (inflammation of the nerves), or inflammation of other parts of the body. "

Swelling? Check.

Intense itching? Check.

So I guess I got serum sickness?

Serum sickness is simply a delayed immune system response.

What I should do about the swelling, I don't quite know yet, I tried icing it earlier and it didn't make much difference.

I read some sites that suggested taking some Benadryl or Chlor-Trineton. They might be able to make the itching and swelling go away.

But if it things got worse tomorrow I probably will end up going to the doctor. Boohoo. =(

Next morning update:

My swelling got wayyy... swellier? Haha. This sucks. Hurts when I stand up and my blood rushes to my left ankle. Gotta get me some Benadryl.

2008-08-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!!

I LOVE YOUUUU!

(9th August)

We're hurt!

2008-08-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well Jesse's still hurting and my injury is pretty miniscule compared to his.

Last weekend we went to Auburn Dam, and to get to there and back we had to walk on an abandoned railway track.

On the way back from the dam, I suddenly felt a stinging sensation on my wrist, followed by another one on my ankle! I was like, "Son of a bitch! What's going on here? Why do I keep getting stung!" And Jesse actually thought that was pretty funny. (I don't have such a potty mouth usually by the way =p )

And I realised I must have got stung by a bee and when I jerked my hand it must have landed on my ankle and stung me again! Lol I hope it died.

It was my first time getting stung by a bee (being a city girl!), so I didn't know if I was allergic to them, and thank god I wasn't. Lol we were just playing it by ear and if my wrist and ankle started ballooning, then we would know I was allergic. But they didn't balloon.

It stung quite a bit for the whole day, but by next morning, the pain was completely gone.

Oh I actually looked up online for some bee sting remedies, and the one that I tried was a concoction of part vinegar-part baking soda.

Didn't work!

Another remedy was to ice it.

Didn't work either.

A couple minutes after I got stung. It's the top swollen-looking one. The bottom one is an old scar.

And yesterday, while at work, Jesse fell and sprained his left arm. Although at the moment he thought he broke it.

What happened was, he was working with his stilts on (construction work, not the circus lol) and the floor was somewhat buff and slippery. And he accidentally stepped on a round object and he slipped and fell forward somehow, and put his arms out in front of him so he didn't fall flat on his face. And he landed hard on his arm and sprained it.

So his boss Charlie took him to the ER and they took some X-rays, and it turned out to be a sprained arm. So they put him in an arm guard thingy (don't know what the actual term is).

Jesse was pretty unhappy with the hospital service tho, bcos first of, he got the fat nasty looking nurse instead of the hot young one (haha!), and also bcos they didn't clean his wound on his other arm, nor did they give him an arm sling.

But my sweety is such a toughy and so hard-working that he went back to work today and didn't take a day off. He'll be doing some light work and (hopefully!) staying off the stilts for a while!

Lost in this world, I get lost in your eyes..

2008-07-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

L.O.S.T - Anouk

Lost by Anouk

"If roses are meant to be red
And violets to be blue
Why isn't my heart meant for you

My hands longing to touch you
But I can barely breathe
Starry eyes that make me melt
Right in front of me

Lost in this world
I even get lost in this song
And when the lights go down
That is where I'll be found

This music's irresistible
Your voice makes my skin crawl
Innocent and pure
I guess you heard it all before

Mister Inaccessible
Will this ever change
One thing that remains the same
You're still a picture in a frame

Lost in this world
I even get lost in this song
And when the lights go down
That is where I'll be found

I get lost in this world
I get lost in your eyes
And when the lights go down
That's where I'll be found

Yeah yeah
I get lost in this world
I get lost in your eyes
And when the lights go down
Am I the only one"

The words to this song has no significant meaning to my life right now, but oh my god I'm so in love with this song!

And here's a contemporary dance, from Fox's So You Think You Can Dance (latest season), danced to the song.

I'm a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance! =p Especially this latest season, cos everyone's sooo good! Except this one biatch Chelsie I can't stand her solo routines it's the same every week. Hehe. But I gotta give her credit, bcos she's great at ballroom dance, probably the best ballroom dancer on the show.

