EstheR the GorgeouS

More clubbing in Movida

2009-10-22T20:22:00.003+08:00

Checking out my make up before heading to St. James - I so totally hate my hair ...... aunty-looking, don't you think?
No clubbing session is complete without my besties
We couldn't decide on a club & finally settled ourselves in Movida
Other than Marilyn & Juliana, I'd managed to meet up with 2 dear old friends. It's been eons since I last met you guys (my bad :p). I certainly plan on seeing more of you all. More clubbing!!!
But mysterious friends they are ....... one refused to take a pic with me & the other insisted I cover up his face.
Ooops ........ I accidentally stepped on Ju & my heels jabbed right into her foot. I'm so so sorry darling, I knew that hurt real bad :(
The music at Movida was great but the crowd not so. We wanted to switch club. We tried Boiler Room, Power House, Dragonfly but everywhere was packed & we resigned ourselves to Movida.
Not a very 'happening' night & I didn't even manage to dance! (What a crime!) But I am soothed for the fact that I managed touch base with my friends again. Next time ~~ A better club!!!

Great girly fun in Social House

2009-10-18T10:47:00.002+08:00

I'm sorry ...... I must have had worried some of you, disappearing for so long. I had been away accompanying some doctors to a cardiology conference in Beijing. I can't wait to post those pics but before that, I think I had better post this which had been sitting in my draft for almost a month.

In a bid to cheer me up, the girls decided to bring me to do what I loved doing most ~~ DANCING!!! I found this new joint - Social House in Liang Court. I love it for the fact that they provide decent platforms for showing off my dance moves (0'O) and even allows bartop dancing if you dare. Oh ..... how I missed bartop since Devils' days. But I didn't muster enough courage to get onto it this time :p

*Juliana - I know I make a real lousy friend but in spite of everything, you never gave up on me. Thanx for watching my back.

*Marilyn - You're the best friend that anyone can ask for. You are my rock & I never fail to draw strength from your petite little frame.

*Geraldine - Though we do not keep in touch often enough, I know that I can always count on you should I need you by my side.

We met not in the most conventional of circumstances but yet had amazingly remained steadfast to each other through it all. I hope in my heart of hearts that our friendship will withstand the tribulation of time & remain forever strong, for I can't imagine what life would be like without you girls by my side.

*Denise - We may not know each other very well or long enough but I know I spotted a gem of a friend when I met you.

Arghhh ...... not quite the tone that I had wanted for this post but I just can't help getting all soppy :p My bad ~~~ now's the time to parteyy!!!

Watch a bunch of old ladies act cute - I think I hear violent protests already ~~ ok maybe it's just me that's the old lady then :p

We had a great night of girly fun!

Jolene dropped by to give me a surprise & moral support. I was so touched by her & her hubby's gesture. I guess seeing each other happy meant a great deal to the both of us. And now looking at her, I firmly believe that love & happiness is within reach for me too.

Arghh ...... the nasty part ...... I realised that I now have 0 tolerance for hard liquor. Just a sip sets off my gag reflex & so I was drinking beer while the rest were happily downing neat Martell from the bottle. Then Jolene had to get me a Flaming Lamborghini (see, she's laughing so happily in the pic!). The second I downed the entire lot, I turned around & puked everything straight out. The girls thought I was drunk but I was the most sober of all at the end of the night :p

We love dancing on the platform!

Thought I might as well flaunt it cos that's probably the last time I will wear that top to a club. Mar did an excellent job picking that sexy top out for me but all those frills was just so not me. Lol ..... but even I myself like that view from the back! :ppp

September holidays sleepover

2009-09-21T22:20:00.000+08:00

Meg loves sleepovers & she had been planning one for the September holidays since I don't know when :p And at long last the big day (or rather night) finally arrived.

