Free Coffee At Starbucks!!!

Exceptional surprise! I didn't know Starbucks would serve coffee on the house and not charge a single cent. I've taken samplers given out by Starbucks staff along the streets but this is the first time I got a Venti Latte for FREE!

What happened was...

I was with my council mates at Starbucks at Cathay, the one at Handy Road near Plaza Singapura for a small discussion yesterday. While settling down, joining 2 tables for the 5 of us and 2 laptops with a powerpoint nearby, the shop's light keep going on and off and at one point, I heard one of the staff even asked someone if there's internet.

When everything seemed "stabilized", I went to get my coffee. Since my friends were going to be late, I wanted to settle for a Venti instead of a Grande and have my favourite coffee drink, Latte. I went over to the counter and the staff joked and asked, "ice water"? I guessed it was because he thought I was just looking for a power point since I asked him earlier. Haha... I was kinda amused and blur at the same time lah. I told him I wanted a Venti Latte and he asked it I wanted a Super Venti. I don't know if it was meant as a joke, but seriously, a Super Venti would be caffeine overkill lah! So I told him a Venti would be ok.

Now, the best part was, everything was up and running, except the Point-of-Sales (POS) machine aka the cash register. I didn't know what was happening to the store or the register, but I just wanted to pay for my coffee and there wasn't some "welcome" message on the thing that tells you your bill. Meanwhile, there was another staff at the register who was looking for the key or something to open the register. And so, when I asked how much, this staff who was at the register told me it was on the house. That's when I managed to put everything together.

I told them, I can give you exact change, and you can key it in later. The staff at the register kept emphasizing, "no its ok, its on the house, really", while the joker one kept saying, "its my treat, but dinner's on you". When I got my Latte, I still wasn't quite sure about the free coffee. But the staffs ensured me again and again.

And so, I got my FREE coffee!!! Hiak hiak hiak...

Stop! Damnit! STOP!

I think I really ought to slap myself real hard over and over again so that I can wake up, face the real facts and the truth and move on. No more "what ifs" and "by rights" anymore!

But why do I still cry everytime it happens? What's done has been done and there's no way it can be reversed. Time can't be turned back. Why can't I ever learn? Wake up wake up... ARGH!

Man Utd won Portsmouth just now and I should be darned happy because we don't look miserable at the bottom half of the table. I am happy, but because I'm still sour, sad, disappointed, grieved, (insert your description of negative emotions here) over the transfer of Chris Eagles, I did not feel as happy as I think I would have.

Seeing the lineup, it was torturing and tormenting and I became overwhelmed by emotions and the whole vicious cycle happened all over again. With the Brazilian de Silva twins, Possebon, Campbell and Gibson named as some of the substitutes and with John O'Shea playing in central midfield, the thought that one of them could have easily been Chris Eagles once again brought tears to my eyes.

And I start to wonder again if it was the right choice... ARGH!!!

The Freaky Russian Taxi Driver

I was alone and when someone is so friendly to you, asking all kinds of personal questions at some unfamiliar place, its really damn scary lah... Anyway here's what happened...

I reached back LA at 11+pm after the New York day trip and boarded a cab back to hotel. Upon boarding, I said "I'm going to Ramada Hotel at North Vermont Avenue." The taxi driver said he did not know where is the hotel but would drive me to the exact street and I could give him directions. Well, I felt brave and confident enough to do that, after all, we had driven around and I can kinda recognise the area around the hotel. He also said that he did not know how to go by the minor roads and would take the freeway all the way. Of course I knew taking the freeway was a small detour (imagine taking the MRT from Orchard MRT to Raffles Place or City Hall MRT then to the final destination at Bugis MRT, where taking SBS bus service number 7 is faster), but I was tired out from the day and anyway that gets me back to the hotel is good.

He then started chatting, asking where I am from, what I was doing in the US, what I was studying in Oklahoma, where my flight arrived from, what I was doing in New York, yadda, blah, etc. He then started asking personal questions like if I have a boyfriend, whether we are planning to get married, how long we have been together, yadda, blah, etc. I did not think much of it as I felt he had been "Americanized" (he's a Russian and had been in America for the past 7 years) and was just being very friendly. Furthermore, I could recognise that we were on the correct way back to the hotel, and thus did not sense "danger." But still, we were still not near the hotel yet, and he was freaking me out just a teeny bit...

