. i get by with a little help from my friends .

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With the most of us graduated and already in the workforce, it is no surprise that the once-upon-time meet-ups are getting less frequent as time passes. After all, everyone has their own life … Work ( many of whom often OT ), Studies, Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Family, Freelance Work, Hobbies, & the list continues. Guess that’s the trade-off when everyone starts entering the workforce – Focus on making money & building our portfolio which results in lesser time and energy left for other aspects of our lives. Seriously, is that the life that we envision??!

With that thought in mind, i really do cherish those moments spent with friends – The ones who bring out the best in me … who free me of any worries or troubles, even if it’s only for that short period of time … who make me laugh like there’s no tmr … who keep me motivated, inspired and looking forward to each day.

A toast to friendships !

memories of  recent dates

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“Scaling New Heights in Urban Adventure”

The world’s tallest indoor Via Ferrata

Been wanting to blog about my first ever climb at the via ferrata, but somehow there have been too many other things that I have to attend to first. Finally, now’s the chance!

Some Facts about the Via Ferrata at Orchard Central

1) The world’s tallest indoor Via Ferrata
2) First of its kind in Asia
3) 30m in height ( about 5 storeys tall )
4) Rock-Climbing wall ( at the side ) is 12m high
4) Basically, Via Ferrata is Italian for “Iron Way” – a traditional mountaineering activity made famous in Europe, where people would climb the mountains that have already been fitted with cables and iron rungs.

The first thought that came cross my mind when I first saw the 30m wall was that it shouldn’t be too tough a challenge. After all, all that we had to do was to find our footing on a rock/iron rung/contours, pull ourselves up and ascend … Right? Gosh, the truth turned out to be far from my assumption. Way far, indeed.

Honestly, it was the MOST EXHAUSTING activity that I had ever done in quite awhile. Unlike rock-climbing ( which suddenly seems like a piece of cake, as compared to the via ferrata ),climbing the via ferrata also requires the participant to constantly clip & unclip the “lobster claws” carabiners to a new cable and secure the rope ( that attaches you to your partner ) to a mental fixture. On top of that, the other challenge was trying to find a footing on the wall and that was seriously no easy feat! The rocks/iron rungs were either too far apart or too high for us to reach. As such, don’t be alarm when you happen to see climbers trying to do a split in mid-air! It’s just us trying to stretch ourselves to the max, in order to secure a footing on something. In addition, it was also a test to our physical strength as we had to rely quite a fair bit on our arm muscles to constantly pull ourselves up.

Any thoughts of anxiety were totally erased from my mind. There was only 1 goal in mind … and it was to reach the summit in the fastest timing that I can. Once in the momentum, scaling up the wall became a little easier … Till it was time to transverse from the platform to my right. The tricky part was that there wasn’t any rungs/rocks that we can gain a footing on. The only option was to try find a contour in the wall, somehow squeeze my foot into the small gap as I threw myself away from the wall and onto whatever the next thing I could grab hold of. For that split second, I actually felt like I was the female equivalent of Superman lol. That I was capable of anything.

Upon reaching the summit, I was greeted not only by a bird’s eye view of the mall, but also a welcoming applause by 2 other guys who completed the climb slightly before I did. More importantly, I felt such a great sense of achievement to have stayed determined and complete the route in about 45mins.  Of course, all this wouldn’t have been quite possible without the guidance and constant encouragement from my “mountain” guides!

Lastly, just wanna tell JZ, Cherie & Christine that I’m so proud of them! JZ – for overcoming her initial fear and beating her previous record of a 2m climb. Christine – for not allowing her initial fall to deter her from climbing. & Cherie, who despite her sudden leg cramp, still gave rock-climbing a shot and she did it!

Ready to take on the challenge? Drop by Borderx now for an exhilarating experience!
To quote the GM of Borderx, “All you need is a taste for adventure!”

JZ smiling for the camera, from 30m above !!!

My loves … all armed with a sense of adventure and a thirst for the thrill 
Thank you for the amazing experience!

For more info:

http://www.borderx.com.sg/viaferrata.html

. adopt a box .

Adopt-A-Box Fund-Raising Drive

W.A.D. CLUB
service-learning trip to Cambodia, 7th to 12th Dec 2009

For just $10, you get to bless a child at a local orphanage in Cambodia with a storage box and also have the opportunity to dedicate a personal encouraging message to him/her. We will transfer your message to him/her onto a sticker that will be pasted on the box.

U may wonder, why storage box? Well, 85 children share 2 dormitories which are not much bigger than the average classrooms u see in Singapore. They sleep in double-decked bunk beds and there is hardly space for storage. Currently, they make do with hand-me-down cupboards, many of which are already very worn down. Your donation for a plastic storage box will be a long-term solution to this need, as it not only gives each child a personal space, but also help to make the dormitories less cluttered and more hygienic to live in!

PS: I wanna sincerely thank all loved ones & friends for their kind donation.

. 23rd .

TWENTY-THIRD

MK & Steph

“This is your time of year, so take full advantage of your planetary favor. If you looked back at your life, you would probably see that this is the time when most of the positive things happen to you most often. Get out there today and make them happen.”

. Introducing … The Olde Cuban .

It all began with some exploration. A hidden gem, tucked away in the busy streets of Chinatown. A place of indulgence. A place of paradise for those who seek pleasure in the art of smoking fine cigars. Obviously, Soy Hoon & I don’t quite fancy smoking, so we went down the amateur route and ordered a cuppa hot chocolate instead.

