Saturday, May 31, 2008

Finally met up with Jasmine after few unsuccessful dates… It’s really been quite a long time since we last met up together with our little ones… Picked Jasmine + Jayde up before heading to IL’s office to pick little prince… Little prince was so happy to see Jayde 姐姐 that he kept laughing & blabbered his own baby language with Jayde…

Parked my car @ Marina Square & we headed straight to Sakae Sushi as all of us (not including little price) were famished… Waited quite a while before we’re being ushered to our seats… Luckily I ordered 2 chawanmushis as little prince finished 1 chawanmushi ALLby himself… He even wanted more after finishing his share… Gave him tofu & he gave me a ‘yucky’ looked face, seemed to express that the tofu’s tasteless… That expression was so funny, too bad didn’t snap any of it… Didn’t realized that Sakae sushi had increased their prices for the coloured (from $1.99 ++ to $2.99++) & red (from 6.99++ drop to $4.99++ & now $5.99++) plates… hmm…

Mummy & little prince


Jasmine & Jayde


Little prince & Jayde seemed to enjoy themselves when they’re on kiddy ride & refused to co-operate with me… Wanted to take a proper pics of the both of them but it’s either Jayde looked away or little prince looked away…



After combing whole of Suntec City, we went to have some snacks + rest & more shopping over @ Marina Square… And for the 6 good hours of walking around to the malls, I’ve spent almost $300 on little prince’s clothes & shoes & none for myself… Before leaving the carpark, was telling Jasmine that the parking fees must be a lot as we’re there since 1+ 2pm till like 8+pm… And much to my our surprise, it’s only $7.49 !!! It’s roughly about $1++ per hour & it’s pretty cheap, despite it’s an Saturday and compared to most parking charges in town…

Summary of what I've spent:

Clothes from GAP



Clothes from FOX





Shoes from Nike

Friday, May 30, 2008

Finally I’ve received my LeapFrog items from XiaoXue & thanks for this sweetie to travel all the way down to my office on Wednesday to pass the items to me… Supposed to collect from her over the weekends, but it always slipped out of my mind... *Sorry sweetie*



Passed by a Pasar Malam located near our place and I’ve bought almost close to $40 worth of educational toys for little prince… Luckily老公’s not around with me, if not he will sure SCREAM @ me for spending that much on the items… But it’s somehow cheaper than those selling in departmental stores ma…


Dora & Blue Clues educational cards and Winnie the Pooh UNO card


To XiaoXue:

Thanks for making a trip down to pass the items down to me, sweetie! Thanks so much! =)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

老公 was still stuck @ Pasir Ris with all his reservist campmates as it’s the last day of his reservist… They always have a mini event when it’s the last day of the reservists… So he asked me to go shopping while waiting for him to pick me up… And of cuz I do as what he had said…. SHOPPING!!!

1st stop was to POSB located @ Takashimaya to deposit money to little prince’s bank a/c before heading for my shopping spree… So glad that there’s few branches open till 7pm… I’m hunting for a nice coin purse as it’s difficult to keep coins in my current wallet & I almost combed all boutiques but found nothing…

Went to GAP to see any worth buying items but nothing much this time… Then went hunting for little prince’s clothes & bought a polo tee from Ralph… I almost wanted to buy 2 different colours of the same design as the rest of the colours look kinda dull… There’s another design that caught my eyes but the price is abit steep, and even after 10% discount off retail items, still $161++… That kind of price I can buy 2 polo tees…


Crossed over to Paragon to continue searching for my coin purse… Combed few boutiques & finally found my new love!!! And I also fell in love with a Miu Miu gathered leather bag… It’s so nice & most importantly, big & spacious!!! It’s the kind of bags I always LOVED!!! But the price is much more attractive, it’s freaking $1800++!!! Almost the same price like Saleya… Anyway, I headed out of the boutique after paying for my new love as老公’s already waiting for me & also can keep my mind off the Miu Miu bag temporary… =(


TADA~


My new love~


Now I’m really in a dilemma on which one to get… Miu Miu or LV??? Or get both??? Saleya MM $1700++ (last checked 2 months ago) & Miu Miu gathered leather bag $1800++...


