1. Do you have secrets?
Yes...one that no one knows.
2. Would you fall in love with a younger male/female?
As long as I don't feel like a pedophile dating him, why not?
3. Do you enjoy going to school?
You know how hindsight makes everything look rosy ;) Still, I truly believe I've had an awesome educational experience.
4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Donate a potion of it in God's name (I'll have problems donating such a large sum to only one church...why should only one organisation benefit from my tithing? Shouldn't as many people as possible benefit?
Set up trust funds for future kids, grandkids etc...with strict requirements!
Invest a very large portion of it.
Buy my very own house...something I've ALWAYS wanted.
I wouldn't throw a large party, not for selfish reasons but because I think it's dangerous telling everyone you know that you've come into the money. Friends will see a sudden jump in the number of time I shout a round tho :D
5. Would you love your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend again?
You know there's always a special place in your heart for ex-s (the ones that don't burn you at least...I've been reasonably lucky). But love? I don't think so.
6. Which is more blessed - loving or being loved?
Loving. Unless they don't love you back. Then it's just painful.
7. List out your current 10 favourite songs.
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Paranoid - Kanye West
In my Arms - Mylo
Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun
Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
Beautiful Day - U2
Don't Panic - Coldplay
Electric Feel - MGMT
You Make it Real for Me - James Morrison
Mercy - Duffy
8. If you are single and your crush is attached, what would you do?
Just be friends. I'd never steal another girl's man. I'd lust from afar.
9. Is there anything that has made you extremely happy?
Heaps of things. One of the best feelings in the world is waking up at 8am and realising that you can roll in bed for as long as you want cos it's one of your very rare off days.
10. What makes you angry?
Cruelty
11. How would you see yourself in 10 years?
Married with kids? Successful in my career?
Happy?
12. Currently, who are the most important people to you?
Definitely family and a selected few friends.
13. What is the most important thing in life?
Contentment. I am afraid I'll never achieve it.
14. Are you single or attached?
Attached. But not at the hip!
15. What is your favourite colour?
Oscillates between green and purple.
16. Would you give all in a relationship?
No; I admit I'm too afraid of getting hurt.
17. What would be the first thing you say/shout when you reach the peak of Mount Everest?
TURN OFF THE VIDEO CAMERA CHRIS!!!! (Who else could motivate me enough to actually reach the peak?)
18. What are you doing now?
Coughing my lungs out. And blowing my nose off. It's a day of hyperboles.
19. Do you prefer coffee or chocolate drinks?
Chocolate drinks!
20. If you could meet one person (dead or alive) for dinner, who would it be?
Jesus
Drink it in at 1/06/2009 02:01:00 PM My sister the perve (Pelle is The Hives' frontman).
j a n e a n says:
HAI
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
OMG
Pif says:
haiiiii
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
I TOUCHED PELLE'S ASS
j a n e a n says:
I CUPPED IT TA
j a n e a n says:
CUPPED IT
Drink it in at 12/30/2008 12:57:00 AM After 20 years of formal schooling, I'M FINALLY DONE. While I've been working the past 6 years, I'm wondering how I'll adapt to being desk-bound 8 hours (or more!) a day. The thought's scaring me a little.
It's strange really. In my formative years, I never once imagine I'd be where I am today. I always thought I'd be in marketing or PR; definitely not working with numbers or convoluted legislation.
Do I have any regrets? If I'm absolutely honest with myself, I'd say I regret not utilising my degrees for more public benefit. I regret not choosing to pursue human rights or animal protection/conservation law and choosing instead to opt for the conventional and well-trodden path of corporate law. I regret not taking more time to volunteer at shelters and legal aid clinics. I regret not taking up internships offered by Monash at the UN HR Council or HR First. Am I going to do anything about this regret? I suppose I'll try to assuage the guilt by volunteering time and money, still, I'll always wonder how life would have turned out if I had chosen another path.
Nonetheless, I'm so thankful that I've had an absolutely awesome time in uni. Those balls, law revues, trivia nights, exchanges, volleyball matches... I'll miss them all dearly. Working full-time means no more wagging class to have lunch with Fi, no more popping by Dave's house in the arvo to catch a movie just cos I felt like it, no more impromptu tea and shopping breaks with Sus...it's freaking me out slightly!
However, working full-time does mean more money to buy bags, more people to meet and have fun with, weekends off to relax (I've been missing out on weekend barbies for far too long) and a brand new chapter in life...now that's exciting :D
I'm gonna do my yearly reflection questionnaire thingy now.
01. Was 2008 a good year for you?
It was absolutely fantastic. Bit of post-exam depression when I thought I failed Trusts but the grace of God got me through :D
02. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Finding out that Chris won a trip to the Beijing Olympics. I was ECSTATIC! I was in my hotel bathroom in Malaysia because I didn't want to wake my roomie up, but I couldn't keep it in and ended up screaming fairly loudly. She very nicely celebrated with me.
03. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Finding out my dog Chazer passed away from lung cancer. My parents kept his illness from me because it was my exam period. So there I was the day before leaving for exchange, all excited about seeing everyone and the dogs in SG, when parents dropped the bomb. I cried the entire night and freaked Yan out (he expected a happy me cos he was giving me my birthday present; instead, he got a massive wail).
04. Where were you when 2008 began?
At Chris' house
05. Who were you with?
Friends that were there for a house party.
06. Where will you be when 2008 ends?
At another house party, or perhaps a club.
07. Who will you be with when 2008 ends?
Probably the same friends!
08. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2008?
I can't remember what they were.
09. Do you have a new years resolution for 2009?
I want to be as fit as I was when I ran that 8km charity run.
10. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I remained in love. This was the year we seriously discussed marriage. We had a few indepth talks about what we wanted out of life in general. Scary, no?
11. If yes, with who?
After 6.5 years, I doubt anyone needs to ask :P
12. If yes, do they know?
Well yes.
13. If yes, did you do anything mean to them in 2008?
Yes. I have a temper.
14. You regret it?
Always.
15. Did you breakup with anyone in 2008?
Nope. I don't talk to some friends anymore though.
16. Did you make any new friends in 2008?
Yep.
17. Who are your favorite new friends?
Some guys from the Malaysia exchange program were pretty cool.
18. What was your favorite month of 2008?
August; being there in person to experience the Olympics. Need I say more?!
Also July, cos I went on exchange. Living it up at a hotel, having buffet breakkies every morning, arvo swims and massages, karaoke and room parties at night, 3 hours of class everyday for 2 weeks and 6 credit points outta the way. Fantastic! Then off to SG to hang out with family and friends. Lovely :)
19. Did you travel outside of your home country in 2008?
Yep! China, Malaysia and SG. I went to Tassie too..hehe
20. How many different countries did you travel to in 2008?
Three.
21. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2008?
Chazer. He was such a sweetie.
22. Did you miss anybody in the past year?
I always miss my relatives and friends in SG.
23. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2008?
I really liked Wall-E. I have a feeling Twilight might top that tho :D
24. What was your favorite song from 2008?
Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
25. What was your favorite record from 2008?
Kanye's 808 & Heartbreaks. I also loved MGMT's album. Coldplay's new album was surprisingly disappointing. I like Life in Technicolour and Viva la Vida, but the rest are mediocre. I hope the next one's less tryhard.
26. How many concerts/musicals did you see in 2008?
Went to 3 musicals; Priscilla, Rocky Horror and Wicked. Also caught Kisschasy and Kanye in concert.
