Her Contrariness

Have you ever thought you did not want something, but later found out you could not have it, and felt disappointed / dejected? All of a sudden you yearn for what you cannot have...such is the contrariness in life (and yes I checked the dictionary, there really is such a word!)

I want...

... but not a pet, get what I mean?

Chinese New Year - Year of The Rabbit

Time flies, and Chinese all over the world are preparing to send majestic Mr Tigger away, and welcome Hoppy Bunny this Thursday 3 Feb 2011 ;)

I am not sure if it's an age thing, but this year I feel the urge to properly decorate my house and to try and create the appropriate festive atmosphere:

慈菇 (Arrowhead chips) & cookies / Pineapple Pocket Pies from Cedele Raffles Place

My fave kueh bahlu

We call these "bee hives" LOL

Pineapple Tarts - a "must-have" for CNY!

Aren't these peonies simply gorgeous? I love them!

These are actually fruit candies from Taiwan! I bought them from NTUC supermart for only $2.20/box - I had a good laugh over the packaging, because they are exactly like fruit cartons, yet are only palm-sized! So kawaii!

Of course how can I talk about CNY without mentioning hongbaos / red packets? Every year you'd see different designs, but this year pink and cream are favourite new alternatives over the traditional red/gold combination. I liked the pink ones, until I see more and more of the same, so they are not so special anymore I guess hehe...

Here's wishing everyone a prosperous, joyous and healthy Year of Rabbit!

国泰民安
新年快乐
兔年吉祥

Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous consumption, as defined in wikipedia, is "lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status."

I look around me and this term pops up in my mind constantly - in Singapore shopping is deemed a national hobby (tying in first place with eating!) so it's no wonder you witness consumerism constantly. But what makes it "conspicuous" is the fact that the goods purchased have no intrinsic utility (value) - so would you buy XXX if no one knows about it?

After a whole year of prudent spending - only a short getaway, redeeming air miles for free air tickets to boot - we have decided to pamper ourselves and give in to temptation...

Yes Logong got me an iPad, not just the cover...hehe

My Christmas pressie Part I to Logong - to help him wake up better :P

Christmas pressie Part II to Logong: his latest craze - toy / retro cameras!

Delightful long tees from Uniqlo - Franche Lippée ...do these little red-hooded figures remind you of...

This picture is like my portrait - it never fails to bring a smile to my face! See the complete story on Logong's blog, The Content Guy.

What would you do if you had all the money and time in the world?

Deepak Chopra, in an episode of Current Mentor (by Current TV), said to find out what's your unique talent / career, ask yourself what would you do if you had all the money and time in the world...this has got me thinking hard.



Clearly I do not have all the money and time in the world, so I shall continue counting beans...until I figure out what do I want to be when I grow up that is! ;)

Your Food Pic Is Worth $3 Each!

I chanced upon this site shareURmeal while blog-surfing today. Finally I know how all my food pictures can be used for a greater cause!

Beef Bento (Kiraku opp. Golden Shoe)

Lately I have been cutting down on my carbo intake at the advice of my doc. I have been successful in shedding some pounds, but last week my colleague told me some people on protein diet get cranky and depressed from a diet totally lacking in carbo...could it be why I was feeling kinda depressed? If I had to go vegetarian, THEN I'd be depressed! I need meat...

Listless, Purposeless, Unmotivated + Zzz = Depressed?

It's been quite a long while since my last post...To be honest I love the idea of blogging, but for the life of me I could not seem to find the inspiration / dedication needed to constantly post updates etc. Logong always asks me why do I even want to blog in the first place? I have no answer...

Lately I have been feeling listless and tired all the time. This morning I simply did not want to get out of bed...I woke up at 7am, went back to sleep till 11.30am, had breakfast and became a couch potato till 3pm, and went back to read in bed till 5pm...

I remember Logong telling me, sleeping TOO MUCH is a sign of depression, and boy after reading this article I am ready to go to a shrink! *gasp*

I have long To-Do lists both at work and home, however no matter how long I worked, the To-Do list keeps getting longer and longer, and during the day I always get interrupted by more "urgent" things required by so-and-so...it drives me nuts that I could not mark items "Done" as fast as I would like to!

