The top pic is the view from the elephants' enclosure. *beams* So scenic! I wish I had a view like that in front of my house too. =p The last pic (center) is of their performance.

Oh the left pic (second row) isn't of a dead donkey but a sleeping baby one. *beams* I love my donkeys!~!~!~! One of them hee-hawed and bellowed soooo loudly when the hay came. I got to pet them and hug them too. The donkeys had a magnificent view, overlooking the lake. *envy*

The many times I've gone to the zoo, we've failed to visit the children's animal section of the park and there I was yesterday after we were told after a nice chat with one of the keepers manning the pony rides (he warned about getting an earful of that donkey's hee-haw) that we could pet donkeys there. I petted a horse, more goats, dogs, a cockatoo..... the list goes on. *in glee*

DD and me had a ball with all the animals. We had lunch right in front of the Donkey's enclosure, just for me. He got to pet a baby manatee! Sweetie was totally fascinated. We got there real early, and managed to finish walking the whole park and had Ben & Jerry's ice-cream at the end of our long day too before we left. *grin* Unfortunately, we missed their breakfast program (my turn to oversleep this time *big sheepish face*) so we grabbed our breakkie at Maccas before we caught a cab there. We took tons of pics, some videos for fun. The weather was just beautiful for a stroll through the park.

They also had a special on Chinese Zodiacs so we were busy following the Zodiac trail and reading what's in store for us both. The fortunes sound great, except DD has to watch his health and me gotta watch the usual "imps" as well as er third parties. >_< I believe our relationship's way tooo strong for any 3rd party to come along and trash us up, and certainly not me ever having one so I don't think that would come true for me *grin*.

We had a cake also for the very first time for our V Day. We decided to have dinner at home, and made a scrumptious teppanyaki meal *yum yum yum yum*. DD and me headed out to buy our groceries on Sunday and we were on a lookout for a cake coz the cakeshop near my place was closed *sob* and we wanted one from there. Considerate baby tried to find alternative food for me, since I don't eat chicken anymore and I can't have certain sausages. Now we've opted to eat free-range eggs only too and he keeps an eye out for them as they run out fast in the supermarkets, just for me. *sweettttt* What else can I ask for? =D

Prezzies? I got DD something real useful for his GBA *wink* and he bought me a mystery gift on its way to my doorstep, as well as a ring that's supposed to be a matching set with my earrings. *beams* Love the ring so so so muchie that I wore it on the day and kept showing it off to Ren *lol*. As tradition, I also made ma sweetie hand-made chocolates in many cutesy shapes (DD wolved down a turtle shaped one rightaway) as well as bunny-shaped crispy bread. I hope he liked my handmade stuff as usual (one practical gift, one hand-made *beams*).

I can never get sick of animals and going to the Zoo, even though I was just at the Bird Park a few weeks back. It's just even more special when someone else shares your loves and his face shines as brightly as yours when we get to touch them (I petted a hornbill and he touched a baby Manatee!).

Silly baby just kept asking me all along if I were having fun and if I were happy, just like he did on my birthday, worriedly. At the end of the day, we also managed to get an instant pic taken with a pony and that's our third one; 2 from the Bird Park and this is our very first Zoo piccie. I always feel like I'm walking on air with you, even now as we're fast approaching our milestone of 5 years.

Dear, I've fun with you almost everytime (except when we get stuck in SLS with alot of peeps trying to buy hardware *pengZ*). Another Valentine's and still we make more beautiful ever-lasting memories. =D I can't imagine being with anyone else but you. No one else comes close.

Sharing those horror tales of people using others as dates so as to not be dateless or to "con" Tiffany ring/necklace from their unknowing partners when their hearts are with someone else, *faints* I'm so glad we're more than just that in this shallow, fickle world.

May there always be true love in this world. 

Lotsa stuff we did together lately. Anyway, just my usual 3 words -  I love you.

Updates after CNY I guess. =D

Just called DD to wish him good night. He was really tired today. We kept falling asleep around 6-8pm lately. >_< Maybe it's coz of the nice cool weather. Anyway, we were out at Bugis for awhile to sell off some of his stuff, dropped by SLS to say hi to Demo, then made an exchange for something we bought and finally he accompanied me on a shopping spree. Since it's my birthday month, I've got special discounts with cards for 20% less on clothes, so I thought I better hog before CNY. ;)

I cooked him garlic rice today with a sunny-side up egg (free range oh yeah!), garlic bread, pumpkin soup, sauteed teriyaki sauce mushrooms and lucheon meat, as promised, for our TV dinner. ;P DD made his "happy dance" motion at me, so I hope that means he loved it. *sheepish*

DD and I were talking about the topic of long distance romances. LDRs came into mind lately after some forum threads I came across, and I've personally witness those relationships that actually worked out *glad*. Such as Ren's brother and gf Daisy, and Jean and Kev. Jean eventually made the big move from SG to Sydney to join him for good and left her family here *in awe*.