I especially lovee dances choreographed by Mia Michaels, contemporary is her forte, and she is sooo awesome at it. And I also love when they do Bollywood dance on the show! Lol it's so fun to watch.

Just stuff

2008-07-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Bored to tears so I should update my blog? I think I woke up kinda early today bcos my body clock tells me it should be noon already, yet it's only 11.20am. Lol.

So I watched Miss Universe the other day, I was really impressed with the contestants this year (in terms of looks) bcos like 80% of them were gorgeous! The previous years, I would say only half of them or less were really really beautiful.

My favourites were Miss Kosovo and Miss Colombia. Miss Kosovo was a sultry beauty with Angelina Jolie lips and she was just stunning. And it was the first year Kosovo entered into the competition too. But, she didn't get into the top 15.

Miss Colombia was beautiful and she had a great personality that showed with her smiles and playful demeanor on stage. I thought she would make a great Victoria's Secret model, bcos her body looked healthy and toned (not too anorexic-skinny like some other contestants), and she had the fun personality typical of VS models. Miss Colombia made it to the top 5 and eventually became runner-up. However, I thought she should have just kept her mouth shut lol cos she totally blew it on the Q&A session. I thought none of them answered their qns well, except for one of them ( Miss Domican Republic ). The others pretty much danced around the qns and sometimes didn't make sense.

So I was watching the show with Jesse and I was being a real smart ass and said, "If I was on that competition, I would have totally whooped all their butts on the Q&A session." lol And I went on and I said "Come on, ask me a qn."

Jesse laughed and he was like, "So IF you were on the show, you would be representing some made up country, and you would be Miss Pain-in-the-butt. Miss Pain-in-the-butt, what would you say women have achieved in the last 20 years?" (Yes, i can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but only around him lol we like to push each other's buttons.)

So I had to answer quickly and I was like "I think women have achieved a lot in the last 20 years. We have.. uhh uhh umm...." Lol I couldn't think of words right on the spot! In my head I knew what I was gonna say but I just couldn't find the right words.

It's one of the problems that I have, I have plenty of major brainfart moments. I think it's probly bcos when I was younger I knocked my head on the wall a lot of times (accident of course =p ) and I had plenty of things fall on me head lol, so a lot of my good memory brain cells were damaged? Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm a dimwit. =S

Anyway I guess considering how I answered the qn, I cannot give the women too much flak for answering their qns badly. However I can give them some flak for not doing their homework, bcos you would think that if you were to be on the show you would practice answering typical Q&A session qns like about women in the society, and umm world peace? lol.

In other news, Carmen is coming here to visit us next week! She's bringing her new bf with, and he seems really nice, he wants to meet her dad and bro (Jesse), so that's one of the reasons they're coming here. And also they're gonna go drive to the shore, to the ocean (Atlantic, I think)! And I'm coming with! Woohoo I haven't been to the beach for sooo long. Hopefully the weather permits and mother nature will beam her sunshiney rays on us so we can get a good tan!

Last weekend Jesse and I went to the farmer's market and walked around at the flea market to browse for some good finds.

We ended up with these paintings, a pair for $15.

And in other unrelated stuff, here's a gross picture for you guys to see:

I warned ya! It's a spaghetti sauce jar that I use to drain fat (from chicken, beef etc) into, so I can throw the jar away instead of draining oils into the sink (clogs the sink of course).

So one afternoon I was cooking some beef and pulled out the jar so I can drain away the fat, and what I saw was that solid stuff hovering in the jar above the oils! Lol. I've never seen that before so I thought that was interesting. I guess it must be some chemical reaction that goes on or something? Does anybody know?

Now to help you recover from the picture above, here's a cute picture of my cat's hind paws. =) Her pad is pink and brown. My wittle cutie pie. =)

Survey

2008-06-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
My hair.

2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Gray.

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
Absolutely!

4.Do you plan outfits?
Haha no I don't but I have casual outfits and going out outfits. And I tend to change a lot before I settle for the one I like. Hehe.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
Feeling blah.