Then again it could be just that "Time of the Month" or I've had an especially tiring week juggling work / deadlines as well as packing up the office for the unwanted move.

However seeing such pretty things have cheered me up a bit:

Cath Kidston Floral Wellington Boots

Aren't these boots simply adorable? But what on earth would I do with a pair of wellies in Singapore? I have no garden!

And look at these:

These are a few of my favourite things...from Green Gate.

Happy Tiger Year & Valentine's Day 2010

Yes 14 Feb 2010 was a day special for the Chinese because not only did we welcome the new Tiger year but also Valentine's Day! Let this be an auspicious year fill with love and world peace!

Looking at the above picture of CNY goodies, I am getting into the festive mood! :P

And look what I spied on my side of the bed on 13 Feb just before we left for my in-laws' for reunion dinner:

Since we were spending the night at my in-laws' Logong surprised me with this green (my fave colour) treat earlier hehe...For years I've been waiting for GREEN M&Ms or Smarties, finally the wait is over!

Thank you Logong! XOXO

A Blessed Christmas To You

I wish you all Joy, Peace and Harmony this Christmas. God Loves Us All Amen!

Qifa Primary School is in the news!

Qifa Primary School is my alma mater! Since Thursday suddenly people are like, "Qifa?! What school is that?" It has always been a neighbourhood / "heartland" school, and in Singapore lingo that means an ordinary suburban school, not a "top" school where parents have to be on a waitlist to volunteer in order to get a chance to enrol their child into the said school. That for the first time a little-known neighbourhood school Qifa could produce a top student of the year leaves one asking, is it really so important to enrol your child into a top / famous school? Some parents even go to the extent of "donating" thousands of $$$ (and I mean 5-figure sums here, not 4!) in order to secure a seat in a "top" school. This year neighbourhood "heartland" schools grabbed the headlines, so I'd say, "Well done & keep it up!"

I could remember the year before my own PSLE, in 1989, Qifa was also in the news for producing one of the top students of that year. Since then it's been rather low profile I guess, but my classmates who are teachers now tell me Qifa enjoys a good reputation as a good school these days. I am very proud of my alma mater and have such fond memories of my 6 years in Qifa; in fact I feel the closest to my primary school classmates and our Form Teacher, Mrs J Lim who was with us all the way from Pri 4 to 6. I guess I miss the innocence of those days when grades were not everything (yet).

2010 will be the 20th anniversary of our Pri 6 "Graduation"; as always with a large group of people, some keep in contact, some have lost touch; some are no longer in town, and some - no one knows. Maybe it's a good idea to organise a class reunion of sorts? Now now who will be the organiser? Hmmm...

Merry Christmas & Happy 2009!!!

Well before we know it, 2008 will be gone and 2009 is here! Time really flies and year-end / new year is always a time for reflection, hopes and dreams. I must say as I grow older, the more I crave private time alone with myself and logong. This could be why I was very pleasantly surprised that we did not have any plans for Christmas Eve -- no family dinner, no parties to attend, no work to do - PERFECT!

I was able to leave work much earlier than logong, so I had the luxury of taking a late afternoon nap (those late nights surfing Poupee Girl are bad, bad, bad!). When he arrived home, we went to the nearby hawker centre to eat our favourite junk food - BBQ chicken wings and char kway teow! Unfortunately the rojak and satay stalls were both closed so we had to make do with these two dishes. We had bubble tea and more junk food from the TPY pasar malam to look forward to! *LOL* While drinking our fave honey red tea with pearls, we browsed the same old junk they sell in the night market, and I bought some coconut & peanut tutu kueh (logong's fave too *grin*).

It was while walking home that I confided in logong that I was very happy - he just said, "Good." I think after a year of ups & downs at work, he was glad to see me for once saying I was "happy". When you love someone, I guess when s/he s happy, that means you are happy too -- simple as that.

