Please help Kiwi

extracted from ASD Singapore. Kiwi and friends were victims of illegal traps laid out for wild boars at Lim Chu Kang wooded areas. Kiwi's right hind leg was amputated as a result... click here to read full article.

"Amidst the desolation and isolation, my pack and I have eked out a living for what seemed like an eternity. In our surrounding wasteland where resources are scant, we go hungry sometimes for days. Rocks, grass and the occasional dead carcass provide enough sustenance for our existence, but sometimes hunger drives us to venture further to quell the hollow feeling in our bellies.

It was one of those days where I ventured off the beaten track, desperate for anything that will sustain me for another day. As I trudged wearily through the forested area, my whole life literally turned upside down as my leg got ensnared in a steel trap that left me dangling from a tree.

The wire, with gravity as its accomplice, cut mercilessly into my flesh, and pain flashed like fireballs in my head. My legs and body throbbed in throes of pain, and the wire slowly and agonizingly ate through my flesh and into my bones and peeled my flesh away layer by layer ...

The more I struggled, the more intense the pain, until I nearly blacked out, and though I screamed till exhaustion, no one heard my cries of pain. Helpless I was as a lamb before the slaugther, and behind that red veil of nightmarish and torturous pain, I prayed that it will all end soon ..."


Contributions are greatly appreciated to defray the high costs of her operation, medicine, transport and boarding. Contributions via cheque can be made payable to:

Action For Singapore Dogs Society

and sent to :

ASD c/o Ricky Yeo
Blk 402 #06-246
Clementi Ave 1
Singapore 120402

Please indicated 'for Kiwi's treatment' behind the cheque together with your email so that ASD can send a receipt.

Your donation will make a huge difference.

A date on Saturday

finally get to watch Transformer II last night. the movie was better than i thought. probably b'cos i didn't have very high expectations after reading bad reviews about it. special thanks to Shirlene who got us the tickets for the exclusive charity screening. it was hubby's & my first experience watching movie at Vivo Gold Class. totally love the seat which is so spacious & comfy. i was basically lying on my back throughout the entire movie.

nothing else to blog about. the weekend's gonna end in 5 hours' time... i sort of dread going back to work man (sighs)

some random pix taken before the movie

BAD day

made a mistake at work this morning. i sent an e-mail to a company with details that are not supposed to be revealed to them. manager who's on business trip read it & called back asking Jenn why i sent out such e-mail. Jenn has to send an apology e-mail to that company on my behalf for sending the wrong details...

i've never made such a major mistake over at admin group. can only blame myself for not clearing my doubts before i act. Jenn has been rather patient with me & explain everything clearly as much as she can. what makes me feel worse was nobody chided me for my stupid mistake. they just told me to be more careful in future, and to raise questions if i have any doubts. really can't imagine how life will be at work when Jenn starts her new assignment in another dept next month. i will be left all alone here =(

Life's like a box of chocolates

finally done with posting all the entries that were saved as drafts for the past one week. it's the last day of June today which means, half the year gone! started some diet rountine recently but the drop in weight is barely noticeable. argh! didn't managed to accomplish much as usual other than adapting to changes at work.

VP finally announced variable bonus & increment rate 1-on-1 to the ladies yesterday. i didn't dare to pin too high hopes as the company did not meet its target for fiscal year 2008. nearly jumped in joy when VP told me that i'm being promoted one level up with good increment & more than 1.5 months of bonus. i was also given an 'A' grade for my appraisal performance in his admin group. the feeling of being recognized at work is really good! still remember my starting pay in Sumitomo six years ago was $1,040 as an assistant officer. having only an 'O' level cert., i'm more than contented with my current salary. am also happy for Rinda who got promoted too, as well as for Shirlene who also got a good performance review from VP. we really can go ahead with our short getaway plans for July/August!

all in all, i'm grateful to be blessed with all the opportunities & rewards in my career this year. like what VP had said, hope i'll be able to continue to perform my best at business group. i'm aiming for a better bonus next year! =p

Zoya's progress

Zoya is 19 months old now. she can recognizes faces, and can even identify who is who when we show her the family photos. she smiles & talks a lot now, although it's all baby languages where no one can understand. hubby & i get to interact with her more nowadays as we are not that stranger to her anymore. really cute! credits goes to my PIL who will often show her our photos, and they will bring Zoya over to our place once a week. funny thing about her is she loves to stand really close to my camera lens when she sees me snapping pictures of her. end up most of her pix are out of focus.

trying to get a best shot

she's a 100% commercial break fan

that's the best i can get as Zoya still refuses to take pix with hubby

Zoya with her mummy & grandpa at our house

curious + fear, that sum up Zoya's feeling towards little Brownie

pretty hairband & pink bag is a must when she goes gai-gai

KTV night

hubby made a spontaneous suggestion about going to K-Box at Safra Jurong after work yesterday. he heard good reviews about this new outlet that comprises of wide screen LCD TVs & hi-tech touchscreen systems. the whole place is bigger than i thought. it's designed over a museum-like ambience emphasizing on the theme "Reminiscing the good old times", very 复古~ we were given a big spacious room that could sit at least 8 pax. it will be cool if that's the smallest room they have. the touchscreen technology is pretty convenient, but i still prefer using the traditional way for songs selection. 'cos the touchscreen panel is fixed at the corner of the room, not too friendly when ktv-ing in a big group. overall, the new outlet is a plus point for us as it's just 10 minutes walk from our block.

two big LCD TVs, upper one not of much use 'cos too high liao

hubby checking out the touchscreen panel

close-up view with the handwriting recognition function

a mini control system at the other side of the room

i had lots of fun with the applause/cheers/whistle/jeers function

$6+ for half a bowl of tibits, that's daylight robbery!

us with the mic

hot smoothing honey lemon- a must for the throat

盧廣仲!!! i'm listening to his songs on mp3 now ♥

had a great Friday!

