Lee’s Family Portrait

We finally had our first ever family portrait taken on Sunday, 25th Sept.

This didn’t just happen by chance! It took us quite some time and effort for the talk to eventually materialise. Besides having to accommodate each others’ schedules – yesss, everyone just suddenly seems so busy everytime we are trying to put something together – we also had to take into account when Sis and I will both have our gowns available for the shoot. This alone was tough enough!

Timing was one of the most crucial factors. By the time we really sat down and got into some serious discussion about what kinda package we wanted, deciding which studio to go to, comparing prices and what not, it was already the seventh month. Ghez. As most of us know, it wasn’t exactly the best time to go ahead as planned during this time of the year, so we respected mum’s decision to postpone the photoshoot till the next month.

After all the hiccups and delays, and 2 months have passed since my convocation (whoh..), we finally settled on the venue/date/time of the photoshoot. HOORAY!!! But behind all these, there surely has to be someone taking the initiative to get things going if not we will just dilly-dally until the cows come home and still nothing happens..isn’t that true? And papa was the one who eventually helped to finalize everything and booked the appointment! So..BIG thanks Pa, great effort there! ;)

Sis and I were both so excited on Sunday..I’m glad we were all looking forward to the photoshoot :D And I have been waiting for this all my life! To have our very own family portrait hanging on the wall of our living room..I think it completes our home. And I hope pa and ma will be happy to see her two daughters both graduate from University this year, the four of us coming together to take a photo and remember this sweet moment forever.

Sunday afternoon. Our photoshoot was scheduled at 5. But I had no idea why I was so drowsy and I had to depend on my eye makeup to do wonders to my sleepy eyes..vain me cannot afford to look like garfield in my own graduation photo ya know! LOL. And we were late..for obvious reasons..cuz we had 3 ladies dolling up in one house. And that got pa really impatient..haha. Anyways in the end we still had more than sufficient time to slowly take our photos before the next family arrived, so everything went really well, and we had a nice fulfilling dinner at Hans after that. :)

It was an enjoyable time we had spent in the studio..special credits to the humurous photographer who cracked a lot of funny jokes to lighten our moods and help us smile more beautifully ;D Well, I didn’t expect Pa to get nervous over the photoshoot though! It was quite funny – and sweet too – cuz I rarely rarely see him getting this uptight over something..:P And I discovered something new about myself too, thanks to the photographer who told me that it’s tricky to take pictures of me as one side of my face is flat and the other is not..GHEZ. *wide eyed* As if this wasn’t enough, he added that my nose is alittle crooked too? *omg* Now I know what else is wrong with my face..or is it just normal? Since no one is perfect anyway..hahaha..oh well!
Looking forward to viewing the photos in a week’s time..I’m sure they will look nice, especially our family portrait. =)

The Night of the Full Moon

Work does take away so much of your time, you’re only left with that many hours on weeknights of your own..and of coz our precious weekends that are often over in just the blink of an eye. We sure do not get to enjoy as much freedom as we do than last time, but come on, it’s not that bad~! At least weekends are more special now cuz I know this is my chance to be able to spend a longer time with my loved ones. It has become more meaningful for me, and ya, I guess I’ve learnt to cherish these times better =)

I was already looking forward to Sunday since the day we confirmed our meeting. It’s been a long time since the entire (6+1) family of fishes have last met up..and we managed to have full attendance yesterday! So nan2 de2..cool cool cool! Michelle’s – aka our dear si3 yu2 - birthday was on Saturday, which was an occasion that called for one of our important meetings every year. And Terence is also flying off to UK on thurs, so it’s a celebration-cum-farewell for our two leads of the night. :)

Makan-oh-Makan Time!
Contrary to our typical dining places at air-conditioned restaurants, last night’s dinner was at a coffeeshop - our first zhu3 chao3 dinner together. ;) As per Mich’s recommendation, we specially made our way down to AMK Blk 233 to try out the infamous Uncle Leong CRABS! It was a really different experience I’d say..getting our fingers all dirty and diggin into the fresh tasty chewy crab meat.. *yummie yum*..and the crab mee hoon soup - with plenty of milk - is really thumbs up! *slurrrpp* Being a chilli-no-thanks person myself, I even managed to sweep up one big piece of CHILLI crab! It was too spicy for me at first but I was determined to finish it, if not it’ll be such a waste if I had skipped it..keke. My lips were tingling hot and fuming at the end, but it’s really shiok..finger-licking good! Qt proud of myself! =P

