Right at my Doorstep

I stepped out of the gate this morning and was greeted by this pretty sight!

And the tree where this pink carpet came from...

And then I walked a little further and I saw this.

It's almost like experiencing Cherry Blossom and snow at the same time.

Nice.

Catching Up

The last catch up with the girls with baby in tow was not very successful. I had to leave early (cos everyone was late!) as Kieran had to drink and go to bed.

This time, I met the girls while Kieran slept at home. And it was much easier. :)

Food was not too bad. And as always, the company was great.

And I got my belated birthday gift from BFC. All the way from Etude House in Seoul.

BB Magic Cream with SPF 30.
O2 Powder with SPF 50.

BFC uses it too and is recommending it to me cos it's good. And knowing that I do not use any make up, she says it's good cos it doesn't take too much time to put on. "Just use half a squirt ok. Cos if you use too much I know you won't like it. So just start with half a squirt k?"

I've used it over the weekend and it's really not bad. Non greasy and takes me less than 5 minutes to apply.

And then when we take pictures, she complains that she is soooo white! Hello! SPF 30 and SPF 50?? Sure white la.

Then the other one complains that next to BFC, they are like Ebony and Ivory! Hello! Dragon boating and marathon-ing?? Sure black la!

After my continued use of my magic cream and oxygen powder, our next photo will comprise just 1 Ebony and 2 Ivories! And RT can play Othello the next time we meet. But white will win.

Why is it.....

...so hard to just be happy?

And on the rare occasions that we are, why is it even harder to STAY happy?

Ampan Boy!

Don't they look alike?? :)

Reminded Again....

....why I do not like Hong Kong.

At the end of Jan, Ron and I took a short trip to Macau. Just the two of us. It was a good break after Kieran's birth. The time alone was great. The destination however, left much to be desired.

We stationed ourselves at Macau and took day trips to Zhuhai and Hong Kong. I've never been a fan of Hong Kong. Each time I go, I come back telling myself I won't go again anytime soon. Shopping is pricey. Maybe cos I compare it to shopping in Bangkok. Food isn't that great. Perhaps we didn't know where to go. But then, I have friends telling me they eat at any random stall and it's great! Funny. And needless to say, the place was sardine-packed with China, which was quite a big piss-factor. Ironically though, we enjoyed ourselves most in Zhuhai, China China.

Macau was slightly better than Hong Kong, but quite a bore if you're not a gambler. Of course we visited the famous ruins of St Paul's at Senado Square.

Full of loud-talking, shoving people. And I think because the Lunar New Year is nearing, St Paul's got a bit of cheena touch to it. There was a little prayer room (there's a proper name for it but I can't remember it) at the top of St Paul's.

Gives you quite a peaceful and serene feeling, no? Managed to get a shot without loud-talking, shoving people in there. I think it's cos majority of loud-talking, shoving people do not follow the Christian faith. Oh, and there were some remains (bones) in this room. So again, I think loud-talking, shoving people are very supertitious and "pantang", so they "siam" this room. :)

"When you go to Macau, you MUST stay at the Venetian Macau. Or at least visit it." people say. So the husband and I paid it a visit on our last day. Boy, were we glad we didn't get conned by all those promotions online to stay there.

Looks so very pretty right? Honestly, save the money and hop over to Genting. Same atmosphere. Sardine packed with people.

The sky ceiling bit? Pay a little more and visit Venus Fort in Tokyo. Same setting with a better experience.

What's a visit to Macau without gambling right? Being non-gamblers and knowing that casinos are a likely-lose-money place, we reserved our gambling to the last 10 minutes prior to checking out of out hotel on the slot machines. The minimum stake on the machine we chose was HK$0.10 (S$0.02). In that 10 minutes, we made HK$50 (S$10). Not too bad right, for such small stakes. And unlike gamblers who get hooked and play on, we took the money and left. Left HAPPILY for the airport. HAPPY to be heading home. :)

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

Sometimes, "sorry" really isn't all that difficult to say. Especially when it becomes habitual in an effort to appease. And then it become as habitual as saying "Hi, How have you been?" to someone you bump into. This person could just be an acquaintance, and you actually have no wish to know what he/she has been up to. But it just seems like the right thing to say.

Sad, isn't it?

Happy New Year!

From the 2 boys in our very-girl-dominant clan.

This picture was taken on new year's eve - 31 Dec 2009. It's too cute not to post. :)

These 2 cousins were born a month and a half apart. People say babies (and mummies) start the hair loss process in the third month after birth.

How come Marcus still has a whole head of hair???