Puzzel - sticky patch

Life becomes boring.
Steph's mother gave me a puzzel of 2000 pcs. I kill time with it.
Life is like a puzzel, you make it up, patch it since your birth.
One by one.
Some people can make it perfectly, some people gave up halfway.
On this path, we'll have certainly lots of difficulties to affront and to couquer. We have to seek the right direction and carry on from every error.
Till the last piece, when it finishs, that's called intact.

When I started the first piece, he said he'd be ready to take over the remaining 1999 pcs. He knows my patience...
But I know, I couldn't make it up alone myself, that's too depressing.

News

photo of Lyon



I didn't update my blog since more than one month and a half. Please see below as my excuses: I didn't have enough time (travelling, settle down in France, lots of administrations to do, cook, housekeeping...); Not easy to re-take my english, anyway I don't speak english anymore in France; I have no amaizing news to tell, life is so quiet in France.

But still want to leave somewords to show that I haven't given up here my blog, as well I didn't and won't give up my friends in Singapore.

I'm coming back.

Transition

Being in a very tough situation, everyone calls it "period of transition".

I quit my job, I'll leave the country where I just settled down, getting used and having friends. I don't know what will happen next, no security, no design for futur, I have to watch out every step then react.

This weekend I got lots of concerns from friends in Shanghai, reminding me of what Robert said by sms: "Lots of people around you are watching how high you're flying, but few of them really care how tired you're flying: they're called FRIENDS....". I got in touch with cry alone in MRT at that time. Friends tried to help me, even if hardly any they could do, their encourage is so appreciated and so helpful to me. I need and must carry on.

Conversation with parents by phone this morning, telling that they're also suffering from a transition, they have no friends in the new district where they just moved to, a road beside is so noisy even at night, my father is worrying about the loan, the old appartement is difficult to be sold....etc. I feel sad that I can do nothing to help, even I just quit the job.......but I'm sure this is just a transition to deal with, to wait, it cannot be like that all along.

It just could be as a transition.

Coffee! Café!

I'm leaving Singapore, in ten days. I made the quick decision, tender the resignation, inform friends, packing, and wait to leave. Friends called it "rush".
It's a rush or not, only I know myself.

I begin to arrange my stuffs in Singapore, so many! I have my clothing, my bicycle, my markup and perfum, my guitar, my lamps, books, CDs, bags, medication, as well as many items in daily use. Throw, give to friends, or take with me, I spent my days in choosing...

The time when Stéph came, he brought me lots of italian and french coffee, as well a very cute italian cafetière, I don't know how to deal with that. Of course I'll keep the cafetière, the coffee I'll share with my friends.

Coffee is good.
Sharing coffee with friend is much better.
I invite you to have coffee in my place, that's the BEST.
Will you come?

A sentence

I promise Betty to write down this sentence to summarize our nice talking tonight, in memory of the days shared with my best friend in Singapore, Ms. Betty Francesca Saragih. Thank you for all the things you're sharing with me during the six months.

"Enjoy your each trafic light in your life, whatever it's green, red, yellow, or even purple."


PS. Purple means something that you really didn't expect...

12/08/08

Today

Since we've made the decision, I'll try to be more brave, more optimistic, living here and waiting for you.

life has no option ?

I'm in deeply upset, from long long time ago, I keep a person tormenting me.
I feel myself such a wimp. Yes I find myself a wimp! And I have no idea when it will be ended. I tried to escape, tried to make changes, but I'm still swallowing the insult and carrying on...

That'd be a record of my life.

Like we said "Life has no option..", but we still have our own options. Many!

looking for flat...

I'm looking for a flat.
We're looking for a flat, Tina and me.
Well, if Betty is willing to move, all of us three, are looking for a flat.

We prefer to have a 3+1, simply, all ladies, each has her room. No owner living with.
We prefer to be near MRT, easily, to get to down town and offices.
We prefer a condo ! For security, all facilities, especially the swimming pool. (j'adore)
We want a reasonable price, without agent or co-broke.

But after the seeking of these days, I found finally, it's impossible!

Rentals are raising so much since I came to Singapore at the beginning of the year, almost 20-30%, good resouces are always kept by agents and I hate to pay agents who do nothing and easily get money from both parts.

Tina and I visit some flats these days, tried, and nothing interesting is found. We're considering to rent a whole condo flat and re-lease it to some tenants, like people do, but finally it seems too complicated.

