Sunday, May 30, 2010

to the Lees

Jorvalfaijed...

Just read your May 10 newsletter and it's great to see Faith and Jedi doing well in school, and to see you having your outdoor celebration!!

Val - You're welcome. Glad that the course for Faith did pay off. This is definitely money well spent!!

Missing you guys in Dubai. I'm looking at moving into Oasis.. can you believe that?!? Looking forward to catching up with you all.... in Perth, Singapore, or Dubai... or somewhere in the world!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

a whinge of uncertainty

I'm into my final 3 months of my research now. There's so much data to be analysed... and if I knew how to do it, that'll be great. I can chuck along. The problem is that... I don't! I have this chunk of information, and still trying to figure out along the way what to do with it and how I can handle these data. Technically I have another month before the poster presentation... That means, another 3 weeks to figure out the sh@t i'm doing, get my thoughts together before embarking  on my 20k words long journey!

As Jeremy said... I should just put 20 pictures into my report and submit it because a picture is worth a thousand words...

In the mean time I have another problem - it's called J-O-B. I still don't know where i'll be, and what i wanna do! For sure, I'm not returning to that old one... So I went out to find new options... BUT... having a few options which none is the best fit is also another problem. I guess there is not such thing as a best fit job huh. Need to feed myself and pay the bills too.

Option 1: It's a business development role. But it will tie me down to one location for at least 5 years! That's long considering I still want to gallivant the world a little.

Option 2: Great one, government job, but the travel to work up and down will take 3 hours. That's the only down side.

Potential Option 3: This is the one I really want, but I haven't really gotten it yet. I can be super mobile (in terms of moving out of UAE in the future) with this one... but I will have to work very hard... and I mean VERY hard.

I pray for doors to close and the right one to be left open! Amen...

Monday, May 24, 2010

Mom & Dad's 32nd Anniversary

I made it back this May. Usually May is not a month that I'd be in Singapore. Anyway, this was an unexpected last minute travel back to Singapore for 4 days, which coincided nicely with Mom and Dad's 32nd Wedding Anniversary.

We had a little big private room at Mezzanine at the Grand Hyatt... which was nice because the acoustics at Mezzanine is generally quite bad that you have to scream across the table (literally).

We had the Lobster Sashimi. Not a fan of lobster, especially when they served the dude that still was moving on the plate. I remembered the story of how people eat monkey's brain (with the monkey still alive).

Friday, May 07, 2010

Self Pity Post

It's been a long while since I had a fever. In fact, I can't even remember when was the last time I had fever....
Haven't been able to eat anything the whole day, except for an apple...
I want my mummy....

Monday, April 26, 2010

I always need a munch

Scanning around my room, I have a lot of junk food. Here's what sits next to me.
1. Pure Florida Squeezed Pink Grapefruit Juice (with juicy bits)
2. Hello Panda
3. Digestives with chocolate
4. Pineapple Tarts
5. 2 packet of uncooked tom yum instant noodles
6. Strawberry biscuit rolls from Glico
7. Bah hu
8. Half eaten beef hor fun
9. A bag of uncooked rice
10. A box of rock sugar

I need more food!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A post Birthday post

I had to fly back to Dubai for my Birthday... but it was a nice simple sweet one. Not a romantic one if you're thinking....

It was a surprise. I didn't know where we were going...
The suspense ended at Fairmont, Cavalli Club... ZC got conned (rather, he didn't check what they they opened). So... we had to rush through dinner in 45 mins cos there was part 2 of the evening!!!


And for Part 2 of the evening, we ended up at the Laughter Factory for a Standup Comedy by some American and British Dude... That was a cool nice finish to the night! =)

Friday, April 09, 2010

9 April

It's 9 April... and I'm home and really bored. Was at Dubai Mall just now... roaming around all hungry and grumpie.....

Why are you only coming home so late?????

Easter Vacation

I seem to always be on holiday (that's what most people think and say).

Got into Dubai for a week and a bit and headed back to Singapore for another week. Had to cut my trip shorter cost Zhicheng's leave got cancelled. His stupid boss quit. Second time screwed up our holiday plans. Anyway, still managed to had a nice catch up with some friends...

