Because we’re cool like that, we booked the flight slightly more than a fortnight before we left because SIM was being lazy and refused to let me know my schedule till 1-2 weeks into dec and there were no hotels available on the dates that we wanted to go on. So therefore, once everything got settled, hotel rooms and flights, it was exactly 15 days before departure because i was freaking out that Jetstar was going to screw up our payment for our flight! and can i just say that charging 70bucks for admin fee for paying for the airtickets is a TOTAL RIPOFF! as if the $500 airfare wasn’t bad enough :/

Our flight was good because it was early in the morning at 7+am and by the time we touched down at taiwan, it was close to noon so quite alot of time to shop or whatsoever (:

So Jetstar wasn’t that bad…here’s the brother and I after the flight, i half dead (because of lack of sleep) and half frozen and the brother just having a slight allergy to a camera! hahahaha.

Here’s a funny story: the mother and I lost the brother & father after we left the plane because they were supposed to wait outside the toilet for us and when we came out, we didn’t see them so we obviously thought they went ahead. so we trudged to the immigration counter and all the while grumbling how they don’t understand instructions. once we were there, we searched the truckload of people and they weren’t there so we went back to the toilet and realised that they both went back into the toilet with our hand luggages to ‘suit up’ because they were freezing. ok not very funny. hahaha.

Taoyuan International Airport looked the same in the arriving hall as 2 years ago but the departure hall was really different and pretty! can’t wait for their upgrading to be complete! (:

Oh and HUGE TIP: remember to sign up for the Youth Card – If i’m not wrong it’s for people up to 20something or something like that? hahaha it’s free plus there’s alot of discounts like Taipei 101 and Taipei National Museum entrance tickets

So because the mother heard that there was free shuttle bus services to Taipei, she made us go on a wild goose chase to find them and just as we were about to give up, THANK GOD there was this really nice taiwanese cabby (he’s a private cabby) that asked if we wanted to hitch a ride back to Taipei for NT$800=S$38ish. It was a really good rate because cab rates to Taipei from Taoyuan Airport are at least NT1100. He dropped us right outside our Hotel: Look Hotel too so he was weally nice! (:

By the time we reached the Hotel, it was 1ish but because the Hotel is quite a stickler to rules, we could only check in at 3pm but we could dump store the bags with them while we went out for lunch! We managed to find a nice chinese restaurant across the road courtesy of the lady at the hotel counter. Only on 2nd or 3rd last day did i realise that it was one of 8days’ recommended restaurants to go to in Taipei!

Dian Shui Lou (点水楼)

apparently there are alot of famour people who go there. the only people that i recognise is SodaGreen because of their chinese names. the last one looks abit like Cecilia Cheung but then again, i wouldn’t know! :/

Salted Veg & Pork & Beans Fried Rice 

This was REALLY GOOD! i’m not usually a huge fan of fried rice but this was really good! i had it the 2nd time when we went back there for dinner a couple of nights later ((:

xiaolongbao

really comparable to dintaifung’s (which we went to another night) so it’s a MUST TRY!

some Crabmeat & Tofu Claypot, a Chef’s Recommendation

THIS WAS AMAZING! eat that with plain noodles, like heaven in my mouth! hahahaha. It’s not cheap though, i think this portion cost about s$30? but should definitely order this! (:

The service there was great (as always, in Taiwan) and they were really sweet because we came in close to last order time but the cook stayed behind to finish cooking the things we ordered and the people weren’t in a hurry to chase us out after lunch so i’d definitely go back again! If i remember correctly, we paid less than S$20 per person for the meal and it was really good!!

After that we still had some time to kill so we walked around and there were really alot of good food! YongHe was just further down and i’ve heard that their soya bean and other baos are really good!

I was saving my stomach for bubble tea (hehhh) so i didn’t have any but the parents did have almond milk drink and some youtiao which they said was good! AND JUST NEXT TO YONGHE WAS…..

