It is the last few hours of 2008. 2008 has come along with its ups and downs. I guess it is appropriate to reflect on the year that is about to pass.

Family
The first four months of 2008 was really tough when the bad news hit us, my beloved granny was diagnosed with colon cancer. I could not accept the fact that why would such a kind-hearted lady be diagnosed with this terminal illness. It was really torturous for her to go through an operation at her old age. We hid the truth from her, telling her is a minor operation. It was a risky operation and we all had to prepare for the worst.

That period of emotional struggle had landed me to weep every night. She looked so weak in ICU after the operation, my heart is in pain seeing her in this state. The to-and-fro to hospital every night after work had drained me. Mom was away from home for 2 months to look after granny, i was depressed. I miss mom, i miss granny. The recovery process was long but granny's determination was strong to live on. She needs to go through chemotheraphy to prevent the relapse of the cancer cells. We did not agree on the chemotheraphy, the treatment is too strong for her age. We do not want to see her suffer, i hope this the best choice afterall.

On a happier note, our statues had promoted with the birth of my niece, hui en.



Little joy in our family =) Never fail to bring a smile to us.

Friends
My close circle of friends remained the same, i grew closer to some while drifted away from others. It's sad but i guess that's just the way life is. People come and go, and as we become older, the quality of our friends matter more than the quantity. Not all my friends can be around when i need them but i know i can turn to anyone of them anytime i need to. I have a good mix of girlfriends as well as a couple of close guys friends whom i can talk to about anything (you know who you are!), and i'am very thankful to have them in my life.

Happy events - ROM of my sweets!


Weiting's ROM. Who's next? =D

Followed by Shi ying's ROM

Sweet isn't it? The wedding ring pillow is custom-made with their significant


Feeling happy for my dear sweet!

May all my sweets stay blissful and love-ly always. Looking forward to attend their actual BIG day in 2009 =)

Myself

April 08 - My 1 year employment with the bank (could not believe i survive more than a year and counting!)

July 08 - My 2 weeks of block leave travelled to KL, Genting and Bangkok.

Oct 08 - Signed up for Standard Chartered 10km run. 2 months time was left for the run, did train for that. On occasion nights, would meet up with miss quack to go to jurong stadium for a run. It feels really good to exercise, felt happier, to de-stress after a hard day work.


Dec 08 - The actual day of the run



Us before the run

I felt a sense of achievement upon completing the race. Everyone was cheering upon the finishing line, that makes you motivated to cross the finish line as fast as possible.


Us with our medals! Happy faces!

The city hall area was flooded with runners wearing the same standard chartered singlet, what a scene! Took a bus back home, went into deep concussion through the long journey ride.

Back home, i saw a love-ly ice cream cake awaiting for me =)

With courtesy from my eldest brother. A pizza hut delivery meal with my favourite drumlets, big ang pow from him and a sponsored batam trip! What else can i ask for? I felt pampered. Birthday song was sang and i made a wish.

The night before the run, had celebrated my birthday in villa bali with my sweets. Followed by batam trip on 08 December. 10 December was a surprise birthday celebration organized by sim. I appreciate his efforts for the gathering, i know it is not easy. It was held at the glass house, fish & co. I was really happy to spent my special day with the company of my loved ones.

When you lose something, you gain something. Through life's valuable lessons, you will grow. We all learn in someway.

Happy new year my sweets. May rosy days be ahead for all of you! There are many things for me to look forward in 2009! I want to acheive and i hope i can.



28 December 2008
Location: Bugis junction

A trip to the temple will always let me feel so peaceful from within. My problems felt lighter instead of a burden to me.

Polaroid Moment

My new toy



It is so interesting, there are 4 different modes to adjust to suit different exposure.

First test-out

The process of becoming a perfect photo. Cool.




The end product.

The meetup to sim lim square for IT gadgets, followed by lunch and simple pleasures for polaroid takings! I love sunday, the only carefree day without any worries at all.

P.S. Thanks slow poke for the love-ly card & russell peter video, even though it has been in my mailbox for a week past christmas. oops! Will catch it =)



27 December 2008
Steamboat session @ Angeline's place

A gathering session for the consumer banking group.

Photo taken with our district manager's daughter, Kiara.

Not much photos taken, followed by poker cards and mahjong session. Ended the session around 1am.



