Just the way you are (Piano/Cello Cover)

"The word 'love' is tossed around alot today. This arrangement goes out to anyone that feels something so deeply for someone that words can't even begin to describe."

You had all of me

Today, I took a walk down memory lane. It all started with a dream. A dream about you. Yes I still do dream about you. Funny isn't it? After so long.. I guess time decides who you meet, the heart decides who you love but behavior decides who stays on. It was an adrenaline rush thinking of you after that dream. Everything seemed surreal, so near, so far, everything was distantly close. The sudden pang of missing you ate into me as the day wore on.

I missed how I'd never have to unlock and lock my phone again to check for notifications cos you'll be texting me, consuming all my idle thoughts while I travel to and fro. I miss how you would ask me how was my project in school and after that fetch me with a cup of KOI in hand. I miss our simple dinners together.. It didn't take us long to have a shared passion for simple tasty fare. Today I had Indonesian Grill at PS, something you introduced me to. I still love it but I try to avoid that place on most days as it reminds me of you. Dinner took all of me right back to you.

Then I chanced upon cute iron-ons in Daiso, it reminded me of the time we shopped there together for iron-ons to be embellished on the assortment of rainbow colored socks I bought for you. It was so gay I asked if you would wear them but the sporting you gamely agreed. I loved this part of you, always game for all my impromptu ideas. I told Lydia how you are, and how you would place everything I gave you in the living hall, how you would show everyone our photo album and cards. Happy times (:

Whenever you come into mind, you bring along the happy moments we shared. I remember how we loved buying food for each other or literally buying anything when we think of the other. Hello Panda, cup noodles, bubble tea, cupcakes, muffins and the endless list goes on. We'd even have soup dates to cook soup. Failed attempts aside, we were so contented.

I miss you making fun of how I'd google all my solutions, calling me your little girl, chiding me for being late, encouraging me when I'm stressed, sending me get well soon cards. I miss you texting me good morning and good night everyday. I miss all our fights and how we'd always find our way back to each other.

I used to look forward to weekends, they meant more time for us and time to spend with our families together. Now my weekends are mostly spent paying back my sleep debt accumulated throughout the week and waking up with little to look forward to since everyone's busy dating. I used to be in that group too, oblivious to the single ones out there. It definitely took me much coping with to get used to it.

There's so much of you in me. I realized that when you miss someone, they seemed to be the center of attraction in your world.

This was no good though. It disrupted my life that I rebuilt without the element of you in it. They always say  God often removes someone from your life for a reason, think before you chase after them. I don't have the courage to go all out for us again but I'll always wonder if we could hit the replay button, would things be the same? x

Worried soul

The moment I saw the news of an NSF missing in Brunei, all I can think about is you. It's as if I've anticipated for this moment the moment August started, knowing that you'll be going there, keeping tabs on everything Brunei. So worried, worried sick that something unfortunate may happen to you. The harsh rain, the food, the insects, possible heat rash, swollen feet, blisters everywhere.. There's no limit to what my imagination led me to think when you're there, all alone and exposed to unfamiliar elements. Keeping you in prayer everyday, hoping that you receive blessings in some way or another. But why does that seem so little when there's so much more I know I can give.. I'm sorry I left you, I'm sorry I let you go when you said I was the only one you could rely on, the only one you felt safe with, the only one who can bring you back on track. That expression when you said it.. How can I forget? It keeps repeating day in, day out and fills me with so much guilt. I'm sorry we didn't try any harder. I'm sorry I failed you.. I'm sorry. Most times, I work hard to be okay with how things are, but deep down I wish twice as hard that we should have tried. One last chance, another go. I wish we could go back to the time we had no worries, looking forward to every new day. We'd never have to wonder if we missed out on each other now. I love you so bad it's so hard to let go. And you don't even know.

What I've been up to!

Shall let the overdue pictures do the talking! :)

Tadaa! A new place to have yummy ramen in sg! (: So far the new year resolution of dining at a new place every month has been in place!! The ramen here is the best I've had in sg. The soup has a very natural taste, the aftertaste is just yummmm, it doesn't leave you dry and thirsty like it's infused with MSG. Tried two different flavours and they are both good. Ramen is springy and the portion is huge! Even the gluttony me find it quite hard to down one bowl by myself. There's also free flow hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts as well as roasted barley tea! All of which are my favourites. But the downside is that because of the space constraint, there's always a queue. So be prepared to wait for a good 30 mins before getting seated in the small but cosy lil place. I don't mind waiting for good food, so I'll definitely be back! (:

My first birthday cake mummy's bestie got for me! Thank you for getting me such a refreshing cake!! Actually I hate green tea everything other than the tea itself. But the cake is surprisingly good!! And addictive! It's very light with red beans in between each layer and the green tea taste is just nice. I think I had like 5 slices altogether >< count the calories and FML.