Hot cocoa on a rainy, wet day. What a perfect combination! We soon found ourselves sinking into the comfortable plush armchairs as we lean back to listen to the Cuban music that was played in the background. Let the good times roll. Such an irony that it was the 2 of us , both of whom are absolutely clueless about cigars, who unexpectedly made our way into this cozy cafe – home to Singapore’s largest walk-in humidor!

THE OLDE CUBAN

Fine Tobacconist

2 Trengganu Street
#02-01
www.oldecuban.com

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Snapshots of the moment

To 1 of my best friend:

“How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to.”

Always, my partner-in-crime. Looking forward to more fun-filled dates with you soon, darl. 

. affairs of the heart .

Singapore Heart Foundation
Your Heart, We Care

. Life and its transitions .

Work Hard, Play Harder

by Chung Lyn-Yi ( TODAY Paper)

Nowadays, it is nothing short of a Sudoku challenge to try and schedule gatherings with friends. It seems that beyond the long hours of work, they have their lives packed to the gunnels with classes of some sort. Yoga, French, art appreciation and even, knitting, darn it, to name a few. This is on top of other commitments like volunteering and going to the gym to pound the treadmill like a dogged hamster on a wheel. Looking goof and feeling great despite the occasional indulgence in rich foods remain overarching priorities. So, it is a cycle of slog, jog, rinse and repeat.

The outings are pushed back by days, weeks, even months. When we finally meet, someone will invariably ask: “Wait, whose birthday or promotion are we celebrating?” And as the night wears on, I will see a knowing smile meet every stifled yawn. Conversations will also by punctuated by the words “busy” and “tired”.

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To many of us, this is our last gasp of freedom before greater work responsibilities and parenthood rein us in. And there is desire to exhaust our inner child before we ourselves are with child.

Could this sense of time running out and the “be all you can be” mentality honed from young. It will explain why the lot of us are trying frantically to eke out a meaning (albeit manic) existence. I often end the day walking like a slow loris with a peg leg and feeling like my eyeballs are bouncing on spikes.

But it’s all good. The days are long but the years are short. No time like the present to experiment.

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Quick Updates

- Crazy shopping spree for Christmas greeting cards
- The Essential. The usual catch-up sessions & dine with many friends, over the recent weeks. Tried out a new activity with my SIM gfs and got hooked to it. Via Ferrata.
- Sponsor A Bunny for HRSS.
- Busy with preparation for an upcoming service-learning trip to Cambodia

- Just like all students, Archie just graduated from his Comprehensive Obedience Class, despite being the most notorious. Cheers to both Archie & his trainer, MK !!!

Having interned for ZCP & worked on the publicity campaign for VICTOR/VICTORIA, Im definitely proud to see the company’s efforts in rocketing Singapore’s Arts scene to a higher level, coming to fruition. Personally, I think VV did spectacularly brilliant for a local production … the orchestra, dance choreography, fashion styles, set designs. Nicole Stint did remarkably well, for her performance as the dizzy, bimbotic Norma. In fact, the audience adores her!

Honestly, it wouldn’t be that fair to compare VV to other big-class musicals such as CATS, Phantom of the Opera ( my favourite), Hairspray as the Singapore arts scene still has much room for improvement. It’s a huge step ( and risk ) for a small and new production co. like ZCP, to take on such a huge project and I truly think they deserve a standing ovation for daring to take the step to turning their ambitions into reality! Come next yr, there’s Chicago & The Lion King to look out for. Awesome shit!

Congrats to Loretta, Felina, Mabel & Doris !

- Movie Time : Paranormal Activity

Caught the much hyped-about horror flick, Paranormal Activity. With only a budget of USD $11,000, this indie horror movie was filmed at only one location, over a period of 7 days! Yes, you got that right … A week, that was all it took for the director to film this movie. Exploiting the “hand-held video-filming” techniques popularized by “Blair Witch Project”, “Paranormal Activity” is likewise, filmed in such a way to create suspense & realism. Many cinema-goers left the cinema, thinking that the movie was actually based on a true story!

It’s easy to see why so many people were freaked out by this film. Instead of relying on the usual blockbuster shock/gruesome factors, “Paranormal Activity” however, bangs on the creation of the mood and realism. After all, all the hair-raising incidents happened at unearthly hours when the starring couple was asleep. Nights that played tricks with our minds. Doesn’t that sound like a common scenario? At least, it sounds more realistic than having a psycho killer ( who NEVER EVER dies – eg. Jason, Freddie, Mike) on a killing rampage. As such, this movie gave the audience a chance to relate to the incidents and let their minds run wild.

Rating: 3/5. The huge popularity of this film is a perfect illustration of the impact & success of viral marketing. Unfortunately, both Chantelle & I were left slightly disappointed as we expected something spookier and unpredictable.

. postcards from my garden .

Dabbling in greenery & my favourite things

“Mr Punch Winebar”

“Life is too important to be taken seriously”
- Oscar Wilde

The luck of the four-leaf clover

“Optical Illusion”

A single rose bud.

* credit to Sensibar/Jaz

. go red for women .

. Put on the Little Red Dress .

. i ♥ …

ARCHIE

* poor quality pics, due to dim lighting & less-than-efficient hp camera