Not The Usual Sunday

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The glaring rays of the sun forced my eyes open. First thoughts was "Wait, what day is it today? Sunday! Why didn't mom wake me up! Are we late for church? OH NO!"

Scrambled for my iphone and anxiously looked at the time - 7:19 AM. "Phew!" I heaved a sigh of relief and quickly looked for my parents to see if they were awake.

...


Today wasn't the typical sunday. For some strange reason, I woke up instinctively with no alarm clock and just six hours of sleep. Even for that, I wasn't tired.

Perhaps my mind was overwhelmed with anxiety because dear isn't around today. And because of his absence, for the first time and a long time, I came home really early.

So here I am, worried for him, yet feeling extremely lazy and comfortable. Perhaps, maybe perhaps.. my usual cuppa java would help soothe my anxieties away!


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Rabbit Orientation: Toys

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Each time I pass by Mocha's cage, I would stop and look at it. Then I realized that other than sleeping, pooping, eating (a lot), it really does nothing else. That's when I decided to get him a toy, hoping to kill its boredom!

This toy carrot might look like an ordinary toy, but it isn't! It has a sound when you shake it, which supposedly to get some rabbit attention when you toss the toy carrot at it. The thick orange ropes around the toy is also meant for the rabbit's teeth to chew when it gets bored too!

Toys will help keep your rabbit physically active and prevent boredom. A bored rabbit is much more likely to become destructive or even depressed and overweight. Deprived of toys and play things, your rabbit may turn to your furniture and other belongings as chew toys, or even dangerous things like electrical cords. Experiment with a variety of toys to find out what is entertaining to your rabbit, and continue to provide new toys (or at least rotate the ones he/she has).


A huge variety of items can make good rabbit toys. You might not find them marketed as rabbit toys, and some are things you will have around the house. Be creative and pay attention to how your rabbit seems to like to play, and you may come up with ideas of your own (just pay close attention to safety).

Some ideas:
- cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towel rolls paper bags
- cardboard boxes (especially a closed box with two or three rabbit sized entrance holes cut in the sides)
- cardboard concrete forms or large PVC pipes for tunnels (make sure bunny can't get stuck!)
- untreated wicker baskets or other wicker items (a wicker tunnel other items are available at the online stores listed below)
- hard plastic cat balls with a bell inside (make sure your bunny isn't chewing up and swallowing the plastic though)
- hard plastic baby toys such as rings, links, keys, rattles, etc.
- parrot toys and bells
- kitty condos (the shorter ones), tunnels, platforms
- towels
- small straw whisk broom
- straw balls ( you can get the ones meant as hamster houses; for added enjoyment fill with timothy hay)
- box full of shredded paper (preferably ink free - you can sometimes get unprinted newsprint roll ends from the local newspaper printer)
- fresh branches from apple trees
- dried pine cones
- large rubber ball

Hmmm... let's see how long this Toy Carrot can last. Who knows, probably what Mocha really needs is a teddy bear or some sort.


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Happy Birthday Pastor Alfred

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Who doesn't love presents and joyous occasions? I sure do! That's why I simply enjoy birthday celebrations, especially SURPRISE birthday celebrations!

Since today is our church's beloved Pastor Alfred's birthday, one of church Elder, Elder Boon Heng rolled out a surprise celebration just for Pastor Alfred during our weekly Wednesday night corporate prayer meeting, and both the English and Chinese congregation joined in!

Ha ha! Pastor really looks so happy and taken aback! Well, that's what Surprise Birthday Parties do right?
After blowing out the candles and cutting the cake, a prayer of blessing for him and his family.
Ahhh... The cake! Actually it isn't exactly a cake, more like Blueberry pastry. Really interesting idea instead of the usual cake. Not to mention that the Blueberry jam is an exact attraction for my taste buds.
Pastor, Pastor Joyce, Sister Bernice, and Sister Mei Ling.
.. Then Brother Derrick and Elder Boon Heng
After the whole surprise was over, Elder Boon Heng started cutting the cake and distributing it, whilst others served supper! What a spread!

Hmm.. I wonder how it is to be surprised? *Hint: My birthday is in 3 months!*


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Funny Thing About Balloons

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There is no denying that balloons are part of my "Things That Grace Do Not Like" list, because I simply cannot stand the unpredictable sudden "BOM!" of the balloon when it bursts.