Should I get this
Damier Canvas Saleya MM

or this


Miu Miu gathered leather bag?


Haiz… Shall KIV this decision till after I come back from BKK & Macau in August… I wanna TIO million dollars of 4D & TOTO!!! *dream on!*

I simply love the look… No more messy & round ‘bun’ @ the back of my head… But it's kinda tiring after trying many times before succeed...



Monday, May 26, 2008

老公's sick, having fever & sore throat… =( Hope he'll recover soon...

Went for my eyebrow trimming appointment after work @ FEP… Initially wanted to take a cab back right after my appointment as I’m also not feeling too good… I kept having cold sweat while on the way walking towards FEP & I can feel that my body’s kinda heaty… But I didn’t want to spend that much on cabfare as there’s $3 surcharge and there’s additional 35% surcharge on top of the meter fare… I rather use that money for shopping, which I did…

Went shopping alone after the appointment & within 2 hours, I’ve already spent almost $200 on clothes & belts… I’m quite happy with my shopping loots but @ the same time I’m poorer by $200… Luckily that my salary will be in 2 days later and now it’s the Great Singapore Sales (GSS) period, how to resist the temptations?? Took a cab back home & the waiting time is a killer, waited almost ½ hour for cab…

Didn’t realized the clothes that I’ve bought are all tube tops & tube dresses (2 tube tops & 3 tube dresses)… I always loved tube tops & dresses… Shall hunt for more tube tops & dresses soon…

Can't wait for some ladies' shopping next week!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Had a date with little prince’s godma & godpa for lunch & some shopping… As it’s the GSS season, Orchard Road was packed with cars & most carparks are full… Parked my car @ the Cairnhill Carpark & proceeded to Swensen’s to meet them together with little prince… I was hesitating whether to bring his pram along since he already started walking, and I’m really glad that I did…

It’s been almost 3 months since little prince last seen his godparents, thus he’s kinda reluctant to let godma carry… We had very yummy lunch & little prince had his share of food & dessert too… His godpa always like to feed him ice-cream & there’s once when little prince around 6+ 7+ months old, he fell sick the next day after tasted some ice-cream…

Crossed over to Taka to shop & Josephine wanted to get some cosmetics from Kose… Wanted to get some clothes for little prince but nothing caught my eyes or doesn’t have his sizes… Little prince was enjoying himself @ the toys section till he doesn’t want to leave… He did a bit of whining & his godma just carried him up & we left for some drinks & snacks @ the Coffee Club…

I had the most sinful dessert, the Muddy Mudpie and little prince had a mango moose cake all by himself… His godma took a video clip of him while the godpa fed him… it’s so funny lor…






I’m in a dilemma as in whether I should get the Long Champ’s limited edition bag or the normal one and I couldn’t decide on the sizes too… Then I came acrossed Julia’s blog & saw that Agnes B bag (similar to Long Champ) & I really don’t know which to choose… haiz… I need HELP~~~~

Friday, May 23, 2008

YEAH!! 老公's finally back home from his outfield exercise… =)

Went Crew Room as it’s Eugene’s 干女儿's birthday… Gracia + Yongming supposed to join us but due to some unforeseen issue, they didn’t turned up… It’s pretty crowded & there’s not much seats available… Supposed to join his 干女儿's table, but I rather sit @ the bar counter as I don’t even know her friends… At least over @ the bar counter, still can chat with Aiko…

Eugene also came over to join me, although he’s been running from his 干女儿's table to my table… Saw my '小老公' (even my 老公 Sam also know him) & his other friends… It’s really a surprised to see him there & I was even surprised to know he’s Lily’s boyfriend… The world is so small! It’s been like donkey years since I last saw him… And time really past very fast, I’ve known him for coming almost 15 years… He’s still the same old ‘小老公’that I’ve knew & I’m happy for Lily & him… Lily came down shortly to join him & we went Mr Bean (just opposite Crew Room) to have supper before sending them home…

Really had a great time chatting with them!!!

