Weekly Wishes #10 - A MILESTONE!

This post is a milestone because it's my 10TH Weekly Wishes post. I think it deserves a sidebar link of its own. I love how every week people from all over the world would read my blog and leave beautiful comments before they leave. I enjoy going through the list of blogs to read every week, whether or not I contributed. Linking up for the Weekly Wishes is an experience, and I am grateful for the chance to interact with like-minded bloggers around the world.

I haven't been really productive with #9. Except for the part about drinking 1.5 litres of water per day. Not that I can finish an entire bottle, but I think as a whole, I am drinking more plain water every day because of the nature of my work and the environment I am in. I gotta stay hydrated!

WEEKLY WISHES #10

❤ Start researching on a good body toning workout

❤ Get a good rest before each working day

❤ Eat a little healthier

❤  Try not to kill anyone

❤ Continue blogging throughout the week

❤ Start researching on a good body toning workout

There are days when I look at myself in the mirror and hate the way I look. I hate to wear any kind of swimsuit, opting for shorts and a tank top instead because I hate the stretch marks on my ass. My legs used to be nicely toned because I was a cross country runner back back when I was at school. I want that body, those legs and a firmer ass back. So, like Britney said, "You gotta work it, bitch." 

If you guys have an effective regime to recommend, do let me know in the comments below!

❤ Get a good rest before each working day

The upcoming week is going to be intense. I'll be away from home for at least 8 straight days, operating the Perth-Denpasar turnarounds, with minimal rest hours in between. It's going to be tiring and I really can't wait for these sectors to be over. Thankfully, Perth and Singapore are in the same timezone, so not much adjusting is needed. But getting up from the depths of a comfy hotel bed will prove to be a huge challenge.

❤ Eat a little healthier

Eating healthy was never in my agenda.. Ever. But that's because I get good food at home. When I was in Melbourne, I stocked up on tons of junk food. I grew sick of microwaved food after three days, that even McDonalds was a treat. This time though, I intend to shop for more healthier food. We'll see how it goes during the week. I hope for more roasted chicken salad. 

❤  Try not to kill anyone

Samsung's customer service stinks. I don't think I've ever been that angry since a year and a half ago. My S4 is barely 2 months old, but it had seen the insides of the service centre FOUR TIMES ALREADY. I yelled at the staff because I was so pissed that the same old problem kept cropping up despite numerous trips to the store. The front desk girl and I are like best friends now. 

This is probably my penance for switching sides. I should have just stuck to Apple. Now, they've already botched the delivery, making me wait for a no-show delivery tonight... They're gonna get a good scolding from me first thing tomorrow morning. Never getting another Samsung phone in my life.

❤ Continue blogging throughout the week

I will be bringing my Macbook along for the 'lonely nights' ahead. I hope I wouldn't be too tired or lazy to update this space. I have a few exciting posts lined up, so do continue to drop by throughout the week. I promise, the reads would be entertaining.

And this concludes my 10th Weekly Wishes post! This was indeed a sense of achievement for me, because I never seemed to be able to be faithful and consistent to a plan. Thank you Melyssa for hosting such an awesome link up!

xx

Weekly Wishes #9

Previous week's wishes:

❤ Finish recording a song

❤ Take a test roll on le Diana Mini

❤ Cook something new

❤ WORK, I NEED WORK.

Last week had been pretty great. I managed to have just enough money to sustain me till payday, which is a GREAT accomplishment having to work with $600. 

It's the season to fall sick! I was down with the flu a greater part of last week and still am battling the sniffles. I am trying hard not to depend on my Blue Best Friend, but unfortunately, I have had to succumb twice this time. But I made some ground beef hash for lunch last week. It was YUMMEH and very, very satisfying. 

I am FINALLY going to do some travelling! This coming Thursday I will be Beijing-bound! Can't wait to get into the aircraft and learn something.. and do some exploring of course.