That's why, I don't understand why kids especially, love stomping on balloons and carelessly busting them with their rowdy gestures. What kind of kick does one get of that? For me, being in a room with kids playing balloons is like walking through a mine field, you get what I mean?

I guess I just don't like being scared, especially unpredictably. Once, someone tried scaring me by hiding behind a door and when I walked past, he shouted "GARRRWHHHH!!" and I was so scared, my heart thumped so fast that I thought I was about to hyperventilate and die.

So if you are planning a surprise attack on me, save it! Lest of course, you don't mind giving you the cold shoulder for a couple of hours whilst heading for some trauma therapy.

Interestingly while walking past John Little at Orchard, there were these cute animal balloon and sale and they were different from the usual helium-filled-floating-in-the-air balloons. Instead they weren't floating high up and in the sky, but just hovering about the ground, stuck with artificial legs, and a string that acts like a leash for you to walk your pet balloon animal.

You bet I was excited! Can you imagine I've always wanted this sort of balloon for a present? AND NOW IT IS MINE?! I was squealing up and down and giggling after purchasing this pet pig ballon at 5 DOLLARS!

You're right, I was like a little girl, hysterical when she got her hands on the balloon. Guess what, I don't really care he he! $5 to make me amused and entertained, why not?

Here piggy piggy! Isn't it a darling? Imagine I was walking through whole of Orchard with piggy in my hands? Everyone was pointing at it and giggling!

Here's my friend, trying to walk piggy in a Shopping Mall. I see some resemblance somewhere. Must be the eyes..
Even while resting at Gloria Jeans, my friend couldn't get his hands of piggy. Ha ha, I told you! Piggy is really cute and attractive.. who can resist it?


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Dinner At NYDC

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Today, I finally had some time to meet up with a friend who wanted to give me good dinner treat as a reward for doing well for my exams last term. So after meeting him up, we headed off to NYDC at Suntec City.

Now we all know that NYDC is famous for its mud pies and pizzas, so having born with a sweet tooth, how can I ever resist sweet chucky creamy chocolate mudpie?
First up! We both ordered our drinks. I've always had a liking for sweet clear drinks, thats why the Ice Peach Elephancino. Hmmm.. it tastes like some gassy Ice Peach Tea.

For my friend, he had the famous E=mc2, where it is supposedly soda with chocolate ice-cream and chocolate drink!

It's quite interesting to see RAINBOW RICE in my drink. And being a lover of cute things, I squealed "Ooh! Rainbow rice! Rainbow rice!"

My friend's cup of E=mc2. Chocolate ice cream with thick foam and soda? Apparently, their famous drink.

For the main course, my friend ordered his favorite Mushroom Ham Baked Rice. If you think that is it cheesy, my dear friend start sprinkling more shredded cheese till the whole plate almost turned yellow.

As for me, I had 3 Amigoes - Basically pasta served with some sort of sauce, baked with home made meatballs!

There you go! Their meatballs are really good! Chewy and tangy at the same time! But their meatballs aren't round, they are.. differently shaped.

For dessert, both of us ordered Cookie Monster Mud Pie, his with whip cream and mine without. Or this is sinful.. really sinful!

Stacked on an oreo base, the pie is made out of 2 ice-cream piled on each other, sprinkled with more oreo and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Unfortunately, it was too filling and I couldn't finish my share! Here you go, the remnants of my dessert!

After a heavy saccharine dinner, we took a stroll around the Fountain of Wealth when we saw all these cute Precious Moments statues! Really sweet!
But for me, the most spectacular thing I say today, or I can't remember when, was this beautiful sunset that were blocked by some of the buildings. I had to search for a spot where I could get the best view to snap this!


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Rabbit Orientation: Bites

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When I received Mocha a few days ago, I was warned that it bites because it isn't sterilized. Immediately, I thought of bringing it to the vet to get it done but I the price just turned me off.

Then I figured I could make do with gloves so Mocha would bite the gloves instead of my skin instead. So I headed down to Daiso to purchase a pair of yellow thick dish washing gloves!

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to put my gloves into use yet because both my mom and I are afraid of touching it.



Anyway I did my own fair bit of research and got this piece of info from google:

Here's what you should do when your rabbit bites:

Step 1: Do NOT hit the bunny, or toss it across the room whilst screaming wild curses. The desire for this sort of reaction is understandable, but is generally frowned upon in rabbit keeping literature. Gently encourage the bunny back to its cage, where it can feel safe and can decompress. Think of it as a bunny time out, if that helps.

