What makes you fat?

I do not meant to show off but ever since I came to Singapore, the first thing that all my friends, family and relatives said to me is: "Aiyorr...why are you so thin? " Well, I really don't know. Since I started dancing/studying in Singapore, supper seems to be more prevalent. (When I was at home, I kept to the strictly no meals after 8pm). I ate more McDonald's as it is the cheapest fast-food option in school, I have suppers at least twice a week. This semester, since I always need to work late, I have late dinner (sometimes McDonald's, sometimes heavy food like rice). And almost everyday, I'll have instant noodles/rice/pasta + processed meat/real meat for lunch and dinner.
However, I still think that I didn't change too much. I still weigh the same--50kg, I still have my big thighs, and I still have my big butt. And I will whine occasionally to boyfriend about that. Hahaha
Yesterday, he came across this article and asked me to read it.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/what-if-the-leading-cause-of-weight-gain-wasnt-food-at-all.php
If you are too lazy to read it, let me just summarised it for you:
In US, a researched was conducted to a group of 10 overwight people. They have the same daily diet, same exercise capacity with different sleeping hours (one group 5.5hrs and the other 8.5). This study was carried out over 14 days and the group with 8.5hrs of sleep actually lost more meight than the other one! The reason for it is because, when we stay awake late at night, we often crave for heavy, fatty foods. Just think about it, the later you stay up at night, the more you get hungry. And what are the things available in the middle of the night? 24-hour McDonalds and Mamak. If you count the calories....well, you know what I mean.
So, what are you waiting for, set your bed with nice, comfortable bed sheets and comforters, hug your favorite pillows and teddy bears and sink into that deep sleep while burning some fats. But of course, a healthy diet and exercise is also a must. :D
* I am cutting down consumption on McDonalds and fried food for one month coz I had too much of those for the past one week :D

Told you I'm a nerd! 

Pigs!

This morning, as I was feeling bored studying, I went to TED's website and found this video. Well, her research definitely give pigs all around the world a whole new meaning to live.

Since the olden days, people always think that pigs are lazy and useless. Their lives revolve around eating, sleeping, reproducing, and getting slaughtered. Ermm, not that they don't now but hei look at the "pig guide book" Christien produced, they have some 130 industrial uses other than making hams, bacons, "bak kua" or "bak kut teh" :)

Ha...pigs, I hope that you guys are reading this (wahahaha, I'm going crazy) but let's appreciate pigs more after this right. Let's just don't think that they are for gourmet purposes only. They could be the core of all industries. Yeah pig, you are that important.

And they are such cute pets to rare (Only applied for teacup pigs). And yes I know I am a nerd :D

Marina Bay Sands. You took our S$50

So the almighty Marina Bay Sands, developed by Las Vegas Sands officially opened in June. But we were too busy to head over there and finally last Saturday, boyfriend decided to bring me on a date there. (Of course with his new baby-DSLR). So after morning work in the library, we took a bus and headed to Marina Bay and walked towards MBS. The weather clearly did not gave us a good sunny day for a visit. Boo..

Anyway, we went through their shoppes which is still under construction. So now what we can see is just this.

 Although it's still under construction, but I am sure that when they are fully open, this is another place for "tai-tai"s to shop for branded stuff. Oh and boyfriend and I were so lucky, because there was an advertisement shooting taking place right in front of our eyes. We couldn't really recognize who's the ambassador though.

Ambassador coming out from the shop

The director and cameraman

After having enough "sight-seeing" on the shooting set, we continued walking around and towards the main attraction of Marina Bay Sands.

No! Not the Skypark, the Casino! Yeah, I need to announce this but this is the second time that I actually entered a casino. And I would also need to announce that I play zero card games. Yes I'm card noob. But anyway, we visited the casino because we can still enter the place for free. For Singaporean/PR, they'll need to pay and entry levee of S$100. Inside the casino, saw slots machines, table games and a lot of uncle, aunties and tourists gambling their money away. Boyfriend was so tempted to gamble and me on the other hand was not. But, according to boyfriend, since we were there, we can't just walk around and do nothing. Yeah and so there we were, changing our money to chips. He started off with Blacjack (totally no idea how to play) and lost his bet. With one more chip in hand, I decided to try my luck on the 'big-small" game (which I also have no idea how to play) and we lost our last chip :(. WE'VE LOST S$50!!!!!! It's just not our day:(

Looking gloomy like the sky outside after losing S$50

I felt so so sad after losing that $S50. Oh dear, that was bad. Losing money for nothing. *Sigh*. After "grieving" for the lost money for 10 minutes, we continued exploring around the area. We wanted to go up to the skypark (the ship thingy that you see on top of the building is actually a garden) but well, we need some ticket to gain access.