27. Did you have a favorite live act in 2007?
Kanye was friggin awesome. We were front and centre 1st row and that was crazy! At one point, he took his sunnies off, squatted and sang straight to me. I was so overwhelmed!
28. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2008?
I got drunk in Malaysia and had to be put to bed by Jeff and Christa. Not proud of that.
29. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2008?
Course not.
30. How many people did you sleep with in 2008?
None.
31. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
At the Kisschasy concert, this rather chubby girl was blocking my view. She also kept stepping on my foot. This brought back memories from the Coldplay concert where I would have been in the front row if not for 2 quite fat girls who took SO LONG to walk down the stairs to the stage. I was SO UPSET about having to be in second row. Hence, when chubby girl at Kisschasy concert stepped on my foot for the 3rd time, I said some spiteful things to her. She looked so hurt I felt terrible immediately.
33. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2008?
I can't remember any,
34. Did you treat somebody badly in 2008?
I don't think so. I hope not.
35. Did somebody treat you badly in 2008?
Nah.
36. How much money did you spend in 2008?
A fair bit considering how much I travelled. All worth it tho!
37. What was your proudest moment of 2008?
Knowing that I'm gonna graduate! That I actually did pretty darn well considering I missed a week of uni in July to visit SG and 2 weeks in August for the Olympics. Also, I overloaded and did 5 subjects instead of the normal 4, cos Monash shook up the law course a bit and got rid of a subject I was planning to do last year. Had to make up for it somehow!
38. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008?
3 second memory for things like that.
39. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2008 and change something, what would it be?
I would have made time to volunteer at Legal Aid.
40. What are your plans for 2009?
Trip to Thailand with Sus and Jan, visiting SG for CNY, beach road trip with friends in Feb, Coldplay concert in March (Chris got tix already!), graduating and starting work. What a year ahead!
God's been good to me :)
Drink it in at 12/06/2008 02:00:00 PM I've been feeling my age lately. I'm no longer able to work 8 hour shifts without sitting every 2 hours to massage my sore feet. My makeup settles in smile lines and creases at the corner of my eyes. I don't buy frilly ruffled skirts, despite my love for all things frou frou. Also, I'm thankful that I've finally finished uni, because I think at 23 I'm too old to attend After Exam Parties. To illustrate this, the following happened last night at the Monash/Deakin/Latrobe after exam clubbing event:
Random Boy: Hi. My friend thinks you're cute.
Me: (Looks boys up and down. Takes note of their fluro jeans, checkered shirts and youthful countenances. Sighs.) Hun, I'm far too old for you.
Friend of Random Boy: Uh...how old are you?
Me: 23.
FORB: OH. I'm...18.
RB: 4 years difference isn't too bad!!
Me: It's actually 5 years. Bye now.
Went home after and stared at my wrinkles in the mirror. Chris reminded me that he's younger than I am (albeit by only a month). Felt sad.
I need botox STAT.
Drink it in at 11/15/2008 12:28:00 PM I must be a closet masochist; knowing full well that nothing good can come out of reading an article titled "RSPCA condemns sick video of youth kickboxing kangaroo", I clicked on it nevertheless.
The result?
I feel actual, acute physical sickness. It's abhorrant and disgusting and I am beyond appalled that a rational being who has the capability to empathise and FEEL could behave it a manner not fit for even the lowest of low.
Drink it in at 9/13/2008 03:33:00 PM So I'm in my last semester of uni. The feeling's bittersweet, as you can imagine. I so glad to say that I've been having an awesome final year. The road trips to the surf, the Malaysia exchange, the concerts and revues and dinners...I'm thankful that I've had the chance to make the most of this relatively worry-free stage of my life. Nonetheless, I'm worried. I'm stressed. I'm sad. I feel ungrateful just typing that.
I've noticed a distinct shift in my outlook in life. It's amazing to consider that I used to be described as laid-back, optimistic, adaptable; traits that I sadly no longer embody. This has been playing on my mind in the recent months. I sometimes wonder if Chris feels cheated. If what I am now is somehow he wouldn't have dated, had he known years ago.
Chris and I have our best conversations in the car. He once told me that I have a very dark side, one that he cannot contemplate or understand (I attribute his confusion to the fact that in Chris' head it's always sunshine and rainbows). This revelation has troubled me from time to time. I feel like there's this seething fistful of stones tumbling inside me; once in a while, one will detach, travel up to my brain (via some unscientific way) and knock some horrid, nasty thoughts into my head. Yes, I'm blaming my thoughts on mythical pebbles.
I've been wanting to express my thoughts for quite some time now. It's just that you never know who's reading.
Drink it in at 9/11/2008 03:09:00 AM Hello from Yangshuo! It's mozzies galore and I'm scratching myself red and raw. Had a steak for dinner today cos I'm sick of Chinese food. There's only so much rice and noodles one can eat.
On our last day in Xi'an, Chris and I went to a dumpling buffet. There were so many varieties...absolutely boggled my mind!
Starter of fried bittergourd and chilli dumpling, and a sweet walnut paste dumpling.
Apologies cos I can't remember the fillings exactly. I know there was pork and duck and beef and chicken and fish and prawn in combinations with various veggies and nuts.
Chicken soup with chicken dumpling
The colourful one was my favourite
More soup
Mini dumplings...Chris' favourite
We didn't eat the following dumplings, but they were so cute I had to take photos.
Frog meat dumplings
Duck dumplings
No idea what filling dumplings
After a 2 hour delay, we flew to Guilin and endured a bumpy 1.5 hour taxi ride to our retreat in Yangshuo. It's lovely!
View from our breakfast table
Breakfast of homemade toast, rice noodles and a fruit platter
Rafting down the river, with our hotel in the background
Happy feet
We also went hot air ballooning
Chris in the balloon. He's next to Moon Rock. The hole changes shape (like the cycles of the moon) depending on your vantage point.
We went over the mountains
The river
I was vaguely nervous.
Off to bed now!
Drink it in at 8/17/2008 01:01:00 AM We're in Xi'an now! A quick update on our whirlwind China trip.
We dressed up to go watch basketball. This is outside the bball stadium.
Inside the stadium. NZ v Mali. We also watched Aus v Croatia (which we lost) :( And USA v China :D
Chris outside the Bird's Nest. We're in full Aussie regalia. Haven't been inside yet but will be soon to watch the atheletics!
Outside the water cube to watch swimming!
Inside the water cube! Yay Stef Rice and the 400m Individual Medley!
Cold rainy day at the Forbidden Palace.
Chris trying to figure out a map.
Dumplings for dinner!
Panda with crazy eyes
It was playing on its chair! SO CUTE
Pandas rescued from the Sichuan earthquake.
At the summer palace. Apologies for not so great photos...Chris' camera has most of the photos.
Dinner! The menu was HUGE! Had 100s of dishes!
Peking Duck :D
Tienanmen Square. My Mao :D
Photos of Xi'an so far:
CRAZY train station will people lying everywhere. It was chaos.
Terrecotta warriors!
Ok going for dinner now :D Going to eat goat noodles!
Drink it in at 8/13/2008 08:08:00 PM Yay we're in Beijing! Well we were arrived yesterday but I was too tired to blog. We're staying at the Jiuhua Spa & Resort, and it's beautiful! It's built on top of a hot spring and there are hot spring baths everywhere! Not to mention a lovely warm lap pool :D And a fish pond with those cool little fish that nibble the dead skin off your body! Like how cool!
