"Welcome to HortPark..."

~.~.~

The Lin Clan had a outing not too long ago... We went to the Horticulture Park (HortPark, in short) under the suggestion by Caryn, now my officially appointed Scouts IC of the "Lin Clan". haha... She has been always suggesting & bringing us to places I never knew existed in Singapore. Next outing, we plan to go to this wonderful cheesecake place... but that will be another entry for another time. Teehee...

~.~.~

So anyway, it was a Friday afternoon. No classes in the afternoon. And we took Anli's car to get to HortPark. But before that, can I just add that they had lunch WITHOUT ME~! when we agreed beforehand that we were supposed to eat together... diaoz (super disappointing...) I only found that out when we all got onto Anli's car. I even turned down my roomie's invitation for lunch for that matter. Anyway, a Hungry Leslie was a Angry Leslie in the car... so the girls had to make a quick detour to West Coast MacDonald's Drive-through to get me a MacWings Upsized Meal to get that Olympics Limited Edition Cup. By the way, that was my first time going through a drive-through... so it was a experience nonetheless. haha.

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So we were talking cock, eating my MacWings meal in the car. Before long, we reached our destination - HortPark. A little info on HortPark: It was developed at a cost of $13 million. Though it's half the size of the Botanic Garden, it has 20 themed gardens inside, a nursery, a horticultural mart, some restuarants, a showroom for people to browse, & a glassroom function hall at the lower level. Pretty cool, if you ask me... being touted as the first gardening & lifestyle hub in South-East Asia that brings together gardening, educational, research & retail under one roof.

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About 12 hectares of the place is opened up to the general public, like us for sightseeing. The rest serves as the working nursery for the National Parks Board (NParks) which owns the HortPark. This nursery has been around since the 1970s, and they provide the plants, trees & shrubs for various public parks & Singapore roads. And according to the internet, free guided tours are conducted for vistiors.

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So who knows? Maybe some of you, might want to bring ur family, friends or loved ones for a nice walk and/or pinic in HortPark & enjoy the variety of flowers, plants & landscapes at the 20 themed gardens and breathe in the fresh air. =) I know, I will someday... Don't always go Zouk, MOS chiong lah... This alternative is much more healthier.

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That's me trying to finish up my MacWings Meal, while snapping a shot at me. That's the girls in "jail".

Some scenery pictures for you...

Anli is trying to take a "nice" photo of our back view, but I don't get what's so nice about our back view?

Ohh... that's me trying to ride the orange rhino. WHAT~!? We all need to let go of ourselves once in a while.

The picture of the Lin Clan girls is just splendid~! Heard Anli likes this picture alot.

More landscape pictures of the Park...

That's us at the "Hawaii Landscape" themed garden. We just look good lah...

We are trying to take a FUN SHOT at the playground... And that, my friends, is (was) a wishing well~?

That heart-shaped wooden stool reminds of heart-shaped TSP (dragonboat joke).
We wandered into the "Wizard of Oz" themed garden & took a picture with the Scarecrow & the Lion.



Some more scenery shots... and me with my broken slipper. It just broke all of a sudden.
The girls tell me it's my bad karma... =P

And FINALLY... my favourite photo of the Lin Clan. Just take a look, all of us so SEY!

The feeling is so surreal, like a scene from a dream. haha... I took the picture with the timer. Hehe... (claim credits) Caryn & Anli says it looks as though Melissa is resting on my shoulder. IT'S JUST A OPTICAL ILLUSION.

I'm innocent~!!! Plus she's not even my Charmaine. =P

~.~.~

Oh yeah, for those who wanna know how to get to HortPark. Here's the map... 33 Hyderabad Road.

Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself

Makes me want to lose myself in your arms

There's something in your voice

Makes my heart beat fast

Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life

~.~.~

If you knew how lonely my life has been

And how long I've been so alone

If you knew how I wanted someone to come along

And change my life the way you've done

~.~.~

It feels like home to me

It feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

~.~.~

It feels like home to me

It feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

~.~.~

A window breaks down a long dark street

And a siren wails in the night

But I'm alright cause I have you here with me

And I can almost see through the dark there is light

~.~.~

If you knew how much this moment means to me

And how long I've waited for your touch

If you knew how happy you are making me

I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

~.~.~

It feels like home to me

It feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

~.~.~

It feels like home to me

It feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

~.~.~

This Weekend. This Saturday. My big day. Our big day.

I had the Best National Day ever this year, 2008... And I hope there's many more to come. =) This is the first National Day I spent with someone special, so I'm not really familiar with how it all works. How early you have to arrive? Where to go to avoid the crowd? Where is the best spot to bring her to catch the fireworks?

~.~.~

Arriving late, squeezing amongst the heavy crowd, and with the presence of light drizzling falling upon us... It was a hectic evening. Many routes were closed off by the police... People were allowed to exit but not enter certain sectors. Hence we spent quite some time trying to figure our way to the Merlion or One Fullerton area. We ended up making a huge detour past the Esplande Park & crossing the bridge next to Fullerton Hotel... where we were stopped in our tracks by the police. It seemed like an impossible task to get to the Merlion now. In the end, the police closed off the traffic flow through the Esplande Bridge, & the crowd were released like a bunch of excited children onto the bridge.

~.~.~

And so, we ended up spending our evening right in the middle of the Esplande Bridge, along with hundreds of Singaporeans... something you'll never get to do on normal days. We each had a home-made sandwich prepared by yours truly for in-between dinner, I just NEVER KNEW I could make such delicious sandwiches! We witnessed the Singapore flag fly-past & the F-16 (Black Knights) fly-past right from above our heads. But the best was the spectacular fireworks that took place just right next to us. =D I shall not comment on the way how C tried to take pictures of the fireworks. But it was really F-U-N-N-Y~!!! =P

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After the National Day Parade, we walked along One Fullerton into the CBD sector, to Lau Pa Sak. The place was so crowded... even on usual days, what more on Nationay, straight after the parade. So we decided to change location & strolled to Clarke Quay. C wanted to introduce me to the famous Beef Kway Teow over there. We came by the spot where NTU & Ngee Ann used to assemble for Regetta '07, & we had a small chat, reminiscing about the old days when C knew of the "NTU Stalker", & me of the "Ngee Ann Girl". Hahahaha... =)

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We spent some time walking up & down the street, trying to locate the famous Beef Kway Teow stall... until my stomach couldn't take it anymore. So we just enjoyed our dinner at one of those roadside eateries with a simple plate of Ee-mee & Yang Zhou Fried Rice, together with one "piece?" of coconut. The way she "digs" the coconut flesh is TOTALLYYY hilarious, splashing the water everywhere, especially on my cardigan *diaoz* hahaha. (Don't worry, you're forgiven since the flesh is for me...)

~.~.~

After dinner, it was already quite late too. So we headed back home. Though some minor setbacks earlier on in the day, we still managed to enjoy our special night together, under the blessings of the fireworks. And all these made me realise that sometimes it doesn't really have to be an extragavant occasion, outing or date per se... so long as you really enjoy each other's company. The simplest of things can also be the most blissful of things... Isn't this what "true companionship" is all about~?

~.~.~

Experiencing the Fireworks...

Inspirational Story for all those who are still "holding on"... This is a repeated story I had from my previous blog. I feel that this story is very meaningful & it helped me during my darkest days in life. So I'm posting this story on this new blog for my friends whom have yet to read this... Pls sit back & enjoy the story. =)

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Once upon a time, there lived a old monk & a little monk in a rundown temple up upon the hills, located within the rural area of ancient China. One day, the old monk brought the little monk along, to the nearby town to collect alms & purchase supplies for the temple.