Meaningful quotes for the day:

You don't keep anything for special occasions,
beacause everyday you live is a special occasion

Search for knowledge. Read more. Sit on your front porch and admire the view without paying attention to your needs. --> I like this.

Eat your favorite food and visit the places you love.

Life is a chain of moments of enjoyment, not only about survival.

Remove from your vocabulary phrases like"one of these days" and "someday".

Write that letter you've thought about writing. --> I love to express through writing

Don't delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life.

Every day, every hour, and every minute is special.

You don't know if it will be your last.



You'll always be my baby - David Cook.

I was attracted by his voice when i first heard it from class 95. And again, heard this song performed by a group of boy band, tell myself that it is time to search for this song.

Now you wanna be free so i'm letting you fly
I ain't gonna cry, no and i won't beg you to stay
If you're determined to leave i will not stand in your way

The guitar sound, the rhythm, keeps re-playing in my head. Nice song!






24 December 2008
Location: Jurong point new wing- Ding Tai Feng and Holland Village (again) - Wala wala

An hour was spent queueing for food, dinner at Ding Tai Feng. Crowds and long queues were unavoidable due to a holiday eve.

Finally, our turn!

Miss Quack and me


My sweets! Wendy and Chen ling

We proceeded to our next destination shortly after dinner.


Yours truly.

Wala was quite packed with people but we still manage to get our seats. Ordered our drinks and get settled down comfortably.


My complimentary melty kiss chocolate to each of my sweets =)

5,4,3,2,1, is christmas exchange time.




I love the big yellow ribbon. The nice bow was tied by miss quack. So beautiful, bright and cheery color.


Needless to say, i love the hand-drawn cat by miss quack.

Pressies exchanges between my sweets!






I've gotten a lovely pair of Shu uemura eyelashes from miss quack. Muacks!

Notice any difference? Naughty miss quack had actually pasted a pair of eyes cut from cleo magazine to scare me. I did burst out laughing when i saw that.

A lovely white top from wendy. Most probably i wear it on new year's eve. Thanks laopo!

The oldies songs were playing in the background. Atmosphere was so oh-nice!


Group photo for christmas 08! Cheers!



Merry Christmas to all my sweets!

23 December 2008
Location: Holland Village, Essential Brew

Waiting for late queen to arrive, a quick snap of myself outside Essential Brew


After a long wait, presenting you my sweets,

Stephanie and Weiting

Had our food before 3 santarinas in action.


Santarina ting starts the ball rolling. Me and stephanie drew lots to determine who gets what pressies. Yea, happy faces!


Gucci-Envy me (perfume) Loving it. Kiss.

Santarina steph is next!


Skincare items by beauty credit. Night water pack mask and Coenzyme Q10 blackhead clear oil. Steph is demonstrating how the night water pack mask works. When applied to the skin, water drops will form and you need to pat into your skin for absorbance. Along with lavender extracts, the mask will actually helps to improve our sleep. Amazing, isn't it?! The blackhead clear oil contains lemon seed and grape seed oil which take care of sebum and residue clearly. This gift really suits skincare junkies like us. Loved.

Now is santarina yun in action.


My nicely wrapped pressies for my sweets to choose. Comes with a complimentary meiji melty kiss for each! This melty kiss chocolate is only available during christmas season. Don't miss it!

A set of shiseido skincare set consists of cleanser, toner and moisturizer was picked by weiting. The spa professional nail kit was picked by steph. They are happy! I am happy too!


The spa nail kit really did wonders and the nails sparkle don't they? Vardi & Migdal dead sea natural beauty- contains dead sea minerals, natural oil and salts to acheive smooth and perfect polish, healthy-looking shiny nails. The kit consists of a buffer, nourishing cuticle oil and hand cream. The melon and pear scent of the hand cream gives an aromatherapy experience, for pleasure and relaxation. Sounds too good to be true? You really had to try it to see the difference. I pampered myself with this set of nail kit too. No regrets, thumbs up!

The three santarinas

Our last picture to end the christmas exchange. Loud laughters by us throughout the night.

To sign off this post,


I am in love with my thick and volume lashes. My falsies is a must for gatherings and parties.


My new hairstyle.

Next post up will be on christmas exchange again too! Festive mood in the air =)