All the visa delegates (or winners if you like) from Asia Pacific are staying at our hotel. It's really awesome to see so many nationalities...I feel like I'm at the UN! Well, the UN without US, UK, Europe, Africa etc. Walked into the breakkie room at 9am this morning and it was absolutely babbling.
Chris outside the hotel.
Anyway, Visa is spoiling us heaps. Besides the gorgeous hotel room we're in (Chris' camera has all the room photos, so I can't show you any just yet), we've got goodie bags from Johnson&Johnson, and complimentary Olympics coffee table book, a visa giftbag, which among others contains binoculars and other stuff like sweatshirts and caps.
So after a fortifying breakfast, us Aussie delegates set off to...THE GREAT WALL!
This is Tony, our guide. Visa is awesome, they pay for literally everything, including tours!
Oh, I forgot, we went to lunch first. But I don't have any photos cos they're on Chris' camera.
It was one of those 10 course lunches...they really feed you well here.
Anyway, they took us to the least populated part of the Wall. We had to take a cable car up to the actual walking bit.
Cable car up
Us in cable car.
Walking. It wasn't a very clear day, but still very beautiful.
Don't worry, I was wearing runners. I've learnt my lesson from doing the Cinque Terre hike in thongs :P
The last stage was murder. Chris has a video of me literally struggling up the steps. I've made him promise never to show anyone, cos it's mortifying.
Off to a well-deserved dinner! We went to this restaurant in a refurbished temple...it was gorgeous and so atmospheric!
The entrance.
Inside
They provided entertainment all night too. But truth be told, we were too focused on the food.
Prawns on hot stones and duck in white buns with bok choy.
It was literally 15+ courses. Some dishes off the top of my head: Eel, Chinese salad, lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, some bean thing, butterly fried fish, REALLY tender pork ribs, salt and pepper beef ribs, ginseng chicken, black pepper beef, oyster sauce kai lan, mango egg tarts, yam balls, the duck and prawns mentioned above...and the list goes on. I can't continue eating this way! Even though Visa is paying for all our meals till Sunday :D:D
Anyway, we didn't get to watch the opening ceremony at the stadium :( I thought we had tickets but no! It was not to be. However, they have a massive Visa lounge in our hotel wuth complimentary open bar and snacks and massive projector screens set up, so pratically everyone from the hotel went there to watch the ceremony. Australia took ages to come on! We cheered resoundingly when they did :D
I've asked the Visa people and yes, even though we didn't manage to get tickets to the opening ceremony, we do have tickets to events tomorrow! YAYYYYY!
After the opening ceremony, we bumped into a few New Zealanders, who invited us along for a drink with them.
Drinking games.
I do love meeting new people :D
Funny thing to note; since I'm practically the only person in our contingent that speaks Mandarin (even if it's rudimentary), I've been getting quite a bit of practice here, having to be the translator of the group. The others look at me with such awe when I speak Mandarin, and it's SO embarassing cos I know how bad I am! Wish I had a gift for the language.
AS you can probably tell, I'm not too coherent today. It's late, and I'm off to bed now. Big day tomorrow! Wake up at 730am (it's 230am now) and off to the Games!
Drink it in at 8/09/2008 04:05:00 AM Chris and I have arrived at our hotel in Beijing. It's fantastic. We've been on planes for a whole day so we're going to sleep now, but I'll update and post photos soon!
Drink it in at 8/08/2008 05:12:00 AM It was Chris' and my 6 year anniversary yesterday :D I got him Paul Smith cufflinks, he got me an LV bag. Disproportionate I know.
We went to Jacques Reymond for dinner, which was an absolute treat given that it's meant to be Melbourne's top restaurant. We had the autumn degustation menu, which was scrumptious. The pictures below are not mine; I got them off a food blogger's website, because I thought it might be embarassing to whip out the camera in such proper settings.
Started with the signature gougere, which is a gruyere cheese choux pastry puff
A crunchy lettuce soup with pork belly dumpling, truffles and parmesan foam (sounds weird I know but totally worked)
Crab with squid ink lasagna on watermelon served with a lime-wasabi dressing (which was DELICIOUS)
All throughout the meal we has a constant supply of freshly baked bread with home-churned butter
Salmon with a fennel and vanilla puree and oriental mushrooms
Prime eye fillet of beef with a carrot and daikon salad. According to our waiter, who explained each dish and every ingredient that that went into it, Jacques Reymond pioneered some special way of cooking beef that made it incredibly tender. I was too busy stuffing my face with bread to remember what that cooking method is, but I can vouch for the supreme tenderness of the beef :D
For the main course (even though every dish looked like a main course to me), I chose
Suckling pig slow cooked with fresh lemon pasta (*adore*), while Chris had
Venison with a baked strawberry sauce, which he loved too.
The dessert courses were
A raclette cheese and prosciutto platter; and
A spiced pineapple and ginger cream, chocolate, lemon myrtle and bush pepper berry ice cream (ice-cream was the best!).
Petit fours rounded off the excellent meal.
Degustations are fantastic for people like me, who like to try practically every single thing on the menu. The portions were surprisingly large, but since Jacques is an advocate for slow food...we ate those dishes over a period of 3 hours. Highly satisfying :)
Chris and I are such kids though. It's always somewhat awkward at the start of meals like this when the sommelier produces the extensive wine list with gusto and we wave him away because we don't appreciate wine.
In addition, while our waiter was explaining the cheese platter above, it went something like this:
Waiter: Here we have a raclette cheese which has a mild and faintly nutty flavour...
Chris and I: Mmm hmm
W:...paired with a light spinach salad with minature gherkins...
C&I: Yup
W:...with a butter biscuit topped with sauteed onions...
C&I: *nods*
W: ...and lastly, a tower of our home-made potato chips
C&I: OOO YUM POTATO CHIPS!
W:...
And when it was petit fours and coffee time...
Long-suffering waiter: Would the lady and gentlement like some coffee with the petit fours?
Chris: Can we have hot chocolates? *BEAMS*
W: Yes! We make an excellent hot chocolate! (but you know he's really thinking..."Omg these kids need to get out more")
Thus ends our lovely anniversary meal!
Drink it in at 5/25/2008 07:08:00 PM I'm currently reading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. I've been reading this book for 1 month now.
I normally dispose of a book in a couple of hours. This book is taking me an inordinately long amount of time to complete because I can't bear to read more than a chapter every couple of days. The intensity of the subject matter and the starkness of Hosseini's writing style gets to me every 5 or so pages.
On another topic, the rise of Facebook can be blamed for the serious dearth of entries.
Drink it in at 3/26/2008 07:40:00 PM JUno = SWEEEEEEEEET film :D
I love the duet between Juno and Bleeker at the end of the film *beams*
Drink it in at 1/26/2008 11:47:00 PM 01. Was 2007 a good year for you?
In hindsight everything looks rosy. But there were a few downers throughout the year.
02. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Swimming in the rock pools in Cinque Terre, Italy.
03. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Bidding family and friends farewell in SG in Feb.
04. Where were you when 2007 began?
At my home in Singapore
05. Who were you with?
Chris, Tiff, Pei, Shiv, Stef and my family.
06. Where will you be when 2007 ends?
House party.
07. Who will you be with when 2007 ends?
Chris and some of our friends. BBQ!
08. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2007?
I can't remember what my resolutions were.
09. Do you have a new years resolution for 2008?
Nope. I always forget them.
10. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I remained in love? That should be counted *nods*
11. If yes, with who?
After 5.5 years, I doubt anyone needs to ask :P
12. If yes, do they know?
I do sincerely hope so!
