"we are poor.. but our lives matter"

Java earthquake which striked last saturday..

deathtoll: 5,100
6.3 on the Richter Scale

its so sad.. and we living in Singapore really got to count our blessings.. to think this morning i was commenting that i'm running out of clothes.. Lord, have mercy please...

Singapore's aid teams arrive in quake-hit Java

Singapore's disaster aid agencies have swung into action to help the victims of the Central Java earthquake which killed some 4,600 people and injured thousands more.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed Singapore's deepest condolences to the families of the victims in a telephone conversation with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday evening. Mr Lee also offered humanitarian relief assistance, which includes US$50,000 worth of emergency supplies.

Meanwhile teams from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) have arrived in Indonesia to start relief work.

The SCDF's 43-member contingent is led by Major Anwar Abdullah and will include men from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), medical personnel and three search dogs. Their team leader says the men's morale is very high and they are ready to execute their mission.

The team is made up of personnel who are experienced and new to disaster missions. They come under the codename Operation Lion Heart which is a round-the- clock standby contingent equipped to support countries stricken by major disasters.

Major Anwar Abdullah said: "I was in Nias during the North Sumatran earthquake, so it is going to be the same environment where there will be a lot of casualties. We have been monitoring the incident and the numbers are quite worrying. "This time around we bring along a platoon-load of rescue capabilities, rescue dogs, cutting and lifting equipment and detection devices.

"Every disaster has a different challenge, it's a different environment altogether. We can see it's a densely populated area. The area is very big, so it will pose us a different challenge."

On its part, the SAF is sending a 35-member medical team to the quake-hit area.

LTC Mohd Ramezan, SAF team leader for the Central Java mission, said: "What we are providing is primary healthcare, the provision of medical assistance for fractures, those found in accidents and emergency cases. The team will be there as long as we can make a useful contribution to the TNI authorities."

The two teams were sent off by the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Ng Yat Chung and Civil Defence Commissioner James Tan. The teams will be working closely with the Indonesian authorities as well as international organisations and NGOs to administer medical assistance.

Besides these two teams, Singapore is also providing US$50,000 worth of emergency supplies including medical supplies, blankets and tents to be despatched to the affected area. - CNA/ir

and zack is on the 2nd wave
1st team was despatched yesterday
2nd team would be taking off anytime soon
so he is on standby 24/7 now
earliest he has to leave is tonight
and would be there for about 10 days

my man is going to save lives
i'm so proud of him

but i'm worried sick
terribly worried
sigh...

my language of LOVE...

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Physical Touch and Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		8
Quality Time:		8
Words of Affirmation:		7
Receiving Gifts:		4
Acts of Service:		3

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

wait... i still LOVE receiving little gifts and having my toilet scrubbed!!! *HINT HINT*

a feast..

just got back from lunch..
popped over to Change Alley, in search of THE DRESS...
as usual, the human traffic at Raffles Place was massive
a favourite hunt for publicity, advertising stunts

so i was walking towards Change Alley..
then i got distracted and started seeing half-naked guys walking about!
ok ok, more like bare-chested guys in drawstring pants
(my personal favourite attire for men)
giving out some Nivea lotion trial pack
so many of them... muscles bulging, dark, slick skin..
*wahhh.....*
too bad i only have 1 pair of eyes

gonna get a pair of drawstring pants for zack! and bottles of Nivea body lotion!!!

anyway.. Great Singapore Sale started today
so the stores were packed with elbow poking women
it still amazed me how people can shop in an environment such as this
i never could
yeah, so no dress caught my eye...
sigh..

went shopping with SY last night
after utilizing a voucher, i only paid $30 for
* a pot of mac eyeshadow ~ steamy
* a stick of mac eyeliner ~ industry
* a meyer pot
* a kitchen sieve



and i bought a pair of heels...

we went to Science Centre!

looked like the inside of a clogged up artery


like some old Star Wars film..

BACK TO SCHOOL...


remembered this when i was there some years back
its the same incubator!
i want a chickie!!!


i was so closed to forming a box with those cubes
before zack dragged me away..

OH MY GOSH!!!
is that true?!



AHAHAHAHAHAAA.......!! FARNY!

didnt had time to cover every section.. (the chemistry one bored me to tears).. we gobbled up our sundaes and rushed off to OMNI theatre... for this Greek archeaological flick.. purported to be the lost Atlantis.. was excited cos i've always been interested in mythology, archeaological digs.. but after awhile, i found myself nodding off.. pinched myself awake cos the tix aint cheap.. i then turned and saw zack snoozing..

something's brewing...

...in the office

3 resignations - 1 more on the way
2 major conference calls
Asia head coming down tomorrow

tough in the office nowadays..
trade secrets.. talking in codes..
cos u'd never know who might be listening in..
and gossip spread like wildfire..