 Since we had lost our money earlier, we decided to cancel the skypark visit plan and start camwhoring. "Photo-takin" therapy, you may call this. But it really helps.
There are actually a lot of attraction surrounding the Marina Bay Sands, including the Merlion opposite, which is near the Esplanade, which is also where the FI Night Race runs.

 So, I guess we were lucky again (not lucky for gambling though), as the FI was having their practice race. From where we were standing (outside MBS), we could here the zooming of each cars, the engines roaring. But of course we couldn't really see everything closely as everywhere was cordon off. But when we walk along the double helix bridge (it is really modelled against our DNA), black canvas blocking the view of public actually drapes down. And being all tall, we just need to tip-toe to get a glimpse of the track and of course the race itself. It's pretty exciting as I never see the race off TV before

If you can see, it is the Ferrari:D

The double-helix bridge modelled against DNA (they even have base pairings on the walkway and if you can see again at the sides, there are black canvas blocking the public from viewing into the race track).

After watching the race for two laps, we decided it was quite boring and continued camwhoring around the area.

 

The Singapore Flyer

A date to remember

Ahh~~~ Yes, 3/9/2010 a date to remember. I finally had the chance to meet up with that someone that I missed a lot. Best friend from high school. We shared so many things from the past, studying, Girl Guiding, gossipings and fooling around. She never fail to make my life colorful. Both of us had our fair share of ups and downs time and I was so lucky to have her by my side when I needed someone. Hui Qian

So,met her in Mid Valley the other day, with her BF. Had a simple lunch at i-Dragon, Cititel. Simple lunch short meeting time. But that's enough. I just missed the days when we would sit down and talk and laugh, but well after high school, we went separate ways and it's tough for us to meet. However, we still do make effort to meet up once in a while and have a nice lady/girl chat:D

A date to remember is also the day when I realized that my home country, although trying hard to improve everything, still facing trouble with the lack of cooperation by its people. Why do I said so? Well, to Mid Valley, I took the "almighty" KTM (sort of like MRT in Singapore). I was very happy to see one whole carriage dedicated to ladies only, called the "Ladies Coach". But throughout the journey, to and fro, I do not understand why there are men/boys on that particular carriage. It's like they have the other two carriages to choose from, but they still love the middle carriage. While they are inside the ladies only carriage, don't they feel embarrassed/weird as all eyes are on them? Don't they feel that it is inappropriate for them to be there, since it was stated that it is for ladies only? Or is it that they don't know how to read the instructions at all? Or whether they are some transsexual/ lady man?? Well I don't really know the answer but, I think the company should take note of this. Isn't it ironic that in the first place you want to avoid all the sexual harassment  and to protect female commuters, but there's noone who's actually there to observe/enforce the whole idea? If there's no improvement after one year of launch, isn't it better to abolish the ladies only carriage and revert back to the original carriage?

Anyway, I have never had good impression on KTM. But that's like the only transport I could take to KL (apart from bus) when I do not have my own car and no one is willing to send me down. I understand that change cannot be achieved in a few years time. But I was thinking if only people are willing to be cooperative, think a little further, observe a little more and be more considerate, maybe everything will change. But, I know that ideal conditions can diverge pretty much from actual conditions. Until one day people start to change, I guess many of us still have to cope with the public transport conditions here.

Girl, I am still very happy to meet you. May we meet again in December. *Loves*    

P/s: All the pictures are with the friend. So, no pictures this time:D

A new DSLR experience

I confess that I am a techno-noob. Let me give you a little history on my tech-gadgets history.

1. Never had a computer at home until I was almost primary 6 (note that that was year 2000).
2. Never had a mobile phone until I finish my secondary 5 ( year 2005) and my mobile phone was still a hand-down by dad. Guess what's the model? It's....the....legendary...Nokia....3310. Yep!
3. 
4. My first lap-top was when I came to university (year 2008).