Then, he commented I was a "good person" and very friendly. Ok, friends say that of me also, so again, I did not think much of it. Furthermore, I kept telling myself that he is just very friendly and chatty and brushed aside any thoughts of him as a scary person. I mean, afterall, he exited correctly on the freeway...

As the taxi was a few buildings away from the hotel, he said he would stop the meter here because I was a "good person". As we were pulling into the hotel driveway, he said that if I was free, he would like to bring me out for dinner because I was a "good person". I FREAKED OUT at this very moment. Where got people so damn freaking super duper uber extremely very friendly one?! Within 25-30 minutes on the taxi chatting, you ask someone out for dinner?!

So, I replied that my days are very packed and I would not be free. But this fella would NOT give up. He continued by asking when I was leaving. I told a lie, "a day after tomorrow." I felt bad because I was no longer a "good person", but I felt I had to because he was just getting toooooooo freaky for my comfort!!! I then thanked him for sending me back and said good night. He replied his byes and good night and wished that I have a nice holiday in the US. I quickly got off the taxi and brisk walked back into the hotel... I almost felt that I was running...

I wished I had bought more stuff but I was kinda scared that my debit card account didn't have enough. Bah!
(From left to right, top to bottom) Derek Jeter bobble, stadium commemorative replica, thermal mug, Derek Jeter handphone strap, display car plate, Alex Rodriguez tee, Yankees jacket (the most expensive item in the loot), Derek Jeter tee, souvenir bat, Derek Jeter-jersey-patterned bag and "the only team that counts: Yankees" tee...

Universal Studios coming right up!
p/s: So so sorry about such a delayed update on the US trip.

Contridicting Myself All Over Again...

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!

Fraizer Campbell started for Manchester United in the opening match against Newcastle. Rodrigo Possebon came on as a substitute and so did Rafael de Silva.

Could Chris Eagles have gotten a chance instead of them? Its a definate yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!!! But instead he played for Burnley in a 3-0 loss to Ipswich! Argh!!!

I dare not confirm that if Eagles did start and played in this opening match, Man Utd would have picked up a full 3 points. But... Argh... Rafael, can't say anything because he is a defender... But I seriously don't see how Campbell and Possebon would have been picked ahead of Eagles if Eagles is still in Man Utd!

I better stop here, before I start the Chris Eagles and the vicious cycle ranting again... Pfft!
*Start to psycho myself that it's for the better good for his career and hold back tears*

The Vicious Cycle...

I looked at the Manchester United squad numbers registered for the 08/09 season and started crying again because I realised that, at one glance, if Chris Eagles was willing to hold out a while more, his chances of first team regular football is actually quite high.

Some youngsters were given numbers and the squad registered is actually bigger this year compared to last year. And honestly, these youngsters, I feel, are still nowhere on par with Chris Eagles, although I have high hopes and expectations of the Brazilian twins.

At this moment when I'm still grumbling, which does not change the fact that he has already signed for Burnley, I realised it becomes a vicious cycle. The cycle of me grumbling and crying about him leaving Man Utd and then trying to psycho myself that he needs regular football if he wants to have a chance to get back into the England squad and the possibility that another EPL club will buy him or Burnsley will get promoted and that will bring him back to play in the top flight.

And at this very moment, I realised that I have to add another label, "Chris Eagles"...

Singapore Finally Get Its 2nd Olympic Medal In History!!!

Sorry for the false alarm for all the weird reasons it happened. Here's the real deal...

The women's table tennis won their semi-final against Korea. We now confirm have a medal, dunno what colour only... Haha... Wooooooot!!! Well done gals!

It was damn exciting and it was a close fight with the Koreans. But Li Jiawei have to stay calm and composed lah... Lost to Kim Kyung Ah 4 years ago in Athens, gotta learn from that lesson.

