Last saturday, i was out of the house and trying to get to church on time. I had about 40min to get there but being a saturday, the buses usually take longer to come. I was running late because i had cooked and packed my own lunch for the day.

I had 2 options to get to church. On the same side of the road, i could wait for 92 which can take as long as 15 minutes to show up. Or, i could cross over to hop onto the 61. Which also takes ages to turn up, similarly, more so on saturdays. Weekend off peak kind of timings.

I refused to take a cab (unnecessary $ spent) and for someone with little time to waste, it was a gamble. Very often in the past, when i chose to cross over, i would see the 92 bus trundling along on the side that i had just forsaken and i'd mutter and grumble at Murphy for his stupid but ever so true, law of everything-that-can-go-wrong, will.

This time however, i turned to God. It was like a revelation. D'oh. God is all knowing, isn't He? Why didn't i think of this earlier.

Jo: *huffpuff*anxious* Okay God. Do you think you could tell me which bus will come first?
God: This side. 92 will come first.
Jo: *concurs*seems to get the same sense as well*

Meanwhile... Jo keeps swinging head looking back and forth to both ends of the roads. 92? 61? 92? 61? Come. ON! Time was ticking by.

And it's impossible to climb over the bridge and sprint in time to catch the bus on the other side. Especially in your saturday church best.

Boy, was i anxious. If you could see me, i looked like a very nervous meerkat.

Jo: *thinks* Come on! Either bus doesn't seem to be coming... (Roads looking devoid of either)
God: Don't you trust me?
Jo: But this is like, what if 92 doesn't come? Then it would be like, sheesh, that voice was just me talking to myself... I'm scared of that happening cos i want to know that it was you talking to me.
God: 92 will come first. It will.
Jo: Okay... *somehow feet stays implanted onto the ground*

Still swinging head back and forth looking at the roads.

10-15 minutes had already passed. Why do both roads look so empty?

God: Don't you trust me?
Jo: I do... Uh... But... (inside i was like, YEAH RIGHT?! You behaving like this doesn't seem to tell God that you do! But i can't help it...)

And guess what.

92 came. Spot on, with the contender bus 61 nary in sight.

And i got to church on time.

God, you ROCK. And you're pretty funny. And merciful to your silly daughter...

I need to practice hearing you better, Father.

(Older) Sister: Oooo! The peaches are so pretty!
Jo: Cos they are Snow Beauty Peaches...
Jo: (in my best Disney chirpy show host impersonation) Hi! What's your name? *points to a peach*
Sister: (in high pitched child voice) Ariel! (y'know, from The Little Mermaid movie...)
Jo: And what's yours?
Sister: Cinderella!
Jo: Snow White!

We are such retards. In our late 20s. :) I like!

Jed and I

The above photo cracks me up... His goofy half bared teeth expression he shows me while i'm playing with him.

Him twisting and turning upside down while i tease and poke at him.


Was doing some journal articles readings when i decided to try to... well, resurrect my dormant sketching skills from my more arty farty days which was a good 10+ years ago. Didn't turn out that bad... considering i did it with a pen and couldn't erase to make changes.

In recent snaps... (part 1)

Lunch at Tony Romas with family and friends. :) With a (heavensent) $100 voucher. Happiness.