KOI!!!

hahaha actually it’s 50lan which is the company that brought koi into Singapore! I personally don’t think koi is that great compared to Dingtea (which is awesomexz) but i guess to each their own? The bubble tea’s here was WAYY cheaper like max S$1.20 for a cup the same size as sg’s and they also ask you the amount of ice that you want which is kinda cool #cheaptrill hahahah

MY FIRST BUBBLE TEA IN TAIPEI YO!

ok this picture was taken because one of the signboards was kinda funny. hahahaha. guess which one?

After wandering around and having tons of fun at 7-11 which is the brother’s favourite shop in the whole of taiwan, we traipsed over to the Peace Park which is just across the road from the Hotel. So convenient right?!

Rather small Park but there’s a really nice quaint bridge and alot of birds so if you’re around the area, it’s a nice place to pop by! (:

Finally checked into the hotel and they actually upgraded us! i guess it’s because they were kinda fully booked and because we were staying for a rather long period.

Look Hotel

The room is awesome in so many ways! Totally trumps East Dragon Hotel where nahnah, nehnoo and I stayed the last time around. Maybe also because Look Hotel is a rather new hotel so that’s why their amenities are better too! One of the only bad things that i could pick on was that their toilet doors were frosted and so it’s not very private if you’re going with friends and some people may not be too comfortable with that. But other than that, Look Hotel is AWEHSOME! <3

After a short rest, we went to ShiLin Night Market!:D

chicken cutlet stall

this is a rather interesting chicken cutlet stall because their chicken came with some kind of terriyaki sauce so it was quite different from the usually chicken cutlet that i’ve tasted! I also FINALLY TRIED smelly tofu! hahahaha. It wasn’t that smelly but it was kinda jelat after awhile :/

After that was total shopping galore! hahahaha. obviously the males in the family weren’t too happy about it and started making noise after 45 mins like “how many shoes do you need? you only have 2 feet anyway!” oh men, they really don’t have a clue do they? hahaha

and because they were close to giving up, we had to settle them with hot food (yes chicken cutlet didn’t do it for them) and so we found this beef noodle store near the main road which was surprisingly good!

so after i dumped them there, i had a full 30mins to shop ALL BY MYSELF!:D actually before that i had already done some shopping but shopping by myself was rather liberating and got myself a pullover and a bag from BlueSky which is one of those Taiwan Bag Spree Sites. It was rather cheap and if you buy more than 3 pieces, its 10% off each item! But because i already bought 2 bags before that, i decided to control myself and not buy anymore. heh :/ totally regret it though

Honestly, in my opinion, ShiLin was the best place for me. previously it wasn’t but i guess you really have to find the good bargains and this time there wasn’t much clothes for me to buy because it was really the wrong season :/ they were selling winter clothings which weren’t very practical for me to wear in Singapore so that’s the reason i didn’t get much clothes. would be lovely to go back to taiwan during spring/summer because all the clothes would be purrfect! heehee!

ok this took me like 45mins to blog and my fingers are kinda tired. ok let’s see when i’m up to do Day 2! hahaha.

But first, here’s my OTD for both 初一 & 初二 :

Top: MGG Crochet Top
Blazer: FlyMeToParis Mod Blazer
Skirt: Chersamme Reversible Skirt (Violet/Strawberry Pink)
Necklace: Taiwan
Shoes: Random Shop
Bag: BKK

Top: Thevelvetdolls Tulip Top (something like that?)
Blazer: TheClosetLover Suede Jacket in Red
Jeans: Dorothy Perkins
Necklace & Shoes: Taiwan
Bag: BKK

i honestly preferred Day2′s outfit! skirts are just a tad too 淑女for my personal liking and there’s so many things to be aware of like how i sit and walk etc. It was a total coincidence that i wore blazers on both days and that they both had polka dot linings! i only realised that when i had them both next to each other in my wardrobe :/ weird how i have such ‘bright’ blazers yet no black blazers! hahaha.

and it’s kind of obvious how my clothes come about. almost ALL my clothes come from online but i’m honestly trying to cut down! haven’t bought anything the past week or so but that’s kinda because the online shops are all on a hiatus till prolly the end of the month so we’ll see how Feb goes for shopaholic me!

