ByeBye My Little Taru

What do you say when you say goodbye to someone whom you have been with for so long . . .

I started this game back in 31 March 2004. It's been a blast all these years. He was a little Tarutaru back then, green as the leaves of a rainforest. With luck, he met a group of friendly souls who took him in and helped him on his adventures in the world of Vanadiel. An immense Thank you! to all the wonderful people I've met, Aokin, Imomuchi, Kubochi, Areng, Eva, Belck, Jilsander, Mintfrappe, Zklken, Sigue, Popon, Zephyr, Tetsumaru, Lazarius etc. FFXI wouldn't have been the chalice of my life for these years without all you guys. I'm sure I've missed a whole lot of names but you will be remembered fondly by AhBoo.

I started as a Bard and on my farewell I thought it was appropriate I say my goodbyes as a Bard as well . . . kind of coming full circle. Though many of you have left the game before me, maybe we'll meet again in FF14. And to Areng & Eva . . Thanks for sending me off.

It's kinda bitter sweet feeling . . . I've not play much for the past 6 months or so. In the past 2 months I've only logon once, and that was just to see who is still around. Well I guess all good things come to an end sometimes. At least this is still something which I can comfortly say that "Hey, I've enjoyed the ride and now it's time to say goodbye."

Maybe I'll meet this great bunch of fellas again in FF14 when it launches . . . Maybe, maybe not. I dunno. There is something else much more important, much more exciting on the horizon.

I'm off to my new escapade . . . a brighter, more personal adventure. An adventure in reality which started 2 years ago and will continue to be in many many years to come. Here's a big big "HooYa!" to my new crusade.

The Hunt for Blinky

The proposal ring I used was actually a temporary one. It was a 0.3 carat ring which I picked up at West Mall Lee Hwa. They had this arrangement for Destinee rings where you can exchange it for another in 30 days without any charges.

I had previously been at the Bishan Junction 8 Lee Hwa outlet and gone through the specs of numerous diamonds. I finally decided to go for one with less clarity (cheaper hehe) as you can't really tell the difference unless you look at the diamonds through a scope. And because of that, I could ask to view larger carat diamonds with the budget I have. The nice lady serving me eventually found 2 diamonds which fit my requirements but had to make arrangements to have them transferred to the outlet. So I set it the viewing for 5th which pans out nicely.

So today we went down to the outlet to check out the 2 rings. Firstly, I would like to say, she is one smart saleslady. We were shown a 0.43 carat and a 0.48 carat ring. The 0.43 one was comfortably in my budget, but the 0.48 cost a good 50% more. The thing was, the 0.43 was dull and unclear. When compared to the 0.48, our eyes straight away went towards the 0.48.

Meimei took a long time to look at them, rightly so as this is The Ring. I could see the concern and dilemmia on her face as she pondered which one to get. The 0.43 was within budget though it was yellowish and dull. The 0.48 instead was of clear and bright but yet cost so much more. Several times she looked at me with puppy eyes but kept her tongue as she worried intently and didn't wanted to sway me incase I had to truly stick to my budget.

Sensing her choice, I made a deep mental calculation on my finances. Hmmm, this should work. So wala! we made our choice. All this while Meimei kept asking to reaffirm that we could afford it. *kiss I reassured her over and over and we went about choosing the ring sizes. Eventually we were done with all the preliminaries and made the payment. We couldn't get the ring for another week though as they needed to resize the rings. So as we left, Meimei actually gave a wave to the ring . . . I could see the loss in her face as I tore her away . . . *kiss hahahahaha . . . And so Blinky was born!

Bintan Trip with Nua Group

Woohoo a short trip again! Well I didn't remember much of it. For some odd reason I caught a bad bad cold and was sneezing all the way. Yes literally sneezing constantly. We had to load up on packets and packets of tissue as we went about the day. Oh well, it's either that or a lonely boat trip back to Singapore immediately.

The place was nice, relaxing and away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Good place if you want a quick hideaway for the weekend. The touristy area are pretty standard, some activity attraction, expensive food and drinks, etc etc.

It'll be a long while before we come back again. We pretty much explored the whole place, bar the actual normal local town, in this trip. So yah, maybe Batam next?

Moo, Poo, Zoo!!

It's been ages since I've gone to the zoo. And when I mean ages, it's really ages. If I remember correctly the last time I went there was during a Primary school excursion.

While anyways it's still fun as ever seeing so many animals. Didn't take much pictures though but I'll post 2 of the nicer ones here.

I was totally beat after walking the whole day. Hahaha seriously i'm no longer young for all this walking. I even had to take a short nap, much to Meimei's disgust, during one of our rest stops. Oops hahaha.

The Next Step - A New Beginning

You know guys always have this problem with dates. We can't, for the life of us, remember significant dates. But this time it was too important to miss. Truthfully though it wasn't much of a surprise.

I'm already very sure this is the right next step, the one I want to take. Though I can't be sure when this affirmation came about (I'm guessing some time last year?), but I had planned to make this day the day I take the next big leap in life.

