.Tuesday, October 09, 2012.
3rd Year Anniversary Trip: Time for Taiwan
“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,Love like you'll never be hurt,Sing like there's nobody listening,And live like it's heaven on earth.” ― William W. Purkey
It is amazing how quickly time flies. Three months ago, I was still booking my air tickets and counting down excitedly to fly to Taiwan. Now, I am back from my trip. Six days five nights was a short yet long trip and this trip marks our 3rd year anniversary. It is my first ever trip with Dear alone and I must say that I feel a great sense of achievement being able to find our way around ourselves. Of course, special thanks to many of the Taiwanese that we have approached and helped us with our directions.
Day 1: We took the 7.10 am flight to Taipei and we literally ran to our boarding gate after breakfast with our family. As the plane took off into mid-air, there was this sense of excitement that rushed into me. As expected, the sense of excitement didn't last for too long and I got a little bored on the plane. Speaking of which, I am amazed at how Jade managed to survive a 25 hour flight when I got so bored on a 4 and a half hour flight. Thanks to Dear's iPad 2, I was able to create my own in-flight mini theatre to entertain myself. Upon reaching Taoyuan International Airport, we went to grab lunch and I must say that both of us were not used to the entire menu being in Chinese. It really goes to show that I need to brush up on my Chinese language. Taichung was our next stop and we felt really relieved upon seeing our room. So comfy and cozy that we rested for a while before heading to Banana New Paradise. We went there thinking it was a museum and Dear proudly told the lady "tickets for 2" when it turns out to be a restaurant. We had some side dishes before heading to Feng Jia Night Market. Due to lack of rest, shopping and eating at Feng Jia was not exactly enjoyable and it turned out that I didn't get any shopping loots which was surprising for many. Somehow, the stuff that they are selling there seems to similar to what we have at Bugis and I just didn't get attracted.
Day 2: We bade goodbye to Taichung and headed for Rothenburg Lodge located in Yilan Countryside. It was like a mini heaven in the paddy fields and we were awed by the beauty of the lodge. The owners were also hospitable and treated us to afternoon tea and Nobel cake when we reached the place. After satisfying our need to take pictures, we headed to Luodong Night Market. Being in the countryside, the night market was slightly different from Feng Jia Night Market. As we had ample rest the night before, I felt happier shopping at Luodong Night Market. We tried various local snacks and I got some shopping loots from there.
Day 3: We spent half the day travelling back to Taipei and headed to Tamsui Old Street after dumping our luggage at a freaky hotel. There was so much to eat and shop at Tamsui that we spent our entire afternoon there and I insisted on taking the ferry to Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge although we were so damn tired after all the travelling and walking. I would say that apart from the nice lightings and night view at the bridge, there wasn't really anything else awesome. We headed back to the hotel for hot spring bath and had a freaky encounter. We were really a hero and heroine respectively to have stayed in that room for a night.
Day 4: We couldn't wait to get to our other hotel at Ximending and was never so relieved to be in another place. We calmed ourselves down before heading out to enjoy ourselves for another day. Long Shan Si was first on the list and I must say that the temples are in Taiwan are really impressive. They even have mini waterfalls there that makes the whole temple look so beautiful. We then went to PS Bu BU restaurant for our late lunch and dessert and the waiter was friendly. I was so glad to be able to sit in the PINK car where Jerry Yan and Barbie Hsu once sat when filming Meteor Garden to have our meal. It was like a wish come true. We then headed to Wu Fen Pu and Rao He Night Market to satisfy my shopping and food cravings.
Day 5: We changed our itinerary last minute and I was so glad to be able to locate the Kendo shop that Dear was looking for. We spent some time there as Dear was happily playing with all sorts of Kendo weapons and accessories since you could hardly or never find such stuff back in Singapore. We then took a train to Jiu Fen and I was a little disappointed with Jiu Fen as the food and things there didn't seem to appeal much to me. To avoid being caught in a storm, we gave up our plan to head to Shi Fen and went to Shilin Night Market before heading back to Ximending for late night shopping and supper.
Day 6: We spent our day combing the entire Ximending for last minute shopping loots before heading to Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe. I would say that their Tea Set was pretty impressive in terms of looks but taste wise, it was probably average. In any case, we were still impressed by their theme cafe in terms of ambience, decoration and way the staff were dressed. We then headed back to collect our luggage before leaving for the airport and back to Singapore.
Our first trip overseas together was definitely memorable. Having only each other in a foreign land was a test and challenge for the both of us. We had to learn to give in to one another and look out for one another all the time. Although there were times that we got frustrated with one another, we didn't break up with each other on this trip. LOL. It was a trip that both of us got to understand one another better and learn to adapt to each other's living habits. Thanks Dear, I felt taken care of and loved and I must say I love you too :) Looking forward to many more trips in future.