ohwells, weird how the CNY hols always makes one that much more tired than usual. How did i ever survive Pri & Sec school? Having to wake up at like 6am and only coming back at about 3-4pm. i must have been on a constant sugar rush or something :/

祝大家这个农历新年会快快乐乐地跟家人和心爱的人一起 过:)

这个龙年也对大家好一点。

身体健康

学业进步

家庭和平

事业有成

年年有余

大家吃多多的好料又不会肥！哈哈哈哈哈哈哈

祝福你们，恩上加恩

Taiwan Post next yes?

So because i was having a good hair day one fine day, here’s a truckload of narcissistic photos of myself:

ok abrupt end but i’ve got a reflection email to write! *dreads*

I’M BACK!

i’ll try to do a proper post on the Taiwan Trip but before that, my OTD for tea this afternoon with the girls:

Top: NewLook
Outerwear: MGG Contrast Collar Blazer
Shorts: KY Denim Highwaisted Shorts
Shoes: LB Crochet Shoes
Bag: Random Shop in BKK

Something i threw on which were mostly rather ‘old‘ pieces because i haven’t worn them in the longest time or for one of them, i bought it a weally long time ago but haven’t found the occasion or right outfit to pair it with. hehh (:

Dead tired but here i am uploading pictures because i’m awesome like that. hahha #likeaboss

less than a week before school starts. EEPS! :/

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLEEEEE! teehee (:

thought i should do a review for the past year, can’t believe 2011 just went by JUST LIDDAT! *snaps fingers* Went trolling back to find the post that i did last year about the ‘resolutions’ that i made about this year and i must say, i have kinda achieved MAJORITY OF IT!:D by God’s grace of course

Taken from HERE

11 12 things i hope to achieve in 2011:

1. draw closer to God: VERY IMPORTANT. erm…sad to say, i think i’ve stopped growing. alot of things happened, and i had a lot of issues with alot of things/people and slowly but surely i’m started to let go & yea..that’s for another time.
2. start exercising: yes my aim is to finish a 5km (ok i decided to be more realistic instead of saying 10k. i don’t want to die thankyouverymuch) at one shot. that means, no resting/breaking. let’s aim for adidas sundown okie?:D so no sun! teeheehee:) ok not so much to aim to finish a marathon but to be fit & BE SKINNIER! hahaha:D current aim: swim 3 times a week & run 2 times a week! hahaha:D let’s see when i’ll start
3. make an effort to up keep relationships : ok i think i’m very lousy at this:( people always have to make the initiative to want to meet me before i’ll move my lazy ass to go and meet them:( and sometimes i think i’m a lousy friend too because haiyoo i’m too lazy to go and meet people when i’m at home in my cozy chair with snow white & now there’s cable too:(
4. resume cooking/baking: i LOVE BAKING/COOKING and letting people eat. hahaha:D i remember cooking those nutella cupcakes for peeps! but again, LAZY so yes, next this year, i’ll try to resume. AND START COOKING HEALTHY NON-FATTENING FOOD!
5. find a part-time job : because i need to stop being lazy, i’d like to find a part time job! one that’s like 3 times a week with a rather good pay. don’t come and tell me $6/hour is good pay. RUBBISH! min. $8/hour. and i’m not being snobby okk:( it’s just my rightful rate! i got paid roughly that rate for working in a kindergarten & i’m not even qualified so yea i think i deserve it! hahahaha:D
6. spend more time with family : yea nowadays i feel like i don’t spend enough time with the family:( i really ought to…
7. read more books : YES I STILL HAVE LIKE 3 THICK BOOKS LYING AROUND! i’m like 1/4 through 2 and haven’t started on 1!:( ok i shall aim to finish the DAN BROWN BOOK before julian&steph get married. hahahaha:D
8. expand fashionabee : a couple of weeks back, i wanted to sort of stop/slow things down with fashionabee. was very discouraged with sales & i came to the conclusion that it wasn’t because our clothes were ugly. i really don’t know why people don’t want to buy:( because i know of popular online shops that sell the exact same pieces we were selling & they were all sold out while mine weren’t selling:( but ohwells, let’s see! i still have another collection to launch & we’ll take it from there!
9. study harder & pay attention during lectures : HAHAHA yes, i haven’t been and i haven’t really been doing my tutorials. rushing them just before the exams. NOT GOOD!
10. be more organised : need to get a new monthly calender. anyone know where to get one??:D plus start to sort out the organised mess on my table! hahahaha
11. less online shopping : ’nuff said. need to stop. because it’s going to be burning a HUGE HOLE IN MY POCKET!!!
12. TRAVEL MORE! HAHAHAHA i decided to add 1 more! hopefully go back to taiwan/HK with the family next year, same time. either there or aussieland!:D but 1st up, thailand in jan!:D

