American Pencils

This is very random and I should be writing my paper. So I am using this really old pencil case that my friends got me for my birthday in secondary school. It's one of those old-school ones that's completely metal. Recently all my 'free' pencils have been breaking on me so I needed to get new pencils. It is very weird, because Americans don't seem to believe in lead?? They all use these disposable bic pencils. So sadly I crossed over to the dark side and bought the cheapo bic ones since it's more of a hassle to find lead. In college I actually bothered to buy nice stationary whenever I went home. Now I just don't have time to find nice cool asian pencils :(

Maybe after exams ... oh and speaking of laptop bags, I am using this really ugly one with the school logo on it because its free. I feel so ghetto...

I'll post a photo of the pencil case later!

Retail Therapy

It's time for an quick update! I was in NYC a couple Fridays ago for a day trip to check out companies in the city. There were a bunch of different club sponsored trips to choose from, finance, marketing, media...but guess which one I chose? The retail one! I figured I should pursue a career in something fun.

We met with people from 3 companies, M**y's, L1m1ted Groups, and Kh13ls. L Groups owns V1cky's S3cr3t and a whole bunch of other brands. K is owned by L'oreal. It was a pretty awesome time. Did I mention the free samples??? We got a huge candle from VS and lipbalm, hair wax, moisturizers from K. Anyway aside from the free stuff, we got to learn about the business and also met the product manager at M*cy'5 who worked with Project Runway (my favorite TV show!). Ahh to be paid to shop and read vogue.

So now it's going ot be a mad race to the finish now. Finals are in 3 weeks and all our papers/projects are due. :( On the bright side we're heading to SF for X'mas. Woohoo! Will also be heading to houst0n in Jan for a case competition. Interviews for internships will be in January. I'm so not looking forward to it. Looks like I won't get to relax much :(

MacBook: The Untold Story

MAD does not even describe it. *#*@!! I want to smash my macbook. It started innocently enough about a week ago. I was half way through studying for midterms and the computer just turned off. But I brushed it off ... seemed to be a one off thing.

Come today, it freaking shuts itself down every 3 minutes. I am trying to copy some files over from my hard drive for school and it doesn't even stay on long enough for windows to turn on!@!@! Did some Googling..apparently this is a known problem with MacBooks.... it's called RSS or random shutdown syndrome (aka intermittent shut downs). A heat dissipation problem. *GROWL*

So I took it to the Mac store and they tell me that it'll take 2 weeks to fix (no offer of a loaner either). SAY WHAT? Piece of cr&! *insert more expletives* How hard is it to replace a stupid chip?? And how am I supposed to do my work in the meantime??? I'm handicapped without my MacBook. Annoying Mac store guy then treats me like an irrational psycho by saying that it is impossible to create perfect computers (my fault???). Asswipe then suggests I go to an affiliate who can fix it in 3-5 days. But I'm still pissed. I have to pay $50 for a loaner for a problem with crappy Apple hardware that is no fault of mine (except for being dumb enough to buy one). :(( Oh and it costs an extra $300 for 1 day service. WTF!!!!

Bottom line: I am *#*@#@ pissed and *#! irritated. I've already screamed out loud once from frustration. The least they could do is speed up the repair service and/or offer a loaner. This is ridiculous. Ever heard of customer retention?? My opinion of apple has just gone down the sh1ts. That thinkpad is starting to look real nice.

UPDATE: I brought my MacBook to one of their licensed repair shops and got it back within a day!! I was pretty pleased about that. :) And the RSS seems to have stopped too...for now...*crosses fingers*

Yay for M!

I was really surprised to find a slip from the post office the other day wanting me to go pick up a package from Singapore. Turns it was from Matreshka! The parcel sure made my day especially since I was in the middle of midterms last week. Which are finally over by the way. 3 days of exams back to back only proved how busted my brains have become.

Matreshka ...thanks!!! xoxoxo :D You're the best!

