champouf posted Tired. on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 I've seen many who has failed and failed time and time again. Yet they tirelessly pick themselves up and try again for another time. You can see the fatigue, the hopelessness, the exhaustion embedded in their eyes. I looked into the mirror today, and I found myself seeing the same. It is difficult to continue, it is even harder to give up and start again. It takes a huge toll on me to just smile and pretend everything is okay every single time.
No relationship is perfect and I know that, but it feels embarrassing to know that your relationship is not going as well as you had hoped. I am not trying to let the whole world know that my relationship is in a rut, but it is just that I needed a space to just let everything out. All the drama and tension has been bottled up inside me for far too long and I need to blow off some steam before it becomes too severe for me to handle. This relationship has not been all pain and agony, I admit there were many a times when I felt like I was on top of the world. However lately, maybe combined with stress from my school work, I just feel like I everything is going against me. And when I need support and help from him, he never seems to be bothered about me.
It was then I realized how selfish one can be. When it is stuff that doesn't concern him, he doesn't seem to treat it with much importance as how he would treat his own clients and businesses. I started to feel less and less significant in his world and this used to bother me a lot back then, but as of now, I just don't feel as bothered as before.
Just to clarify, I am not here to bring him under the spotlight of blame and shame, I just wish he would listen to me speak. Because whenever we argue, he will always be the first one who wants to get out of it, like as if he believes that he can skip the conversation part and go straight to the part where everything is hunky dory again. Perhaps it is because the more we try to speak to each other, the more I will tend to get pissed off and things will start to get really dicey.
However, once again, his work is more important than me, so he just left in a hurry without coming to any conclusion. Lately the relationship has really become one-sided. I don't feel the unity between us any more. Maybe to him, it is a good thing since he has more time for himself, but I know I hate this feeling.
In the end, maintaining a relationship requires two people to work together or at least try to make things work. But maybe he has a different definition for relationship entirely.
I don't know ... I just feel so tired, so exhausted ... feeling that this is so unnecessary.
Labels: foodforthought champouf posted Closer Than You Think ... on Sunday, February 17, 2013
" There is nothing better than spending a morning having breakfast with the people you love ... "
It has been ages since I last met this particular friend of mine. Initially he was just a friend of my boyfriend, but now he has somewhat integrated himself into my life as well and I am thankful for that :) Even though he is so much younger than me, somehow his mentality is that of a 20 year old matured young adult. Whenever I am around him, there is no need to worry about taking care of him or constantly looking out for him, because he is so independent. He first came into Singapore when he was just 11 years old and has been living by himself ever since, and I just find that so amazing about him. For those who still can't put their finger on who this is, his name is Li Kunqi :)
So anyways, Valentine's Day was approaching and somehow he did not have anyone to celebrate with. So I decided to ask him out on the 15th for a round of shopping and sightseeing at Orchard Road. I also asked le bf to tag along since I had not prepared any V-day gifts for him. LQ and I were thinking of shopping for a present for le bf, but somehow in the end, I ended up treating him to just a meal. Haha, I feel quite bad about it though :P We arrived at 313 Somerset and I immediately knew what I wanted to eat - Marche! Oooooo, just looking at their cow-like model-thingy in front of their restaurant just makes my mouth water even though I'm not exactly the kind who adores beef.
PS: Pardon the bad quality of pictures here, I didn't bring my DSLR out that day because bf thought it would be quite a huge burden to lug it around Orchard Road, where most of the time you will be squeezing through crowds and people will be knocking into the huge-assed camera. Hahaha :P
My dinner will never be complete without this wonderful apple cider :)
Bf and LQ ordered their usual pork trotter.
LQ's super adorable handphone casing which he bought in Shen Zheng, China.
Nothing says 'diet' like a very oily covered soup. Hahaha!
Here is mine - rosti with baked salmon. I know rosti is just shaved potatoes but still, I enjoy potatoes more when they are being cut to strips or cubes.