6. Whats the closest thing to you thats red?
The mail holder.

7. Do you say aim or a-i-m?
I don't use AIM. But A-I-M.

8. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
It was just crazy. My dreams are always weird and complicated. I don't remember the details of the last dream I had but I know it was stupid. Lol.

9. Did you meet anybody new today?
No not yet. Haven't stepped out of the house yet.

10. What are you craving right now?
I'm craving...nothing right now. Maybe some kinda cold fruit like watermelon would be good. And chocolate pudding.

11. Do you floss?
Every night. My dentist told me to do it. And I'm a good girl. =p

12. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
Patch?

13. When was the last time you talked on aim?
Never did.

14. Are you emotional?
I can be sometimes. Not overly emotional tho.

15. Would you dance to the taco song?
Whats the taco song?? Lol I've never heard it before. I'll look it up or ask someone.

16. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
Nooo. I may have all the time in the world but I'm not gonna do that.

17. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
Lick it first and then bite it towards the end.

18. Do you like your hair?
Not right now. Gonna get a haircut next week! It's getting a little long for me.

19. Do you like yourself?
Yeah I love myself! Lol I guess I'm tolerable.

20. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yeah back in my boyband days.

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
Sure. I don't want it on my thighs! But I'll take it on my lasagna. Lol!

22. What are you listening to right now?
Nothing. Tv's on in the other room.

23. How many countries have you visited?
About 5.

24. Are your parents strict?
Umm yeah.

25. Would you go sky diving?
Hell no! Haha I'm a chicken. I might consider it but right now no. Lol.

26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
I hate him as a president, but he can be a funny guy, so maybe. But I think he's a total dumbass who's done nothing but screw up this country.

27. Would you throw potatoes at him?
Potatoes, eggs, pots and pans, you name it lol.

28. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?
The flower votive candle on my makeup table. There's some silver glitters on it.

29. Have you ever been in a castle?
Never have been.

30. Do you rent movies often?
Yeah pretty often. Although lately we just get it on demand on comcast.

31. Who sits in behind you in your math class?
I don't go to no math class no more! Yippee

32. Have you made a prank phone call?
Nope yeah I'm boring lol.

33. Do you own a gun?
Yeah. Well it's Jesse's it's a shotgun for hunting. He showed me how to use it in case some bad guys come in the house!

34. Can you count backwards from 74?
Yeah why not. 74 73 72 71.. k im sick of it already. lol

35. Who are you going to be with tonight?
Jesse.

36. Brown or white eggs?
All my life in Singapore I've always had brown eggs, and now I'm here I've only had white eggs. lol. No difference I guess.

37. Do you own something from Hot Topic?
Nope.

38. Ever been on a train?
Yeah lotsa times.

39. Ever been in love?
I am right now =p lol love sweet love. It's wonderful.

40. Do you have a cell-phone?
Yup I do. It's pretty beat up thanks to my sweety. I need a new one.

41. Are you too forgiving?
Yeah I can be. I'm such a sweetheart you know. =p

42. Do you use chap stick?
Yup cherry flavour altho I'm thinking of switching to some other brand.

43. What is your best friend doing tomorrow?
I don't know.

44. Can you use chop sticks?
Yup I cann! But pretty clumsy with it. I can eat with it reallyy slowlyyy.

45. Ever have cream puffs?
Ooh yes I have and I love em! Haven't had them in a longg time. I like the ones in Singapore. American style cream puffs are a little much for me.

46. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
Nope. Heard it wasn't too good.

47. What was the last question you asked?
Maybe.. why are you such a pain? lol to Jesse.

48. What was the last CD you bought?
I haven't bought one in a long time.. The last CDs I got were blank ones for burning. Lol!

49. Boys or girls?
Girls?

50. Wat is your bus number for school?
Don't remember.

51. Is your hair curly?
Never have been. I think I look stupid with curly hair.

52. Last time you cried?
Two nights ago watching TV.

53. Ever walked into a wall?
Hahaha I would love to say no, but unfortunately I walk into a wall like every other day. Haha I'm klutzy.

