I was originally planning to go to Taiwan with a couple of friends but it clashes with F1, which means I can’t go. Now, I’m thinking of going to Japan/Korea in early Sep or Oct, followed by Australia in Dec. Will probably have to make another trip to Japan in Nov for work again.

I used to think that travelling for work is fun, but so much travelling over the past couple of years has led me to think twice about this statement. Travelling is taking a toll on me. 🙁

Anyway, here’s an outfit post from one of the weekends. I’m pretty much into pink these days and fierce heels too. Do excuse the tired face..haven’t been sleeping very well these days.

I recently started taking an interest in reading MM Lee’s memoirs because as ashamed as I am to say this, I don’t think I know enough about Singapore and our nation-building efforts to truly call myself a Singaporean.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I am alone. Ironically, foreigners, some of whom we call friends and fans of Singapore, appear to have greater knowledge about our highly revered MM Lee, his contributions to Singapore and the process of how our nation attained our achievements today. Why do we always think that the pasture is greener on the other side when Singapore is where we belong?

I think a large proportion of us take many things that Singapore has given us for granted. The safe and secure environment, rigorous education system, transparent and stable political system, attraction of FDI, creation of good jobs and sustainable economic growth (albeit negative growth in this year’s context) are just some of the things that we take for granted.

What we fail to realize is that not many developed nations are able to provide two of the above-mentioned benefits to their people, much less all at the same time. Shouldn’t we be thankful for what we have?

After interacting with numerous foreigners who have relocated to Singapore and understanding their reasons for doing so inevitably made me realize how lucky we Singaporeans are.

On a brighter and less serious note, here’s my tribute to our National Day.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

I especially love the cement wall in the living room and the brick wall in the dining room. The brick wall was part of the original architecture, and it has aged beautifully through the years.

Glass ceiling panels that allow sunlight to flow into the dining area also provide contrast between natural and artificial lighting, creating a different atmosphere at various points of the day.

As JW and I are still in the process of some minor renovation works., we’ll love to have all our friends over soon for a real housewarming gathering too!

I have always wanted to lay my hands on a Samantha Thavasa bag.

While some designs are a little too loud for me, they do carry very tastefully designed bags with excellent workmanship. During my recent trip to Tokyo, I had the fortuitous opportunity to get up close and personal with the brand.

I don’t usually talk about my work trips as everything is highly private and confidential, but well, I guess I can talk about a bag that I purchased 🙂

I got this baby at 50% off its original price at the retail shop. There was a family sale in the brand’s main office as well, but we had to rush off to the airport, much to my dismay.

Look, we even bought white artificial roses (looks pretty real huh) to match our red Murano glass vase from Venice. How apt.

What I really liked about the hotel was the massage. Though it wasn’t dirt cheap (my hair spa and head massage cost me about SGD100), the tranquil resort surroundings and massage expertise made it all worthwhile. Sometimes, we just need a little pampering to feel all better again. 🙂 When all else fails, a little retail therapy and a bitching session with fellow colleagues would help too!

Besides our workplan presentation and massage, karaoke and ping-pong were some of the activities that kept us busy for the 2 days. The sedentary me refused to partake in other sports such as go-karting and water sports ( I can’t swim!). It is a miracle how I managed to achieve the Gold standard for my physical fitness tests in the past.

Here’s our new baby: Grand Illusion by John Brauer from Denmark. It was handmade using 3mm of transparent acrylic. Doesn’t it look like a floating table? Ingenious isn’t it?

Time to eat more grass I guess for the next few months, by which time, I should have transformed into a cow.

Goodnight for now! Coming back in a few days…

Reg@Tokyo

The performance put up by my colleagues was so hilarious that I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage. The comic elements were further amplified by an unconventional heroine named 大娘惹 (acted by my guy friend).

大娘惹 sang the song Bangawan Solo (including bits and pieces about sharing her wonderful kueh lapis with her future husband) with so much soul that it drew guffaws from the audience. The dance moves and professional acting skills of my other colleagues were very commendable as well. It was akin to watching a musical by our local theatre talents.

Well, and if you’re curious about what I bought, here is my new purchase (i.e. it’s time for me to eat grass).

Thanks babes!

I initially wanted to book a spa session, but it didn’t materialize as I had just gone on a spa retreat to Batam with colleagues the previous weekend. Shopping was next up on the list. Not too bad an idea since shopping at Orchard Road on weekday afternoons is an indulgent luxury. It was pretty eventful, and I even shocked a sales assistant with my numerous shopping conquests. 😉

Besides shopping, I caught two movies as well, namely Transformers 2 and Duplicity. Movies with brainless plots (e.g. Transformers) are my cup of tea. The flow of Duplicity’s storyline was somewhat disjointed, and the movie was trying too hard to complicate a simple plot. It would have been a flop if not for Julia Roberts.

What I wore on one of those days:

My old hair – for memory’s sake.