Loopie - Joop

On our way back to Bermuda, we'll be stopping over in Hong Kong for 3 days!!  I've been researching for the best restaurants/eateries and i must say, http://www.openrice.com/ is really amazing... the same goes for HK Magazine.  Matt and I are really looking forward to Hong Kong.  the last time we were there was in 2005, before we got married.  how time flies.  this time we will not be heading to the ditzy casinos in Macau so no almond biscuits and no roadside "kah lei yuh dahn"s (curried fishballs).  but we will definitely head to women's street to seek out the stinky toufu push-cart.  haha.  hope it is still there. i have been diligently ploughing through the web looking for the best hotel deals in Hong Kong.  fortunately, we have the holiday inn express in causeway bay already booked as a back-up.  i'm hoping there'll be this major drop in prices when the date gets nearer....

A collection of Christmas-themed songs, see if your list of all-time Christmas tunes matches mine... When I was small and Christmas trees were tall...(and all i could smell were stinky socks) I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...(not the white plastic tree) Falalalalalalalala.... (and it goes on and on like the titanic song) you would even say it glows... (sorry rudolph, did you get H1N1?) last Christmas i gave you my heart but the very next day you (bastard) gave it away right, as you can tell, i'm in a sour-ry mood today... start all over, after 27 Christmas-es, i like this song best. it's been performed by Michael Buble, Amy Grant and Kelly Clarkson amongst others. Grown Up Christmas List Do you remember me? I sat upon your knee I wrote to you with childhood fantasies Well, I'm all grown-up now Can you still help somehow? I'm not a child, but my heart still can dream So here's my lifelong wish My grown-up Christmas list Not for myself, but for a world in nee...

it seems like we've lost the 4-year-old konica minolta camera... don't know where to look anymore. bah....

I spoke to my mother yesterday. it was still a little awkward. conversation topic wasn't helping either. ah well. On to other things. one, we gave out the presents to jo, colin, patrick/michelle/sophie today. james got his last week, and the remaining 2 presents belong to xy and jeann/stephen. i'm collecting xy's present today from the store after work. because she got me something really nice, i've had to do some minor re-shuffling of the presents. i do hope she likes it, cos she bought me something she wanted for herself. aww.... xy is otherwise known as the "energiser bunny" cos she really has boundless energy. she is taking fencing with colin in addition to salsa lessons. she's really trying to fill her days with activities. ah.... youth. i'm planning the menu for the boxing day party at our place. current thinking is: Starters prawn cocktail - still toying with the idea of making my own cocktail sauce creamy mushroom soup - tried it ove...

Nickname for the “fundraising tours” undertaken by bankers desperate for support from sovereign wealth funds during the nadir of the financial crisis. “The white knights that came to the rescue of banks during the financial crisis are going home, with their pockets full of bounty from their good deeds,” reported Eric Dash in The Times: In less than two years, many of the biggest overseas government investment funds, known as sovereign wealth funds, have reaped huge gains from bailing out financial institutions, and in turn, the global financial system. In the latest announcement, Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund said on Sunday that it had booked a $1.1 billion profit on the stake it took in Citigroup in January 2008. That equals a 37 percent return on its initial $3 billion investment. Other sovereign wealth funds — including those backed by the governments of Singapore, Qatar and Abu Dhabi — have also recently cashed out stakes in foreign banks for comparably large gains. … Many sovere...

There are 21 days left in this year, we're 95% done with 2009! so what have we done this year? In January , we looked forward to returning to Singapore in February. Emailed everyone we could think of to set up back-to-back get-togethers. (excitement) In February , we went back to Singapore, and went through health checks, dental appointments, hair and facial appointments, mahjong sessions, meals after meals of so delicious food... we even attempted to swim every day but that was thwarted. brought chewy to the vet for her annual jab and dental scaling. she also had a super cute lion's head hair cut. oh! and we went to wild rocket for valentine's. not to mention shopping in Bangkok!!! (happiness) In March , I began my plough through the materials for Exams 3L and 3F. =( In April , we said goodbye, adios and hasta la vista to Francis and Carmen, who went back to Hong Kong. (sigh, we've been abandoned again!) my sister has abandoned me.... In May , it was time to take those...

15 days to Christmas! 21 days to 2010! 36 days to Singapore ! Not as excited about the trip back to Singapore since sis will be moving to SHA in early Jan. So we'll basically miss each other. sigh. Have you guys done all your Christmas prep? We have christmas lights and a miniature mistletoe on the door this year. in addition to the hanging santas from a christmas dinner 2 years ago. heh

i have been fervently chasing episode after episode of gossip girl. BUT, i'm still struggling to finish season 2, given the long hours i've been pulling at work. sigh, earning more $ from OT, but less of a life. it's always a compromise. heading out to southampton princess tonight for drinks. hope it's fun.

I haven't spoken to my mother in 2 weeks. called on Sunday but ended up talking to my dad. We'll see how long this cold war will last.