54. Do looks matter?
It don't matter, but it sure don't hurt =)

55. Have you ever bought anything from Pac Sun?
Never have. And I don't think I know what Pac Sun is either.

56. Have you ever slapped someone?
Yeah just a couple days ago. Lol! Playing of course.

57. Favorite time of the year?
Summer!! But only when it's not scorching hot.

58. Favorite color?
Royal blue and red. Used to love yellow but now I'm over it.

59. Are you sarcastic?
I can be at times.

60. Do you have any tattoos?
None.

61. The last person you held hands with?
Jesse as always.

62. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Nope don't have a TV in my room. Although in the mornings I sleep with the radio on.

63. Where was your default picture taken at?
Default pic for my blog.. taken at Fullerton in Singapore.

64. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
Yeah lol. Some people are just annoying and stupid beyond words.

65. Do you like your life right now?
In some ways I do, in some ways I don't.

66. How often do you talk on the phone?
Not too often.

67. What is your favorite animal?
I guess I have to say cat cos I have my little Wad hehe. And I love goofy-looking animals. They're just cool.

68. What was the most recent thing you bought?
Bright pink nail polish and top coat polish.

69. Do you have good vision?
No I'm four-eyed.

70. Can you hula hoop?
Yes I can! Haven't done it in a while tho.

71. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
Nope. Can't stand jerks. I would forgive after like years and years tho.

72. Do you have a job?
Not right now no. Lol. And it's not fun. I'll get one soon hopefully if things work out for me.

73. Can you handle the truth?
Sometimes i guess. =p

74. What are you wearng?
Shorts and stupid NRA shirt.

75. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yup when I forgot the keys.

Neal E Boyd

2008-06-18T08:12:00.001-07:00

I watched America's Got Talent last night, and this guy moved me to tears. (of course Jesse teased me about crying lol)

I can totally relate with him, his love for his mother.

His performance had so much passion in it, it was outstanding.

I've never understood opera, but you don't need to understand the words to love this performance. Watch..

Carnival fireworks

2008-06-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

The carnival came to town again and yesterday we watched the fireworks. =)

We didn't even go to the carnival because everything's basically the same every year, but we got the best seats for the fireworks!

We went to the top of the hill where our truck was parked (Jesse's dad's truck actually, we borrowed it cos our car broke down =S ) and we sat on the back of the truck, where we got a clear view of the carnival.

It was awesome, and quite romantic too =), we got there kinda early (the fireworks display didn't start till like an hour later) so we sat there and talked and listened to the band playing at the carnival.

I got a video uploaded here of the fireworks, you can hear how loud it was and from the top of the hill we got the best sounds too (you can hear the sound the echoes made in the video, it was so loud!)

Hot!

2008-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Material things that I can't live without right now:

Air-conditioner
Fan
Air-conditioner + Fan! ( double-duty does the trick )
Cold water ( for shower )
Ice
Tank tops
Tissue ( for wiping sweat )
Hair products ( just because! Haha )
Cold drinks ( cold water, kool-aid.. )
Sugar-free creamsicles! ( Guilt-free popsicles with ice cream in the center )
Shorts

To sum it all up, it's just too hot right now! About 95 deg F ( 35 deg C! )

I'm hoping for thunderstorms and all that good stuff that usually follows hot weather.

My Mr Romance =)

2008-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

We haven't watched a new movie in quite a while, so yesterday I decided on the movie P.S. I Love You, despite protests from Jesse. Hehe =p cos he is anti-romantic movies.

He gave in to me cos I've been bugging him about the "lack of romance" in my life lately.

Well this is how guys work. When they first meet a girl they like, they are so frickin sweet right. Once they get the girl, the sweetness and romance from them dramatically lessens. The longer they've been with the girl the lesser the romance.

And we've been together for over 4 years now. So you do the math.

Hence my constant complaint to him about lack of romance.

Don't get me wrong, we still love each other more than ever, and we're still IN love with each other despite being in each other's hair 24/7.

It's just that we've got so comfortable with each other, that we don't put in any extra effort to win over one another.