So, as you can see, I am not the tech-savvy person. And oh did I mention, my first digital camera was when I got together with boyfriend (Year 2008)? Well I guess some of you are ROFL (roll on the floor laugh)-ing, and wondering am I joking or what. But no, I am telling the truth! 

When Boyfriend borrowed Joyce's DSLR, I was quite scared to handle it. I am supposed to be his photographer-of-the-day for his scholarship receiving ceremony, graced by Ms. Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State (National Development & Education). I only had one night to practice how to handle that big camera. I was really, really worried that I would somehow clumsily dropped the camera and....well, thank god everything went well. So below are the photos that I took on boyfriend's "historical" day. Yeah. 

Disclaimer: Not that my skills are good, but the lens is superb. It's what they call the prime lens. I did learn something. The lens that I used was a 50mm, or so called the potrait lens. It'll make everything look oh-so-awesome, including my not-so-pretty face. 

Venue: Orchard Hotel, Singapore

Pretty little flower

Boyfriend and another scholar from the same sponsor

The scholars of Capitaland

Receiving the award from Ms. Grace Fu

The scroll, up-closed

Yummy fruit tarts. Had about 10 of them :P

Looking good ;)

My not-so-pretty face

So finally I've settled my hand on the high-tech camera. But if you asked me, I will not invest money on this machine. No doubt it produced pictures that can take thousands of breathe away, but I thought that I am not any creative person who has great ideas to transform a normal look into a beautiful masterpiece. I just need a camera to lock up all my memories shared with my loved ones. Of course different people has different thoughts. Just a piece of my mind.

Hope you guys enjoyed my photo and my not-so-pretty face. :D

P/S: As I said, I am not a tech-savvy person, it was my first time playing L4D2 the other day. It reminds me why I've hated computer games, PS games or any other games so much. I am always a game-noob. I was last when I played Need For Speed with my brother and now I am still last (killing only 12 zombies) when playing with my friends. *Sigh* And that was my first time going to a LAN shop:D

Four Months and A New Year

Wow...Another three more weeks and my 15 weeks summer holidays is gonna be over *Open eyes wide*. It's so amazing how the time moves. 15 weeks *poof* it's all gone. For 15 weeks, I do hope I have utilized my time well. Let's do a recap what I have done for the pass 15 weeks.

Working -- 1st in Library and then in a company outside of school. Earn my pocket money and also enable me to save up for my exchange. That's pretty good.

Travelling -- To Vietnam. Got my diving licence and get a taste of how Vietnam is like. Spend some money but worth the experience. Of course it's priceless to spend quality time with my boyfriend in a foreign land. So yeap, this is definitely good :)

Friends -- I met Magdeline, my best friend from A-Level. Went over to Holland Village for dinner. Spend a whole lot of time with DSA people, went museum hopping, kite-flying, picnic, dance competition, numerous dinners, stay over at Joyce's house and completed her 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, have heart-to-heart talks. Next week we are going over to Bintan together!!!!

Family -- For these 15 weeks, I only went home for less than 10 days. I felt very guilty. I miss home yes, but working here makes it quite impossible to go home. Furthermore, my house is a 5 hours ride home. Although my family don't mind it at all, but I still hope that I could spend more time with them. Writing this actually makes my heart ache, I miss home so much. But I know I gotta be strong as this is what everyone will need to go through. So, thank you my friends for filling me with loves and cares so that I would temporarily don's miss home. I love my mom and dad :D

Study -- Well, I think my brain is gonna rust unless I start using them now. 15 weeks without studying is really awesome but 15 weeks after that will means I have to start my engines harder. But, who cares. I shall enjoy my remaining three weeks and then put all in for my studies. My aim---CGPA increase.

Well, I guess my 15 weeks are fully-utilized. At least, I think so. Hahahaha...but I sure know that my body already has it's ample rest and I am ready to face my Year 3.

Vietnam (22nd July-28th July 2010)

It's summer time!!! After two months of working, it's time to take a break. Last year, we went to Bali to snorkel, this year, Nha Trang, Vietnam for diving! That's so cool :D This Vietnam Trip post will be separated into a few categories. In this, it would be the general culture, people and places to go and also what to expect if you are planning a trip to Vietnam in the near future.

