A First: Matching Spectacles - Pescara

Had this urge to get myself a new pair of spectacles lately, but just couldn't find one that caught my eye. Well, there were a few that did, but then again it was of the higher-end brands and I wasn't appealed to the idea of splurging excessive amount of money paying for the name. Coincidentally, 'Isham just broke his previous pair and was desperately looking out for one. We did some extensive research on the internet, trying to identify the best frame style that suits our faces. More importantly, we both had this common aim to get a pair that we are happy to wear out with.

Google-imaged 'rayban wayfarer', and chanced upon the blog post 'Feeling Specky?' from a-minutewithadora.blogspot.com. The frames looked pretty much like the idea of what we wanted to get, so upon her blog's recommendation, we decided to head out to Orchard Optics at Orchard Plaza. There aren't alot of optical stores in Singapore that carries Pescara frames, so we gave it a go even though we were quite reserved about getting our specs done from a shop at town (well, we were just afraid the prices are marked-up as compared to the neighbourhood ones). But guess what, we both had personally our best specs-purchasing experience! Andrew, the early-30s owner of Orchard Optics, made us feel completely at home. He's a really laid-back extrovert not shy of striking conversations with his customers as though we're old friends catching up. In addition, at the time of our stay in his store, he was accompanied by similarly-friendly assistant (his girlfriend, I assume) who made us feel totally welcomed. Doing more than just average customer-serving, he kindly explained to us into very great depth on the different types of frame styles, and gave us recommendations on which and which didn't fit our faces. He laid out his Pescara collection, and offered some time on our own to try out all of the stocks available. Best thing, I would say, was that he didn't appear aggressive in promoting his products.. unlike our previous experiences. 

'Isham had his eyes glued to the olive frames instantly (black frames were never an option), at the same time he was really insistent on me getting the tortoise shell one. The super lightweight frames largely helped to affirm our decisions, although we were secretly still hesitant into committing because we were afraid it was too expensive to fit our respective budgets. This came to the part where Andrew began to endear himself to us. The initial quoted price was at $290, but he was very willing to listen to our needs and budgets. And since we were making a pair each, he gave us further reductions; $480 for both pairs. That is a pretty reasonable price, I would dare say that we were really pleased with it, given that the lenses that he recommended (Crizal Airwear Uv 1.60) are retailed at $160 itself. Cheap indeed, acknowledging the fact that 'Isham's degrees are at 475 including astigmatism and would require customised lenses.

At the end of the day, we're both happy customers. New spectacles - a matching one at that. Super lighweight Korean Pescara frames. Great customer service. A purchase that is within our respective budgets. Money well spent. That just summarize our pleasant experience at Orchard Optics. Will definitely be back to check out their SNRD shades range someday.

BEAST AT HOME

I refuse to lend him my credit card for her mum to come over for confinement

He pushed me, howled at me, shouted at me.

If I knew this was going to happen, I will not even lend him my first full year bonus

I will not even pay for the bills he signed under a supp card with my name as a principal holder

I regret trusting him.

I don't even expect my money to be back

He stole my card used it put back

no evidence, he denied...

I tell myself I will never lend this guy money

anw I will share more of my story when I am at a safer place permanently.

He threatened to kill me with a knife.

He called the police

chased me out of HIS/MY MUM's hse

he pushed my mum and I.

u call this a man? a son? a brother? a father?

I will elaborate more when I am safe....

I am in danger anytime. If I ever die.

it is cus of him.

Mayday

Mayday marks the 11th year my grandma has passed away.
How time flies, hope by now she is relieved of all her pain.

Productive day so far, though i haven't started studying,
woke up at 9 and headed to the gym, came back feeling hungry and tired.
ate, surfed net till now~ with all my books already on the table waiting for me to start

Lets Go!!

buffet eat like a boss

2 Fridays ago, after i took half a day off for my dental appt.

we headed for cheaper alternative buffet cus....

the one that we wanted to reserve was fully booked :(

no luck, we paid abt $65 for 2 pax at a weekend rate since it was the eve of ph.

we were there just abt when they started the dinner buffet, the food were quite hot from the kitchen

only 1 other couple

definitely not my plate fille with 3/4 fried food...

mine must be at least half seafood! :)

 seafoo corner, salmon sashimi was available later but gets emptied very fast...
refilled every half an hr... haha I LOVE SEAFOOD <3

Sushi corner which I feel quite norm, sushi is not my first few choices when it comes to buffet....

