A lil bit of this and a lil bit of that ...

Have two things I want to post today and because I am just sheer lazy, am going to collapse everything to just one post instead of breaking them up into two different posts.

I was watching the last bit from Miss Universe (just to clarify, when I switched on the telly, that happened to be on so I watched since they were going to announce the results). And yes, was impressed that Miss Venezuela won AGAIN. Obviously, what they are doing to manufacture these beauty queens are working. Read about how the girls transform to perfect women with nips and tucks and what have you. But what I was interested in was one of the prize that they were giving to the winning Miss Universe.

So this portion of my post is dedicated to my dear friend, Gadget Girl *grins*. You know who you are lah!!! :o) I just had to share this with you and anyone else who might be interested. I love it because it's *drum roll* PINK. It's not a common brand here in Singapore but quite popular in the States. Let me present you with the DXG Luxe HD Camcorders.

A little more about this cutesy little camcorder from a site I came across:

DXG USA has unveiled the new DXG Luxe line of high-definition “couture camcorders” that combine high-quality video recording with fashionable design. The DXG-Riviera features a chic, quilted pattern with silver or bronze details and crystal accents in three colours. The DXG-Soho comes in a hip pink or blue argyle pattern with stylish leather accents. Both models record high-definition (720p) video, take 8-megapixel still photos (apparently interpolated from 5 megapixels) and feature a 3-inch LCD screen—all on a compact form factor only 1 1/2-inches thick. Neither camcorder has optical zoom though. The DXG Riviera and the DXG Soho models each retail for $149.99.

Sweet huh? *grins* So which do I like best? Gotta be the Pink DXG Soho Model, (pink one from the second row) followed by the Pink DXG Riviera (pink one from the top row). Gadget Girl, we need to have a conversation on this when I meet you next ya!

I usually have quite a bit of driving to do and while listening to Jean Danker (and her new buddy on air, Tim) on Car Tunes (Class 95) this evening, they ended by sharing three things today that made them happy. Jean shared that she saw that on Deepak Chopra's Twitter on '3 Things That Made Me Happy' and wanted to end the show differently. Such a simple activity that could be really powerful. Sometimes we are so caught up by things that make us sad, angry, frustrated that we forget amidst all that, there were things that made us happy too.

So made a pledge to share the 3 Things That Made Me Happy for the next one month. Made a pact with Slawek to end each evening with that. And if anyone else game to do this with me, let me know and let's share our three things for an agreed period of time. Who knows, it might go on for more than a month *grins* Till then, let's aim for a month.

My Three Things That Made Me Happy
Mind you, these three things are in no order of preference because all three made me real happy:

1. Having a nice dinner (that wasn't planned ahead).

2. Ehh, second one I cannot mention here because I might just get into trouble *laughs* so am bringing up my number three to number two. Ended my evening with yummy Bubble Tea (Mango Milk Tea with Pearls from Each A Cup). Yes, I am hooked on Bubble Tea. Will blog about that another time!

3. Received an unexpected sms from a friend in the afternoon to ask about something. Made me smile because we both were feeling hmmm _ _ _ _ _ in the middle of the day.

So what are the 3 things that made YOU happy today?

Turning 37 ...

Turned 37 today but didn't have much time to think about it thanks to a rather busy schedule at work. Driving home from work gave me ample time though to think what I could blog about. I did think of listing 37 things that I am grateful for but at Number 10, I realised that I would probably bore myself, what more people stumbling upon the post. So did a strikethrough for that idea.

Instead, I am just going to share what are some of the things I am looking forward for the year ahead. I have taken steps to move forward in some areas and could do better in other areas. But there are some things I would like to do more now for myself.

I have toyed with the idea of going back to school for sometime but the timing never seemed right. But this year, partly thanks to the encouragement of a friend, we both signed up to further our studies. It's been one lesson so far but I reckon it's going to get harder because it's a three year part time programme, with lessons once a week on Fridays from 6pm to 9pm (that's when my brain usually goes into shut down mode), and we're expected to keep on track with the readings and assignments. It was the best option right now though doing my studies full time would be a smarter idea but due to commitments, not an option for my consideration. So will have to be more disciplined and try to juggle work and studies.

I have also decided to dedicate more me time for myself which I think I have been neglecting for something. I recently did a thinking profile and oddly, one of the thinking styles that came out a little too strong was altruism (where one puts others way before self). I didn't think very much about it before but that profile got me thinking. I am uncomfortable with the term 'altruism', I think my personality is such that I tend to prefer peace and harmony among people around me, and I tend to ensure that their needs are met first so that everyone is happy and sometimes, it means me being miserable. This is so ingrained in me that it will be tough to change but I will make a more conscious effort to do so.

Thanks to a recent getaway over the weekend with my dear friend, I realised that it's quite difficult for me to actually plan in advance long (i.e. two weeks) trips. I wish I could do it yearly because I do enjoy traveling but it's not as simple as it seems. But what I can do instead is use long weekends (plenty next year) to nearby places in the region so that I still get a chance to travel and be rejuvenated by that. It might be a little more costly I think so will have to see how I can work that out.

