Pastor Kong Hee

I first came to City Harvest Church in 1998 (*gulp!* makes me feel old). Fresh out of Junior College, and waiting to enter University. My sister was attending another church then, and she invited me to that church on a Saturday. As my mom was a Roman Catholic, I’ve been to mass before, but never really “connected” nor felt the need to regularly attend every Sunday. That Saturday, as I sat in that other church, I felt a little disconnected and “weird”… I looked around at how the church members were worshipping and ministered by God, and I totally felt alienated!

Probably, God was “prepping” me for CHC! Haha! The very next day, I answered a friend’s invite, and went for CHC service. Can you imagine? A totally unspiritual person like me, going for church TWICE in a weekend? Totally weird! Haha! And all I remember of that first service on 15 March 1998 was that: #1 it was a bilingual service. Pastor Kong was preaching and Ting was interpreting in Chinese (a language I was never very good nor keen in) and #2 for the life of me, I cannot remember that message! But I felt the tug of God and answered the altar call that same day. And it’s been a wonderful journey since! :)

I adore CHC and I totally love Pastor Kong. He is such a cool and relevant pastor. He is forward-thinking, a man of great vision, and most importantly, who leads us by example in loving God wholeheartedly and loving the people around him as well! As my pastor, I love and respect him, and as my boss – my respect for him g-r-o-w-s even more as I am more acutely aware of his busy schedule and many commitments. How ever does he do it?!? It is mind-boggling!

To know about my Pastor, check out his weekly blogs – very enlightening!

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The Difference Between Daddy & Mommy

Mommy: Dear, Baby has drool on his chin. Can you wipe it off?

Daddy: OK. (Wipes off drool with baby’s tee-shirt)

Mommy: I meant with some tissue…

~~~

Daddy brings Baby into the room to make him sleep.

20 minutes later, Mommy enters.

Baby is awake. Daddy is not.

Mommy: Dear? Dear? Dear! (nudges Daddy’s legs)

Daddy: (Stirs…) Hmmm…?

Mommy: What are you doing?

Daddy: Pretending to be asleep to see what Baby will do.

~~~

It’s amazing how very differently we think and operate and see things.

Nic is a fantastic Daddy still! :)

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The Weekend Beckons…

It has been one of those weeks.

I can’t wait for the weekend to begin. :)

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I Heart Online Shopping… I REALLY DO!

I. Am. Addicted. To. Online. Shopping.

I love it when the postman comes by with a package – makes me feel like  it’s literally feels like Christmas every time! The fun of opening that package to see what you managed to snag at an online store.

Now, if you are a regular reader, you’d know of my online shopping escapades at Old Navy & Gap (mainly for Jayvon’s clothes), Aldo Shoes, and I’ve also bought things from Victoria’s Secret & Charlotte Russe.

I was introduced to Revolve Clothing by Wendy, and it is such a fabulous find. I bought some Junk Food tees and a nice belt there previously.

But I am so happy with this buy that just came two days ago.

It is from a brand called Morphine Generation. I own a top from this brand, and it is not very cheap. So when I saw this tee, I simply had to make an order.

Oh, but the BEST part? It was on sale and going for just US$20! I was soooooooooooooooooooooooo happy with this tee when it came that it really made my day! Woo-hoo!

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We’re Back!

From the party, that is.

What a huge affair. All that food (completely wiped out, despite my last minute increase in the food!), all that deco (thanks Johnson for helping with the balloons and all!), and all that people (So many of you came! We are all overwhelmed by your presence & presents! Thanks for the effort!)!

Yes – I will post up the photos later tonight.

First… to crash on my bed. Haha!

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Thought For The Week: Eternity

Eccl. 3:11 (Amplified Bible):

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted ETERNITY in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

This week's service with Rev John Bevere was really good, and it helped to set the tone for the whole year.

Eternity. Our calling. Our work. Our purpose.

And how we (as Christians) will be judged not based on what we DO... but what we have been CALLED to do.

This has really set me thinking...

I feel 2008 has really gone by too fast. So much so that I can hardly recall more than a fistful of really significant things that have happened.

