My dreams can come true...

...and when they do, it can be quite spooky sometimes.

This was a text message I had sent to a dear friend approximately 2 weeks ago (names changed to keep the couple anonymous):

Recipient: +45XXXXXXXX
Time: Saturday, 16-08-2008 14:46
Text: Jane! Are you pregnant??? I dreamt last night tht u were around 6 months pregnant when we went to visit u and Jack! Maybe it's a sign ;-).

Sender: +45XXXXXXXX
Time: Saturday, 16-08-2008 15:35
Text: Ha :-) i don't think your dream is true:-) in 2 yrs we are not planning to have the ''3th'' one to disturbing our 2 world:-).....Hug/jane

Well, I decided to keep the message I had sent her for at least 3 to 4 months because I had a strong feeling my dream would come true in due time. The reason for this strong feeling was because one such dream I had did come to pass.

You see, back in around October 2005, I dreamt that a colleague of mine was pregnant. I told her my dream, and she said no, she wasn't pregnant, but she'd like to be. I was in Brazil in Dec 2005/Jan 2006 for 3 weeks, and when I came back to work, I noticed that her belly looked bigger than usual.

As I didn't want to risk offending her about her big belly in case she still wasn't pregnant, I asked another colleague of mine, who confirmed that she was pregnant with her 1st child! "Damn!" I thought, "My dream did come true!" She was 4 months pregnant by that time, which meant that I dreamt about her pregnancy just before she knew it herself or just before she actually conceived!

Spooky, huh? But that could just as well be a one-off coincidence. Nevertheless, it was a "dream record" for me to remember, so when I vividly dreamt of Jane's pregnancy 2 weeks ago, I woke up thinking "Another pregnancy dream! Let's see if this one comes true too!"

So you can see why I decided to keep the message I had sent to Jane as a record of the date I dreamt this, and then wait to see if it really will come true within 3-4 months as I believed it would.

Guess what? I didn't need to wait that long to get the confirmation ;o). When I checked my email yesterday, I received a mail from Jane with the subject: "Your dream is true....:-)" It made my heart beat fast.

Here's an extract of the mail:

From: Jane
Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 9:39:58 AM

I was sick since last 3 dags...but I did not think about it was this happened :-) I could not do anything. at beginning I thought stay home for relaxing then I will be better. but until yesterday still I did not feel better. so Jack took me to see the doctor. and I was told that I am PREGNANT. I was surprised. then I back the day Sheila sent the message and asked me if I am pregnant. and I told you (Sheila) no...hahahahaah. I can't belive. it effectived by your dream..:-)

Spooky, huh? 2 pregnancy dreams involving 2 specific people and both came to pass just before the soon-to-be 1st time mums knew it themselves. Coincidence again? Probably, but you'd have to agree that the odds against this are very high. If it happens a 3rd time, you can be sure I will strike "coincidence" off the list and call it...hmm, what should I call it? A gift in pregnancy predictions ;o)?

Anyway, it's good to have nice dreams coming true. Dreams of life! I wouldn't want to be dreaming of deaths and having those dreams come true. Imagine dreaming vividly that a friend or relative is going to die, and it comes true. Would you actually be the messenger of death and tell this person your dream to prepare him/her for it? In Chinese superstition, you should always tell someone (not the subject, though - too sensitive) about such dreams to prevent it from happening. But what if you tell someone and it still comes true? Would you be blamed for that death despite how bizzare that sounds?

Hmm...I guess if I ever dream of such dreams, I'll just keep my mouth shut and pray on behalf of that person that it doesn't come true. I've dreamt of my own near-death before - being chased by ailens who were having a war against the human race ;o). I still remember it quite clearly, also the part when I had time to make just one phone call to say goodbye to a loved one, and I was deciding between Martin and someone else - my mum, probably. I called Martin. Good thing though, I managed to escape death in that dream, so it ended well after all.