Fun workout with Wii

hubby got me this EA Sports Active for Wii after my constant requests *thick-skinned* it claimed to be a effective fitness program that fits one's life, with 25 exercises one can do at home in just 20 minutes a day. the game package consists of a leg strap to hold the nunchuk on the thigh & a resistance band. i created my own avatar to start with & chose the 30-day challenge. there's a fitness instructor at the bottom right of the screen as guidance. so, everything's quite straightfoward. tried a few simple workouts like squats, running, punches & lunges. quite fun as i can really feel the burn, especially in my thigh areas. it keeps me going 'cos the instructor will keep repeating encouraging words like "your pace is right on target!", "i know you can do better", "c'mon let's work it!", etc. although cheating can be done just by merely swinging the nunchuk & remote control, i don't see the reason why i should do that. here's some photos specially for Cindee, 'cos i will pass the game to her after i complete the 30-day challenge. hope i can complete the game within a month!

basic squats

side lunges

bicep curls

punches, my favourite

jogging on a track

a more challenging stunt- skating

my first workout summary

still a long way to my goal

first bronze trophy

Brownie giving me the 'wtf-are-you-doing-look' when i'm doing the punches

Random pix taken during Jasmine's belated birthday celebration

venue: dinner at Waraku, The Central

sitting opposite colourful Clarke Quay, enjoying Hokkaido ice-cream with Shirlene

that's us being bo liao by taking photo of each other at the same time

Off to the vet again

had to take leave last Friday to bring DoNut to the vet for her recurring allergy problem. waiting time is unbearable at the clinic even though we had an appointment. hubby & i had tried quite a few elimination methods but seems like there's nothing much we can do about DoNut's allergies. her skin is really dry with flakes like dandruff. and her neck & mouth areas have become red & balding from all the scratching. two jabs were given & lots of medications until her next review two weeks later. she has to wear a plastic collar for 20 minutes each time after external application of cream. we hate to see her sad look when she wears the collar... but we have to do what needs to be done to stop all her excessive itching and licking on the open wounds.

Brownie making fun of DoNut

a close-up view of her red face & neck =(

the heart-breaking sad look

A crazy two weeks

i don't even know where to begin. the past two weeks have gone by in a blur & i'm still not sure when my life at work will get back to normal. too many changes; so little time. thanks to my company, i get to own my first ever Blackberry handset. it's a pretty cool piece of gadget to have but that means i will have to stay contactable outside office hours.

i've always think of myself as someone who is adaptive & a fast learner in some aspects. i'm trying my best to blend into the world of oil trading operations but, it's just so much harder than i thought. in fact, i am beginning to doubt management's decision & judgement of me. at the end of the day, i will feel defeated, discouraged & disappointed at myself. argh, that really sucks! rantings aside, it's gonna be a start of another new work-week tomorrow... i will persevere & pray for a smooth week ahead.

Day out at sea

set off from office to meet Captain Kelvin & his team by company car this morning. call me suaku but that's the first time i sit in a four-seater Lexus. shiok as there are back massagers for the passengers at the back seats. what a luxury! it's also the first time i go to West Coast terminal though i've stay in the west area for close to five years. in fact, i didn't even know that there's a ferry terminal there until yesterday. i usually will get sea sick easily but heng i felt perfectly alright despite the occasional choppy waves thoughout the 40 mins ferry ride.

the small ferry that send us to the vessel

Vincent . Kelvin . Nurhuda

the four members of Kelvin's team are poly student attachments. all quite young, cute & lively. i thought it doesn't seem apporiate to take photos when this is my first off-site meeting. so i kept my camera in my pouch until i saw all of them busy taking pix upon setting off ^^

looking out from the ferry


M.T. Bro Combo

"Bro Combo" looks really huge even though it's not the biggest vessel. we get to tour around the ship with the Chief Engineer & technicians. lots of calories burned 'cos we have to climb up & down in the hot engine room- the heart of the ship.

the control room

the engine & pump room

the pilothouse

view from the pilothouse

forget what this is called

CO2 bottle room

the emergency exit to dunno where

vessel at anchor

the very-not-fantastic shipmade lunch

didn't know young Obata is a smoker...