Waffle covered with melons and chocolate sauce. It was really good!
LQ ordered his strawberry fruitcake - possibly the first thing he laid eyes on the moment he stepped into the restaurant.
And that concludes our dinner parade! After this really filling dinner, we headed around Orchard including A&F, just to get a few peeps at their legendary abs-olutely amazing models. Well, personally, I felt like there was not much to see in there: be it the clothing or their models. I thought that bf had a nicer bod than theirs back in his glory days. I am serious! If you don't believe me, I give you the permission this once to go stalk my bf and see his previous picture albums. That would show you! Hahaha :P Well, the day ended with LQ and I buying something small for ourselves because le bf did not want me to buy anything for him, since I had already treated him to Marche :)
Even though this V-day was a really simple one, I still enjoyed myself nevertheless! Why? That is because I get to spend it with two really important people, and I had tons of fun catching up with LQ. Plus I had always complained that le bf was always buried in his own work, but at least I got to spend V-day with him, even though it was one day late :P And I know this may a tad slow in my part, but ...
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
Labels: blissful memories, foodgalore, joyfuloccasions, random cravings, simple happiness champouf posted 1, 2, 3, Go Spectrum! on Saturday, February 9, 2013
" On or off the mats, Spectrum will always be my dearest cheer family ... "
For those who didn't know, NTU held its annual Hall Olympiad on the 6th of February, in which it is known as HO. There are many other sports involved too, but Cheer is the only sport that occupies the largest part of my heart. I went down a tad late but I still managed to get together with Spectrum before they officially went onto the mats to perform. I could really feel the tension in the air when I saw all 16 halls preparing for the big night.
When my team went up to perform on the big stage that night, I literally screamed and shouted my lungs out, because it was just too spectacular. They had been training every single day from the month of December and their trainings would last till at least 12am in the morning. Every time after training, you could see from their faces that they were all shagged and drained to the end. Many people asked why I did not perform for Spectrum this year as it was my first year. Well regrettably, I had injured my right hand just a few weeks into training and I had to rest it for at least 3 weeks. My fingers had entirely no strength whatsoever and it would hurt a lot if I were to apply any pressure on it. So I withdrew from the performance, but I was really quite sad about it.
Anyways, my team were one of the few teams who managed to hit up all our stunts and we were all simply thrilled once our performance ended. We had a mini celebration outside of the competition grounds, but we went back to support our friends from other halls.
However, I was quite disappointed when they announced that Spectrum had not won anything. Frankly speaking, I was quite pissed off at the judges. During the announcement of results, we all had pretty high hopes of achieving an award but we did not get any. Well, many said that the judging sequence was slightly confusing due to cheer being a rather subjective sport, but I shall not comment any further on this. That night was pretty much of a blur, and all I could remember was shedding a few tears for my dear team mates.
But afterwards, the gathering and supper with them pretty much lightened the mood and we all made a vow to continue working hard for Spectrum if we continued residing in Hall 13. Jiayous Spectrum!
No matter what happened during HO, no matter what the scoreboard says, Spectrum will always be a Champion in my heart. The people in there are really the best; they never give up at the slightest trouble, they are always giving their 110% in whatever they do. I truly wish I could perform with them this year as many of the seniors are graduating :( But I know for sure that they will always be in my heart.
Go, fight, win!!! ^^
Labels: Cheer, fullofjoy, inspiring people, motivation champouf posted 21st Birthday. on Friday, February 8, 2013
My 21st birthday was spent in great happiness; it was not a huge celebration, it was not something grand, but it was indeed memorable. Being surrounded with the people you love is just the best feeling ever. My mother asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner, and I immediately told her Japanese curry. She was quite shocked as she thought I would expect something more extravagant than Japanese curry, but I just smiled and told her that I had been having that craving since the week before. She simply laughed at me. But I was really too excited! I literally ran home after my school ended just to dig into the scrumptious meal :)
My camera seriously does not do justice to this beautiful set.