Feng Tianwei is a player we ought to watch. Very clever and composed... Won us both singles matches!!!

But personally, I felt that Wang Yue Gu had a better day compared to Li Jiawei. Hopefully all of them will excel in the individuals later on also... 加油!

A Message That Made My Jaw Drop

Guys, will you send this kinda message to girls whom you do not know on social networking websites such as Friendster, Facebook, etc? I almost fell off my chair when I saw this message from a guy whom I did not know!

Anyway, to protect this fella's identity, I censored some personal info like name, company name and handphone number lah...

Good afternoon.just back home from work , just eaten lunch at home.eaten "lontong" .you eaten yr lunch? do remember to eat yr meal soon.drink plenty of water as weather stuffy and hot .bit down on cough and flu , seen doctor two tme but did not recover .bit down on luck , injured one of my finger during work few days before .not heading anywhere today , will be resting at home .mind be a friend ?.let me intro myself first ... (name) here, 23yrs old Singapore Chinese guy , height 1.72m n weight 60kg .

Short profile of myself. Single.completed army last year sep . wrking in outdoor sale line for (some company). Tend to care for others more and also be truthful to others .wrking hard and hope to get my car licence so can drive mitsubishi lancer .love to eat dim sum and drink Soya bean.hardly clubbing , maybe once a year ,no smoking .Sincerely hope you give me chance to know you more.sometime do help out in housechores.always tend to care for others more before me.i do drink but it like only abt twice in half a year .

hi . as my friendtser got "connection error" .find it very hard to log in . you can sms me at (handphone number) if you don mind .Sincerely hope able to recieve your sms .

Am i allowed bring you cross over to malaysia to eat next time or perhap in time to come ?Do known of famous stall selling herbal roast duck and japanese food.

When you are free i make fried "BEER" chicken wing for you to try .

sincerely hope can bring you go eat nice food next time .

Happy 7th Birthday, My Dear Blog!

7 long years of blogging... I guess I might be even have been blogging longer than a whole lot of Singaporean bloggers and even some prominent and "famous" bloggers.

Compared to them, what have I achieved? Nothing... Zilch... No advertising payments (my ads as you see on my blog have only earned me less than USD$8 since I put it on 12 months ago) nor paid for endorsements and reviews nor even a manager.
But yet I still blog...
I only get like an average of 20 hits a day. Mind you, its 2-0, TWO digits, not like others who have a 5-digits hits daily.
But yet I still blog...

Since I have nothing, why do I still carrying on blogging in this boring blog?

To me, I blog because I want to and I love to. Its like an online diary. Some of you may say that diaries are not meant to be publicly read, but to me, my most inner thoughts are often kept up in my heart and not on this online "article/ document."

In the past, I used my blog mainly to vent out my fustrations, whines and grumbles. I did nothing else. As friends started to know I have a blog, I started to type about what's going on in my life to update them in a way.
When cancer came into my life, I still updated as much as I can to let my friends know how I was coping with treatment and all. Then I felt that there was something more then just talking about my daily life. I felt that I should use my blog to reach out to other cancer patients, survivors and their care-givers.

And thus, I moved my blog from a lesser known platform, diaryland, to blogspot. I also joined some blog "directories" to get my blog out there for people to reach. All I want is to share my experience and be there for other cancer patients, survivors and their care-givers out there. I just want people to know that there's this cancer survivor who has this blog and it is opened 24/7 for other cancer patients, survivors and their care-givers to contact.

I do not need fame and fortune from this. I do not crave for it nor do I look for it. I just want to be there for other cancer patients, survivors and their care-givers. If fame and fortune comes along, it is not a must, it is only a bonus.

I'm just a gal who has a blog, and because of that, I'm a blogger. But I'm not a full-time/part-time/famous/etc blogger. I'm just a plain old blogger who is a gal that has a blog and she blog because she simply love to and want to.

Happy 7th Birthday!

Leading Strong In This Long Battle Against Cancer

1 month and a 1 week shy of my 2 years in remission, I went for my scheduled regular checkup with my radiotherapy oncologist, today. He did an endoscopy for me and all is clear, at least for the primary site!