It is with this happiness that I wish for world peace and a better 2009 to come. Knowing the global economy will be in recession, I still feel optimistic because afterall it's just money. Life is more than just economics and money; I wish for better work-life balance, and that all my loved ones are healthy and content. What more could we ask for really? I am grateful to God for all that I have, and pray the Lord will use me according to His plan.

For my Christmas gift this year, significantly, I have chosen this 365 days calendar; it's a daily companion with a daily act of kindness that I can practise. I have always believed that if everyone would just be more considerate and behave with more kindness, this world will be a better place. Logong will usually then respond with, "If you want to change the world, change yourself first." This is very true because it is easy for us to complain about others and yet not reflect on our own behaviour first. Therefore I hope this little calendar of mine will help me remember to be kind in all ways, big & small.



On this positive note, I wish you all a Blessed 2009!

PS. my Poupee Girl MudpieVivi has her very first three sets of kimono in celebration of the New Year! Isn't she pretty? :P

My New Hairstyle

Yes I've gone & done it -- permed my hair for the first time!

When I had longer hair a couple of years ago, I seriously wanted to perm my hair; I love long and wavy hair and no way will I rebond mine! I guess it's just me, give me curves over straight lines anyday! Hehe! I've always thought one needed long hair in order to perm, and each time my hair gets to shoulder-length, friends would tell me they prefer shorter hair on me :(

Last year, I trusted my stylist Calvin Gan to cut my hair from shoulder-length to a bob! And being the creative stylist he is, Calvin has been giving me a different bob the past 16 months! While bobs are great for me - non-fussy, stylish and low maintenance, I yearned for something different. I am sick of my colleagues and mom asking me, "Huh you cut your hair already? No difference!" Well I've give them different this time round! This being the long holiday weekend and I've taken leave tomorrow, I will see what are their reactions come Wednesday!

I must say it's a long and tiring process to get my hair permed. Calvin gave me a normal cold liquid perm (thank God, because it's MUCH cheaper!) which took more than 2 hours to complete. I was at the salon from 1 to 4.30pm; my bum hurt from sitting still for so long! :P

However when I put on my specs to see the end result, my heart was going pitter-patter! I loved my new look - it's something I've never imagined on me, and I am glad Logong (my hubby) loved my new look too! this is great because HE paid for my perm haha! Thank you Logong! *muah*


Unfortunately if I want my curls to last, I need to do some daily maintenance and styling which is nightmare for lazy old me. I usually wake up at the latest possible time to get ready for work, so it's like a race each morning to catch the bus hehe...I will see how I manage on Wed ;)

A little bit about my stylist Calvin Gan: Calvin has been my stylist for the past 7 years from Hairitage days; my best friend WY recommended him to me, and she's known him for an even longer time! Recently (1 Dec 2008 actually) he started his own salon / cafe with his partner. I really admire people like them, who dare to pursue their dreams to do what they have always wanted to do. No one ever said it would be easy, but I guess challenges make you appreciate your happiness and achievements much more, right?

Congratulations Calvin & all the best!

Here's their new business at Shaw Tower (Beach Road) which will be officially opened on 16 January 2009:


Do drop by to support them! Their cafe is absolutely gorgeous with an eclectic collection of second-hand furniture that they have restored! Too bad I did not take a picture. If I cannot afford a haircut there, I hope to at least enjoy a cup of tea there once in a while!

My First Blog

Welcome to my first blog! I have been toying with the idea of starting my own blog for the longest time, but having so many hobbies / interests I do not know what I should blog about! Moreover my job keeps me very busy, so much so that I do not have much energy left by the end of the day...

I do not know if turning 30 made me rethink my life, but let's just say many events have taken place the past six months which made me think a lot. One lesson learnt is that life is too short to be spent working all the time; no one worries about work on their deathbed!

There are really many things I wish to accomplish (see, do, eat and wear!) before I grow too old, and I guess the first step I've taken to start living life to the fullest is a brand new hairstyle! Yes I've gone & done it -- permed my hair!

I simply love my new hairstyle; thanks Calvin! More about Calvin & my hairstyle later...

With this blog, I hope I will have the incentive to push myself to experience more of life, so that I can share my little joys with everyone reading. I invite you to visit me often!

Cheers!
MudpieVivi