Monday, November 27, 2006
I'VE MOVED!
My blog is now at www.renzze.com so please click here to visit me there.
My dear friends who have linked me... it'll be nice if you could edit your link to the new address instead. Thanks sooooo much!
on 6:21 PM
Friday, November 24, 2006
As promised, I'm gonna dedicate this post to my beloved Cocker Spaniel, Louis. He's now 6mths old and a lot bigger than when he first arrived. In the past couple of months having him has drastically altered my lifestyle. I've had pets before but it had been largely taken care of by my mom or grandma or the maid. Now that I oversee every little aspect of Louis well being do I truly comprehend the meaning and commitment of owning a pet.
It's quite similar to having a new child I suppose. He's cute and affectionate. You play with him... Feed him... Bring him for walks or a swim at the sea. But as any pet owner will tell you... It's not always rosey. You also have to deal with stinky poop... chewing of stuff when you are not at home... taking time out of your busy life to groom him... waking up early on a weekend to make sure he has his breakfast... or taking him to run outdoors even when all you wanna do is laze at home. One of the reasons for this entry is to inform friends that would like to own a pet in the near future the considerations that need to factor in while deciding to get a pet. I've known and heard of too many eager families or young couples buying a puppy only to abandon or give it away within the the 1st month of taking it home.Of course many pet owners have the luxury of maids to do all the nasty chores but I don't and I won't want one. It's through all the good and bad times... the little sacrifices and adjustments you make for this little furball that bonds you to him. He can be as naughty as a monkey but when I go on a holiday... he's constantly in my thoughts.
Louis gives me something that is rare in this age and time. He gives unconditional love. No matter how you scold or beat him... he will always love you and want you. Sometimes when he is sound asleep... I will quietly leave the room to not disturb him.. but somehow he always realizes it and wakes up to follow me even when I go to the bathroom. He's contented to sleep outside the toilet door to wait for me to come out before going back to his bed.
These are some recent pictures of him... taken while he's cuddling on me and when I bring him to picnics at the beach.
on 3:49 PM
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Did some minor tweaks to the site.
- Added google search below the tag box.
- Added some links which were way overdue.
- Added a new visitor counter as well.
on 9:31 PM
I know I promised some of you guys to update about my darling Louis but I've been a tad busy. Will definately do something about it before this week closes.
Meanwhile... go try out this test at http://www.myheritage.com to see if you look like any celebs! Not really accurate but still fun! Here's mine! Click to see bigger image.
on 4:24 PM
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Dear Santa and friends,
I've been a very good girl this year. This list of items I would love to be surprised with this X'mas =)
P/S: Frends and secret santa :
Don't worry if what you wanna get me is not on the list since it'll also help give a rough gauge of the kind of stuff I fancy.
1. I've always love H & M tops and dresses but recenty I've been going crazy trying to get my hands on H & M's Victor & Rolf collection. The dresses... the red flare skirt and the tops especially caught my eyes.
The normal H & M dress would also make me very happy!
2. I would love clothes from Wetseal or from Forever21 such as these. I wear the smallest size avaliable!
2. Paul & Joe's 2006 Christmas Collection Press Powder Set in 001 Pink/Silver
3. Suspenders with or without shorts. Just like this one from Forever 21. *got it*
4. Isetan vouchers
5. Beautiful bag charms like the ones from FayFay
Examples:
6. Yummy cakes! I love those from N.Y.D.C or sweet secrets or coffeebean...
7. Andy Lee's Makeup Book - Starlicious
More abt it here! Andy Lee's Book
8. NARS orgasm! Heard so much raves that makes me wanna try!
9. I'm craving for a few items from Demalogica now. They can be found at Leonard Drake Skin Care Salons or at the best skincare online store that gives free shipping !
These are the times I want!
- Multivitamin power recovery® masque
- Anti-bac cooling masque
- Ultracalming cleanser for face and eyes
P/S:I will update this list if I have new wants!
on 5:51 AM
Quite a number of my friends have asked me if it is safe to travel in Japan alone. And the answer is a definite YES. During this trip I had arrived earlier in Japan as my family had some personal matters to attend to and came much later on Northwest. Traveling the streets alone was not at all intimidating! It felt as safe as going out in Singapore. In fact... By the time my family came I could bring them around for shopping and great food stalls as I had memorized the streets.
But naturally I saved all the best attractions for us to go as a family and one of them is Disney! I had been contemplating between Disneyland or Disneysea but in the end we decided to go to both as a treat for my little sister who couldn't get enough of Mickey Mouse when she was in Disneyworld in the states.