13. If yes, did you do anything mean to them in 2007?
I'm quite short-tempered.
14. You regret it?
Always.
15. Did you breakup with anyone in 2007?
Nope. I don't talk to some friends anymore though.
16. Did you make any new friends in 2007?
Yep.
17. Who are your favorite new friends?
Some guys from my vac placement in Deloitte were pretty cool.
18. What was your favorite month of 2007?
July. Traipsing through Europe!
19. Did you travel outside of your home country in 2007?
Yep! Exchange was the best time of my uni life!
20. How many different countries did you travel to in 2007?
Italy, France, England, Thailand and Singapore.
21. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2007?
No. Thank God.
22. Did you miss anybody in the past year?
I always miss my relatives and friends in SG.
23. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2007?
Ratatouille. Watched it in bed in Paris. So hopelessly romantic :)
24. What was your favorite song from 2007?
Destination Calabria.
25. What was your favorite record from 2007?
My favourite artists didn't come out with new records this year :/ Maybe JT.
26. How many concerts/musicals did you see in 2007?
Hrmm..Spamalot, Justin Timberlake and Linkin Park. I wanted to go to John Mayer but I was saving for Exchange.
27. Did you have a favorite live act in 2007?
Linkin Park!
28. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2007?
Nope. I like milkshakes better.
29. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2007?
Course not.
30. How many people did you sleep with in 2007?
None.
31. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
I can't remember anything I did that was outstandingly henious.
33. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2007?
I'm absolutely oblivious.
34. Did you treat somebody badly in 2007?
I hope not.
35. Did somebody treat you badly in 2007?
No. Some friends were dodgy tho.
36. How much money did you spend in 2007?
Too much as always.
37. What was your proudest moment of 2007?
I was ecstatic when I got vac work offers.
38. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2007?
3 second memory for things like that.
39. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2007 and change something, what would it be?
I would have saved more.
40. What are your plans for 2008?
Exchange to Malaysia, trip to Thailand, visiting SG and GRADUATING hopefully! And please give me a grad offer Deloitte or EY! Or both!
Drink it in at 1/01/2008 02:18:00 PM Poor blog is being neglected due to my hectic life atm.
I'm working in Deloitte at the moment and it's really surprising me how much I like working there. I went in with the preconceived notion that corporate tax would be boring...but gee I don't know what's wrong with me but I'm actually enjoying all the work I've been given! It's just so challenging and complicated that I get such a kick out of working on it :D
Everyone's been really lovely...and I've been enjoying my lunch breaks with the other vaccies. We go to laneway cafes and kick back with paella, pizza, panini and pistachio ice cream. Just fantastic on a warm summer afternoon.
Gotta say tho...it's tiring waking up at 7am 5 days a week. Wish we could have nap time :P
Drink it in at 12/04/2007 07:12:00 PM Just whacking a few photos up from Chen's 21st. With Facebook, I don't know why I bother anymore! I guess this is for Mum, cos she doesn't have Facebook (Dad does though :P).
Chen the birthday boy in the middle. Already drunk.
George and I were posing normally, then at the last second he leaned in for a kiss and my face inadvertedly screwed up. Seriously though, George isn't as reprehensible as my face suggest :P He's a very lovely boy.
And one of Chris and I to finish.
Dave's (the blondie in the photos) 21st this Sat. Basically the same bunch of people but at a different venue with a different birthday boy!
Exam period now. Am very tired of this studying thing.
Drink it in at 10/10/2007 02:19:00 AM Have decided to accept EY and Deloitte! KPMG had the lovliest people but they were just so inflexible and I couldn't afford to do the whole 8 week program because I really wanted to try out EY too!
Heaps of people have asked me why not PwC, seeing as it's the biggest of the Big 4; I guess it's a personal choice really. I just didn't feel comfortable! Parents, I know you want me to consider PwC for 'networking' but really, how much networking can you do in 4 weeks -_-. Plus the fact that the partner bluntly told me he would 'not be happy' if I chose to do 4 weeks instead of the whole 8 weeks. Gee.
I'm really excited about EY because I fought hard to get into Strategic Growth Markets (I'll be straddling the consulting and corporate tax divisions) and it sounds like an area where I'd learn heaps about a wide range of topics, instead of just say...GST. Deloitte has a really happy culture and I can see myself enjoying work there, so I'm trying Deloitte out too.
So yay for the end of the interview period and yay for the grace of God for letting me get internships :D Now I just have to not screw up during the vacation program and I might be able to relax the whole of next year with a grad offer!
Congrats to everyone else who got jobs! Was application period not the most stressful month of your life or what!
Drink it in at 9/29/2007 04:15:00 PM So after weeks and weeks of interviews, I'm finally seeing payback :D The offers for vac work are coming in and you know what I like best about that? The free stuff that comes with the contracts!
Received this massive package in the mail today. It was from KPMG and it contained a very impressive looking leather folder. Within the folder was a mockup of how my namecard would look like should I choose to ink a contract with them (man having that faux namecard sure is persuasive), a very nice pen and a USB. Companies sure do put a lot of money into this recruitment process.
On another topic, I bought a full length gown for Chris' work ball and for my own anticipated end of year work ball. Since I work at the nicest dress shop on Chapel St (yes I'm slightly biased), I got a massive discount...YAY. It's black with one crystal-and-diamante-encrusted strap. I think it's glam and I love it :D
Drink it in at 9/20/2007 12:05:00 AM Thank you God. I know what I've achieved is through your Grace alone.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Refrain
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Drink it in at 9/13/2007 12:29:00 AM Law Ball yesterday! I had SUCH a great time...best ball I've been to hands down!
The theme was 1920s... and unlike the Asean Ball (the last themed Asean Ball I went to was Masquerade), most people went in theme. Yay! I wore a psuedo flapper dress that I got from France and a Sportsgirl headband. Fiona and Christa came over to my house in the arvo to get Jan to do their hair and makeup. Jan totally outdid herself and we got so many compliments! THANK YOU JAN :D
The ball was held at the Crown Palladium. It was so awesome...felt like I was at the Logies. A jazz band and singer played for the first half of the night. Swing dancing! Chris wasn't there to dance with (cos we all decided to go sans bfs this year), but nevermind, next year babe!
Out table! Before we messed it up.
Entree of Moroccan Lamb with Mediterranean Couscous. This ball definitely had the BEST food out of all formals and balls I've been to. I gulped down the my main of steak on basil mash with a marinated asparagus and mushroom salad too fast to take a picture of.
Fi, Christa and George. Jan did Fi and Christa's hair.
Geroge's uber cool made-to-fit shoes. The toes are super pointy!
Anthony. Ant is running for LSS Careers Officer, so everyone vote him cos I reckon he'll make a great CO!
Girlies.
Dave with his 'hos'. He wishes!
Dessert was SO good! Chocolate fudge cake with caramalised bananas, white chocolate chantilly and strawberries!
So begins the drinking. Free flow drinks! Champagne sunrises.
And another one. And a few more after...
I think Chen's trying to hump me. Fi and Dave look incredibly sober still.
Things were going downhill soon though...
Really downhill!
I think after a few too many...I started making this stupid face that I kept the whole night. ERGH!
Ben was even more smashed...he was slurring!
Another stupid face photo.
I don't have many nice sober pictures :(
Loved the 80s music playing!
A vaguely normal photo on the dance floor.
They came with the coffees at the end of the night. YUM.
The Law Students' Society sure throws a ball like no other!
Drink it in at 8/27/2007 04:10:00 PM
Yes...one that no one knows.