There we are, 7 of us sitting together at the round table and the sumptuous spread in the middle, with shells all around the table..sauce flying everywhere..giggles and kisses (whoops..ask mich! Haha) in the air~, it was a splendid dinner! Plus desserts on da house! I gobbled down 9 logans..weili 11..the rest 10 on average..haha. There was so much food to be finished, we had to squeeze right to the brim of our stomachs until all of us declared surrender..lol. Dinner was wrapped up with flashes and picture-snapping..say *cheese!*



NEXT!!
What else? It was mid-autumn festival last yesterday! All of us stopped to appreciate the full moon for a few seconds on our way out of the coffee-shop..lol!

Post-dinner events – Walk around the park
After dinner we crossed over to bishan park for a stroll..wa really needed that to ease our bloated stomachs and aid digestion..haha. It was a really beautiful sight at the park, with colourful little lanterns hanging on the trees that brightened up the darkened sky, and a million lit-up candles across the entire park..wow~~ what a lovely sight on a mid-autumn fest night with so many people, young and old..quite romantic too! We had our own share of fun with the sparklers we bought, and continued with some more picture-snapping..;)


I actually choked on all the smoke that night..this was one of the few pics that were not too 'smoky' ;P

The night was over so soon, and we were ready to head back home..but I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. All the chances to meet up will be filled with fun, because it’s the company that counts most! =D

Happy (belated) birthday, Mich! One year older and one year prettier! *hugz & kisses*
All the best for your studies, Terence, we’ll cya back soon!

ConVo ConVo ConVo! (Episode II)

10th Sept. A time to be deeply thankful for. Almost 2 months ago, I was awarded my bachelor. And today is Sis’s turn.. It’s Sis’s convocation today! Woohoo!

To juggle work and studies at the same time was not easy at all..the past 2 years have been a tough time for her, this I know it best. But she hung on and she worked hard for it. Today, she finally received her well-deserved degree and I’m so happy and proud of her! Warmest and deepest congratulations to you, Sis! *hug hug*

It’s great that everything just falls in place nicely; no VC today as we are having our post-concert break now, so I have the whole afternoon free to celebrate this joyous occasion with Sis. :) We kickstarted the day with a sumptuous lunch at Waan Waan, Marina Square. The place has got good ambience, nice deco and very pleasant staff. It was a very enjoyable family meal out, gor joined us too. Tomyam soup, mango chicken, calamari, fried asparagus, pandan leaf chicken, beef green curry, fish otah, and fragrant steamed rice..plus smiles aplenty and a hearty chat to go with the good spread on the table. Shiiok! And we took some nice photos at the thai resturant too. 100% satisfaction guaranteed! =P

Monash University’s Convocation is held at Ritz Carlton..I think it was the same ballroom where I had my JC prom too (that was like 4 years ago leh, omg)! It was a rather simple ceremony, which was over in an hour's time. I wasn’t very convinced by the effort put in by the school for this important event though. First was the rental of the graduation gown. Hmm, it’s not even rental..I should say it’s “borrowing”, coz the students only collected their gown today and were expected to return it 1 ½ hrs after the ceremony starts (?!!?).

Stage deco was also minimal; gor commented that the banner did not say which batch/year this particular ceremony is for..ya he’s right, I wonder how much fuss and money they save by reusing the single banner that carries only the school name for every other ceremony..geez. The finale was a speech given by an alumni member (a Dr.), but it was totally off. Her gown kept slipping off her shoulder throughout the ceremony, her tone of voice was putting all of us to sleep, and I couldn’t find any coherence in what she was putting across in her speech. She even commented on cloning - a highly sensitive and controversial topic, which I thought was rather inappropriate. Erm..ermm.......

Basically, the whole ceremony was monotonous and kinda half-hearted, but who cares..we were only looking forward to our favourite "photo-taking session" at the end! Haha..it’s more personal, and fun! We snapped quite a lot of pictures, coz Ritz Carlton is such a beautiful place (used to come here often to carol with VJ choir last time and I fell in love with it ever since). After lingering around to take pictures right to the last minute, it was time to return the gown before we knew it.

