First encounter with Singapore

Singapore view from our hotel room

This year is my first encounter with Singapore, since I missed twice, the pass two years.

I went for Singapore Standard Chartered International Marathon, but I joined the 10 km run to conserve some energy for shopping walk after the run.

Overall it was fun and exciting trip to Singapore because it's my first time going out from Malaysia by bus.

We took the First Coach bus from One Utama station, the place where my sister is working
(note: Kath, you should know where).

Here is the mini TV in front of each seat with the remote player on the place where y0u put your arm.

I enjoyed watching Miss Congeniality I and II, also The Devil Named Prada throughout the journey to Singapore. Can you imagine how many hours I spent in the bus?

We stopped at the Nevana, had our late lunch at the shopping mall. Then we took MRT to City Hall, where our Peninsula Hotel is. In Singapore, people mostly take MRT or walk as transportation, and that was how we travel there. Their ticket include one Singapore dollar as deposit (refundable after you reached your destination), so when the total price from one place to another is S$ 2.20, it includes the deposit, so it actually costs S$ 1.20.

Due to time factor, I only managed to visit Marina Square (where we had our dinner) and some shopping malls near by the place before the run and Bugis after the run. It's good enough because I can't walk much after the run. Almost ever mall that we visited were filled with Christmas trees - holiday mood arrived. Singaporean will walk everywhere with their after exercise attires, some were really just finished their practice in sports while others were just ala mode - following the trend. Seldom see girls wearing shorts or pants there, mostly wear dresses or skirts, especially when they walked in couples.

Photos taken while waiting for check-in.

Christmas tree in the lobby (sixth floor)

Drink place

Place to sit, we stood

Here I flood you with some of the photos we took in the malls.

This is taken especially for Kath

Huge wheel

in Marina Square
Where we had our dinner
Hawaiian pork chop
Spicy Macaroni with pork

Pork rib

Santa Clause

This was what we had in Singapore after the run

Posing with the McD set

White Christmas tree in Bugis
Tallest Christmas tree in Bugis

After the run

a met with her

Often, it plays in my mind before I make a move to do something.
It's like a video play in mind, rehearsing what should I do next.

Last Sunday, I attended my colleague's wedding dinner. Really happy to see people getting married especially he/she is someone you know.

The elderly people will then ask, "When is your turn?" I always give the same excuse, "Wait, I still have 3 sisters before my turn." Then it ended there. They actually are more concern than I do. Are my parents thinking the same thing?

Someone, not in my expectation appeared in the dinner after she has been away for so long. She still remember I studied in UTAR (just that now I graduated). A pretty young mother who used to work in my dad's company, she was away for months due to her mother's health. I was surprised to see her, despite her own health (she's having sore throat, from how her voice sounded to me), she gave face to our dear colleague, who share her happiness with us, and came to the wedding dinner. She was a gem in my dad's company for she helps a lot in the company's earnings. Therefore, my dad was reluctant to let her go. She is really hardworking to earn penny for her family as now she is the Yoga Guru near her housing area, after she left my dad's company for months. People said she's getting thinner.

I wasn't really close to her, but I know a bit of her story, because I wasn't really a busy-body type of person, or rather I don't really care of people's life. Some people will find that I'm a 'cool' person or more negatively, arrogant. That's because I'm quiet, don't voice out if I'm not asked to.

Anyway, it was really good to meet her in such occasion, I managed to hear from her, got updated of what's she doing, the basic conversation. She explained very well, that's why and how she became one of my dad's top sales manager last year.

I only met her like once or twice when she's still in my dad's company, and when I saw her last Sunday, I was stunned, I admiring her looks and appearance. She was positive in her situation and she told us her mom is getting better. People were curious whether she will come back to work in my dad's company, including my dad himself. I guess it's no at the moment, she is neither satisfy or not-satisfy with her current lifestyle - life must go on anyhow. She is really a tough mother, going through all the tough times. I just pray and hope she continue to be strong and have hope in her life. In the end of the conversation I hugged her (I knew it's not myself only, God's love filled through at the moment), and we (including dad and his sales team) took photo together before we depart separate ways.

I really like the feeling of hugging, felt so loved. I guess she loved to be embraced as well. It's so natural. :) She hugged other girl's ex-colleague as well.

Friendship

How beautiful?