HAHA ok with the exception of 5,7,8,11 and 12 (that’s like 7/12 achieved!)

1. this year by truly God’s grace, i’ve drawn closer to him. Definitely not satisfied yet but i know in my spirit that this year is gonna be an amazing year! no doubt about that

2. I HAVE started exercising, more regularly than the last year. hahahah i try to exercise 3 times a week but definitely at least twice! NOT BAD RIGHT??!! hahaha. trying to lay off swimming till after Feb so that i don’t get nasty tan lines for Terry&Belle’s Wedding (;

3. I have learnt this year to make an effort to keep up in relationships that matter. I’ve grown closer to friends than ever before even though they may be thousands of miles away (: I’m just thankful that other just reciprocate that same kind of actions like initiating meetups and making time for me. so thank you all friends (: I LOOB YOU ALL! <3

4. I’ve sortaaaaa resumed baking/cooking. Been cooking spaghetti at least once a month for lunch so that’s an improvement?;) hahaha. and maybe once in a blue moon, i bake some things. like banana cakes, nutella swirl pound cake, cookies, cupcakes etc

5. EH no part time job! hahahaha but next year, i’ll probably be working but then again, not too certain but God will definitely lead the way (:

6. Been spending quite a fair amount of time with family. Thank God for daddy’s shift work so we’re able to spend more time together and the gymming time that daddy and i have together is really like our daddy-daughter time. so that’s kinda cool (:  Had a better understanding of being a family and it’s really God’s gift to us on earth so i really do treasure it or i try to. hahaha

7. hehh ok that kinda #FAIL coz i haven’t really been reading books :/ still stuck on the book Growing Deep in Faith that Joshua gave Nikki and I at the beginning of the year (i think?) and it’s slowly being read but it’s very interesting! unless you count 8days as reading, then erm. this is really #FAIL

8. haven’t really been expanding fashionabee but ermmm this one i also dunno lar. hahaha

9. I HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION somewhat? *PUPPY EYES*  eh results for this term were really extraordinary, all glory really to God! though i do get a lil distracted, thank goodness i still remember some abstracts here and there!

10. KINDA more organised! Got myself a monthly planner from kiki.k. and my table’s slightly less messy? hahahaha. But next this year’s gonna be slightly crazy, and i really think i need my monthly planner! hahaha.but lets see how long i actually use it for!

11. this one #MAJORFAIL. haven’t been cutting down much on online shopping :/ ’nuff said

12. this year, travelled to BKK with nahnah; Klaten with the mum and brother; and tomorrow we’re flying off as a family to the land of bubbletea!:D hahahahaha