DISNEYSEA TOYKYO
Both are amazingly enjoyable but I preferred Disneysea to Disneyland as it was newer and had less of a crowd. Disneyland was bigger but the queues were much longer and the rides are similar to the other Disneylands over the world. Nevertheless... if you have never been to any Disney theme park then pick Disneyland over Disneysea!
This time... the land park was decked out in Halloween theme and if you say "Trick 'O Treat" you might just get a Disney candy!
DISNEYLAND
on 4:46 AM
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
This year I spent my birthday in Japan with makes it my 3rd consecutive birthday spent outside the sunny shores of Singapore. But unlike previous years... my family was with me for this one.
We spent the day going to Asakusa to visit the Sensoji Temple. It is one of the most famous centers for worship in Japan and also a major tourist cultural attraction. Although rebuilt after WWII... it's architectural designs of the different halls have remained true to its original which were built and expanded from 628AD to the Kamakura and Edo period.
The Nakamise is a street leading to the main hall of the temple... it's filled with souvenir and food stores that would give the visitor a feeling of how it would be like to shop on the streets of old Japan. Here... we had lunch and bought a couple of souvenirs and yummy traditional snacks.
These photos are taken at the Kaminarimon Gate (the one with the huge lantern).... the Nakamise (street leading to the Gokuden)... during lunch... the pagoda... in front of the Gokuden(main hall) and it's surrounding gardens. Notice that it was still raining with strong winds so it was really cold! My mum looked so cute all bundled up with her hood.
When in Rome do as Romans do... so at the temple like the locals... I threw coins... made a wish and also went to have 'a fortune lot' drawn for me to foretell my future and luck (my 1st time). And I drew lot 26 which is an excellent fortune (shang shang qian)! My sis also had a very good fortune... Dad had a normal good one but Mum had a Bad fortune. Mum was a little upset that her's was bad so I bought her a health... safety & good luck charm to brighten her day!
This is my fortune...
And the English translation (found on the reverse) says:
" General: Trouble and disaster are getting off as time passes by, sign of the fortune is opening and coming to us. Your fame and honor rise all over society. Those old and ancient got renewed then you can get income again.
Getting success in life, and wealth, you are real busy and prosperous.
Depending on what fortune you are seeking: Your request will be granted.The patient will get well soon. The lost article will be found. The person you wait for will come. Building a new house or removal are both well. It is good to start a trip.Both marriage of any kind and new employment are well."
Sounds like a good start on my birthday!
Later on that day after all the walking and shopping... mum decided to treat herself and me to a nice foot massage. It was heavenly! Their foot reflexlogy is slightly different from our local version as they use treatment powder instead of oil as the medium. The massage was soft but effective. With lounge chairs and soothing spa like music... we were soon snoozing away. They even heated our shoes while we were in treatment so that we would could slip into something warm before heading out to the cold.
This is us with our therapists =)
When we got back to the hotel... my family insisted that I must have a birthday cake for my 25th birthday so we got a small little cake to share just an hour before my birthday passed. My sis smeared cream all over my face so we were chasing each other all over the place. I couldn't have asked for a nicer celebration with my dearest family.
on 10:44 AM
Saturday, November 04, 2006
The last 2 weeks I've been eating nothing but Japanese cuisine. At first it sounds fine or even exciting.
But when I was actually in Tokyo I realized 2 barriers. Firstly... I am allergic to seafood which meant almost 70% of their diet was non-consumable to me unless I wanted to spend the rest of the trip like an itching red baboon.
Secondly, the cost was a killer! The cheapest meals are priced around 500 yen which is currently equivalent to around S$7 which consists of either noodles (soba or udon) or katsu don (chicken cutlet with egg and rice). They can be found in small little outlets all over Tokyo... their tell-tale feature is that they have a little machine outside the store. Put in your money... select the food you want and a piece of paper is generated. Proceed into the store and hand that paper to the counter... in a couple of mins you will hear a holler and dinner's ready =) Pretty efficient! It cuts down miscommunication of orders as well.
Other cheap options included Japanese burgers or fastfood which still cost more then Singapore. Their normal regular meals are priced around 1000yen (S$14) and above while restaurant dining and buffets can easily be 3000 - 5000 yen (S$40 to S$70) per person.
As tourists We had to have our 3 meals a day outdoors and even though we mainly stuck to our 500yen meals... we did still managed a couple of good expensive meals. Alas... due to my dietary restrictions even these begun to bore my pallet... How I missed the spicy... oily and delightful local dishes! Jap food is just way too healthy!