She's a fun & crazy lady

Me & my '小老公'

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Met up with Julia after work @ Bugis as it's TIME to stock up my falsies.... Aiko called & told me that she’s @ Bugis Village now & asking when I’m coming… I was surprised that how she knew that I’m gonna grab falsies today & she reminded me that I’ve listed in my facebook… lol… She really knows me well enough… =P

Crossed over to Bugis Village with Julia & headed straight to the shop as I thought Aiko was there waiting for me… But ended up she went for her dinner before she start work… Julia got herself 3 pairs and I only stock up 9 pairs of falsies, 3 pairs each design… The lady boss recognized me & told me that Aiko had asked her to put aside few pairs of the falsies that I always buy… I’m so TOUCHED!!! *Thanks Aiko*



My falsies


Proceeded to Siam Thai restaurant with Julia as she’s craving for thai food when few days ago… Too bad Josephine & Karine couldn’t make it, but it’s ok though as we could meet up any time too… Had a long chat with Julia over dinner as it’s been donkey months since we last meet up & our topic always on our little ones… Went over to Fox Baby as they’re having sales & both Julia & I bought sets of clothes for our little ones… Julia went back shortly as it’s getting whereas I continued shopping... Drove over to the temple that mil’s always frequent to pick little prince & went home sweet home…


Julia's dinner


My dinner


Demin Jumper for little prince


Football tee for little prince


Yeah!!! 老公 coming back tomorrow!!! Missed him SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! Wonder how little prince will react when he sees his daddy tomorrow after not seeing him for these few days…


To: Julia

Thanks babe for your company!!! We shall meet up real soon with the rest of the babes ya!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008




Congratulations to Catherine & Weiyi for their #2 bundle of joy who touched down safely today!
Brought little prince to T3 again to look for 妈咪 & waiting for her to knock off @ 10pm… I must really praise little prince as he’s been behaving very well when 老公's not around… Normally he would make a fuss whenever we’re in the car during the night, but surprisingly he didn’t even make a single fuss to & fro the airport when it’s ONLY me & him in the car… Maybe he knows that he ought to behave good & well as his daddy’s not around & cannot bully mummy… =)

Anyway, little prince love to roam around the food court area & climbing up the stairs… And his new hobby is going up & down the escalator, all thanks to my 爹地… That’s my 爹地's way of coaxing little prince when he start to misbehave…

Bought little prince 1 pair of sandals & 1 pair of shoes from Colottee… Wanted to get him a pair of Nike shoes but dropped the idea as not much designs left… Little prince was excited about his new pair of sandals & started walking here & there…

妈咪 was nagging away saying that I kept buying shoes for little prince… Well, he’s my son & of course I buy things for him as & when I can afford la… As long as it’s within my spending ability, I have no regrets of getting clothes, shoes & toys for him… Ended my day with a tired & sleepy little prince & only woke up when mil’s changing him into his pyjamas…





In another 2 days’ time, I’ll be bringing little prince along with me to pick 老公 up from his camp… 老公 called when we’re @ T3 to check what’s little prince doing… Little prince only listened quietly to his daddy’s voice & didn’t reply… Am anticipating for the day that little prince can call ‘Daddy’ & ‘Mummy’ in his sweetest voice & correct pronunciation…

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Little prince recently love to tip-toe & always do it with his charming smile… And when asked him to do & showed to ILs or my parents, he’s more than happy to show them…

Till now, I don’t even have a clue on where little prince learn all these from… And another thing I found out (just yesterday) that he always want to play with my heels or even attempted to put them on…

Brought little prince to T3 to look for 妈咪 as it has been almost 2 weeks since little prince last saw her… 爹地 joined me & little prince for dinner & also to play with his grandson… Left around 9+pm as little prince was tired & sleepy… Will be bringing him more often to T3 to look for 妈咪 as she no longer off on weekends eversince she started working @ T3…

老公 will be home in 3 more days’ time… I bet 老公 MISS little prince badly… I miss 老公 badly too… Not too used when he’s not around… =(

Monday, May 19, 2008

Had a BIG quarrel with 老公 while driving him back to his camp… It’s ALL because of that ‘SOMEONE’… So pissed man!!