Step 2: Clean and disinfect the bite. You don't want to have any nasty infections to be weakening you next time you have to do battle with the small, fragile, and fuzzy creature.

Step 3: Figure out why the bite occurred. Did you scare the bunny? Did you offend the bunny? Did you hurt the bunny? Did the bunny simply decide that you needed to be taught a lesson? All these reasons are valid ones in the mind of a rabbit.

Step 4: Once you have determined the reason, take steps to avoid it again. Rabbits that are in pain, or are scared will often bite, and you don't want your pet to become frightened or perpetually hostile towards you. Bunny/human relations can often break down when these incidents occur, and if you don't stop and think about things from the rabbit's perspective, then you may end up with a situation less easily resolved than the conflict in the middle east.

Step 5: Make amends. Or, as our Christian friends like to say, turn the other cheek. This doesn't mean you should shove your fingers down the bunny's throat, but you should spend some time interacting with it in a positive way, once you have both had time to calm down. Keep an eye on the bunny in future, and if it shows signs of trying to bite again gently dissuade it. Bonding with your rabbit in a positive way is the best way to reduce future bites.

To squeal, or not to squeal?
Some sources say that you should emit a high pitch squeal if the bunny bites you, letting it know it hurt you. This only works if the bunny didn't intend to hurt you, which in some cases, it did. After all, what do you think it was trying to do when it abandoned its herbivorous instincts and got a mouthful of flesh? Squealing may help, it may not. Try it and see what your bunny does. If it simply gets a pleased and sadistic look in its eye, you can assume that it didn't help.

Hmmm... This means, I should start Project Rabbit Bonding with my new yellow rubber gloves! Hopefully it doesn't bite!

But if it really does, I think I would like what Step 1 says.. HIT THE BUNNY, OR TOSS IT ACROSS THE ROOM WHILST SCREAMING WILD CURSES!


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When It Arrived Late

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Ok, I lied.

I did get dear something for his birthday present but it didn't arrive on time for his birthday, and I assumed that is was some spoilt luck that my purchase might just be another online scam.

But today, I arrived home after school to see a parcel lying on my table. Quickly, I tore open the package to find the Apple Store T-shirt I ordered for dear over e-bay!

Now that it has arrived, I feel a tad relieved that at least, I got him a belated birthday present on top of the whole dinner cruise and ice cream experience.

Then again, my relieve might just be premature if I realized that it wouldn't fit him after he has received it.

Oh jolly, I'll cross my fingers and do more deep breathing exercises till I pass it to him on Wednesday.


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A New Family Member

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This might come as a shock, but yes! I do have rabbit now! Thanks to Ian for letting me adopt his rabbit, and entrusting it into my care.

So everyone, meet Mocha, my rabbit. Previously while the whole rabbit adoption was pending my parents approval, I was thinking hard of all the names I would call him (as so says Ken, but I'll flip Mocha over and check some other time). I thought queer names like Biong Biong, which I really like, and Milo, and Muffins etc... I realized that the more I thought of it, the more I liked the name Biong Biong.

Unfortunately, the rabbit only responds to the name Mocha, and I am too lazy to retrain him to respond to a new name, thus the name Biong Biong is scrapped.

Actually, I wonder if rabbits really respond to their names, or the noises made from our mouth? After all, it responds when I call it Mocha or simply.. Bunny.


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Of Dreams & Ambitions

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It's funny how the ambition I had when I was a little girl was to become an SIA (Singapore Air) Stewardess. I'm not sure why I had this ambition, but I am sure that one of the main reasons was because they all looked pretty and slim, and back at that time, every little girl's dream was to be pretty and slim.

Ok not all, maybe it's just me.





Then when I proceeded on to secondary school, the whole Air Stewardessss dream evolved into becoming an Army Officer so that I could get some sort of thwarted euphoria from giving those NS guys intense physical training on top of their already bashed ego and inferiority complex when they realized their officer is a female that is not to be messed with. I guess that whole perverse thought derived
from the strenuous table tennis training I had in secondary school.




Fortunately when I went on to college, my femininity got the better of me and that military dream transformed to being a doctor or surgeon. Part of the reason was due to the increase in medical drama shows that I have been watching, that sparked my interest in human anatomy. And because of this, I made a wrong decision by taking Biology - a subject that I have never taken in my entire life, hoping that it would probably, lend me in Medical School if I did well.


Lo and behold, I did terribly for my A levels and it landed me nowhere.