HDB is not bad, but old HDB is inacceptable, especially some old HDB without renovations...
We cannot stand living with owner, to avoid several rules in flat...

A few posts show "sorry for indians and PRC", Singaporians are good at generalize things and people...

We're keeping searching, hope to have good chances.

Back...

Back from Shanghai, walking out of MRT, I said to myself: I'm coming back, but why?
4 mts and a half I stay in Singapore, doing a job which I'm not interested at all.

Almost all my friends from Shanghai who are now working in Singapore aren't loving the life here. It's as noisy as Shanghai, as busy as Shanghai, not modern than Shanghai(but cleaner). You'll never find the feeling of hometown here, you're arounded by Chinese, but you're always foreigner.

Tina has been arrived for four days in Singapore, she was my shcoolmate in both high school and college in Shanghai, studied in Australia in the last three years, not charted accountant but soon begin her banking audit work in KPMG Singapore. We were classmates when I did my minor course in Accounting. As most of the Shanghaieses, she doesn't like Singapore after three days' visit, and we gather together to do some "unfair" comparison and criticism between Singapore and Shanghai, between Singapore and Europe/Australia.

As she said, we're here, just for experience. She would earn more if stay working in Australia, or live better in Shanghai, but KPMG offered her this opportunity to work in this financial center city. She took it because she loves this career.

$1000, which is enough to rent a pretty appartment in Melbourne or Lyon, can only get a small bedroom in Condo in Singapore...

People are snobbish, this even rarely happened in Shanghai. Singaporiens discriminated against Chinese, meanwhile, if you have overseas background, they'll raise their head, look you up. Now in Shanghai very few people distinguish men and women according to their appearance. Because people know, in subway a man in tatter t-shirt could be a talent graduated from MIT.

But, people here, they don't know that, they close themselves in this mini country.

Well, beyond the complaints, we're living in Singapore, to achieve our professional target, to learn Sud East Asia culture, it's not a terminal, just a stage of our life, right?

Durian

I love Durian, especially the Durian pancake in AMK Hub...

Just remind me, don't eat too much!!

lazy days....

After a long vacation of 10 days with my dear, the lazy days never end.
I have less and less things to do in office, struggling with myself where to go, who shall I be, what do I really need, which is most important, n how to achieve it.
But keeping thinking makes me sick, I have no idea about who I am, I am just no-body.

Talking something about the faith, I went to the church every Sunday since more than one month, singing praise and worshiping God with Christian. I was once happy in FCBC, or when I had nice talk with Lindee and Betty. But It doesn't last so long, I cannot deny my feeling and persuade myself to believe in God. I appreciate their friendship and help, but the trial comes into a failure. But I keep trying...

Why? I think because God hasn't given me a sign.

Lindee always prays for me, as she told me, God know my fears, he will meet ALL my needs.

Is that true?

trial....sucks...

This is a trial of Thai cuisine.

Green mango salad and curry coconut prawn.

I thought it was quite ok, but Markus, the boy of my friend Jamie, said " it sucks"...

at least, the colors were nice, right?



Then the rest, would be my dinner tonight...

Asturias

When can I play well Asturias (Leyenda) ?
I love this piece so much !!

Ang Mo Kio

Yes, Ang Mo Kio, in Chinese "宏茂桥", the place I work in Singapore, I've heard by a colleague "Ang Mo Kio" is from a dialect Teochew which means "tomato", so funny, but actually I find some details from sgwiki, telling a history of this place.

The locality's name is believed by some to derive from the Hokkien phrase Ang Mo Kio (红毛桥), meaning "Westerner Bridge". The term ang mo (literally "red hair") is a somewhat derogatory Singlish reference to the people with fair hair who settled from the West and, because such a name might be considered unflattering, it is now written as 宏茂桥 which is pronounced in an almost identical way but means "Bridge of Expansiveness and Prosperity".

The actual source of the name comes from the old survey maps which label the land as "Mukim of Ang Mo Kio" (Mukim meaning "area" or "district" in Malay). The word "Ang Mo" 红毛 may in fact not refer to Westerners. Rather, it is derived from two separate combined phrases in Hokkien. Ang Mo Dan means "rambutan" 红毛丹, a local fruit, red and covered in hair, found plentifully around the areas of old kampongs. Likely the second suffix "kio" 桥 ("bridge" or "bridges" in Hokkien) was added to the prefix "Ang Mo" 红毛 as an additional description to indicate a more precise location that residents would recognize i.e.红毛桥.