Contents:
- Hair Mask (I need instructions on how to use this! hehe)
- Guilty Pleasure Korean VCDs ...woohoo!
- Flashing Singapore Cap...it will be the object of desire at all Singaporean gatherings ;)

Last Weekend ...

Went to A and N's wedding over Columbus day weekend. It was a beautiful jewpanese wedding :) on the Abigail K Yacht awwwwww. They paid so much attention to detail, and with the NYC skyline as a backdrop *sniff* gorgeous. I've posted some of the wedding pics I took since I'm a closet ex-bridezilla and I know many of my friends are too! HAHA! I'm so dissapointed that my **#@ camera died before the night was over so I don't have photos of DH making his toast.

I'm particularly proud of this photo. See the skyline in the reflection? HEE


The dining area. The centerpieces were a bottle of sake (japanese) and vodka (russian) surrounded by sunflowers and hydrangeas. Soooo pretty! The flowers in the US are fresher and more gorgeous than those in Singapore. I'm jealous damnit.


And it got all gorgeous at sunset, statue of liberty and all. My crappy canon does not do it justice ....


Finally ...the newly weds. Congrats guys!!!!We had an awesome time.


Need more wedding fix? The rest of the set is here ...

Twins?!

I didn't expect xy to be at her sister's daughter's b'day party on Saturday but she drove all the way down from NY by herself and showed up! YAY :) Funny thing is that we were wearing exactly the same color?? We didn't even realize till I looked at the photo! LOL

Bloated Tomato..this one's for you :)

CSI: Beacon Place

Disclaimer: This photo is not for the faint hearted. View at your own peril.

We opened the front door one morning and saw a ripped up bunny on our doormat. Yeah, I kid you not. Its guts were spilled out and different body parts were strewn everywhere. Thank goodness DH had a strong stomach and promptly trashed the dismembered bunnies.

So who done it? I think it's the neighbour's cat ... it was sitting on a deck chair next to the crime scene. Though we examined it for blood and found none ... HRMMMMM

Where's Mini?

Life has been getting pretty crazy so I haven't had much time for anything! Even the Mox misses me. DH was taking her out for her evening walk the other day when she came running back up the stairs. (She usually rushes as soon as we say "Let's Go".) Turns out she was trying to herd me so I would come along. I guess she misses me walking her in the evenings. So cute eh?

Here's my typical schedule:

7.00am: Rise and Try to Shine
7.45am: Jump into car and drive to school
8.30 - 10.00 am: Try to stay awake in first class
10.20 - 11.45 am: Second class + much needed coffee
12.00 - 1.00pm: Club Meeting + Lunch
1.00 - 2.30 pm: Quick lunch and catch up on email and cases
2.30 -4.00 pm: Class again
4.00 - 5.00pm: Recitation
5.00 pm - 7.00pm: Team Meeting
7.30 - 8.30 pm: Prepare Dinner
8.30 - 9.30 pm: Eat and catch up on some tv
9.30 - ?: Homework and Shower

And this is when I don't have to stay late for other activities like talks etc. My new bedtime averages 1.30am. For someone needing at least 8 hrs of sleep a day, 1.30 is like really late for me!

Swamped Thing

I am pressed for time and SWAMPED :( Just some random ramblings since it's more fun than reading zzzzzz

- I have no time for anything!! *BOOHOO*
- Apparently the 40k tuition includes some major ass kissing
- I am one vain mf. I lug my laptop and books to school in a 3 tonne tote bag?!?!
- I feel like Hermione Granger in a classroom full of Hermione Grangers. Class participation be damned!
- I am sick of meeting new people ... help!
- I am never going to finish my readings ...double help!
- I have no idea what I wanna be when I grow up ... triple help!
- I hate perky people

The Rents were in Town

Been mad busy with preterm, orientation and the parents in town. EEKS where have my vacation days gone? We did some touring of New England since they've already seen Boston. Drove to Rockport for lobster and Gloucester (of The Perfect Storm fame) the first weekend. Went to P-town on the cape the second weekend. I've always liked provincetown. I even found an art gallery I loved. Poli does great pieces with dogs. I am so lemming a custom painting of Moxie and us on the beach!