WEEKLY WISHES #9

❤ Drink at least 1.5 litres of water everyday
❤ Try at least ONE strange food in Beijing (and live to tell the story)

❤ Pack bags, prepare items for Beijing AND the following week
❤ Get at least 5 new blogger friends!

❤ Drink at least 1.5 litres of water everyday

I've seen this wish floating around blogosphere the past week and am inspired to do the same! I don't drink enough water sometimes, and my lips get chapped and broken and sore. It's going to be worst when I am in Australia the next couple of weeks as the weather there is significantly drier than hot, humid Singapore. I don't wanna get dry lips that escalated into painful rashes on my upper lip. That wasn't fun.

❤ Try at least ONE strange food in Beijing (and live to tell the story)

My friend Miao went to Beijing for New Year and told me how exciting Beijing city was. From the shopping to the strange food and the Great Wall, she recounted a couple of very interesting tales of her trip. One of which was when she tried eating a grilled starfish. She described the little morsel as 'sandy'. Halfway through the sandy experience, the lady who sold her the starfish yelled at her to peel off the skin first before eating. Needless to say, she didn't have a great experience with the starfish. 

❤ Pack bags, prepare items for Beijing AND the following week

It's gonna be an intensely packed month for me in October. Once I come back from Beijing, I have less than 24 hours to get ready for a week-long trip to Darwin.. with a stopover in Manila before making our way to Narita, TOKYO! Finally, my dreams of visiting Japan are coming true! I must make sure to pack extra sweaters since it's spring in Darwin and autumn in Japan. Don't want to have to buy warm clothings like I had to in Chiangmai because it got unexpectedly cold.

❤ Get at least 5 new blogger friends!

It's a little bit of a long shot... But, I am going to try. I am opening up my sidebar for you to place your ads, and the best part is... it is completely FREE! That's right. It's free and easy to advertise on my blog. Just drop me an email at yourdogatemyhair@gmail.com to indicate your interest. Do put 'BUTTON SWAP' in your header so it's easy for me to get back to you :)

Hope you have a smooth sailing week ahead!

Weekly Wishes #8

Previous week's wishes:

❤ GET LAUNDRY DONE

❤ Start writing again

❤ Enjoy the downtime while it lasts

❤ Quit obsessing over black cats.

I am proud to say that I've been quite productive last week. I got my 90% of my laundry done, met up with a couple of people I haven't seen in ages.. And I started writing again from scratch after getting inspired by the grand party on The Great Gatsby. 

My uniform had been altered and ready to be worn whenever they decide to roster me in for duty. According to the email sent, we were to receive our schedule for the next month today. It is already 1740 hours in Melbourne and there are no signs of an updated roster. Sigh. I am getting a little stir crazy here.

The past weekend had been insane. Spent a quiet Friday night in, curled up with a book and a mug of hot cappuccino. Saturday was party night at Tanjong Beach Club. I haven't partied in a long, long while and let's just say it was crazy. I was glad to be with great friends who made sure to look after each other no matter how messed up we were. The next day I woke up with a terrible headache. It was so bad, I think my hangover had a hangover. Sunday was a little more relaxed. Movie afternoon with the same people I partied with last night.. and a family dinner. It was overall a great weekend.

WEEKLY WISHES #8

❤ Finish recording a song
❤ Take a test roll on le Diana Mini

❤ Cook something new

❤ WORK, I NEED WORK.

❤ Finish recording a song

I am the kind of person who listens to a song, likes it and intends to cover it. I downloaded a TON of instrumental tracks off YouTube but 80% of the time, I don't end up covering the song. The last song I did was a collaboration with my ultra talented cousin, Herlmi.

And I haven't had the inspiration (nor the voice) to sing anything. But my big sister's birthday is coming up and she loves Lana Del Ray. So I was thinking to do a song for her (in addition to the god-expensive truffle oil she wanted so much) as a gift.

