How my kindle almost drowned...and lived to see the day (partially)

I can't remember doing anything this dumb for a long time now. Whatever mistakes I've made really paled in comparison to the recent saga.

I brought my kindle with me on an overseas trip and kept it in this secret compartment that my bag has. Because you know, I was so scared that it will get stolen.

When I returned from the trip, I took out everything from the bag (or so I thought) and promptly sent the bag for washing. 15 minutes into the wash cycle, I realized that my precious kindle was still somewhere in the bag, and I panicked.

By the time I managed to get it out, it was soaking wet. The screen was still on but my heart kind of just shrivelled up looking at the drenched kindle. My kindle is still pretty new, only about 3 months old and practically a baby by age.

So I did the next best thing I knew, I googled the internet. After reading through pages of info, I decided to try the rice trick. I zipped it up with some uncooked rice and left it there for a week.

And lo and behold, it actually worked! It didn't respond when I pressed the button and I thought it was a gone case already. But I plugged it in for charging and it reset itself and now it's working like before.

Almost.

The battery life has been seriously affected though. It used to last me 3 to 4 weeks even with heavy reading, now it lasts about a week maximum.

I'm a bit bummed out by this but hey, the bright side is that I still have a working kindle right.

We're The Furballs (Dog Cafe @ Katong)

Went to We're The Furballs this evening and they've got two additional members to the dog family. There are a total of 8 of them now. :)

But it was quite crowded today, probably because of the public holiday. 

 Duchess and Slinky fighting over a straw they found. Lol. They were just grabbing on to it for a full 10 minutes with both sides refusing to let go.

 Still fighting...

In the end Duchess won. Lol. She was like dragging Slinky all the way across the floor until she won.

 Bui Bui!

Super cute right!

The dogs make me so happy. :D

how to set microsoft office 2007 as default instead of 2010 when opening documents

I have both the Microsoft Office 2007 and the Microsoft Office 2010 trial (came installed) on my laptop. I've always been using the MO 2007 when I'm opening documents. But I couldn't get one of my excel files to open (not sure why there because I could actually open it before) so I tried to open it with the 2010 trial.

Lo and behold. Bad decision. By bad luck and clumsiness, I somehow set the default to Microsoft Office 2010 and it refused to let me open my files when I try to default it back to the 2007 version.

I tried googling how to reset Microsoft Office 2007 as the default instead of Microsoft Office 2010 and came across so many suggestions, but none seemed  to work until this really simple solution.

Here is what you've got to do.

To make Word 2007 as the default:

1. Open Word 2007

2. Click the Office Button

3. Click Word Options

4. Go to Resources

5. Click Diagnose under the run Microsoft Office Diagnostics


And...sit back and wait for the magic to happen! :)

Food for Thought: Today's Reality

Some food for thought on today's reality.

So true isn't it?

You're the one living by your decisions

"Don't base your relationship decisions off of the advice of people who don't have to live with the results."

Saw this on twitter today and thought that it was really really meaningful. A lot of times, we go to other people to seek for advice when we're in trouble, when we're unsure of what we want, when we don't know what is the best decision that will crush all those regrets that may arise later on.

Of course, listening to an outsider's point of view, or the perspectives of a more experienced person may spell things out more clearly for us, let us have a better grasp of the situation, and this will be helpful in clearing our minds.

But who is to say that these advice will indeed be the best. The advice dished out will be in their perspectives, not yours. It will be based on their own moral values, not yours. It will be how they perceive will bring about the most optimum outcome, which is what THEY will want, not you. I once heard this phrase, of all the people that you share your problems with, 80% don't care, and the other 20% will be glad that you're having it. How can you be sure that their opinions are not biased?

No two person is similar, the things you want out of life will also be likely vastly different. In relationships, you may be looking for joy and excitement, the other person may be looking for security. In studies, you may want to pursue your interests, but the other person may be looking for areas that pay better in future. 

Ultimately, you will be the one living with your decisions, you will be the one who is going to be happy, or regret it big time. Either way, all that the others can share with you is their empathy, not sympathy. They can be there listening to your problems, offering you advice, but when they go home, they are not the ones bearing the consequences.

I was at this junction same time last year, that's why this phrase struck me so much. I was torn between living a safe, routine lifestyle that gave me a lot of security, or one that was new and unpredictable. I was having a lot of below-the-surface problems with the old life, I was unhappy, unsatisfied, and constantly thinking to myself "is this all". 