MMM Lobster! What trip is complete without it ...


I'm teaching them to start their own blog :)


The rents also spoiled Moxie silly. Oh yeah and us too. We didn't have to walk the dog or cook or clean. *sigh*

10 Years Ago

Feeling nostalgic since I just started b-school on Monday. While sitting in a review session, it suddenly dawned on me that exactly 10 years ago I was starting out as a freshman in college. I've come a full circle. Damn I'm old!


10 Years ago ...
1. I was a teenager *gasp*
2. I lived away from home for the first time
3. I experienced my first hurricane
4. There were no ipods ... but napster was alive and everyone had a shared folder full of illegal music. ahh those were the days
5. The chat client of choice was ICQ
6. Few people in the US had cell phones!
7. Kids went to school with desktops instead of laptops
8. No Google
9. Oasis, Spice Girls, Smashing Pumpkins were popular
10.The TV series, Beverly Hills 90210 was still hip

This would make a fun tag me thinks. Blog about what you were doing 10 years ago and what you remember from that time. I tag in no particular order... Gracie, Bloated Tomato, Dewberry, S*, e*, Singaporegrrl, matreshka and anyone else who wants to join in the fun. =)

Can you spot me? I'm picking up my nametag on the first day.

Starwars at Tanglewood

Headed down to Tanglewood with Z and S on Saturday to watch the BSO rehersal play music from Star Wars and Memoirs of a Geisha. Tanglewoods is beautiful. It's set in the hills of the Berkshires with a spectacular view, about 2.5hrs from Boston.

Star Wars Theme. As DH put it ... it's just like the CD but live! Too bad I'm not much of a star wars fan hehe.


It's Yo Yo Ma!


That's all the photos we got before the pesky volunteers stopped us from taking photos. :p Was hoping to catch one of James Earl Jones (he was dressed in a white suite like Colonel KFC haha). All in all it was fun. Will bring stuff for a picnic in future.

And that's all folks, strangely DH got the stomach flu and we had to go home early.

Triple Savins

With a $40,000 tuition bill looming and no income, I need to cut back on my shopping. No more frivolous expenses! I sure did myself proud today. Resisted the urge to buy too much at the mall and left with only 4 items. Hey, that calls for enormous restraint on my part. Here's my haul!

1) Cutest MJ inspired pumps from Payless! Only $17.99. They'll be great for fall with black tights. Savings: $260


2) Michael Kors inspired pumps, again from Payless (I got them in black suede). Compare with actual Michael Kors Newtons. They make me tall! Savings: $170.96

3) Bought nailpolish instead of getting a manicure. Savings: $15. Substituted Maybelline store brand instead of my usual O.P.I. Double savings: $5!

4) Garnier hair coloring $6.99. Highlights seem to be growing out again. Savings: $135 since I didn't get it done at the salon!

Total Savings Today: $585.96 *ding ding* ;)

Haha ok so the math is all weird but I think I did good.

Back Burned and Bruised!

We made it back! I must say we really subjected ourselves to some torture this vacation but damnit ... it was worth every minute. OK not every minute, there were times in Quito when I wished I was home, but the Galapagos islands were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. This is the place for you if you love animals. I've already decided to bring our kids back there (if we have ever kids hehe). :)

Sealions a plenty:


Now time for the whining. I got sun burned on my back, and I don't usually get burned. My stomach hasn't been feeling good either the entire trip. No full blown stomach sickness but general discomfort. Urhgk. DH had to reach for the cipro (for diarrhoea) twice. I didn't think the altitude in Quito would affect me but damnit it did. AMS (acute mountain sickness) that's what it's called. My head hurt like hell, nauseau, general sluggishness, and a tingling in my fingers. EEEEKs!