2. Would you fall in love with a younger male/female?
As long as I don't feel like a pedophile dating him, why not?
3. Do you enjoy going to school?
You know how hindsight makes everything look rosy ;) Still, I truly believe I've had an awesome educational experience.
4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Donate a potion of it in God's name (I'll have problems donating such a large sum to only one church...why should only one organisation benefit from my tithing? Shouldn't as many people as possible benefit?
Set up trust funds for future kids, grandkids etc...with strict requirements!
Invest a very large portion of it.
Buy my very own house...something I've ALWAYS wanted.
I wouldn't throw a large party, not for selfish reasons but because I think it's dangerous telling everyone you know that you've come into the money. Friends will see a sudden jump in the number of time I shout a round tho :D
5. Would you love your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend again?
You know there's always a special place in your heart for ex-s (the ones that don't burn you at least...I've been reasonably lucky). But love? I don't think so.
6. Which is more blessed - loving or being loved?
Loving. Unless they don't love you back. Then it's just painful.
7. List out your current 10 favourite songs.
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Paranoid - Kanye West
In my Arms - Mylo
Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun
Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
Beautiful Day - U2
Don't Panic - Coldplay
Electric Feel - MGMT
You Make it Real for Me - James Morrison
Mercy - Duffy
8. If you are single and your crush is attached, what would you do?
Just be friends. I'd never steal another girl's man. I'd lust from afar.
9. Is there anything that has made you extremely happy?
Heaps of things. One of the best feelings in the world is waking up at 8am and realising that you can roll in bed for as long as you want cos it's one of your very rare off days.
10. What makes you angry?
Cruelty
11. How would you see yourself in 10 years?
Married with kids? Successful in my career?
Happy?
12. Currently, who are the most important people to you?
Definitely family and a selected few friends.
13. What is the most important thing in life?
Contentment. I am afraid I'll never achieve it.
14. Are you single or attached?
Attached. But not at the hip!
15. What is your favourite colour?
Oscillates between green and purple.
16. Would you give all in a relationship?
No; I admit I'm too afraid of getting hurt.
17. What would be the first thing you say/shout when you reach the peak of Mount Everest?
TURN OFF THE VIDEO CAMERA CHRIS!!!! (Who else could motivate me enough to actually reach the peak?)
18. What are you doing now?
Coughing my lungs out. And blowing my nose off. It's a day of hyperboles.
19. Do you prefer coffee or chocolate drinks?
Chocolate drinks!
20. If you could meet one person (dead or alive) for dinner, who would it be?
Jesus
Drink it in at 1/06/2009 02:01:00 PM My sister the perve (Pelle is The Hives' frontman).
j a n e a n says:
HAI
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
OMG
Pif says:
haiiiii
j a n e a n says:
OMG
j a n e a n says:
I TOUCHED PELLE'S ASS
j a n e a n says:
I CUPPED IT TA
j a n e a n says:
CUPPED IT
Drink it in at 12/30/2008 12:57:00 AM After 20 years of formal schooling, I'M FINALLY DONE. While I've been working the past 6 years, I'm wondering how I'll adapt to being desk-bound 8 hours (or more!) a day. The thought's scaring me a little.
It's strange really. In my formative years, I never once imagine I'd be where I am today. I always thought I'd be in marketing or PR; definitely not working with numbers or convoluted legislation.
Do I have any regrets? If I'm absolutely honest with myself, I'd say I regret not utilising my degrees for more public benefit. I regret not choosing to pursue human rights or animal protection/conservation law and choosing instead to opt for the conventional and well-trodden path of corporate law. I regret not taking more time to volunteer at shelters and legal aid clinics. I regret not taking up internships offered by Monash at the UN HR Council or HR First. Am I going to do anything about this regret? I suppose I'll try to assuage the guilt by volunteering time and money, still, I'll always wonder how life would have turned out if I had chosen another path.
Nonetheless, I'm so thankful that I've had an absolutely awesome time in uni. Those balls, law revues, trivia nights, exchanges, volleyball matches... I'll miss them all dearly. Working full-time means no more wagging class to have lunch with Fi, no more popping by Dave's house in the arvo to catch a movie just cos I felt like it, no more impromptu tea and shopping breaks with Sus...it's freaking me out slightly!
However, working full-time does mean more money to buy bags, more people to meet and have fun with, weekends off to relax (I've been missing out on weekend barbies for far too long) and a brand new chapter in life...now that's exciting :D
I'm gonna do my yearly reflection questionnaire thingy now.
01. Was 2008 a good year for you?
It was absolutely fantastic. Bit of post-exam depression when I thought I failed Trusts but the grace of God got me through :D
02. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Finding out that Chris won a trip to the Beijing Olympics. I was ECSTATIC! I was in my hotel bathroom in Malaysia because I didn't want to wake my roomie up, but I couldn't keep it in and ended up screaming fairly loudly. She very nicely celebrated with me.
03. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Finding out my dog Chazer passed away from lung cancer. My parents kept his illness from me because it was my exam period. So there I was the day before leaving for exchange, all excited about seeing everyone and the dogs in SG, when parents dropped the bomb. I cried the entire night and freaked Yan out (he expected a happy me cos he was giving me my birthday present; instead, he got a massive wail).
04. Where were you when 2008 began?
At Chris' house
05. Who were you with?
Friends that were there for a house party.
06. Where will you be when 2008 ends?
At another house party, or perhaps a club.
07. Who will you be with when 2008 ends?
Probably the same friends!
08. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2008?
I can't remember what they were.
09. Do you have a new years resolution for 2009?
I want to be as fit as I was when I ran that 8km charity run.
10. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I remained in love. This was the year we seriously discussed marriage. We had a few indepth talks about what we wanted out of life in general. Scary, no?
11. If yes, with who?
After 6.5 years, I doubt anyone needs to ask :P
12. If yes, do they know?
Well yes.
13. If yes, did you do anything mean to them in 2008?
Yes. I have a temper.
14. You regret it?
Always.
15. Did you breakup with anyone in 2008?
Nope. I don't talk to some friends anymore though.
16. Did you make any new friends in 2008?
Yep.
17. Who are your favorite new friends?
Some guys from the Malaysia exchange program were pretty cool.
18. What was your favorite month of 2008?
August; being there in person to experience the Olympics. Need I say more?!
Also July, cos I went on exchange. Living it up at a hotel, having buffet breakkies every morning, arvo swims and massages, karaoke and room parties at night, 3 hours of class everyday for 2 weeks and 6 credit points outta the way. Fantastic! Then off to SG to hang out with family and friends. Lovely :)
19. Did you travel outside of your home country in 2008?
Yep! China, Malaysia and SG. I went to Tassie too..hehe
20. How many different countries did you travel to in 2008?
Three.
21. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2008?
Chazer. He was such a sweetie.
22. Did you miss anybody in the past year?
I always miss my relatives and friends in SG.
23. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2008?
I really liked Wall-E. I have a feeling Twilight might top that tho :D
24. What was your favorite song from 2008?
Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
25. What was your favorite record from 2008?
Kanye's 808 & Heartbreaks. I also loved MGMT's album. Coldplay's new album was surprisingly disappointing. I like Life in Technicolour and Viva la Vida, but the rest are mediocre. I hope the next one's less tryhard.
26. How many concerts/musicals did you see in 2008?
Went to 3 musicals; Priscilla, Rocky Horror and Wicked. Also caught Kisschasy and Kanye in concert.