Then Red Man's Bridge or Rambutan?
Interesting!

Dialects

There're so many mixed languages and dialects in Singapore, it is said that the singaporean can speak both english and chinese, or other languages but they are not good at either of them...But actually I have to admit their english is quite good, although when they speak very fast with a chinese accent (or rather south asia accent ) , they often neglect some english grammars. However their listening comprehension and writing are so good. Well take an example of Markus, the son of my friend Jamie, this 13-year-old boy can understand everything in BBC news, but I cannot.

I'm always confused which language should I speak with my singaporean colleagues, those who also understand Chinese, but yesterday my HR colleague told me " if you really want to practise your english, just speak it naturally, don't care that we have different accents! ". Can it be a good solution?

Today when I talked with colleagues about the dialects in Singpore, it looked much more complicated than my problem of english...if you really pay attention to their common words used in dailylife, you'll find "qia" "kopi"...something mixed by Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, and Malay. They grow up in this mixed-cultures environment.

Now when I enter deep and deep into this society, shall I have to learn those dialects as well? Then work hard!


PS. qia=car, kopi=coffee

give me...ONE REASON

Who gives me one reason persuading me to continue living here?
We're far from family, friends, lovers and there must be a reason that keeps us living here.
One reason, or just one hope.
In your work that you've got big interests or nice futur?
You have family, lover or many friends here to make you stay?
You love the environment of this country or get better life here?

It seems neither of them works on me. I have nothing to rely on.
Give me a hope.

The Love

I wrote a lot but deleted all before I published the post.
I am tired, and have no more stock of love, the stock I accumulated and
held with my every force.

Maybe this love is called as a dream.

Poster

Well, with some modification, then hardly to recognize Sarkozy's wife.

Amaizing work from bbs.revefrance.com

Bugis Street

Bugis Street is really an exciting place for young girls (if I'm still young)...But I also love to go there...looking for some interests. I've bought 8 pairs of earrings and 3 rings there! (even I never put them on...but they're so cheap and nice...)

Everytime I went to Bugis Street, I never forgot to buy a fresh fruit juice and there're always so many choices, ice kiwy is my favorite.

I feel I was walking on "Xiangyang Road" in Shanghai, year 1999 .

Jude Law

I almost forgot this charming man, the one I put his poster on the wall in dormitory in university! Lately I watch again his film in 2006 with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. I am shocked again, he's criminal to be so handsome!!!

brothers

My two brothers in Singapore, remind me that I'm not alone, Thomas and Lars.



The family of Thomas is my neighbor in Shanghai, and also "was", since we've known each other about 15 yrs ago (or more), and then we all moved to a new district in Shanghai. So I knew him already when he was just two years old maybe...but he says he's forgot such a big sister which is 9-yrs elder than he is. He's studying in Singapore for nearly one year and quite smart this guy. We did have so many things to talk about when we were two, till 2 am one time (in Tioman). I'm not a fortuneteller but I'm sure he'll be a great guy in ten years.

Another elder young brother is from Germany, who speaks excellent english (and also German, Finnish, Russian...) and travelled a lot on earth!! He's intern in my department, actually I can only completely understand his english in my company, which has less accent, compared with Singlish...Sometimes I practise my french with him since he can also understand, that feels cool.

Ok, I don't deny that I'm always admired by young men....hahaha, I like these two brothers.

weakness

Face to the fact that I am alone in Singapore, I become more quiet but more optimistic than ever before. But still sometimes I feel upset, being far from my family, my dear friends, my love...I've never been so independant, in my mind, I mean. I desire lots of love lots of care meanwhile I don't know where to find here. I promise my friend that I'd be strong, be steady, in order to become the woman of my dreams: independant, elegant, smiling, steady in purpose...etc.

However I'm still weak, and I'm losing my faith...

With the loneliness.

Stock Market of Shanghai

From last October to this March, from 6000 to 3400, such a good journey, such huge drops...hopelessness.

B.F.

Here is...hummm...B.F.

Not boyfriend la! Here's Betty Francesca S. so we call her Betty? B.F.? BFS? whatever...hahhaaaa!

She came from Jakarta, Indonesia and she's a programmer !(how come!!) but specialize in design, photography and drawing (how come!!!)

