ROAR!!!!! after 2 hours of doing my case study, i realised i have been answering the questions WRONGLY!!!!!

WASTE MY TIME. stupid case study so tricky one!!!!! now i’m back to square one ~_~ Sobx…

I feel abit worn out from work.  Reports, reports, reports.. i’m finally touching analysis work after one year!!! On one hand i’m really excited about it, but on the other, i’m abit stressed.  Damn Cyprus needs 10,00000 reports can!!!~~!!

Sri Lanka trip confirmed – 13-16th March.  Need to go there for ‘audit’ work.  *Cross my fingers* that everything is in order.

Life has become abit dull w/o Juan in the office, but i’m glad that Jane is picking up her work pretty well.. and she is a very hardworking girl, which is good!

Time to Zzzz, good night world!

I can’t sleep!!!!!!!!

Sometimes I just wish I have some time and space to myself.

I cried like mad watching this show.

Source: Wikipedia

Based on a true story from Japan, Hachiko Monogatari ハチ公物語 (literally “The Tale of Hachiko”) is a moving film about loyalty and the rare, invincible bonds that occasionally form almost instantaneously in the most unlikely places.

In the modern day, a class full of young students are giving oral presentations about personal heroes. A boy named Ronnie (Kevin DeCoste) stands up and begins to tell of ‘Hachiko’, his grandfather’s dog. Years before, an Akita puppy is sent from Japan to the United States, but his cage falls off the baggage cart at an American train station, where he is found by college professor Parker Wilson (Richard Gere). Parker is instantly captivated by the dog. When Carl (Jason Alexander), the station controller, refuses to take him, Parker takes the puppy home overnight. His wife Cate (Joan Allen) is insistent about not keeping the puppy.

The next day Parker expects that someone will have contacted the train station, but no one has. He sneaks the pup onto the train and takes him to work, where a Japanese college professor, Ken (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), translates the symbol on the pup’s collar as ‘Hachi’, Japanese for ‘good fortune’, and the number 8. Parker decides to call the dog ‘Hachi’. Ken points out that perhaps the two are meant to be together. Parker attempts to play fetch with Hachi, but he refuses to join in. Meanwhile Cate receives a call about someone wanting to adopt Hachi. After seeing how close her husband has come to Hachi, however, Cate tells the caller that Hachi has already been adopted.

A few years later, Hachi and Parker are as close as ever. Parker, however, is still mystified by Hachi’s refusal to do normal, dog-like things like chase and retrieve a ball. Ken advises him that Hachi will only bring him the ball for a special reason. One morning, Parker leaves for work and Hachi sneaks out and follows him to the train station, where he refuses to leave until Parker walks him home. That afternoon, Hachi sneaks out again and walks to the train station, waiting patiently for Parker’s train to come in. Eventually Parker relents and walks Hachi to the station every morning, where he leaves on the train. Hachi leaves after Parker’s safe departure, but comes back in the afternoon to see his master’s train arrive and walk with him home again. This continues for some time, until one afternoon Parker attempts to leave, but Hachi barks and refuses to go with him. Parker eventually leaves without him, but Hachi chases him, holding his ball. Parker is surprised but pleased that Hachi is finally willing to play fetch the ball with him. Worried that he will be late for the college, Professor Parker leaves on the train despite Hachi barking at him. At work that day Parker, still holding Hachi’s ball, is teaching his music class when he suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack.

At the train station, Hachi waits patiently as the train arrives, but there is no sign of Parker. He remains, lying in the snow, for several hours, until Parker’s son-in-law Michael (Ronnie Sublett) comes to collect him. The next day, Hachi returns to the station and waits, remaining all day and all night. As time passes, Cate sells the house and Hachi is sent to live with her daughter Andy (Sarah Roemer), Michael, and their new baby Ronnie. However, at the first opportunity, he escapes and eventually finds his way back to his old house and then to the train station, where he sits at his usual spot, eating hot dogs given to him by Jasjeet (Erick Avari), a local vendor. Andy arrives soon after and takes him home, but lets him out the next day to return to the station.

For the next nine years, Hachi waits for his owner. His loyalty is profiled in the local newspaper. Years after Parker’s death, Cate comes back to visit Parker’s grave when she catches sight of Hachi, now old and achy, waiting at the station. She gets emotional and sits next to Hachi until the next train comes. Hachi returns to the train station late at night and closes his eyes for the last time. Then, Parker walks out of the station and greets him as if nothing has changed at all, and the two reunite as their spirits rise up to Heaven to be together forever.

The film then shows Ronnie, back in his classroom, making his conclusion of why Hachi will forever be his hero. Ronnie’s story has clearly moved the class, with some holding back tears. The boy after school sees his own Akita puppy, also named Hachi, to walk down the same tracks where Parker and Hachi spent so many years together.