To be truthful there wasn't much planning that went into it. Prior to this I've been scouting around various jewellers, while dropping hints to Meimei to try to find the sort of ring she likes. It was kinda hard to shop as we spend most of our free time together. I had to chance on opportune moments to check out the jewellery, like when she went for mani-peticures and I excused myself from waiting at the lounge. She seemed to know my intentions though . . . hehe *kiss.

So flowers *check, restaruant reservation *check, proposal ring *check. I picked up the flowers and ring in the morning and went to pick her up. She went wild when she saw the flowers . . . hehe thumbs up for the rest of the day. Dinner was at Dolce Vita. It kind of backfired though as the meats were a little too exotic for our taste, e.g. calf meat . . . ewwww very bad taste. Eventually we made our way to East Coast. I remember this was the place when I first held her hand. Initially I wanted to perform the deed at the exact same spot. But there was just too many people there and it didn't seem like a place for a private moment. So we walked and all this while I was looking around for a secluded place where I could get down on my knees to ask her the all important question.

Thankfully we chanced upon a somewhat quiet pavillion and took a rest. *phew with the number of people that day, I was fearing I would never get the chance. Meimei seemed to know what I was up to but didn't give a hint or showed it *kiss thanks hehe. So after resting for a moment I got down on one knee and popped the question with all sincerity, "Honey, will you marry me?"

Guest Post - Poetic Pokpok's back!

Busy busy busy
Busy as a bee
From left to right I try
Around the office I fly

Pokpok
11.10am 30 June 2009

Resistance is Futile!

No, it's not referencing to Startrek. Though we did catch the new Startrek movie recently. Good script and very well done.

We welcome a new member to our 'family' on 25th May 2009. But before I go into that, I want to say a big thank you to my first 'wife'. * Bow * You have been by my side for the last 6-7 years. Your unfeathering commitment to bring me around whether rain or sun can never be questioned. My only regret is never getting a picture of you before you leave. Sigh . . . but you will always remain in my memories and heart. * Bow * And as the old dame leaves, a young princess arrives in her place.

I tried my very best not to name her. But altas, the 'evil witch' welds her magical wand and demands a name for the poor damsel. ! Resistance is Futile ! Unable to resist the 'evil witch's crafts (*psss, includes whines, puppy eyes etcetc) I gave in and call my new princess Stitch . . .

I can sense someone trying to pull my ears this very moment. Opps, I better run . . .

My First Trip to Hong Kong

I'm actually writing this in Oct 2009. Weird isn't it. But better late than never. The past few months have been hectic and I kinda lost my mood to blog. Anyways here I am again trying to capture the bits and pieces of my life, or as much as I can remember.

It's a short 4 day trip to Hong Kong for Meimei's grandma's 80th Birthday. The significance of the trip though was so much more . It's the first time I'm meeting the family and being able to attend a family event meant I was being accepted into the family. It was such a relief and heartwarming to be welcomed by all the uncle and aunties. The way they tried to chat and mingle with me literally put me at ease. This may seem a simple thing to others, but to someone who does not see this at all in his own family, it's a huge gesture. More so, as they try to converse with me in English and Chinese. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate their generosity and warmth.

We spent a better part of the trip eating and shopping. Everything was an eye opener for me and I knew I could get used to travelling as a new hobby, abit wallet permitting hehe. Most of our meals were at the local coffee houses which essentially serve the 2 basic stables of Hong Kong cusine, Char Siew and Sio Ba. Seriously the Char Siew in Hong Kong is so much better than those in Singapore. My mouth watered everytime we walked into a coffee house. Even the shopping was so much more engaging and interesting. We trooped through the local markets day and night and went through hordes and hordes of street hawkers. It's nothing like the mall shopping we do in Singapore where everything is packed nicely on shelves. The street markets were more of an organised chaos. But it's this chaotic yet bustling feel that gives it it's vibrancy.

I love the place. The city, the people, the streets, the weather, the everything. Maybe it's because the place is fresh and new to me, but I'm sure I'll fit right in if I ever get to live and work here. And you can be sure I'll be back here again, even if it's just to walk into a coffee house to have a plate of Char Siew rice. Hehe.

Sizzling Hot

Early nighties. One of the places my dad and mum like to go for dinner treats is Ponderosa at Marina Square. I'm not sure when they closed down the outlet but I can still clearly remember us gushing over the salad bar. We would order a main each and help ourselves to the free flow of salad. Ahhh memories . . . since it closed down I thought all that remains would be memories. It seemed so till yesterday . . .

After a hard day of schooling in house hunting . . . Meimei and me made our way to Bakerzin at Suntec. We wanted our favourite Strawberry Shortcake . . . but altas it was not to be. They ran out. Then I remembered wanting to try out Sizzler a few weeks ago but there was a long queue and we gave it a pass. So over we went to Sizzler.

And there it is. The salad bar, close to the one I remember at Ponderosa. And on top of that, they had soup, pasta and soft serve! My, I can't describe how wonderful the meal was. All I can say is that I'm coming back again, and again, and again . . .

