.::. Overwhelmed .::.

Everything is coming together.

We sent out enquires about the location, chose my engagement diamond (*wee), chose our wedding bands, checked out the dresses and shoes, checked out the procedures and timelines.

My mum is asking me for a dragon baby. This is not going to happen, unless I am still intending to give birth when I'm 37.

Now, we are all ready.

Except that the weakest link in the whole process have yet to give the nod. I pray that all will roll out smoothly though I have this nagging worry.

I reckon there's no better way to celebrate our 7th anniversary.

.::. Trivelis and Casa Clementi .::.

Trivelis, the Clementi DBSS is finally launched today, and was crazily packed with people. It is the most crowded DBSS showflat I have visited!

The model of the flats were impressive, very big and very pretty.

Units wise, I had low expectations given their small sizes. 4 room flats are merely 82m2 while 5 room flats were 105m2.

However, I actually liked the layout of the units. It's probably the best layout compared to Tampinies, Bedok and Yuan Ching's. 5 room flats were very comfortable, you can easily fit a baby cot into the master bedroom and still have space to walk. 4 rooms were pretty decent too, you can fit bedside tables in the master bedrooms. I never quite got over the shock that Tampineses' DBSS had master bedrooms which can only fit a queen-sized bed and nothing else.

Having said that, it's still very expensive if I compare it to the BTO we got. The 4 rooms at Trivelis cost at least 525k and can go up to 600k. 5 rooms cost up to over 700k. BTO cost about 500k for 100m2 of space, and is almost equivalent to DBSS's 5-room. That's 200k of difference!

But when you compare to the resale in that area, prices have been over 600k for 91m2 flats. You can get those 30-year-old flats for about 500k, but it's really in bad condition. The flats have lifts which goes only to 1st, 6th and 12th floor and it looks really worn out. I really would rather pay for the DBSS than pay 500k for these old flats which may be enbloc in the next 10-20 years.

So if I really wanted to stay in Clementi, I would still be very interested in the DBSS. Nan Hua Primary School and Pei Tong Primary school is just a stone's throw away, with Clementi Mall and Clementi Central 5 minutes away. I would get it just so my kid can go into Nan Hua Primary!

After dropping by the show flat, we had lunch at the food center. It was my favorite Dumpling Noodle during our university days, and there's a long queue. The teochew fish porridge must be pretty good too, it always has a queue too.

The delicious wanton noodles.

My dumpling noodles and the fried dumplings.

*yums.

Then we went to check out Clementi Mall since there was a heavy downpour. I'm pleasantly surprised that Clementi Mall has almost everything! There's Ya Kun, NTUC Finest, Library, Challenger, Crystal Jade, Soup Restaurant, Charles and Keith and so many other shops there! I was high. Clementi Central had everything I needed.

We walked to Casa Clementi to recee our future home. The walk from the train station took about 10 minutes. It is faster if you cut across the blocks and take the overhead bridge instead of going on the main road. It takes 5 minutes to reach the NTUC and food center area, another 5 to reach the train station.

We peeped into the construction site and the units looked almost ready.

Then we went up to 12th level at the opposite block to have a bird's eye view of the project. We were trying to see which were the worst units to avoid.

And this is how the blocks looked like. Very high buildings.

I'm excited. Looking forward to having my own place soon!

.::. Sale of Balance Flats 2011 - Results! .::.

So, so...

The anticipation is finally over. It has been a long month, feeling tensed and jittery. Did I mention that I hate waiting like that?

We got it, we got it!

人啊，不能贪心。

I really wanted it with all my heart, I prayed so hard. I told god to please give me a unit, I'll take it as long as it's 5th level and above.

All my dreams are coming true, everything I wished for all my life.

Thank god, for blessing me and always answering my prayers. I'm going back to the temple to give thanks, though it's really what's in the heart that matters.

I only got more spiritual during my stay in Sweden. I guess when you are all alone, witnessing all the beauty on earth, it takes away all the stress and what matters most becomes obvious. There were so many moments which took my breath away and really taught me to cherish life and appreciate things more. It could be the blue skies, snowfall, postcards I receive, message from the boyfriend, web-caming with my family. Everything made me feel thankful to be alive and experiencing these. So much so that I wouldn't mind dropping dead the next moment, I'll still be smiling and thankful for all I'm given.

