This might be abrupt, but I have decided to make the change back to Blogger.

Livejournal has served me well the past 1 year, but the inability to fully customise the look of my blog and its entries have frustrated me to no end. And so, I'm making this change now.

Change your links and continue reading my blog at:

evethebimbo.blogspot.com


I know, how apt right? Haha. You'll find my reasons for the change in nickname on the new blog. I'm still in the midst of tweaking the template and adding new stuff, but it's almost ready to go. I've never felt happier being able to customise everything so easily.

What I'll miss most about LJ: Being able to cut the entries (makes it so much neater, because I normally post so many photos and that tends to clutter the main page!), and knowing that I can allow certain entries to be viewable by certain groups of friends only. But then again, I never used this function much over the past year...

Perhaps I've had too much time on my hands, and thus the sudden urge to have a blog uphaul. Regardless, it's a new beginning for me. rainstopshop  will still continue to function as my blogshop, and I'll still be updating it as and when I have new clothes to sell. But for now, please continue following my sometimes-nonsensical ramblings at evethebimbo.blogspot.com.

See ya there! ;)

It's been a while since the sec sch pals had a gathering. Our last one was on the Vesak Day public holiday, when we had steamboat at Bugis.

Seeing how everyone is so busy nowadays, we had already set aside a date on that day for our next meet-up! Haha. Just imagine, planning a gathering for July... in MAY! I wonder how much worse it'll be when everyone starts working in the near future.

So anyway, it was decided that we would meet again on 12th July for our annual steamboat dinner / Mond's birthday celebration at the birthday boy's place. We did it in 2006 for his 21st birthday (it wasn't steamboat then...but we were at his place too!), and in 2007 too!

If you compare the group photos from both entries (okay, I just realised that I didn't post up the group pics from 2006... coz' I lost them when the hard disk on my previous laptop crashed!!! Gahhhh must remember to get them from Mond next time), you'll see that our group seems to be dwindling... from a large group in 2006, to a slightly smaller one in 2007. This year, there were even lesser people (all of whom are dearly missed too)! But that doesn't mean we had less fun. Read on ;)


12 July 2008 (Sat): Mond's 23rd birthday celebration & steamboat dinner


Met up with bestie Zhen in the late afternoon to satisfy her shopping urge. Hurhur. We spent a couple of hours in Bugis, before heading over to Suntec to pick up Ron & Ling Yang. Then, off we went to IMM to meet bestie Justina, Mond, and everyone else!

We had lotsa fun shopping and picking out the food we wanted (though we had to keep reminding ourselves that IT WAS NOT A CHALET. Haha we have the tendency to over-buy), and Gordie darl even joined us for a while coz' he happened to be at IMM too! Couldn't join us though, coz' he has duty today and needed ample rest. That's why I'm so boliao now, blogging away on a Sunday afternoon. :(

Didn't take long for us to buy the food, since we have lots of experience with our years of bbQing and steamboating together. Hurhur. Left IMM at 6plus with the grocery bags and people divided into two cars.

As usual, the guys got down to doing the dirty work upon reaching Mond's place... as they always do. (Refer to July 2007 entry linked above, or the CNY reunion dinner we had in Feb'07, also at his house!) These brothers of ours are just the sweetest lah!

We girls will usually sit around and try to help out in small ways... but somehow, we always end up camwhoring.


Starting with moi.





With xiao mei Zhen.





With da jie Justina... and her can of orange juice.





The besties!





The guys hard at work... Our inhouse-genius Chee Teck is forever camera-ready lah!!! Hahahahaha





Part of our yummy spread...





We finally got down to eating... all of us were squashed around the table - Me, Zhen, Justina, Taoli, Mond, LY, Ron, Bok, Guanwei, John, CT - but it was nice to be having dinner together as a family. =)



The laughter, the chatter, the horrid jokes (courtesy of CT, who has the WILDEST imagination!!!), the reminiscing... That's what happens when you put a bunch of old friends together right?

Three hours later, our tummies were filled and we were ready to move on to our next activity. But first, da jie Justina and I had the task of waking up our dearest xiao mei. She actually fell asleep after eating! Haha. I guess she wasn't feeling well...

When we couldn't rouse her from her deep sleep, we decided to show the camera and mirror some loving! :P




Once we got the girl outta the room, it was time for...

Cake-cutting!!!





Happy birthday Mond!!!





Blow wind blow!





First cut.




And that's when the craziness REALLY started. Wahaha. I always love this part of our gatherings - when we take all sorts of silly group pics together!