❤ Take a test roll on le Diana Mini
I haven't taken any quality film pictures this year, and I am itching to start again. Thankfully, my neighbour agreed to loan me her Diana Mini for my experimentation. I have recently gotten my hands on expired films... like 5 years expired kinds.. for a great steal and I can't wait to use them. Especially, when I have a very, very good looking subject waiting for me. Hee.

❤ Cook something new
I have a strange craving for homemade chicken noodle soup since Melbourne and the best recipe I found so far takes like 4 hours.. and a whole freaking chicken to cook. I will try to come up with something. The thought of slurping down the smooth, warm and flavourful broth is just........ mmmm.

❤ WORK, I NEED WORK!
I've never been so eager to start work, ever. But a three week long hiatus from work is driving me crazy. (I am going to regret this when I actually start working) If I weren't so broke, I would have taken this opportunity to travel. But no, my bank account is squeezed dry, hence I have to stay home and endure the wrath of my mum. So I am really hoping they'd schedule me for some flights before I forget the stuff I learnt a month ago. A. MONTH. AGO.

Still obsessed with black cats. WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE.

Weekly Wishes #7

Previous week's wishes:

❤ Manage finances: have at least 200 leftover spending money for the rest of the month

❤ Get laundry done

❤ Investigate where have the mails gone to

Haven't been very successful with last week wishes. Overspent by a LOT the past weekend because of outings to various food establishments. Yummy food, ain't good for my pocket. HENCE, I really have to scrimp and save and eat grass for the next 14 days before payday.

I have the whole week off the coming week (YAY for more sleep-ins, booo for basic pay) so I have more time to get my uniform sorted out, and laundry done. Sigh.

But, I FOUND THE LOST MAIL! It was being held at the post office because I didn't write a return address (oops) and there was a major defect in my parcel. But despite all the drama, I managed to take it back and added a few more things into the package for Bonnie... and sent it out this morning. Hopefully, it'll reach her this time. :)

WEEKLY WISHES #7

❤ GET LAUNDRY DONE
❤ Start writing again

❤ Enjoy the downtime while it lasts

❤ Quit obsessing over black cats

❤ GET LAUNDRY DONE

Ditto.

❤ Start writing again

I am not talking about writing in my blog this time, but actually write, WRITE! Been suffering from a dry spell lately, so bad that I can't even find words to form a proper paragraph. I resorted to reading Bones fanfiction (a guilty, fattening pleasure of mine) to soak up some inspiration but to no avail. I have an idea for a story, but I seemed to not be able to churn out words. This is ultimately frustrating.

❤ Enjoy the downtime while it lasts

While most of my batchmates are out working, flying around the world.. some of us are still stuck without rosters. Part of me is envious of the pictures that they're sending through the whatsapp chat group... the other part of me is enjoying this time to repay my sleep debt, and do whatever the hell I wanted during the week. I know that once my roster is out, I'll have to say goodbye to my freedom and the next time I get to enjoy time like this will probably be taken out from my leave pool. So I ain't complaining, just enjoying the free time I've been granted. Boo to no allowances though.

❤ Quit obsessing over black cats

They're my favourite cats (after the Sphinx). But I have to resign to the fact that I'll never be able to have cats while living in my parents' house. Maybe I'll get one when I have my own house. Then again, I might not cos I am afraid of them dying before me. I can't deal with the heartbreak.  

Hope you guys have an awesome week ahead!

Weekly Wishes #6

That's me, being Jungle Girl in Chiang Mai.

Previous week's wishes:
❤ Have a proper system for studying
❤ Get necessary things for winter in Melbourne❤ Ace exams

I do apologise for the gap in between #5 and #6 because of my two-week long Melbourne trip, hence the tardiness. I've managed to cross out every single wish on my list because of all you awesome readers. Erika and Allie's suggestions to adopt the Pomodoro technique to make my studying more productive WORKED WONDERS. I find that having some breaks to look forward to in between study sessions (no matter how short) helps. Thank you ladies.