A little finger food to keep the kids occupied while waiting for the others to arrive
The 1st programme for the night is BENTO-MAKING!!! It was Meg's idea & it turned out to be a great one because all of them were really keen & enthusiastic about it. Meg & I went shopping in Meidi-Ya the day before and we bought lots of ingredients! I've even laid out my precious bento-making tools & lunch boxes for them to get creative. The amazing thing was that there was hardly any wastage. The girls were popping the leftovers into their mouth while making their bentos. Haha ..... they were so stuffed after that!
They were listening to me intently as I taught them the basics. And since Meg had seen me done it so many times, she was happy playing the role of the photographer. Wow ..... it was tough work, at the end of tutorial, sweat was trickling down my back & my hair plastered to my face.
Once they got started, there was no stopping them! And in the background, Meg was telling her classmates non-stop how good her mum was at bento. It had me grinning like a Cheshire cat :DDD Everything had been worth it!
I was totally amazed by their creativity, there's so much that I can learn from them! This bento belongs to Charlene. A pity she had to leave midway & it wasn't as finished as she would have liked it.Here's Jaanvi's ~~ I love those cheese clouds!
Ha Young is a lovely Korean girl & Meg's bestie.
Meg's besotted with Naruto --- Hahaha ....... hence NARUTO bento! Great job with the Konoha sign on the headband using nutella ;)
Rei Yi is ingenious turning the baking cup into an umbrella
Arianne's the most detailed of the lot. All of the bentos look so yummy, right? So for those of you out there still hesitating, you know you can do it cos these 8 year olds did it! I lent them the lunch boxes to bring home so that they can show it off to their families & printed the pics for them to still be able to feel proud when their bentos are gone.
While I take a break (exhausting!), they were amusing themselves singing & dancing to the Wondergirls ~~ I wanna nobody nobody but you! Hahaha ........
Then they moved on to board games & nearly brought the house down with their screams. Girls will be girls, I guess :)

They shared the room with me as there were too many & unable to accommodate into Meg's room.

They totally love having their pics taken & volunteered all kinds of poses for me. Wahahaha ...... this is so funny & spontaneous!!!And then they tried jumping ..............

This pic was totally random but Meg thought up of a story line which was hilarious. Again linked with Naruto of course ------ Konoha Senpuu??!! -__-""Last activity before they go to sleep. Happily snacking & watching the DVD I rented (Dogs vs Cats or something like that). And it was way past 3am when I heard the 1st little snore. Whoa ...... it worried me for a moment that they might never stop their chattering!
I made sure they wake up to a hearty breakfast before their parents came to pick them up. The girls told me they had a great time & Meg was really elated that her slumber party went so well!

Invisible tears

2009-09-20T15:59:00.001+08:00

He doesn't want to see me cry.
So he pretends the tears are not there.
I guess it's easier that way.

Sad movie always makes me cry .........

2009-09-19T23:59:00.001+08:00

There's a silent movie playing over & over again in my head. It's like a broken video that's been left on autoplay. It's always the same storyline but the scenario constantly changes. This is pure mental torture. Every scene opens up a fresh wound in my heart. I need to stop this now but where the hell is the stop button?!!

We heart shopping in Meidi-Ya

2009-09-13T18:47:00.002+08:00

I decided on shopping in Meidi-Ya for Meg's upcoming slumber party's supplies. And amazingly both of us had a great time there just simply doing grocery shopping. There were so many yummy-looking food that we could hardly contain ourselves! We LOVE everything JAPANESE ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

A forgotten present

2009-09-10T21:49:00.004+08:00

While cleaning Meg's room, I found the present that she bought for you some time back from the school bookshop. She had wanted it to be a Christmas present and even had it all wrapped up plus a ribbon. It was addressed to the nickname that she gave you, 'Mr. Mango Man'.

It was kept hidden in the deep recess of her shelf. I think she herself had forgotten about it. My initial reaction was to shout out to her to remind her but I immediately halted myself and pushed it back to where it was placed. I do not want to evoke in her the same sense of loss as I did.

Tainted love

2009-09-09T21:10:00.002+08:00

When you look back at your memories and realised that it's tainted, what do you do?

Do you, try to erase it and recreate new ones?

Or do you, hold it close to your heart to remind you not to taint the future too?

Just let me cry

2009-09-06T23:00:00.002+08:00

I have to remain strong for many, especially Meg. I wonder if it's a good thing not be given the chance to grieve over a loss. Does that make one happier or does that make one more miserable?

I kept my cheerful smile on for Meg & went about my routine normally. I don't know if she ever saw through my smiles but I guess it was assurance enough for her.

The thing is that although I try as hard as I can, it's impossible to be immune to it 100%. My defences are at its' lowest when I am alone. When I am driving, in the shower, or lying alone in bed ........ I can't help it but the tears just flows on its' own. It's as if the tear-holding bucket inside me had been filled to it's brim and it just simply overflowed. It's especially awful when I am driving because a sudden onslaught of tears would come on and completely blur my vision.