So I like to tease Jesse and call him "Mr Romance" for his lack thereof, and also in hoping that the more I call him by that name, the more he will be an actual Mr Romance. Hehehe =p

Back to the movie. I teared up only a couple of times. The movie is just meh for me. I was quite disappointed bcos I read some good reviews about it.

The concept of the story appealed to me tho. But, I dunno, it just didn't work. The acting seemed a little like, well, acting.

And the movie just didn't tug at my heart strings too much, like, say, A Walk to Remember did. Hehehe =p

I give PS I Love You a 3 out of 5. Not so recommended by me. Lol.

Jesse did something so supersweet for me when we were watching the movie tho and I couldn't believe it.

See, went he went out fishing the other day, he got poison ivy on him and now he has rashes all over his body, arms, hands and legs. So I can't touch his hands and everywhere else he got infected, or else I would get rashes on myself.

And he was watching the movie in just a pair of shorts, cos it was very warm, and therefore we couldn't snuggle on the recliner (cos I like to hehehe).

He is also anti-snuggle by the way cos he claims I ask for it way too much. (I don't get enough I say =p)

Anyway at one point during the movie he paused it and told me to wait a minute and he got up and left the living room.

And when he came back he was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and long PJ pants, just so we could snuggle!

Awwww!

Mind you, it was too warm for long pants and long-sleeved shirt. =p I couldn't believe he did that just for me =) hehe! So that totally made my night. *hearts*

I always knew he is a true Mr Romance after all.

I think my plan is slowly starting to work. =p

Omg best popper ever!!!

2008-05-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 - Robert Muraine
Uploaded by superbatista619

All I can say was WOWWW! Omg he made my jaw drop. Amazing!

Gorgeous days in spring

2008-05-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Was shnoozing in bed this morning when I heard the distant sound of a marching band growing louder by the second.

It's Memorial Day and the parade came thru town. Same as last year. Some kids from some school bands, kids from the little league, some army veterans, firetrucks etc.

Last year I watched from the street, this year I watched from the comfort of my recliner by our third-floor window. =)

Yesterday we took our canoe out on the lake and paddled around the lake for less than an hour. It was less than an hour and Jesse got sunburnt! Or in his words, "severely tanned". Haha he refuses to admit he's just a typical white boy who can't bake in the sun for too long.

And I told him he has to wear sunblock. And his response "No way! Sunblock makes my skin feel icky and stuff and I don't like it."

Lol he can be ridiculous sometimes. Just a pain in the butt, that's what he is.

Although I can be equally annoying to him too hehe. Like last night I was working on my jigsaw puzzle and I was teasing him that I had a secret that I couldn't tell him. I was trying to drive him crazy that I knew something he didn't know.

I drove him so nuts from not knowing that he threw a pillow that landed right smack on my face and of course the pillow landed on my jigsaw and some pieces that I already figured out broke apart. Lol.

Anyway back to the lake. So there's a law that you gotta have enough lifejackets on your boat/canoe for the number of people that are on it.

And I, not being able to swim, decided to wear my lifejacket. In case I fall off the canoe or if the canoe tips over or if Jesse tries to be funny and purposely tip the canoe over. =S

And as we paddled around the lake, I realised I was the only one wearing a lifejacket! How embarassing! Especially considering I came from a freakin island. Lol!

So I told Jesse I'm gonna have to take swimming lessons from some hot swimming instructor guy. And he said, it's probly gonna be a little kid. Lol way to rub it in.

It's another beautiful day today so we're probly gonna head back out on the lake. And get some pictures next time when I get a waterproof camera.

"Zubby"

2008-05-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

So I googled my name. Typed Zubby. Found 2 interesting things.

One, Zubby is a slang word with 2 meanings.

First meaning is to have talent or abilities. e.g and i quote from the site "I'm a very zubbed counterstrike player."

Ooookieee. hahaha.

Second meaning is "Zubby is a person with the hobby of sex. Become zubby is the same of become the god of sex."

Another oookieee! Stupid if you ask me. But interesting.