Think this is our 2nd BIG quarrel after the arrival of little prince… And it’s ALWAYS because of that ‘SOMEONE’… Hate it so much!!

I’ll be all alone with little prince from tonight till Friday… 老公 will only be back on Friday night…

Little prince doesn’t seem to have any clues that his daddy will not be home for the next 3 days… And I have to count myself lucky that he didn’t whine when he couldn’t find his daddy (cuz his daddy is his playmate)… *phew*

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Attended baby Kennzo’s baby shower with my blissful family members… It’s老公’s 2nd appearance @ such gathering as most of my friends knew that it’s a rare sight to see him around any of our outings…

Little prince just woke up when we reached Charmaine’s place… We supposed to be there early (as the party start @ 1pm) & ended up we’re there around 4+pm… Some of them already left & only left Darren + family, Catherine + family, Jas + family… Rinzen looked so much different since I saw her @ the last gathering during CNY (@ Darren’s place)… I simply loved her hair!!! Janurse told me that they applied olive oil on Rinzen’s head to boost the growth of her hair… Think I should do the same to little prince as he has too little hair, just like me when I was young…

The food was yummy & little prince had so much fun during our stay @ Charmaine’s place… We left around 6+ 7+pm & drove to Marine Parade to get little prince’s diapers & some food stuffs for 老公’s upcoming outfield exercise… Meaning I’ll be all on my own with little prince starting from Monday till Friday…老公 will sure miss little prince badly…

Left for 麻雀 session over @ Gracia’s place after making little prince slept… Played all the way till 8+am & had breakfast before heading home… Only lost $3 after whole night of 麻雀…

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Went Crew Room pretty late all thanks to ‘someone’... While driving there, I was actually ½ hearted to go & still decided to go as I’ve already told Aiko to reserve a table…

I’m really glad that Gracia + Yongming & Eugene were already there… At least the presence of my friends can cheer me up abit… We had lotsa fun playing dice poker & we ended our night with yummy 点心 @ Geylang & planned to play 麻雀 over @ Gracia’s place on Sunday night…

It’s been such a long long time since I last played 麻雀… Hmm… =)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

*extracted from straitstimes.com

Myanmar rejects US, UN pressure on aid

YANGON - MYANMAR'S military rulers on Tuesday rejected growing international pressure to accept aid workers, insisting against all the evidence that it had the emergency cyclone relief effort under control.
Even as US President George W. Bush and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon voiced their fury at the country's generals, and aid agencies again warned that time was running out, the regime remained defiant about letting in outsiders.

'The nation does not need skilled relief workers yet,' Vice-Admiral Soe Thein said in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a mouthpiece for the military which has ruled the nation with an iron grip for nearly half a century.

He said the needs of the people following the storm, which has left around 62,000 dead or missing since ripping through the southern Irrawaddy delta on May 2, 'have been fulfilled to an extent'.



A stream of other aid flights had already landed in Yangon, but only a fraction of the help needed has got to people in the flooded delta, partly because the junta has kept foreign aid and logistics experts out of the country or in Yangon. -- PHOTO: AFP


But aid agencies tell a starkly different story, warning that as every day passes without sufficient food, water and shelter, as many as two million people are at risk of adding to the already staggering death toll.

Just hours after the United States sent its first aid plane into the country since the tragedy - following days of negotiations - Mr Bush said the world should 'be angry and condemn' the junta.

'Either they are isolated or callous,' he said. 'There's no telling how many people have lost their lives as a result of the slow response.'

The United States has long been one of the most vocal critics of the regime, repeatedly tightening sanctions on Myanmar over its refusal to shift towards democracy or release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

But Mr Ban Ki Moon also took aim at the junta, using unusually strong language for a UN chief to insist that outside aid experts be allowed in immediately to help direct the fumbling relief effort.

'I want to register my deep concern and immense frustration on the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis,' Mr Ban told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

'We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's current crisis,' he said.

'I therefore call in the most strenuous terms on the government of Myanmar to put its people's lives first. It must do all it can to prevent this disaster from becoming even more serious.'