It was when I was alone in Kiruna, -25 degrees, no one in sight, and my only tiny map and info flew away that I really talked to god. I fell, while my map spiraled in the air. I was scared, and desperate to make it to the ice-hotel. There was no bus operating on a Sunday and I was dismayed. In the end, the answer seemed obvious, pay for a 100sgd cab to get there! Another 100sgd back. I had to scrimp the months after, but it was so worth it.

Sometimes, the answer is so simple when you put things in perspective.

Now, there's no reason to 'change' my god since he's been so gracious with me.

I guess it takes some time for this to sink in, and all the eventual implications. I feel 100k richer, like a windfall since BTO is so much cheaper and bigger than DBSS in the same estate. I can survive with walking 10 more minutes!

I will definitely make full use of the next 5 years of youth before I settle down and have kids!

.::. Belvia & Lake Vista .::.

So we have been visiting all the DBSS show flats these 2 weekends.

I am not particularly interested in both, as I prefer to stay near MRT.

Belvia is about 8 busstops or 15 minutes away from Bedok MRT. I dislike shuttle bus, since it easily adds 20-25 minutes to your travel time. It's especially so during peak periods when the interchange is really crowded and you can't walk quickly among the crowds. Imagine if it rains and you are ambushed by sales people. I'd rather walk for 10-15 minutes to reach the train station instead.

Outside the show flat.

It was so crowded.

We still applied for it anyway, since it's free without any obligation. I liked the area around Bedok Reservoir though, I can imagine jogging around it. I realized that I like to stay near greenery and places to jog.

The best thing about Belvia is the NTUC just across the street. There were also many other neighborhood shops, MMI kindergarden and Mavis tuition center for your kids, Sheng Shiong and many coffeeshops. I love having such amenities nearby!

I dislike the very tiny dining area though. But I reckon I wouldn't mind staying there if we get a high-level unit (above 10) facing the reservoir.

Prices are about 525k average for 4-room flats and probably 600k for the high-level reservoir facing ones. Expensive.

We went to Lake Vista this weekend.

I'm not very interested though it's really near my parents' place and we qualify for another 10k grant. However, it's so much further to the MRT. Although there's a Sheng Shiong and food center opposite, with MacDonalds and Superbowl, the area isn't that great. There may be an LRT in that area in future, but that is still a question mark.

I liked the noticeably bigger flats though. The rooms are so much more comfortable and decent. The view from high floors should be filled with greenery too, I like. Prices start from 500k - 585k for 4-rooms flat. It's cheap for DBSS but when you compare it with resale flats nearby, I'm not so sure about it.

*sigh.

We'll be visiting Clementi's Trevilis show flat this Wednesday, but I'm praying that we get Casa Clementi instead. 500k for 100m2 of space is a lot more appealing to 600k for 82m2 of space.

I find myself becoming reluctant to pay 600k for a tiny cramped apartment. I like small, but this is way too small! While I don't find these flats 'unaffordable', it's really a high price to pay for good locations and amenities these days. Resale prices have been hitting the 700k mark in these areas these days. Clementi must have the smallest and most expensive DBSS around.

Let's see how things go.

Bless me.

.::. Thursday in Pictures .::.

My the 4th day, I was totally wiped out.

After 3 full 8am-11pm days and drinking, all of us were half-dead.

Our meeting over-run and my portion of the presentation took like 10 minutes.

Then, it was over.

Goodbye to my free flow TWG tea and Nespresso coffee.

I had the chance to lie on the bed in Four Seasons as my very kind Thai colleague invited me to her room to lie down for a while before we left for night activities. It was oh-so-good! The best bed I have ever slept on. Very firm, yet soft and you simply sink into it.

Moreover, the service at Four Seasons was really good.

Last day's activity was cycling at East Coast Park.

With my pretty Thai colleague. She looks so much younger than her actual age!!!

Most of us weren't very keen on cycling. Someone stopped by a bar, then everyone followed suit and we ended up drinking beer after cycling for like 400m.

It was really funny, for our director (the one who chose this activity) was happily cycling away while we drank and laughed.