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So they were travelling down the hill towards the town which was some distance away. The little monk followed closely behind the old monk taking in the sights & scenes of the colourful world beyond the temple walls. Soon they came to a small rive, where the only passage through was a fell tree that served as a bridge connecting both sides of the banks. The pathway was narrow, barely enough to let one person walk through. Hence it could allow only passage in only one direction.

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As the old monk & little monk tried to make their way across the bridge, there came along a beautiful, young lady from the opposite side of the bank. The little monk was able to identify the lady from his past trips, as a well-known prostitue from the nearby town, famous for her flirting & teasing. Soon they met each other in the middle of the bridge, coming to a halt. Both parties remained silent for a moment. Finally the old monk spoke up.

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Old monk: Young lady, I'm with my little disciple, heading to the nearby town to collect some alms & buy supplies for the temple. Could you kindly let us pass?

Prostitue: I'm not gonna give way to both of you, stinking monks. I'm in a hurry. Why don't both of you let me pass first and not block my way?

Little monk: Hey, Miss, who are you calling stinking...

(as the old monk cut him off before the little monk could finish his sentence)

Old monk: Very well then, we shall let the young lady pass through first. She seems to be in a rush for time.

Prostitue: (seeing this as a sign of weakness, went on to feign injury) Ahhh, I think I sprained my ankle and I can't walk at all. Could you carry me across the opposite bank & let me rest by the boulder over there (pointing to a boulder on the opposite side of the bank)?

Old monk: (knowing that the prostitute was lying) If that is the case, then I will gladly help the young lady across the river to the other side of the bank where you will be able to rest.

Little monk: ......

Old monk: (without a second to waste, the old monk turned around, his back facing the prostitue) Please, get onto my back, I will carry you over to the other side.

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And so, the old monk carried the prostitue, step by step, back to the side of the bank where he & the little monk had started from. The old monk set the prostitue down by the boulder where she could rest. Then the old monk bid the prostitue farewell as he & the little monk carried on with the rest of the journey to the town. Throughout the journey, the little monk seemed troubled, but kept silent.

~.~.~

After travelling some distance, they finally reached the entrance of the town. Just then, the little monk couldn't contain himself anymore... his curiosity was overflowing from within him. He finally gathered himself & asked the old monk.

~.~.~

Little monk: Teacher, I just don't understand how you could carry that young lady whom you & I clearly knew was a prostitute, on your back, across the river? Aren't we as monks, supposed to keep our distance from women? In addition, that lady is unclean, she is a prostitute. Aren't we breaking the rules as monks? I just don't understand... I tried to figure it out by myself, but throughout the whole journey I cannot think of any good reasons... Why? Teacher, why?

~.~.~

So many questions the little monk asked. So many doubts inside the little monk's mind. All waiting for answers. But the old monk merely answered in a simple sentence, before entering into the town.

~.~.~

The old monk said, in a peaceful tone, "Little disciple, I have already put the young lady down back by the river... Why are you still carrying her on your back? Isn't it time too you put her down?"...

NTU Dragonboat 6-Days trip to Penang... I haven't been able to blog recently due to our DragonBoat Team 6 days trip to Penang to take part in the International Club Crew World Championships (CCWC)... then after the trip from Penang, I got seriously ill. Took me a good five days to recover! Haha~ Can't deny WE are not getting any younger. In the past a simple illness like this takes at most two days to recover. Now? more than twice the time... haiz~

~.~.~

Anyway this CCWC is a worldwide international event, and this time it's being held in PENANG. Somewhere near to us, so more the reason we should go & support, and truly witness an eye-opener to see other world renowned teams in pure, hard, fast action! We have teams from Canada, U.S.A., Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, Australia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Dubai, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Taiwan ROC, New Zealand, Iran, South Africa & Malaysia... it's a handful~ but it's a total of 23 countries & exactly 110 teams that took part in the event! Yeah, I know... I counted.