 Fried corner!!

 pizza which tasted quite home-made.

 more fried food Isham who likes all these!! haha

 check out the nasi lemak sushi and the sambal belachan sushi. dint try but isham say was ok...
10/10 for novelty

 my later plate, see what i mean by I LOVE SEAFOOD! HAHAHA
Tom Yam crayfish was quite good! chilli flowercrab was not bad, sauce was good but no meat~
mixed veggies tasted home-cooked,  glutinous rice nice too!! but abit dry, could be due to the steamer

 ICE CREAM!!! i think there were at least 4-5 flavours! only isham can do it like that!! haha but coffee and yam not a very good combi
the free flow drnks also included can drink like coke which was a rare sight.
I had sjora, yumzzz!

on a random day, my colleagues and I were at the atrium and played this game

similar to coca cola happiness machine thingy...

supposed to wave at the camera, suppose someone is inside...

assigned a random task, do it and you'll be rewarded.

you do things like shouting, hug, dance and emotions when you are under stress, got a million $

Saw a few ppl hit jackpot, won themselves craftholic, polaroid camera

free paper for notes >.< 

this week been really fulfilling,

manage to clear bulk of my backlogs...

happy with bonus ^^

save up time!

Every family has its own problems

sometimes I feel that if I weren't so different, maybe I won't feel so bad, so terrible living here...
If only living with no money didn't matter,
If only I can choose not to care about my loans,
my expenses... Wait till the day I am really out of money and get someone else to help me.
SOMEONE SOMEHOW SOMEWHERE will help me.

Anw, the long weekend was damn fulfilling
firstly i got to catch up with WWE action which I have missed out quite alot,
at least i know who are the frequent wrestlers... haha
secondly, Crime Investigation channel, Nat Geo, Discovery are the best channels!!
interesting documentaries everyday!
but that also meant i didn't study at all >.<
what!!

Today I had virgin Sushi Tei dinner with colleagues XL and Shing.
HAHA no QUEUE!! cus we left on the dot at 6!
Not bad! but i think not worth for the queue if it is soooo long!!

B&J free cone day 8 Apr 14

2 years ago I realled reaching Vivocity with no queue in line,
i went on to read the posters to realise it only starts at 2pm.
mehhhhh
Working adult where got time to queue at 2pm!!
Last year I rmb we gave it a miss due to the long snaking queue...

Super luck this year... maybe cus lunch hour shifted half an hour earlier...
the wait was ok, about 30-40mins, and so many flavours to chooose from
yumzzz!! previously i rmb they only had 5...

anw, guess I am such a predictable person when it comes to ice cream flavours
I have something for caramel/butterscotch/toffee(in order) haha
yes... they are all different :)
So how could I have resisted Triple Caramel Chunk!!
anw this photo really don't do justice, the chunks are hidden, they are like reese buttercups much smaller though but filled with caramel!! :)
I was contemplating btwn this and something chocolatey but i think chocolate quite norm~

Some really old pics from Poly days free cone day, we could queue many many rounds,

firstly because Great World is such a great place!! queue is not as crazy, mostly students

secondly cus WE HAD LOTS OF TIME AFTER SCHOOL LA!! haha

carefree days :) good old days

looking forward to next year's !!!
anw today I also had Mr bean ice cream cus the weather was crazy! perspiring all the way
which is so rare cus I don't sweat that easily...

Most expensive assets

Today I took half a day to visit NUS undergrad clinic with the intention to replace my missing tooth(s)
but was recommended by the prothodontist to get my braces done again
cus they are slighly out of line, the wait for the post grad is 1.5-2 years though...

I was thinking if I want to do it just get it all done right
Previously, i didn't know if there was a diff btwn ortho vs protho,
dentist is dentist what!! apparently mt set of tooth are the most complicated
and requires lots of party to assess and make decisions

so for now, save money and get the whole cycle done and completed!
bogay stilllllll... haha
kinda miss braces :)

YAY!!!!!!! guess what its pay day next week!

New look

Finally after procrastinating for so long,
I finally gave up the classic look and upgraded it to the newer version...
haha, i think after a while u just minimise all the cuteness in blogskins..
i started out with super fanciful, lots of pics, icons, songs..
den after awhile, realising, simple is better...
haha, signs of aging...

anw reason for choosing this background is cus I WANNA FLY LIKE A BIRD AND BE FREEE!!!
next week is gonna be pretty packed,
gonna climb qc, dental and public holiday. not much time to work >.<

Time to start studying!