However... their snacks and sweets are definitely nicer and more sinful! I was totally swept away by delicious crepes with cream and fruits.... their sweet pastries... Crisp cookies... richly flavored cakes... their creamy chocolate and custard filled doughnuts as well as the traditional red bean or custard filled pancakes. I bought some from Asakusa which were shaped with traditional Japanese symbols... and some from Tokyo station which were hello kitty shaped. Other shapes include kimono gals... doremon and Disney characters.
I've been back for a day or so and already I've gobbled down curry chicken and char siew & roast pork rice... YUMMY! All at such low affordable prices too! My next cravings are for chicken rice and soya beancurd!
These are some pics of the cheap 500yen food so you get an idea of it easily bored me... I didn't take pics of the food we ate at the fancy places cuz it was just too weird to whip the camera out even if it's for a quick snap!
on 2:31 AM
Friday, November 03, 2006
One of the first things I did in Tokyo was to get my hair done =) I simply loved how the japs layer and curl their hair... their cutting style was a perfect match for my volume deprived hair.
My salon of choice lies in the very trendy heart of Tokyo - Shibuya... and I simply adore what master stylist Hideyuk Kitazawa and colorist Mistsuharu Chiba did for me. Despite the language barrier they still managed to give me the end result I was looking for. They all gave excellent service and paid keen attention to give to a hairstyle that would suit my lifestyle. In fact.. all their customers walked out of their salon looking really good!
My sister waited hours for me at the salon so even though it was pretty costly... as a treat... I paid for her hair to be timmed =) She looks so much sweeter now!
Price-wise I think it's comparable to salons such as ICON or MONSOON in singapore but in terms of service and customer satisfaction... I'll go back there anytime! Hide and Chiba also gave me tips on the places to look out for in Tokyo... the kind that can't be found in your regular travel guide... so to thank them I paid them a little visit on the last day of my trip to present them with tokens that represent singapore.
These are so pics of my new hairdo and the crew that helped! If you ever wanna get your tresses a new life in Japan just drop me a msg for the shop's address.
on 4:44 PM
I'm finally back from Japan and as promised I revamped my blog with a new skin and a tagbox too! Many thanks to the people that offered to help me but I decided to try it out on my own so that it can be a learning process for me as well =)
As it's my first attempt please give me your honest opinions and let me know if there are any improvements i can make...
Will be blogging about my trip soon but first i need to clear off the 2 weeks accumulated layer of dust at home! Arghhhhhh!
Love,
Karen
on 3:33 PM
Thursday, October 19, 2006
These pictures were taken from LV latest bag collection. Doesn't it remind you of the china plastic bags that our grandparents lug around? If this is LV's attempt to break into the chinese market then they really need to learn more of our culture before trying their next design... I seriously can't imagine some rich tai tai carrying this bag to high tea at a posh restaurant... can you?
on 4:00 AM
Thursday, October 12, 2006
My sis came over to my place right after her last paper to celebrate mid-autum with me (sweet rite?). So feeling like a child again we happily played candles and lanterns around my neighbourhood even though the haze was totally killing me and Louis. Louis definately didn't enjoy the smokey enviroment that was caused by a mix of haze and the sparklers the kids were playing.
It was surprising to see the hordes of kids still playing at the playground with that enviroment but what was even more surprising is the terrible manners kids have these days!! What are schools and parents teaching!
This is what happened:
My sis and I happily playing candles in one corner... using our hands and legs to protect the flames from getting extinguished... when a sweet looking little girl approched us with a candle in her hand...
Little girl: Ke Yi Jie Huo Ma? ( Can I borrow fire?)
Me: Can! Here you go!
I plucked one of my lighted candle on the floor can gave the entire thing to her... she took it and ran away without saying thanks or even looking at us.
Then less then a min later while we were busy protecting our flames from any slight wind... she appeared again... This time however she just ignored our presence and plucked out another of our candle and ran away! Talk about self service! If that's not bad enough she kept coming back to take more!!! I was stunned beyond words!
Eventually her constant running back and forth created so much wind and movement that all the flames on our candles got extinguished!! Feeling pissed... I decided to go back... I took my dog to the grass to let him pee while my sister pick up the remaining candles and cleared the mess...
Guess who should still have the cheek to come running again?
Little Gal: Wo Yao Huo! (I want fire!)
Janice (my sis): You look yourself our candles all no more fire liao.
Little Gal: Then how?
Pissed Janice: No fire la!
Irritated Little Gal: Then how you all start the fire just now?
Pissed Janice: Use lighter lor.