Melbourne was FUH-REEZING when we arrived. The coldest was probably at 3 degrees. We were walking towards the domestic arrival terminal at Tullamarine airport and our teeth were chattering, smoke escaped with every breath we exhaled. Needless to say, we tropical climate peeps were very much entertained.

I still have my job, which meant.. I ACED ALL MY EXAMS! But not without hard work, sweat, anger and tears. At least the hard part is over. ONWARD with our training!

WEEKLY WISHES #6

❤ Manage finances: have at least 200 leftover spending money for the rest of the month
❤ Get laundry done

❤ Investigate where have the mails gone to

❤ Manage finances: have at least 200 leftover spending money for the rest of the month

First paycheck was in, but I still have a long, long way to go to enjoy the benefits that come with the job. September is looking very bleak as of now (and the next few months to come), and I pray for a miracle for us to get rostered as soon as possible so we won't be eating grass next month too. Sigh.

❤ Get laundry done
I have a pile of dirty clothes from Melbourne that needs my attention. I better get it done before my next trip.

❤ Investigate where have the mails gone to

The case of the disappearing mails. Bonnie and I both hadn't received our mails to each other. Which is strange, considering my mails out usually get to their destinations fast. Time to head to the post office tomorrow. Hope my gifts to her aren't lost in the mail-verse. Or the mail monster ate them up.

Right now, I am going to get my ass ready for the airport (I seem to be going to the airport a hell lot these days and it's set to increase later during the month) and bid farewell to my darling Maria who's heading home to Ukraine. More about her later!

What are your weekly wishes for this first week of September... GASP, is it September already?!

Weekly Wishes #5

Previous week's wishes:
❤ Squeeze some Hari Raya visiting time
❤ Try not to kill anyone

It had been a pretty stressful week last week. Once training for work started, it was like I had hit the ground sprinting (yes, even faster than running). Expect less posts from me this month as I have to juggle my time between being completely stressed out for exams, and preparing to head to Melbourne for more training... and having a social life. I am starting to learn from my mistakes now, which means, NO MORE PROCRASTINATING.

Kept my cool and didn't kill anyone last week. Any kind of problems I had with anyone had been resolved... (telling a little half-truth worked beautifully in this case). 

Plus, even though I was working through the first, second and third day of Hari Raya, I managed to squeeze in some visiting time as seen here. I dragged my notes along during these visits, and had fun, ate a lot and saw people who weren't my colleagues for a change.

WEEKLY WISHES #5

❤ Have a proper system for studying
❤ Get necessary things for winter in Melbourne

❤ Ace exams

❤ Have a proper system for studying

I was never the best student because I was always too lazy to read and memorise stuff. This has got to change because the exams I am getting for trainings are going to either make me or break me. So far, my stress management hadn't been top form. This was something I need to be working on.

Any suggestions as to how I can go about staying organised?

❤ Get necessary things for winter in Melbourne

Singapore is country with a tropical climate. It doesn't get really cold outdoors. The temperatures in our shopping malls though, is a whole other climate. So we absolutely do not need to be wearing fur coats and fleece here. 

I hate the cold. I get bitter and miserable when it's cold. I'd rather it be hot and windy, rather than it be cold and windy. I have a jacket in my bag EVERYWHERE I go. This would be my first winter in Australia, hence I have no idea what to expect. My cousins from Melbourne told me that wearing windbreakers and walking around in sneakers are fine... But, I have doubts trusting them. 

Time to shop for winter clothing.

❤ Ace exams

Just went through one exam today, and it was nerve-wracking as hell. Passed, thankfully.. and now we'd have to study for yet another exam on Thursday. Gone were the days we had the luxury to revise what we've learnt at a glacial pace. Gosh. I need all the brain cells I can generate.

How has Monday gone for everyone?

By the way, I've FINALLY set up my Advertising page where, if you'd like to support me.. and vice versa, we could arrange to do a button swap or other fun stuff. If you're interested in something more than a button swap, do email me and I'll be happy to provide you with everything you need. :)

Cheers!