For us both, it hasn't been much of an issue as I already made the move to SG, although not permanent, when we met. However, I'm pondering the thought of not being with him like this: hugging him, have him look at me and pengz at my silly antics, chid me for tripping over things and being my klutzy self, gaze with open adoration at me, playing our computer games in the middle of the night when no decent people will be awake, chatting philosophically, sharing our daily strange and angry encounters........ I just simply wouldn't know what to do.

I realize it takes enormous energy to stay committed, when two people are miles apart, divided by continents. So much so, I'm afraid of taking on such a huge commitment. Which is why I've to applaud *clap* those who worked so hard for their tomorrows and happy endings. It's really admirable.

I guess reading stories of those who didn't make it, sadden me too much. My best friend once told me this: A person has so many hours in one day. And he/she doesn't spend every single waking or even sleeping minute with you. Not even if you're husband and wife. Theoretically, do you really know what he/she will be doing those minutes he/she is not with you?

I guess like me, she's a cynic. Yes ultimately, there has to be a gianormous amount of trust involve in a LDR. Coz you're not seeing the person every day AND spending time on the phone is just as ineffective, as bills explode and you've time constraints if you work long hours. I watched Jean broke down from the stress of her relationship, because she couldn't be there to support Kev when he needed a shoulder and they fought constantly on the phone and online. And that's when she decided to save them, she had to make the move. Sometimes all it really takes is a hug and it's impossible to do something as simple as that if you're not together through the daily journey. DD's hugs are what gets me through the darkest days, he doesn't have to say a word. The thought scares me.

Me and DD were rocked by 3rd parties and not being a stranger to these kinda situations in my own past, I realize then perhaps when a bird is set free much too far away from you, it allows opportunists to come into the picture, to capture the free bird and cage it for themselves. So next to blind faith, there's also such a thing called blind trust. When loneliness and depression sets in, it's hard to tell whether a person will succumb to temptations and reach for the nearest comfort and cling on to it for dear life, while wondering why their life-boat has "desserted" them by being so faraway. It's not applicable to us in this instance but this seems to be the biggest reason cited for the breakdown of a LDR and why couples drift apart, as they live apart. One party unknowingly continues holding the torch, immersing themselves into a relationship only he/she is still holding on to, their thoughts constantly on the partner so far away, while the other beings a new life, all by himself/herself and learns to embrace and love a fresh beginning, and gradually forgets the past and leaves it and subsequently their other half, behind.

All I know is while we both have complete faith in this relationship now, and that we've come a long, long way from those days of doubt, this long distance test is something we hope we'll never have to endure. It's not about not having commitment.

It's all about us not being hand-in-hand, watching the same sunset, every day. We just couldn't have it any other way.

DD gave me my present exactly 12 midnight of Wednesday. Guess what it was?


Where's the Egg watch! It's so hard to get it now as it's a limited edition piece from many Easters ago in 2000, with bunnies all over the straps and it comes in a pretty green casing with feathers lining the watch *lol*, that's why it's on my wishlist. I was hoping to get it for myself coz I missed it last year when I had a chance to buy it (no cash as usual).

He also got me a card with a bunny on it. *rofl* Loves it!

We headed to Orchard Tues evening to pick up snacks and food for our trip the next day. We went off to Holland V where I had to pick up some pet supplies for my bunnies as I've completely run out again and they ate me dry. *faints* Had dinner at Crystal Jade, then picked up my cake #2 from Sweet Secrets *yum yum* :D

I abused my Sony, so there'll be plenty of piccies in this entry.

We were up nice and early and got to the Bird Park before 10am and managed to have breakfast with the birds. *beams* The food was really, really great (Prata and American brekkie *yum yum* buffet) and we had great feathered company. Changed our mind about the Zoo and decided to postpone that 'til next month instead. *lol* First time we've ever gotten to the Park this early and we had plenty of time to catch every show and all the chit-chats sessions. We both have sun-burnt bridges - nose and two cheeks *lol*. Ouch, mine hurts.

Again, we both got our fortunes told by Merlin the fortune telling parrot. *grin* He's such a cutie, talks well too! We were given the cards with our fortunes on it, as souvenirs. *beams* DD played the "Snow White" this time as the honey-suckler birds (dunno their proper names but you can tell from their beaks they're flower/nectar birds) landed on his hand repeatedly and he endured a few small pecks from them. *rofl* They landed on me once upon a time too.

Here's a pic of one of these lovely critters:


We had a rare chance to pet a hornbill. She was rather obliging but shrunk back at first. The beak looks abit scary at first though *sheepish grin*.

Throughout, me and him are drooling over the African Grey parrots we saw at the Waterfall Aviary. They're so gorgeous and so incredibly smart. Gonna wait for the right time to get ourselves one of them to join our huge animal family.