But I want 2009 to be a more fulfilling year. I don't just want another cliche ("My best year yet!") but I want to be stretched and be able to encompass more this year. So much for me to do. And so much for me to become!

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Nic's Birthday Present (From MOI!)

 

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Why I Heart Blogging

I was just thinking last night... Why I enjoy blogging so.

It is not because I am "too free" (Hey! I'm a working mom, you know?)

Nor is it because I have such great insights on things
(*coughcough-idontthinkso-cough!*)

In the course of my work, I already write a LOT. But the bulk of my work has got to do with "proper" English. As it is when it comes to minutes, official (or should it be officious? Hmmm...) emails, policies et al.

I have mastered the art of using words such as:

Deliberated... Reviewed... Discussed... Highlighted... Indicated... Expressed... (and other synonyms to basically mean the matter was talked about!)

All of which are hardly words that I will use in "normal" every day life.

So blogging serves as code-switching to me. While I make ample use of my proper, grammatically correct English and extensively profound vocabulary in the workplace, blogging helps me to just write for the sake of it. Blogging allows me to put in many full stops (........) which is a punctation mark I strangely adore! It allows me to type without really having to think too much about the tenses or grammar (though for my dear readers' sakes, I do try to not make too many errors! Haha!) While I try to keep myself concise in business writing, blogging allows me to r-a-m-b-l-e... which I do. A bit. Okay. Maybe a teensy bit more than a bit. Alright, you got me. I ramble. A lot.

Hahaha! My point exactly.

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2008 Milestones

JANUARY
Our Prince was born! Our lives are never the same again!

Soon after discharging from the hospital, he had a bad bout of jaundice and for the first month, Nic and I were shuttling him to and fro for his regular check-ups! What an emotional rollercoaster ride this month was!

We also employed our very first domestic helper, Lyn.

FEBRUARY
Jayvon's one-month celebration! All the cakes and traditional red eggs! It also officially meant the end of my "confinement" period (err... but those who know me would also know this was just a formality! Hahaha! I totally did not adhere to the "traditional" Chinese-style confinement do's and don'ts. Ssssh....)

MARCH
Still enjoying my maternity leave, and my poor baby had to go for his jabs! So expensive!

Oh, and March 15 marked my DECADE-long attendance in my home church - City Harvest Church!

After two months with Lyn, our domestic helper, we decided she really couldn't meet the mark. She was untidy, clumsy and I could not trust her with my prince alone. So, we decided to get another maid, one that we could trust to help with the baby.

APRIL
Back to work (already?!?). Physically, I was back in the office, but mentally and emotionally, it took a while for it all to kick in.

I sent my second maid back too. After a great first three days with us, she started to show her "true colours." She was lazy and emotionally manipulative, and a hypochondriac to boot. Do I sound harsh? Haha... I guess on hindsight, I really did feel for her in the beginning, but as her lies piled up (and her productivity dipped and our morales dipped even further), we realised we had made a big booboo and decided to send her back. What an expensive lesson we had.

The total cost of my first two maids? A sweat-inducing S$2,200 in maid agency fees and insurance, plus another $600 for the maid levy. And for three months of work received, we got back a oh-so-generous refund of S$188. Yes - that maid agency gets a glowing recommendation from me! (Excuse me while I roll my eyes and count to ten...)  didn't really get a chance to really give a blow-by-blow blog entry about these two maids. But it was quite a harrowing experience that for the next two months, Nic and I decided to "stay away" from employing another maid for a while. Sending our maids back, while needful at that time, was hardly a "fun and enjoyable" experience. As difficult it was for our maids, it was emotionally draining for us too.

MAY
Mainly cos of our maid woes, Nic and I decided to stay on permanently (for the next one year, at least) in Marine Parade.

JUNE
Our third domestic helper, Mun, comes into our lives. She is a blessing! She is hardworking, and alert... but most importantly, she loves my baby too!

Things are looking up! Nic bought me a gorgeous Kate Spade diaper bag, the one I've been eyeing for the longest time! Heh!

JULY - AUGUST
With a  good helper in the form of Mun, our lives started improving. I really admire working moms who do not have domestic help. How on earth do they manage? I am so NOT a home-y person, and I struggle with household chores. Even in pre-Jayvon days, I dreaded to do household chores! Haha!