Hehe momsy so cute right! Look at her eyes! Full of expressions this lady! 

With my two brothers and distracted momsy. Her attention span is really short. Period.

Then there's the pre-celebration with my godparents and family! (: Hehe they are truly a blessing to have and I can't appreciate them more.

This is my pretty godma and ever so funny godpa! Godma is very talkative and lively so there'll never be a quiet moment with her! She's just so bubbly you'll feel happy around her. Godpa on the other hand is more toned down, he's not as talkative as godma but he has the ability to crack you up with just anything he says! Their combined aura is an infectious happiness that rubs on anyone. The two of them makes such a lovely pair, don't you think?

With Ken and popo! 

Actually a test shot, but it turned out well haha

The big brother I never had. This guy gives me valuable advice, probably cos he's older than me by an entire cycle of 12 years and everything I'm going through is pretty much his been there, done that. But we clicked well and we tease each other every time we meet like nobody's business! Glad to have you bro. (:

My favourite granny!! My maternal gran passed away due to cancer and my paternal gran stays in malaysia, so we hardly get to see her. That explains why she's the only granny I see on a regular basis but what makes her my favourite is her peaceful, always cheerful and caring disposition! She speaks in Hakka, a dialect I can't understand so our way of conversing is that of hand signs and expressions and frequent translations by godma. Sometimes it's really hilarious when we're trying to get a point across! Haha but you can feel her sincerity when she asks about you, what you've been doing, how are things and so on. She's just so irresistibly likable. When she smiles, you feel like smiling with her too! Thank you for being so sweet and cheerful, popo! I love you.

A blessed me (: Soaked in love all around!

My second cake!! Soooo princessy and pretty! Thank you godma and godpa for searching for this girly cake high and low! They specially requested it to be decorated with pearls cos it's my favourite gem, as well as princess-like lace to make it dainty and sweet! All the effort in searching for this, customizing it, THANK YOU!!!!! You guys make me feel so lucky and loved and everything nice! <3

Then after, we had dinner at tung lok @ chinese swimming club. This is our familiar scene at the dining table: Godma and korkor are left to order as usual, godpa will wait patiently and go into stoning mode haha, while popo will be all smiley and listen to godma, korkor and me talk, occasionally chipping in. I'll do what I do best, take tonsssss of pictures while waiting! And collage them as well as decorate it -.- What else to do you tell me lol but guess I was too hungry after the food arrived so no food porn that night haha!

A bright and happy collage of the anonymous sunflowers I received! (: Thank you, whoever you may be, you made my day! It was a sweet surprise albeit a little creepy. Always happy to receive sunflowers (: (: (:

After BKK trip, how can I not meet up with my girls! June passed with us only meeting once I think, miss them loads! Syl trimmed her fringe! She looks so kawaii with shorter fringe, not to mention younger! Wt became fairer after our incessant nagging to start using proper skincare products :P

Settled at Ichiban Sushi. Their bento sets are my personal best in town! Wholesome is the word to describe them. There's a standard appetizer, main, side ,miso soup,rice and fruit in every set which comes in healthy portions just enough to fill the tum tums. 

Wt's first time trying sashimi! However it's not to her liking unfortunately ): Both Syl and I are big fans and we went Y U NO LIKE SASHIMI throughout lol. Ordered individual steamboats to warm up as the day was cold in my memory.

Shortly after, momsy planned another Genting trip again! Partially due to the scorching hot and humid weather in sg. So happy to travel with the two brothers finally! It's so hard to coordinate time to travel together, really happy we made this trip <3

Our must-have dinner @ mushroom farm whenever we visit Genting (; Their signature fish is my FAV! It's only available there in my knowledge and I am craving for it right now T________T We tried their braised pork belly for the first time and I rate it 3.5/5! I have a great weakness for this dish, after all I'm Chinese and we love our pork! The gravy is delectable, a bit heavy with the dark soy sauce but it's to our liking! So if you prefer a lighter sauce, this dish may be too salty for you.

While waiting for the movie to start.. Heh amazing how time flies, I look at this picture and wonder how did my cutie pie brother grow up so fast. Xie xie ni baby brother, always taking care of me although it should be the other way round. Haha thanks for growing up into a fine young guy, always a joy to have around with your jokes. Thank you for being my comfort on moody days and a shoulder to lean on at all times.

Grown up brothers of a proud sister (: 

Upgraded the room for the second night, all of us slept soundly! (: The room and bathroom are twice the size of a regular one, complete with a bathtub and full toiletries etc. Love the room, just nice for 4 people!