It isn't easy being strong too. Just before I go home, I will spend an hour sitting in the car, emptying that bucket so that it won't overflow when I am with Meg. Even then, I made sure I never cave in completely. I never allowed myself to reminisce about the past because it just hurts too much and will completely pull me into deep despair. I never had a good fulfilling cry because I was afraid that once I gave in crying, I might never stop ............

Such thin line between love and hate

2009-09-06T16:07:00.003+08:00

I hate you so much but yet on the other same extreme end of this pole I miss you too.

Sigh ........ I just don't know what to do with myself.

Slumber party!

2009-09-04T21:49:00.003+08:00

Meg had been bugging me for a slumber party during the term holidays for the longest time. Finally we agreed on a timing & I worked at the invitations long & hard last night. I am so happy with the way the invite turned out. Even Meg & her friends were suitably impressed!

Learn my lesson - Daughtry

2009-09-04T11:53:00.001+08:00

說好的幸福呢﹖ - Jay Chou

2009-09-04T11:43:00.003+08:00

Bento #25 - Kirby sandwich

2009-09-02T06:31:00.002+08:00

In the box: Kirby luncheon meat sandwich, baked beans, young sweet corn, cherry tomatoes

Hmmmm ........ still awake at this hour. Looking at the time now, it looks like I won't be getting any sleep for the night even if I wanted to. The irony is I really do want to sleep now. I'm close to passing out right here. Just too bad that I have to leave for work in an hour. The night's already passed and so guess I can't cry over spilled milk, life goes on whether I like it or not.

Anyway back to the bento. Kirby would have looked much better if I had ham instead of luncheon meat. So for those of you thinking of trying this, use ham. But if like me, you're caught unprepared, then just do the best you can with whatever you have on hand. So much like life, isn't it? You can only try to make do with whatever card, life deals out and then hope for the best.

Geez ........ I had suddenly gained profound wisdom overnight :p

Perfectly timed

2009-09-02T03:04:00.002+08:00

I should be trying to get some sleep at this hour but finds it really hard to lie down with this hurt and anger raging inside me. I already have enough on my plate but you chose to push this down my throat at this time. What perfect timing it is to be rubbing salt into my wound when the cut is at it's deepest. Just when I'm facing a major family crisis, and I thought I could lean on you for support, you hit me with an even bigger issue.

What cruel timing ...........

Pillar of strength

2009-08-26T19:16:00.003+08:00

Just when I had finally stood up, life threw me a punch in the face, reeling me backwards with a bloodied nose.

Why is it that everytime when things are starting to look up, something comes along to undo all the good. Life seems to have a knack for throwing misfortunes my way. Why can't things just be smooth-sailing?

Now as I sit here in desperation, wondering what to do. I can't help but wallow in self-pity and ask myself a million times, 'why me'? I've never asked for the world. All I've ever wanted was to mind my own business and stay trouble-free. Is that even too much to ask for?

I can't be everyone's pillar and I don't want to be. I don't want to always be strong and dependable for everyone. I'm not as strong as I look. All I want is to be a weak little woman who seeks shelter in someone else's shadow. My shoulders are simply not wide enough to take on the weight of the world. I can't bear it, it's just too heavy.

But just when I thought I've been swallowed whole by this infinite blackness, I noticed a tiny blip of light and I smiled to myself that all's not lost for I still have Meg ..............

Knock! Knock!

2009-08-19T06:56:00.004+08:00

Last night, Meg ran to me excitedly and told me she thought of a new Knock Knock joke (she's got a real penchant for them & even writes them down in her jokes collection).

Meg: Knock! Knock!

Me: Who's there?

Meg: Nobody

Me: Nobody who?

Meg: (sings to tune of Wondergirls hit) I wanna Nobody Nobody but you! I wanna Nobody Nobody but you!

Me: Wahahahaha!!!!!

She was just so totally hilarious and an absolute genius!!! *beams*

Bento #24

2009-08-19T06:45:00.004+08:00

In the box: doggie-shaped toasted cheese sandwiches, cauliflowers, crab-meat stick, heart-shaped kiwi, mushroom-shaped quails eggs and cherry tomatoes (The ingredients in my bentos are usually repetitive cos I don't cook & so I have to try finish up the fresh ingredients before they rot. Btw, I hate today's bento!)

女友 Magazine

2009-08-18T18:00:00.008+08:00

Has anyone spotted me yet? (I knew a few did.)

Where? -------- in the Lancome special of this month's 女友 (NuYou) Magazine!

It's time to blow my own trumpet because never in a million years ever will I appear in a fashion magazine. Although the circumstances that led up to it wasn't the most flattering :p

Paul: "My friend is looking for pretty executives with fairly good skin to try out a new Lancome product afterwhich you'll be featured in NuYou magazine."