The country has welcomed donations of aid, even from the United States, which sent in its first planeload of supplies on Monday and said that two more military transporters would follow Tuesday.

But the generals remain deeply suspicious of the outside world and fearful of any outside influence which could weaken their control on every aspect of life in this poor and isolated nation, formerly known as Burma.

Aid groups insist that only specialists with long experience of disaster zones can ensure that the neediest get the aid they need - and navigate that aid through scenes of almost total destruction.

US military gets approval for more aid flights
Myanmar has agreed to allow more United States military flights carrying humanitarian aid into the cyclone-devastated country, opening the door to what could be a massive relief operation, officials said.

A second aid flight left Utapao Air Base in Thailand on Tuesday, and another was to leave later in the day, said US Marine Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Powell.

Lt-Col Powell said the first flight on Tuesday carried 9,025 kilogrammes of blankets, water and mosquito nets. The second was to take in a 11,225-kilogramme load. The two flights come after Myanmar allowed an Air Force C-130 cargo plane into its main city, Yangon, on Monday.

Lt-Col Powell said the situation remains fluid, but flights were expected to continue after Tuesday. It appeared to broaden the original agreement for three flights on Monday and Tuesday.

Lt-Col Powell said a Boeing 747 aircraft arrived in Utapao on Monday night to replenish the supplies available to fly in to Myanmar.

Though the flights are military, the aid aboard them is being provided by civilian relief authorities.

Admiral Timothy J. Keating, commander of the US Pacific Forces, flew into Myanmar on the initial aid flight on Monday to try to persuade the junta to relent.

Adm Keating came back later on Monday with an understanding only that Myanmar would consider the offer.

However, Myanmar state television said navy commander in chief Rear-Admiral Soe Thein told Adm Keating that basic needs of the storm victims are being fulfilled and that 'skillful humanitarian workers are not necessary'.

Adm Keating said the US military could provide 90,720 kilogrammes of supplies a day, which would be a massive boost to the lagging relief efforts. The military could also ferry aid workers to the hardest-hit regions, which remain hard to reach.

The operation has already been named - Joint Task Force Caring Relief. But officials say they will not push ahead without the approval of Myanmar's military rulers, who have so far refused a broad range of help offers because they fear foreign meddling in their domestic affairs.

That stance - as bodies remain scattered around the countryside and hundreds of thousands of refugees are in need of food and shelter - has generated howls of criticism from around the world.

'Let them in,' US Ambassador to Thailand Eric John said on Monday. 'Let them save lives.' -- AP



US concerned as its aid leaves Yangon airport

WASHINGTON - THE United States will send two more aid flights to cyclone-stricken Myanmar and offer US$13 million (S$18 million) more in aid through United Nations agencies even though United States officials involved in the relief effort have not been allowed beyond Yangon airport, US officials said.

As the first US aid flight arrived in Myanmar on Monday, US President George W. Bush condemned the country's military junta for failing to act more quickly to accept international help after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country, saying 'either they are isolated or callous'.

'It's been days and no telling how many people have lost their lives as a result of the slow response,' Mr Bush said in a radio interview with CBS News. 'An American plane finally went in but the response isn't good enough.'

Ms Henrietta Fore, administrator of the US Agency for International Development, and Admiral Timothy Keating, head of the US Pacific Command, flew to Myanmar on Monday with the first C-130 cargo planeload of US supplies, then watched as it was transferred to Myanmar helicopters they were told would fly to stricken areas, a US official said.

'While on the ground, Administrator Fore and Admiral Keating witnessed helicopters carrying the US cargo bound for Bogalay township,' Mr Ky Luu, director of USAid's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, told reporters.

Because US officials have serious concerns over whether the aid would reach cyclone victims, they will contact non-governmental organisations in Bogalay to verify the supplies in fact arrived there, he said.

At the White House, spokesman Dana Perino told reporters the United States would provide US$13 million in food and logistical assistance for UN World Food Program relief operations in the former Burma, bring the total US aid to US$16.25 million.

'We will send two flights of relief supplies tomorrow and then we'll take it one day at a time from there,' she said.