I wasn't willing to get out of my comfort zone, it was like a life buoy for me, and I was really afraid that if I switch buoys, I'll sink and then I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it. It didn't help that many of my friends were against it, and I don't even need one hand to count the supportive ones.

But in the end, I still went with what my heart told me, the process has not been smooth-sailing, but I can gladly say that I am happy now.

Pulau Ubin Ferry Ride

Went for a 3d2n camp at Pulau Ubin and almost died as a sacrifice to the mosquitoes.

But nonetheless, you've got to admit that the sight is not something you can find on mainland Singapore. Didn't managed to take any pictures while on the island because we were always rushing here and there to complete the assigned tasks, but took some photos on the way there during the ferry ride.

In case you didn't know, in order to get to Pulau Ubin, you have to make your way to Changi Village and take a ferry ride from the jetty. If I'm not wrong it's priced at $2.50 per person. The whole thing takes about roughly 10-15 minutes.

afternoons in Singapore #1

Sunset @ Queenstown

If Only...

Just came back from an interview that I had been anticipating for the whole of last week.

Getting it would solve my accommodation concerns (and costs) for the whole of next year. I'll be fine without it I suppose, life will still go on, but it'll make my life much simpler if I managed to secure the position.

The thing is, you know how you always turn up for interviews, and afterwards once you step out from the interview room the questions just automatically runs through in your head and your brain just starts churning out loads and loads of answers that are ALL BETTER than the ones you presented to the interviewers? Yeah, the feeling is overwhelming me now. And it kind of sucks to be feeling this way, to have so much if-onlys and should-haves drowning you. I don't like living in regrets, but interviews has never really been my kind of thing.

Plus, my interview went really really quickly. I was in and out in like, 10 minutes whereas the other girls before me took like 20-30 minutes each. I don't know if its because they liked me and didn't have much things to ask, or they just decided on the spot that I wasn't the person they were looking for. Although right now it kind of feels like the latter because I didn't know a lot about the organisation, the internet didn't have anything on it, I didn't know anybody that I could ask, so I gave a lot of replies that reflected quite badly on my knowledge.

I'm not saying the other candidates are bad, in fact, they're all really nice and friendly and they do know about the place more than me, but it's just my ego at work. I don't like the feeling that somebody else is better than me when I know that deep inside I have what it takes.

Rent a room?

Being a kiasu and procrastinator, I went online to look for rooms around the Clementi area just in case I'm unable to continue staying on campus next Semester, when I should have been studying. So that, you know, I know roughly how much the rates will cost and all.

Anyway, I came across this website that seems really fuss-free.

The layout is very simple-looking, and all you have to do is just select the area that you want the rooms/houses to be in, and you get to see all the listings in the area!

So for my case, I clicked Clementi, and a list of listings came out, arranged in chronological order for easy viewing purposes.

You also get to see the number of times it was viewed to judge how popular that specific listing is. Best of all, you can contact the owner directly so you don't even have to pay extra for agent fee!

The website also has listings for short term rentals, so it'll be good for backpackers and budget travellers who don't want to spend a lot of money on expensive hotels. Because, you know, Singapore hotels are really really expensive.

You can sort them by "most bookings" which I assume are the more popular rooms, and also by "cheapest rental". I chose "cheapest rentals" and this is what came up. I mean, for the price that you pay, this looks pretty decent to me. But of course you can also choose the locations for more central areas so that you can travel around more easily I guess.

House owners can also make use of this website to list their rooms for rents, and it's pretty useful and free-of-charge, which is good.

But one thing that I find quite inconvenient is that, not all house owners list out their contact details, so IF they didn't, you have to actually sign up as a member of the website, before you can proceed with contacting the respective owners. Which is a tad troublesome in my opinion. But oh well, it's free! So no complaints there.

So, if you're looking for a place to stay short-term, or looking for rooms/apartments to rent, or even if you are the one renting the place out, go check out iBilik Singapore! Who knows, it may just help you find your next room or next tenant! :)

Losing weight

Growing up, I was really really skinny. I was the kind of girl that can eat anything and everything and the weight just evaporates by itself. I had no worries about gaining weight or such. I could eat like buffets everyday and still stay skinny with a flat stomach and all ( of course the downside is that when you're skinny your boobs are smaller too ).

This was me, when I was like eight or nine I guess. Really skinny right! 

And then I went onto JC and joined cheerleading, and with all the crazy exercise regimes and physical training I even lost weight. That was the time I felt damn good about my body, I was skinny, I was toned.