Totally flattered that someone thought I was pretty with good skin and plus the chance to appear in a magazine (knowing full well that I was never model material), I leapt at the chance!

But Paul continued: "They had too many 20 year olds and was looking for people in their 30's."

-__-"""

Nevertheless I went for it all the same. And true enough I was the oldest one in the feature but really proud as well because if you note the skin analysis, I was the one with the best skin. Not bad for Aunty Esther!

In all honesty, Lancome Genefique truly lives up to what it claims. Within 7 days of trying Genefique, my skin had definitely showed improvement, even though my skin was fairly problem-free to start with. Make-up lasts through the day & skin tone is more even. It was evident in the skin analysis that Lancome carried out.

Pre: Hydration - 63, Sebum - 0, Firmness - 71, Cell structure - normal
Post: Hydration: 63, Sebum - 0, Firmness - 99, cell structure - normal

The result's kinda lost on me because my skin's really not too bad to start with (haha ..... time to boast again :p) but the improvement was really obvious in the rest of the other girls who were put on this trial.

2 thumbs up for Lancome Genefique! :D

Pre - Genefique

Post - Genefique

Bento #23

2009-08-18T06:37:00.003+08:00

In the box: marmalade & strawberry jam sandwiches, star-shaped kiwi, quails eggs, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, heart-shaped bread & cheese kebab

Bento #22

2009-08-11T07:10:00.006+08:00

In the box: 'girl's face' (I know it looks nothing like it :p) steamed tofu with nori as hair & eyes, chicken cocktail sausages, quail eggs, cherries, cherry tomatoes, edamame

You guessed it! From Hong Kong - kawaii Stitch sauce container. Tomato sauce for the sausages! (oops .... just realised I had forgotten to pack the cutleries :p)

'Mai Dong Xi, Chi Dong Xi' (NOT!)

2009-08-10T23:54:00.007+08:00

'Mai Dong Xi (shopping), Chi Dong Xi (eating), Mai Dong Xi, Chi Dong Xi' should just have been changed to 'Chi Dong Xi, Chi Dong Xi, Chi Dong Xi .......' Eating non-stop had been my mantra for the entire period of my 3 precious days in Hong Kong 2 weeks ago.

Acting on impulse, we decided to grab the discounted tickets on SQ A380 to Hong Kong, even though that means arriving on a Wednesday and departing on a Friday. Nuts, right? But what to do, like true-blue Singaporeans, we can never resist a sale :p

I bet you can imagine the mad rush as we try to max out our itinerary. We were trying to outrun time and at the end of it, we were very nearly in need of wheelchairs (no kidding!).

Like how we packed the Hong Kong trip in all of 3 days, I'm trying to pack all of those 3 days in 1 post.