In the Galapagos there were boat rides from hell to battle. The journeys in the smaller boats were rough. The swells were up to 5ft. Imagine the bottom of the boat slamming as it hits the trough. The thud reverberates through your entire spine. And this happened every 30 seconds. We endured this for 6 hours albeit broken up into 2 hr chunks. I think we deserve an award. Thankfully I didn't get seasick. Some other people weren't so lucky!

In Quito there were busrides from hell. Notice a theme here? 2 hours through the winding mountains. The smell of onions mixed with cheap perfume permeating the stale air and some american kung fu movie dubbed in spanish blaring on the tv on the bus. Strangely Ecuadorian public transport always has some form of entertainment such as music or a tv. I've never been so glad to get off a bus.

View from the bus:


So to end it off, we decided to take it easy with a day of horseback riding around Cotopaxi (volcano). Sounds relaxing huh? It totally wasn't. The next day our inner thighs and backs were hurting. And we still had to run (with all our stuff in tow) to make our connecting flight in Miami! OMG. Thank goodness we didn't fly back today with the heightened security.

OK but don't let that detract from the amazing time we had. =) I'll end off with some photos. More to come in my new travel blog, The Reluctant Adventurer!

Lounging lizard and crabs:


A very birdy couple:


Turtle and I:


Quito Photoset

Galapagos Photoset

Let's Go ... Ecuador

It's vacation time. We're leaving for Quito on Friday! I'm so excited and a little stressed out. My last day at work is Monday which means I only have 3 days to prepare for the trip and run errands before I leave. This includes paying tuition for the fall, picking a new health insurance plan, filling out some surveys for school, sending out my free ipod rebate, laundry, packing, driving an hour to Dartmouth to drop Moxie off. Arghk the list goes on. Being an adult isn't fun =(

But on to photos. Here's a sneak preview courtesy of our friend who works for unesco in Ecuador:



We'll be staying in Quito the capital city for 2 days and spend a week in the Galapogos. I've always been fascinated by that place since reading about it in our Campbell biology text in Junior College hehe :)

Happy B'day Moxie!

It's Moxie's second birthday today! We weren't able to celebrate last year since we were in Singapore for our wedding, but I sure made it up this year! I baked her a yummy cake: banana honey center with yogurt and blueberry frosting. Don't think I did a very good job with the cake since it came out kinda tough ... oh well I figured Moxie would be forgiving anyway since she even eats paper towels. This should be a treat in comparison!



The doggy birthday cake:


Here's her new birthday bed! Her old one is all ripped up, destuffed, and disgusting. Yeah this is what us strange pet people do =)

Old Bed


New Bed ... Ahhh better! Though I'm quite sure she prefers the old bed haha

Heat Wave

OMG I am wilting. The weather has been unbearable the past few days. It felt like a hundred degrees (38C) out this afternoon. OK I exaggerate, it was actually only about 32C ... but still! And to make things worst, I've been having this persistent migraine the past couple days, I think from being out in the sun too much. =( ... I know I should be able to handle this better having grown up in Singapore. I'm getting weak and pastey! Help!

I decided to make cold noodles for dinner tonight since our apartment felt like a friggin oven. I found a recipe for Hiyashi Chuka online and ended up giving it a try since I had most of the ingredients.

Tada! Looks yummy and healthy doesn't it? I substituted buckwheat noodles (I have no idea what chuka is) for chuka noodles. They're easily found in any japanese grocery. Did you also know that soba noodles have lots of health benefits? It is high in protein, low in calories, and thought to lower blood pressure and have anti cancer/aging properties. Have I sold you yet? hehe



This was surprisingly easy to prepare since not much cooking was required aside from frying the egg. Here's my modified recipe. You can add any vegetable you like, or add cold tofu, natto etc.