New Entrees to Food Places

Long overdue updates to the Food Places I Tried and Love:

1) Marutama Ramen - The Central & Liang Court

Been here quite a number of times but never getting to posting it. Very good ramen with that QQ texture that makes you want to munch and munch. Best thing is that it's not MSG laden so Meimei and Sis can enjoy it's fragrant soup.

2) Crystal Jade Palace - Takashimaya

I don't usually eat Dim Sum. But I joined Meimei and Family for lunch at Takashimaya last week. Fabulous egg tarts, the best I've ever had. Definitely one to go back for second rounds.

3) Victor's Kitchen Dim Sum - Sunshine Plaza

Laoda brought us there for dinner, raving about the quality of the Dim Sum for cheap price. Was not disappointed.

Guest Post - *Bursting with Excitement

Latest updates from Onemotoring!

SJR0626G is available!

Blog Neglect, I'm Sorry

It's been quite sometime since I updated the blog. Funny thing though, the last few months were very exciting and it seems I only write when things are slow.

Well now, what are the memorable things that happen since Feb . . .

1) A grey Lancer is on it's way from Japan, arriving in June

2) I got promoted to Senior Accountant in April

3) I'm backing up for 3 teams now

4) We went to check out flats and apartments

5) Me trying to figure out how is it others can afford any accomodation above 300K

6) New walking shoes and office shoes

7) Trying to figure out how to tell the difference between the grades of diamonds

8) Appeal letter to HDB to allow us to buy a flat from them

9) Fighting to prevent a Stitch logo replacing the Car make logo

Hmmm, I know I've forgotten and missed alot of other stuff. Serves me right for neglecting the blog. Chants *I need to buck up!*

Guest Post - Hi, Cyclops..

Date: 11 April 2009
Venue: Suntec City Atrium

We laid eyes on a gleaming white 2004 model Lancer, sports edition. We told ourselves, the non-sports edition is better, more family, more practical and is 2000 bucks cheaper. Then we saw the glossy, fingerprint-magnet front panel, the non-leathered steering wheel and gear stick, the chrome-colors handles...

Date: 12 April 2009
Venue: West Coast Road

We told ourselves to give other cars a chance. Pokpok's Papa likes the Suzuki Swift. We went to test drive it. It's good. A tad heavy. Oh, and I dig red.

Date: 12 April 2009
Venue: Alexandra Road

"Can we take it for a test drive?"
"Dark metal or silver?"
"Let's call it Cyclops!"
"er...."

And the Competiton Fades . . .

Yet another development at the workplace. It's like a turn-wheel, going round and round. I've just been told today that my buddy has tendered his resignation. And in the interim while TL hires a new Accountant, I'm going to be taking three teams. She wants me to go over to the US team to whip them into shape . . . What? When did I became the defacto troubleshooter of the team? Or the company in that case? Shit happens and everyone goes to one person, me . . . While it is a good testament to the work I do, but seriously . . . what are all these managers doing? And I don't mean TL, she is stuck with me. Hahahah. But what? Other 'managers' expect to send an email or give me a call and solve the problems for them while they sit back and wait for everything on a silver platter. Come'on . . . you guys are managers! You are paid way more than me.

Phfff, over with the rant and back on topic. So my buddy quits and now I am tasked to take over US team. Damn this is going to be one long hard road. I am seeing Nov to Jan all over again. Late nights, stress, immense pressure and more crap. This had better be worth it . . . TL mentioned last week a promotion for me in April. But as with what it is now, it's just saying. Nothing concrete, nothing written. So being the eternal skeptic, I doubt it's going to happen until I see it. Well, nothing lost if it is just a ruse to get me to stay for the time-being. Time will tell and come April, if I'm not promoted, I'll know how the company and TL treats her staff and move on. No biggie, there are other fishes in the sea. But in the meantime, I'll put my all into making it work. I've not failed so far and I'm not about to start.

Back from the Abyss

The past 3 months have been a momentous challenge on the work front and consequently my personal front as well.

TL finally came back from her maternity. Phew! Thinking back on the past 3 months, it was one long horrible story. Not that I screwed up anything, just that so much has happen in such a short time I don't know where to start.

But taking the good things from this experience, I must say I've learned alot. And I'm thankful of the opportunity given to me. Who gets to stand in for another team, help with his manager's task and represent a major project all at the same time as an Accountant. Hopefully this will help in my drive to climb up the corporate ladder.

At the same time though, I'm well aware that I have to be careful not to neglect the very reason I'm putting so much effort into this, my Meimei. She has been an unwavering pillar, patient and caring while I put in my hours. Many times she has had to wait for me for dinner. I could sense a certain frustration and sign of disappointment everytime I've had to cancel our plans at the last minute. But seriously, this is a chicken and egg situation.

I thrive hard in hopes I can give Meimei the flexibility to choose to work or not in the future. I work hard so we can have a better life next time. Yet at the same time, these hours are creating an unspoken tension which might lead to not having that future. I doubt it'll ever get to that, ever. But I can't seem to put away this fear . . . I can't afford to lose her. And I can't give up my job either. *Frustrated