Weekly Wishes #4

Previous week's wishes:

❤ Read a new book

❤ Save pictures from Facebook

❤ Enjoy the last week of being jobless

I didn't say I would finish reading the book did I? Hee. Still halfway through The Tales of the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, and it had been quite a journey. There were bits that were thought-provoking and others that made me chuckle to myself in the middle of the train...... but it's all good. I shall do a book review on it some time soon. 

I enjoyed the whole of last week to the fullest. Every single day had been packed with activities. From Sentosa hangout with Charlotte, sushi with Claudia, drinks with Julian, Christos, Vada and Ming to games night at Maureen's, it had been fun. More FB pictures to save!

WEEKLY WISHES #4

❤ Squeeze some Hari Raya visiting time
❤ Try not to kill anyone

❤ Squeeze some Hari Raya visiting time

Am super bummed because I'll be working through Hari Raya (Eid) this year. While everyone's out eating glorious food and visiting, I'll be cramming my brains with seemingly useful knowledge. Sunday will be our only day off, so hopefully I'd get to enjoy some festivities.

❤ Try not to kill anyone

It's gonna be a long, long ride for all of us. And some people are trying really, really annoying. I had to tell a half-truth today because one of them was being ultimate difficult. (Sorry my love, but I had to... It was effective, anyways.) But on the bright side, we're heading to Melbourne next Saturday for more gruelling training. FINALLY, I can fill this blog with more travel-related content. I miss going out to explore places. 

Are there any readers from Melbourne or who would be in town from next Saturday onwards? Let's meet up for drinks/coffee/lunch/date! :D

Weekly Wishes #3

Previous week's wish: 
❤ Get all paperwork settled for work
❤ Meet Aidan Murphy for one last time before he leaves for Sydney
❤ Set up a sponsor page
❤ Think of a gift for Bonnie!

Unfortunately, due to our conflicting schedules, we didn't get to meet before the man leaves for Sydney :( But we're not fretting though, cos we're bound to meet in the near future because of where my job takes me and all.

I am all set, and READY for my new job! Hehe. All the paperwork's over and done with.. and I passed the First Aid Course last week with flying colours, it's all fun and training and more cramming for exams now.. at least for the next 1.5 months. So excited!

I am still waiting for a reply from Passionfruit before kicking start my swanky new sponsor page, so more on that later this week! :D
And Bonnie, your gift is making its way to your mailbox right now! Sorry for the delay, but hope it finds you! ;)

Weekly Wishes #3

❤ Read a new book

❤ Save pictures from Facebook

❤ Enjoy the last week of being jobless

❤ Read a new book
Got a new book on a whim recently. It's called A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. I was at a bookstore and picked up a random book from a Japanese author... I always have an inclination towards Asian authors.. don't ask why. Read a few pages and was instantly hooked by her unconventional writing style. I hope to finish it sometime this week, and tell you about it next week.

❤ Save pictures from Facebook

I've been lazy these past year. Usually I'm the one with the camera, snapping pictures of people. Since I have people around who have awesome cameras, I take one step back and enjoy being photographed instead :P
So now I have so many unglam pictures on FB, and I need to save them in my HDD before they fade away.. Like Friendster did.

❤ Enjoy the last week of being jobless

I have tons of things to do, and people to meet before I start work next week. My entire week is PACKED. So I am going to make full use of this week to catch up on extra sleep, clean my room and meet people.

How are you guys gonna be spending your week? :)

Weekly Wishes #2

Previous week's wish: Try a new recipe that has nothing to do with - garlic, mushroom, salmon or broccoli.

One night, I was starving and there wasn't anything decent to eat in the fridge without having to make something, so I decided to see what there was to cook and I came up with Grilled Mushroom and Cheese sammich! Fine, I used mushrooms when I said I wouldn't... but I had to cos they were going to be rotten if I didn't use them soon. 

I sauteed some onion slices with the mushrooms, topped them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper before putting them on bread and cheese slices. Turned out sinfully yummy.