Marsh and Willis are at war..
they steal our team, we steal their CEO..
corporate world is never pretty
but the money dangled is definitely not ugly

the scales had tilted..
the game had changed..

so David's on gardening leave (3 weeks!!!)
traitor going over to the 'Dark Side'.. hahaha
miss having my friend around to bitch with
Serene gone, then Kelley, now David..

i really miss them
sigh..

so i was enjoying an old nora robert book last night when i got a call from this bozo..

bozo: hey.. do u like milkshakes? mac's milkshake

me: yeah.. why?

bozo: they have a new flavour.. banana flavour and its only for a limited time

me: oh really?

bozo: yeah! and i'm having one now and its sooooo good! too bad u cant have it, not if u wanna fit into your ROM dress.

me: hey, what are u talking about!!

bozo: ok, bye!

me: wait... u called me just to tell me this??!!!

bozo: yeah... just to piss you off

me: u are such an idiot

bozo: ahahhahaha....


i only got 1 bozo friend.. so u should be able to guess who that is.

guess what i had for dinner last night?
- 4 slices of pizza
Canadian pizza's latest Atlantis Seafood pizza rawks!!!
- 2 inches of apple strudel

i was contemplating the 2 boxes of frozen durians in the freezer but i was too stuffed to go any further.. tot maybe i'd have it later.. then i dozed off while watching "Locusts"

wat a pig..

with bout a month to my BIG DAY
i really really should be going for my runs.. doing my crunches..
i'm losing my abs... oh correction, i've lost them!! *gasps*
and my lack of anxiety worries me..

guess what i'm having for lunch today?
- PIZZA!!!

then i'm meeting SY at BLUM.. to hunt for my ROM dress! i want something different.. not the usual sweet, white dresses... Val suggested retro prints.. funky! and i'd prob do away with a hand bouquet (waste of money doncha think?)

suggestions anyone??

a picture paints a thousand words --------->

just some thoughts on the recent event..
(as most of you are aware of)
saying less is sometimes more
more so in this recent issue
i would argue.. only when that issue is worthy
i would press my point.. only when that person is worth it
i am a person who wont stand for injustice
i take it upon myself to correct any wrong, any lies
and when i fight, i fight fair..
i asked my friends, "tell me if i'm wrong.. be partial, just tell me"
how many times i fought the urge to correct the half-truths that was proclaimed
they told me, "he'll always think he's right.." , "he's not worth it.."
"he cant see beyond himself so there's really no point"

for awhile i was questioning myself
but when he turned what was a private issue into a public 'discussion'/mudsling
he just about crossed that line.. way over the line
there was no turning back from then

in a way, i'm glad that this had come to this point
cos again, i saw things that werent there before
when someone couldnt get what they want, they turned ugly
name-calling.. personal attacks.. and what have you
and it showed the real intention
the reason stated was only an excuse
an avenue for personal gratification.. slamming.. name-calling (it was actually pretty hilarious.. cos i've passed the point of name-calling when i hit puberty)

he said he didnt change one bit
and i finally saw how true it was
his maturity was still at the age of 18

you noe what they always say..
"you lose something, you gain something.."

so true...
this was meant to break us.. but it strengthened us instead
there was never a time we felt closer to each other than now
how we stood for and by each other
and it made what we had, more steadfast than ever
(and i must say... zack was so cool!! even when he was slammed again and again.. he didnt break a sweat.. he just pat me and say, "forget it baby..")

and not forgetting the support of our dear friends
how one of u said, "dun let zack read it.. i get pissed just reading it!" *hugs* u're so sweet!


ok, saga is over! fun is over!
and i gotta go buy dinner for my darling..

no idea what am i doing here..
cos i'm meeting jo and sy at kovan at 3.45pm
for some bitching..
and i'm gonna be late! uh oh...

and jo is still online too!

gotta run now... have a good sunday!


note: buy sugarcane drink for zack...

it was really really good..

barely had more than 2.5 hours of sleep last night
but it's all good! cos i had the loveliest of time!
impromptu gatherings always work

Dinner at Hanabi.. at King's Arcade

Ant gave me an engagement dinner treat! *WOW*
ate til we nearly burst... too bad dessert was not part of the menu..



the original plan was to go town with ant to look for a gift..
somehow.. it ended up with a gathering of us 4 + our partners
and it was awesome!!!


haiyoooooooo.... *shake head*


from left to right:
Ant/Carol
Zack/Ju
Kelvin/PohLing
Ben/Val

yes... Ben got attached! (at long last)
and Val is really sweet and lovely
i'm just so so happy for him :D


i love them to bits!!!
my childhood friends from Childrens' Church
since... 11 years old?

wanted to catch DaVinci Code but we decided it'll prob be a nightmare getting tickets so we went to Holland V for some chilling out...

