I can finally cycle on my own for pretty long stretches! This is like the first time I've ever cycled on my own, save for that fateful day when I crashed into the tree. We (Shermaine, my mummy, my aunt, my grandma and my cousin) went to East Coast this morning. It was nice and not very crowded. I really had fun..but I'm still quite a loser at mounting and stopping the bike. There were quite a few close shaves. The most hazardous were the little kids. They have no idea that they are supposed to move away...and they just like block the whole path and me, being the very inexpert cyclist I am, cannot just swerve out of the way last minute! I still have battle scars from that meeting with the tree. I don't intend to collect anymore. That said however, I really enjoyed feeling the wind in my face and knowing that I am going somewhere. I'm really glad Max adamant about me learning how to cycle at that point in time. It was definitely worth the time and effort...because all of it paid off :) I can't wait to go again!

I was really happy today. Besides cycling, I also got to go swimming :). I luuurve swimming...even if my 8-year old neighbour can swim like way faster than me. I guess this ego issue is why I like to swim in the pool when no one else is there. I was almost done anyway, when this other lady came down.

I slept over at Audz's place last night. It was very fun, even though we didn't do any sleepover stuff...we slept relatively early by sleepover standards, but that might have been cos my mum was picking me up at 9am the next morning (today). We looked at photos and watched some DVDs and just talked. It was really nice. We met for dinner and dessert (I was the only one who had dessert) and we went to Cold Storage to look for seaweed. I think we were blind or something, cos we took a super long time to find it and in the end, we had to ask a guy working there...and we felt kinda silly after that. had Pho for dinner...yummy! I also had a Muddy Mudpie at Coffee Club. While most places serve increasingly shrinking (sounds like an oxymoron) portions, or increase their prices, Coffee Club has surprised me...the Muddy Mudpie was actually bigger than I remember it. I just gaped at it for a few seconds. But it was nice...the sauce was a bit gross..like some honey-like syrup mixed with Oreo dust. I remember the sauce being better. Ok, to all those people out there whom I've already told, I think the garlic prawn pasta at Coffee Club is great...but I have to bring someone who'll eat the prawns for me.

I went to Kinokuniya before that to look for a book. I spent quite a while trying to decide between 2 books. I need a novel for my German lit class and I'm not sure if it's fulfils the requirement. I mean I chose an author recommended by the lecturer..but I am not sure that the novel covers the themes that he's looking for. He refuses to recommend me a novel...so what to do? Sigh. If it's the wrong one, then I'll just have to buy another one lor.

Work is getting ridiculously hectic. I am rushing from one job to another. This reminds me of my Food and Nutrition exams, when I had to do what's called "dove-tailing". I hope I will not have to work overtime for more than an hour each day. I guess I'll have to cut down on time spent reading the papers and writing emails...heh. But on the whole, I am glad to be having work for a change. I feel very happy. I just hope I don't get overworked. The alleged office b**** is actually really nice to me. Haha, maybe cos I'm not gorgeous and thus no threat to her. Nah, I really don't think she's a b****. I think she's cool really. :)

Since your answers were so funny, this is for you, lil bro! (I am also bored at work, but that's a minor reason)

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY
1. Samantha (duh)
2. Sam (I don't have very creative friends...haha)
3. Samski (only my mum calls me this)

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD (sounds like names for a movie star or something)
1. sulphide babe
2. well, that was it, really.
3.

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE
1. what
2. do
3. you mean??

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU
1. Dying a tragic death
2. Seeing someone else die a tragic death
3. The whole world suffering from eating disorders (that's also a tragic death, by the way)

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS
1. Marks and Spencer anti-perspirant (I am so anti-BO)
2. My watch (I keep looking at my right wrist, even when I sometimes forget my watch)
3. My organiser (helps me to keep my life in check)

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW
1. Black Esprit tube top (under my "for the office" blouse, cos it's indecent to go to work wearing just a tube, even if it is dress down Friday)
2. White skirt from H&M (I love H&M, but I hope they don't come to Singapore. Wouldn't want the whole world to wear the same stuff as me)
3. A blue/purple necklace I bought just before prom but haven't worn till today (it looks great with the black tube)

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS
1. Silbermond
2. Sheryl Crow
3. No Doubt

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS
1. Durch die Nacht - Silbermond
2. First Cut is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow
3. Not Pretty Enough - Kasey Chambers

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP
1. Love (yes, everyone says this...but when someone breaks up with you cos he doesn't love you anymore, obviously you realise that you can't exactly have much of a relationship without love)
2. Fun no matter what we do
3. Trust (I trust you...please trust me too)