Weekly wishes #2:

❤ Get all paperwork settled for work

❤ Meet Aidan Murphy for one last time before he leaves for Sydney

❤ Set up a sponsor page

❤ Think of a gift for Bonnie!

❤ Get all paperwork settled for work

I've been spending two whole weeks trying to make sure everything gets done before the 24th, and I am running way behind schedule. Somethings I can't control aren't being really cooperative right now, and being pressured by it ain't helping. 

I foresee next week to be another mad rush, with a three-day First Aid Course and the deadline for submission of forms and all. I hope to get everything settled by Wednesday tops so I can stop worrying about formalities and start getting down to actual studying. 

❤ Meet Aidan Murphy for one last time before he leaves for Sydney

This is Aidan. Farhan and I met him while we were on a 3D2N trek in Chiang Mai. We had a good time up in the mountains, and when we said goodbye on my last day in Chiang Mai, I wasn't at all sad because he was going to move to Singapore for work anyway.

We had dinners a couple of times since he got settled in, and I particularly loved the chill evening spent at his home watching Bones and enjoying couscous and homemade ratatouille. Lately we haven't seen each other because we're so busy with work and life. A few days ago, he texted me saying that we should catch up soon before he leaves for Sydney. I asked if he was leaving for holiday or for good.... and he said it was the latter. 

So yeah, I gotta see him before he leaves.

❤ Set up a sponsor page

You know, it's for someday when my blog is more established and any kind soul would like to set up their ads at the corner. Syfnz Says is only 1.5 months old and I am humbled to say, I've received such great response for this blog. THANK YOU!

❤ Think of a gift for Bonnie!

I am participating in The Nectar Collective's Snail Mail project and I got Bonnie @ The Compass Rose as my pairing for this month! She's an amazing woman, with a lovely blog so do check her out.

The theme for the month is: Introduce where you live – what’s special about it?  

I hope she'll like my gift. :D

So these are my wishes for this week! I know it's a significant jump from last week's ONE. But I really need to get all these done. Wish me luck! To find out more about Weekly Wishes linkup, click HERE!

 ❤ 

Weekly Wishes #1

Weekly Wishes #1 : Try a new recipe that has nothing to do with - garlic, mushroom, salmon or broccoli.

I've been feeling rather uninspired lately. Mainly because I've been so stressed over things that I have to get done before 22nd August. I am currently waaaay behind schedule and being so pressured ain't helping me a single bit. 

For months now I've been wanting to try cooking a dish with salted egg yolk after Rasyidah made some. I love the texture and the flavour of salted egg yolks. It's semi coarse and a little salty and tastes nothing like your normal chicken egg yolk. 

Thankfully, I live in Asia hence salted eggs aren't difficult to find. It's cheap too, and mum always have it in the kitchen somewhere. The only problem is that I am too damn lazy to head out and get curry leaves and/or the meat to cook it with! That shall change tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of food with salted egg varieties. I am dead.

Liu Sha Bao

Steamed custard buns from Hong Kong. Bite into these little fluffy things and you have yellow custard + salted egg yolk oozing out. So heavenly. (credits: Camemberu)

Mud Crab with Salted Egg yolk 

CHECK OUT THAT CRAB! (Credits: To Food With Love)

Salted Egg Yolk Prawns

'Nuff said. (credits: Her World)

Join the fun!

The "Weekly Wishes" link up rules are easy. 

1. Share your posts about your goals, challenges, or wishes for the week, month, year, decade, whatever! Posts completely unrelated to the theme or linked to your homepage will be deleted.
2. Link back to this site so others can get their goal-setting on, too (You can use the button below!).

3. The most important rule of all! You MUST visit the person’s blog who linked up before you and leave them some motivating comment love. This is non-negotiable and is such an important part of this linkup! We are here to encourage each other to accomplish our goals. Let’s do this together! Can’t wait to visit your blogs and see what you’re wishing for this week!

x