Smartie pants African Grey helping himself to meal worms while the others wait for the keeper to feed them *grin*:


Flocking birds catching meal worms in the air at the Waterfall Aviary:



This was the new enclosure we wanted to see but wasn't opened yet the last time we were at JBP:



We took quite a few videos of the lorikeets or lories there. The enclosure was just massive. How I wish my home's avaries can be that huge. My birds at home in Aust are distant relatives of these lil parrots. DD got me the sugar and we had quite a few greedy lories swamped around us to slurp it all up. They're so cute. We tried to touch them but they'd sound a very disgruntled cheep at you and if you continue to try, they wouldn't hesitate to nip you as a warning. Reminds me of our Tubby hehehe. The above pic are some lories trying to get their beaks into the drink just after we bought a cup. They followed us from the nectar station and one even landed on my head and another one DD's shoulder, in a hurry to get to the drink. *faints*

We got a pic taken with macaws on our arms. I still look at these magnificant creatures and wonder how people can cull them without first testing the birds for Avian/Bird Flu. Are their lives really so worthless compared to our own survival? They're supposed to be endangered too. *mutter angrily*

Happy are us:
Thank you for the best day ever in a long time. I really thoroughly enjoyed myself and I know you weren't 100% with your tummy giving you problems still, but you gave it 100% effort to try to make it a memorable day with me. You definitely made me the happiest girl on this planet and it's been awhile since I look forward to a new year with new beginnings.

He cut my cake and sang  me a really quick birthday song *mutter* and wanted to say x3 to the first verse too instead of singing the whole stanza. 0_o

He cooked dinner for both of us before leaving my home earlier - shrooms pasta. *yummy* We went to pick up my new contacts (yes yes took me that long to finally afford to pick them up!) and also get my glasses confirmed so I can also have them next week before CNY, then went off to NTUC to buy the ingredients. We let Shayne out while we were preparing dinner and the little girl was trying to grab my feet for attention as I tried to pick up a call from Jackie and I got a huge fright thinking she was aiming to bite my feet again. *pengZ*

More updates and piccies my next entry. :))

*~ Our Star Signs ~*

Aaron:
You have an affinity with the concept of one-to-one partnerships. The concept of symmetry is one that's long been associated with your balance-loving sign. As such, the time during which you made your planetary debut served to perfectly illustrate your strongest, most endearing qualities. You also have an innate capacity for investigation and analysis. You own a hefty dose of meticulous Virgo and perceptive Scorpio-the stuff that expert researchers are made of. In your personal life, these energies add to your need for partnership, and show your devotion when you've made a promise.  As a result, the need to comfort and reassure your partner will be your priority above all else-and will likely be reciprocated just as powerfully. This doesn't mean, however, that friends and family members won't be equally important. In truth, the friends you have will likely be in your life forever. Although you may care for them in a different way, your attachment to them is just as deep as the one you feel for your mate.

In relationships, you need someone who can make a powerful and long-lasting commitment-someone whose devotion will match your own. Other Librans will fit the bill, as will earthy Taureans, emotionally focused Scorpios, and respectable, responsible Capricorns. Your challenge is to remember that you have needs of your own, and to never ignore them. Your gift is your capacity for establishing long-term relationships, both romantic and platonic.

Daphne:
Everybody feels safe and secure around you.  You feel a great sense of responsibility towards everyone, whether they are children, employees, or close friends. Looking after people's interests gives you a great sense of satisfaction. You have a special weakness for underdogs and may go out of your way to protect them from abuse. You don't hesitate to cut your enemies down to size. You will fight tooth and nail to protect the people you love. You need joyful, spirited friends who make you laugh. Gemini's, Leos, Librans, and Sagittarians encourage you to let down your hair. Romantically, you need a mate who is tender and caring. Once you fall in love, it is for keeps. You're likely to have a happy marriage. You are a born leader, and should find a career that involves serious responsibility. The military would be a good place for you, as it suits your sense of order. You'd also be a good business owner, particularly if you were able to oversee large numbers of employees. Running a large school, hospital, or prison may also appeal to you. Ultimately, you like being responsible for others, and should take a job that draws upon your leadership abilities.

A strong sense of spirituality will help you cope with serious responsibilities. Studying various religions can help you develop your own philosophy. Appreciating nature can become a sort of religion for you, too. Whenever you feel anxious or depressed, you should head for green, leafy vistas. Rustic retreats will restore your spirits, and make your burdens seem less heavy. Yoga and meditation can help when you can't get away from daily stresses.

Your greatest challenge is to take it easy. Just because you have many responsibilities doesn't mean you can't have fun. Make a concerted effort to enjoy yourself, especially when work gets you down. Your biggest strength is your willingness to stand up for the less powerful. The weak and vulnerable have a valuable friend in you.

It's only the second week into January and already DD has a long wish list of items he somehow missed out on during Christmas. :P

I haven't even come up with anything remotely comprehensive and it's my birthday next week! :P

Last night, after shopping with him and his mum at Bugis, we stayed back for dinner at Bugis Junction at his fave place Ma Maision again and this time they were having a promotion for hamburger steaks, aptly named "Hamburger Fair". DD chose the Korean one and ended up with so much food to eat, his bloated tummy paid the price for it. But it's funny, looking at the contented look on his face as he tucked in. Before he left, he even checked if the fair is gonna be around for a long time more, coz he would like to attempt to try several others. *faints* Silly DD. We had alot of fun yesterday, shopping tons and also getting our fortunes told electronically *grin*. More about that another entry.