My french onion soup, the MUST ORDER for me since i was a kid. Sadly, the standard of the soup has dropped DRASTICALLY since the heydays when Tony Romas first opened. The soup bowl used to be filled to the max with soup, and there would be huge chunk of bread immersed and soaked with soup just below like a mountain of chewy cheese that would engulf the whole of the top of the bowl, with cheese sliding down the sides. Now? Erk. I really don't know HOW it got to this level and why no one in the management seems to be keeping tabs on the quality. But still, it's the only place i know that serves french onion soup this way (soup with bread and cheese). Let me know if you've tried better! Mountain of fried onions with a special sauce (cos i cannot remember the name, only remember it being nice), and the standard potato skins with sour cream. Lovely. More pictures below.
Did i mention that i've attempted to make potato skins? In my opinion, they turned out awesome. ;) i think u might be able to find photos of it on this blog, somewhere.
Fried onions: Quite a tasty dish as you chew slowly to get the taste of onions and the batter out, not too salty, unexpectedly huge. Goes well with the sauce, but oily of course.
Ah hah! And the baby back ribs.
Salad. By the way, i had an AWESOME moroccan salad at California Pizza Kitchen some sundays ago (also had a voucher, thank God). Mm... Yum. But no pictures of it, oh well.
The End
***
My attempt to create hot foam on top of my sunday earl grey tea.
After having tea with hot foam on top at a cafeteria, i was hankering after tea with foam one sunday morning. Having no machine, i sought the all knowing Google to help me find people crazy enough to think up of ways to do this without a machine. So i did! One person suggested that you take a glass bottle with a cap, fill it with the desired amount of COLD milk (skim or full cream does make a difference to the outcome, apparently). Cover the bottle and shake madly for 45 seconds. After which, buang it into the microwave for a few seconds to warm the milk just enough such that the glass is not too hot to handle. Pour milk into your cup of tea. Well. This was the outcome. Pass or fail, i dunno. But i was happy to have some semblance of foam la. Hur.

Last night, dinner was a simple yet satisfying affair with V and Y. I had 6-8 pieces of sushi, shared 2 desserts and had milk tea. I used to be able to exercise control over my food portions to curb the dreaded IBS bloatedness but as usual and lately... i've been stuffing myself silly and regretting it later. I know (both in stomach and mind) that i'm full, but my mental hunger isn't satiated at the same rate as my stomach. Ah well, but i think i've stumbled upon something really helpful for bloatedness...

Was feeling quite bloated (i think the milk tea did it man...) from the overeating and while waiting for the girls, i popped this pill called "Dandelion Complex" from Vitahealth (free from my Cozycot card goodie bag sign up).

I'm not sure what exactly did the trick, but i felt the warmth from the peppermint (an ingredient in the pill) go down into my stomach and in a matter of minutes, i felt the bloatedness lessen somewhat. I'm not sure if all this was a placebo, or whether it was the peppermint or the whole pill itself, but i really did feel slightly better. Shall try it again when i have the chance. Darn, but it would mean i would need to feel bloated again some time. Bah.

Anyway, here's what the pill bottle label states:

"Rich fatty meals and overeating (!!!) tend to cause digestive discomfort. VitaHealth Dandelion Complex is a unique formulation that combines Dandelion, Artichoke, Ginger and 3 other herbs to:

- Help maintain healthy digestion system
- Support liver health
- Promote healthy fat digestion"

Under ingredients, it says it contains: Dandelion, Burdock, Ginger, Artichoke, Peppermint, Capsicum.

Will update again if there's anything notable.

Update!
I just googled "peppermint + digestion" and WOAH LA... --> "(...) A number of studies support the use of peppermint for indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome... (...) A number of studies have shown that enteric-coated peppermint capsules can help treat symptoms of IBS, such as pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. (University of Maryland, Medical Centre)

"Peppermint aids digestion by helping to prevent cramping of the smooth muscles lining the intestine. Studies have shown that peppermint can significantly reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal upset, and may even help prevent the formation of stomach ulcers. Peppermint tea has been used to treat colic, heartburn, indigestion, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)." (extract from http://www.vitaminstuff.com/herbs-peppermint.html)

***

Loving every moment of my self imposed break... (when i should be doing my disseration research. Hm...)

Went shopping (for me, it's mostly window shopping) with the 2 girls and I realized that there's no real point for me to go shopping because most things (clothes) cost $30+ and above, which i'm not really willing to pay UNLESS i REALLY like the item a lot. So, i just revert back to shopping online where it's definitely more kind to my student pocket. Haha, ah well. But still, i love looking at clothes, touching and feeling the fabrics and experimenting with what would look nice on me. After all these years, i'm still trying to understand my body better.

Plucked some guts to wear out my beachy looking wedges today, this pair of shoes that i bought a couple of years ago from Bata but never wore out till today. Must say that i kinda like how it looks when i wear it but i need to learn how to walk less like an ungainly ogre... Had to consciously tell myself to walk with my legs closer to one another and not stomp around so much!

