The Queen & Mangosteen

we decided tO check Out this place On his friend's recOmmendatiOn. besides, i have came acrOss gOOd reviews Of this new british pub. it has been Overrated thOugh. the beef patties in my mini burgers were Over-cOOked and hence dry. the fries were all right. the bangers were decent but the mash was nOt as smOOth and creamy as it shOuld be. i'm nOt being fussy, but i've had better mini burgers at emerald hill 5, fries at mOs burger and carls jr, and we first tried bangers and mash in lOndOn. the pimm's & lemOnade that i Ordered just tasted like sOda with fruit bits in it. the Only redeeming thing was prObably the beer? hmmm.
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Sentosa

pOpped by the family day event @ sentOsa tO pick up my gOOdie bag, have a drink, a candy flOss and a hOt dOg bun. the sun was scOrching hOt and i feel pretty awkward having nOthing tO dO. we left abOut an hOur after arrival and headed to vivOcity.
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Certified Hot!

the lOOny me is at it again. i kept the sticker frOm my pizzahut bOx. this time, i pasted it On my packet Of chicken rice. it's certified hOt! ha. ignOre me. since i've mentiOned pizzahut, i am sOrely disappOinted. the stuffed crust pizza is nOt available fOr delivery and it is Only available fOr dine-in at sOme Of the restaurants. i lOve my cheese-filled crust! i hate restrictiOns.
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Shokudo

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I'm Another Year Older...!

tsk... mOnday blues On my birthday! the effects Of aging are really starting tO shOw. what's mOre disturbing is the realisatiOn that i have aged much faster in the past year than befOre. i lOOk and feel haggard.

what shOuld i do?
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A Sinful Birthday

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Money

i feel like such a lOng-winded Old sOul with my incessant gripes!

i wasn't bOrn with a silver spOOn in my mOuth. thOugh we were nOt pOOr, i had such maturity and gOOd sense as a child. i have never asked fOr mOre frOm my dad Other than what was necessary tO purchase materials fOr schOOl. i have never Owned a walkman, discman, Or MD player. i have always been thrifty in that way Only saving up fOr my first pager in upper secOndary and my first mObile phOne just priOr tO uni admissiOn. i Only splurge On my travels these days. being able tO explOre the wOrld is amazing. the breath-taking sights, the infusiOn Of culture, the shOcking living cOnditiOns... yOu just have tO experience these first hand. thOugh i have spent hefty sums tO finance the trips, they were wOrth every cent Of the mOney. just as hOw Others justify their splurges On trips tO beauty salOns, plastic surgery, branded gOOds, clOthes, fOOd... we sOmetimes need tO remember tO live life and satisfy Our wants withOut regrets. mOderatiOn is key.

as much as i hate having tO wOrry abOut mOney, it is inevitable and unsettling. i dOn't have a dream wedding tO plan fOr nOr am i insistent On a full pOrtfOliO Of wedding shOts - i just can't dO studiO shOts as i will lOOk incredibly QB. nevertheless, the unavOidable big budget item wOuld be the HDB flat. i avOid thinking abOut it at times. it is simply ridiculOus hOw expensive HDB flats can be. tO add tO that, there are renOvatiOn cOsts, cOsts Of furnishing, fire insurance premiums, prOperty tax, utilities bills, maintenance and cOnservancy fees. the sum Of all these is nudging me tO remain status quO fOr a lOnger periOd Of time.

i pray fOr gOOd health fOr myself and my family members as well, especially when we are nOt adequately insured. my 2 recent visits tO the dOctOr fOr thrOat inflammatiOn and flu added up tO $102. sO this time rOund, i have resOrted tO self-medicating again. my thrOat is still feeling very sOre... argh!

why dOn't i have the luck Of striking lOttery? tsk.
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Time

i haven't had the OppOrtunity tO nOte dOwn my thOughts fOr the lOngest time. a dead cOmputer, late nights in the Office, a bOut Of sickness, an 8-day trip... i am finally blOgging prOper.

i can't help emphasising that it has been a lOusy, lOusy 2009 thus far. my new year started Off with acute insOmnia, stress frOm tight deadlines / ridiculOus turnarOund times, thrOat inflammatiOn, a very bad case Of the flu, mOre wOrk-related stress, bad news abOut jO's gOd-daughter, etc. the week befOre my hOng kOng - macau trip was simply nuts. clOse friends Or peOple whO have wOrked with me wOuld knOw very well that i am pretty particular abOut wOrk, sOmetimes anal. i want tO have cOntrol. i want things dOne in the shOrtest time pOssible. i priOritise. i squeeze time. i detest shOddy wOrk and irrespOnsibility. i'm Organised and systematic yet flexible and accOmmOdating. i really wanted tO get everything dOne befOre gOing On leave. fOr the first time in my wOrk life, i called Out fOr help. i was lOsing sleep again, and when i did sleep, i dreamt abOut wOrk. i knew very well that i had tO cOntinue handling whatever that is already On my plate sO all i cOuld dO was tO stOp the arrOws frOm raining dOwn On me. even thOugh i cOuld nOt see everything thrOugh ultimately, i left the Office smiling and feeling satisfied. i knew i gave it my best shOt and i really had tO rush back tO pack my luggage. despite being a seasOned traveller, i have nOt felt sO flustered with last-minute packing!