27. Did you have a favorite live act in 2007?
Kanye was friggin awesome. We were front and centre 1st row and that was crazy! At one point, he took his sunnies off, squatted and sang straight to me. I was so overwhelmed!
28. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2008?
I got drunk in Malaysia and had to be put to bed by Jeff and Christa. Not proud of that.
29. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2008?
Course not.
30. How many people did you sleep with in 2008?
None.
31. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
At the Kisschasy concert, this rather chubby girl was blocking my view. She also kept stepping on my foot. This brought back memories from the Coldplay concert where I would have been in the front row if not for 2 quite fat girls who took SO LONG to walk down the stairs to the stage. I was SO UPSET about having to be in second row. Hence, when chubby girl at Kisschasy concert stepped on my foot for the 3rd time, I said some spiteful things to her. She looked so hurt I felt terrible immediately.
33. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2008?
I can't remember any,
34. Did you treat somebody badly in 2008?
I don't think so. I hope not.
35. Did somebody treat you badly in 2008?
Nah.
36. How much money did you spend in 2008?
A fair bit considering how much I travelled. All worth it tho!
37. What was your proudest moment of 2008?
Knowing that I'm gonna graduate! That I actually did pretty darn well considering I missed a week of uni in July to visit SG and 2 weeks in August for the Olympics. Also, I overloaded and did 5 subjects instead of the normal 4, cos Monash shook up the law course a bit and got rid of a subject I was planning to do last year. Had to make up for it somehow!
38. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008?
3 second memory for things like that.
39. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2008 and change something, what would it be?
I would have made time to volunteer at Legal Aid.
40. What are your plans for 2009?
Trip to Thailand with Sus and Jan, visiting SG for CNY, beach road trip with friends in Feb, Coldplay concert in March (Chris got tix already!), graduating and starting work. What a year ahead!
God's been good to me :)
Drink it in at 12/06/2008 02:00:00 PM I've been feeling my age lately. I'm no longer able to work 8 hour shifts without sitting every 2 hours to massage my sore feet. My makeup settles in smile lines and creases at the corner of my eyes. I don't buy frilly ruffled skirts, despite my love for all things frou frou. Also, I'm thankful that I've finally finished uni, because I think at 23 I'm too old to attend After Exam Parties. To illustrate this, the following happened last night at the Monash/Deakin/Latrobe after exam clubbing event:
Random Boy: Hi. My friend thinks you're cute.
Me: (Looks boys up and down. Takes note of their fluro jeans, checkered shirts and youthful countenances. Sighs.) Hun, I'm far too old for you.
Friend of Random Boy: Uh...how old are you?
Me: 23.
FORB: OH. I'm...18.
RB: 4 years difference isn't too bad!!
Me: It's actually 5 years. Bye now.
Went home after and stared at my wrinkles in the mirror. Chris reminded me that he's younger than I am (albeit by only a month). Felt sad.
I need botox STAT.
Drink it in at 11/15/2008 12:28:00 PM I must be a closet masochist; knowing full well that nothing good can come out of reading an article titled "RSPCA condemns sick video of youth kickboxing kangaroo", I clicked on it nevertheless.
The result?
I feel actual, acute physical sickness. It's abhorrant and disgusting and I am beyond appalled that a rational being who has the capability to empathise and FEEL could behave it a manner not fit for even the lowest of low.
Drink it in at 9/13/2008 03:33:00 PM So I'm in my last semester of uni. The feeling's bittersweet, as you can imagine. I so glad to say that I've been having an awesome final year. The road trips to the surf, the Malaysia exchange, the concerts and revues and dinners...I'm thankful that I've had the chance to make the most of this relatively worry-free stage of my life. Nonetheless, I'm worried. I'm stressed. I'm sad. I feel ungrateful just typing that.
I've noticed a distinct shift in my outlook in life. It's amazing to consider that I used to be described as laid-back, optimistic, adaptable; traits that I sadly no longer embody. This has been playing on my mind in the recent months. I sometimes wonder if Chris feels cheated. If what I am now is somehow he wouldn't have dated, had he known years ago.
Chris and I have our best conversations in the car. He once told me that I have a very dark side, one that he cannot contemplate or understand (I attribute his confusion to the fact that in Chris' head it's always sunshine and rainbows). This revelation has troubled me from time to time. I feel like there's this seething fistful of stones tumbling inside me; once in a while, one will detach, travel up to my brain (via some unscientific way) and knock some horrid, nasty thoughts into my head. Yes, I'm blaming my thoughts on mythical pebbles.
I've been wanting to express my thoughts for quite some time now. It's just that you never know who's reading.
Drink it in at 9/11/2008 03:09:00 AM Hello from Yangshuo! It's mozzies galore and I'm scratching myself red and raw. Had a steak for dinner today cos I'm sick of Chinese food. There's only so much rice and noodles one can eat.
On our last day in Xi'an, Chris and I went to a dumpling buffet. There were so many varieties...absolutely boggled my mind!
Starter of fried bittergourd and chilli dumpling, and a sweet walnut paste dumpling.
Apologies cos I can't remember the fillings exactly. I know there was pork and duck and beef and chicken and fish and prawn in combinations with various veggies and nuts.
Chicken soup with chicken dumpling
The colourful one was my favourite
More soup
Mini dumplings...Chris' favourite
We didn't eat the following dumplings, but they were so cute I had to take photos.
Frog meat dumplings
Duck dumplings
No idea what filling dumplings
After a 2 hour delay, we flew to Guilin and endured a bumpy 1.5 hour taxi ride to our retreat in Yangshuo. It's lovely!
View from our breakfast table
Breakfast of homemade toast, rice noodles and a fruit platter
Rafting down the river, with our hotel in the background
Happy feet
We also went hot air ballooning
Chris in the balloon. He's next to Moon Rock. The hole changes shape (like the cycles of the moon) depending on your vantage point.
We went over the mountains
The river
I was vaguely nervous.
Off to bed now!
Drink it in at 8/17/2008 01:01:00 AM We're in Xi'an now! A quick update on our whirlwind China trip.
We dressed up to go watch basketball. This is outside the bball stadium.
Inside the stadium. NZ v Mali. We also watched Aus v Croatia (which we lost) :( And USA v China :D
Chris outside the Bird's Nest. We're in full Aussie regalia. Haven't been inside yet but will be soon to watch the atheletics!
Outside the water cube to watch swimming!
Inside the water cube! Yay Stef Rice and the 400m Individual Medley!
Cold rainy day at the Forbidden Palace.
Chris trying to figure out a map.
Dumplings for dinner!
Panda with crazy eyes
It was playing on its chair! SO CUTE
Pandas rescued from the Sichuan earthquake.
At the summer palace. Apologies for not so great photos...Chris' camera has most of the photos.
Dinner! The menu was HUGE! Had 100s of dishes!
Peking Duck :D
Tienanmen Square. My Mao :D
Photos of Xi'an so far:
CRAZY train station will people lying everywhere. It was chaos.
Terrecotta warriors!
Ok going for dinner now :D Going to eat goat noodles!
Drink it in at 8/13/2008 08:08:00 PM Yay we're in Beijing! Well we were arrived yesterday but I was too tired to blog. We're staying at the Jiuhua Spa & Resort, and it's beautiful! It's built on top of a hot spring and there are hot spring baths everywhere! Not to mention a lovely warm lap pool :D And a fish pond with those cool little fish that nibble the dead skin off your body! Like how cool!