I remembered 3 years ago, this week, I was having my first chemo dose. I remembered trying to keep myself occupied by watching the tv in the clinic but was complaining to my bf and the nurse that I was damn drowsy and my head was really heavy and spinning away crazily. The nurse then told me to sleep and that it was ok to sleep, trying to make me feel less "pig/ lazy". It was there and then I learnt that sleeping was the best way to keep myself occcupied while having chemo, and many others felt the same way too. Haha...

The True Colours Of Authority And Administration?

First you say no to everything, giving no reasons or lame reasons, or reasons that have solutions to it. We listened and made changes and provided solutions and backup plans. Still you said no. Sometimes I wonder if you say no for the sake of saying no.
Then, we see our ideas and plans implemented by you and you pass it off as yours without crediting us any single bit.
Now, you clam down on us saying that we did not produce ANY results and try to discredit us in every detailed single way possible.
Erm, hello... You being the thickest, biggest, longest wall possible (even thicker, bigger, longer that Great Wall of China), saying no to everything and grabbing our credits, what results you want to see from us huh?! You taken everything already what!

Seriously, this is a viscious cycle. Want to see results from us, then give us the fucking due credit! I had enough of this kind of people. God, please bless me that my direct boss is not like that when I re-enter into the working world again...

Selling Chris Eagles Is Manchester United's Loss And Burnley's Gain

With the news of Sir Alex Ferguson (might be) giving youngster Fraizer Campbell a taste of EPL this season reaching my ears, my blood boiled AGAIN!

Oh, just because he scored the only goal in the testimonial match for Solksjaer and won the game!? HELLO, my Chris Eagles ALSO scored an only Man Utd goal during the pre-season Vodacom Challenge opening game against Kaiser Chiefs and saved you from a loss. Campbell is still untested while Eagles has scored in last year's EPL opening match against Everton!

Although the transfer news/rumours have been going on since end-June, early-July, he has never been really interested in leaving. He wants regular football and as a manager, you could have told him to polish his skills while he could wait till Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs to retire where he could stand a chance to have a regular football! Look at the Man Utd players who were sold to divisions below the Premier League, where are they now?! And now, I fear the same for Chris Eagles.

Eagles had been featuring regularly in the under-(age) groups for England and you can safely say that he is an England youth squad member. However, in the past 2-3 years, he was not picked. So, what is the reason? A coaching flaw in Man Utd's youth academy or England's youth academy (if there's one)? He's 22 going on 23 and now that he is playing for the lower divisions, I really doubt the chances he can play for England's senior squad.

Psst, Man Utd, you can start kicking youself for agreeing to let the fabulous Chris Eagles go... He scored in his debut appearance for Burnley...

Sometimes I Feel I'm Unappreciated

In a certain way, I feel that no one listens to me seriously nor take me seriously. Even when facts are presented, whatever I say or do seems to be just a breeze that just went by, tickling just a single leaf on a tree while the others dun even shift a millimetre.

Is it because I'm small sized and look like a little girl. Ok, so blame it on my parents who gave me a baby face meh? Look at the fucking fine lines and wrinkles beneath my eye lah!
Is it because I have a sreechy high pitch voice? I'm not a guy, so my voice does not break upon puberty.
Is it because people who work with me do not know me well enough to see that I'm less serious and picky when it comes to work? Is it because I "worry" too much? I do admit I'm picky and go right into the nitty gritty finest details. I also like love to envision the worst case scenario. But why do I do so? Has anyone fucking understand why I have to play the devil every single fucking time?!
I'm not insisting that I want to have my way. I do so because we must think further and be prepared for things that would crop up. It is true that not all of us have the ability to foresee if a plan would have any hiccups or will move on smoothly, but is it wrong to anticipate than to let the matter catch us off guard?

Be it any matter that crops up, school, work, friends, etc, every serious comment I make is always for the better good. But has anyone fucking listened?! Which is why sometimes I feel damn useless too. Maybe I should not expect too much. I'm just a nobody in everyone's eyes. I'm just that small-sized gal who is part of their social circle, hidden at one end, away from everyone.