A proper group shot first, with the help of my camera's self-timer.



You can already spot a wee bit of insanity there, with Bok and GW on the chair...




Take 2: Out come the chopsticks, ala Kungfu Panda! We were trying to snatch Mond's cake! HAHAHA.





Take 3: The mayhem continues.





Take 4: Need I say more?!?!?!? We finally get to have our own cake and eat it too. :P





Then, the guys take a shot together.

This was supposed to be all prim and proper, but look carefully and you'll see someone trying to play afool in the background... Teehee. Spot the head?





Not satisfied, the guys demand another photo. All the better for the girls to start their nonsense!!!





Girls' turn! And of course, the guys just HAD TO get their revenge. Heehee. They really hen3 ai4 yan3 lor.


SEE!!!!





Another one... They're darn good posers lah! Haha





And that's not all!!!

We then decided to take different group shots based on different groupings. First up, of course, was...


The Jurong Primary School (JPS) Primary 1-3 gang: Me, Mond, Ron (SEE THE EXTRA AT THE SIDE? Hahaha)



Yup, I also can't believe that I've known the two dudes for SIXTEEN YEARS already!!! Gosh. Since Primary One leh... and we actually had the fate to end up in the same sec sch and still remain as buddies up till now. -sheds a tear-


The JPS Primary 4 pair: Ling Yang and Mond.





The JPS gang!





Next up, we shifted to the secondary school groupings.


The Shuqun Secondary School (SQS) Secondary 1C gang: Chee Teck, Mond, Taoli





The Sec 1C guys take a serious shot... while Taoli goes all xiao nu ren. Teehee.




The rest of us were from the 1D class, with the exception of Ron & Bok (1B) and Zhen (she's our junior so not counted! Ha). Sigh it brings back soooo many memories of our days together...



The SQS Secondary 3C-4C gang: Chee Teck, Guanwei, Ling Yang, Taoli, Me, Mond, Justina




Not done yet! We even ventured into the CCA groupings... ROFL.


The Brigades gang: Zhen (Girls' Brigade), Mond, Ron & Bok (Boys' Brigade). See the extra at the side again?!





The Uniformed Groups gang: CT (Red Cross), Zhen (GB), Mond, Ron, Bok (BB), GW and LY (Scouts). Notice their different ways of saluting? So cute!





Not to be outdone, Justina, Taoli and I forced Mond to take a photo with us too... though he was never in a Performing Arts CCA. Heheh.


The Performing Arts gang: Justina and Eve (choir), Taoli (Chinese Orchestra). Their poses never fail to crack me up!





With that, we were done. Well, we could have gone on and on with the groupings, but the cake wasn't holding up well already. Haha.

We were finally able to savour the cake, but guys being guys, they'll always get up to some cheeky fun.

"DON'T!!! Wait my face got pimple how?"





Forcing the knife on Mond.




At half-past-ten, we decided to make a move for karaoke. GW, Bok and CT didn't join us, so the rest of us headed over to Clementi's Kbox. But the charges turned out to be way too exorbitant ($32 per person... which was just too crazy for the guys to accept).

We ended up watching Hellboy 2 at Jurong Point. Hee. Well, it was worth catching, in my opinion.

It was 3am by the time I got home, shagged out from the full day of activities. But I really do love spending time with my sec sch pals. They are an irreplaceable part of my life, and I'm so thankful that we're still able to remain relatively close despite it being over 6 years since we left secondary school! Many of the best moments of my life consist of them, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, I'm looking forward to our National Day gathering on 2nd August (am getting tickets from Mum so the whole bunch of us can watch the parade together! Everyone's so excited about it!), our annual bbQ in mid-August, and our Taiwan trip in November! =)

Good morning everyone. :)

What a way to start the day, with rain pouring down on us. All the better to cosy up in bed with the other half...

Yah I would, except my other half is currently working out at sea and I'm stuck here in rainy Singapore. Hurhur.

Anyway, this earlybird post is to inform everyone that rainstopshop has been updated!

View my second collection of pre-owned but never worn before clothes here:

http://rainstopshop.livejournal.com/1036.html


Thanks to those who supported me and gave me very sweet comments for the first collection; I really appreciate it a lot. And of course, I'm glad that the beautiful clothes are now in the hands of worthier owners! =)

I kinda like doing this online business thing, even though I have to admit that it's not easy. My respect goes out to the babes who do this on a full-time basis. Thanks for making online shopping a wonderful experience for all of us!