National Siblings Day

While so many other people wld be saying how great their siblings are to them,
i don't know if I will be the only one 'complaining...
My ELDER sibling, emphasis lol.
hasn't been the best example to me,
he don't have to be.. really. i have a mind on my own and I know what I exactly want.

I have never expected much from him,
he can have a honest living and live life happy, work hard, earn more money.
of course, he had his good days, we had good meals, money,
i thought life was really turning good.
we lived simple.
until... gambling... this caused everything, thus i swear i will never touch it in my life. NEVER EVER
but.... he has never been honest with me...
from the start he used my credit cards without my knowledge...
although he still paid what he used... but this is a principle thing, no?
you just don't touch any one's belonging without the person's knowledge
then.... he borrowed money from me...
this was my hard earned bonus which I was stupid enough
he used the card I supp to my mum to travel overseas, all the money he incurred was on
my mum and I.
then he stole my card, used it and put it back
denied all accusations
ON A FACEBOOK CASINO GAME
seriously when u are becoming a FATHER,
YOU DON'T SIMPLY SPEND $3k+ on facebook games.
LET ALONE, ITS NOT EVEN YOUR MONEY!!
ever since, it was the last straw.
this gave me no reason to ever trust this guy
he isn't worth my trust, my time.
and I never thought the #1 control was to safeguard my assets
at home.... so sad isn't it, even office is a safer place

then just this week, he asked me for my laptop password,
i have locked it since the whole episode happened.
would I be so stupid to give him?
I always blame for my soft-heartedness
there is always a part of me that tells me I shld help him.
but really, why should I care about a person who does thing without even thinking of my feelings?
totally not worth it.

i don't usually have temper

but i have to say i get pissed off by things.
one does not simply wah lao me for flushing the toilet bowl
although u were using the water to bathe...
lol cus when u try to expres your displeasure, I flushed again...

seriously, morning when i bathe u also on the tap to wash the vegetables to cook what..
don't make it as if being preggie is a huge big deal and everyone shld be giving in to you
and everyone owes you a living,
if the unplanned marriage isn't bad enough, unplanned pregnancy is worse...
do it only if you and your husband are capable to provide for the kid.

anw, the flushing of toilet bowl will only take up 15secs more of your time?
stop complaining and do what is needed...
I don't come home from work sighing everyday...

gosh!!! stop being so whiny!! things won't change even when you complain right?
haha actions do, work harder and they will get recognised.
*pissed mode*

I WILL NEVER TRUST THESE PEOPLE.
Went bk china for 10days swiping the card i supp to my mum
almost $3k of expenses including airfares
he was pleading me cus he said it could be her parent's last breath and what not
end up, mum and I had to fork this out

thats excluding the $ I lent him..
omg scam couple totally...

must run away soon
if not my $ will run faster

goals, spiritual joy

I was on course for the past 2 days.
I've always liked courses that allows me to question myself
my goals, my direction in life...
I am very clear what kind of life I want to lead,
but i think I never got it written, concrete
well, research has shown if u write them down, you are more likely to attain them...
so.. write your goals!!! SMART goals
specific,measurable,attainable,realistic and timely.
like... I WANT TO GET MARRIED BY 26.
ok joke I WANT TO COMPLETE ACCA BY 2015!!!

the trainer also went through maslow's theory, 7 habits of highly effective people
and getting off balance on purpose, alot of thing boils down to
your willingness to change, adapt, take up new things...
always try something harder, you'll find what you can't do well previously, easier...
if you are always doing something in your comfort zone, you will never never improve!

taking the first step this year, 21km @ sundown.
workplans, projects
I hope I can open up a shop/online shop in SG, but no ideas yet
I want to volunteer overseas,
learn spanish in spain/north america
watch wrestling live
be debt free by 50

I have a long long list of goals, they are no longer called wishlist cus they are not really wishes
wishes to me is secretly hoping they will happen without doing anything
goals are the ones you have to work towards to.

I am also going to volunteer in seagames 2015! lifetime experience i should go while i am still young ;)

very very good course, makes me think what i really want in life and how to make it better! (y)

for now i am saving up lots lots lots for reno
and putting some in my investment portfolio

where did I last stop

Cant wait to move out SOON!!!

Anw, saturday was JB day, jam packed on a random weekend...

saw like everyone there! Sticky is open,

food was good, company was better

Captain America was long winded imo, i find divergent more interesting.

expected ending of cus~ Superhero movie leh!

i think both of us fell asleep at different parts. LOL for a short while...

Sunday was a crazy damn hot 5km at the part.

Finally met <30mins, been a really longggg time!

