Woke up this morning carrying the stress with me from last night. That's coz I realised that I've got make up classes and quite a substantial amount of readings to do. It didn't help that Adrian was not going to send me to school the next day as he wanted to perhaps sleep in; informing me rather late at about 1am and parents were fast asleep for me to discuss any transport plans. Said a little prayer before I slept -for Him to get me through the day. Thank You for the little encouragement this morning though. Dad readily sent me to the train station and prepared croissant with emmental cheese. It was a rather weird combination for me but it sure tasted good. He threw in several danish pastries as well and a big bottle of water. I normally would have rejected all of these because I wouldn't want to eat that much and secondly, I hate carrying heavy water bottles. But this time round, I didn't resist. In fact, I really appreciate him for doing this. It's the little actions that count. It's just dad to always overprepare things for us to the extent of causing us more inconvenience at times. But that's just him and I love him for that. I reached school in time, filled and satisfied. I'm partially listening in class and reading my notes in preparation for later's AMA class. All thanks to Dad. All praises to Him.

Secondary school days were so memorable because of you Pat. Don't worry. It's more good than bad. *winks* Happy Birthday sweetie. Your laughters and snide remarks make me miss you several truckloads more.

" Old is gold"

of Junior College days

My long awaited gift from Barcelona has finally arrived. And it's from one of my old time best friends, Zhexian. The delivery boy, Daniel (zx's good friend) has hoarded them for way too long despite being in the same school as me! growls. But better late than never.

Hola! The Spanish duo giving an armpit's up! Aren't they cute? Love the box too. Looks very Paul Smith.

The gift came along with the prettiest card that I've ever received in my life (seriously). I am in love with the design of the card as it has the Eiffel Tower on it. Zx sure knows how to lure me back to Europe because 'you loved Paris the best, so there, the best bait ever!' What nostalgia. Missing you Cien, come back soon and we'll ching chong in Shanghai!

***

Jen and I having a scrumptious breakfast at Marmalade Pantry. French Toast, Pancakes and Omelette.. What decadence.

***

Zhen and her come hither look. Wedding magazines and checklists sprawled all over.

The bride and her maids of honour.

And just during the weekend, we went to Sha's hubby's house to look at her wedding dress. Gosh, she looked so gorgeous when she put it on. I was just too overwhelmed with joy for her such that tears were flooding in my eyes. Pardon me, I had a moment.

Alright, pictures are up for Assoc dinner. Wasn't too bad for a place like Le Meridian. Courtesy of Cheryl Tan, Nelly and Yuting. Thanks for the memories guys!

Serah, me and Joseph (prospective colleague at EY, TAS)

That's Nicholas Neo and myself at the dinner table. Thanks for the collage Nic.

Photo whores-Serah, Cheryl and myself.

It was a masquerade party.

With school belle, Nelly.

What a lucky guy posing with three gorgeous ladies..it's got to be Fang kai.

Group shot with the peeps from table 12: there's nic, vic, joseph, the usual girls, Jane and Doreen (my ltb mate).

Aarhus gang: Caryn and yuting. Missing hongyi here.

Spent part of our one month celebrating at the gala.

What a surprise to receive some pretty flowers from Km!

Ended up spending the rest of our 1st month at Barstop. Were at the chic, snazzy and jazzy bar toasting to a blessed future. Graced by our brother, Jeremy Lim. Proceeded on to the Esplanade where it all started! Hugs to km.

My first friend in SMU while on the bus heading to OBS. Shared many deep conversations while savouring delicious calamari at food haven (old campus at Bukit Timah). Had fun over mouse shooting games at the library and hysterical laughters filled the hallway. Along the way we busied ourselves with our own lives, but somehow or another, we always thought of each other. It's amazing how after so many years as friends we've finally found each other at a more meaningful level. It doesn't feel like one month. It feels longer than that. A deeper sense of growth I reckon. And it grows deeper day by day.

My gosh, I just found another photo of us at Elgin's party during year 1. Why so beng bloder? heehee.