.Friday, August 24, 2012.
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| The 38s |
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| Battle mates |
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| Fruits of my labour |
Milestone: Graduation
It has been 8 months since I last posted. Since I have some free time now, I have decided to revamp my blog and I am pretty please with the new blog skin.
The start of the year marks the beginning of my last semester at SMU. It was definitely a semester of mixed feelings with me bearing a love-hate relationship with school. On one hand, I couldn't wait to be done with school so that I can bid farewell to mid term exams, projects, presentations, and final exams. On the other hand, I am not ready to face the harsh reality and working environment out there. Whether I like it or not, I am officially done with school. the last four years has definitely been a transformational period for me. From acquiring technical skills to developing myself as an individual, it has been an enriching and priceless experience for me and I thank SMU for that.
Graduation ceremony was a time where I see the fruits of my labour officially. I was initially disappointed that each graduand was only allowed to bring in two guests for the event but was later grateful that the school gave me an extra ticket to bring my fatfat in. During the grand procession, I can't deny that I felt a great sense of achievement. As I watched the school and faculty's flag being brought into the auditorium, I was overflowing with emotions. I have to shamelessly comment that I was proud of myself for completing the four-year journey and proud that I was able to wear my mortar board and now say that I am an alumni of the school. I can never forget how I went home crying four years ago when I first started school. The stress, the competition and mini real world that we see in school made me terrified. All that I expect of myself was to try to pass my modules. Looking back, I am glad to have surpassed my expectations and I realized that I was right to push and stretch myself further throughout the four years. But of course, I have not forgotten all whom have helped, encouraged, advised and even criticized me along the way. Cihui will never be who she is today without each and everyone of you - my family, fatfat, 38s, fran and clar, internship and project mates, and not forgetting professors.
As what the graduation ceremony is named at SMU - Commencement, it is the now the commencement of a new phase of our life story. Honestly, I am still not exactly ready for the working world but I guess I just have to learn to accept, adapt and like it just like how it has been for me at SMU. The positive thing is probably that I still have a chance to get some rest now and go for a holiday trip before I start work. What more can I ask for? :)
.Saturday, December 31, 2011.
A brand new year, a brand new start. 2012, here we come.
Looking back at 2011, I began to recall the various new experiences, challenges, and lessons that I had learn. 2011, I officially cleared all my accounting modules. School life has been as stressful and hectic as usual but we all do grow through such experiences don't we. I was glad to also be given the opportunity to be one of the student interviewers for the SOA admission interviews. As an interviewer, I got to observe interviews from a different perspective and pick up tips on how I should perform as an interviewee myself.
During the summer break, I started working at The Reckless Shop. There were many nitty gritty items that we need to remember to do and it can get a bit stressful at times. Through serving customers, I have found myself to be able to speak up more and interact with strangers. Apart from work, I was also granted a chance to attend a scholarship interview. Although grueling, I survived. Special thanks to Yuting and May May who were always there to cheer me up and support me. Thanks for the faith that you girls have in me, all the time. Year 4 semester 1 was even more hectic. The two killer modules have indeed killed but I am glad to have cleared them. *whoots*.
2011 was also the year of weddings. 3 couples from my extended family got married and it was definitely a joy to attend them and share their love.
2012, a year of excitement, beginning of the next phases of our lives, and new experiences. There are many resolutions that I have set for myself and I do hope that I would be able to constantly remind myself to achieve them with silly :)
Labels: Happy New Year
.Wednesday, December 07, 2011.
31 Days of December
Year 4 Semester 1 has officially ended. An absolutely tough semester that was definitely draining due to the two advanced accounting modules. Thank God, I got through them and I have officially cleared all my accounting core modules. This semester has been crazy and I am thankful for the support that my friends have showed me and thankful for my boy who has never failed to be there.
After my last paper, I headed down to Sushi Tei with 38 gang and spent the whole day out. Haircut and crabs for dinner were lined-up after that before heading home for a true blue good night rest. I managed to spend the next two days with Silly without having to do any work before resuming work on Monday in a familiar place. The first few days of December was spent preparing for interviews and I am glad I survived through them and they were definitely meaningful experiences where I have picked up several learning points. I guess it is now for me to think about where I really want to head to and which place is a better fit for me.