Jurong Lake having some dragonboat/kayak even which i met Mag for awhile!! haha

headed to colleague's wedding in the noon.

ok, concluded i really can't take malay food... >.< sea of red

even my nasi padang is selective! haha

chionged to Far East to meet babe and his friends,

had lunch @ Ramen Ten, really sia, Clem one not as nice!

played LAN for an HOUR!!!

omg you know when was the last time i played lan??

P6 with my pri sch friends bp gang, CS at bukit panjang plaza!! damn vivid memory

anyway after so many years of not playing, not bad la, still can kill :) 

Babe is not a gamer but i think guys are generally good at this so...

haha, anw, at the end of that hour i was in motion sickness, damn giddy.

not sure if it was the lack of water or just the turning and dodging and hiding and camping. haha

got better at night :) then when we were otw home my body was on fire like... i feel sick.

But this morning i woke up ok...

weird body.

yay i am on course this thur/fri means i can go home earlier for runs.

can't wait!!!

sometimes i ask myself if i deserve better.
the grass is always greener on the other side.
we can't expect our partners to be perfect, the way we want them to be, right?
we all have flaws and love means accepting each other flaws.
I will work hard for my future...
thank you babe for not looking down on me despite so many things happening at home.
hope we can build a family never like mine, be an example to the kids,
bring our kids up to be useful people in the society.

when the going gets tough the tough gets going

regret

i dont know if 10 years down the road,
I will be reading my blog in regret or content over the decision i have made,
laughing or crying over my feelings and actions...

feeling so tireddddd of my life.
what to do???????

Trip to the zoooooo!

Been a really long time since we last went to the zoo! 

got the tickets for free since i manage to ballot free corporate pass :)

The weather was pleasant! esp when the weather has been crazily hot recently,

it drizzled a little but wasn't much affected.

Tried to take pics at the same places we took 3 years ago...

brought my tripod along.

This camera is amazing.. hide all my flawssss on my face my blemishes and all

wahhhhh!! anw pictures below and exclusive since it will not be uploaded to FB yet :) 

Dinner was at siam kitchen! been craving for thai food a long time and it was SOOO NICE!!

the tom yam was a killer spicy

but bangkok one still best! fragrant and authentic and not so spicy, idk why!!

the weather must be so hot cus... the animals are all hiding, or at least, not so many are out at the enclosure.

The animals can recognise the zoo keepers and wah!! so smart leh!!

the lions too must be tired because the just watch the meat fly pass the upper 'steps' and

walked to eat it, not ferocious enough leh :) 

Isham took a very good shot on below though!!

On a side note, we just signed up for our first 21km @ Sundown!

Sundown is also my first 10km!! hope we can train towards that..

while.... preparing for exams in june!

Hoping to save all my $$ from bonus next mth..

no plans to spend on anything BIG for now

main aim is to fix my missing TEETHS which I have contacted NUS dentistry undergrad

to help me with a subsidised price. super happy!! save me tons of money!!

Anw also on a random note, Isham always has a very kind heart,

which I got kinda influence over the years, he would always donate whenever he sees flag day,

beggars with needs, i emphasize that cus many beggars are capable of finding jobs and not disabled in any way. We learn to take care of those in need ++++ many karma points and many returns. :) thanks for making me a better person 

meeting up with the kindergarten friends!

Met up with the kindergarten friends like after 2 years!
1 was away from Sg for half a year for exchange, 1 was busy with uni final year!
So we didnt get to meet last year.
The year before was just 1 meetup before Guiping went to Thailand.

I was randomly looking for her name on fb and found her,
we lost contact for like 15 years but had 1001 things to talk about.
so lady-like and pretty now :)

Some of the things they talk about makes me wonder if i have missed out too much on Uni life,
did I regret not working harder to get into Uni?
They are like damn smart, and you are talking abt first class honors and second upper honors.
What right!! I feel so dumb.Haha but I am super happy for them!!! :)

I have never regretted entering poly because i have learnt alot from school
and my presentation skills have improved, I gained confidence
and I feel this is smth I might not get if I were to have a change of route.

I have been in a relationship for 6 years +, lost the feeling of getting chased,
so when I hear stories it is damn exciting.
AND YOU 2 super super compatible la!!
both looking for partners that are not too controlling,
wants freedom, not too whiny. HAHA
AND THE TOOTH INCIDENT TOO FUNNY!!!
omg Wensong you have like a part of guiping in you! HAHAHAHA

So fun hanging out with you guys :) but good times like this fly damn fast.