The next day was spent in the theme park, these two are caught goofing around :P

I need height!! 

Ended the night with dinner at Genting Palace after my first gambling experience at the casino. The food is awesome! Mum's fav restaurant in Genting so it's also a must-go when we're there. The braised pork belly here is 4.5/5!! MUST ORDER if you're there!!

After Genting, it's time to meet up with my babygirls (: My besties from poly and lifetime friends to keep <3

It's been so long since I saw Steph, she has been tied down with work and family commitment, so really glad she made time for us that day!

The girls made me a collage of our pictures together so I can see them everyday! How sweet!! (: And to top it off, they gave me handmade bath bombs! I love taking baths and I've been searching for these for sucha long time! Thank you babies! You girls really know what I like hehe. The bombs smell heavenly, can't wait to use them! 

Must camwhore!

Decided to chill at Habitat Coffee @ upp thomsons that rainy night, their truffle fries are very addictive and will keep you wanting for more! Was a lil disappointed the black velvet cake was sold out ): But it's okay, another reason to go back there! Haha we had their cheesy pasta and the chicken pasta in the collage too. However the pastas were mehhh, kinda overcooked and the portion is small, I feel that it's not worth the money for the quality and portion. Not gonna order the pastas again. The tiramisu  and red velvet cake were also average in our opinion so we decided that their black velvet cake is still the best.

Recently we celebrated yeeyee's birthday at Dian Xiao Er! (: Heartwarming gathering and dinner, we should do this more often, not only on birthdays! (: 

Had a lot of food that night! Seafood fried rice in XO sauce, fish maw soup with seafood, yam ring, golden tofu served with broccoli, braised pork belly, spinach with century and salted egg and two ducks, one roasted with angelica herbs and another with ten wonder herbs. Dian Xiao Er is one of the restaurants that serves above average Chinese food in my opinion, love to dine there cos the interior makes one feel so homely and the food is comfort food for the belly. 

Yeeyee celebrated her special day with her friend who shares the same birth date as her! So coincidental! Reminds me of Lydia love and Pinru (:

Syl and Wt did a notice board filled with our pics and well wishes for me! It is so nicely decorated by my two meticulous girls I'm gonna pin it up so I can see it everyday haha! I feel so touched whenever I receive handmade gifts cos a lot of effort goes into them. And it's also time-consuming to say the least. Really appreciate it sweethearts! <3 They got me sunglasses so all 3 of us will have the same pair lol as well as bracelets and ribbons! Not forgetting the la senza nightgown. The girls actually took time to search for a comfy AND pretty one to ensure I sleep prettily! Haha thank you dears!!! :) I love the nightgown very very much!

Festivities aside, I've also been helping out at godpa's dental clinic as a temp receptionist! I like the job a lot,  there are adorable colleagues making sure I'm well fed 24/7 and I get to meet nice and friendly patients everyday! Some even bring us food like muffins, cupcakes etc. It's hard not to enjoy working in such an environment. (: It's also difficult not to get fat there. Haha you guys pamper me too much! :P 

With that, I shall end this post as the sleeping bug's finally kicking in. Goodnight and sweetest dreams! <3

Bellabox

Hi I'm back! Fifty years older. Hahaha! How do I look??? Still as beautiful? It was fun playing dress up at godma's recently, we digged out all her wigs and I tried them on to see how I'll look like years down the road. My godma is stunning for her age. She works out every alternate day to keep her trim and fit, plays tennis in her leisure time and eats healthily on a daily basis, so you can imagine how she looks like, nothing like her age! But thinning hair has always been a problem for her, hence the wigs. I guess nobody's perfect? Nevertheless, she's a total inspiration to age gracefully. She always advised me to keep my hair healthy and so far I've kept my virgin hair free from any treatments and colouring cos I am really kiasu, in fear that anything will damage these "baby" tresses. Thus I have one tiny wish for later years, hair please don't go on a thinning strike!!! Another valuable takeaway from godma: As important as it is to protect and care for our hair, it is also important to take great care of our overall health and skin to look younger than our age! 