Ur one of my best friends km. A toast to our first month together!

****

'let's grow old, saggy and rotty together'.
Dear Sherry, we took this photo on New Year's eve 2006 at Fiona's place. Really miss hanging out with you as we're busy with our own lives. But picking up from where we've left from is never ever a problem for us *winks*. Hope to catch up with you soon! Meanwhile, here's wishing you a very happy birthday! It's been almost 9 years of friendship and counting.

I think my hair sucks. On further scrutinisation, I found uneven patches of dye on my hair. The colour didn't turn out the way I wanted and moreover, I found blots of hair dye on my H&M white blouse ( I demand that they go to Denmark and buy me back a brand new blouse- size 36. Hmph!) What a sloppy work done! Kelvin said my hair cut is nice and cheena. Sobs. Why cheena?! I don't wuna look cheena. Growls.Guess 40 bucks for a hair dye, hair cut, protein treatment is too cheap to be true. You don't expect to get quality results I suppose. Serah came out fine though. I guess i'm just freaking sui. I'm going to frown/sulk myself ugly at the gala dinner for accountancy students tomorrow. Fuck!

Back to using my old trusty nokia 6610. My new 6288 was giving me so much problems-refer to my hide and seek game with km at the pervious post entry. heehee. Cannot call, cannot receive calls, cannot send messages and it switches on and off on its own. It's barely 4 months old and I've already changed the entire 'software/motherboard for hp/or brain of the hp' once and it goes so frigging wonky. This 6610 is so super durable despite dropping the whole phone into satay sauce once during a bbq session and other physical abuse. The best thing about it is that I can actually hear my messages and phone calls ring! All I get is some faint murmurings from my 6288. Pathetic.

The start of the week after the term break was superbly eventful. No, it was not because of the two consecutive presentations I had on Mon and Tue. They were the many little snippets of events and happenings that occurred during my outings with Km. I think putting them into a short local story production is not such a bad idea too. That goes to show how animated and crazy they were! I thank God for spicing up our relationship with all these strange happenings! Will always bring about a topic to laugh about forever and ever! hahaha...

Anyway, on Monday, it was the first time kelvin actually forgot to bring his hp despite taking it with him diligently every single day for the past 2 years. We had a pre-arranged appointment to go to Clementi central to make his spectacles and my objective was to help him choose the design. Without any phone, kel chose to meet me at the 'last door, last carriage of the train platform that goes to Clementi at Dhoby Gaut MRT' since he was coming from Farrer Park MRT. We even joked about how romantic it was to have no hp and revert back into the days of pager where there was no sophisticated form of communication and very often, couples then relied on vague information and basic trust for any outings to happen. In addition, we joked that we should try not to use our hp and somehow find each other at a certain location based on first hand interaction via MSN or any other form of temporary communication tool we can find at the moment. You know, playing a little romantic game of hide and seek. hur...
6.40pm was the stipulated time to meet. DG MRT station was a little tricky because it goes to Clementi via two ways-1) to either go by the NEL and change at Outram; or 2) to go to Raffles place and hop onto the line that goes to west.
Rushing down rather late, at about 6.50pm, I asked the attendent which was the way to head to Clementi. She said to take the line that goes to Raffles place. Heeding her advice and choosing option 2, I waited at the platform for about 5-10 minutes for km to appear. There was no sign of him at all. Thinking that he could have most probably be talking about option 1, since he was coming from Farrer Park, I walked quickly to the NEL and planted myself at the 'last door, last carriage' area hoping that he would come and find me there soon. Seconds were like minutes, minutes were like hours, hours were like eternity (really). By 7.40pm, I saw no signs of km still. I panicked myself with thoughts of something bad happening to km on the road while on his way. Then I just hopped onto the train and brought myself to Clementi. I was really exhausted as I had a long day, and yet at the same time I had to wait so freaking long for him to come and along side, I found it so strange that he didn't use the public phone to call me. I mean, u want to be romantic also no need to be so silly right? haha...(it was found out later that he tried calling me on a public phone after waiting excruciatingly long for the indian fella in front of him to finish telling his epic to his grandmamamamama; but to no avail. The line couldn't get through at all despite trying several attempts.In addition, kel walked up and down at both platforms but somehow, we missed each other out! ) Anyway, I took a bet and went to the spectacles shop at Clementi central and sat down there to wait for him. Finally, the phone rang and it was kelvin. Thank God. hur. He probably sensed that it was best for him to go back to his place and get his hp to contact me.
How exasperating. He made his way to the spectacles shop. It was 10pm then. And I was so happy to see him. We were both freaking hungry, tired, hyped, worried, stressed and everything mashed into one. Kelvin was totally not in the mood to make his spectacles but I insisted in doing so. We chose a black rimmed spectacles that made him look charmingly stern( in some ways I suppose). Having subjected to all the mental and physical ordeal, Kelvin insisted that we fed ourselves with some real good food to treat ourselves. We landed ourselves at Holland V's crystal jade and to my surprise, Kel really ordered alot of things compared to usual proportions. And to finally make the best out of all the unfortunate events, we had nydc's Big O for dessert and loads of TLC as extra icing.