Well, here's our list:

~Aaron~
1) Exquisite Collection cards
2) O2 Mini
3) iPod
4) PSP
5) Nintendo DS
6) Genelec speakers
7) Bose Tripod Headphones
8) Bose QC-2 Headphones
9) Simpsons DVD Collection
10) Ultimate Spider-Man #1 White Variant
11) Disneyland VIP HK Opening Ticket
12) A case of UNOPENED exquisite cards
13) 03/04 Topps Chrome Refractor Set =)
14) Lifetime supply of Marks & Spencer Potato chips =D  ==> you wish dude.
15) Swatch Kyklos Athens Olympics "Blue"

~Daphne~

We've gotten madly busy again after accidentally discovering a new project we could work on together, which I'll not mention here. *beams* Now it seems auntie's also getting into it. *laughs* It's alot of fun and we're trying our best to not let this distract us from our major project. =p

We managed to also catch "Meet the Fockers" this week on Monday evening after work. It was hilarious. We had dinner at Cafe Cartel afterwards before heading home.

My pre-birthday little bash with a small bunch of some of my friends is on this Saturday and the rest I've to meet another time individually as usual *pengZ*. We'll be having a popiah potluck party - a new thingy Ren suggested I should try to make things fun. Except judging by the types of fillings that are served, courtesy of my friends, e.g. durian, nutella, tuna, fruits ..... somehow it's not traditional carrot/white radish popiah we're all getting. Just to be safe and boring, I'm gonna make the normal stuff, in case we all go down with food poisoning and all have to take MC for Monday. *muahahaha* DD has kindly volunteered to bring the meat part of the filling while I'll focus on the veggies. So sweeeet. =D

I haven't decide what I'll do on the actual day next week. *shrug* Have to ask the boss for a day off first. :) *blinks innocently*

On 8th Jan, as mentioned in my previous entry, we were at x3m's chalet to celebrate their 5th anniversary or foundation day basically. *grin* It was a helluva fun, watching matches being played out on the big screen telly, watching Coyote Ugly for abit and basically mucking around with everyone there. I had only 2 hours of sleep and spent abit of time nodding off on Ren's shoulder. It's a good thing no one noticed and sabo-ed me with stone-cam. *cheeky grin* DD got a chance to play Quake 3. *woot* It definitely has been awhile.

Here are just some pics:

 

(The aerial shot there taken by stone when we weren't watching *basket* and were watching the drinking sabo game in action instead) Us two, then the view we had from inside the chalet looking out, competition in session between DD, Bloody versus x3ro3 and Sirocco. The last pic is the entire clan with their birthday cake after we sang a song for them. *grin* 

Tried to bond Dazzle and Mr Blacks earlier with Ren there to stop any fights and as expected, fur flew (doesn't help both are moulting badly so it's more fur dropping out by itself than pulling *slaps forehead*) and everywhere too in my kitchen. Mr Blacks admitted defeat after being crushed by Dazzle's big butt. :P He actually thumped at her, honked a warning, and ran for his life. Our Mr Blacks, the fearless bully with alot of security issues who would even take on Daddy Thumpy, RAN. Unimaginable. *lol* Silly boy. Dazz retaliated and charged only after instead of kissing his sister, Blacks gave her a resounding bite on her nose. Poor girl. She lowered her head for a nice groom from him, not expecting his rude return. Well, I think he chose the wrong bun to bully. Unlike Heffalump whom he used to bully alot coz Heffy is just so gentle and sweet and doesn't mind his younger brother's antics (hey, there's a new Winnie the Pooh movie coming featuring a Heffalump! Now everyone knows what that name means coz they always tell me my bunnies have weird names. We chose it coz he had a big butt as a baby and my sis loves to use the word "heffalump" on big things..... so you know the rest), Dazz is way bigger than him and the size of her head is double his. Our giant freakish-sized bunny.

They don't look like siblings and Mr Blacks forgot he had a sis coz for a long time, Dazz lived with Ren and adopted dogs as her friends. So she has doggish behaviour e.g. binkying as soon as we enter the bunny room and then standing on her hind legs and pawing the air to greet us and ask for pets. Even Bestie said she behaves like an overgrown pup. But yet in a way, they're both super similar. They love attention! Birds of the same feather....... ;) We both caught one bunny each and cuddled them oodles to comfort them after 15 minutes of the bonding session and returned them home. Naturally Mr Blacks sulked and then lunged at both Candy and Heffalump when they went closer to comfort him. *faints* DD said our Heffy is so cute *awwwwwww*

Speaking of which, his piggies managed to crawl outta their lil home, and got into my big bag of paper-based cat litter and got stuck in there. I only realized they were inside when I heard their loud "wheek wheeks" for help. *roflmao* I think that's the last time they're gonna make a jailbreak. Of all places, they had to get lost in the dark! DD => he pengZ.