I AM CAFE. I AM HUNGRY

So there was one day I have been bugging 'Isham to go for a cafe date since the longest of time.

But our schedule was clashing like forever, Dec Jan was my busiest and he was free,

by Feb when i was free up a little, he was busy.. it was so difficult to arrange a time to hang out a day together... Until that day, ok shits i can't remember when it was already!! I remember it was a Sunday,

simply because only BRUNCH was served on sunday, nothing from the main menu... 

They have like interesting names on the drinks as well, mine sounds something minty and citrus-y.

Good and refreshing! :) Babe had a safe bet, he chose something berry.

This house of pan is like the best thing ever! meat, potatos and veggies ALL IN!! plus,
u get a choice to have omlette, scrambled or sunny side up!
the best part of this is the baked beans,
the usual Western Food baked beans you get on the stalls are like tomato sauce baked beans but...
THESE ARE LIKE MY FAV SO FAR! they are PASTA SAUCE BAKED BEANS
YUMZ!!! i am never a fan of tomato sauce, although i love eating tomato and yeah, pasta sauce.
but this was good! and babe loves it too because we were never really a fan of the usual kind
It was filling, nice and came hot :) like a hotpot with the sizzling, love the sauteed mushrooms too!

On the other hand, I had egg Benedict, came with muffin and ham and cheese(i think)

Those people who know me , will also know i am never a fan of semi-cooked egg

The only eggs i take are hard boiled, soft boiled, not a fan of half cooked egg yolk.

But this was good too! love the cheese!! went well with the egg. Pardon my pimple, lazy to edit!

After the food we went Haji Lane and explored, take photos, watch people get their photos taken...

Before we know it, we were already in another cafe for desserts!!

We had Red Velvet and Caramel Mousse(last piece) implied meaning good sales!

True to it, the caramel mousse did not disappoint.

Find it quite ex cus.. it is not cheap. like $7.50 per slice?

Not a huge slice though.

Oh, this was at La Marelle, inside the cafe, there were lots of merchandise on sale

and they were of course, pricey. Once in a blue moon i feel it is ok to spend :) 

wise thoughts

Today my company held an annual review...
its usually a review of performance of previous year and the direction and expectations for the coming year.
more than just the statistics and KPI, CEOs usually share personal experiences...
they are just good at delivery. duh~ CEO leh.
I came back with lots of thoughts but everytime i reached here. LOST. BLANK.
hmmm, this blog seems more like a self reflection time rather than a public blog for ppl to read.

Often I ask myself, how can I be better?
We all play diff roles in life and it is almost impossible to play them equally well.
I am someone's daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, colleague, subordinate etc.
How can I be good at all?
I am not usually competitive, most of the time I feel its Me vs Me

Many years back Ms Solastri would always ask us to write down 3 things
Who am I? What am I doing here? and Where am I going?
Where do I see myself going in 5 years time? Will what I do now matter?
Is this a job I see myself doing?

COO also shared the cutting edge to sustain top spot.
it is true, winning 1st is one thing, maintaining it every year is another...
and CHANGE is the only constant! If you don't make changes, your competitors will outdo you!
I must outdo myself, push my limits so I can be greater!!
time to read who moved my cheese in full. haha i nvr got the chance to read, just heard abt it

then there was this story abt lion as the king of the forest, wants to have a taste/look of everything...
so he asked polar bear to send him ice... of cus when it reaches him, it became water.
he sent the package back to polar bear and of cus it was ice..
to me, one man's trash is another man's treasure!
the same thing can be so different in different people's view.

#lesson I will learn

I will learn to be stronger.. because I am not giving up till I get there!

some people

have this extraordinary feature to make people clear their shit
NO!! this is not happening to me!
Isham and I had an awesome weekend.
Will blog with pictures soon! :)
So tempted to join a new fitness club but I am dying to finish my 5 acca papers
prioritise and I will get them right :) lezzgo!

Hesitation

I've been on this blank page for a good 3 days.
everyday I logged on to my laptop, with this page on, but I don't know what to write
I never liked washing dirty linens in public...
especially when it is so embarrassing. Well, I don't widely publicize my blog...
So only goodie old friends who have been reading from a long long time will continue to read... :)
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE :)

Anw, just when I thought the nightmare is over, I was caught again. It was just the beginning...
While I was out to run on a weekday night after I came back from work,
my card was stolen, apparently to make unauthorised transactions over facebook.
The damage was $155 X AT LEAST 25 transactions
It summed up to bout $3.9k worth of transaction within hours.
This is selfish, disgusting,desperate act...

To be continued...