'It's a drop in a bucket for what they're going to need and we would hope that the Burmese junta would allow more flights to come in,' Ms Perino said, adding that the president was 'very concerned about it'.

Waiting for visas
The first US C-130 cargo plane that flew into Yangon from Thailand on Monday carried 8,300 bottles of water, 1,350 blankets and 10,800 mosquito nets, which will help as many as 30,000 people, Mr Luu told reporters at the State Department.

The United Nations says 1.5 million people are in need of immediate assistance from the cyclone, in which up to 100,000 people are feared dead.

Ms Fore, Adm Keating and Mr Bill Berger, the leader of a US disaster relief team that has been waiting unsuccessfully for a week to get visas for Myanmar, met Burmese authorities at the airport and urged them to 'open up access, to issue additional visas and to bring in additional supplies', Mr Luu added.

The Americans were at the airport for about two hours, he said.

'I think we have to stay optimistic on this,' Mr Luu said, while acknowledging that there was 'massive concern' about whether the aid would in fact reach cyclone victims.

While Myanmar's reclusive military government is accepting aid from the outside world, including the United Nations, it will not let in foreign logistics teams, who were queuing up in Bangkok hoping to get visas from the Myanmar Embassy.

US officials had been told last week that the Myanmar government 'would accept our commodities but not accept our disaster experts', Mr Luu said.

Adm Keating had said before taking off that he would urge the junta to allow a 'long, continuous train of flights' that could carry up to 90,720kg of relief goods a day.

The new assistance would include US$12 million for food aid that will arrive in the coming weeks, including 1,000 tonnes of urgently needed food from a US Aid Food for Peace warehouse in Djibouti in Eastern Africa, Ms Perino said. -- REUTERS

* more on Szechuan's 7.8 earthquake (extracted from straitstimes.com)



Confusion, Warnings in Beijing following earthquake

BEIJING - CHINA'S seismology authority on Monday denied issuing a warning that a strong earthquake could strike Beijing in the evening, following a major quake in the country's southwest.

'We have issued no such warning,' Mr Li Qianghua, a top official at the China Earthquake Bureau, was quoted as saying by the government's main website.

The People's Daily, the ruling Communist Party's main mouthpiece, had reported earlier on its website that a quake measuring between two and six on the Richter scale could hit Beijing late on Monday.

That warning came shortly after a 7.8 magnitude quake far to the south in Sichuan province also was felt in Beijing.

Residents of the capital had been warned to take unspecified precautions.

The earlier warning had said the quake could hit at between 10 pm (0200 GMT) and midnight (0400 GMT) on Monday.

But Li called that report 'false'.

AFP could not get through to the earthquake administration directly by phone.

The Sichuan quake caused buildings in Beijing, 1,500 kilometres away, to sway and forced hordes of office workers to flee buildings. -- AFP




EU, Japan offer aid in China quake

BRUSSELS - THE European Union (EU) offered assistance to China on Monday following the massive earthquake, saying information from the region was 'worrying'.

The European Commission was closely monitoring the situation, a statement said, quoting Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel.

'Actual information is very sketchy but it seems likely that the quake has caused substantial damage over a considerable area, and there are already reports of some loss of life. We are ready to assist if the need arises.'

Japan also told China it was ready to provide as much relief as possible to victims of the quake.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda made the pledge in a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, expressing his sympathy following the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake, the ministry said in a statement.

Mr Fukuda said he was 'prepared to provide as much assistance as possible (to China) if necessary', the statement said, without elaborating. -- AFP
China quake leaves 8,533 dead in one province: Xinhua

BEIJING - A POWERFUL earthquake killed an estimated 8,533 people in just one county of south-western China's Sichuan province on Monday, Xinhua news agency said.

The estimated death toll in Sichuan's Beichuan county was at 8,533, with 10,000 believed injured in the 7.8-magnitude quake, it said, citing the Sichuan provincial disaster relief headquarters.

Xinhua said 80 per cent of the buildings in the county were toppled by the quake.

Prior to the estimated toll from Beichuan, official media reports said 107 people had been confirmed dead in the quake.