Well, so far it's just my pregnancy dreams coming true, so I look forward to see who I'm going to dream about being pregnant next. Hopefully *not* myself ;o). And no, please don't come to me and beg me to dream about you being pregnant if that's what you want to be because I can't decide who I dream about ;oP. But if I do dream such of you, I will be sure to pass on the good news ;o).

"Straight from the mouth"

During dinner yesterday with my dear colleagues...

Sabrina: "So are you both going to George Michael's concert together?"
Rune: "Well...not really. I'm VIP so I have seating tickets."
Sheila: "Yeah, yeah, Rune - whatever. I'm one of the dancing party people, hence my standing ticket."
Sabrina (with the killer punchline): "Ah, so seating tickets are for OLD people."

You nailed it, girl! *High 5*

Harems on Facebook

Right...what should I do when some stranger (in this case, "Marc Leong") wants to add me as a friend on Facebook, and the kind of "friends" on his "friend's list" are like the below:

Click to enlarge. Last names erased to somewhat protect their identities.

Option 1: Join his harem.
Option 2: Make my own male version of a harem and invite him to join it (and I accept only profile pics where men are stripped down to their underwear OR have 6-packs to show off).
Option 3: Click "Ignore" and prays he gets a life.

Decisions, decisions... . Well, I think I'll do option 3 for now. Unfortunately, a secondary school classmate of mine had decided to join his harem, and this is the 2nd time that some stranger like him requests for my "friendship" and has her as a "mutual friend". Might be the same guy, can't remember. But if she's just going to add perverts like him to her currently 403 "friends", it's no wonder I keep getting such unwanted requests now and then. Grr... .

Seriously though, I don't understand why some women want to "sell themselves" cheap with the kind of profile pics that they have. Do men really dig that? The line between "sexy" and "slutty" is very thin, but sometimes you just need to open your eyes a little bigger and you'll be able to see that fine line.

As for men out there who have Facebook harems, please don't think that I'll be flattered when you try to add me to it. Arrogant as it may sound, I am in a class of my own, and unfortunately for you, I value myself far too much to want to be seen as one of your "female trophies".

Size and age are proportional

One thing about watching kids grow, is that it makes you feel so old. Especially if these kids are your own, or part of your family. It's hard to accept that my sister, Claudia, is now 18 years old and is legally an adult (in Denmark, at least). I want my kid sister back!!! The one who used to obey my every command... ;o).

The scary thing now is that although my youngest sister is still "only" 14, she's getting physically bigger and taller than me!!! I kid you not (pun not intended)! Check it out:

Have any of you actually seen my youngest sister when she was a toddler? Well, fast forward 12 years and this is what you get.


And here's Claudia, who is now way bigger than me.

But I actually don't mind at all that they are both getting bigger and taller than me. After all, being the smallest means being the youngest, so since I'm the smallest sister, it means I'm the youngest sister! I like the way I rationalise things.

Samba!

Isabel from my mahjong club invited all of us to her 35th birthday party last Saturday. She's from Brazil, and yes, she plays mahjong ;o). Had learnt it when she was living in Malaysia.

It was indeed an active party. Eating, drinking, samba dancing, karaoke singing, lap dances, limbo rocking and socialising. She really wanted to end the night with a mahjong session, but unfortunately, no one brought their mahjong sets along.

Here are some crazy pictures from that night:

Mix of Brazilians, Danes, and 3 Asians.


Our sexy star entertainer.


Don't walk away!


Oooh la la!


We want to learn to samba too!


Yay! Now I'm ready!


Doing the limbo rock.


Believe it or not, this one's PREGNANT!


Always nice with a little help when you're so tall.


3 Brazilian girls. Well, almost ;o).


Lap dance, courtesy of the birthday girl's hubby.


Lap dance, courtesy of the birthday girl's guest (it's a guy btw, despite the very long blond hair).


Karaoke time! Singing Lionel Richtie's "Hello".


She was singing "Maneater", but they're trying to be "Womaneaters".