The closing cards reveal information about the real Hachikō, who was born in Ōdate in 1923. After the death of his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, in 1925, Hachikō returned to the Shibuya train station the next day and every day after that for the next nine years. The final card reveals that the real Hachikō died in 1934 (in fact, he died in 1935). A photo of his statue in the Shibuya train station is the last image shown before the credits roll.

I had the biggest shock and surprise in my life today!  Hubby did something really unexpected but something that i always wished would happen once in my life – To receive flowers at your office place.

I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes when the delivery man called my name out 3 TIMES~ gawd.. But first, i must give a little background as to why it was unbelievable.  The exact day one week ago, we had “I Love you Balloons” and flowers being sent to the office once every 2 hours – to my colleague because she had a big fight with her boyfriend.  It was really sweet at first, but it became a little bit “kua zhang” because it’s really like something that would only happen in the movies/tv dramas.  So obviously when the bouquet of flowers came about this time, i naturally assumed it would be for her.

Anyways, it was sweet.  Thank you so much my love, you have learnt well.

A bouquet of 72 roses.  1 rose a day for the past 6 years.

The lovely anniversary card

Before i left for office the next day, i took another photo with my flowers.

When i came back that night, my mom suddenly told me my FLOWERS smelt like shit.  LIKE SERIOUSLY WTF?  When i went to smell it, omg i almost puked la.  I was SO MAD with my mom because she was the only one at home that day and i was sure she must have done something to it during the day.  After that we realised it was the “Baby’s Breath” that caused it, because its roots were rotting.  So we cut open the bouquet, and took out only the roses.  Haha.. we distributed into 4 different vases and all of us can appreciate its beauty still.

I forsee myself broke for the next month. 

Available Funds:              6,000

Less: Sri Lanka trip         (2,500)

Less: Credit Card Bills     (1,800)

Less: Savings                (1,000)

Left to spend:                 700

Haven’t even count the money i’m giving my parents for ang bao.  Faintx.

The CPA exams totally chalked up my bills.  The paper is AUD 815 which translates to a whooping SGD 1,115 like WTF?? Aussie rate is damn strong can.  Sianx.

CY and Karn are like coming next month somemore, poor to the max. It’s only when i do reconciliation that i realised i have overspent. Hoho.

Somemore today i went to do gellish and shopped AGAIN at simei.  NO MORE SHOPPING MAN.  I will go economical.

Pink base with golden glitter

Mother of Pearl jewellery box SAHO got for us from Maldives.  Love it! I’m going to put my necklace and earrings in there.

3 more days to the start of a new year.

On retrospect, what have i done in 2011?

1) I switched jobs in Feb.  Deloitte to Bengal Tiger Line.  Exposed myself to a whole new set of challenges – new industry, new working environment, new job scope, crossing boundaries, but enjoying every moment of it.

2) Went for heaps of holidays: Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, China, Vietnam – so proud of myself, holidays make me happy!

3) Lost some friends, but made more new friends – Sad because those old friends are people i used to treasure, but friendship goes both ways.  Happy to have new ones, as it is always hard to find true friendship out of school.

4) Work-life balance – i must say i actually have more time for my family gatherings now, we do weekly/fortnightly dinners together outside together with my bf, and they are getting to know each other even better now.  I go to my bf’s house abit more often now, instead of once a year for CNY in the past, i have been to his place for like 5-6 times this year alone! Hoho, good achievement.

5) Got my BTO. 

6) Passed my CPA papers, 2 more to go – hopefully i can complete them next year.

7) Reduced the no. of MCs i took a year.  Constant exercising have built up my immune system – esp. when people in my department is prone to diseases such as flu and cough so often.  Might attempt a marathon next year.

8) Made turkey for the first time in my life – thanks to Uncle Loh.

9) Managed to save more money this year.

10) Attempted to lose weight, but failed.

Long-delayed photos:

Goodies from Taiwan – courtesy of Aunty Cher

2) Cute santa candies from 宋大娘

3）Kor’s new duck rice store – Johnson Duck: 528 Macpherson Road

4) New hairstyles to end the year.

5) Big tummy after eating a big plate of chicken schnitzel

6) More yumz food

7) Turkey-making

8) Merry Christmas!

YES!!!! NEW YEAR AND CNY holidays secured!!

30 Dec – 2 Jan: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Itinerary: To countdown and to celebrate hubby’s birthday!!!

20 Jan – 24 Jan: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Itinerary: Family CNY trip reunion dinner

Oh, and i haven’t even asked Tabi if i can take 20th off.. hoho.. i shall be a very sweet girl for the next 2 weeks so that she can grant me leave!!

Hardcore save money time~~!~

Going to book hotels now, hiak hiak.

My first official BTL Gathering – Other than the golf event.  It was a casual finger-food cum drinking session.  It was only today did i realise that they are actually all very fun to talk to. 

Let the photos do the talking!