7 x 3 = 21

I was at grandpa's house for my little cousin's birthday!
My grandparents cooked up a feast, I tell you. I counted 13 dishes altogether- with fish, chicken wings, pork,pepper crab, chilli crab, lamb, a lot of different vegetables... And then there was jelly, sago and the cake for desert! Its so ruining my fitness plan!!

I'm on a serious mission to cut carbs just in case I gain weight over in Canada, so I've been eating super healthy stuff and exercising everyday (to prepare myself for a marathon too..)
So I'm eating loads of salad these days.. with yoghurt dressing. (cos i've banned myself from mayo! )and for the first time my yongtaufu has so much veg!

Oops,I've digressed! Back to the birthday!
My cousin's only 7! I feel so old already! My 7th birthday seemed like centuries ago!can the cute carebear cake make me feel any older... The loads of birthday presents. The kid feels rich with $10! I'll be feeling so broke with that amount..The birthday boy! =)

The gang of us! =) We can all solve rubik's cube!!
On a side note, I think I bought a lot of cheap stuff from Cotton On this GSS-! Like this top! And a lot of tees! All for $5 only! And all the $10 shorts, skirts, cardigans! Not that big a hole in my pocket this year..

Grandpa..
He suddenly seems so much older than I remembered him to be...

Snapshots

A few random snapshots of my life.
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Father's Day :

Dad wanted to go to this Teochew Restaurant at Bukit Batok, but it was still packed at 8.30, so we headed straight to IMM! I was like secretly super happy that Dad chose to eat Aijisen cos I was so so so so so craving for the crayfish ramen there then!
Haha, its weird how I only eat the crayfish ramen at aijisen, the pure chocolate ice-blended in coffee bean, only the chicken mcnuggets meal in Mac, the sotongfish head in Old Chang Kee, the Chicken Royale Baked Pasta in Pizzahut and almost nothing else in these places.

Ordered this chestnut desert with vanila ice-cream there that was super yummy! But everyone agreed it looked kinda gross. haha =)
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Cousins

The cousins went out for a boardgames session at The Pitstop Cafe, and Marco came along! Really fun!It was difficult trying to find games to accomodate to my little cousin though!
Note Jonathan's hairstyle- his hair got chopped off when he went back to reservice, and let's just say its erm, controversial. hah =)

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Outing with Sharon

I went out with Sharon that day, for a simple meal in Toa Payoh...

Guess she enjoys the company and someone to really hear her talk about her life- a life so simple, she practically repeats the same thing to me everytime we talk.. And its been almost 2 years and nothing has really changed.

She'll talk about her school, how people not play with her sometimes, or about her Sundays at Church. And my response would somehow be the same,but it seems she enjoys telling me about them anyway..

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Swimming at JE Swimming Complex

Went swimming with Marco that day as part of my fitness plan! Haha, I wanted to act cute and young that day, so I plaited my hair! A little bimbotic, but who cares. haha.

My skin's becoming more tan, despite the sunblock! I think I like myself a little whiter.

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ANYWAYS!!!!! I'M SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER HAPPY, and i wanted to share my joy with you guys! =)

NUS sent me this letter to inform me I've received the Wee Mon Cheng Bronze Medal cos of my academic results for the past sem/year! =) So i'm due for a prize presentation before I leave for Canada! I'm super happy, cos its so unexpected! I'm thinking of what to wear.. hmmmmmm

Oh ya, I booked my air tickets already.. I'm leaving for Canada on 24th August and I'll prob be back on the 31st of December or something! =) Eeks, suddenly its down to 2 months before I leave Singapore..

The 21st

I haven't received my birthday party photos from Jason yet, but I thought I should actually pen an entry down to revive my quiet blog.. so maybe i'll post the photos when i get back from Bali.

Seriously, I never thought I'll have like a blast on my 21st birthday. Its totally beyond my expectationsI just thought it'll be just another one of those birthdays that slip away in a second.

But its amazing how wonderful and overwhelming my 21st has been. Truly made beautiful by Marco and all of my lovely friends and family! I feel so so loved !!! I think birthdays are so ego-boosting (haha)

After a long decision, I finally made the decision to have a birthday party (possibly inspired by Alvin's party).. And then i was thrown into the decision of churning out the invites list and then sending out sms invites. Its seriously not easy to be a host- i possibly discussed the invites list and who should come to talk to who, who would be left out and everything, and i'm really sorry if some of ya did not receive my sms (either due to my overlook or the screwed up sms service). But I really do love all my friends.=)

Then it was down to the location of the party. I can't emphasize how long i spent goggling and yahoo-ing every night on sites like yum.sg or hungrygowhere.com. I think I can easily name 100 restaurants and their reviews and what they're recommended for.. thanks to my research. I don't think I've even worked so hard for termpapers. heh.

Ask Marco and you'll know how many options i had, and how i eliminated them cos I wanted something special. The party was almost held at the MINT toy museum but due to the bad service and delay in sending me the proposal, I moved the party over to The Central. It was by a stroke of luck that I saw this restaurant, while surfing facebook and clicking at people's photos. I was attacted by the simple vintage deco! And it was also by a stroke of luck that I managed to recognise the background in the photo as Clarke Quay and ta dah, the venue was set.

Then came the task of coordinating the food, budget, drinks, games, decorations.And of course, I must look pretty too, so as expected, loads of brain cells died because of that. a few hours before the party, i went for this free makeup thing by sasa and i almost died cos the "professional" "painted" my face in so many shades I thought i looked like i was some mountain tribe in war paint. So there was a mad rush to buy makeup remover wipes. I loved how my hair looked that day, I totally need to re-perm my hair before i head for Canada!