That was also the time when I couldn't comprehend how anybody let themselves get fat, I mean, you would want to do something about it before you see yourself going from

to 

I'm not saying that if you're bigger in size you cannot be beautiful too, I'm just saying nobody would want to see themselves progress horizontally so much without doing anything about it right.

Imagine the horrors when I enter uni, and started staying away from home. In a short span of like, 7 or 8 months I gained 7kg. 

For a person that never ever thought she could gain weight, this was really a call back to reality. I don't know if it is the oily suppers night after night, or the irregular sleeping habits (I habitually sleep around 4am), or the gorging on junk food and snacks and what nots that I would not have otherwise eaten at home, or just me being plainly too lazy to move my ass and exercise, or what, the weight was piling on damn fast. 

My tummy started forming, I could no longer wear my usual shorts because I just couldn't fit into them, I managed to fit in all my online purchases that used to be too big for me, I could no longer wear tight dresses without noticing unsightly bulges at all the wrong places.

It was like I grew fat by just breathing.

So this year, I decided to finally do something about it before it gets worse. I'm tired of meeting friends and have them go "oh did you gain weight?" or like "I can't see your jaw line anymore". Yes, I actually got that from a guy friend that I was quite closed to. I also had relatives laughing at my double chin and my thick waist.

And so I've been trying to exercise regularly. I mean, it would be good if I can actually lose some weight, but even if I can't and the weight maintains, at least I will look better with a more toned body right. And actually more than ever, I just want to be able to wear my pretty dresses again.

I did try to couple the exercising with also trying to eat less, especially carbo and stuff, but it left me with really bad food cravings, and I was just grouchy and easily irritable and also felt really tired even though I knew I had enough sleep. What can I say, I live for food.

So now I'm just sticking to a healthy diet, trying to eat more fruits and vegetables even though I hate them, trying to snack on yoghurt and milk instead of pineapple tarts or biscuits, trying to drink some healthy longan drink instead of my hot chocolates and things like that.

I also went on flowerpod to read about losing weight and came across this website. I'm not trying to advertise for them or anything, but just sharing that if you ever need any motivations you can look it up.

I was actually quite impressed with their website cos they have like this step-by-step videos on different kinds of training that you can adopt, be it in the gym or at home. And it doesn't look hard nor does it require much training equipment and all.

I tried searching online but other guides are either not comprehensive enough, or they advertise by asking you to buy this, eat that and it just doesn't suit my budget.

And, this website is free.

They recently posted up this 30 days work out with one video per day. According to the website, "You will complete 7 exercises for 50 seconds on with a 10 second rest in between each exercise." So it will only take like 7 minutes per day.

I'm going to try this on top of my usual running that I do at the gym, and hopefully I will persevere through!

New Year Eve 2011

K and I went to MBS for the countdown this year. Last year we were at Clarke Quay, and it was really horrible. Well, that was before we were together. We were with different groups of friends and we met up after that, and we tried and tried and tried, but failed to get a cab until about 5 plus in the morning.

So this year, we decided that we'll have better luck at MBS.

Saw this really cool car with a saucer on our way there. Damn freaking unique but is this allowed? o.0? 

The helix bridge was closed that night. I think they were scared the bridge would collapse or something, what with all the people that were there. 

Just look at the crowd, felt like half of Singapore's population was there.

MBS looked really nice that night, and I heard from K that all the rooms are booked. Imagine how much money they're earning just that one night.

I really like this picture. Haha. Very artistic don't you think?

But it was actually very crowded. Lucky for us our spot was quite nice.

Really spectacular fireworks. But I guess my camera is not that good for shooting this kind of thing. All the pictures turned out quite lousy except for this one. 

After that we went to the pub at MBS and when we were leaving, we realised we made a terrible mistake. 

It. Wasn't. Any. Better. To. Get. Cabs. At. MBS.

We were in the taxi queue and we waited for 2 hours and it was STILL not our turn yet. Worse still, we can't even call cabs because we can't get through the hotline. 

So next year, I don't want to be doing this anymore. I'm too old for this. Hahaha. 

Nevertheless, we had a really good time together and I'm really grateful for K, for always being so supportive and never failing to be by my side.

I don't really believe in new year resolutions. I mean, half the time I don't keep them anyway. And you don't need to wait till the start of the year to start having determination and all right. If there's something wrong in your life you should be doing something about it right away, not wait till a year later.

So for this year, I just want to be happy, and have results that match my efforts. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!