I believe he was singing "The Final Countdown".


They were singing Britney Spear's "Hit Me Baby One More Time". Morten (left) is really putting his emotions into this song.

Obrigada Isabel, for a very fun party! Feliz aniversario mais uma vez!

Cheesecake Round 2

It is traditional at our office for the birthday boy/girl to treat his/her beloved colleagues to either cake or ice-cream (although not limited to these). I was planning to make tiramisu this year, but a couple of colleagues requested cheesecake instead, so I had to make it a 2nd time around after the one I made for my party. Felt like déjà vu, but I at least I know the receipe by heart now.

STOP SHI HUA!!!


Oh my! Look how much Shi Hua bit off :o(.

Anyway...it was a success, and it was just enough for everyone in the office to have 1 slice each :o).

SIA - simply the best!

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been named "Best airline in the world" for 2008 by Skytrax. Actually, 2008's not over yet, so how come they can conclude this already? It is still Aug 2008 now, right? I just turned 25 18, so please don't tell me 2008 is over already.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, for the 3rd time in 10 years, SIA is on top. Actually, I thought we've won a lot more than 3 times...but well, it's still cool. We always take SIA whenever we travel back to Singapore. Ok, we haven't always done that...but will be doing so from 2007 onwards. Sure, we'll have to pay a bit lot more, but besides the comfort and inflight entertainment, it's also nice to just fly direct for the 12 hours that it takes from CPH-SIN. Besides, there's a lower chance of your luggage getting lost since it's not getting transferred from one plane to another.

I wonder if Singapore Airlines won because of the possibility of having "Sex In Air" (SIA)... ;o). Oops, did I just say that? Sorry, I Apologise! But seriously, it has to be.

I mean, compared to say:

Scandinavian Airline System - SAS - Slow And Sloppy
Air Portugal - TAP - Take Another Plane
Alitalia - Always Late In Taking off, Always Late In Arrivals
(none of these made the list)

Funny enough (or coincidently enough), the best European airlines is:
Lufthansa! (Let Us F*ck THem And Not Say Anything).

There's something about sex that sells, it seems.

:-D...entist

Was at the dentist today for my ½ yearly visit. Actually, I should have gone many months ago, but I had either kept pushing it, or conveniently forgetting about it.

However, since Toey, my summer helper at work, is going to stop next Tuesday, I thought I had better make that dental appointment so that I can leave the office for X amount of time during office hours to clean them. The time taken is included in our working hours anyway, but better if Toey can be there to handle things while I'm gone.

So today was D-day! I figured it would not take more than 1 hour, and I was right! It didn't. It took a record time of 20 mins! Woohoo! It was the fastest, cheapest, most painless visit to the dentist I've ever had! Mr Dentist was very pleased with my clean and hole-less pearlies, so he didn't need to spend much time doing extensive work :-D. And he thought it would now be enough if I visit him just once a year instead of twice a year. Double :-D!

However, there was a piece of bad news (yeah, otherwise it would've been too good to be true, right?). My wisdom tooth on my lower right jaw was starting to show. Actually, I'm not sure when it started popping its head out since I can't feel it nor see it if I don't look all the way in with lights and mirrors. And I had the same dentist "doing me" today as I had last September, but since he didn't point out my rearing wisdom tooth then, it must therefore mean that it had only started popping out between Sept 2007 and now.

It's only partially showing, but it's already growing in a weird position. Anyway, as long as I can remember to clean it to prevent holes from coming, then it should be ok. I hope. I mean, I'm not sure if it'll continue to grow (hopefully not), so there could still be problems later on anyway if the space in my mouth is not enough to accommodate it.

Oh well...I guess I am becoming wiser as I grow older. That's what the wisdom tooth is for, right? To help us get wiser? Otherwise, what's the point?

My presents

Just for those who are curious:

The overview.