All the visa delegates (or winners if you like) from Asia Pacific are staying at our hotel. It's really awesome to see so many nationalities...I feel like I'm at the UN! Well, the UN without US, UK, Europe, Africa etc. Walked into the breakkie room at 9am this morning and it was absolutely babbling.
Chris outside the hotel.
Anyway, Visa is spoiling us heaps. Besides the gorgeous hotel room we're in (Chris' camera has all the room photos, so I can't show you any just yet), we've got goodie bags from Johnson&Johnson, and complimentary Olympics coffee table book, a visa giftbag, which among others contains binoculars and other stuff like sweatshirts and caps.
So after a fortifying breakfast, us Aussie delegates set off to...THE GREAT WALL!
This is Tony, our guide. Visa is awesome, they pay for literally everything, including tours!
Oh, I forgot, we went to lunch first. But I don't have any photos cos they're on Chris' camera.
It was one of those 10 course lunches...they really feed you well here.
Anyway, they took us to the least populated part of the Wall. We had to take a cable car up to the actual walking bit.
Cable car up
Us in cable car.
Walking. It wasn't a very clear day, but still very beautiful.
Don't worry, I was wearing runners. I've learnt my lesson from doing the Cinque Terre hike in thongs :P
The last stage was murder. Chris has a video of me literally struggling up the steps. I've made him promise never to show anyone, cos it's mortifying.
Off to a well-deserved dinner! We went to this restaurant in a refurbished temple...it was gorgeous and so atmospheric!
The entrance.
Inside
They provided entertainment all night too. But truth be told, we were too focused on the food.
Prawns on hot stones and duck in white buns with bok choy.
It was literally 15+ courses. Some dishes off the top of my head: Eel, Chinese salad, lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, some bean thing, butterly fried fish, REALLY tender pork ribs, salt and pepper beef ribs, ginseng chicken, black pepper beef, oyster sauce kai lan, mango egg tarts, yam balls, the duck and prawns mentioned above...and the list goes on. I can't continue eating this way! Even though Visa is paying for all our meals till Sunday :D:D
Anyway, we didn't get to watch the opening ceremony at the stadium :( I thought we had tickets but no! It was not to be. However, they have a massive Visa lounge in our hotel wuth complimentary open bar and snacks and massive projector screens set up, so pratically everyone from the hotel went there to watch the ceremony. Australia took ages to come on! We cheered resoundingly when they did :D
I've asked the Visa people and yes, even though we didn't manage to get tickets to the opening ceremony, we do have tickets to events tomorrow! YAYYYYY!
After the opening ceremony, we bumped into a few New Zealanders, who invited us along for a drink with them.
Drinking games.
I do love meeting new people :D
Funny thing to note; since I'm practically the only person in our contingent that speaks Mandarin (even if it's rudimentary), I've been getting quite a bit of practice here, having to be the translator of the group. The others look at me with such awe when I speak Mandarin, and it's SO embarassing cos I know how bad I am! Wish I had a gift for the language.
AS you can probably tell, I'm not too coherent today. It's late, and I'm off to bed now. Big day tomorrow! Wake up at 730am (it's 230am now) and off to the Games!
Drink it in at 8/09/2008 04:05:00 AM Chris and I have arrived at our hotel in Beijing. It's fantastic. We've been on planes for a whole day so we're going to sleep now, but I'll update and post photos soon!
Drink it in at 8/08/2008 05:12:00 AM It was Chris' and my 6 year anniversary yesterday :D I got him Paul Smith cufflinks, he got me an LV bag. Disproportionate I know.
We went to Jacques Reymond for dinner, which was an absolute treat given that it's meant to be Melbourne's top restaurant. We had the autumn degustation menu, which was scrumptious. The pictures below are not mine; I got them off a food blogger's website, because I thought it might be embarassing to whip out the camera in such proper settings.
Started with the signature gougere, which is a gruyere cheese choux pastry puff
A crunchy lettuce soup with pork belly dumpling, truffles and parmesan foam (sounds weird I know but totally worked)
Crab with squid ink lasagna on watermelon served with a lime-wasabi dressing (which was DELICIOUS)
All throughout the meal we has a constant supply of freshly baked bread with home-churned butter
Salmon with a fennel and vanilla puree and oriental mushrooms
Prime eye fillet of beef with a carrot and daikon salad. According to our waiter, who explained each dish and every ingredient that that went into it, Jacques Reymond pioneered some special way of cooking beef that made it incredibly tender. I was too busy stuffing my face with bread to remember what that cooking method is, but I can vouch for the supreme tenderness of the beef :D
For the main course (even though every dish looked like a main course to me), I chose
Suckling pig slow cooked with fresh lemon pasta (*adore*), while Chris had
Venison with a baked strawberry sauce, which he loved too.
The dessert courses were
A raclette cheese and prosciutto platter; and
A spiced pineapple and ginger cream, chocolate, lemon myrtle and bush pepper berry ice cream (ice-cream was the best!).
Petit fours rounded off the excellent meal.
Degustations are fantastic for people like me, who like to try practically every single thing on the menu. The portions were surprisingly large, but since Jacques is an advocate for slow food...we ate those dishes over a period of 3 hours. Highly satisfying :)
Chris and I are such kids though. It's always somewhat awkward at the start of meals like this when the sommelier produces the extensive wine list with gusto and we wave him away because we don't appreciate wine.
In addition, while our waiter was explaining the cheese platter above, it went something like this:
Waiter: Here we have a raclette cheese which has a mild and faintly nutty flavour...
Chris and I: Mmm hmm
W:...paired with a light spinach salad with minature gherkins...
C&I: Yup
W:...with a butter biscuit topped with sauteed onions...
C&I: *nods*
W: ...and lastly, a tower of our home-made potato chips
C&I: OOO YUM POTATO CHIPS!
W:...
And when it was petit fours and coffee time...
Long-suffering waiter: Would the lady and gentlement like some coffee with the petit fours?
Chris: Can we have hot chocolates? *BEAMS*
W: Yes! We make an excellent hot chocolate! (but you know he's really thinking..."Omg these kids need to get out more")
Thus ends our lovely anniversary meal!
Drink it in at 5/25/2008 07:08:00 PM I'm currently reading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. I've been reading this book for 1 month now.
I normally dispose of a book in a couple of hours. This book is taking me an inordinately long amount of time to complete because I can't bear to read more than a chapter every couple of days. The intensity of the subject matter and the starkness of Hosseini's writing style gets to me every 5 or so pages.
On another topic, the rise of Facebook can be blamed for the serious dearth of entries.
Drink it in at 3/26/2008 07:40:00 PM JUno = SWEEEEEEEEET film :D
I love the duet between Juno and Bleeker at the end of the film *beams*
Drink it in at 1/26/2008 11:47:00 PM 01. Was 2007 a good year for you?
In hindsight everything looks rosy. But there were a few downers throughout the year.
02. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Swimming in the rock pools in Cinque Terre, Italy.
03. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Bidding family and friends farewell in SG in Feb.
04. Where were you when 2007 began?
At my home in Singapore
05. Who were you with?
Chris, Tiff, Pei, Shiv, Stef and my family.
06. Where will you be when 2007 ends?
House party.
07. Who will you be with when 2007 ends?
Chris and some of our friends. BBQ!
08. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2007?
I can't remember what my resolutions were.
09. Do you have a new years resolution for 2008?
Nope. I always forget them.
10. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I remained in love? That should be counted *nods*
11. If yes, with who?
After 5.5 years, I doubt anyone needs to ask :P
12. If yes, do they know?
I do sincerely hope so!