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Day One, July 30, 2008: First day of arrival - was breakfast & lunch at the coffeeshop near our hotel, Cititel. Then, we headed to the race site @ Teluk Bahang Dam... the scenery there is wooooohooo~ NICE... good breeze, good view, good waters. The organisers already got the tents, pontoon, stage, grandstand etc set up then. The tents remind me of a scene from Narnia: The Witch, The Lion & The Wardrobe, where Aslan was preparing for war with the Ice Witch... the tents at the foot of the hill, on an open patch of land. That's the scene to describe it. The tents were all labelled with the signboards of the various teams. The Singapore teams were just next to each other... NJC, SMU, NTUC, RP and Mountbatten, as well as next to some japanese teams... eye smoothies for the guys. =P (Not for me!) So we went down for some test-row on the waters. After one or two hours of "training", we headed on to the chartered bus, on its one hour plus bus ride back to the hotel. It's that far... of course due to the winding mountain road and poor traffic layout of Penang too~

~.~.~

That very night, we had the tradition Penang "guy-girl teams bonding session" where the guys team & girls team are split up & mixed into various smaller groups, where they will have dinner together & the rest of the night till the meeting timing to be 'alone' @ the nearby shopping centre near the hotel... Of course, the best activity for the guys & girls team to bond is to GOSSIP about scandals in the team or even better, create THE SCANDAL ourselves. So that night's dinner my group managed to dig out alot of girls team's secret thanks to Nicole, Crystal, MeiYan... & we created the scandalous couple for the night, Joel & Crystal... =P And after dinner, while other groups went to purchase foodstuffs & water for the team or themselves, my group laze our time away, relaxing at the Secret Recipe restaurant. I swear somehow the cakes at Secret Recipe Penang just tastes better than those in Singapore... I'm serious. Alot of girls from the girls team say so too. Time's up, went back for debrief & the next day's schedule & that was pretty much concludes Day One. (Not to mention my "encounter with the other side in my hotel room" that faithful night~) =S

~.~.~

Day Two, July 31, 2008: 1st Day of Race - 2,000m Race. Reveille timing: 0530hrs! (Un)fortunely due to the fact that not everyone gets to row in the mixed boat, some of the guys & girls were "left behind" after breakfast in the hotel, to get better rest-up & re-join the team at a later timing for their respective 2,000m race - be it Mens 2k or Womens 2k. When I say "later timing", I really meant 12:30pm. Notice how much more time that is, 7hours(!) for you to sleep (that's what Enyu did all the way till lunch at 12noon =P ) or do whatever you want... Well, for Jonah, Darryl & I, we did sleep (of course!) till about 9:30am & used the hotel's internet services at its office at around 10am. Some used it to check emails. Some used it to go through facebook. Some used it to drop an 3000 word essay email to their loved ones back in Singapore. haha =P After that, I went back to my room & slack with my roomie, YongSheng who by the way, fell sick on the first day of arrival. Me? I fell really sick on the last day of departure... He "bao tou", I "bao wei", which is considered auspicious in Chinese traditions. haha...

~.~.~

Anyway, after lunch @ coffeeshops near the hotel, we headed for the race site via our chartered bus. Woohoo.. another hour to sleep! When we finally reached the race site & re-join the team, they were more than happy to see us. (haha... come join in the suffering... there's nothing to do here in between races!) As soon as we saw the guys, they were pulling us to take a look at this hot russian babe that was around, supposingly of Miss World standard... So in the good name of pure curiosity, I tagged along to seek out this Miss Russia. When I saw this Miss Russia, my jaw dropped~! I must admit that she was a looker... but my heart already belongs to someone else back in Singapore. Teehee~ Too bad Miss Russia, no more chance~

~.~.~

Back to our 2k race, well I must say it was a good set, best set I had since all the 2k trainings... Downside, we got disqualified for ramming into RP's boat (our own countrymen). What happened is a long story & it's in the past now. All I can say is both parties were at fault, so let's not bother pointing fingers. =) Cheers~

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Okay, the rest of the 4 days were just BAD... me having sore throat, the hot, dusty environment, waiting & waiting in between different races, totallllyyyy fried food for lunch throughout the race days, burning of the whole day at the race site - rotting, lack of sleep/rest & lack of shopping =P...