I don't know why exactly, but nowadays, I find myself taking extra glances at families I pass on the streets.

The young couple with their two adorable children and maid in tow.

The husband and wife walking hand-in-hand.

The parents joking with their teenaged children.

I look at them, and I think of my own.

While doing that just now, so many emotions came over me that I just had to pen my thoughts down somewhere... I ended up drafting this entry in my handphone.

What's your idea of a family unit?

 Your parents, siblings and yourself?

Simple, and expected of most families.

Mine used to be that too. But in the past few months, things have changed so much.

My family was a perfect one.

We were not perfect in the sense that we were always happy with each other, but we were perfect in my eyes, in our own ways. We were never well-off but we had LOVE.

Why did it have to change?

I don't know. Everyday, I struggle with questions.

I ask myself how, why, what if.

I want to scream, shout, cry, pour it out to someone. But no one sees things the way I do. Even the ones closest to me think I've been strong and holding up well. But I really don't think I am. I will never be the same as I was.

Everyday, I think about how life would be like nothing had changed.

I put myself through the agony of wondering how he feels romping around with a girl his daughter's age.

I read the letter I wrote to him when I was a mere 7-year-old; a little girl concerned about how her papa was doing in his overseas posting in Brunei.

I ask myself how the family I have come to know could break down because of one person's doing.

I visualise my own wedding a few years down the road, something I have always looked forward to.

But now, I find myself dreading it.

Because there will be no father to walk me down the aisle. No parents to put the veil over my face.

What I had always imagined to be a happy occasion looks like a bleak event now. And it cuts through my heart so deeply. So badly.

Everyday, I struggle with these questions and scenarios.

I have yet to find the answers.

The future is still vague. And I'll continue to live each day as it comes.

But one thing's for sure - I'll not forgive easily.

5th July 2008 (Saturday)


While having tuition in the morning, my mind unconsciously wandered off to lala-land. The growls of my stomach woke me up and I suddenly had this unexplainable craving for...

WARAKU's spinach & bacon hot cream noodle (but I usually request for the spinach to be removed, so it's just bacon. Haha).

I don't know why I thought of eating that, but I couldn't get the image of the piping-hot noodles away from my mind after that.

Right after tuition, I called Gordie darl and demanded to meet him instantly. Thank goodness he had had ample rest the night before, and was already wide awake and ready to accede to any requests I made. =)

So off we went to Marina Square's Waraku to satisfy my craving...

His first time trying the Hotate cheese cream noodles, and he was taken away by the huge-ass serving. Hee.




With that done, we proceeded to take a walk around Marina Square.


Peek-a-boo.





Entertaining myself.





My aiming was off...





We then headed home, where the sweet boyfriend of mine did a great job of washing the car.


Sigh. What would I do without him?





After the wash, Gordie darl felt inspired and so, we set off for our favourite IMM for some groceries-shopping.

The stuff that we bought constituted our dinner for the night...

Which we cooked close to midnight! (So does that make it supper?)

We've always wanted to cook pasta/spaghetti together, but never got around to doing it coz' we're too lazy. Haha. This time round, we were determined to make it happen!

With the help of instant carbonara sauce. ;)





Still, there was plenty of work to be done.

Gordie darl pan-frying the spicy sausages and ham.





Taking out the spaghetti.





Proof that I did help out in the kitchen. Heheh.





25minutes later, the sauce was almost done.





Ta-daaaa!!! Introducing Gordon&Eve's spicy-sausage-and-ham carbonara spaghetti!





It was yummy, if I may say so myself. And I'm NOT being biased. The sauce ended up tasting spicy coz' of the sausages, which made it even more delish. The only downside was that we had used too much spaghetti. Hurhur. Less next time!


nua-ing after dinner supper. He was happily enjoying his dessert, which I declined to indulge in coz' I'm having a reallyyyyy bad cough.








6th July 2008 (Sunday)

We ended up lazing around most of Sunday. For dinner, I requested again to try something different...

Swee Choon Tim Sum!



I read about the place in a forum and have been yearning to try out the food there for the past few weeks. Well, turns out that Gordie darl has been there before with his colleague.

Anyway, Swee Choon is located at 191 Jalan Besar Road. If you're coming from Serangoon Road, it's somewhere after Mustafa Shopping Centre. (Opening hours are 6pm-10am!)

I was all ready to pig out! Muahaha.

The order list.





The menu. This shows the la mian/xiao long bao food items. (The tim sum menu is more worth trying, IMHO.)