Ingredients
* 2 Bundles soba
* 1/4 lb. strips of honey turkey (any kind of cured meat will do)
* 1/2 cucumber shredded
* 1 tomato sliced
* Handful of mung bean sprouts (blanched in hot water)
* 1 corn on the cob (microwaved)
* 6 Shitake mushrooms (boiled and julienned)
* 2 eggs (removed a yolk)
* For Dressing: 1/3 cup water / 3 tbsps rice wine vinegar / 2 tbsps soysauce / 3 tbsps sugar / 1tsp sesame oil

Preparation
1) Beat eggs, add salt and pepper to taste, pan fry as an omelette
2) Boil mushrooms, blanch mung beans in hot water, microwave corn and remove kernals
3) Boil noodles according to instructions on package and run under cold water
4) Prepare sauce according to instructions above
5) EAT :)

Pirate Thieves!

Them thieves stole my $7.50!!! We watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 on Saturday afternoon to escape the heat. I had such high hopes for the movie since the entire cast was back. And Pirates of the Carribean is only like my favoritest movie of all time. You see, I can watch it over and over again without getting bored. *blush*

But I digress, the sequel stunk! The first hour was entertaining but you soon realize that the plot is going no where. The story around Davey Jones' locker was shakey. And I got most pissed off when *ahem* love interests change at the last minute. *$*@#*@ How can it be? They deprived me! I get my kicks out of watching protagonists hook up on the big screen. The movie then ends abruptly because they have to set up the plot for Pirates 3! *shakes fist* I want my money back! I also need to rewatch Pirates 1 to wash away the bad memories of the second movie :P

Anyway I am at work now after a busy weekend. My last week here! But me so sleepy. I had an awful headache last night (most likely from the sun and heat) and took some sleepy-time exedrin which hasn't worn off yet. I need my bed ....*Yawn*

Fair Weather Fan

YAY Italy won! =)

Ok so I know I haven't discussed soccer on my blog. And DH calls me a "when it's convenient", fair weather fan. Probably true, but to my credit I've been rooting for the Italian team since the days of Roberto Baggio and Panini sticker books! (Did you know that those sticker books still exist?) I also think the Italian goalie Buffon is so super cool. He's has all these good saves and is intensely psychotic looking. But do you think he waxes his eyebrows? I swear the man does!!!

In my expert eyebrow connoisseur opinion, just like a girl gets her brows done before a big occasion, Buffon got his done to look good before the world cup haha. See ... too deliberately clean. And omg do I see an arch??



We also had a mini World Cup BBQ Party. We had burgers and to keep with the Italian theme I also made tiramisu. I love making tiramisu because the recipe is so easy and it's always yummy! It took me about 20 minutes to prepare.

I used this recipe. But modified it by substituting half the coffee mixture for kahlua to give it an added kick :) Also remember to beat the egg whites till stiff peaks are formed (i.e. when you dip in a spatula and pull it out, the mixture will form a little peak). I didn't and the creamy layer turned out too wet. Thankfully it still tasted delicious!



Au Poivre Patty from Whole Foods:

What We Did ...

It was a productive 4-day weekend. Besides trying to drown Moxie in the pool we accomplished other things too ...

1) Checked out Jockey Hollow. It's weird that places in the NY/NJ region are often called blah blah hollow. You know like Sleepy Hollow, Jockey Hollow ...what gives! Surprisingly Jockey Hollow is actually somewhat historic since Washington and his troops camped there years ago.



2) Barbequed - But of course, it's July 4th!


3) Visited the Central Park Zoo. I first learned about this zoo from the movie Madegascar. But damnit the movie lied. There were no hippos, lions or giraffes! The kids were devastated and cried their little hearts out... ok ok I jest :)



4) The dogs had their incessant lovers quarrel. Don't think he's figured out she's an "it".


5) Visited the mother ship in soho! Beam me up scotty!


6) Dined al fresco and met up with A & N in the city


7) Hung out with A^2 or soon to be A^3?

OK Have I bored you enough with the photo whoring? =) You can see the rest here!