So now, I am left thinking of the possible jobs that I might be doing in the future. Perhaps, an entrepreneur, or climb the corporate ladder, or even heed the advice of most and catch up on my Grade 8 theory in Piano so that I can start teaching piano soon.

Sigh, the future really seems so vast, so bleak, so uncertain when I think about what it holds for me. But one thing I know for sure, the more I am uncertain, the more I trust in Him.


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The Christmas Walk

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For all these years in my life, I have really no recollection when was the last time I walked down the roads of Orchard, and enjoying the pretty lights and decorations that has been put up for Christmas annually.

Finally, I did so today with dear. Honestly, it wasn't a deliberate intention to specially see the lights and decorations. In fact, we didn't notice it until we saw many people whopping out their cameras and busy snapping away!

So, I decided to take this time to take some pictures of the pretty lights and fancy Christmas decorations!
Pretty lights but lo behold! An ERP gantry awaits your vehicle behind this banner of lights. Merry Christmas on that banner simply means "Ho Ho Ho! $1 just went to ERP!"

I've always wanted my own Christmas tree, and since I still don't have one, this is my temporary one - found just outside Borders.

Ha ha! Looks like the boy figurine at that back of dear wants to give a big whack on dear's head!


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Case Of The Unknown Pastry

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Oh I am one that is too easily satisfied, especially when you tickle my taste buds with some of my favorite foods!

Just a few days ago, mom brought back a packet of my favorite food (as shown above) and since I haven't eaten that for the longest time, my heart skipped a beat. Ok, two beats.

Despite being one of my favorite food, I have really no idea what it is called. Mom calls it 白饼 (which translates as white cake), but I think it has some other name to it. Who knows? Hmm.

This cake, is soft, literally tasteless, and is covered with flour (though I know it looks like sugar coating). I like it's spongey feel inside, and the flour probably gives me the perception that I am eating something sugary, which inevitably pumps my adrenaline and sends signals to my brain to label it as.. COMFORT FOOD.

Anyway, I didn't get to lay my hands on it until today, where I've unconsciously gobbled 3 cakes. 2 in the morning, and 1 at night, leaving mom with 1. It's alright I guess, because she finds it when eating it in fear that the flour might scatter all over the place.

Well, can't rely on mom to keep buying it for me anymore. I think it is time to stock up my own stash of 白饼!


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Devotion: Above All

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Grace Recording - Above All.wav -

It has been quite some time since I last did my daily devotions on the piano.

Well, being busy is no excuse I'm sure, just that.. I am either at school or in church and so when I reach home, I am either busy on my macbook or I plop onto bed watching my telly.

Last week however, I decided to do my devotion in church while waiting for dear to finish his stuff. And in that short span of time, I felt that nostalgic freedom and space with God, just being alone with Him.. the two of us.

I felt assured, peaceful, glad, calm, and most importantly.. renewed.

So much perspective gained, as well as restored joy after that short session of praising Him and giving thanks through my piano devotion.

Time to set aside more time for me, my piano, and God.


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South Park Avatars

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Back some time ago, I stumbled across this site where you could create your own South Park Character!

Of course being all creative and spontaneous, I decided to give it a try and viola~ I created 8 people whom I thought really displayed some real life resemblance! Unfortunately this site has a limited style of hair-dos and clothing, if not I could have created more South Park characters for my other friends.

You could try it sometime, when you are really bored!



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Birthday On Dempsey Hill

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Following a dinner on Imperial Cheng Ho Cruise, dear and I decided to continue his birthday night at Ben & Jerry's, Dempsey Hill.

Address: 8 Dempsey Road #01-14
Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Tel: 6473 3231

It's really tough making your way there at night because of the lack of lights. Most of the time, we pretty much had to make several turns based on guesses and instinct. But maybe, that is because that's our first time there, that's why we made so many U turns which made us seem like we were going around in circles. Probably, it would be a piece of cake for those who often go there.