While mummy had to rush to work after that, the rest of us headed to Lai Lai at Liang Seah Street for an early dinner. It was my first time trying their infamous beef noodles, and I must say it’s thumbs up! Highly recommend this eatery to people who love taiwan xiao3 chi1, their food really has the authentic taiwanese taste, eating there made me feel like I was back in taiwan again..

There were inevitably some bumps along the way today, like me bringing pa and ma to the wrong thai restaurant while sis went to collect her gown, partly because I didn’t communicate properly with sis beforehand..some confusion and frustration there and then, but yea it was ok after we settled down. Some mixed feelings as well..happiness mixed with ermm..jeaously..oopsss. Cuz Sis seemed so busy with gor and I thought she had forgotten all about me. Yes yes, I know I’m being stupid, silly, but I’m making a confession right now! Ya, I just wanted some attention, and I managed to take quite a few pics with sis later on, so ya I’m happy liao! Heeeee! =D

Gor and Sis went shopping after dinner, so I helped her to carry the flowers home. Look at them..aren’t they gorgeous?

First time carrying such a big bouquet of flowers..just like hugging a big comfy bolster that smells so sweet. ;) Good thing it’s not very strong colours so I didn’t get too many stares..haha.

Well I shall just say I’m so glad to be able to spend yet another fulfilling day with pa, ma and cheh..a family (satur)day indeed.

Service: What Goes Around, Comes Around?

Young Jeremy wrote an article about service in the Today papers today.

Such a kind-hearted boy he is. His every word clearly shows how he spares a thought for others, even people who are total strangers to him. It really warms my heart to be hearing such amazing words from a 15-year-old. Practising thinking for others and understanding its value is something so hard to come by for anyone, needless to say for a boy of his age. This virtue has no correlation with the number of years of education you receive, or the level of income you earn; it all comes from within your heart. It can’t be taught; it has to be spontaneous, it is a totally natural reaction. Most importantly, it is invaluable because the rewards are intangible, you can’t see it, you can only feel it.

I felt connected with Jeremy as I read his article, because I share the same thoughts as he does. It is just me..I used to always put other people’s feelings before my own, to the extent that it has indirectly become a burden to me. I realised it gets so difficult sometimes..there you are being the goody-two-shoes yet others are not appreciative and they are simply not concerned about your feelings. Ya, why should they?

I’ve learnt to draw a clearer line now, knowing that I have to objective at the right times. Other people’s feelings - especially my family’s and friends’ - are still of utmost important to me, but I also know when I ought to focus on what is right. Jeremy’s article reminded me of my bad experience at Naff yesterday. Their service level has been alright after frequenting the shop a couple of times since a month ago, but unexpectedly, yesterday’s was a disaster.

The same SA who always served me looked quite sian when I saw her yesterday, maybe she wasn’t in a good mood but I was indifferent. I went on to try 3 skirts on but I didn’t get any as none was to my liking. When I was making my way out of the shop, I accidentally spotted a pretty mini cardigan. I tried on the white one but it didn’t fit me fantastic and the colour also wasn’t what I was looking for, so I had to “reject” the SA again. I shook my head, signaling to her from afar that I didn’t want the white one. When I saw her walking towards me - already looking very unhappy - I asked her if she has a beige colour one. Guess what? She blatantly stormed past me without turning to answer or even acknowledge me! After taking a few more steps, she then DECIDED to show some reaction..reluctantly turning her body back slightly (not even 45 degs) and muttered “don’t have”, and walked off. WHAT THE….

My whole shopping mood was totally ruined by the SA’s lousy service. Although I am fully aware that as a customer I have no obligation to purchase anything after trying on, I still felt a little bad initially for “causing her trouble”. But after the kind of attitude she showed me, I had no regrets at all for not buying anything and she doesn’t deserve to be given any excuse!

Yes, Jeremy is right that customer service people are humans after all. I used to think this way and I would empathise with them by thinking up plenty of excuses to cover their mistakes. But there is still a limit to which customers can tolerate and understand. Ultimately it is still their job and their duty to serve customers appropriately. I am not here to see your black face leh, heLLO? Yes you are in a bad mood, fine. But I wasn’t the one who caused you to be in a bad mood so is it so hard to put on a smile to greet your customer? It is not whether you can or not, rather it is whether you want to or not, I am really not asking for too much.