That's all from me for now. Tomorrow we'll be heading out to add stuff to our project. ;) I'm gonna try to make some site updates here. The pics on the left hand side needs quite abit of rearranging me thinks. :P Re-vamp time soon!

DD came by and noticed that this blog has been lacking alot of updates and hinted to me so here I am. Well, tons have been happening to us in our daily lives, so while nothing is wrong between us, there are just so much happening right now that we need to attend to and the beginning of 2005 already spells much work to do.

Let's see where I left off.

On the 26th December last year, as said, DD and I attended my cousin-auntie's wedding at the ol' Beaufort now renamed The Sentosa, after we dropped by their future home for a quick trip around the area that DD and family wanted to share with me. I can imagine their home will be very much a serene and peaceful place, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A home away from home. :)

It was a beautiful ceremony, unusual in some ways but I feel a sense of joy and wonder to see one of my childhood friends walk down the aisle in bliss. Ren was making me crack up, coz the both of us didn't have any lunch and literally parked ourselves next to the nut/savory bowls during the reception while waiting for the solemnisation, munching on its contents discreetly and when one emptied, we would shuffle over to the next one innocently and continued our little feast *rofl*. Weiming decided to grab the bowl over for DD when he got too bashful *lol* and shook his head, trying not to laugh at him wolfing down more tidbits. Dear DD was afraid he couldn't have most of the food served during dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to see that shark's fin had been omitted from the menu. *Go Jie!* Fellow animal lover she is.

There were jokes aplenty with everyone asking typically, when will it be our turn. Then WM, me and Aaron spent a lot of time through-out dinner discussing our dream weddings. *grin*

I suppose it will kinda be a shock to Ren's family that we've already been together this long (as seen from the counter above, it's our big 5 this year!) while to my side of the family and good friends who were there to witness our beginning in 2000, it's more like "it's about time guys! How long are you gonna wait before the engagement?" *amused* A great big sense of anticipation..... because they know how much I've been through, and the sheer amount of adversaries I had to endure, to be at this point where I can yell to the world: we've been thru 5 whole years together and we made it when no one thought we would! My own personal milestone where I actually braved it out, instead of bolting in fear, and for him, also his longest relationship.

As we left and shook the hands of the wedding entourage, my grand-auntie turned to me and asked if it'd be soon and winked. I laughingly told her, "why don't you ask him!?" then pointed to Ren following after me, who smiled bashfully and stuttered *muahahaha*. My grand-auntie then quipped, "don't wait too long, or it'll fly away!"

DD stayed over my place as the wedding ended pretty late and cab would not have been worth it, and it took us awhile to get transport back to mainland too.

*cheeky grin* It's a long standing joke between us, if he ever proposed in the form of "let's live together and get married.", "Don't you think it's time we bought a house and settled down?" plus all the other practical ways you can think of, minus ring, minus a romantic setting, minus sincerity and a love declaration, I would just turn him down flatly. *evil grin* Oh, it's nothing to do with spending tons on a lavish location complete with an orchestral for ambience. I'm asking for effort. :) And because it's gonna be forever, I want to be left with a beautiful memory of how forever began and share it with him.

My new year's eve (NYE) with DD was a quiet affair, due to the Tsunami tragedies that rocked Asia and my ex-colleague is still listed as missing, and also some other personal reasons *sad*. We decided we're all we need - each other. When midnight came, we exchanged a toast with Coke *lol* in front of the telly and a long sweet kiss, to start 2005 off, knowing that come what may, we'll work hard to be with one another, and live 2005 to the max, without regrets. I stayed over and fell asleep on his bed, while he played his games and the silly boy gave me a goodnight kiss I wasn't even aware of, deep in slumber, and left to stay in another guest room for the night, and I had his comfy bed all night. =D

I spent quite awhile spring-cleaning some of DD's old things and removed sour reminders of people long gone from his life. He decided I should take the literally brand new items and give them away to people we feel will make better use of the items he never even touched since he received them. I was touched, as this is the first time since a few weeks back, DD has allowed me to go through the more personal artefacts he had. To be honest, I never really asked to see the items nor demanded they all be destroyed all this time, since I found out about the past a long time back, and that made his gesture even more special.

You can destroy, throw or bury the items but you can never rid memories or feelings. We all deal with memories differently and I respect his way and hope deep down in my heart, that these people will never return to hurt him again and that the dead will remain dead for all time and that in his heart, there will only be me because I know, I can never bring myself to scar him the way they did with their false promises which caused him to turn away when the real thing was before him as I came into his life and met this wonderful man I was then afraid of loving, and he spiralled into a cycle; mistake after mistake. Sometimes I feel anger and deep hatred boiling within me, against them, for they robbed me and him of the opportunity to experience love in its purest form, without ill-intentions, without betrayal, without broken promises. DD always wondered about my outbursts but essentially, I never could tell him it's not him I'm feeling so much anger towards as the anger goes to them, but more sadness when I reflect. A wistful yearning our beginning could have been right, and not the chaotic uncertainty it was. But knowing I'm not one to regret, that I can't undo the past..... we can only look to the future and make the best out of a new beginning.