Poring over the menu.





We had century egg porridge (my new fav!), fan choy, char siew pau, siew mai, har kao, fried wanton, prawns wrapped in beancurd, egg tarts,





xiao long bao (these were REALLY good! the skin doesn't break till you take your first bite, and the hot soup within is heavenly),





and shao bing stuffed with egg crepe & chicken floss.




The servings may look small but we were stuffed. 10 items in all, costing $24 (plus drinks and wet towels). No GST or service charge here!

We were so pleased with our meal that we might just head back again soon. =)

I was coughing so badly by then that we headed to IMM again (free parking, so we somehow always end up going there) to buy cough syrup.

Random photo.





And amidst Gordie darl's laughter, I tried to snap a photo of my dream gown while we were on our way to the carpark. Well, I must admit that I looked pretty funny, coz' I didn't want to show too obviously that I was getting a shot of the gown!

A lil' blur, but there it is!!! It's the one behind, with the black lace details. -swoons-




More random shots back home, to make use of his under-utilised handphone camera.

  





Won't get to see him much this week, coz' he's on duty today and will be sailing from Wed-Fri. That's why every moment we spend together is so treasured. Less than THREE weeks before his birthday surprise is executed!!! I can't wait!

I'm so excited now over something that I just HAVE TO blog about it!

Haha okay maybe it doesn't sound like that big a deal, but it made my day lar. :P

Gordie darl and I were at IMM earlier in the evening when we passed by this bridal studio. I was just glancing past the shopfront when this gown just caught my eye immediately!

I can't describe how I felt at that moment except that it was like I had seen my dream gown!

I tugged on Gordie darl's sleeves while excitedly telling him that it will be THE gown I wear for our wedding. Hahaha. And his reaction was... out of my expectations. He didn't just brush it off or call me crazy, but instead, gave me this special look which just reached into my heart to reassure me that he'll ensure I get whichever gown I want on our special day. =)

Okay, now for how the gown looks like. I didn't take a photo of it because paiseh lah! You know how those bridal studio staff are always standing outside the shop, ready to prey on unsuspecting couples? They would certainly have pounced on us if we had stopped to snap a shot!

But the best way I can describe it that it is a variation of the one that Jaime Teo wore for her wedding (click here to see; it's the first gown you see there). I fell in love with her gown (by Ted Wu, anyway, so I'll never be able to afford the actual one) when I first saw it in The New Paper's coverage of the wedding a few months back, so I searched online to save the photo for reference. Hurhur.

As for the one I saw just now... Well, it's a knee-length tubedress(perfect for ROM or second dress during the dinner), and has black lace details on the front, which I ABSOLUTELY ADORE. Not too conventional, yet not too over-the-top.

But by the time we ROM or hold our wedding dinner, the dress will probably not be around anymore... Sigh. He was sweet enough to suggest tailoring one for me... and doing it himself. Haha that silly idea certainly cheered me up!

And since we're on the issue of weddings now, I just want to record something else that bestie Zhen brought up a few weeks ago when we were chatting after our kickboxing lesson...

She mentioned that Gordie darl had told her and bestie Justina (during that TOP-SECRET talk they had last August, which I had no inkling of) that he feels the pressure to prepare a grand proposal and equally grand wedding for me. He wants to give that to me because he knows that what I want.

I couldn't help but feel touched once again when she told me what he had said. Well, I guess I did have such unrealistic expectations in the past. But now, all I want is to be with him. I would definitely want a memorable proposal (I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY HIM WITHOUT A DECENT ONE. He can't take it for granted that I'll marry him just because we've been together for almost a decade. Teehee), but memorable doesn't equate grand. Even if he were to pop the question while we're just cuddling together in bed, that would be wonderful enough for me.

It's about what he says, not how he says it. =)

And that will do for my thoughts about this issue that I've pushed to the back of my mind the past year.

Whatever happens, happens. I'm not gonna push for it. We still have all the time in the world anyway... =)

28th June 2008 (Saturday)


I had been wanting to take a proper walk through The Southern Ridges (it's a 9km walk that can take you from Harbourfront to West Coast, by the way. ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!?!?), but the other time when Gordie darl and I popped by on a whim, we were so unprepared that we didn't go far.

Last Saturday was different.

We were on a mission to recce the whole area for interesting spots for his ship event (It was just held this morning! After helping him out with the preparation the past few days, I almost feel like it's my event too... haha), and I was fully ready - Sports gear, check. Waterbottle, check. Umbrella, check. Tissue paper, check.