My mother also bought ebi flour just to fry the prawns in it: I love prawns and I love ebi flour even more, so when you mix them together, it is an amazing combination! :)
Blackforest cherry cake my father bought, it was so good!
Happy birthday to me! ^^
I always love taking shots like this, and can you guess whose hand is that?
Heehee, it is my darling bf :)
This woman is like a goddess in my eyes: everything she does, she does it with such patience, grace and filled with love. I have never felt so blessed to have her as my mother and a true friend whom I can share all my troubles with. Thank you mummy for giving me the best present ever - life.
My bf, someone who has taught me many valuable lessons in life: how to be independent, how to believe in oneself, how to work hard for something you are truly passionate about. He is really a fantastic bf. Me being able to meet him and to be his gf is a true honour beyond words.
Another two men who has been a treasure in my life of growing up. Having these two at home is like having a circus at home - laughter is never far away when you put us three together. Sure, we have many tough times in which we argue a lot, but that is what siblings do, and I do want to thank God for giving me two brothers whom I can count on :)
This man is the greatest man in the world: his never ending sacrifices, the constant hard work he poured into taking care of this family and the countless sleepless nights he had experienced because he worries about his children's future. I felt like my dad and I grew apart slightly as I grew up, and I regret not being able to compensate for that. But that does not mean I do not love him. I love my dad for being the pillar of support in this family and he has done mountain loads of work for me, for my brothers, for my mother and grandparents. Even though I don't say this to him face to face, but every word I say here is true to my heart. I have not been a very good daughter, but I will definitely want to work hard for him :) Thank you daddy for providing so much for me, without him, I will not be where I am right now.
This piece of candy tastes like peppermint chewing gum! I felt so cheated because I thought it was white chocolate and you can see me munching on this so happily, but what you do not know is my reaction later on when I realized what it was :P Hahaha.
That week was really a most delightful week for me, I got to spend so much valuable time with my loved ones and it had taught me to appreciate every single person around me. I was also quite surprised at myself: I've always thought that birthdays were a huge deal and if it was not celebrated with a grand theme, it would not feel right. However this time, I kept it simple and I still enjoyed it to the fullest extent. I guess it is the company you spend with that makes a huge difference.
I sincerely believe that I am the most blessed girl in the world.
Labels: blissful memories, familybonding, fullofjoy, ilovemyfamily, joyfuloccasions champouf posted 21st with Love. on Friday, February 1, 2013
" Because time spent with you is the best present one could ever have ... "
Everybody has a special day they always look forward to: be it Valentine's Day, Christmas, Chinese New Year etc ... One thing for sure, I always look forward to my birthday. It not only marks the ageing of one year, but it marks another passing year for me :) I know many will make a big fuss about them turning 21, but frankly speaking, I prefer just a simple celebration with my loved ones. I have been to so many 21st parties and it was always so glamorous and crowded with friends, family and relatives. It felt rather hectic. So this year, I did not expect any grand parties whatsoever, I just wanted to spend time with my family and bf.
Well, bf had a hard time racking his brains on how to celebrate my birthday, and he was literally stressed out. He was really overwhelmed by all the 21st birthday parties he had attended and they were all meticulously planned and executed. As such, he felt he had to do the same for my birthday. But I reassured him in the end that it did not matter whether we celebrated in a hotel, in a restaurant, at home, at the park, I just wanted us to spend time together. This calmed him down. And then a few days before my birthday, he told me to come meet him at Bugis for dinner. Well, I thought it was just a simple dinner as usual accompanied by a slow stroll around Bugis Junction, but in the end, I found myself strolling into the Intercontinental Hotel. Frankly speaking I was quite shocked and the restaurants there were rather fancy. However, bf just pulled me into a restaurant called the Olive Tree.