And just now I typed in Zub. And apparently Zub means penis in some language. Hahahaha. In the Arabic language I think. lol.

And the other thing that came up when I googled Zubby was a new social networking site called Zubby.com. Like myspace/friendster/facebook etc.

So that was my interesting find of the day.

My new cooking blog

2008-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hey check out my other blog http://zubbyskitchen.blogspot.com/ haha k toodledoo!

Updates

2008-05-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't realise I haven't blogged for so long! Lol time flies I guess!

Spring is here again.. the weather is unbelievable! It was so hot one night so we decided to put up our airconditioner, and then the next day it was freezing cold! And now it's raining.. dreary.. I want more sun!

I watched something interesting on the morning show today. They invited a guest, who is the author of a book called The Birth Order Of Love. *linky*

It tells you about the compatibility of a couple based on their birth orders. I think I got some forward e-mails of a similar topic, but here's a book about it!

And according to him, the ideal couple would be a first-born male paired with last-born female. Cos basically first-borns are controlling and dominant, and the last-borns is more tolerant of their crap. =p

Last borns are friendly, easygoing and creative. They (we; I'm a last-born =p ) also have more diverse interest than their other siblings, are the first to embrace new theories and like to challenge the status quo.

And it just so happens that Jesse is the first-born among his siblings and I'm a last-born baby. Lol I guess we make a great pair!

Jesse and I are totally an opposites-attract type of couple. He is basically everything I'm not, and vice versa. =) And I do believe that's what makes a couple work, cos I wouldn't wanna date somebody exactly like me. It would get too boring and predictable.

Although Jesse is quite predictable sometimes. But I digress. Lol.

I've been keeping myself busy lately with doing some online shopping (great solution cos my sweety abhors clothes shopping. And I think that is a suiting word too. Abhor. lol), freebie shopping (tell you about that later), racking my brain with a jigsaw puzzle, and looking to get a job here sometime soon as soon as I get some other stuff done.

I've been doing some shopping from sites like JcPenney, WetSeal, Target, Amazon and Ulta. And it's great when I can get discount codes for eg 25%, or free shipping.

And my new favourite B&M store is Steve & Barry's! I know it's been around for a while but I just "discovered" it like just this year if i recall correctly.

They carry brands like Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker, Dear by Amanda Bynes, Eleven by Venus Williams, and their own Steve & Barry's product line, all products under $20(or is it $25?)storewide! And most of the time they have a promotion of $8+ or under on all products.

Even their jeans are like 8 bux a piece. Awesome. =p My kinda store. Lol.

Freebie shopping is where I basically shop around for freebies! Mostly compiled on forum sites like YDF & FatWallet (gotta beware of scams and phishing sites, etc). Also, you can get samples from Walmart & StartSampling.

I've got awesome freebies and samples, even some interesting ones. Lol!

Some of the freebies and samples that I've got.. they include Kraft recipe book, Carnation recipe book, O magazines, Marie Claire, Star, Seventeen, Cosmo, CosmoGirl, Interview, Vaseline lotion, Colgate and Aquafresh toothpaste samples, Dove haircare samples, Playtex & other feminine napkin/tampon brands, and many others.

You guys have to guess what these two following items are. If you guess it correctly you are a freaking genius! Lol!

The first item is an oven rack pusher-puller! Lol they have something for everything nowadays!
And item number 2 is.. and you would never guess this.. it's a spaghetti noodle measurer! Hahah!

This is my work-in progress jigsaw puzzle. 1000 pieces. When it's done I'm gonna frame it up and put it in the living room or hallway or something.

Jesse's Planet Earth jigsaw puzzle. Also 1000 pieces. I warned him it's gonna be reeeally tough cos of all the trees.. but being the hard-headed doorknob that he is insisted that he can solve it in an hour and a half. Let's just say it's been way longer than that since he first started.

As you can see I've had more progress than him. But then again I have way more leisure time than he does. =p

One of the shows I watched during my blog absence is America's Best Dance Crew on MTV and omg you gotta check out the JabbaWockeez (can't get any cooler than that name!) They are the awsomest dance crew ever. And they're the winners of the competition of course!