Think i might go back for that basic Zara tank top ($19.90). It has a lovely cut, and it's made from a very comfy material. Stretchy, dreamily soft and silky, and thick.

Ok, time for bed.

Bonitochico is one of my favourite blogshops to shop at, but oftentimes, i cannot get what i want soon after a release of a collection because the pieces sell out within minutes! So, by the time i decide on what i want (what colour?? which piece??) or when i get home from school/practicum/errands, i have to wait for the backorder.

From the time of ordering from a backorder (a timeframe for people who missed the initial release to make their orders) to the time the clothes arrive at my home, i have to wait a whole month or more. Which is generally not fun.

So, this time. I waited. When the clock struck 5pm, I refreshed the page, looked rabidly through all the clothes and decided with lightning speed what i wanted and shot my comment and email address to the sellers in record time.

I still think i'm not fast enough yet though. I took... 12-17 minutes? We'll see if i get my invoice by tonight. If i don't, then woah seh. I need more training. Muah hahaha. *silly grin*

I've joined the ranks of the other rabid online shoppers!!!!!! *ROAR!*HAHAHAHHA!*

I know i said that i was going to give my knees a break... (Cutting down on running events, running less, etc)

And i AM, honest! I tried to stick to walking only but as usual, i cannot stray long from running. So when i do, i do it in short durations/distances only. Plus, i don't run on pavements/tarmac anymore, or rarely. I jog/walk on the treadmill (yawwwwnnn) or do the elliptical machine (double yawn, but boy, it pushes my heart harder than jogging man). To balance everything out, i've added strength training to my exercise regime, i do some light weights now.

The general feedback i get from my therapists friends is that i probably cannot go on at the same intensity that i used to, but i MUST still keep active by doing other things. Having knee problems is not a reason to stop exercise (not that i can totally, anyways. i DO get lazy, but exercise to me is like a mild addiction. stop, and the urge will definitely return.). That being said, i was told that i should do exercises that are low in intensity but work my way upwards so that as my body takes the time to adjust, it also has time to rebuild... and maybe in time, i can go back to running like i used to and with a stronger ("more prepared") body. Something like that. I was also told to do strengthening exercises to support the weakened areas.

Points all taken, my friends. Hence my effort to scale down at this point in time.

So to get to my original point. Recently my classmate, who's also a good friend in my masters class asked me excitedly, "Hey! You wanna go run the Adidas Sundown? We go run the 10km one lar..."

Being a sucker for running events despite my knee issues, you can easily guess what my gong gong answer was.

(Hey at least she said we'll walk and run, no need to run all the way. So, that sounded good to me!)

Ok, i couldn't resist it, the statue was just egging me on to do it. Really.

(picture taken by miss_D, with her Nikon D80, with whom i went on a photography trip with to the Hort Park)

Woo, i have such muscoolar (and white!) pins!

I must say that i'm actually proud of my old fogey of a Canon Powershot G2. I uploaded my photos and i marvelled at how the pictures turned out. Of course, it's not the best of cameras for ALL events and sure, i would LOVE to have a spanking new DSLR in my paws but well, my G2 did well enough. That said... Lighting! LIGHTING! Is All important in photography too!

Finally! I'm going to try the food at Indulgz, Bugis. I've always liked to venture out to try food that has in some way been featured in blogs and other print media. (i'm already impressed with the well spoken english of the lady who picked up my call and her good phone manners)

muah hahahaha....!

***

Oh, when i have the time after my exams, i'm going to fry quails eggs sunny side up. Imagine, many many cute little sunnies on my frying pan! I've always wanted to do stupid things like this to satiate my curiousity.

Ok, back to studying.

Jo walks up to the huge porch of PSA Building and spies 3 automated glass doors that were positioned side by side. She approaches one of them, the one to the right, and was greeted with the operation hours of the doors. She read that the door didn't operate on sundays, and to please use the "main entrance". Great.