13. If yes, did you do anything mean to them in 2007?
I'm quite short-tempered.
14. You regret it?
Always.
15. Did you breakup with anyone in 2007?
Nope. I don't talk to some friends anymore though.
16. Did you make any new friends in 2007?
Yep.
17. Who are your favorite new friends?
Some guys from my vac placement in Deloitte were pretty cool.
18. What was your favorite month of 2007?
July. Traipsing through Europe!
19. Did you travel outside of your home country in 2007?
Yep! Exchange was the best time of my uni life!
20. How many different countries did you travel to in 2007?
Italy, France, England, Thailand and Singapore.
21. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2007?
No. Thank God.
22. Did you miss anybody in the past year?
I always miss my relatives and friends in SG.
23. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2007?
Ratatouille. Watched it in bed in Paris. So hopelessly romantic :)
24. What was your favorite song from 2007?
Destination Calabria.
25. What was your favorite record from 2007?
My favourite artists didn't come out with new records this year :/ Maybe JT.
26. How many concerts/musicals did you see in 2007?
Hrmm..Spamalot, Justin Timberlake and Linkin Park. I wanted to go to John Mayer but I was saving for Exchange.
27. Did you have a favorite live act in 2007?
Linkin Park!
28. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2007?
Nope. I like milkshakes better.
29. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2007?
Course not.
30. How many people did you sleep with in 2007?
None.
31. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
I can't remember anything I did that was outstandingly henious.
33. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2007?
I'm absolutely oblivious.
34. Did you treat somebody badly in 2007?
I hope not.
35. Did somebody treat you badly in 2007?
No. Some friends were dodgy tho.
36. How much money did you spend in 2007?
Too much as always.
37. What was your proudest moment of 2007?
I was ecstatic when I got vac work offers.
38. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2007?
3 second memory for things like that.
39. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2007 and change something, what would it be?
I would have saved more.
40. What are your plans for 2008?
Exchange to Malaysia, trip to Thailand, visiting SG and GRADUATING hopefully! And please give me a grad offer Deloitte or EY! Or both!
Drink it in at 1/01/2008 02:18:00 PM Poor blog is being neglected due to my hectic life atm.
I'm working in Deloitte at the moment and it's really surprising me how much I like working there. I went in with the preconceived notion that corporate tax would be boring...but gee I don't know what's wrong with me but I'm actually enjoying all the work I've been given! It's just so challenging and complicated that I get such a kick out of working on it :D
Everyone's been really lovely...and I've been enjoying my lunch breaks with the other vaccies. We go to laneway cafes and kick back with paella, pizza, panini and pistachio ice cream. Just fantastic on a warm summer afternoon.
Gotta say tho...it's tiring waking up at 7am 5 days a week. Wish we could have nap time :P
Drink it in at 12/04/2007 07:12:00 PM Just whacking a few photos up from Chen's 21st. With Facebook, I don't know why I bother anymore! I guess this is for Mum, cos she doesn't have Facebook (Dad does though :P).
Chen the birthday boy in the middle. Already drunk.
George and I were posing normally, then at the last second he leaned in for a kiss and my face inadvertedly screwed up. Seriously though, George isn't as reprehensible as my face suggest :P He's a very lovely boy.
And one of Chris and I to finish.
Dave's (the blondie in the photos) 21st this Sat. Basically the same bunch of people but at a different venue with a different birthday boy!
Exam period now. Am very tired of this studying thing.
Drink it in at 10/10/2007 02:19:00 AM Have decided to accept EY and Deloitte! KPMG had the lovliest people but they were just so inflexible and I couldn't afford to do the whole 8 week program because I really wanted to try out EY too!
Heaps of people have asked me why not PwC, seeing as it's the biggest of the Big 4; I guess it's a personal choice really. I just didn't feel comfortable! Parents, I know you want me to consider PwC for 'networking' but really, how much networking can you do in 4 weeks -_-. Plus the fact that the partner bluntly told me he would 'not be happy' if I chose to do 4 weeks instead of the whole 8 weeks. Gee.
I'm really excited about EY because I fought hard to get into Strategic Growth Markets (I'll be straddling the consulting and corporate tax divisions) and it sounds like an area where I'd learn heaps about a wide range of topics, instead of just say...GST. Deloitte has a really happy culture and I can see myself enjoying work there, so I'm trying Deloitte out too.
So yay for the end of the interview period and yay for the grace of God for letting me get internships :D Now I just have to not screw up during the vacation program and I might be able to relax the whole of next year with a grad offer!
Congrats to everyone else who got jobs! Was application period not the most stressful month of your life or what!
Drink it in at 9/29/2007 04:15:00 PM So after weeks and weeks of interviews, I'm finally seeing payback :D The offers for vac work are coming in and you know what I like best about that? The free stuff that comes with the contracts!
Received this massive package in the mail today. It was from KPMG and it contained a very impressive looking leather folder. Within the folder was a mockup of how my namecard would look like should I choose to ink a contract with them (man having that faux namecard sure is persuasive), a very nice pen and a USB. Companies sure do put a lot of money into this recruitment process.
On another topic, I bought a full length gown for Chris' work ball and for my own anticipated end of year work ball. Since I work at the nicest dress shop on Chapel St (yes I'm slightly biased), I got a massive discount...YAY. It's black with one crystal-and-diamante-encrusted strap. I think it's glam and I love it :D
Drink it in at 9/20/2007 12:05:00 AM Thank you God. I know what I've achieved is through your Grace alone.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Refrain
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Drink it in at 9/13/2007 12:29:00 AM Law Ball yesterday! I had SUCH a great time...best ball I've been to hands down!
The theme was 1920s... and unlike the Asean Ball (the last themed Asean Ball I went to was Masquerade), most people went in theme. Yay! I wore a psuedo flapper dress that I got from France and a Sportsgirl headband. Fiona and Christa came over to my house in the arvo to get Jan to do their hair and makeup. Jan totally outdid herself and we got so many compliments! THANK YOU JAN :D
The ball was held at the Crown Palladium. It was so awesome...felt like I was at the Logies. A jazz band and singer played for the first half of the night. Swing dancing! Chris wasn't there to dance with (cos we all decided to go sans bfs this year), but nevermind, next year babe!
Out table! Before we messed it up.
Entree of Moroccan Lamb with Mediterranean Couscous. This ball definitely had the BEST food out of all formals and balls I've been to. I gulped down the my main of steak on basil mash with a marinated asparagus and mushroom salad too fast to take a picture of.
Fi, Christa and George. Jan did Fi and Christa's hair.
Geroge's uber cool made-to-fit shoes. The toes are super pointy!
Anthony. Ant is running for LSS Careers Officer, so everyone vote him cos I reckon he'll make a great CO!
Girlies.
Dave with his 'hos'. He wishes!
Dessert was SO good! Chocolate fudge cake with caramalised bananas, white chocolate chantilly and strawberries!
So begins the drinking. Free flow drinks! Champagne sunrises.
And another one. And a few more after...
I think Chen's trying to hump me. Fi and Dave look incredibly sober still.
Things were going downhill soon though...
Really downhill!
I think after a few too many...I started making this stupid face that I kept the whole night. ERGH!
Ben was even more smashed...he was slurring!
Another stupid face photo.
I don't have many nice sober pictures :(
Loved the 80s music playing!
A vaguely normal photo on the dance floor.
They came with the coffees at the end of the night. YUM.
The Law Students' Society sure throws a ball like no other!
Drink it in at 8/27/2007 04:10:00 PM