This period is my regular busy time, working on the Festival of Praise. What a great privilege it is to be able to do so! ;)

SEPTEMBER
YK Zone Retreat! Jayvon's very first overseas trip!

Ooh, and not forgetting: The blog entry that started it all. Revelation! Haha!

OCTOBER
 
My life has henceforth changed. My Blackberry Bold has come!!

NOVEMBER
Asia Conference 2008. 'nuff said. 

DECEMBER
Merry, merry Christmas!

2009, here we come! :)

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Confessions of a Closet Online Shopper

It all started so innocently yesterday afternoon.

I wanted to go get some Christmas presents and so popped by Aldo Accessories to pick out some. After much deliberation and getting two presents from there (Oooooo... How efficient am I... not!), I strolled over to Aldo Shoes (conveniently located just next door!)

That was Fatal Mistake #1.

Fatal Mistake #2? Trying on some shoes!

And I loved this cute and chic dual-toned pair. I could picture walking down 0rchard Road in these! Haha...

Damage? S$135. A non-sale item.

Before I could make any impulse buy there and then, my credit limit was saved-by a phone call! So I decided to go off, and think before making that buy.

And I thought that was the end of that.

I even came home, met some of the zone leaders to talk about our upcoming 28 December Thanksgiving meeting (Heads up: it's going to be sooooooo fun! Cos I'm in the organizing committee! Haha!) ... Tucked Jay in... Had a conference call with JD and the 2 Audreys... I even blogged!

When all was done, I took the laptop to the room, planning to play online Scrabble (that's how when you are husband-less... sob!) And with Jayvon sleeping beside me on the bed, I took the comp, and before getting to the Scrabble website... I made Fatal Mistake #3: I keyed in www.aldoshoes.com.

And lo and behold!!! The very pair of shoes I tried on that afternoon!!! On SALE!!! At US$45! Aaaahhh! And free shipping with purchases above US$50 too!

Gosh... Well, the rest was a blur.

In the end... I bought the shoes and 2 accessories (might as well get the free shipping, I reckon!)... Racking up US$55 which comes up to S$85. Of course this excludes shipping charges from US to SG, which should cost another $20-30, but with the original shoe costing S$135, I figured it is still quite a bargain!

What fun, online shopping!

I've always enjoyed shopping for Jay's clothes from Gap or Old Navy online. I just looked through my photo archives-here're some of the recent buys I have made. One-piece rompers, jackets (many many of these!), polo tees, jeans, tees... I've even bought baby SOCKS from Old Navy once!

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The 10 Property Laws Of Toddlers

Teresa forwarded this email to me late last night. (Hmmm... Were you trying to tell me something?) Nonetheless it brought a smile to my face, and I'm sure it will to you too!
The 10 Property Laws of Toddlers

Law #1: If I like it, it's mine.

Law #2:If it's in my hand, it's mine.

Law #3: If I can take it from you, it's mine.

Law #4: If I had it a little while ago, it's still mine.

Law #5: If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

Law #6: If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.

Law #7: If it looks just like mine, it's mine.

Law #8: If I saw it first, it's mine.

Law #9: If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

Law #10: If it's broken, it's yours.

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Feeding My Baby

One of my biggest headaches in the past two weeks is... What do I feed Jayvon?!? At 10-months, he has passed yet another milestone of his life, and I want him to fully enjoy LIFE! In all its tastes & textures!

So I've scoured numerous online websites, trying to find recipes & the type of foods that he is able to eat. Well, most have been quite helpful, though a lot of conflicting information out there still exists! Some websites say you can feed soft-boiled egg yolk (just 1 or 2 small teaspoons) to a baby as young as 6 months. Others say you have to fully cook (i.e. hard boiled) the egg yolk. Yet others say keep baby away from eggs till he/she turns one year old. Me? I gave my baby some soft-boiled egg yolk to sample when he was about 7 months!

So in the recent days, I have went on a mini shopping spree! And the items I've purchased?