Kelvin brought us up on the vessel deck after lunch. the weather was sorching hot! we learnt more about the ship from his detailed introduction. what all of us didn't anticipate next was we have to climb our way down into a cargo tank. i freaked out when i looked down from the top. i told myself there is no way i'm going down to the deep, dark, oily hole. my sport shoes are left in the gym locker. so, i was worried that i will slip & hit my chin hard while climbing down with my flat ballet shoes. but i didn't managed to say no when all agreed after some hesitations. sibei on lor! my heart was thumping fast when i climbed down the oily ladder. didn't feel too good when i was down in the tank as the air was filled with nothing but the smell of O.I.L. definitely not suitable for those with claustrophobia. thank Buddha i made it in & out in one piece!

the scary cargo tank

close-up view

look at my black, oily gloves!

standing at the head of the ship, with my trembling legs

that's me under the hot hot sun

all of us were exhausted after the 4-hours visit... i felt hot, sweaty, sticky & smelly. but having said that, i actually enjoy the whole experience as it is a real eye-opener. Kelvin commented that i'm lucky to be able to go on board vessel when today is just my second day in operations =p

Brand new Monday

phew. finally settled down after a day of unpacking & attending one-on-one tutorials by Jenn & Obata. wrote 5 pages of A4 size notes in 2 hours! as i have zero knowledge on crude oil operations, there are so many things for me learn. new terms like refinery, NOR, laycan, on sub are simply too hard for me to digest...

time ain't enough today so i haven't had the chance to enjoy the privacy at my new desk. it feels oh-so different being at the other end of my office. no more little chats with Shirlene & Naka... though we are all in the same office, i feel really far from the ladies. can't even catch a glimpse of them from here :( guess it will take me quite some time to adapt to the changes.

on a happier note, tomorrow will be another day for me to look forward to at work. i was told to come in t-shirt, jeans & sneakers. reason is b'cos i'll be leaving office at 9:30am with both Obata & Jenn to meet a broker from Alliance at West Coast ferry terminal. we will get to go on board on a vessel named "Combo". how exciting! this will be a great chance for me to know more about how physical loading is done on a huge vessel.

kill lots of brain cells today. i better start packing now & head home for an early rest.

Overspending

i've been spending way too much lately; DKNY watch, bikini trimmer, new lingerie, Von's wedding, PIL's birthday gift, manicure package, new camera after i sold away the old one, LV wallet, IKEA bedside tables & bedsheets for our new bed. next on my list will be Wii Fit & the latest Sony MP3 player. i'm aware that my spending habit is sinful. did tried to save more but it's just quite impossible. the more i earn, the more i'll spend. so, heck! life's short & i should enjoy doing whatever i like.

hubby is down with flu since Friday. he kinda irritates me when he refused to visit a doctor when fever struck him yesterday. he even insisted & went ahead with the midnight movie last night. wonder when he has turn into a stubborn old man who dreads to see a doctor when unwell. (sighs)

received a suprised call from hubby's auntie this morning. she wanted me to recommend her my gynae as she was diagnosed with some kind of illness in the womb that requires a day surgery. we had a pretty long chat... shared with her the experience i went through last year. it's really tough being a woman. have to deal with monthly cramps & inconvenient, PMS, pregnancy woes, cyst, cancer, lumps, etc.  feel sorry for hubby's auntie as she sounded very worried. hope Dr John will assure her that everything's gonna be alright soon.

Moving...

really didn't expect i'll need to move again... i thought i will be the only lonely soul packing my stuff at work today. until management announced that there will be a minor change in seating arrangement for a few ladies as well. i'm happy for Shirlene 'cos her new desk will be situated at one of those 'prime areas'- where the monitor screen will be back-facing the Japs. Jacqueline named my new seat pivate property. reason is because i have a wall behind me (有'靠山'). it's so cool that nobody will know what's on my PC screen unless he or she stood near me. i'm super duper happy about it~ but of course, i will try my very best not to abuse this privilege.

*big evil grin*

Evonne & Richard's wedding

left Evonne's wedding at 10:30 last night. reached home at 11pm; slept at 1am; woke up at 6:30 this morning. how i wish my office is located in close proximity to my house, so that i do not have to struggle to wake up every morning before sun rise. i suggested to hubby to get a unit at ICON- a condo located behind Amara Hotel. 'cos rumour has it that our office will be shifting to Tanjong Pagar in March next year =p

it's always during weddings that you will meet up with people you never see for long time. the dinner last night was like a old school reunion for me. along with me at the same table were my primary & secondary school classmates- Shihan, Kim Leong, Liping & Ying Kwan. i also met Mrs Goh, my teacher during those Girl Guides days, and David- our Scout friend from Maris Stella High. haven't seen them ever since i left Braddell Sec 11 years ago... David claimed that he couldn't even recognized me as i've changed the most among all. idiot him even asked if i had went for plastic surgery.

couldn't agree more when Liping commented that the feeling of witnessing Evonne's wedding is completely different from attending weddings of our friends or colleagues. Me, Liping, Evonne and Caizhu- we were the best of friends during our secondary school years. felt emo when we saw montage of our Girl Guides photos. it's really a blessing that the four of us still keep in touch, even though we are leading different lives now.

random pix taken at Marriott Hotel

taken 14 years ago (Zhu, Von, Fen, Ping)

one of the photo montage... those were the days!