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (guess! It's very easy though...but people often forget what I tell them)
1. I love seafood.
2. I was a member of the Computer Club.
3. I won a book prize for Maths.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU
1. The cute nerd look (I don't like vain guys who think they're all that and wanna compete with you to see who can dress better. I'm talking about guys that I'd fall in love with...not eye candy, ok?)
2. Eyes (I like to be electrified)
3. The way he kisses (I still stand by my theory that there's no such thing as a good kisser. It's only about your preferences and your chemistry)

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES
1. Shopping (was there ever any doubt about this ;) )
2. Swimming (I love the feeling of being in the water!)
3. Reading (yes, I sound boring, don't I? But reading is an excellent hobby!)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW
1. Go swimming. (can't do that in the office)
2. Go back to sleep. (can't do that in the office either)
3. Fall in love with the man of my dreams (haha...who wouldn't? But ok, also not possible at the moment)

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING/ HAVE CONSIDERED
1. Journalism (I'd love to write. Not academic, serious stuff though)
2. Fashion design (I can't draw though, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE clothes)
3. Nutritionist (well, I was considering, but who am I kidding?)

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION
1. The Philippines
2. Vietnam
3. Korea

THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE
1. Samantha (can I help it that I like my own name?)
2. Maia
3. Tanya (ok, it seems like I want a daughter, don't I?)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
1. Fall in love with someone who loves me as much as I love him (well, it ain't as easy as you think...lots of things have to be right before that can happen)
2. Learn to be contented and happy with myself
3. Help others to be contented and happy with themselves

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY (I'll assume this means how I break out of the stereotype of being a girl)
1. I like watching football and not just for the cute guys...puh leese.
2. Foreplay is not a must
3. I need my freedom

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL
1. I love shopping and pretty clothes
2. I have a bedroom full of stuffed toys!
3. I love pink and purple


THREE FEMALE CELEB CRUSHES (can I just say who I think is good-looking/sweet/nice/cool?)
1. Jennifer Aniston
2. Selma Hayek
3. Drew Barrymore

THREE MALE CELEB CRUSHES
1. Johnny Depp (when he looks normal)
2. Brad Pitt (yes, I am stereotypically female)
3. Lothar Matthaeus (ex-German national football player)
NUTS...there was this guy I thought about this morning, but dunno who he is now...

THREE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW
1. Rachy-Wachy
2. Audz (although I know she probably doesn't read my blog)
3. Chris (although she's too busy)
To be honest, I don't expect anyone to take it lah...how can you force anyone to do something they don't want to? It was all just for fun

Just felt like putting up a few photos. Haven't really taken many this time. Maybe like not really in the mood. Of course there are more, but I'm also too lazy to wait around for them to be uploaded.

I've actually got so much to blog about that I don't even know where to start! Maybe I'll just start with yesterday, since it's still pretty fresh in my mind.

So, after Jas woke up, Pris got up pretty soon after that too. We all had kaya toast for breakfast. It was just plain kaya. I don't like those dripping with butter/margerine. Then it began to rain, so we all decided to leave. It was actually really nice at Jas' place. There was nice food to eat and movies to watch...though I fell asleep halfway during both movies. Team America was silly...but I agree with Jas about the singing by Kim Jong Ill being the best part. Haha! I love his singing. It's hilarious!

Well, I've been splurging on cabs in the past 2 days...though I've definitely tried making a conscious effort not to take them cos they're a waste of money when I can take the bus. But taxi drivers are usually quite nice to talk to, if you are in the mood.

I got back home and then we all went out for lunch at Westlake. It was a little silly cos I ended up eating nearly all the sambal kangkong and mapo tofu cos no one else really wanted to eat them. They said it was too spicy. We had yam ring, sweet and sour pork and kong ba bao too. I ate a little of everything, but a lot of the sambal kangkong and the tofu. They were so weird. First, they charged us for a large portion of the kong ba bao, even though they served us a small portion! Then, they charged us for the peanuts which we never got to eat! They also charged for plain water...like hello, it wasn't even in a nice glass or anything...and also for towelettes, which were not even WRAPPED! I was feeling pretty outraged.