It's the past that will make us stronger, with its ever painful reality lessons.

For my own chest of memories, they are all kept away from view and in times when I sought answers, I would take them out and go through them. Other than that, the feelings are long gone. Only bitter-sweet reminsces remain. There's only one Aaron for me. :)

There's still so much to write about. 2005 was a many first for us, even after 4 +++++ years of being together *grin*. Today we watched our first Chinese movie together at the cinema *lol*. We caught Stephen Chow's Kungfu Hustler finally after hearing raves about how funny it was at Plaza Sing.

Before Bestie left, Ren met my best friend of many years since High School, for the first time and we even spent an entire night together, just us 3, having fun at supper and then at my place playing Gamecube 'til past 6am and Bestie had to rush home. :P

Today, me and Ren have to rush off to x3m's annual chalet for their anniversary. So I guess I better end my entry here and complete my updates another night.

Here's to new beginnings and new dreams to keep us on our toes and remind us of the importance of you and me to each other. =D

Wow ok, gonna bombard this blog with tons of writing, from alot of stuff we were involved in the past week.

25th December 2004 - Christmas

The wonderful Christmas period continues today. I was invited for the traditional Chrissy lunch at Ren aunt's place earlier in the afternoon so I caught a cab down to his home first before the family headed to AMK for the luncheon. I was there early, and watched DD try out Dawn of War. We're gonna play the game together as soon as we master our respective race of army.

The food and company were great *beams* and it felt very comfortable. I didn't feel the usual sense of bashful awkwardness. *phew*

Got back to DD's house to keep him company for awhile more before I leave to meet my Bestie to take him around for Chrissy. I also gift-wrapped what we bought for his staff while he lazed on the bed and asked for massages and scratchies from me. :P

I ended up falling asleep accidentally after all that food, and dear DD never woke me up, 'til my phone rang and I was shocked awake.

I've a wedding dinner to attend with Ren tomorrow at Sentosa and there's a cocktail and all at Beaufort before dinner. It should be a really beautiful event. I grew up with this big sis of mine and although she's theoretically my mum's cuz, she's nearer to my age than my mum's. We used to play pranks on my grandpa together while he was asleep and painted his face white with Hazeline Snow or tickled his feet. *pengZ* Monkeys we were and now she's getting married. Time flies. Incidentally, she's a vegetarian! I spoke to her earlier this year when we watched CNA's telecast of all those buried live chickens, sick or not due to the mass ignorant fear of the Bird Flu together, and that's when I found my courage to quit poultry and since then, I never looked back. Her beliefs are not religious. Like me, she found it sickening and needless.

My auntie insisted that I bring my bf along but I didn't have to drag DD. :) He's gonna look so handsome tomorrow all decked out in his shirt and suit. *yummo* I'm wearing a silver tube dress I bought in Sydney with Ren to match his shirt.

24th December 2004 - The Eve

Had to take a cab to rush to his place to catch the gift opening session after I had my dinner at my aunt's. :P I gave them the prez me and Ren took time to pick out when we went shopping the other time.

And this year they were early finishing the Christmas dinner, and I was running late and everyone was waiting for me to get there to start opening the presents. *omg* I got a really adorable Precious Moments (PM) set of dolls. People always kept telling me that we look like a pair of PM girl and boy, and some even thought we're siblings and the PM characters are really alike in appearance like twins. *pengZ* Somehow though he knew I loved PM and I dragged him into the shops to gaze at the figurines and smile over them together, it was never one of the many things he got me over the years.

So this year I had a huge surprise. I guessed the other time he asked me what I thought he got me but he kept mum when I asked if it was a PM gift (sneaky boy!). This is how they look like:


Ever seen a grumpy set of PM kids? *lol* This is definitely the first. You always see lovey dovey or blushing or sheepish ones, but never grouchy couply ones. *ROFL* I was cracking up when I saw it. The caption says "Sometimes you're next to impossible." His family was really amused with what he got me. With all our bickering and jibes at one another, they look like us and remind me of us. *Thankew DD* This really tickled me. I also got a really adorable Eeyore from him. *beams* Haha, I poked him and called him "impossible!" and he sniffed at me in mock disgust *hmpf*. What did I do to deserve you baby? I told my sis when she called earlier and she couldn't stop laughing. She got a digicam from Rand, that lucky duck. So now we can trade pics. :D

I got the pink Converse tee from dear cuz who took alot of time to look for something for me and insisted it's hard to find clothes for me *lol*. The Snoopy and photo frame I actually got from Ren's maids *paiseh*. They're so sweet! Me and Ren bought them gifts together too. It felt good to see them so cheery, rushing around when the clock striked 12 to wish all of us Merry Christmas in glee. *beams*

The bunny alarm clock (I killed two alarm clocks in a span of just a few months coz I pounded them to shut up when they rang irritatingly.They fell onto the ground and were both smashed *doleful look*) was from Darryl *beams*. Ren must have told him I wanted it but passed up on it to spend on Chrissy presents on other people besides myself and not get side-tracked. I gave him the traditional $1 as an offer to "buy" it off Darryl, as it's not an ideal gift, clocks, because of the Chinese meaning behind the word "zhong". ;)

I also got a diamond bracelet *omg shock* with lil dolphins each carrying one diamond going around the bracelet from Auntie and Uncle. It was beautiful. I also realized I had a matching pendant I got for my birthday from my friends. Cute eh? :D I was really touched by the present. I was looking around for a diamond bracelet actually but out of my own pocket of coz to wear for special occasions.

