portraitures.

happy chinese new year everyone! in a way i'm glad it's kind of over because i ate wayyyyy too many cookies and bak kwa. like seriously, i've never been a fan of bak kwa but somehow i was craving it pretty badly this year.

maybe it was the deprivation of all the cny goodies when i was in holland last year. skip a year a feasting and pay back double the year after. yikes!

the one thing i enjoyed the most were the homecooked feasts that happens every year, from my mum, and both the paternal and maternal grandmother sides. it's just that particular kind of taste that no one else is able to replicate. every year i make a mental note to learn from my grandma.. but as you can see, i'm still making that mental note this year... :p

c1 & c2

dunch know why... we dunch look like sisters

i know! ask them.. they made us!

dunch know dunch care.. as long as we're ohana

papa's mama... almost a centurian!

ah ma's kitchen - no.1 on this blog's food list

mummy's bro and funky mama!

in the words of little ethan chia, happy niu year everyone!

damn, now it's back to school.

announcing the arrival of.

the early bird (me) catches the worm (hmm...)

moving on to some good news (or maybe not so good news depending on how you look at it), my sister-the-menace (KIDDINGGGG) is finally back from her 3 month long internship in the maldives!

SIA flying a menace back from male

ok la i must admit i'm quite happy to see her and i did miss her quite a lot when she was gone. ok la i'm not saying that because she may just happen to read this blog.

mr & mrs excited + mr very-excited-but-shall-look-like-i'm-not

i'm so envious that she managed to get certified as a diver in the wonderful waters of the maldivian island (imagine the corals and turtles and sharks!) and all at a really cheap rate!

doesn't want to leave the arrival hall

she also brought back a whole container load of very pretty seashells, which made those that i used to find at the east coast park look like a scam.

presenting the newest addition to the chew farmalee

you will never understand the pain and issues that i have to deal with.

“Yes, horrible things do happen. Happiness in the face of all of that, that’s not the goal. Feeling horrible, and knowing that you’re not going to die from those feelings, that’s the point.”

-grey's anatomy, s5e3

damn bo liao post no. 112

i can't remember when was the last time my dad and i had a meal alone outside or home. must be a long long time ago, or maybe never. just so happened that we reached sengkang at the same time today so we decided to have dinner at compass point. a few quirky and funny stuff i noticed:

1) when deciding on where to makan, he immediately suggested kfc of all places.

it must be a childhood thing that lasts until now, that having kfc which was once a luxury is still a great pleasure in his life haha..

2) he's a big fan of the drumstick.

another childhood thing where he'll only get to eat the juiciest part of the chicken on special occasions like chinese new year, also why he thinks chicken breast is yuckish

3) he stirs and mixes the mash potato and gravy together until it becomes a swirly pile of goo.

in his words "like that then got flavour"

4) he finishes his food in a consecutive manner.

chicken first, washes hand, then mash potato and coleslaw, then his drink ("pehsi")

i think no. 3 is the most amusing haha.. but it was quite nice to see him enjoying the greasy disgusting fast food with so much satisfaction. =)

i lub my papa and so does mrs beckham!

believing and speaking.

the first day of school tomorrow for the last time. though i've gone through the same routine so many times, this time feels a little different and a bit more special. after all, it's the last stretch of school before i say hi to the working world. *mild butterflies in the tummy* i feel like a primary one kid all over again! but first let me savour what's remaining of any school holidays i'll ever have.

blessed new year everyone! it's going to be an awesome year ahead full of the Lord's love, joy, rest, protection and favour. =)

happy 10th year anniversary daughters of a better age!

deja vu on the last day of the year.

the old folks have been gone since saturday to do some arm exercises at the jackpot machines in genting, and since the sister's soaking up the sun in maldives (actually no, working her ass off is more accurate), that leaves me home alone for the past few days. the first 2 days went by in a flurry with all the gatherings and i finally stayed home the whole of yesterday and half of today. thank god i was alone but i didn't feel lonely. catching up on all the housework undone and spending time with myself felt like the days when i was back on exchange in maastricht. spent a relaxing morning training at the pool (of which i pointed the middle finger to two cheekopek boys who held their breaths underwater each time i was near) and came back home craving for some aglio olio. it used to be my staple food in maastricht. i'm not trying to brag but it really was delicious haha... what a great way to spend the last afternoon of 2008.

1st dinner in maastricht... and many other times

last lunch of the year... and so velly belly nice

a walk to remember.

you once had such a great fear of water getting into your ears, never dared to venture into the deep end and refused to do even a small leap into the pool. i saw how much you grew - stronger and braver, from saying "i can't" to "i'll try my best". a small victory each lesson brought you to where you are today! looking at you cruise through lap after lap just leaves me in awe, and i could hardly believe you are the same boy 3 years ago, so awkward and tense in the pool. today, i saw you overcome your biggest fear of swimming underwater to complete the test, and i am so proud of you!

all geared up for the bronze survival test!

you were a natural since day one, with near perfect strokes and an amazing ability to grasp the techniques even at such a young age. you're like a dolphin in the water! it was worrying to see you develop a slight phobia about the test, crying and stopping lessons midway the last few times, right up till today when you started tearing on the way to the pool. oh but what a brave young girl you are! not only did you not give up halfway through the test, you even completed it way faster than kids twice your size and age!

proud daddy taking a photo of little miss valiant

check out the height and size disparity =D

constant encouragement for his younger sister

ethan and rachel, you're my champions! =)

yay we did it!!!