Next: Eski Bar.. at Holland V

they have this room that was at 0 degree celcius.. its soooo cool! we were all freezing but it was so frigging fun!


and when you huff and puff out your breath, you can see puffs of smoke (its that cold!) ant and i were puffing like crazy but the air was too thin so we cant capture the effect on cam

nice ice-cube light and a jumping ant


there's warmth in numbers


even zack was cold.. haha.. see that bar counter behind zack? its made entirely of ice..


elo!


more puffing...


awwww....... *sobs*

we then left Eski Bar.. without getting any drinks! hahaha...

not enough? next up: Coffee Club.. at Holland V

no pics.... tired oredi.. but this was when the juicy gossips started churning... as we sipped our hot drinks, dark secrets came spilling out... who had a crush on who in Childrens' Church.. and we realised that it was some square love affairs back then.. had not laughed so much for a long long time.. those were the days.. so young, stupid and cute :)

still not enough? Zack & Ju's place.. at Edgedale Plains

the party only broke up close to midnight.. but i got a call from Pohling when we got home that they wanna come over to see our home.. (they just cant get enough of me) Ant and Pohling dropped by after dropping off Carol and Kelvin. And of course Ant gave me grief for not having pots and pans (again).. seems like all of my friends had seen our home.. my darling gfs were the first! no need for housewarming.. haha

it was really a lovely night for me... spending time with my loved ones.. people i love so much.. these are the people i will grow old with and they will be sneaking my kids candy behind my back.. haha.. for a time at Coffee Club i was sitting back and looking at my dear friends, their partners and the man i will be spending the rest of my life with.. chatting, laughing.. and felt this moment of bliss.. i'm glad the important people in my life get along well.. i didnt realise how important it is to me til now. I didnt get this connection in my previous r/s (prob boils down to common language.. or the lack of) but when i see it now, i see the beauty of it..

and i'm so thankful for my guy.. "no one messes with my gal.." he stood up for me and blasted that... geez, i've got no word for him.. yeah well.. no need for me to go into detail, most of you know the story and i dun want to waste blog space on such stupid stuff (those who dont.. erm, ask me within the next 2 days.. after that, i'd prob shelve it out of my head)

is it me?

was some lousy monday morning.. so called ant to chit chat.. and guess what he was doing? 'bombing indian ocean'.. and does he have the courtesy to call me back? nope, he gotta put me thru 20 mins of hearing him 'push' his atomic bomb + all the sound effects.. *so gross* but we did grow up together.. so i decided to put up with him.. hai... that didnt brighten my morning much..

and to top it off...

#1

hit my head against the doorknob as i was picking something.. i saw black for a solid 5 seconds.. currently sporting a nice big lump on the right side of my forehead

#2

my beautiful swirly hp had fallen ill.. for the 2nd time since i bought it.. and thats 2 mths ago! (des, take note) zack sent it for repair and its on 2 days mc.. as the saying goes: looks are deceiving.. how true.. so guys, dont just go for a pretty face..

#3

was on my way to Little India to get my brows thread.. got to a junction where trees were in abundance overhead.. and resident tweetybird decided to bestow his daily offerings on me.. right smack on my head.. there were many people at the junction and it had to be ME!

#4
got to the mrt.. escalator broke down


*WAILS*


oh well... at least i got nicely shaped brows

i cant bear to throw any of these
my sweet valley high books
my daughter can read these when she hit 10!


our barang barang


.... while i'm busy unpacking

*hai.. poor poor ju*


our first meal - chicken rice

(i can just imagine ant's face.. he thinks a home without pots and pans will never be considered a home...)


nice ya?

alright... thats all! zack said with all these pics on my blog, there isnt a need for housewarming already.. LOL... ok ok, i shall keep the suspense.. (sorry ching! :P)

might be making a trip down to Ikea soon... we need more storage space!

new house.. new rules

i've moved!!!

cant begin to explain how i feel.. those of you who know my history of moving houses (4 houses in 4 years).. would comprehend how i feel.. the pure joy of making my own.. MY HOME

it was an early start on Sunday (for me) cos i wasnt done with my packing... i was packing my clothes and was astounded to see the amt of clothes i've amassed.. 2 suitcases + 2 cartons.. gosh.. as i was packing my undergarments.. my only thought was, "thank goodness zack is sleeping" or i'd hear no end from him.. then he saw the no. of boxes labelled ... "ju's stuff".. "ju's clothes"..... hai.. i should have labelled them as something else.. some code words or symbols only i understand.

so we are settling fine in our new home.. internet connection and phoneline will be up next week.. so no internet (and gaming)! awww... poor zack.. hehe... its ok darling, u can fiddle with your guitar and compose songs for me :P

tonight is zack's night shift... home alone.. and i'm so not looking forward to it.