Darling Marilyn & I enjoying our complimentary breakfast in T3 just before boarding.
Don't think I've yet to introduce Meg's new bestie - CuddlesAnd here's my bestie, Marilyn!Meg was having the time of her life on the planeAlthough not for long cos she had the misfortune of sitting in front of a very bored Ken who delights in 'disturbing' her :DDD
The 1st thing we did after we dropped our luggage was to rush down to the restaurant, below the hotel, to feast on the 'shao la' (roasted meat).
Met my dear Godma for dinner after some light shopping in Mongkok She's forever so glam!Ooooh most yummy food ........ lobsters, scallops, abalones ......... love them!
Anyway after dinner was more shopping & all too soon, it's the next morning already.Must-have Dim Sum breakfast!We noticed that the next table had 9 pots of tea in total!Then we split ways as Mar went shopping & the 3 of us went to the Ocean Park. I was sorely tempted to abandon ship & join Mar but just can't get past my conscience :p
I haven't been there in ages!In the line for the cable-car. *Gosh it's crowded!*It's kinda freaky being so high up - check out Meg's scary face :)Lovely view belowIt's Meg's 1st time there & she was so looking forward to the rides especially roller-coaster *shudders*
That's Ken & Meg lining up for this scary ride as I waited for them by the side. But alas, Meg didn't meet the height requirement & after all that waiting, they came down disappointed.The roller-coaster ride that she's been waiting for! But once again, she failed to meet the height requirement of 132cm. She was so sad! :(In the end, she only managed 1 ride - Viking, & she couldn't even go back on it again cos the queue was just way too long. But I'm really impressed with her though. She took the seats right at the end of the Viking with Ken & made it look like a breeze sitting there. There was a bunch of teenagers standing next to me (hee .... chicken mummy didn't take the ride :p) watching the Viking go & they were in awe of Meg! I asked her afterward if she felt scared but she replied that she felt ticklish. What a peculiar girl!?Summer In Hong Kong was just way too hot & soon we were begging to go back to the hotel, Meg included. She was even using an umbrella to shield herself from the sun!
But luckily, just as we were resigned to accomplish nothing & head back to the hotel. We realised that there's an (air-conditioned) area that's dedicated to dinosaurs exhibits!
Meg was exhilarated with their wins!Had a really fun time viewing the interesting dinosaur exhibits We promised to bring Meg back again when she's 132cm tall :p
Went back to the hotel & that's how we found Meow Meow & Cuddles! We were so tickled by what the chambermaids did :DMeg's fav buy from HK but she lost it after a week (cos she brought it everywhere with her). The poor girl laments to me everyday that she misses her Cinnamoroll.Then Mar dragged me to her room to show off her conquests! *jealous*It's time to eat again - dinner!
They even had instructions on the chopstick sleeves - cool!
Chanced upon a Snoopy World while in the shopping mall but since our focus was on shopping, we only took some half-hearted photos there :p Waiting for the train to take us to Temple Street to meet my Godma for supper (yep ..... eat again .....)
Taking in the local sights & sounds Supper time!
I highly recommend this 'Xing Ji' in Temple Street!
I have nothing but praises for their claypot rice - out of this world!
We're both turning into little piggies
In a twinkling of an eye, it's time for us to leave Hong Kong ....... but not before we have our breakfast! (I'm salivating right now as I look at that pineapple bread.)
And lastly some Ben & Jerrys at the Hong Kong airport!

I was not exaggerating when I mentioned 'eating non-stop', right? I had barely lost that weight gained during the Spain trip & now instead of losing, I am putting on more weight than ever. Every single overseas trip does me in. At the rate I am travelling, I am putting on weight faster than I can lose it. And with the impending trip upcoming in a few months time looming in my face, I hardly have the determination to start my diet unless I can come up with a faster way to lose weight.

Anyway I came across this: Cenosis - Cavitation

What is Cavitation?

Cavitation is the latest technology in slimming. It makes use of stable cavitations to obtain the best results by breaking fat cells membrane through the bursting of micro-bubbles. The complex fatty acids are then broken down into simpler fatty acids. These simple fatty acids can then be passed out through excretory system.

Make an appointment with Cenosis right now, to find out how you can benefit from this wonderful technology at a special price of $33. Call 7000 700 6626 or visit www.cenosis.biz/cavitation.php to make an appointment.

Sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? Most defintely worth a try!

Attack of the EVIL internet

2009-08-08T23:33:00.000+08:00

We are all held captives in our own little virtual world.

I realised this as I toggle between harvesting my crops in FarmVille, collaging my pictures on Picasa and training my army for world domination on Utopia, that this is what I live to do everyday. I couldn't care less (and wouldn't have known either) if the world is near the brink of collapse as long as my little pet FuFu is not starving in Pet Society.

I hardly see the need to meet my friends now since I am more in the loop than ever with FB. Gone were the days when we need to spend days agonizing and synchronizing our diaries just so that busy old pals could meet to catch up. What's the point, since most don't turn up anyway? :p And now with Twitter, I get updates by the minute as to what each one is up to; from eating cup noodles for dinner to a wedding proposal from the boyfriend.

And as I hide behind the PC, I am quite happy to be dipping my finger into the nutella jar (heavenly!) & stuffing my face silly with chocolates while I skillfully take grainy images of myself with the webcam (as above), so I can have you believe that that's how I really look like. Given my current state of being, I would so hate to leave the protection of the PC and clash face-on with the world right now. Life (and me) looks a whole lot rosier from behind here. :p

Tough ........ looks like I've been held captive in more ways than one and I don't forsee myself being free from it's clutches soon .........

Bento #21

2009-08-03T07:12:00.005+08:00

In the box: Hello Kitty ham & cheese sandwiches (albeit quite a sad looking one :p), cherries, cherry tomatoes, edamame

Yet another fab buy from Hong Kong!

Bento #20

2009-07-29T06:45:00.005+08:00

In the box: grapes, chocolates, bread with nutella spread

Meg's new Cinnamoroll lunch box from Hong Kong. I was way more gaga over the lunch boxes than she is!