Hung out at Yujun's house over the Good Friday public holiday. Was nice catching up with all the swimmers...

Had an early birthday celebration at the Lam's house... the house has turned into a play pen. never seen so many toys in a place before...
My godson is the king of the house! Has his own new toy - the Toyota Previa. Nice big and comfy. Isaac enjoyed blowing out all my candles. I think he would rather I get older, so he has more candles to blow out.

Will be missing the yummy food in SGP... looking forward to the next trip home! August perhaps.

For now.... 3 days left in Dubai! =(

Saturday, March 13, 2010

End of Lent Term

It is the end of Lent term in Cambridge. This term was absolutely hectic. I feel that I so need a break right now. This very second... but i'm still chomping on my essay.

I am doing a core mickey mouse module called Implementing Change Towards Sustainability. Title sounds fantastic and all that... Whoa... Implementing Change... Whoa... Sustainability. Somehow I didn't think the assignments were relevant at all.

The first assignment in this module.... another mickey mouse assignment was to write about a personal change. Some of my friends write about.... change in dietary??? Not eating steak for February or being a vegan??? How is that related to the course? HERE for the blog they created for the change assignment. And others... changed their parents minds about selling their car and using public transport instead. Fair enough... it is a change. But exactly what have I learnt? Maybe I missed the purpose of this, or maybe the purpose was not even explained clear enough to change my mind.

There was this guy who came in as a guest lecture for this change module. I wasn't quite paying attention to what he was saying and was working on my laptop while he was blabbing on about what fantastic job he has done at ABN Amro. (And I wonder why ABN got bought out. He must have changed something). Anyway, he started talking about how Singapore and Dubai  are poor examples of sustainable development... i lit up. Dubai - yea i partially agree, Singapore - clearly not. I was about to start a riot in class. Thankfully I had the support of Ahmed (who is Egyptian)... who outright challenged this dude who thinks that culture and religious beliefs was nonsensical. PRICK. Anyway I somehow got through the most painful part of the course. That is this module on change. Most useless course on this program.

Other than that... this term has zoomed by quickly. 2/3s of the course is over... the final run left - Dissertation! I've just switched supervisor. He's busy, and has little time to really supervise my work. Oh well.. I will have to find some other way then!

It's quite sad that all the taught modules are over, and i won't get to see a lot of the people at class. Oh Oh... there's a field trip to Cornwall for a final assignment in April. Looking forward to that!

So this term ended with a formal at Corpus Christi & Downing College... followed by a long night of party after...

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fitzwilliam College Library


Today, I made an amazing discovery in Cambridge. The Fitzwilliam college library!!

Quite a funky design where workstations are along the stairway... I so love it!! And each desk has its own computer ports (unlike Melb Uni library)

Only complain.. I can't eat and drink in the library... Doesn't help when you're starving. Thankfully the buttery is just 20seconds away!




  
Love the view from the second floor... That's what I'm looking out to!! Well, it's better than staring at people waiting at the bus stop from my room.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

March... and counting

It's March!!! And there's about 1.5 weeks left to the end of term, and end of my "study" portion of university. From now on, it's all research and writing up of the dissertation. How quick.

Contemplating whether I should go to Oslo or Stockholm in March... but I still have quite a fair bit of work to be done before I can start travelling! Plus... I'm back to SG too in between. There is work to be done. Too much in fact, that I get distracted thinking about everything else...

Friday, February 26, 2010

ESD Queens Formal

Well... It was a quick formal. Didn't have that many pictures, and didn't hang around too long either.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

I should be working now, but I'm not

I don't know why these few days I have been procrasinating.

Got up at 6am this morning, it's 9ish, and I haven't done much! Read the news (dubai, singapore and melbourne), sent a few emails, and posted something before this... and after all these, I still don't feel like doing work.

Yesterday my supervisor "dumped" me. OK la, it's not that bad. Apparently this other dude (professor rather) read my dissertation proposal, and was interested in my research topic, and he wanna supervise my work. So yea, now I have to take a tiny winy step back, to see what brilliant idea this guy has. I think it's gonna be good (better) for me, but I just needed a whinge. It's one of those days.