~.~.~

But a good trait of NTU Dragonboat Team, is that we can make the best out of any bad situations. We always have ways to self-entertain ourselves. Be it bitchin', cam-whoring, taking pictures with various other teams, playing the "Tabata Indian Poker"... The point is we can really self-entertain~ =) which makes the whole trip so much more enjoyable & endurable~! Haha~

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I have to end here now, for all you, readers' & my sake... before it turns into another 3000 word essay. =P Bye Bye, Have fun! Cheers~ (I must find someway to upload the pictures somehow~ hmmm...)

Breakfast @ King Albert Park MacDonald's... Having breakfast together. What a wonderful way to start the day with someone you love... =) The person you wanna see first thing in the morning...

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The funny thing was the TOTALLYYY mis-match of our attire. Thought she was doing a presentation, so I had to match up to her attire, who knew it was juz a simple presentation of a question during tutorial... So Char in T-shirt & shorts with slippers, and me in a shirt, white berms & loafers. hehe~ offff TOTALLLYYY...~

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Early morning bus ride - We witnessed the sight of a bus ride full of "dead bodies" - people who wanna catch as much sleep as possible before they reach their workplace. haha... The long bus ride made me all frozen up & very hungry... not to mention the stench of durian lingering in the bus. I mean who brings durians on board a public bus early in the morning? Don't you know some people dislike durians? hahaha... No ill intentions meant, juz mindless bitching~

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Finally arrived @ Mac's... Gosh, STARVING! Went straight for the counter to order food, after seating Char down~ Ordered a MacGriddle's Meal for Char & Hotcakes wiz sausage Meal for myeslf, both with Iced Milo. And I swear Char eats everything with chilli~ MacGriddle's with chilli, hashbrown with chilli, even hotcakes with chilli~ OMG~ Gosh to the MaX~ haha =P Even tried to psycho me to eat my hotcakes wiz syrup & chilli... Y-U-C-K-S~!

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After the delicious breakfast, we walked ourselves to Ngee Ann Poly where she brought me around for some sightseeing before her 11am class. But in the end, all good times must come to an end~ as I unwillingly walk her to the elevator, sending her up to her classroom... =(

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"Our next meeting will be in another 6 days...

Till then take care of yourself, Silly girl~

Remember what you promised me...

Be a good girl & no fried/heaty food for that sore throat of yours...

& take care of that knee~

You'll *cough me... and I'll *cough you."

- From the Silly boy

Dinner @ Jang Shou Korean BBQ... Tonight my "sis-in-law" just came back to Singapore after her flight, & tomorrow I'll be leaving for Penang for 6 days. Therefore this dinner is a welcome dinner for her & a farewell dinner for me... but frankly it's just another excuse to have ourselves some good food~!!! haha

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The restaurant is located @ "The Colours by the Bay", the stretch of eating places beside DXO. Inside the restaurant, the place is very well-kept & clean. Waitresses are a plenty... When the food arrived, the small side dishes only... alot of the waitresses gathered around our table, many hands serving the food~! All the small side dishes (pickled radish, pickles, kimchi, brinjal etc) & the different sauces, in a matter of seconds filled the whole table. Like we are being served by servants from the palace that kind of feeling~

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Then more food came... first the DELICIOUS fried egg pancakes which I soooo loved & then, the main courses. There was some soup dish dumped with mushrooms & meat & veggies~ & another dish that had onions & lots of meat, it's like the meat version of Kim-chi~! Wooohoo... Y-U-M-M-Y~!!!

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Korean food is N-I-C-E~! Totally new experience~ First time I had it in a restaurant... all those in the foodcourts don't even come close...