Demanding Little Gal: Give me!
Very pissed Janice: Wo Mei You! (I don't have it!)It's with my sis over there!
Terrible Little Gal looking Pissed: Ne Mo Xiao Xin Ye one! (So selfish one!)
Then gave Janice a distasteful look before running away.
My God... how can such a small sweet looking girl be so inconsiderate and have no social manners at all? My blood was boiling when I heard what happened between that rotten gal and my sis... but I was injured and just wanted to go home (another terrible incident by another rude kid).
Trust me... if I ever have children... they will learn to carry themselves properly. No nonsense about how kids are precious little things or that you shouldn't beat them just talk to them. I truly believe "Spare the rod, Spoil the child"! If have no heart or no time to have children... dun have them! Don't bring in more social parasites to the world!
on 12:54 PM
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
I think a new trend of shop design is emerging and it's pretty cool! Check out these 2 shop concepts!
This pic is of Boutique Dreams in Toyko!
And this pic is the Bathing Ape Store in HK!
on 11:55 AM
Recently I keep getting the "Red Bomb" (wedding invites)! Besides loving to see goosebumpie happy lovely couples on their special day...it's pretty interesting to get invited to a friend's wedding and meeting up with old old friends that you've not seen in years! How we have change! I usually forget that I get older each passing year but when I see the significant changes in my ex-classmates I can't help but count back the years and wonder how much we've moved on in the last 10 years! It's a little sad that most of us are so busy getting on with life we fail to catch up with our past. So I'm gonna always remember to take time to spend with the people I've neglected all these years cuz every chance encounter with every soul we meet is an opportunity for us to imprint a positive memory to make our existance more worthwhile.
I've yet to get all the pictures from the brides of the weddings I attended... will update with more pictures when I've got the pics from the brides! The picture I took on my camera are all gone!!!
I'm soooo irritated that I lost all my pictures including the ones of my korean trip... My HD was getting a little packed with the millions of pictures I got so i decided to use Picasa to burn them into CD's to store them away and free some space on my comp... I checked the files on the disc before I deleted the original copies away. To my HORROR... when I tried opening the pics from the disk to cpy back to my computer only a few could be uploaded cuz the rest were corrupted... it's so sad!!! I'm gonnna just store my pics online from now on!
These 2 pics were one of the few pics I salavaged... It was taken after I came home from Melissa's wedding.
on 11:25 AM
Friday, September 29, 2006
I've heard great reviews on this baby! I want one soon!! 
on 5:58 PM
Thursday, September 28, 2006
I celebrated my sister's birthday on the 5th Sept 2006. (yes i noe it's been a mth already...) It was lotsa fun that involved a lot of eating... We went to Tao's for a 6 course lunch and then to swensens.
Time passes so fast... my sis is 18 already. And we got her a bottle of red wine to call her very own. I can hardly even remember my 18th birthday... probably because i was mugging for my A levels then... I do hope my sis had a great time and more to come. Crazy us took soooooooo many pictures that day. I'm not gonna put them all up cuz some asked to not let their pics go public... so just a few of the 3 girls... janice n audrey... if u guys wan the rest then come get it from me ya?
Luv,
Karen
PS~ Click the pic to see more pictures!
on 12:29 PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
CLICK IT!
on 2:02 PM
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Recently I've been totally craving ice-cream... especially Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheezecake Ice-Cream... I've already devoured 3 tubs!!! Maybe I'll get a tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food soon... I also wanna try their Oatmeal Cookie ChunkIce-cream... Fossil Fuel Ice-cream and Half- Baked Ice-cream next time =)
My Personal Ice-cream Hall Of Fame
1. Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheezecake
2. Ben & Jerry's Cookie Chip Cookie Dough
3. Haagan Daz Macadamia Brittle
4. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food
5. Haagan Daz Rum and Raisin
6. Haagan Daz Bailey's Irish Cream
7. Wall's Cornetto Ice Cream
8. Wall's Viennetta Chocolate
9. Push- Ups!! Been eating them since i was little... all sorts of brands but same concept... nowadays I think only nestle has them...
10. Finally... Milo Ice-cream... Basically I like Milo... Milo Dinosaur... Milo Hot/Cold... Milo Powder... Milo nuggets... etc...
on 3:44 AM
As tourists We had to have our 3 meals a day outdoors and even though we mainly stuck to our 500yen meals... we did still managed a couple of good expensive meals. Alas... due to my dietary restrictions even these begun to bore my pallet... How I missed the spicy... oily and delightful local dishes! Jap food is just way too healthy! 