Guess the moral of the story -Don't leave home without your hp. Dating Life is really much more complicated nowadays as compared to the kampung days.
PS: I hate DG MRT station so much now.

****
Today, Kelvin and I won a LCD screen through a lucky draw at our school bash. We didn't even think that we would be going to the bash but somehow we landed up there after some coaxing from Jeremy. We were a little hesitant in going for the bash because at that juncture, the event was about to close in less than 15 minutes time. Somehow, we decided to go for the event and just have a few drinks to chill. The counter person almost forgot to ask me to fill up my particulars for the lucky draw until I caught sight of a bowl of coupon stubs. I asked to participate in it and wrote down our names on separate coupons. When it came to announcing the winner, the host actually skipped 2 names as the 'winners' were nowhere to be found. With a third pick, the host shouted 'And it's....Miss Serene Lim!' It was unbelievable. I didn't even expect to win and what's more to find myself at the party barely even warmed up yet. hahaha! Anyway, it was such an unexpected surprise. I even won myself some gelare vouchers too! And I'm so glad Kel and Jeremy was there to share with me. Kel said that I'm blessed. I think we both are. We plan to sell the LCD screen and get some money from it to put into our holiday fund. So exciting! The rest of the night was spent swooning over hot guy strippers on stage. They were absolutely fucking hot with those rippling muscles and sexy moves. Thanks km for letting me enjoy myself with some other gfs from SMU. heehee. Km's mantra is 'free what, look lor!'. And so I happily feasted my eyes on them.
***
Long stories, I know. But I must pen them down before memories fade. I thank God for these colourful happenings graced by Him. As such, I believe they have all contributed to strengthening our relationship day by day.
Btw, I helped myself to free strawberry shortcake ice-cream at ben and jerry's as part of their anniversary giveaways. DeliSH and short waiting time=)
Happiness. **

Been busy juggling quite a bit of things in recent weeks. I am full of envy at those who have finally finished their final exams and kissed SMU goodbye. Welcome to the working world suckers! hahaha....As for me, I still have another 7 more weeks to go and presentations galore. ho hums.
Met up with sha, jen, zhen to discuss sha's wedding. Things are getting exciting as we started to get things organised. We met at Marmalade pantry at Palais Reinassance. Splendid brunch. Gives me a reason to wake up early more often! Just love their pancakes, french toast and omelette. Super! Can't believe Jen lost so much weight though. All the flying and hard core slave work on board! Anyway, it was really heartwarming to see these girls again despite just meeting for an hour or so. =)
Many many big transitions. Marriage for sha. Careers for many of us. It's natural for us to worry but I guess we only have two hands right? Place it in Him and He'll handle the rest.