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Even the table setting is soo UPS... paper got signatures of famous Korean LPGA golfers. And I so like korean chopsticks... Damn cool lor~! Got cravings wan~

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Okay... That's my "sis-in-law" & elder brother. So sweet together, but check out the side dishes & sauces that littered the whole table! Abit like no space liao, & the main course isn't even served yet. And there's my fav fried egg pancake with seafood in it... Y-U-M-M-Y~!

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This is the chilli sauce that isn't at all spicy! In fact it tastes like sweet sauce~ And that's my fav "brinjal kimchi"~

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And there's the radish kimchi my mom likes... Next is the pot of soup where everything is dumped inside - mushrooms, meat, veggies... sorta of like our chinese steamboat...

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That's the before & after picture of the same dish~ sorta like BBQ pork/beef in those foodcourts... but much more tastier! Below you have the "steamboat" again... every now & then the waitress returns to put the ingredients in... damn professional sia! And that is the "stone-bowl rice with ingredients laid out neatly with a egg cracked on top" & then they are mashed & mixed together...

"The Lin Family Photo @ Jang Shou Korean BBQ Restaurant..."

Who is a "Hero"? She's my "Hero"... It's a wonderful day! It's been long since I've enjoyed my Sunday weekends without heading home to rest after training & lunch. haha~
~.~.~

Well... Mixed training was fun today. Practised "Capsize Drill"... gosh, so much fun it's hilarious! Training ends. And I skipped lunch with the guys & headed to Suntec. Did some walking around, which ultimately ended up in me slacking out at Starbucks, with my cup of ice blended Java Chip & book. Good way to chill while waiting for someone... I also found out that there are more than one Starbucks outlet in Suntec! OMG...
~.~.~

Anyway, finally Char arrived after her training... both of us carrying paddles... look soooo SEY lor! hahah. First we went for lunch @ the foodcourt near the Convention Centre (dunno what's the name). Then we did some window shopping @ Suntec & Marina Square... Saw the blue Cookie Monster T-shirt she fancied @ Topman & that pair of shoes @ Zara which doesn't come in her size... haha =P. And we saw my T-shirt @ Topman which was going at 40% discount now... sianz haha.

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Grabbed an ice cream cone each @ Macdonald's. And continued walking around, window shopping, talking, laughing bout this & that... "LOL" eh, Charmaine!

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Then we travelled all the way to IKEA Tampines... to help Charmaine buy some seat pads for pool rowing. We had a great time there... looking at the different showcases, & lying on every single sofa & bed there... "这个sofa/bed是suan的lor~" we always go... hahaha. Then we had dinner @ IKEA too. Charmaine wanted meatballs & chicken wings and so we had meatballs & chicken wings! haha... yummy! =) In the end, we got ourselves 12 seat pads... two hand towels (orange & blue) & another orange normal towel... cool eh... orange towels~!

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Time was running late by then. So we took a shuttle bus from IKEA to Sengkang & both of us fell asleep on the bus. The trip on the MRT was funny... Charmaine kept LOL'ing soooo unglam! haha =P And I got caught by Melvin at the bus stop just as Char & I were boarding the bus... haha... Melvin u C-W!

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Anyway... that's the end of my wonderful Sunday... Thanks Silly Girl~ =D

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Field trip @ Boat/Clark Quay:

Honey Water = Hand-made
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Dinner @ Waruku = $30.18
~.~.~
Hokkaido Hot-balls = $2.80
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Time spent with Love One = Priceless~
~.~.~
I finally discovered the "secret identities" of the 8 members of "*8ight"...

(I totally remembered their names lah)... hahaa

and I finally heard Char's legendary "LOL"... once in Waruku & another time in the MRT (that caused the uncle to turn behind & look).

~.~.~

Great night... Thanks for trying to introduce me to your friends. =)

"Love more people more -

Love them more impersonally, more unselfishly,

without thought of return.

The "return", never fear, will take care of itself."

~.~.~

By: Henry Drummond