And mavis being mavis, then spent hours everyday to create the little mini people, the letters and everything I've given to ya all, as well as the decorations on the wall. I added in the "21 facts I bet you didn't know about Mavis" at the last minute cos I think the wall was too bare, and I'm glad you guys enjoyed reading how weird I am..

I hope everyone that came enjoyed the party cos loads of effort and planning went into it. I must apologise for the lack of walking space or anything I've overlooked.. *hugs* I totally love the presents you guys gave me!!!!!!

(ps: cheeks and xuefen: the jumping rabbit made me laugh for super long, and the purple crocodile is now permanently in my bag so that i can show other pple! haha)

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I must really thank my parents, my lovely brother and all my relatives too.


Especially Dad!! who gave me a Visa card and treated all of us to Carnivore (sinful like anything!). awwwwwww... Its really difficult to describe this sense of bliss I have around me, even though my birthday its not here. but it does feel like I've been celebrating for ages cos I'm filled to the brim with loads of love and happiness.

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To Marco:

Last but not least, I'll like to thank my special someone (I wonder if you'll be reading this). i think I've probably nagged at you for spending so much money on my birthday presents more than I've thanked you for making this 21st so memorable, but everything really wouldn't have been possible without you. The scale of your project was really beyond anything I imagined- you actually manage to contact friends that I haven't even said hello to in almost 8 years... and i still made you go through the torture of having to tell me one clue a day (and most of the time asking for more)..



And everyone has been telling me how sweet you are, so I'm glad all my friends love you too, because I can't be more glad that they do..




Thank you sweetheart! saya cinta pada mu =)




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Do visit http://www.happybirthdaymavis.sg/ if you haven't, to see the work of the crazily romantic boyfriend. And thanks for all your well-wishes my friends!!! Mavis Long can't be more happy to have friends like you all!!



ps: lala! i'm so happy to see your well-wishes!!! i miss you like crazy!



As part of my birthday surprise that the boyfriend has been hiding, I'm off to Bali for sweet escapade with him tomorrow! tata~

As promised...

You know how people say babies are only cute when they're not yours
I had this sudden insight last night while doing research on my development psychology essay:
Babies are ONLY CUTE when you don't study and write essays about their development all day long.
For now, babies are killing me..

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V-DAY


Anyways, here's a belated entry about my Valentine's Day =)
Its long overdue, but its still something i wanna blog about..
We went to Sentosa this year for our celebrations...


As well as to take photographs of the pretty flowers at the Garden festival as well as photographs for a STOMP photo competition.


Truckload of photos ahead!





The Garden Festival..


Crowded...



After that, we went to take the Luge ride! and the sky-ride! Super fun.

Anyone wanna go back with me ??









Here's a terrified me at the back of our 2-seater bicycle. haha.




We went to this green field where we took some photos for a V-day photography competition.. and here's one of my personal favourites
And the entry we submitted won!! hoorays.

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Anyway people, one reason why i've been so busy is cos i recently set up a blogshop to sell off all the clothes that I don't like or not suitable for me.
So.. if you guys have any clothes that are like not suitable (old and new also okay) already and you don't want to throw them away, give them to me okay? heh =)

dong dong dong QIANG

I'm not particularly excited about CNY this year maybe because I'm not particularly looking forward to see and greet a houseful of relatives that I don't really know- many of which don't remember who I am, what's my name, whose daughter I am. But to them, I'm probably someone that would appear in their houses once a year to get my ang baos.
But some part of me still loves chinese new year. For one, I finally get a break from school, get a chance to buy new clothes that cost a weeny bit more, new shoes and get together with my cousins for a day out..

So let's begin with the reunion dinner at grandpa's house. I love that house because grandma, like me, adorns her house with bright coloured things and photographs- photographs at document our growth, our parent's childhood, their graduation photos, travel photos and many many ancient memories.

Here's a proud me with my creation before it gets eaten. Ours has an extra packet of crispy biscuits for the kids to enjoy =DAnd here's the grandparents! lovely people. I kinda feel that age's catching up on them bit by bit. more white hairs, they walk more slowly now, they feel tired easily. Its kinda sad really, that its already a fact that they'll be leaving me one day.
Here's the spread! Its a lot more food than those on the table. But the table has no more space for the plates. We normally have enough for lunch and dinner the next day, but they're really great cooks.

Bright and early the next morning , i woke up and started to get ready, wear my nice green dress and make my hair. Please say my didi looks great cos i was his fashion consultant! haha =D
And as usual, we made our way to my grandparents house. And again as usual, we began taking a lot of photos using my camera. And soon, as usual, grandma and jon are going to ask me for the photographs (jon in soft copy and grandma in hardcopy). haha :P

Every year, there would be this period of time after we visit this particular relative's house that we cousins would leave for a day out, leaving the adults to gamble away. We always start brainstorming where to go right after new year has ended because there's always no conclusion and no great ideas. This year, the decision was relatively easier because lunch served at that house was all spicy food, hence where would hungry cousins go? To eat of course! so we ended up at Jurong Point's Fish and Co! Jon kindly asked Marco to join us, so we made a gang of 6.

After we were fed, we headed to the arcade where 6 of us played photohunt and bishi bashi. More hands make bishi bashi easier to win! we were all good at different things! and i was very excited because i seldom get to make it through to the last few stages of the whole game!

Marco treated us to ice-cream later, and yea, we had to head off to another relative's house in the evening.

The day ended with blackjack and lots of winnings! =D i got like 10 blackjacks within 2 hours! i'm a happy girl =) HAPPY CNY people!