Maiden Fair

Beautifully taken by none other than Sha herself. -pic extracted from Sha's photo blog

Sha has appointed two of us to be her official bridesmaid-Zhen and I. I can't believe that one of my closest friends from college is getting married. Wedding bells are ringing, biological clocks are ticking? Kidding; to hide the surreal emotions. The wedding is to be held tentatively in September so this means that I would have about 5 months to lose weight and look impossibly fabulous in my own gown! The bride to be has summoned me to carry out the following duties:

The Maid Of Honour’s Responsibilities ...

Before the wedding:

Co-ordinates fittings and rehearsals for bride, bridesmaids and flower girls

Attends all rehearsals and pre-wedding parties

Helps with wedding invites and announcements

Plans and hosts the bridal shower and bachelorette party

Assists with decorations and floral accessories

Provides bride with ‘Something borrowed’ and ‘Something blue’ for the occasion

During the wedding:

Co-ordinates with the best man (E.g. make sure he’s got the ring!)

Assists bride in getting dressed

Checks the bridesmaids and flower girls and make sure they are in proper order for the march

Makes sure bride’s engagement ring is transferred to right hand

Arranges brides train before walk down the aisle

Carries groom’s ring during the ceremony

Stands beside the bride and hold her bouquet

Turns up veil just before ‘that kiss’

Acts as legal witness and signs documents

Arranges bride’s train, returns bouquet and gets ready her for the recessional

Takes part in the receiving line

Assists bride’s mom at the reception

Doubles check if best man has bride’s luggage and stuff in going away wedding car

Mingles with guests at the reception

Ensures guest book is signed

Makes a toast to the couple at the reception

***

Goodness gracious me. That's like practically being a slave to the bride! Now why didn't the list add 'to stab the husband in the chest'! Hahaha...kidding! Sha dearest.. you you you! I'm happy for you nevertheless.=) Everything's going to be real exciting and I promise to put in my 100% best to make you the happiest bride. And we'll plan for a wild Hen's night party for the bachelorettes! If anyone of you have any ideas to contribute or 'lobang' for wedding preparations, please drop me a message.

Traveling buddy Christine

My 2 favourite guys, Ah pan, and other cool peeps from SMU

It's my final sem at SMU and guess what? I'm absolutely loving it! I mean, what can a student ask for but loads of holidays to enjoy? I had 3 months of break, and right now i'm having another term break that got extended by another 5 days because of the additional Good Friday and class got cancelled! Happiness. Moreover, I'm meeting Kelvin almost every single day ever since we got together. This is what I call dating 101. All dedicated to it. Just can't get enough of him. And not just with kel, but spending good quality time with some close friends. Just enjoying as much as I possibly can given the privilege of something called time. However, I think that all this will be put on a momentarily hold as work starts piling up and exams come by. Right now, I thank God for all the wonderful things that's happening.

Pics of starry night-So glad to spend my SMU life with them! All the best to those who are having their exams! I'm going to be so envious of you all enjoying your freedom from uni whilst i'm going to slog for the next 7 weeks! Argh.

One of my best friends, Zhexian, dedicated an entry to me , me and just me. heehee. And that's only because I complained that he excluded me in one of his collages which consisted of pictures of his close friends( i didn't get the 'leaving' part at first glance, hence it's my bad). Good job cien, i'm placated and touched *beams*.

Click onto the pic to read the entry!

Happy birthday sweet mama. Still looking as beautiful on the inside and outside. I love my mum loads and I look forward to spending some time traveling with her after graduation. Hopefully.

Took down the original pic and replaced with a newer version at my special request to nic. See if u can spot the diff!

Special thanks to Nic for doing up this wonderful collage for our Asoc year book. Memories.
***
Breaking news! My parents bought a unit at the new Boon View Condo along Marymount Road last night so as to take advantage of the current bullish property market. Might have to move house if the management of Faber Garden decides to go ahead with the en bloc sale. Otherwise, we'll just use it as a form of passive income through rental. Can't imagine if I would have to finally move away from my favourite sanctuary.