Vietnam is a nice place. With summer in mid-year, you can expect a lot of sun and rain at times. Ho Chi Minh City is generally pretty sunny and people are fairly nice to you. When you go to Vietnam, except hotel/hostels fare, please bring more Vietnam Dongs. Boyfriend and I brought 600k of Vietnam Dong there and it was not enough. So, more Vietnamese Dong please.

Second, prepare your umbrella, wear light, and cooling clothing and also wear FLIP-FLOPS! So I arrived in Vietnam with long leggings and covered shoes. When we were walking around the town, it was still ok with the breeze although the sun is so scorching hot. Near evening, it rained!!! And with covered shoes, the water seeps into the shoes and if you are wearing socks, that makes it even worse. Yeap, Boyfriend got his socks wet :D

Be prepared to eat meat, seafood and plenty, plenty of veges. Meat (Beef, Chicken, Pork, fox, crocodile, seafood, you name it they have it) is quite essential for the Vietnamese. They like to prepare their dishes with fish oil so there will be a distinctive smell. Some people would not like the smell and the taste, but for me, a small amount is still acceptable. Besides that, before every main dish, you'll be served a big plate of vegetables, and they are pretty raw. I like vegetables but towards the end of the trip I am starting to avoid all the veges that I can. :S

Fruit juices and Fruit shakes are commonly found in Vietnam. Find for stalls with Sinh To and you can get fresh fruit juices. I particularly like the fruit shakes. I had it on my first day and mind you it is not artificially flavored or colored. I got it for around 10k VND and I just couldn't stop asking for more.

Baguette for meals is very common in Ho Chi Minh-ers. Baguette with assorted meats, some vegetables, mayonnaise and a few drops of soy sauce. The soy sauce is worth mentioning as it is different from the soy sauce we normally use. It does not give the salty taste but only the fragrant. Together with the meat, it gives taste to the baguette. I had it for one of my dinner to safe money and it is really very filling. Cost around 10kVND.

Walk around, unless you are willing to pay for a motorbike rental or bicycle. However, the traffic congestion here is so busy that walking is actually advised for bike-noobs like me. Do not attempt to drive on if you feel uncomfortable as you might get into an accident just like me and spoil all the fun. Traffic here is quite shocking  especially if you are from places with very organized traffic, like Singapore. Zebra-crossing can be dangerous and green blinking man does not mean it is safe to take your own sweet time to cross the road. Do not rush across the road either. Just walk as per normal while keeping alert and the motorists will just avoid you with their state-of-the-art driving skills.

Travel from town to town with buses or trains as there is only limited things to do in one town. As in Ho Chi Minh City, you can only go to that few places like the Opera House, Ben Thanh Market, War Memorial Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral. After that, would be the Cao Dai Temple and Cu-Chi Tunnel about 3 hours away from district 1. So, find out from local tour agent where you can go from HCMC so that you wouldn't feel bored.

Be prepare to get cheated if you can't speak Vietnamese or do not have a Vietnamese-speaking companion. Boyfriend and I did not realize that until the last 2 days of our trip. We went for Cu-chi Tunnel trip and the entrance fee was 20k for Vietnamese and 80k for non-Vietnamese. The pricing was stated on the ticketing counter but it was all in Vietnamese. When we asked what were we paying for, the ticket seller wouldn't want to tell us. She even gave us the cant-you-just-pay face and stuck the tickets into our hands. Next day for breakfast, we ordered their oh-so-famous coffee. From the pricing billboard, it was written 8k VND for coffee with milk (iced or hot). But, when the lady served us she charged us for 20k. Even when we kept pointing at the pricing list, she gave all sort of excuses to insist that it is priced at 10k per glass. It does not feel good to be cheated especially when we are travelling on a budget. But well, I guess this is what you will get when you are travelling in a foreign country. So be mentally prepared to pay extra compare to the locals.

Sign languages is a must here. People don't speak good English and so sometimes it was quite hard to tell them what you want. Luckily food menu are all with English translation. But other than that, you would need to point or show or maybe even draw in order to get your message across to them.

Vietnam is a nice place. The pace of living is so slow that you have so much time for yourself, friends and family. But be prepared to wake up as early as 6am as the sun would have brighten the sky and turn in as early as 10pm to bed. This is how people live in Vietnam and I was so happily blending into their lives. But before I knew it, I am already back here in front of my computer to be prepared for the hectic life ahead. However if given a chance, I wouldn't want to go back to Ho Chi Minh City again. One time experience is just good enough.