I loveeee trying new beauty products, but at the same time I'm also very skeptical! So what I'll do is to try samples before buying. But getting samples is embarrassing T_____T I used to talk to the salesgirls over the beauty counters and hopefully show enough interest so that they'll give me samples willingly before I realised you gotta deal with their moods and good and bad sale days too. On days a particular salesgirl is very enthusiastic, she'll give you so many different products to try but on days they are not, better not to even get near them cos they may just snap at you, irritated that you're not buying anything and yet asking for something FOC. But hey, how many percent of people actually listen to the beauty consultants rave about their products and decide to buy them on the spot? I know I don't belong to that percentage. So imagine my joy when I found out there's something called Bellabox! If you love trying and adding new products to your usual skincare routine without the hassle of getting samples over the counter, order Bellabox! Each month, you'll receive 5 of the latest prestige, boutique and cult products in the comfort of your own home as every box is lovingly hand delivered! Their delivery is superb, I was showering when my Bellabox arrived hence I didn't hear the doorbell ring, but the Bellabox delivery guy actually called up to double check so I managed to get my Bellabox right after the shower! Singpost should follow suit so I don't need to collect registered parcels at the post office anymore! >< 

This is how it looks like! The colour is peach pink, which doesn't show in this picture. Mm time to get a new cammy?

Excitement building up as the unwrapping begins!

Everything is pink! The envelope, wrapping paper and ribbon! I LOVE PINK (: It makes my Bellabox so dainty and sweet!

Actually, this part kinda kills the joy. If you're one to read any letter before unwrapping a gift, you're just like me! But opening the envelope is an anti-climax step sadly, cos all the brochures of the products you received are in it T______T So you already know what's inside before you even unwrap the "gift"! ):

Some brochures are really helpful, like this SKII one! It's a step-by-step guide to use the products in sequence and how to effectively get better skin by using the right techniques when you apply them!

There are also discounts when you purchase full size products. How awesome can this get?! You get to try the product, and if you love it, you can buy it at a discounted price!! 

Tadaaa! My July Bellabox items!!!

Guess what this is?

It's a really cute pen in the form of a Bellabox lipstick! Recently I've been going on a crazy stationery spree in preparation for school, pens, pencils, notebooks, paper, you name it, I've got it haha so this fits in well with the rest of my recent loots! (:

My very first SKII trial set (: SKII is such a raved about brand, it's a joy to finally be able to try it!! 

Healthy facial treatment skin conditioner and Platinum hologram illuminating hydro cream base from L'EGERE. I've never used their products before so this is also a first! After research I found out that these two are very popular in Asia, especially the skin conditioner! It is fragrance free and colour free "miracle water" that helps to calm troubled skin. So far I've been taking well to this new baby added into my skincare regime, and I love the moisturizing effect.

Jimmy Choo fragrance, described as "feminine yet empowering, with a lot of sensuality to it". I love love love this perfume!! So much so I'm nearly using it up within days. Considering buying a bigger bottle to add to my perfume arsenel.

A new product I've never heard of, Twistband! It works like a rubberband, with promises that there'll be no dent marks after use. I used this immediately. Haha and I tied it when my hair is semi dry. Most rubberbands will leave a dent after your hair has dried naturally especially when you tie it on semi dry hair, but guess what! Even after a night of partying there are no traces that I've tied my hair! Hello smooth sleek hair! And it looks yummy on the wrists as well, matchy matchy with colourful beads! But personally I find it kinda pricey, 3 bands for SGD$8. Plus the holding power is so-so if compared to my curly-wurly, so nope, I'll not buy this at original price. Nevertheless, thank you Bellabox for giving me one! And in such a pretty colour too!

Pangea Organics Lip Balm. Having tried all brands of lip balms in earlier days to treat chapped lips, I devoted myself to Vaseline for years as it was the ONLY thing that worked and got my lip shape back. Yeah my dry lips were so dry and chapped I can't make out my lip shape at all ): But all that was history after Vaseline. I'm still using the petroleum jelly up to today. But this pangea organics lip balm is surprisingly moisturizing! And the best part is it sits for a really long time! Plus, it's not sticky at all! I always have that something-is-on-my-lips feeling whenever I use commercial lip balms but this lip balm is so different! Love at first sight is all I can say! And it smells soooooo good! My flavour is lavender and it's reviving smelling it. Secretly ditching my Vaseline for this cos of the scent. :P

Last but not least, Skinmiso pore beauty nose pack! I've not tried this yet as I'm going for facial this thursday, saving this for later days. What's special about this nose pack is that there are two masks and an essence for you to apply after you're done getting rid of nasty black and whiteheads! Can't wait to try this and see if it works! (:

All these products for only SGD$15 a month! SUPER WORTH IT!! But they increased the price to SGD$20 recently if I'm not wrong. But still!! It's so worth it! So many products for this price! The best part is you can cancel the subscription anytime too, so it's pretty much a no strings attached, no obligations subscription! I feel that this is really thoughtful as you can cancel anytime you feel that you're overloaded with too many samples or if you're feeling particularly broke that month. Totally looking forward to my August Bellabox already!~ 

Ending off with a radiant 21 year old Jaslyn! (:

XOXO