The quake was felt in cities across a swathe of Southeast Asia including the Thai capital Bangkok, more than 1,800km from the epicentre in Sichuan province.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called it a 'major disaster' and urged calm.


Chinese students help a fainted classmate evacuate to a playground for safety in Qionglai city, Sichuan province.

Xinhua news agency also reported that up to 900 students were feared buried when a high school collapsed in Dujiangyan, which has a population of some 600,000.

At least four children were confirmed dead there, Xinhua said, and quoted a local official saying 'rows of houses', and a hospital had also been demolished.

Another four children died and more than 100 were injured when two primary schools crumbled in the sprawling metropolis of Chongqing.

'Facing disaster the most important thing is calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership,' Mr Wen told China's CCTV television on a flight to the heart of the quake-hit zone.

'We will definitely overcome this major disaster'.

President Hu Jintao urged an 'all-out' effort to rescue victims. Military troops were ordered to help with the disaster relief work.

The quake struck 93km from Chengdu, a city of more than 12 million people, and some 260km from Chongqing and its 30 million.

The State Seismological Bureau located its epicenter in Wenchuan County, a mountainous region home to the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's leading research and breeding base for endangered giant pandas.

Xinhua quoted an official saying the landmark Three Gorges Dam in Sichuan province had not been affected.

However, buildings shook in Beijing and Shanghai, residents reported, with many people evacuating tower blocks and rushing onto the street. There were no immediate reports of damage there.

Tremors were also felt in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Hanoi and Taipei, residents there said.

Both the Chinese seismological bureau and the US Geological Survey (USGS), which use different scales, measured it at 7.8.

The quake struck shortly before 2.30pm (0630 GMT), according to the USGS, at a depth of just 10km.

A series of aftershocks continued to rock the region, including one of 5.8 felt near Chengdu, according to the USGS.

Transport, communications in chaos
Transport and communication networks around China were thrown into chaos.

All trains to and from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, were ordered to stop, the Chengdu Business Newspaper reported. Xinhua said the city's airport was also shut down while engineers assessed the runways.

The communication network went down in Sichuan and other areas, including Beijing's mobile phone system - about 1,500km from the epicenter - where tremors were felt.

Local communications were also damaged by the earthquake, which cut off fixed line phone services in four counties in Sichuan, and five counties in neighbouring Gansu province, according to Xinhua.

Key websites on the Internet, including the one belonging to China's Earthquake Department, were inaccessible.

Relatives tried to contact their loved ones in affected areas but often could not get through.

Flights disrupted
Air China announced that all its flights to Chengdu had been diverted to other airports, Xinhua reported, and there were delays reported on planes travelling to neighbouring Chongqing, and Xian in the north.

Singapore Airlines unit SilkAir also said it diverted a flight headed for Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, after its pilots were told that the Chengdu airport was shut following an earthquake.

The plane, which was to have reached Chengdu at 3.30 pm Singapore time has landed at Kunming in the neighbouring Yunnan province, a spokesman from SilkAir said.

Ten flights in and out of Hong Kong were also delayed or cancelled, with one flight from Paris being diverted to Beijing, officials said.

Three departures from Hong Kong to Chengdu were cancelled while one flight from Chengdu to Hong Kong was also scrapped, a Hong Kong Airport Authority spokeswoman said.

'Ten flights were either delayed or cancelled because of the earthquake,' the spokeswoman said. The six other flights faced delays, she added.

Long-haul flights between Hong Kong and London were also disrupted by the quake, the Airport Authority spokeswoman added.

The last powerful quake to hit China was on March 21, a 7.2 magnitude quake which struck near the north-western city of Hotan in Xinjiang province. -- REUTERS, AFP

Read also Olympics: Games venues undamaged by quake: organisers

*extracted from straitstimes.com
*extracted from straitstimes.com


Apple's iPhone to be sold here by year-end

By Chua Hian Hou




Apple is expected to announce a new, 3G version of the iPhone at a developer conference next month. -- PHOTO: APPLE

THE Apple iPhone will be officially sold here in the next few months.
Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) announced on Monday that it had clinched a deal with the gadget's maker, Apple, to launch the device here later this year. It did not say when it would launch the device, or give any details on pricing.