In more detail. 100 points if you can guess who the bra and undies are from ;o). The set was VERY expensive though (bought at Wolford), so I would either return them or exchange them for something more reasonably priced (sorry bunny!). Thing is, I did try on the bra, and damn...it was fitting so well and very comfortable too! But still...not for the price.


Evening shimmering dress from mum and sisters.


Sexy leopard print nightie with matching undies from dear Ivy. Bought in China, and sent by post from Jutland when she returned to Denmark.


Georg Jensen key chain from Morten and Karin, leopard mirror key chain from Shi Hua (on top of an evening sequined bag she gave).


Delicious hand-made chocolates from the chocolate shop where Wagma works in.


And this is specially for Ivy, so that she can see that her gift fits ;o).

080808 - my day

As mentioned in a couple of posts below, I had decided to have a birthday party after all this year, since it was a good date and on a Friday. I didn't take the day off from work though, so I had to rush home after work to prepare for the arrival of my guests.

Big thanks to hubby and dear sister, Claudia, who were able to be home earlier to help get the last things (drinks, snacks, etc). Love you both!

And special thanks to all my dear guests who took the time to come celebrate my day with me, as well as those who were not able to be with me in body due to circumstances, but who were nevertheless with me in spirit :o). Also, special honour to Wagma who was the guest who arrived at precisely 08:08pm - you go, girl ;o)!

Anyways, pictures below from the celebration:

Opening presents.


My dear guests.


That's right, Hannah...put it back ;o).


Don't be sad, Claudia...soon it'll be your birthday too :o).


So many lovely gifts!


Chocolate muffins were home-made by sis Claudia. She made 31 (don't ask me why - I'm wondering it myself), but at the end of the night, there were only 19 left. That must be my age then.


Some guests were enjoying smoking the waterpipe earlier. Well, not sure about the "enjoyment" part really, since I heard that the tobacco flavour that they mixed tasted horrible.











"Happy birthday to me!"

Making the cheesecake

Here's the cheesecake I made for my birthday:

The crust.


The cheese part.


Proof that I'm making it.


Ready for the oven.


Decorating part.


Ta-da! The complete cake. Well, almost - it still needs to set, but you get the idea.

My horrific lunch experience

Aw...isn't he cute? He was at the back of today's newspaper.

But oh...look who Tiggy killed! 1 whack of the newspaper (the one with Tiggy's pic on it) on this annoying fly was all it took to end its sorry life. It's HUGE (see my index finger next to it)! There are 2 more, so if they bug me while I eat my lunch like Mr R.I.P did, they'll feel Tiggy's wrath too. ROAR!


Oh, oh...Tiggy killed #2, and this one required more than a few whacks, but look what came out of its body! Moving maggots!!! Lots of them!!! GROSS! Was probably a pregnant fly. Think it's best I just finish my lunch and leave this fly infested kitchen.

1 more day!

No, no, not to the Olympics. Well, yes it is, but that's not as important MY BIRTHDAY!!! The date of the year, or rather, of the DECADE (and decades to come) is...

08/08/08!

Just look at all the circles, the curves - simply beautiful ;o). And not to mention, that "8" is a lucky number in Chinese, so "luck, luck and luck"! Well ok, I guess you could also say "zero luck/zero luck/zero luck"... . Whatever ;oP.

Anyways...I have decided to throw a small party this year after all. Heck, why not, right? It's a good date and it's on a Friday. I will never have a nice date like this to celebrate on again, since the next one would be 8/8/88...and although I'd still be *ahem* 25 18, I might not be an "alive" 25 18. Hey, jokes aside, I'd actually be 111 years old if I get that far, so it would be a cool date to celebrate on for that reason too ;o).

So yeah - a party on 08/08/08 at 08:08:08pm! Stay tuned for updates!

I'm not a loanshark!