pack pack pack

so it's friday.. nearing 6.30pm
and i'm dreading to go home
cos it means packing.. packing and more packing

wonder if i can psycho zack for some beef horfun at Taokee
then a movie!!!
maybe just the beef horfun
cant push my luck too far

but i really hate packing....
just looking at the empty boxes is giving me a headache


*pout*


oh.. and i bought a lovely toilet seat cover!!! its red and will go really well with the dark tiles.. now all i need are big fat candles.

more shots

.... of our nest


in disarray... must have cleaned the floor a dozen times but its still dusty...


my man hard at work

so here are some shots of our furniture...
i love every single stick of them!


our dining table.. i love the legs!
and yes, no chairs as yet.. cant find nice ones + no dough..
so its stools for now


our comfy black leather sofa


the karlsson clock...

... its dual-faced



2 egg-shaped tables.. for our computers


my shiny intellowash washing machine


i love our fridge..!


master toilet: glass bowl basin and the 'fountain' tap


our wardrobe...

... opens to our toilet (thats why no door)

got some shelves to put our toiletries..


and we got a mini hi-fi for our room!!! thin and sleek... gonna mount it on the wall

with Jars of Clay playing in the background
and the aircon cooling the room
we took a break and enjoy..

thats our bed by the way.. without the mattress
and yes, its infront of the wardrobe (with its tinted mirror)
we are not superstitious so its pretty fine for us


Moving Date: 7 May

its a time of cleansing..

back to the office after a lovely 4 days break
had trouble getting up this morning
all the late nights didnt help one bit

spent the weekend + holiday + 1 day leave = 4 days...
washing our new nest.. packing our stuff..
cos we're moving this weekend!!!

went back to his place ydae
and was going thru his stuff and pics.. (of his ex-gfs)
he asked me if i wanna have a look and i was like..
"yeah, from a distance.."
but i still ended up poring over the boxes..
and he even allow me to read his diary! *wow*
wasnt really jealous..
but had to keep reminding myself..
"that was a long time ago..
i'm the one he loves now
and we are getting married.."

plus.. my stuff from my ex-bf are like.. 'worse'
haha.. and he saw it all and didnt seem upset
his confidence... in himself and me
is really something i admire
and wanna learn from

he said if i throw my stuff away, he will throw his away
well, it means alot to me.. it reaffirms something
and i take security in that
oh well.. those are memories and i dun wanna deprive us both of those sweet memories..
we had been in love with other people before
been thru relationships.. bad and good
but we are in love with each other now
and this is the real thing
cos we are getting married and its for life!
and that rock on my finger serves as a constant reminder

threw tons of stuff out.. akin to purging my old life
but i just cant bring myself to throw any of my books
(its almost like a sin)

Wedding bands

we bought ours!!

wasnt too tough a search.. cos we know what we want, or rather what we dun want.. we want a ring that is not just a band.. but a statement.. bold, understated, solid.. are what we are looking for..

.. and we found THE RING at Soo Kee jewellery! like it the minute we saw it! i wanted identical bands so decided against the ladies' band which is thinner and has a minute brilliant rose diamond on it. So they gotta custom-made the guy's band to my ring size (size 8).. and its more costly! cos "it has more whitegold content".. *rolls eyes* oh well... but it's all good!

we'll only be getting them in about 2 mths time.. just in time for our ceremony *smile*

cant wait!!! *excited*

Wedding shots

In the morning.... to fetch the bride


the violet is lovely~


"andy, where's the bouquet???!!!"



At Beaufort... getting ready


looks so wifey.... hahaha...


the guys chilling out..


and the gals making up..


check out his ass man.. (of crse Zack's lah!) and his 'V' figure...
be still my heart...


the Groom and his Groomsmen
(from left: Patrick, Isaac, Vernon, Andy)


where the solemnisation was held.. beautiful aint it!!!

here comes the bride....

yup.. i'm the doorgal and the petal thrower.. haha


Andy and his bride, Leanna..


nice shot... the gown is lovely!


"you're married, Andy!!!!"


the Groom and his Bestman..

then it started to pour...

but still a nice sight ya..

and we all went back to the bridalsuite to watch American Idol.. hahaha

Dinner time!

... and the guests arrive

ahhh... here i am with Wati


my man snapping away...
he looked totally dashing that night.. so tall.. all suited up..

and my heart flutters with pride..

the toast..


the wedding cake..
taste as good as it looks! the chocolate was awesome!!!


our table pic....


and here we are!!

thru'out that night, zack was running up and down.. doing his Bestman duty and searching me out to tell me what we should or should not do for our wedding.. haha... pointers pointers.. we got 2 more weddings to learn from before our turn comes! but i must say zack has pretty good ideas... (now dun smirk boy)

and we have a little secret that night.. *winks*