• Alphabet-shaped macaronis
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• ORGANIC pasta
• ORGANIC oats
• ORGANIC biscuits (he loves this!)
• A brand new plate
• New spoons (for self-feeding... Not successful so far, but hey, I've got to at least start training him...)
• A water tumbler for him to drink from a straw (he loves this too!)

And I'm still not done! I want to get some more unsalted butter (to make mashed potatoes for him), grated cheddar cheese, dried apricots and avocado!

Well, Teresa's been griping about how ORGANIC stuff are good for baby. So I went to the organic corner at Carrefour to pick up some items. They have quite a number of organic food stuffs especially for babies! The salesman also told me that a bigger baby food range will be coming next week, so I'll pop by after work soon again!

So I'm slowly introducing him different foods, once every few days.

I like this particular website: AnnabelKarmel.com

They offer good tips and healthy recipes for babies all the way to children aged 12!

But my baby's a fussy baby, and he doesn't take to new foods. Even to now, his food intake's really low. I know looking at his size, you'd be hard-pressed to believe me - but it is TRUE! Hahaha! He hardly finishes his milk and his porridge...

But the one thing he loves, absolutely adores... is fruits! Mashed bananas, apples, pears, grapes... He slurps them up!

Here're some pictures of how he enjoy his twice-weekly dosage of fruits. This "fruit-eater" contraption I bought when he was just 6 months old is a very very worthy investment!

But nothing says he loves apples like this video!

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Back @ Work!

After such an awesomely-awesome and awesomely-tiring week...

I am back at work!

Now, putting the Asia Conference behind us...

We have Christmas ahead!!!

*gulp!*

I love Christmas! I really do!

The Orchard Road decor (this year's really pretty!)... The Christmas shopping (the only time of the year Nic wont nag too much at me! Hahaha!)... Oh, and it is my baby's very first Christmas! Wooooo... So fun!

In case you're wondering, and I know a lot of you kind souls out there lurve my Jayvon as much as we do... you can get him Mothercare vouchers! Hahaha! Cos we need to get a good carseat for him. But if you must choose his wardrobe, please buy at least 18-24 months sizing or 2 years... unless you want Eljasz to wear the clothes! =)

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Jayvon's Baby Dedication Service

Nic & I excitedly brought Jayvon for his Baby Dedication Service @ Expo on Saturday, Nov 15. and joining him on this very special day were his friends like Jaelyn, Thomas George, Damian, Keira, Justyn... in fact a total of 66 babies were dedicated to the Lord on Saturday itself! Wow!

Here we are, waiting for our cue to enter the hall.

So you can imagine, the atmosphere at the Singapore Expo Hall 8 as the mini-multitude of babies started parading down to the front of the stage. The babies were all very well-behaved too! None were bawling or weepy. (Of cos, as they were all a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and the sound and the lights, so they only acted up after the dedication! Haha!)

As Pastor Kong could not rush back on time after the Jurong West service, he specially went to the Nursery to pray for each baby individually when the service ended!

And Pastor's prayer for Jayvon? He prayed that Jayvon will grow up to be WISE & INTELLIGENT! Amen!

Oh, and if you are wondering why my 10-month old normally-frisky baby was so docile in my arms?

Cos he totally KO-ed (knocked out) immediately after service ended, in Daddy's arms. He was super tired from all the excitement! Haha! So dear Jayvon, when you first met Pastor Kong, you were happily snoozing away!

Photos aren't of the highest quality (sigh... Nic's camera phone) but our help & salvation came when we saw our dearest Yang Zheng! So... once he finds time to send me the nice pics, I'll post them up too!!!

Thanks to E277 & E480 for your lovely present to Jayvon! Forgot to take a pic, and my maid has washed it already, but I really love the gift! I had planned to get a beanie for my baby, so he can wear in the Nursery.... and the pullover's great! Yes, I do have many sweaters for Jayvon but no pullover yet! So your gifts are thoughtful and spot-on!

After the baby dedication, my parents-in-law were also present and so we went off the Aston's Prime along Joo Chiat Road for a family dinner. Aston's Prime is a more atas (colloquialism, meaning expensive!) place compared to the sister Aston's Specialties.

I ordered the Chicken Waldorf Salad, and the portion was big enough for the 6 of us to share! At $10, it is a steal!

