shanghai - singapore

as i'm typing this, i'm dozing off at my computer. haven't had much decent rest these past 8/9 days while i was in china! we visited places like suzhou, hangzhou, jiangnan, nanjing and shanghai.

shanghai's very nice! it's like singapore, but much more modern, especially their scenery and architecture. the cruise down the huangpu river really showed off its beautiful skyline. heh. prices there weren't cheap though. while we were in xintiandi (a cross between takashimaya and somewhere european), the clothes there were expensive! liquor wasn't cheap either. the clubs (which were playing chinese hip-hop songs that i didn't really like) sold them at slightly higher prices than singapore. we went pubbing instead. but whoa! they're really generous with the alcohol in mixes!

met baby's dad in shanghai. while we stayed at a creepy 3-star hotel, his dad took a suite at InterContinental Hotel with his own family. Payed them a visit, or two visits. And chilled out good there. Lol. Ordered a sirloin steak (finally western food in china) from their room service. felt quite pampered there. heh. his dad took us to Shanghai Uncle for lunch. we would never have been able to afford such luxury on our own! went for a full-body massage with baby and his dad at some blind-man massage parlour (they're quite good over there). massages were very affordable, so we did them on our free-and-easy days. lol.

this lady in my tour group made me damn pissed on our 3rd last day during a conversation we had. shan't go into details but she made me feel insulted. i hope i never see her again! or her ntu daughter. made my blood boil. argggh. spoilt the whole day for us too.

can't remember much of the other places cos they were too culture-based. only remembered the yucky breakfasts we had in the hotel cafeteria. coffee isn't coffee. it was more like water with a tinge of coffee taste. same goes for everything else. and to the chinese, oil seemed like it's FREE. everything was CAKED in oil! i do miss the youtiao and dou jiang we had at the roadside stalls for breakfast though. we ordered many dishes but only paid about 60 cents per person for the whole meal!

need to sleep now.
so i can think better later.
got offered a full-time position at huntington while i was in china. what do i do now..

okays laters.

70% packed for china. kinda excited. heh EVEN THOUGH our tour group's demographics are quite skewed. i think we're the outliers. hehe.

be back 29 May! (:

kinda hungry now....darn.

cupcakes are lotsa fun

craving for cupcakes i saw in season 7's sex and the city. can't seem to find the exact creamy ones. i think it's the pinkish cream they put on top that's driving me nuts. saw these though, but they can't beat them:




btw my korea photos are here if you're interested!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/edna.kheng/Korea2007

falling trees calls for more faith!

I know i'm just being paranoid. Was actually quite cool with the idea that he'd be mountain-climbing these few days, until this morning when i read:

2 S'poreans killed in separate freak accidents
Two Singaporeans - a dental assistant and a trainee teacher - were killed in similar circumstances yesterday - by falling trees
May 16, 2007

In Singapore:

Dental assistant Ho Siew Lan, 43, was taking a walk in the Bukit Batok Nature Park with two friends when a tree toppled over and came crashing down on them.

Madam Ho, who was pinned under the tree, died while the other women, Madam Ting Kim Hong, 47, and Madam Leong Lai Ming, 48, escaped with bruises and cuts.

This is the first fatality from a falling tree on the records of NParks.

It was drizzling slightly and the women's umbrellas had probably blocked their view, preventing them from realising that the 6-storey tall tree was falling on them, according to The Straits Times today.

All three women have homes near the park.

Madam Ho's younger son, Chuen Kiat, 18, fearing that "something bad" had happened to his mother when the clinic which she worked for called to find out why she had not turned up for work, went to look for her and stumbled upon the police cordon. He broke down when he saw hyis mother's body.

NParks is investigating the cause of the fall.

The tree, from Albizzia species, is common here.

Earlier yesterday morning, there were thunderstorms, with gusts of winds hitting up to 70kmh, over Western Singapore where the park is.

In Malaysia:

Trainee teacher Mohammad Rohaizam Tumadi, 27, who was on an outdoor camping trip at Mount Ophir, Johor, died when a tree feel on him yesterday morning at about 5.15 am.

Mr Rohaizam, a first-year postgraduate student teacher with the National Institute of Education (NIE), was asleep in his tent with three others when the tree fell and hit the tent during a downpour. The other trainees were not hurt.

A statement from NIE said Mr Rohaizam, who suffered head injuries, was given first-aid treatment onsite and carried down the mountain base, where emergency services were on standby. He was rushed to Tangkak Hospital in Johor where he was pronounced dead.

NIE said he had been attending the outdoor experiential camp from May 9, together with over 130 others. The camp is a compulsory seven-day module for all first-year Physical Education student teachers.

At a press conference at NIE yesterday, Professor Lee Sing Kong, the institute's director, said that safety precautions had been taken, and some staff had gone on a recce a week earlier to check out the trail and campsites. The trainees were also accompanied by seven Malaysian rangers.

Mr Rohaizam's body is expected to be brought back today for burial.

Anyways i'm trying not to think about it. the first incident's just outside his place while the second (M'sia) is where he is (except he's climbing a different one). Hope he gets back safe and sound! :(

a new chapter after university

welcome to my new blog, one and all!

got my phone bill this month. never thought $2.75 per minute would set me back so much while i was in korea.

grand total: $289

i'm totally screwed. after paying for my own korea trip ($2100 including expenses), my china trip ($900 excluding expenses) next week, my piggy bank's empty. not expecting any help from the family too. what's more, the internship at Edelman in july's gonna pay me peanuts. sorry i'm complaining but i need to get this off my chest. i've never lived like this before! baby says he'll help me but he's not doing too well himself too now.

went for a marketing executive job interview today. it sucked. 80% admin work? no thanks. i could not find a nicer way of saying no than "I think I need to consider". maybe it was the nature of the work the company did (B2B media company, i shan't say who). didn't like anything they said. maybe it was the WAY they said it? or maybe i don't like marketing/sales much. well.

anyhows. (Company x) sent their contract over today. Damn thick la. Loads of confidentiality agreements and a code of conduct agreement. I think it's gonna be a hell of an experience working there. another smaller agency just called for a second-round interview though, for a full-time position. not sure if i can get through. if i do, then i'm gonna be facing a real headache. both ways, dad isn't too happy about it. he doesn't understand what pr is, and he said i'd have no future in it. thanks dad.

okays enough with the jobs and money. going for dinner with yf soon.

ps. if ever i meet up with any of you during this period, please understand i can't go anywhere fancy. thanks!