GOODBYE 2007

WELCOME 2008

MAY EVERYONE BE HAPPIER AND MORE CHEERFUL IN THIS BRAND NEW YEAR

MAY WE HAVE A MUCH BETTER YEAR AHEAD

MAY WE ALSO HAVE A MUCH BETTER WORLD TO LIVE IN

Finally 2007 is over and 2008 is here.

Well, have many ups and downs in 2007 which I hope the bad ones won't happen to me again in 2008 and may I be even happier and more satisfied with myself in 2008.

Shall come out with my goals for 2008 soon.

For the last few days before bidding 2007 goodbye were filled with stress and fun.

Stress because of the several tests which I have to take and pass. Fun because of the activities I did with my JC pals and of course anticipating the arrival of the new year.

Speaking of the tests, I am proud and please to annouce that I have

PASSED MY IPPT

on 26 Dec. As such, I can now kiss RT goodbye and no more travelling to Khatib Camp every Thursdays and Sundays. Imagine if I fail my IPPT this time, I would have to visit the camp 3 times a week. That would have greatly affect my moral and my job. Phew... Lesson Learnt.

PASSED MY WRITTEN & PRACTICAL TESTS

which I have to take every year due to the nature of my job.

*Give a pat to myself...Congrats

On top of that, I would like to use this opportunity to welcome a new arrival to my Family on 28 December...

A Gift from God to Caleb & Grace - Joy Ng

3 Days old...Joy is simply adorable & gorgeous!

Last Sunday was well spent with my JC gang at Pulau Ubin.

On our way to Ubin...

The 'Ubin Gang' - Geri, CY, Kan, YL & Myself on the bumboat ride to Ubin @ S$2 per head.

Since cycling was on our agenda, we went around to scout for a cheap and reliable bicycle rental shop. It soon dawned on us that the price everywhere was about the same and so we just chose the shop at the end of the road.

Judging from the grin on her face, I guess she is happy with her bike

Oh man, come on....it's just a gentle slope.... Hahaha

Our first stop was supposed to be Chek Jawa. However, we took the wrong route and ended up ....

Lost and Helpless in the forest.

As a result, not only were we bitten badly by mosquitoes, we also ended up...

As certain parts of the ground were very muddy, our legs and shorts were stained with mud.

On our way to the main road, we came across a beach where...

both YL and Kan decided to wash the mud off their feet.

The Gang @ the beach before finding our way to Chek Jawa

Finally, we arrived at our destination.

Where shall we head ??? Visitor Center ? Mangrove Boardwalk ? Coastal Boardwalk ?

Heading to the Visitor Center first for some information before exploring the rest

The gals decided to take advantage of the tap to wash the mud off their legs before entering the Visitor Center.

Our 1st stop - Chek Jawa Visitor Centre

Nice view... My ideal house eh.

Next :

Chek Jawa Wetlands

The Boardwalk

Hoping to see something interesting along the Boardwalk.

As its high tide, there's nothing much to see and we ended up taking pics.

Mangrove Swamp Educational Tour :

Tour Guide : CY

Thats how these trees survive in such a condition.

The Nipah flower ? Anyway, attap seeds are from this plant. To think CY tried to lie to us by telling us this is Rafflesia....duhz.

The mature fronds can be used for thatching the roofs of attap houses and can be woven in baskets and mats. Even the sap can be fermented to produce alcoholic beverages.

4 small Mudskippers

The Viewing Tower.

Enjoying the breathtaking view and the wind breeze.

View from the top of th Tower :

The Gang who conquered the Tower :

On our way back to the village where we rent our bicycles, came across an interesting signboard :

The cheapest fine in the World ?????

If you look carefully, the figure has been tampered with by someone.

Discover the Secret Garden -mini fruit and vegetable plantation. Kang Kong, garlic, elephant yam, papaya, banana etc etc. Interesting.

Who do you think the crows will be afraid of ?

Guess what these are ??? From far, Kan and I thought it was either starfruit or papaya. Upon asking, we realised that these are actually Cocoa. Though I have been eating lots of chocolates, this is my 1st time seeing the cocoa fruit.

Bidding Ubin goodbye. Really enjoyed this time and my 1st time to Chek Jawa and the Secret Garden

Enjoyable...Truly enjoyed these 3 days - From Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.