Besides we are not talking about kids, but adults whom should know what is emotion management. In my case, I don’t think it is even about service, it is just basic courtesy. What’s more, I was nowhere being an unreasonable, impatient customer with a take-SA-for-granted attitude; I was already very nice and polite, thanking them everytime I returned the clothes that I tried on. I think I even smiled to the SA more than she smiled at me throughout that 15mins in the shop. I had done my part as a customer, so is it true - what goes around, comes around?? Beats me..

If your shop has super good products that customers cannot resist coming back to, then maybe bad service isn’t too big an issue to affect your business. But for Naff, I would think twice before I head back there because how am I to know whether the SA is in a good mood or not on that day? Your shop is not the only one; I still have plenty of other boutiques that I can choose to go to. I think the SA really doesn’t know how insulting it is to deliberately treat your customer as transparent and walk away ignoring a question she had asked. Sorry, but that’s really beyond anything that I can accept.

An SA need not be professionally trained in order to provide good and effective customer service, sometimes all it takes is a heart and the sincerity to serve.. I’ve seen this for myself, luckily.

Lil’ Kids

I remember it was on one of the days after work some weeks ago..I was on my way home on NEL, when I saw a mother board the train with her 3 children. Alas, the young kids started turning the whole place upside down the moment they stepped into the cabin.

There was youngest “baby” son (mind you, he’s already old enough to walk on his own) - aka Mr. Yang Ore - who started sprawling all over the floor and refused to get up no matter how hard his mum attempted to pull him up. Then there was older brother - aka Mr. HyperActive - who played along with his younger brother, plus the sister who also followed suit. In the end, the mother had no choice but to squat down on the floor together with her kids.. It was really quite a funny..uhh..or should I say..awkward sight coz the whole family was virtually lying across the floor on a rather crowded train during peak hours. Omg. *LOL*

That wasn’t all yet. Mr. Yang Ore was apparently quite happy and comfortable sitting on the floor in his mother’s arms, but he will whine every now and then for mummy’s attention. Meanwhile, Mr. HyperActive wasn’t helping at all, he started to get bored sitting down and he got up to play~ *fainted* He ran around, turning in circles and bumped himself deliberately into the door while the train was still moving, screaming in his high-pitched boy boy voice..ohhh MY goodness..I think he got abit high there. =/ The mother was busy taking care of the young one, and because she has only two hands, there was nothing much she could do to control the older son, while the rest of the passengers started turning their heads in our direction and staring at the attention-seeking family..GHEE..

Oh..did I forget to mention the sister? Haha..she was considered very obedient compared to her 2 brothers, but I must say those 2 boys alone were enough to give the mother a BIG serious headache. Trust me, even I myself couldn’t stand the level of noise the kids were making in the busy train, it can really get on your nerves coz you are quite seh by this time of the day, you really just want some peace. Well I finally reached my station and was so glad to get off the rowdy train..after having to squeeze my way through the kids coz they were happily blocking the exit, and the mother had no power over them at all. Sigh.

Initially I had sympathized with the mother..I thought she must have been quite embarrassed, being totally vulnerable in getting her own children to behave in public and having to tolerate people’s irritated stares. But my mum pointed out that the mother also has to be responsible for this herself because the children appear to be spoilt, which is the reason why they dared to misbehave and do whatever they wanted without fear of being punished. I think mum does have a point here, I recall the children’s mother being soft-spoken and was neither harsh nor stern with her kids when they were being very mischievous in public. I guess if she had been much stricter and more firm in disciplining her kids right from the start, she could have avoided such awkward situations.

Oh well..nonetheless, I still luv kids though..babies to toddlers to lower primary kids. Oh, no no. spare me of kids like Mr. Yang Ore and Mr. Hyperactive.. obedient kids I mean of coz. Kids put a smile on my face. :) They are such lovely lil’ things..they stand small like a xiao3 bu4 dian3, with their little hands and legs..they’re outrageously adorable! Their innocent eyes stare into yours, and you know whether they’re sad or happy. Their sweet giggles and lively laughter spread joy to the people around them. A loving hug and some love is enough to keep them happy the whole day..or just give them their little smelly mini sized pillows and they will be so contented. Each and every little thing they do comes straight from their little hearts, so innocent and harmless, you just want to love them more.

So, what makes you smile? Babies and guai1 young kids for me, but maybe not for you. And puppies for me too.. just one look at them..they way they move, the way they look into your eyes, is enough to make you throw all your worries to the back of your mind.

Can I have a puppy of my own, please? Hahaha….