since it’s 2012,

12 RESOLUTIONS FOR THE YEAR!

1. Shop Less: Need to stop thinking about clothes constantly! :/
2. Spend Time with God More: not just for QT but to do extra things like wait upon him and read more books (point 3)
3. Read More: need to find back the joy of reading. still got ALOT OF BOOKS! and erm, julian’s book. EEPS! :/
4. Pass Driving: hahhaha, haven’t exactly gotten a driving test date but hopefully soon and i’ll pass within the 1st 1/2 of the year!
5. Love More: need God’s love to love others who are unloveable
6. Stop being so Lazy: hehh. self explanatory eh?
7. Sleep Earlier: yes like midnight or so. no more early morning nights. hahaha. like 3am sleep time
8. Exercise more consistently: really need to shed some extra kilos, especially after i come back from the trip! hahahaha
9. Don’t procrastinate so much: DO IT NOW!
10. Watch less online shows: really very guilty of this, and i have to blame wilder. hahahahaha. STOP INTRODUCING ME NEW SHOWSSS!!
11. Learn the Guitar: would love to be able to play a simple worship song on the guitar. YES THIS SHALL BE MY CHALLENGE FOR THE YEAR! #challengeaccepted
12. BLOG MORE!: hahahaha really ought to blog more, i think i could have missed out on some of this year coz i was lazy and procastinated (point 9) and hence, no blog posts to show for it!

HAVE A FANTABULOUS 2012! <3

My Christmas Eve and New Years’ Eve are so packed that just thinking about it makes me cringe :/ Here’s an outline of my schedule:

Christmas Eve

10am Hospital Visit

12noon Appreciation Lunch

2pm SIM Christmas Harvest

645pm Morph into Juli no.2 for gkidz

New Years Eve

late morning YA planning/bonding

5pm Dinner

730pm Service

10pm CountUp Party

I think just looking at it, i’m a lil tired. I think on NYE i don’t need to CountUp, i probably would be like 3/4 dead and while everyone is counting down, i’m like snoozing on the pews :/ hehh.

but i’m determined to set aside some time this coming week to really reflect on the past year and the new year ahead. just very excited because i’m moving into new areas and possibly exiting some. so very major changes ahead and i’m a tad apprehensive but i know that it’s really in God’s Plan so hiphiphooray for that!!

Just a week to a new year and 2 weeks to taiwan, really looking forward to getting out of the country and being with the family. I guess this year that has been one of the main things that i’ve started to really treasure! Not just the physical family but the spiritual ones too! <3 Had a ton of cookies from very lovely ladies, that’s gonna add to my expanding waistline but they’re so sweet to bake/buy that i feel so bad that i didn’t really get stuff for them :/

2 days to christmas peeps! so BLESSED CHRISTMAS Y’ALL! <3 <3

1. GJYY

it’s ironic how the 3 of them are so so far away (geographically) from me but yet they’re the ones who always pop into my mind first when something goes wrong and i need to talk to someone. These are the friends i know to keep. we may not need to talk everyday but whenever we do, it counts and i know they have my back. They are the ones who know when to tell me the truth even when it hurts because i need to know it. so thank you girls! i know you girls sacrifice alot of time and money to call, sms and skype me and i feel so loved! <3 i truly thank God for you 3 and i really wouldn’t know what i would do without you all! loves you all tons!

2. The Sisterhood

hahaha i have no idea who started this moniker for us but nebermind! hahaha. love this bunch of girls who i can really go mad with and go crazy haahah [don't we all know who starts the craziness? ] We never fail to have a good time and we’re perpetually eating good food or any kind of food for that matter! hahaha. even though we’re all kinda scattered, i’m just thankful for this friendship! Thank God for you girls <3

3. the ka-zhngs (buttocks)

the bestest cousins i could ever ask for!

it’s really awesome how close we are, talking about everything and anything under the sun! i think we’re really blessed that we’re not just interested in our physical lives but our spiritual ones as well. It’s just amazing how God is touching, changing and using each and everyone of us for the glory of His kingdom! Truly allowing ahma’s legacy to be carried on and she’d be proud of us all

and i have to say, my 2 special cuzzies, i really thank God for you both. The sister’s i’ve never had, God has blessed me with 2 cousins who are almost like my sisters

4. Breastfriends

the 3 girls with whom i don’t think i would have been able to survive my NP days. I have to admit, going into NP was initially a huge culture shock and God has been so great to bless me with great friends (yes you all too! hahaha) I never really had those crazyass friends who were always partying and had drama lifestyles but i had relatively guai ones (with exceptions of ponning classes! hahaah) and wow i survived it and friendships that will hopefully carry on till we’re all 70 and pressing our calculators hahaha

but thank you my Breastfriends for introducing me to so many things: KBOX, chinese songs, taiwan shows, ONLINE SHOPPING!!!! and the ulu-ness of jurong east! hahahaha. and bringing constant joy and laughter to me during classes!