Christmas Eve :

Arrived Hong Kong in the late evening and by the time we arrived at our hotel in TST, it was almost 2330 hrs...just half an hour before Christmas. This was due to the closure of roads around our hotel to make way for the celebration. People were everywhere. The Police were trying their best to control the crowd. In certain areas, you may even need about 15-25 minutes just to walk less than 30 metres. That's how crowded it was. Anyway, instead of counting down with the crowd, the last few seconds or minutes before the clock strike twelve were spent slurping down the QQ wanton noodles and gulping my favourite Honey Lemon at the joint near the hotel. Wanton Noodles - that's what I missed on my last HK trip. Feeling very satisfied after the last strand of noodle entered my mouth. Simply awesome. Yea...That's how I spent my Christmas Eve. Awww.....

Christmas Day :

Met up with some of the 19/01 peeps for a simple Christmas dinner at Billy Bombers in Central.

Almost everyone was late including myself. Felt sorry for CY who was the earliest and I guess the most punctual. Well, who to blame but the NEL. Not sure what happened to the trains but it made a 8-10 minutes stop for almost every station. Kind of irritating and pissed off especially when you are rushing.

Geri's and SD's Honey Stung Chicken...Looks nice right. Drool

My Chix n Ribs....Serving was huge and I can't finish. Good exercise for the mouth too. Hahaha. Worth it.

Kind of enjoy Billy Bomber's food. Not only was the serving big, the food taste nice too. Oh my Christmas present from them : A S$28 discount on my next Billy Bomber meal as well as a S$15 Hip Diner USA voucher. Hohohoho... To Geri : Should you win the grand prize, remember our shares eh....hahahahah.

After much discussion on where to go next, we finally agreed upon Dempsey Hills for our gift exchange and chilling out session. A virgin trip for all of us except WW and JY. Have been hearing a lot about Dempsey and wanting to visit there, but I haven't got a chance. Am really glad that this time I managed to visit that place and with such a good company.

Must thank WW for showing us around Dempsey Hill. Lots of cafes, bars and restaurants. A very nice place to hang out I must say. Love its ambience. Love its crowd. Love its location. Initially, I thought that Dempsey Hill is quite inaccessible and without a car, it can be quite a hassle to get there. I was wrong though. Several bus services ply that route and it merely took us 15 minutes (slow stroll) from the bus stop to the top of Dempsey Hill where Ben & Jerry is.

The famous Dempsey Hill Fountain.

Christmas Tree @ Dempsey

From Left to Right : Geri, myself, CY, XK, JY, SD and WW @ Margaritas. Not too bad but would prefer Ooosh where there's liveband.

Cheers to all : Our Frozen Mango Margarita plus SD's Sunrise Punch.

Had our gift exchange. Gifts were decided by poker cards. Got my gift from Geri while XK got mine. Hahaha. I guess the most expensive gift was Shunde's...a Oat facial scrub and a bar of Black rice soap. Who's the lucky chap who got it then? None other than JY. Hahaha.

We Heart Dempsey Hill. Definitely be there again soon!

Boxing Day :

Had lotsa of fun and laughter at Mind's Cafe @ Purvis this afternoon with CY, SD and Geri.

1st Game :

Kind of fun and brain cracking.

2nd Game :

Huggy aka Shunde in Ca$h & Gun

3rd Game :

Row Row Row a boat...Let's hope that the boat will not capsize...

4th Game :

Who is the MURDERER ???

Case solved by SD : Mr Green is the murderer who used the rod as his weapon.

Last but not the least :

Our all-time favourite : SNORTA !!!!!

One one one, Moo Moo Moo, Croak Croak Croak, Mee Ni Meow (Sorry, I forgot about CY's cat sound)

Anyway, received my work schedule for next month and February. Am really glad that I will be around for CNY !!!! Jumping in joy!!!!! Do you know that I did not visit any friends or family members during CNY this year ? Am so glad that I will be able to for next year's CNY. It's time to plan for some CNY gathering...yay.

One more thing to share : Having really sufficient rest and sleep is the best cure for flu. That day I had about 16 hours of sleep and when I woke up, my flu was gone and I was cured !!!

IPPT tomorrow with KY & TT. Let's hope that I can pass...*cross my fingers* and a exam on Fri and Mon. Stressed....