I also use the excuse 'no time' for heaps of things, even something as routine as going for a haircut or a nice massage to relax after a long and tiring week. I need to re-look at things and figure out why exactly do I think I do not have time for such things. Are these things perceived by me as frivolous so they don't go up on my priority list thus I think that I do not have the time for this? If I do not have time for these things, what am I spending my time on instead? So something to ponder about during my loooong drives to and fro work.

And another area that I would like to improve on would be my physical health. After Cambodia, I have not gone for any more walks and would like to pick up from where I stopped last. Will also need to explore how else I can work this into my work schedule. I usually leave work at 7pm and on most days would go to work by 8am. I may be able to go in a little later (9am) once a week so will have to check on possibility of going to the gym in the morning before work on that day. Need to check if there are any gyms available and within access for me to consider.

So quite a bit for me to think about and put into action. Not getting any younger so gotta start somewhere ya *grins* Also want to take this time to thank my dearest family and friends for their kind birthday wishes. Love you guys *big hugs* Below is a picture of the birthday cake that my bro and his family got me when we had a family dinner. Was nice having the family there and the lil hands you see are my lil nephews who patiently waited for me to take the picture before we could have CAKE!!!

The H.E.A.R.T Market ...

Stumbled upon a flea market today while passing Waterloo Street. It looked rather cramped but dived in to check it out.

The H.E.A.R.T Market or the Handicrafters, Entrepreneurs, Artists and Retail Talents Market takes place every second weekend of the month at the Sculpture Square which is located at 155 Middle Road. This is at the junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street. A quick google surfaced more information about this market.

This socially conscious flea market focuses on promoting youth entrepreneurship and charity awareness. The market also partners with many charitable organisations such as Very Special Arts, Friends of the Disable Society, MKAC and Bizlink Centre.

From what I saw, there were stalls selling clothings and accessories (jewellery and bags). When I was there, the crowd wasn't so bad and I could still walk around comfortably through I can imagine with a larger crowd and how tables were laid out, it can get a little tricky. But I guess that's the fun part of them flea markets. Did I buy anything? Nothing caught my attention so walked away from there empty-handed after taking a few photos for this post.

If you're interested, here's more information. For a day, it will cost you SGD$50 per stall. Total cost is SGD $100/stall for whole event (you cannot rent just for one day, it has to be for both days). For this price, you also get the following:

• 3x3 feet table with table cloth and maroon skirting
• 2 chairs
• Well-Sheltered: Large Professional Tentage with Ceiling Fans
• Live Entertainment from our Live DJ and also our resident Live Band JAI Entertainment. (subject to band's availability)
• Power Supply (F.O.C. on request, bring your own extension cords)

If you are a charitable organisation, or registered society who wish to gain more exposure via the H.E.A.R.T. Market, do feel free to drop them an email at enquiries@calaminesolutions.com. You can also get more information from their website.

A nice end to the evening ....

Yesterday, we met at Centrepoint to have dinner and we went to our usual spot. It wasn't as packed and we got a nice booth at the corner. We had a very attentive waitress who didn't bug us until we were ready to order. And what made the dinner experience nice was her. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name so didn't get to praise her to her supervisor (I have done that at another branch because the girl who was serving us was really good, and went out of her way to get us what we needed for the meal).

What did this waitress do that I am even blogging about it? Let's see. I ordered a large bowl of noodle and asked for another bowl (so that we can split the noodles). Most of the time, I had to remind the waitress for the extra bowl because they would have forgotten my request. So when the noodles came, I was surprised because there were two bowls of noodles. I was all ready to return one bowl, thinking that she thought I ordered two bowls instead of one. But what had happened instead was that she asked the kitchen people to split the noodles into two and it came all split up, nicely arranged and all ... ready for us to eat. I was like WOW, she knew what I wanted to do and went ahead and got it done for me. I was IMPRESSED!

What I noticed in Singapore is that we always get ALL our food at the same time and we'll end up rushing through the food to make sure that we eat it while it's still hot. Sometimes it can get a little too much when I am still slurping on my soup and the main meal comes and I somehow have to figure out how to manage both at a time.

But what happened yesterday was the waitress came by to check on us but very discreetly. Somehow, she arranged it such that the dishes we ordered were spaced out nicely so that we could finish one dish first before the next one came. So we had time to savour the dishes separately, and when it was time to tuck into the next dish, it was still nice and warm. I guess it was a coordinated effort between the kitchen and serving staff but it was really nice.

Because of that, we left the restaurant feeling full yet spent half the amount of what we would normally spent for dinner there. And we felt good that we didn't rush and could enjoy a relaxing meal.

I was wondering though if it would be the same if it was packed with people on that day. Would the waitress still be able to arrange our meal like she did for us yesterday? I would really like to have that experience all over again the next time I go there because such experience basically brings the customers back over and over again. Nice :o)

A night with the Bard ...

It was a good night with the Bard .... or rather with the three guys from the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Mag and I went for their Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and were laughing from the start to the end of the show.

What the company does is present the abridged version of ALL of Shakespeare's works in 97 minutes and I promise you that you will enjoy every minute of it. I last saw them 10 years ago when they were here last (found out today that the company has been in Singapore before and this is their third stint) and remembered how much I enjoyed their performance and no regrets going again tonight because it was just as hilarious!

If you have time, sit back and enjoy this video that I found online. Not the same as seeing it 'live' but it's the next best thing. Enjoy!