Her employee number is 8936 when mine is 8935 (before her!). She works next door room #03-03 when mine is #03-02 (always before her!). We signed the company contracts at the same time. "Yuan" (not "Yuen") let us to meet at the first time then become good friends.

She speaks English very well (better than me) and also Indonesian (understand nothing), and maybe some other dialects...she asks me to teach her Chinese, certainly I agree, but we haven't begun our first lesson. - -!

But actually I already begin to learn Photoshop with her! Yes, she's a great teacher in photography and photo editing.

She's Christian, she's used to praying before lunch. (sorry betty but the first time we had lunch together you closed your eyes before eating, I thought you were ill or something else..)

She's a little elder than me, single, maybe will be caught by a Singaporean man later...hahhaaa

Anyway, she's a great friend, a big sister, nice to meet you Betty.

Vacations in Pulau Tioman

This was my first vacation since I began to work in Singapore, obviously I already hardly wait to travel to other countries around Singapore. (althrough Spore is quite beautiful, I prefer anyway more orignal countries like Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia. I love to meet local people and appreciate their cultures, food, architecture etc.)

Pulau Tioman is famous as one of the most beautiful island in the world, but actually it's not very developped (if we compare with Bali in Indonesia or Sanya in China), of cause, its size is also much smaller than the others. There're about 8 villages (or resorts) in the island, but only three of them are well built for tourism. The village we stayed in: Salang, is quite nice and well developped, with lots of chalets, a few restaurents & bars. It's totally different from Sanya, which is covered by star hotels and big swimming pools.

Nothing can be more confortable than swimming in the sea seeing the sunset!

Entertainments in the island: certainly diving & snorkeling, to see the colorful world underwater, I was so surprised to know that it exists corals of different colors, red, green, violet, beige...I saw as well some fishes in flash blue or flash purple, amazing! It was not the first I did diving but still impressive. But several times I was a little scared under water, since some place is very low then I could easily touch the coral, even the sea urchin! And also, some times I swimmed to a new place which looks horrible and it's possible to appear something in front of me suddenly(or just I was worrying about it).

Malay people (both original malaysien and chinese) are very sympa (enthusiastic in french), I feel easily with them than Singaporean people. We ate special malaysia breafast but I didn't love very much. Good memory of this vacation, I've got my tan skin.

PS. Thanks Betty for the tamplet.

Heaven is a place nearby

(photo from bbs.revefrance.com)


I was shocked, I felt distressed, I was angry.


A chinese student was killed in early morning in Paris last Sunday, in a conflict provocated by some north africain guys, effrontery. At the very first time, neither the french governement nor chinese governement did anything! Especially when the french police arrived, he was still alive, but they left him and his body on the ground during 5 hours seeing the blood flowing in the rain, even if the ambulance arrived but did nonthing for first aid.


A life of 25 yrs has gone, we wish him to find the peace and joy in heaven. But the discrimination on our earth would never end.

Why still living in Pasir Ris

I came back from a walk in Pasir Ris Park, watching the nice sunset. Lots of people in the park today, joggers, cyclists...others are building tents or having barbecue parties on the beach. It has been raining in Singapore for one week, just stopped today, so everyone is out!

Many friends are wondering why I'm still living in Pasir Ris, far from my work (1 hour by bus). Well here are the reasons: the sea, the park, the beach, the peace. Being far from the city center and shopping malls, life should be more interesting with sports, reading or other leisures, photography, for ex.

A good sea-view through my window, if the weather is fine, I could be watching people playing in water park when I was taking a shower! It's very funny that, when you see people enjoying themselves, you can also be so happy!

Alright, A530 vs EOS 400D

I admit that I'm one of the fans of Canon, when I bought my A530 with little consideration two years ago, I told myself just re-start my photography life with this small, cheap but polyvalent camera, This camera which has been accompanying me during my stay in France is both auto focus and manual focus, however, I never used manual focus even though I've studied on it.

I began to learn photography with my father when I was 8 yrs old, holding an old heavy traditional camera. I did make nice photos at that moment even they were black-white. I was proud of that.

Since I came to Singapore, I met two nice girls : Betty and Shanna, one is my colleague, another is a girl I alreday knew when I was in France but never met. Both of them own a EOS 400D, I admire...not only for 400D but also for their courage to learn how to use it and keep photographing their life and their travels.

Before I save enough money to buy a 400D to join them, I begin here, my photography blog with my little 530.