little char has been On my mind since jO's sms came in. i have nOt met char persOnally but i have heard updates frOm jO every nOw and then when we dO meet up, and Of cOurse frOm her blOg entries. jase and char are such unbelievable darlings. they are like a breath Of fresh air because, rather sadly, well-mannered, well-behaved children are nOt easy tO cOme by. things haven't been easy fOr mummy cyn, and i have always thOught that she has been blessed with twO really lOvely children. while i cOntinue praying hard fOr little char's recOvery, i wOnder what else i can dO tO help. i am feeling rather guilty and upset because i had tOld jO that i wanted tO start a fund raising drive in the Office. i didn't think it wOuld be difficult. i was wrOng and i feel like i have let them dOwn. i knOw there are kind sOuls Out there but there are many mOre whO wOuld nOt feel inclined tO help because little char is after all a stranger tO them. i wOnder if any Of my friends Or cOlleagues have dOnated tO the cause...

i think this pOsting has been aptly titled. i am sure that i have lamented befOre that i Often dOn't have enOugh time. it is when tragedy strikes that One actually slOws dOwn and take a step back tO find perspective. it has been years since i have taken time Out tO read my penguin classics, psychO thrillers, medical fictiOns, etc. Or tO bake. Or feel the jOy Of shOpping fOr presents. whatever happened tO the dance classes i wanted tO take up? i am sure many Of us are nOt paid enOugh tO be slaves fOr Our emplOyers but the recessiOn Or pOssible great depressiOn Of the 21st century is making us dO what we can tO secure Our jObs. tsk.

i am rambling On and On sOmewhat incOherently because i feel stifled. i haven't been blOgging. i seem tO have sO many thOughts but yet am nOt in the right frame Of mind tO Organise them intO flOwing paragraphs.

yes, i am talking abOut time, Or rather, the lack Of it. i wish i can cOnvince myself tO reduce speed and start smelling the rOses. life is shOrt. we have tO take care Of Our health. i need tO schedule the medical checkups that i have been putting Off. i knOw i am mOre sickly than befOre. just because i am still yOung and feeling fine at the mOment, there's nO guarantee that nOthing is festering within. early detectiOn is key.

the trip has been unexpectedly tiring. as i am expected tO be back at wOrk the cOming mOnday, i hOpe tO get mOre quality sleep, read a bOOk, nurse my sOre thrOat, click On jO's nuffnang ad and perhaps think Of what else i can dO tO help. i have Only made a persOnal dOnatiOn Of $50 thus far. it is nOt a big sum but nevertheless, a start. it might sOund silly tO yOu, but i have tOld chris Of my intentiOn tO put aside my bubble tea mOney fOr little char instead.

nO act Of kindness, hOwever small, is ever wasted - aesOp

my dear friends, please dO take sOme time Out tO visit little charmaine's blOg fOr updates, tO drOp wOrds Of encOuragement, tO make a dOnatiOn, Or tO add tO the numbers sO that the nuffnang ad can be activated On her web page. Once the nuffnang ad is up and running, when a visitOr clicks On the ad and surfs the cOrrespOnding page, 3 cents will be credited tO the accOunt. nOte that the mOney can Only be taken Out when the accOunt accumulates mOre than $50 - yOu dO the math.
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Hong Kong - Macau

i absOlutely hate starting my trips feeling tired. the initial plan was tO leave wOrk On the dOt and head hOme tO pack in the tOiletries and take a nap. i left a cOuple Of hOurs late. i hate rushing. i had Only abOut an hOur tO sleep and almOst didn't hear the alarm. imagine missing the flight! that wOuld have sucked big time.

i have been pretty tired Out by wOrk and the effects spilled Over. fOr a cOuple Of days, i had difficulty waking up as planned, mOre sO with the wet weather. we had tO strike Off a few places frOm the itinerary. it was annOyingly hard tO shOp at the street markets due tO the rain. chris bOught mOre stuff than i did. i dOn't seem tO ever have any luck in HK. why?! anyway, we feel that HK has becOme a different place. peOple are definitely mOre rude as cOmpared tO Our previOus visits. is it because Of the influx Of fellOw chinese frOm the mainland? we bOth agree that taiwanese are by far the friendliest and mOst graciOus. hOpe this remains.

we managed tO cOnquer the macau peninsula On fOOt. it was such a shame that the skies were sO glOOmy. nOt picture perfect - a real pity as we may nOt visit macau again. that aside, a must-eat is the pOrk chOp bun. Oh bOy, i'm salivating. they shOuld have a franchise here!

alrighty. that's all! fOr phOtOs, please check them Out on Facebook.
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Help Charmaine Battle the Monster Within!

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