I had the Carbonara (nice!) and other dishes ordered included Breaded Fish (quite nice too!), Fisherman's Catch (looked very appetising!), Chicken Pesto (yummy!) and Chicken Fillet Burger. The last item was for Mun, my domestic help. It looked phenomenal! Came in a nicely toasted bun with lots of thick fries around. Unfortunately, she didn't like it - and said it tasted like FISH. Reason? The Chicken Fillet was seasoned with balsamic vinegar, so it took some getting used to. Ah well, Nic quite liked it anyhow!

Nic & I agreed, we should come over for dinner another time soon (& this time I will get to take photos, I promise!)

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Happy Birthday Dear Evan!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to one of the

greatest gals I know! :)

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My 2nd Wedding Anniversary

November 11, 2008 marked our second wedding anniversary. How time flies! (This is an oft-heard expression in my blog...)

I started this blog to just jot down my memories & thoughts as I was preparing to get married... all the w-a-y back in August 2006! And fast forward to this day now, I am already a mother of an (almost) 10-month old. Wow...

Though in the thick of the Asia Conference preparations, Nic & I both took leave to spend the day together. And we decided to pamper ourselves!

First off... We brought Jayvon & Mun to the Office Nursery. Sorry darling, this is Mummy & Daddy's special day! :)

Then we headed off to Vivocity for a hearty breakfast @ Toast Box. Yummy! I love their sugar thick toast!

And the real reason we went to Vivo for breakfast?

To catch a movie... at GV Gold Class.

In the darkness of the cinema, this close up of the seat cover was the best shot. But it was a fantastic, "addictive" experience!

The super lush and comfortable seats...

The blanket to snuggle under...

The Coca-cola that didn't come in a paper cup but in a proper glass...

The wonderfully crisp potato wedges...

Aah... Heaven!

Like I said, it is an addictive experience! Nic & I loved it!

Why the splurge? Well, I figured it was pretty worth it. A good 10 months ago, Nic & I would probably catch a movie every 1-2 weeks. So... Spending that $28 after 10 loooooooooooong months, ain't that much of a extravagant expense! More like... a lil' pat on the back! Hahaha...

Well, if you have any spare pair of Gold Class tickets or money, you know where to channel it to! =)

Oh, and the movie? Quantum of Solace. I enjoyed it - typical Bond movie... Chase on the roads, chase on the water, and just when I was thinking about it, yes there was an air-chase too!

After the movie, we walked around a bit, got a few presents and then proceeded to The Cathay to have our late lunch at Aston's Specialties. It was another great experience! I always wanted to try this place, but evening after evening, the snaking queue at the Aston's nearest my place (East Coast Road) would always put me off. So I tried to Honey Bourbon Ribs & Nic tried the Prime Ribeye Xtra Cut.

It was definitely VALUE FOR MONEY! Two finger-licking thumbs up!

I also loved the Cream of Mushroom! Definitely try it! It may be a good idea to go during off-peak times cos the restaurant's almost always crowded. As a sign of things, just outside the restaurant, they were laying the cue-poles, in anticipation of the crowds of people to come!

And after a hearty meal, we went back to the Nursery to pick up Baby! Aah... Here's your chance to celebrate with Daddy & Mummy!

We went to go on the Singapore Flyer! What a fantastic experience! It was fun whilst up there, and Jayvon also was (more or less) well-behaved. Here are some of our pics... At the top view of Singapore!

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Inspired...

By dear Jerb's new blog skin! Hahaha...

So decided to spruce mine up too!

Had a very early start in the office following a great very 1st day of the morning prayer meetings, and so many staff came back to office (Is this a Monday?!? Wow...)

OK... Back to ISO audit preparation...

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Super Dads & Super Moms

I am amazed at my colleagues. As I look around the office, I see many regular & faithful bloggers! Hahaha! 

Given our hectic pace of life here in the office, the oft-late nights, looming deadlines, upcoming Asia Conference and so much more, it is amazing to find these people putting up their thoughts, revelations, and pretty photos up! 

More so when these are Dads & Mums as well to boot!

So a round of applause please, for these Super Dads & Super Mums! Take a peek into their blogs and see their cute kids & deep insights! I am a faithful follower of these blogs!