After that we all went home. I was so sleepy! So I took a nap before I went to Jurong Point to meed Audz. In between, I also ate some bakwa and a little bit of apple pie. Anyway, our first stop at JP was Pedal Works. Audz and I had bought shoes from there on Wednesday and she needed to go back cos they gave her the wrong size for one of them. Between us, we bought 4 pairs of shoes that day. I needed to buy a pair cos my feet were dying. One foot had actually started cramping up! And it seems to be a major problem because this ain't the first time it's happened. It happened again on that day. I hope this won't be a long term problem. The one I got there was pretty comfy. I definitely cannot trade comfort for anything else...so I'm not really a shoe shopper. Audz tried on and bought a pair of white strappy heels which I think looked great! If my feet weren't so broad and I didn't have such high demands on comfort...maybe I could find something...but meanwhile, I'll just live life vicariously. Anyway, the heels looked great on Audz. Cos we bought so many shoes though, we got a VIP card from Pedal Works. The guy is quite good..he could tell me how much my shoes cost and where I got them from! And he's not gay and those weren't branded shoes. He looks a bit like a gas delivery uncle.

After that, we went to THIS Fashion. I didn't get anything cos 1 skirt was too ex and the other looked a bit weird unless I folded it up at the waist...which is like, erm, no point lor. Audz got 3 skirts...all cheap and worth it. Well, I guess maybe I am lucky that I'm bigger than the average girl...so I can't fit into everything that catches my fancy...cos if not, I'd definitely be dead broke by now. I did once get a great top from THIS Fashion though. At least 3 people complimented me on it the last time I wore it. Haha. I guess I was lucky.

Next, we went into Esprit, which I don't usually go into, cos the prices are outside of my budget. But I found a nice black tube top there. I wanted a black one, but there was only S and M. So I took a white one in L and a purple one in XL. They all sort of fit, but the nicest fit around the waist and bust was M...surprise surprise. However, the top part looks a little gross cos it squeezes the flesh near my armpits (yes, TMI). But I figured that it's better than having a tube that falls off. Purple was nice too...white was too translucent. But since they cost $16.90 a pop (as Chris would say), I just got the black one. Sometimes you have to prioritise. I got my nails painted at the Red Earth section...as in we just played with the testers. Haha! Oh, there was this top I wanted to try, but the whole rack dropped down and quite a lot of people stared at me. Oh well. The top was cute, but so not worth paying $89.90 for...so I didn't buy it.

I don't remember much of the shops that we didn't buy anything from. We went for dinner at Swensens after the Esprit excitement. We got some vouchers from Esprit, but only one of them seems vaguely useful. Oh, Audz got 2 tank tops...one black and one white. We both had baked rice, then a sundae. The service at Swensens has definitely improved...but can be better also lah, especially the time taken to return you your change. The toilets could be cleaner too. Audz made me take a photo of the cherry stem she tied with her tongue. Haha!

After dinner, we felt alive again. We went into Red2 and Audz got a pretty denim mini-skirt. The other stuff was pretty ex though and I didn't think I could fit into anything anyway. Then we moved up to the next level, but we only found stuff to buy in one shop. We spent loads of money there too, as well as lots of time. Audz was looking for a white dress and that's where she found it. She also had to decide between a blue and a pink version of a dress. It was a really tough choice, I admit. Pink blended better into the white of the dress...it also suited Audz' complexion better. It's also sweet and demure...very garden party-ish. The blue was more striking though...catches your attention. In the end...after much deliberation, she got the pink. As for me, well, I got a white/pink tube for $10. They actually had sizes 36-42 in the store...I was very happy, since I am more familiar with European sizes. I tried on this blue top also...it made me look pretty good, but the chest area was a bit too tight. I wouldn't wanna die of asphyxiation (dunno if I spelled that right, or if it's even the right term to use) but anyway, I decided not to buy it cos there were defects as well. I saw this dress I really liked, but it was kinda odd. Size 38 was so tight that I couldn't zip it up unless I didn't breathe. And 40 was so loose that I looked pregnant. But the lady said she could get it altered...so she stuck a few pins in the back and 2 in the front and so I am going to have that dress after all. Had to pay $10 for the alterations though, but I think it's a cute dress, so I'm glad to have it. Audz is gonna help me to collect it on Friday, when she has to collect hers too. yay! We're going out on Friday again. I love retail therapy! I guess I still have a couple of things to buy...although I should really watch my spending. Audz bought the new 5566 cd...we looked at a couple more shops. She bought a pretty pink billabong top from 77th Street for clubbing. Can't remember what else she bought, but I also got 2 HP straps from Ice Lemon Tee. After that, we sat at MOS for a while and just talked.

Today after church, we went to Junction 8. I bought a new bag. It's so pretty! And it's big enough for me to throw everything inside! I also finally got a present for Han! Phew...it took me eons! Anyway, I have to end off here. Shermaine really wants to use the com....