While rival operators StarHub and MobileOne (M1) did not make any official announcements regarding the iPhone, StarHub spokesman Michael Sim said that 'we expect all three operators in Singapore would be offering the iPhone by the end of the year'.

SingTel, StarHub, and M1 had been in discussions with Apple to bring in the device Time Magazine hailed as 2007's device of the year, but negotiations had reportedly stalled due to Apple's unprecedented insistence on an revenue-sharing model.

Apple typically signs exclusive distributorship deals with one operator per market, pocketing a 10 to 30 per cent of phone revenues from its partner. This is usually the main reason operators in countries like China refuse to carry the iPhone.

When news broke last week that both Vodafone and Telecom Italia would be selling the device in Italy, it sparked rumours that Apple had finally dropped its insistence on revenue-sharing in order to capture a larger market share.

Apple spokesman Jill Tan declined to say if it had a revenue-sharing model with SingTel.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Little prince turned 14 months today!!!

Recap on his achievements:

~ love to ‘yang o’ a lot

~ knows how to remove his shoes

~ getting more & more demanding

~ knows how to tip toe

~ knows how to keep his toys when asked him to

~ will automatic go to the living room & lie on his favourite cushion while waiting for his milk to be served

~ loves climbing up & down the stairs, sofas & bed

~ he will point to the person that we called out

~ will take his shoes when he know we’re bringing him out

~ will stand @ the door waiting for ILs when seeing them dressed up & ready to go work

~ will point to the room when asking if he wanna sleep

~ LOVE lazing on the bed when woke up (inherited from both Mummy & Daddy)

~ love flipping thru’ story books & looking @ birds or bear bear’s pics

~ love the ‘ABC’ song & fall asleep almost immediately when I hum that song to him @ night

~ LOVE to cuddle Mummy or Daddy when sleeping

~ love to play with other kiddos whenever we’re out shopping still

~ whine abit after he finished his milk

Still anticipating on his 1st word/short sentence… He will be taking his MMR jab next month… Maybe next year shall try for a #2 & little prince will be the BIG BROTHER to take care of his bro/sis... already in the midst of planning... =)

老公 currently on reservist & will be away for outfield training for almost 1 week starting next Monday (Vesak Day)… He WILL, for sure MISS little prince A LOT… Too bad he couldn’t bring camera phone with him… Hmm… maybe I’ll develop some pics of little prince & ME & put in his wallet, so that he can still ‘see’ us whenever he want… =)


Happy 1st Birthday Kenan!!!


Went over to 小姨’s (老公 side) with ILs, 老公, bil & little prince for a short visit… Little prince was overwhelmed by 小姨’s 11 cats & I was pretty surprised that he’s not afraid of any of the cats… He kept walking towards the cats but don’t have the courage to touch… The only thing that little prince was afraid of was when 老公 & bil moved the Queen size mattress out from one of the rooms to discard… Little prince cried when they were doing the shifting & for a while I thought they might have injured him… But when I examined little prince, I saw no bruises, cut or any injuries… 老公 told me that when he’s young, he also cried when he saw the big mattress… Hmm… so little prince inherited that from 老公?

Supposed to be @ Aloha Loyang @ 7pm, to attend Kenan’s 1st birthday, but only reached there after the cake cutting… The place was filled with kids & saw a few of my friends that I’ve lost contact with… Little prince was more interested in playing with a 9 month old baby boy when I placed him on the sofas… They looked pretty cute, especially when little prince took the party bag from my bestie’s (of 14 good years) bag…




I miss her soooooooo much!!





My bestie of 14 years & more years to come!

I’m really glad that I managed to attend Kenan’s birthday as I finally got the chance to catch up with my bestie & other friends like the good old days… That kind of feeling’s really indescribable… How I wish we could turn back the time… Shall have another gathering soon!
To all the wonderful, pretty & hot mummies & mummies-to-be:




祝天下每一位伟大的母亲:

母亲节快乐!!!