Attended Derrence and Grace's wedding dinner today and it is the fourth and last wedding event in my family for this year. I was pretty impressed by some of the live band performance. Wanted to request for songs to be sung but the singer seemed to be able to read my mind and sang them all before I even did that. Through the numerous weddings that I have attended, I must really say that today's wedding did start me thinking about several things. Being able to meet the one and be there to love and support one another through both good times and bad times is no easy feat. It takes alot of faith, trust, courage, and mutual respect to bring a couple through a lifetime. Thinking about that makes me really guilty for the times where I was unreasonable and flared up at Silly. I should really count my blessing that Silly is always there to tolerate my nonsense. No doubt that there are times where we quarrel, each quarrel do help us understand one another better though too much of it will definitely strain a relationship. Looking back at the past two years, I do hope our relationship has grown to be much stronger than before. All right, feeling sleepy now. Shall retire for the night :)
Labels: 31 Days of December
.Sunday, August 14, 2011.
Summer Scent.
The past week has been an extremely busy one. I was busy with work, meet up sessions, and preparation for school. School is seriously freaking me out. Advanced accounting modules again and I really have no idea how to handle them.
Silly and my parents took time off their work to accompany me to go back to school to collect my award. There were some familiar faces but people were engaged in conversations about banks which I wasn't really interested in. The socializing felt abit awkward and I was just happily enjoying my food with my family and love. The food was pretty good and I headed down to Cathay to catch "Horrible Bosses" with Silly. We had Ben and Jerry's before that and the ice cream is still as good as ever. Horrible Bosses was pretty horrible. I got quite bored after a while and almost fell asleep. The plot is pretty retarded as well given that the theme was something that had potential to be developed into something better.
Bugis was the next stop and we met Adrian and Mun Yee for steamboat dinner before heading to Esplanade. It was a pity that we went there late and there weren't good seats left at Orgo Bar. Being flexible, we went back to Muchos at Clarke Quay for drinks and snacks. I will never forget the horrible Margarita they had but I am so glad that I didn't give their awesome Mocktails a miss. It always feels so good to be able to chill out at such places and catch up over drinks. Silly sent me home in a cab after that and I almost fell asleep on my way home.
Saturday afternoon and night were spent with 38s. Awesome dinner, awesome bitching, and it was awesome to see Jade again :) I guess we flooded the entire Newton Circus with our saliva with our non-stop bitching. Today was well spent with love. I got to nap soundly in his arms though his snoring stills annoys me greatly. Lol. Time flies and school is going to start. STRESS.
Labels: New Challenges
.Sunday, July 24, 2011.
Love is in the air.
The past week has been an exciting one. I finally got to meet up with GNS Tax peeps without anyone missing for steamboat dinner. Food was kind of sucky but the company was great. We eat, we drink, we gossip, and we laugh. What else can we ask for? However, everyone got quite serious when we started talking about future career path. Oh wells.
Saturday and Sunday were well spent with love. We headed to Tao's Restaurant for a 7-course dinner set meal. We thought the place would be pretty empty but to our horror, it was pretty packed. We went to have some Gelato while waiting for our table to be ready. I would give the restaurant 9 out of 10 points. The starter was awesome. I wanted to shove it to Silly at first as it looked kind of weird but after the first bite, I am so sure that I am coming back for more. The mains, desserts and salad were great too. Somehow the grass-is-greener-over-the-other-side syndrome hit Silly real badly as most of the stuff I ordered turns out to be nicer than what he ordered. LOL. The Japanese fish soup was absolutely well done as well! Gosh, the thought about the dinner just makes me want to drool again.
Watching Wu Xia was the next item on our to-do list. The movie is pretty funny in a comical way though some scenes were kind of disturbing. Guess the scriptwriter has to work harder on the plot. As the night was still young, we decided to try out Charly T's drinks before cabbing home. I would say, NEVER go there for their drinks. I guess the Manager seems much like a newbie as my drink tasted like pure alcohol when it is not supposed to be that way. Silly and me was on our way to becoming drunkards after downing the two cups of potent drinks.
Work tomorrow again and I am on full shift. I expect a shag day. Oh wells. Looking forward to the next weekend! :)
Labels: L'armour
A brand new year, a brand new start. 2012, here we come.
31 Days of December
Summer Scent.
[Universal Studios Singapore]
The past week has been a blast! The Reckless shop opened its new branch at Vivocity on the 27th and I had a chance to work there for a day this week. All I can say - EXTREMELY BUSY. Each time I thought I could take a short break after bidding goodbye to the customers. To my horror, customers just came pouring in non-stop. The day ended with pretty good sales and I joined the rest of the peeps from Reckless for supper at Spize. I was lucky to get a lift from the bosses and reached home at 1230 am feeling so shag.
Love is in the air.