This is such a busy week. We have another visiting professor from MIT down in Cambridge for 2 weeks to give a lecture on technology, trade and globalization. Quite a mouthful eh? I think so too. That puts an extra 15 hours of lectures over 2 weeks. I think this guy is kinda interesting, but he definitely has opinions of his own... some of which I don't share (fortunately or unfortunately).

Lent term is ending in 2 weeks. I haven't been to a formal this term yet, but have 3 lined up in the next week. Heading off to a Queen's formal, then a Sidney Sussex formal, and finally a Fitz formal. I think that should be my quota met for this term.

My 3 new friends - Elly, Milly and Raffy - are calling out to me to work now...

Reminiscing

It's only been less than a year since the Lees left Dubai. But it felt like ages.

Just as I was hunting for pictures for one of my assignments, I came accross these good old days we had at safa park... the picnics and stuff, plus Uncle Zach on the Hula Hoop, Uncle Sum with his Frisbee, Jedi and Faith in the Rug Sack hopping around , Carrie still preggers with Ethan then, sitting around French Bakery Cake or sometimes Pauls Fleur De Lys cake we had for the birthday boys (Middle Lee and Tiny Lee)




Anyway... it's nice looking back once in a while. Everyone has moved on and away. Which is a good thing I suppose. After all, friends will always be friends. :)

SG

Today I went to a lecture that was part of the annual distinguish lecture series, and the dude from the USA talked about Singapore... about Marina Barrage and Pulau Sermakau. Ahh... something I can identify with instead of just plain old US of A.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Food

I was downloading and reorganising all my photos from my camera, and came across all the pictures of food ZC cooked whilst he was around (except for the icecream of course)

From Chicken Kapitan Noodles, to Fuchow Fishball Noodles, to Pork Pasta, Chicken Tofu and more... 



And Cupcakes from Dubai



Monday, February 22, 2010

In the Mood

Somehow I seem to be in the mood for a whinge.

Today was kind of strange. I had 3 emails from 3 different people at the old workplace. I think i still have an option to return to my old job... or should I be moving to greener pastures? (literally).

I was just looking around job websites, and i realise i am stuck. I don't know what I want to do, I don't know where to go, and I don't know which jobs to apply cos I don't wanna start off as a fresh grad again. And some of the job has got really really sucky pay (not even enough for me to take a yearly holiday and still pay the rent!!)

Sadly, as I was looking through some "internships" on the job website (don't ask me why I'm looking through internships), there was this one internship that said I'm too old to apply. Yea reality hits... I am old. So old that even some internships deem me overage. Great. Maybe I should just skip the whole job hunt, return back to the old job and keep trodding on in life.

What say you?

It's snowing again!

Sitting in my room watching cars covered in snow zoom by, the poor dude pacing up and down waiting for the bus, the little kid in her turtle suit trodding along the street, and the raining down of snow flakes.

Nice. It must be freezing out there.

Gonna be a busy month post ZC visit. We have a visiting prof and I have half a mind to skip lectures cos I just don't wanna go out in the snow. Oh Oh... and it just got heavier.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

ZC goes to UK again

ZC goes to UK again! This meant... I had company on the way back to Cambridge!! No... should I say, he had company going to Cambridge?!?

The ride was long. So darn long

Singapore to Dubai - 7 hours
Dubai Transit - 3 hours

Dubai to London Heathrow - 7 hours

London Airport Wait - 1 hour

London to Cambridge - 3hours +

Walking home from Bus Station in Cambridge - 0.5 hours

Total = approx 22 hours

That's how long it takes for me to get back to Cambridge from Singapore. Oh Oh, I forgot another 2 hours of check in time in Singapore. So that makes it 24 hours.

Hopped over to London again in the weekend before he caught his flight back to Dubai...
Super Chinese New Year festive mood. Chinatown was jammed.

Wah, feast after feast. Roast duck was yummy. But stupid Four Seasons at Bayswater cheated us of our money. Over charged by 2 pounds!!! That's like 10% of the bill.
Stupid buggers. They have good duck, but poor maths. No correlation or whatso ever... but I just had to say that. Better stop the feasting for a while.