My favourite two performance of theirs.. JabbaWockeez Thriller week and Evolution of Hip hop!! (click on links!)

I think their masks totally make the crew! Lol they're like the Blue Man Group except their masks are white and they got some hot moves! Damn they're so awesome. You can go YouTube their other performances.

And congrats to my sis and her new hubby on their wedding day!

Football!

2008-01-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

I've been watching quite a bit of football lately. I pretty much don't have a choice cos when there's football, it will be on in our house.

And I have to say after about a year of complaining about football, I think I've finally understood the game! Lol =p

I think I'm an NFL fan now, altho I'd only watch the good games.

Like yesterday San Diego Chargers played Indianapolis Colts, it was an exciting game!

I was cheering and hollering for the Colts to win, but in the end, they lost =(. They were the defending NFL champions and Jesse's #1 team.

But now Jesse claims that the New England Patriots are his #1 team, just cos they're still in. Lol! He's such a traitor!

Another great team that are already knocked out are the Dallas Cowboys. I guess people are now blaming it on Jessica Simpson, cos she's currently dating the Dallas quarterback Tony Romo!

Obviously I don't blame it on Jessica, but since I'm not a fan of hers I'm not gonna defend her! =p

Here are some pictures of quarterbacks for you ladies...

I have to say tho that I only find a handful of football players hot, but they all sure do have great asses. Alll of them! lol =p

Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo. Love his smile!

Indianapolis Colts Quarterback, Peyton Manning. He's older, so he don't appeal to me much but he's one of the best QB's in NFL i think.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots Quarterback. He's pretty good-looking but not my type. He's dating Gisele Bundchen. And he's an awesome QB too.

Some NFL rear-ends for you to enjoy! lol!

Long time no see!

2008-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hey alll!!! I'll start the new year with a blog entry.. after a long hiatus! (Hiatus is such a Singaporean word I think. lol!)

To keep you guys updated.. let me tell you whats new.. Both my freakin sisters are freakin getting married this freakin year!!!

Ahhh!

I'm not so worried about Toot's (real name Zuraidah, we call her toot) wedding which is in December, cos we've been planning on that since last year..

I'm more worried about Rinah's wedding, which is on the 1st of May AND the 2nd of August. They're doing the solemnisation in May and the wedding in August.

Uhh..!!!

Haha don't get me wrong, I'm beyond excited for them..but if Jesse & I went for all three events, that will cost us.. US$10,000 in plane tickets just this year! Close to $15,000 in Singapore dollars.

This is one of those times when I wish I had a money tree in the backyard. Make that a couple of money trees!

Rinah just told me ytd abt her May-August wedding, and I was like, you serious? Like May this year? Can't you make it later? lol!

I'm such a great sis aren't I! =p I'm truly happy for her tho. Lol!

When we do get back to Singapore tho, me and Jesse have planned to eat alll the great Singapore food that we've been dreaming about.

We were watching the Food Network channel last night and there was a show about food travel, and the chef Anthony Bourdain was in Singapore, and he enjoyed alll the food he ate there!

Well except for maybe the deer penis wine he had at a chinese restaurant! I know. Deer penis. Yum.

Some of the food we have on our minds are crispy Indian Murtabak, Malay dishes like rendang and asam pedas, and Chinese dishes like prawn noodles!!! Can't help but think about food when we think of Singapore. =p

Our new years' was spent at home this year, my sweety was sick! I think he was sick too last year on new years eve.

But on the weekend we went up to Bedford County here in PA, about 3 hrs drive away. We stayed at Dave's in-law's house and we had a great time!