As we got there rather early, around 5plus, there were hardly anybody there, which was good news for us! Olive Tree is an international buffet in which they served different types of cuisines every day. The last time bf came here with his business buddy, they were serving Malay cuisines, which was quite a feast for the both of them. This time, they were serving cuisines of both Eastern and Western cultures, which I had a grand time trying out from both worlds.
Just as I was trying to configure my camera, le bf had already proceeded to claim his first dish.
Their sushi is the bomb! Every sushi tastes so fresh and their rice has an amazing fragrant!
I think you can make a guess who took this plate. Their oysters are another must-haves! Le bf told me that their oysters are probably the best he had ever tried in Singapore, and trust me when I say that my bf is a seafood fanatic. So if he says that these are the best, I take his word for it! And they were good :)
My bf looking all cute and dazed *squeals*
Here is another dish to take note under the "must-haves" list: you may think that this is just regular steamed fish with a bit of tomato sauce splattered over it. But you're dead wrong. This is no ordinary steam fish, or at least they don't taste ordinary. I think it could be the spices and sauce that really made this dish so mouth watering. Plus the flesh was really soft and delicate, in this case, my bf would compare it with a virgin's touch. Haha
Amazing chocolate mousse cake I found near the entrance.
Lo and behold, I stumbled upon their dessert corner! Their desserts occupied 3 tables and my eyes literally lit up in glee. Everything there looked so amazing and I really couldn't decide which to eat as I was already half full from all the other food I had stuffed my face into (o^^)o
Here we have assorted jellies and pudding, and by golly, the mango pudding on the bottom right hand corner is a super hot favourite for both bf and I! Bf also fancied the vanilla pudding just beside the mango pudding, however the greenish thingy on the top was not that nice, so bf kept scooping out the green goo before eating. What a fussy boy! :P
I just love how they arrange their snacks! It is such a pretty sight indeed :)
Say hello to their fondue table! This is simply heaven on earth! I had a ball of a time emerging my marshmellows with hot fudge.
On the other side, we have an array of small cakes. I did not eat any of their cakes because I was just too full to indulge anymore :(
Strawberry pie! *swoons*
On another table, we have asian delights!
Nonya kui anyone? :D
Strawberry chocolate fudge cake. I was so tempted to try this out! But I managed to resist my carnal cravings for sweets.
I was also amazed at their displays of food and desserts, everything is just so neatly and well arranged!
Here you can see such exemplary case of beautiful arrangement.
Oh, their cheeses are simply wonderful. Having a thin slice stacked between crackers seemed pretty simple, but the taste was extraordinary! It was nothing I had ever tasted before. I really could not take my hands off their cheese table *shys*
More choices of food! :)
Le bf and his bowl of ice-cream which melted away as I kept trying to take close-up shots of it. Heehee
Le bf trying to use the chocolate fondue to write a note for me!
Tadah~ His lovely note for me! :) It took quite a while for bf to write it so nicely, but the hilarious thing was that after 2+years of dating my lovely bf, he still doesn't know how to spell my English name! Ahhh, such a naughty boy!
I'm the luckiest girl in the world ^-^
I truly am so blessed to have such a caring boyfriend like Chen Cheng. To think that he almost tore his hair out trying to plan a perfect birthday party for me, when I just wanted to spend time with him alone. He is such an angel, really (: Sure we have times when we will argue for days, or not see eye to eye for many days, but in the end I still love him deep down in my heart. He has never forsaken me in my time of need and he has always tried his best to bring joy in my life. I really do need to learn how to treasure him more in my life, because I know for sure that without him, my life will be very different - meaningless even.
So a little note to my one and true love; thank you for the smiles you have bestowed upon me. Sorry for the tears you have shed for me, but whatever happens my dear, I will love you till the end :) Your sincere love, your honest efforts and your stunning personality never fails to make me fall ever so deeply in love you. Thank you for the most delightful birthday dinner ever, I love you Chen Cheng.
Labels: blissful memories, foodie, fullofjoy, joyfuloccasions, lovedones
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