I don't like borrowing money from others. In the rare times when I owe someone money (eg. when going out for dinner with friends and I only have my debit card while they have enough cash to foot the bill first, or when we share a cab home and they pay the total fare because they get dropped home last), I always make it a point to pay my share of the money back before they ask me for it. In these cases, though the amount tends to be small, it's still in my conscience to settle the "debt".

I've always believed that if you want to buy something, either make sure it's attainable within your budget, or work hard to save up for it. I know it can be a struggle for some people, but if we look closely into our spending habits, we can usually find things in our lives that we can live without.

On the other side of the same coin, I don't like lending money either. If it's for the above reasons that I had mentioned regarding me borrowing money, then sure (if it's for friends/family), but anything more than a couple of hundred kroners for friends are usually "no-no" for me, especially since money tends to destroy friendships and relationships when people don't pay up. It's better to make a friend upset for a few days or weeks when he/she doesn't get money from you, than to totally lose the friendship because he/she doesn't pay up.

The rare times when I make exceptions to my rule, I usually end up getting reminded of WHY I don't loan money out in the first place. Case in point: the recent trip to Berlin.

I was the one who had looked into flight tickets and hotel rooms for me and 2 girlfriends. Well, one was a friend (W), the other was this friend's friend (AL) whom I had met a couple of times before. Anyway, it was easier for me to pay first because flight tickets were booked online and had to be paid for upon reservation, while the hotel rooms were booked via my company so since I was the only one with access to my company's staff website, it was therefore easier for me to just pay for the rooms first.

Anyhow, total amount that each of the girls should pay was 1,468kr (S$420). W paid up on time, but AL asked after some days if she could pay back her part the following month (July) due to a tight economy. "Sure," I said, since I didn't need the money desperately anyway. Which of course begs the question: "Why go on a trip when it's not within your budget?" but ok, that's another story.

After our trip (end of June), 2 weeks passed and I didn't hear a word from AL. Yes, I know she said she'd pay back in July, and July wasn't over yet, but I also know that she would have received her salary at the end of June, so wouldn't it have been right to pay back after settling the usual mambo jambo like rent and bills, etc?

If she was genuinely tight with her economy, then yes, I'd understand better. However, while we were at the Duty Free shop in Copenhagen Airport before catching our flight to Berlin, she had spent a good 700kr (S$200) on branded makeup without so much of a thought! ½ of "my" money! For her to spend like that in front of me after telling me about her tight economy felt just like she was rubbing my face in the dirt, but I said nothing because I didn't want to spoil the trip over this.

So yes, I did expect her to pay back right after getting her next pay cheque before she started spending "my" money again, but 2 weeks went by without any feedback. I wrote an email reminding her about it, but no reply for about 4 days.

Called her up, and she said she didn't receive my email, but will pay it the following week. The following week came and went, but still no sign of a transfer. I sent an sms with the amount and account number and asked that it be paid the following Monday, so I should receive it in my account on Tuesday, and requested also for an acknowledgement that the message has been read and understood. Didn't get it.

Monday came, and I sent yet another sms in the evening asking if transfer was made. Finally a message back, but saying "Oops! I'll do it tomorrow". Tuesday came, and the message I received was that her bank would not transfer the money that day because her account was in minus, so had to wait 1 more day (probably when her next pay cheque came in). So Wednesday came, and though I told her to let me know when done, I didn't hear anything in the morning so I sent yet another sms to ask if it was done. Shortly after, her message came back saying "Done", and after checking my account on Thursday, I finally see my dough.

Case closed at last!!! And never, never, never again. I know that some people would just "let it go" and say "Well, that's how much it costed to get rid of a friend like him/her," but for me, as long as I know how to contact the borrower and/or know where he/she lives, I won't just "let it go". Simply because if I do, it would only be allowing that person to easily escape his/her responsibility to pay back a loan. If people just keep "letting it go", then the borrower will just keep borrowing without paying back.

Anyway, I have now retired from my "loansharking" business. I make a lousy loanshark anyway, since I don't cruelly add on a high interest rate for every day that the loan's not paid back.