It was quite beautiful there, with the mountains all around, and we hung out with Dave and his family, played some pool and poker and the guys went hunting and Dave shot a deer. It was a buck the size of a doe, so he wasn't too proud of that! lol! He kept telling everyone he shot a doe! =p

The basement of the house was awesome, they had wood panelling on the walls, and they had a pool table, poker table, plenty of hunting trophies, foosball(how do you spell this) machine thingy, a wet bar and a fireplace. That's where we hung out both nights =p

Oh and we played poker and everyone put in 5 bux to give to the winner, and Jesse won it! Woohoo he's great at texas holdem! So he (we) won like $35 bux from the game =p

Poker is something new to me that I'm learning to enjoy. It's not about gambling or anything, cos I'd be fine playing without money, but it's about trying to figure the game out and being smart about how you play.

You gotta use your brains to play and try to bluff people and stuff. And I'm learning a thing or two from my poker teacher Jesse =p lol

I took a couple of pics on the weekend but my darn USB cable for the camera isnt working for some reason so I gotta get a new one. =S

So I won't be posting new pics anytime soon, I don't think.

Since I'm backtracking now, I'll tell ya about how our Xmas went! As you know, I'm Muslim so don't really celebrate it, but my sweety has been celebrating Xmas all his life with his family and friends, so it's more like a tradition thing for us, and not religious.

It's a get-together for friends and family to enjoy good food, good company and the best part is to exchange presents!

This year we were able to afford to get gifts for most everyone that are dear to us =). And to me that's the best part of the gifts, being able to give to people we love something nice.

Unfortunately, we still haven't sent the gifts to Jesse's family in Minnesota! Lol! We feel really bad about that! We're probably sending them out tmw tho! =p

Hey, there's 12 days of Xmas, so it ain't over yet!

I got a couple of gifts for Xmas myself, I got a Victoria's Secret robe and slippers and a candle from my sweet love! And a lovely bath and beauty pack from Dave and family, a couple of things from Carmen, a pizza oven and pizza-making stuff from Vicki for both of us (Jesse's mom), and from Jesse's dad and stepmom I got a shirt and fuzzy slippers and body mist and a crock pot for both of us.

Funny thing was, we also gave Jesse's stepmom a crock pot too! Lol only cos Jesse asked his dad beforehand and we knew she needed a large one!

Lol it was funny tho.

Oh and it's been snowing here lately, it snowed yesterday and this morning I think, and I been doing quite a bit of shovelling. Snow is fun and so pretty =)

Lol the only thing that's not so fun is when somebody throws a snowball and it hits you right in your schnozz and your face feels numb for a couple of minutes! lol!

And I saw the prettiest thing while on a drive the other day. There was freezing rain the morning before I think, and in the morning the grass and the bald trees had a layer of ice on it.

The trees were especially beautiful bcos all the branches had a coating of ice all over it, and they looked like glass trees. I told Jesse I thought it was so beautiful, and he thought I was easily amused. Lol! Whatever.

I'll try to put up new pics soon, till then, I'll see ya later!

Jesse's Trophies =p

2007-09-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

So now we have a deer head and a trout trophy in our living room.

My living room is turning into a jungle! Lol!

Kidding.. it's not too bad I don't think. =S

But deer-hunting season is coming up soon so.. there might be more deer trophies here.. who knows!

My sweetheart is an avid hunter and he's really good at it so I let him do his thing.

But if we start to have 5 deer trophies in our tiny living room, I'm gonna have to put my foot down! Lol! =p

The deer trophy on the wall is shot by Jesse..it's a big size for a buck (male deer)
.
Jesse's trophy buck close-up (shot in Minnesota)... Dave was excited to see it bcos it is much larger in body-size compared to the deer in Pennsylvania.

Jesse's dad's deer trophy... dunno where it's gonna go up at yet..

Our cool coffee table that we brought back from Minnesota.. it's got his trophy brown trout displayed in it..

The pretty trout is a little more than 2-feet long... pretty big size for a trout

From the other side

**Just a little FYI for those who don't know what a trophy is...

Basically for e.g when a fisherman catches a big trout, he will send it to a professional taxidermy.

The taxidermist empties out the guts and flesh of the fish, and stuffs the fish with maybe styrofoam..

And does a good paint job on the skin similar to the actual fish to like preserve it or whatever.. and they display it to make it look all pretty.

Haha that's what my knowledge of it is anyway.. =)

You can click here for more detailed info.