What did I get my sweetie? Game of Life The Simpsons Edition! :D I'm sorry lovie I couldn't buy you the real classy limited edition Monopoly set you really wanted but I really hunted high and low for this boardgame, knowing you really wanted to try Game of Life with me. So yup, DD and I are now full-on into boardgames too. *grin* He unwrapped it and we got cracking on our first game right away on a table in a separate dining table. He won. :P

When DD sent me back home upstairs, he came in and kissed and nuzzled his piggies Merry Christmas as well as petted and hugged whoever bunny he could. *beams*

23rd December 2004 - Eve of the Eve

DD decided to meet with me for some last minute shopping coz he completely forgot the gifts for his staff after the stressful past few days at a compie, just to see me, as I'd be having dinner with my friends on the same night and would have been able to see DD at all if he didn't come out. *blush* And I also couldn't decide what to get my uncle and my other cousin. >_<

We finished all of the shopping in a short spin, and even bought a lil hand-held penguin fan for our next possible event to stay cool in the heat. *lol* Then we walked hand-in-hand to SLS to drop by and visit demo as well as pick up another casing for a new computer he got at home for the family.

20th ~ 22nd December 2004 

A wisdom tooth was killing me since last week by bombarding me with ulcers, and I lost my voice completely on Day 2 of the Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) event at Funan IT Mall. And still croaking now. DD was very concerned over me and made sure I was well hydrated. The silly boy hugged me and told me I'm the bestest girlfriend in the whole world to have been there for him the entire 3 days and endured my painful throat and ignored my own sickly disposition, just to see him win and get there.

As the event is practically 2 nights/3 days non-stop, you can imagine we hardly got any sleep and some of the x3m guys stayed there all the way. I had to go home to feed my bunnies of coz and we rushed back out every morning after our baths (a girl must have her beauty bath you know!). The entire event was a riot, especially when the guys started playing CS and decided to take part in the compie last minute and eventually invited the CS-ers to try Capture the Flag (CTF) in UT with them and instead of capping, everyone went for head-shots. *lol* I'm gonna be posting pics of what happened in the forum I took, when those blur dudes didn't know the CS maps and which direction to go, who to follow, and died non-stop from head-shots round after round. *rofl* I laughed 'til my tummy ached.

We came in first for the 3 vs 3 Need For Speed: Underground 2 (NFS:U2) battle *yay*. I actually only got real practice time Day #1 of the event and learnt the game in 1 day to compete. :P I was supposed to start earlier but the time was just too tight and I had many other things to attend to last few weeks. Ize made fun of me that I seemed to be playing nothing but NFS and super on with my practices, but he didn't know why 'til the end of the 3 days and it's because I never played the game before Day #1 *rofl* and he pengZ.

Don't ask me how I did it but I got a real Pro "sifu" so he made it all easier and eventually won the event for us.

So yup I got the chance to go up onto the podium to take my very first prize for my very first computer gaming competition, with Ren and Ize. And I was using a laptop. *lol* All my competitors are guys and I didn't do as well as I hoped, as for some reason while I was flawless in my practice, I just made dumb mistakes when I was leading, and crashed out at certain turns much to Ren's disbelief. :P *Sorry DD* *sheepish guilty face* We had many-a-disputes, which I won't go into details here, with the opposition team but it was expected as they're part of the same clique of peeps who don't mind winning like losers, starting as of WCG and also affiliated with a clan who stood tall and proud in the previous BYOC last year when they won CS through ghosting. *bleh* LOSERS!

But proud to say, I gave the toughest guy a challenge and almost knocked him out if not for yet another mistake. ;) Bloody told me not to cry *lol* coz I was mock crying after the race in fustration at myself. I guess I'm yet another over-achiever and anything less is not good enough, even if I only had that much experience and that much time to pull it off. Though he was a tough teacher, he encouraged me and hugged me, even though I made all those really dumb mistakes.

My "teacher's" the best. :D

H told us CNA wanted to interview us since we were a couple and I guess it's rare to see a girl around at such late hours just playing games. But I lost my voice *LOL* and Ren thought he needed more sleep and gonna look gross so we both declined. Anyhow it's for the wrong publicity and we're gonna be suaned for this coz aren't we developers, not players? *sheepish grin*

A shot taken by shade during the prize giving:

 
 

I can't believe it's another year past already......