Ed Unloaded

Ed's my long time friend, and he is AMAZING! After not one, not two but THREE kids, he can still juggle them, his zone, his wife (who sometimes guest-blogs too!) & a very updated blog!

Secret Daisies

Check Klessis' blog! She maintains not one, not two, but THREE blogs! *gulp!* And on top of that, still finds time to cook very delicious bento meals for her darling Joey. Remember Joey? She appeared in my blog before too.

Denise & Debbie Lim

a.k.a. Dawn's two princesses. One-year-old Debbie is Jayvon's fellow Office Nursery mate! She is so cute lor... She walks around the Nursery, has a LOUD and a very clear voice and always gives me a goodbye kiss! Dawn keeps this blog as a diary of where she has brought her princesses too & had loads of pictures too!

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Having A Backward Glance...

Just for fun, I went to see my first few entries on this blog...

I started this blog in Aug 2006 (how time flies!). We were then right smack in the 'heat' of my marriage preparations & so wanted to just note my thoughts back then for us to reminisce! Haha...

But I also happened to see a blog entry where I talked about PASSION fuelling your vision. And how the thing that stirs u will often be the area where God wants you to develop.

Well, that is really so true. If I look at my work load now, compared to a mere 2 years ago, I am really swamped with work that requires 'word-power'. I am a high-I person,(i.e. Sanguine) In other words, totally NOT given to details. But yet all that I do now requires a lot of attention to detail when it comes to my written reports. Alignments... Formatting... Spellchecking... Use of words... Sentence structure...

And the bulk of my work week now is either spent writing (Minutes... Policies... Statements... Emails...) or it is spent reviewing and editing (Minutes... Policies... Statements... Emails...)!

But I guess this is what it means to live in the purpose of God. As you build on your Strength (what u are good in), your Distinctive (where u differ from others) and your Revelation (what God is saying to u), then the way you should live life becomes clearer!

I remember too! When I first started working in chc, I told my boss when she asked me what I liked to do and I said "hmm... I dunno, but I guess I like to write..." Hahaha! God has a sense of humor. :) Moral of this story? Be careful what you wish for! Haha!

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5 minutes = $45

Yeap. This was the grand total I spent in Borders this afternoon.

I had a sudden "craving" to buy the Project Smitten magazine, after hearing Jerb & Grace gush about it. Gosh, see how backward I am now? I haven't even SEEN this magazine for the past few months. But the cover's really unique. Rather than having photos of models, they have DRAWING of the models and clothes and accessories and all. Really pretty!

Oh, ya... Back to how I came to spend $45 when I only wanted to get ONE magazine.

Well, my first stop was to this small little Mama Shop at Roxy Square. Mama Shop being a Mama Shop - no Smitten magazine there!

So I crossed over the overhead bridge to 7-Eleven to see if I could get my mag there... Once again, no such luck.

So, I decided to go to Borders.

And the moment I entered... Aah... there Smitten was, amidst the HUGE (& I mean, HUGE) array of other lifestyle and parenting magazines!

Along the aisle as I reached for my Smitten magazine, out of the corner of my eye, I saw like 10 different titles of Parenting magazine. I picked up Young Parents, thought the content looked interesting and thought, "Might as well!"

And as I walked to the Cashier, I saw the BOOKS. Oh man. I miss reading so much. The first book I flipped was entitled: "A Year In High Heels" with the foreword by Manolo Blahnik. Hmm... Interesting cover, nice and pink and glittery. But I decided it was too... FLUFF... for me.

So I went to the Bestsellers section (I am a "go with the crowd" person, what can I say?!)... Several books seemed interesting. Warren Buffet had a book out. But it was like a THICK book. A THICK AND BLACK hard-cover book. Err... A bit too heavy for me, I decided.

And so, in the end, I decided to buy a book by Richard Branson "Business Stripped Bare, Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur."

And here ends my mini-spree. Sigh. This has GOT to be my last impulse shopping trip man! Time to hang my shopping black belt... sob!

When I finish the book will do a mini review here! The operative word here being ... "when". Hahaha! But this book looks "finish-able" compared to the Warren Buffet tome la. :)

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