5. my spiritual family

this year didn’t start out too well…trying to adapt to a new group wasn’t easy but thank God for those who never failed to make me fit in. making me feel comfortable and of course really making me a part of this wonderful group! I’ve grown alot (i’d hope so! haha) and feel so much more challenged and excited to see what God is going to do next year!

So thank you all for being crazy fun yet being reliable and being such an encouragement and blessing to me! (:

6. My Family

No pictures coz no nice ones (that i can find so far! hahah) and i don’t think the parents would like to see their faces plasted on the www.

Daddy’s relationship and mine haven’t been the best but thank God for this year and his work schedules that we’ve been able to bond more over gymming (hahaha weird but true) and since he’s the usual chinaman father, he’s never been one to express his emotions freely but i know he loves me alot (: Even after the incident of his car getting banged by me, he never exactly scolded me but i felt really bad so thank you daddy for mostly caving into my wants even though you nag alot and are not very willing but you still do it! i still wish you wouldn’t be so absent-minded :/

my mummy is the awesome-est in the entire WWW! <3 she’s the one who stands my nonsense and craziness and yet is always there should i need a listening ear and shoulder to cry on. the words of wisdom that come out of her mouth are always precious gemstones of life and i wish i could keep every single one that comes out of her mouth (: so thank you mummy for always being there for me, i promise i’ll try and grow up but i’ll always be your baby girl <3

my brother has got to be one of the most eccentric people i’ve ever met but he’s getting a littler better teehee! he stands my nonsense sometimes and always eats my food so i get a lil mad but sometimes he does the cutest things like stand up for me when daddy makes fun of me or buying sprite to drink because i wanted to sit at a coffeeshop but we can’t sit without buying anything. heh (: or that time he peeled prawns for me <3 so yes lil brother, i love you and i probably wouldn’t swap you for another brother or sister. hahaha

7. God

WIthout him, my life would really be empty. He gives me the joy and laughter that so many people have mentioned it to me this year through their birthday wishes for me. I can truly say this from the bottom of my heart that this unspeakable joy truly comes from the Lord!

When i was younger, i was probably the moodiest kid ever. i entertained suicidal thoughts, was a terrible kid and talked back to my parents that they actually threatened to send me to a Girls’ Home. But somehow, i forgot when it even started but i started to be more cheerful and joyful! yes there will be days i feel like total crap and in the dumps but eventually God’s joy will just infiltrate into me and it’s just awesome!

He’s been with me every step of the way, opened up doors that i never knew were there, granted me favour with people i came across with and blessed me with entrance into institutions that i applied for and more! Blessed me with family that i love, though we’re not perfect, we’re getting there by God’s grace. Blessed me with friends that i know will be there for me and love and care for me and so many more. Gave me the love and compassion needed to do TYA and so much more.

There’s a long road ahead and it’s my heart’s desire to continue on that journey with God by my side every step of the way.

————-

There are many many others too that i’d like to thank but that’ll probably take forever to finish! hahahaha But if you’ve ever been a part of my life, thank you! Thank you for being a blessing and being a part of my life

HAHAHAHA

and i must say, i really do think i’m having a quarter-life crisis :/ this whole turning-21-thing is making me realise, i’ve got to hurry grow up! but i don’t want to!

anywayzzz gonna be doing a thanksgiving post and i really can’t wait to do it because i’ve got a whole bunch of people to thank and thanksgiving was prolly the only thing that made me close to want to have a party. so many things to give thanks for and so many people to thank <3

This video is really cute! What kids’ perceptions are on true love! <3

always trust Tiff&Co to come up with such sappy ideas