Couldn't wait to get going!

But as luck would have it, it started drizzling the moment we parked the car at one of the carparks on Mount Faber. DANG.

5 minutes later, it fizzed out and we decided to get out and start walking.


This photo was taken at 3.55pm, when we first started:

Xiao lan!!!

One of the things I love about teaching is interacting with the children. I especially love the lower primary kids, because their innocence and attention-seeking ways are just too adorable. They're so ready to express their care and love, and that's what I miss most when I think back on the practicum days.

How my P3s formed a circle around me and enveloped me in a group hug while sobbing, because they were sad that it was my last day.

That scene is something I can still remember vividly now. At that point of time, when I realised that I had made a difference in their lives (even if it was only for a short period), it almost made all my suffering during practicum worth it. Keyword here is ALMOST.

I'm still in contact with a few of them, as well as with some of my P5s, and it just touches me to know that they still remember me.

And when I watched the following video, I couldn't help but think of the students who have crossed my life so far. There will be many more to come in the next 5 years, and I absolutely can't wait. =)


This video was filmed by Yasmin Ahmad and aired in Malaysia as part of their Independence Day celebrations. It's a REAL interview (i.e. no acting or scripts involved), and serves as a reminder that children are colour-blind when it comes to inter-racial friendship.




Le sigh. Isn't the boy simply too cute for words? And his expression towards the end is priceless. Reminds me of the days when I was a giggly primary school kid with silly crushes. Teehee.

Wanted to blog last night but I got so carried away while chatting with Zhen, Ling Yang and Ronnie on MSN that I just didn't have the energy to do anything else after that... Haha. I don't appear often but once I do, it's hell! I even managed to webcam with Gordie darl. Teehee.

Anyway, the sec sch pals and I were discussing the Taiwan trip in November. YESSSSS, we're finally going on holiday together! After donkey years of knowing each other, the time has come. Muahaha. It'll be a pretty small group (most likely just 4 guys and us girls), but STILL. :D

Hopefully, everything will work out and this trip will become a reality. -crosses fingers-

Okay, back to the point of this entry.


23rd June 2008 (Monday): Supper with the besties

Da jie and xiao mei picked me up after tuition at 9.30pm, and we headed straight to West Coast Mac to pig out. Hurhur. Amidst the food and chatter, we snapped lots of photos coz' Zhen was in a trigger-happy mode.


Take with me first... (notice the difference in her eyes? she had fake eyelashes on!)





Then with da jie.





What's a photo without our da jie's signature pose? Haha!





Us =)





All squashed together.





29th June 2008 (Sunday): Lunch with the besties


Yah, if you haven't noticed by now, it's always FOOD FOOD FOOD whenever we meet up. Haha. No wonder we're such piggies lah!

Random zi lian photo of me while waiting for da jie to arrive.





After completion of some secret mission (teehee) somewhere in Holland V, the 3 of us headed to Thai Express for lunch.

My spicy chicken with basil leaves. Not too bad.





Zhen's and my favourite - sotong!!!





Da jie and xiao mei.




We headed to Jurong Point after that, and while da jie was busy running her errands, Zhen and I started our nonsense again.


Top.





Right.





Left.



The besties are both going through minor changes which i can't reveal here yet... but no matter what, we'll always be STF!!!
(That's a new term from da jie Justina. STF ---> Sisters Till Forever. Haha.)

The last weekend of June has come and gone, and we're gonna say HELLO to July soon!

Geez have 6 months really passed us by just like that? It's scary.

Anyway, the weekend was an action-packed one for me. From Saturday's date with Gordie darl where we spent FOUR hours walking along The Southern Ridges (starting from Hortpark and ending at Mt Faber Park). We went to and fro, all in the name of doing research for the upcoming unit event he's helping to organise. And of course, because I've been wanting to explore the place for the longest time but we didn't go far the first time we were there. Teehee. But I was totally worn out by the time we were back at the spot we had first started at.

Then, there was today's meet-up with the besties. They're my happy pills!

And the weekend couldn't have ended better than with sandwiches lovingly prepared by Gordie darl. We were supposed to meet for a late dinner after his basketball game but I couldn't make it in the end due to... unforeseen circumstances. But instead of dumping me aside to settle dinner on my own, the sweet boyfriend of mine packed tuna sandwiches for me so I could bring them home to eat! =)

Okay, I promise proper updates by tomorrow. I need to rest my aching body now. I think I'm coming down with something... sniff.