Welcome to Dempsey Hill! We finally found the place despite the poor lighting and road signs.
And here is Ben & Jerry's, which was really difficult to find amongst all the other restaurants. When we entered, we were greeted by a wooden rack of Ben & Jerry's apparels.
Further in, I was amazed at their architecture design and decor. Really interesting, especially the winding stairs up to the second floor. I didn't manage to get up there because I was embarrassed that of being a total noob since it is our first time here. Who's know what's up there?
Putting our stuff down, we proceeded to order 3 LARGE scoops of ice cream: Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, and my favorite Phish Food!
Here you go! Our triple scoop ice cream. Slurp!
Aha! Dear couldn't wait to get his hands and tongue on the ice cream
Who couldn't be satiated after eating that much ice cream in 15 minutes? Further more, it was late at night and we could only enjoy the air-con and rest.
At the pastry and confectionary corner, I spotted cute cakes! The ones that are on your right (above) are spotted in their fridge. Oh I wonder how the smiley face cake tastes like!
More pictures of the inner decor in Ben & Jerry's. I really like the idea of the fire place. Brings me back to one of those old english country feel.

So finally, we ended the birthday celebration at almost 10:30pm and I am glad that at least, I made him feel special on his birthday.


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Birthday Dinner Cruise

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As posted previously, I've always had the jitters when it comes to celebrating someone's birthday, especially for dear. However this year, I not only had the jitters, I was as anxious as he was because though I made the arrangements, I really had no idea what to expect and whether he would like it or not.

Anyway, the big 'surprise' that I planned for him was - dinner cruise on Imperial Cheng Ho. Basically, buffet dinner on a Chinese Junk.

Well, it was the only affordable 'dinner on the sea' compared to those dinner served on private chartered boats which costs between $800 to a thousand. At least for Imperial Cheng Ho, there was a pick up for us at Pan Pacific Hotel to Marina South Pier where Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel berthed.


Because it was meant to be a 'surprise', dear kept probing me questions like an inquisitive child and I had such a hard time giving general answers without letting myself away! In the end, I kept giggling because there were so many moments where he asked it in a subtle manner and I had to think really hard to find out if there were any hidden questions and motives behind it!

"So where are we going?" "Who will pick us up?" "How long does it take?" etc.. you get my drift!
Finally when we arrived, he went "... Oh!" and I went.. "... Yes!" Well, at least we had a chance to visit Marina South Pier for the first time.

We had to wait for about half an hour before we could board the ship. So having had a long day, we took a rest at the open ended top floor of Marina South Pier.
We also walked around, enjoyed the little breeze and looked across the horizon at the sea and the little boats that were berthed.
Oh I really love this picture! You could say that we were stalked by some stalked who was prowling on the grass, or just simply a bad auto focus with my camera on timer mode.

On this balcony, you can overlook the sea and the port. Quite surreal I would say. Then again, it would really be better if you could watch the sunset or sunrise here as well.

At 6:20 pm, we boarded the Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel. Decks ahoy! Actually on closer look, it isn't really an authentic Chinese Junk. Just a normal vessel painted to look like one.

Here we are in the inside. You can't miss the Chinese feel especially with the Chinese tiles and the furniture. Oh and if you are wondering if it is air conditioned, yes it is and it's quite cold in fact! Thank goodness we brought our jackets along!
Cheers to the birthday boy.. who seems to be all smiley today! Probably like what most people say, it is the experience and the company that makes it special.. aside from the crappy food and rowdy passengers.
When the boat left, we when outside the restaurant for a little tour on the vessel! With bright colored paint and what seems to be chinese decor, I really thought that I was in China! He he!

While enjoying the sea view, we spotted another Chinese Junk! Probably another Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel? No idea, really.

Here's the birthday boy, enjoying the sea breeze and the view.. with his Chinese Gargoyle. Well, that of course, was a substitute because I was behind the camera snapping away!
At the top deck, you can actually see the city line of the southern part of Singapore. Then again with howling winds, I had to hold on tight to the pole in case I flew off! Pardon the messy messy hair!
Soon, it was sunset. Really gorgeous to see the orange red ball of light descending across the horizon.
As the sun slowly faded and the moon taking its place, we took more pictures before dinner commenced.
Ahhh.. Dinner, finally! Frankly if you ask me for a food review, I would give 1/5 star. Not so tasty after all. But like what dear said, heck the crappy food because it is all about the EXPERIENCE!

After dinner, we headed out for a breather as well as a little stroll for some healthy digestion. Surprise surprise, there were actually an array of fire works and a beautiful fountain show on this very special day! What a way to celebrate his birthday!

Having a little bit of fun with a Chinese Gargoyle.. totally harmless right? Or maybe, signs of violence inclination? He he!
After exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes, the dinner cruise came to an end and we took the mini vans back to Pan Pacific Hotel. Well, that wasn't the end of the day especially when the night is so young.

.. to be continued.


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