I just got home not long ago from Ren's early family Christmas eve dinner, as Auntie Joyce will be leaving tomorrow for the U.S. to visit her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren there. Dinner was scrumptious, although as usual I didn't touch the turkey, much to Ren's mocked miffness. :P

Played monopoly with Ren and his mum and she was really on a winning spree. Poor DD was reduced to near bankruptcy and we decided to surrender and put out the white flag as it got later and later and all we were doing is losing more money. *lol* So far, DD and me during our sessions at my home, well, I conceded 3-0 to him, even though I started out very well. :( I'm determined to equalize first! *bleh*

Earlier in the day, I met Ren at Bukit Timah to head to our fave petshop to look for Newton, Zavier, his piggies and my bunnies' Christmas prezzie. We walked together in the rain after I dropped off near a bus stop. Ended up spending a considerable amount of time there, deciding on what to get, and also getting distracted by two big lovely golden retrievers and one King Charles doggy (he loves being a lap dog this one). Chatted with Cerina for awhile and watched some doggies getting grooming sessions. :)

Took a cab back to Ren's place as it poured like mad. We wrapped all the presents up, tagged them, and settled them under the tree. :) Watched DD fiddle around with his new rig for the BYOC event next week and get it all spiffy.

That's it for me today. I'm so bushed.

I love you baybee.

I've been neglecting this blog for quite abit coz of the hectic weeks we've been having and I usually can only update one of 3. :P Let's see, I really almost dunno where to begin.

We've been doing quite abit of stuff.

Went for a Need for Speed (NFS) little tourney at CRC on 2nd November at Toa Payoh. DD this time got back at the dude who won by unethical means at WCG. :P It was an ominous beginning when we realize they decided on a race for 4 at one go, 3 laps. I just knew they'd team up on him. True enough, I saw them doing a "V" each time the race started, to push Ren to the back of their line-up.  Ren opted for one-on-one but with 3 votes against him, that was ruled out.

His team-mates were pretty good sports though and congratulated him on his victory. The amusing thing was they kept losing control because they smashed into one another to take the lead and they were on the "same team" so to speak. Karma! *cheeky grin* Just found out which CS clan they belonged to. They were known cheaters for ghosting in one of the tourneys we were at, at Funan last year. Now you know where it came from, all this kinda gameplay. *bleh*

We walked around TPY around abit, bought some pastries. Saw a mummy cat and some really adorable kittens. We managed to take some shots of them.

I guess I just wanted to thank my lucky stars and my karma points too on this day *wink*. For the first time ever in my whole entire life since I first got a mobile, the first few models when Ericsson is without the -sony eons ago, and I was called a "spoilt Asian brat" ("daddy must have given you that!") in the loo when it rang, by some Aussie girl in my school *lol*, I actually LOST it. And for some reason, I decided to look for it in my bag, when we got to Toa Payoh and got off. Ren rang it and my heart sank when I didn't hear its chirpy annoying tone and for once, I missed the sound. However, some dude picked up and he was like errrr, and he handed it over to the cab driver. The "some guy" was the passenger. We arranged to meet after he dropped him off and that was at Pasir Ris, for him to return me the phone. Ren said I was so totally lucky and if it were his, it'd be gone (suay-ness yes, he has plenty of that).

I was SO ELATED!

For the first time in a long time, I also didn't grumble at my misfortune and carelessness (I've no idea how it fell out of my handbag!) but instead rejoiced coz I saved myself more than $500 bucks - to replace it! (not to mention the $400 I owe my optician making it $900 in one week blown if the phone went *kaput*!)

On Friday 3rd November, we went all the way to Tannery in the early part of the afternoon for a meeting. We had some really interesting revelations and decided to drop by to visit Emmy and shared with her some of the info we picked up. At the same time, DD lugged back home some prizes he won at a tourney two months back.

Ren decided we should have our Christmas shopping done earlier this year and we've been racking our brains on what to get his family and mine for Christmas. :P So after we bidded Emmy bye, we headed off to Raffles City.

Went on a spending spree with Ren but nope, not for my stuff or his, but for our family. We blew $600 or above, goodness knows how much exactly, in one go. *faints* Somehow retail therapy really works for me. I haven't felt this good in awhile, though none of it is mine and it's Christmas gifts for everyone. We took ages deciding on something (can't say it here coz people read you know? Don't wanna ruin surprises) at Lee Hwa along City Link and the S.A was trying to persuade me to pick up a simplistic colored jewel bracelet, at a price tag of over $400 *gulps*.

As pretty as it is, not now. ;p Although the reason why we went there was because I walked by the window and there it was, a necklace with colored precious stones and he dragged me in. I always been telling Ren how I had a dream many years ago amd my wedding band will be a ring around a series of colored precious stones *lol*. This was way before I met him and I actually wedded someone called Aaron in my dream, although I couldn't see his face then. Coincidence or not? I dunno! ;)

I'd have freaked out if they had the design so we decided to walk in and browse just because of my dream *sheepish grin*. I'm not a typical diamond girl, though my sis is in love with those bling blings so I don't really have to have a diamond engagement/wedding ring, it's just plain silly. I love crystals more.