So Jo begins to walk around the building, searching for the "other main entrance", visualizing an even grander looking porch with even BIGGER and more embellished doors. Her search brought her around the building, walking by cargo vehicles lots and the carpark, and still didn't see any grand porch.

She managed to eventually find her way into the building through the carpark lift. Since she was way early for dinner, she recced the place from the inside, interested to find out where this "main entrance" was.

And guess what. The "main entrance" was just referring to the automated glass door that was in between the other two. ALAMAK. Wah liew, simi "main entrance".... Blah.

PS: I (finally, and the sentiments were mutual) got to meet Gem's family and extended maternal family yesterday. Laleela~.

Proof that Joline is a Doofus

"Joline" should be placed in the Oxford Dictionary to mean: "scatter brained". Eg. Don't be so joline!

I bought a card, wrote in it, placed it in its envelop, wrote very prettily the name of the recipient, stuck a stamp on the envelope and had it sent on its way to my receiver.

But i didn't write her address on the envelope.

Someone made a voodoo doll of me, i'm sure of it.

I am pissed because now i have to retype my long rant. Crummy computer.
Guess I won't be including the details anymore because once is enough and that was mercilessly lost.

So, i'm sorry if you guys were hoping for something MORE, about my stupid crap day i had yesterday at the range.

Am i junk or is my bow the junk:

My stupid compound bow messed up big time on me twice. I think it just can't seem to take the shocks/impact very well.
As a result, my arrow rest destroyed some inner metal threads (that has been thankfully fixed due to coach's dexterity).
The entire arrow rest popped right off my bow. My heart also nearly popped and dropped.
AND secondly, my scope did a half spin after one particular shot (as in, it came loose so had to tighten again).

Tell me. Is it my bow or me?

I should've gotten either Hoyt or Mathews. Problem is, they are too bleddy expensive.

While shooting with the team:

I lost 1 arrow, murdered another because i lost the metal tip and i killed the fletches of 4 more.
They say it is all part and parcel of archery. Oh really. I take it on half trust for now.

Then, coach cranked up the poundage, from 29 to 33-35pounds. Do the math. Usually, you only crank up 3 pounds at one shot, maximum.
I was like... *Oooff* when i had to draw the bow.
Well, a necessary step, because i had to reach the target at 70m. No choice.
As you will guess, i was dog tired at the end of the shoot.

Had this one suspicious arrow that kept going into blue despite me aiming at the centre.
And i think coach kept seeing that happening. Not very good for a first time 70m impression eh.

But zen... I managed to get a 10 pointer ok! (I hope it's not taiko one)With my x6 scope! What was the national archer next to me using?
A SURE-LOC x10 SCOPE OK! Which is worth more than a hundred, or a few hundred dollars.
Me? Using a humble Spigarelli x6 scope costing $68.
Hail Joline!

YEAH RIGHT. I am only a small cashew nut lah, i have LOTS to improve on...

Jo the perfect Klutz:
BAH. Clumsy, i am.
In the earlier part of the day, i kept tripping on the strings on the floor that demarcates the equipment line. My bow also got caught on the tent's foundation strings such that when i walked, oblivious to the drag, i pulled on the tent's cover.
All this, in full view of strangers who were amused.
Friggin' embarrassing ok.
But, i am the master of making things look forgivable. *fuahhahaha*

Just when i thought that klutz jo was done with entertaining her audience. She outdid herself again. Just you hear.

At crowded City Hall Interchange, i was an idiot and stepped onto the escalator that was coming DOWN from the higher story. I thought it was going UP to the higher story.
Ok, so as i've said, without much exagerration, i had to do a "tapdance" on the escalator to save my sorry butt. I had to turn around and get off, else i'd be dancing for all eternity.

Because my bow was long, it banged on the sides of the escalator creating such a bleddy din that people turned round to stare. ****!

*** ***

All in all, an interesting day in a not so nice way.
I hope to infinity that no one on that MRT platform will ever see my face again!

Anyway, it's pretty early (about 3pm) to be shacked but i am.

Maybe later.

*dog yawn*