Dinner was at Red House. Food was alright, chill crab was too sweet to my liking. I think I prefer Jumbo still.

.::. Wednesday in Pictures .::.

It was the first day of our regional meeting. Nothing exciting to talk about.

It's always the nights that are fun.

We were off to our Moet capsule on the Singapore Flyer.

View from the top.

The Moet counter and our champagnes!

All of us were pretty excited and enjoying ourselves up there.

The feature bottle display. It was dusty.

A group picture of half of us.

The Thai girls were really fun and nice!

3 Singaporeans. 1 Hong Konger.

Dinner was at a French Restaurant at Club Street with good reviews.

We had champagne and wine again!

The steak was pretty good! I love the oven-baked tomatoes.

The snails was very delicious.

The interior of the restaurant.

They served warm chocolate cake and creme brûlée, both very traditional French desserts. Sadly, my chocolate cake wasn't that nice. The creme brûlée was huge and very creamy.

Overall, the food was still pretty good, but may easily cost almost 100 per head.

.::. Tuesday in pictures .::.

It was the second day. The most fun night of all.

After the long day, concluding the training for 7 habits of effective people, we were ferried to Dempsey's Vintage India where we booked an area for mixing and wine tasting.

We were greeted by Bob, the mixologist who was working in Beijing currently. He flew over for the day just for this.

There were a few sets of utensils for us to try mixing cocktails after he demonstrated it. All the mixing was done with Grand Marnier, which is blended with cognac and fresh oranges. We tried Magarita, Cosmopolitan, Mojito and B25. I loved the Mojito best, which was served with oranges, mint leaves, grand mariner, and soda.

The demonstration, crushing the mint leaves and orange cubes.

It was a lot of fun really.

The mixing competition and demonstration continued till 7-ish, till all of us were hungry.

Notice those little red bubbles from Grand Marnier.

Apart from Grand Marnier, we were there specially to taste the Casa Lapostolle wines.

Yves, the brand ambassador introducing his brand.

Grand Marnier and the red bubble. It is filled with cocktails with an 'ice-cube' which lights up on contact with liquid. I like! I took 2 red bubbles home.

It was a night of carnage. I drank at least 7 cups of wines and tasted many other cocktails. Surprisingly, I was 100% sober. My head was barely throbbing, like it usually does after a glass - I wonder why.

It was fun, when you try all the different wines at one time and learn about the characteristics of different grape varieties. Most people could taste the grape varieties just after a sip! After drinking more wine, it becomes obvious which are good wines and which are the not-so-good ones.

The after-dinner drink - Grand Marnier mixed with Hennessy VSOP and then heated up. It was good!

The restaurant with our brands.

The dinner which was really not very good at all. It was a bad choice for it becomes difficult to taste wine when your mouth is numb with spicy curry! We were supposed to be at a Spanish restaurant in Dempsey, but they refused to allow our wines and the mixing event. We ended up with lots of left-over food.

The restaurant was almost empty on a weekday night. Only the bread and naan tasted great.

My least favorite grape variety. It leaves your mouth numb.

I have very fun colleagues, especially after few drinks.

This was really good!

I enjoyed myself a lot that night, and learnt lots about wine. =)

.::. Monday in Pictures .::.

Today was the start of our 4-day regional meeting.

View from the 20th floor meeting room.

Self-improvement.

This has got to be my favorite part of this 4 days worth of training and meeting!

Free-flow of my favorite TWG tea and Nespresso coffee!!

I tried 5 different teas today and my favorite is still French Earl Grey and also Grand Wedding (iirc). The camomile was really good too. The Sencha and Jasmine green tea wasn't impressive and probably not worth it for the price.

Buffet lunch with macaroons!

Dinner at IndoChine Empress Place. I loved the feel of the place, right along the Singapore river. There was a live band too.

The appetizer platter. I loved the spring rolls.

Moet bubbles and Chandon red Shiraz.

Surprisingly, I had no kick even though I had 2 (small) glasses of champagne and 3 glasses of red wine. I actually enjoyed it very much.

Mango sticky rice for dessert.

Enjoy the little things in life and the nice people you meet along the way.