Pennies and Dimes

Hey guys
I'm sorry if I'm being money-minded again, but I'm sad to say that I am.
I'm not gonna be an ah long(gangster in slang) and sit on the streets and beg but
ANDREA NEEDS CASH LIKE NOW.
I desperately need some money in order to do some shopping for Chinese New Year.
I need new earrings(yes I just said that) and a pair of heels and thicker socks and god knows what else, basically stuff that makes me taller and more comfortable at the same time.
My manager told me that I would get my salary on the 28th, which is yesterday.
But when I checked my bank account this morning, I didn't get my cash
No cash=No shopping
I can bawl my eyes out right now
As you guys also know, I splurge alot
Like a fast-flowing river
That's why I'm always broke.-sobs-
Okay enough ranting for now bye.
xx

Throwbacks

Time passes in a blink of an eye
As everything we used to live and breathe in the past come and go,the memories last.

Looking back, notable changes are made and that doesn't stop us from letting these wonderful memories go.

This week, I managed to get some time off in order to catch up with my friends from church.

Meetings like this don't come by often for us as schedules are clashed and we face many setbacks.

We talked, sipped our lattes and caught up with multiple events over a span of 4 hours.

times like these are what make these bunch of people an important part of my life.

Though we all connect through God, we still care about each other and treat each other like sisters regardless of what happens.

Deep down in my heart, I have never regretted having to meet them every Sunday for our weekly cathecism classes and they are the ones who shared part of each others' happiness, hardships and life's unpredictable-ness.

We have known each other for such a long time,and yet we're still so close-knit.

I really really love you guys and I wish y'all all the best in your future endeavours. 

Till we meet again soon! <3

xx

Burning Thoughts

I love to think deeply about life.

This usually happens whenever I have some time to myself, even when I'm taking a shower, travelling, or entertaining myself.

I think about how tired I am of my work life, the blessings I had, the handful of people who have supported me, loved me and put their trust in me, my own health-basically anything.

Its not easy shaking the negative thoughts away and focusing on the positive ones that have ignited your life. You have no idea what God wants your life to be in the future.

While I was taking my last shower, I can't help but look at the state of my own body.

Its not easy to take notice of these little changes that happen overnight and look at how its not easy being skinny and perfect.

In everybody's eyes, skinny is the new pretty.

What stereotypes.

I really don't like this because some people are not born to be stick-skinny and they have to work hard in order to keep their health in check.

They end up getting mocked at for their weight and just like that, their social life tales a turn for the worst.

I understand that life isn't fair, but I believe that they do not need to be mocked at just for what they look on the outside.

Just imagine having yourself put in their shoes, would you like to have this sort of treatment from others as well?

I don't feel as pretty as I look at the state of my stomach.

I've tried so hard, by eating healthy and exercising, but I can't seem to get all of those fats away from my system.

Its frustrating having to struggle with these kinds of self-esteem issues,to the point whereby I'm so sick and tired of wanting to care about it, though its pretty evident that I still care alot about it.

Pretty contradicting right?

What's worse is that my family, of all people, mock me about my body.

I'm not trying to throw them under the bus or anything, but it is the truth.

They keep trying to tell me that I look ugly in this or I look ugly in that.

Aren't they uglier when they make fun of my shape and size and what I like to wear?

Its really hard to take in all these criticisms and at the same time, trying to be strong about it.

I feel that there's so much pressure in wanting to be perfect.

To have the perfect height and the perfect weight like those models from Victoria's Secret, it doesn't come by often for people like me.

We all long to have their body types, and we all want to be as healthy as them.

I just hope that this takes a turn for the better...

Life is really a burden sometimes.

Sometimes, all I long to do is to stay at home and not do anything.

Going to work for 5 consecutive days and going home so late at night is really unhealthy for a seventeen-year old being like me.

Working night shift doesn't just screw your body clock up, but it also screws with your overall diet, especially when business at the place you're working at is so freaking good.

Many people have told me that I eat really little for dinner and that I eat like a sloth.

That's because I am really used to taking my own sweet time to eat and I don't usually eat much at night as I don't use much energy when dusk forms the skies.

I adore food alot and I am the type of person who NEVER goes on a diet (I cannot pull through diets), but I basically have to watch what I eat as I tend to gain weight easily and its not easy to lose the weight that I've gained.

I hope that by reading this, you guys would understand where I'm coming from and I don't usually share such deep stuff because its hard for me to open up to people.

This is one of the many things that constantly bug me and let me stop and ponder about whether I'm taking good care of my body or not.

I have been struggling with my height and weight ever since I was young and I long for a day where I can push all these negative thoughts aside and focus on the life ahead of me.

Till then,

xx

A Big Order

During work yesterday, one Chinah woman caame up to me and asked:

'Do you speak Chinese?'

Me: yes

Chinah woman: I want to order 46 $5 combo sandwiches.

Me:46. 46?

Chinah woman: Yes 46.

Me:46?!

Chinah woman: Yes 46. I want 24 Cold Cut Trio, 21 Ham and 1 Veggie Delight.

Me: Okay...,come and help me someone just ordered 46 sandwiches!

Quinnie: 46 arh?! You quick ask her whether what salad and sauce she want, I will do the orders.

Me: your salad please?

Chinah woman: Give me everything, don't want chilli can already I'm giving it to my kids. The sauce I want tomato. Can I pay first, then I ask them to come up themselves and collect?

Me:......,Auntie Jenny come and help me count her money!!!

This conversation was in Mandarin and in my mind I was like wtf 46 sandwiches how the hell am I able to make 46 sandwiches quickly?!?!?!

Its a good thing that I had help and we got everything done in less than 1/2 hour.

It was really crazy, but we pulled through HAHAHAHA.

Even Auntie Jenny had to make 5 cups of tea and 5 cups of coffee LOL.

The End

xx

Life Critics

Choices are not easy to make

They give you substantial headaches and you face many dreadful dilemmas.

Life is really short, so its really crucial that people make choices that allows them to have a smile on their faces for as long as they can.

Many people do not get satisfied easily and the reason behind it is usually due to the bad choices that make them regret a lifetime.

In this case, educational courses in polytechnic schools are definitely one of the many that may last you a lifetime.

When you don't do your research and take a minute to ponder about what is it that you want exactly, your life is not going to be thrilling.

Its not just about the educational aspects that affect it, your future career also depends solely on this decision that you make.

I have made up my mind and came to a decision regarding where and what I want my future career to be.

There is no turning back now

God is the one who makes the final call and I am more than willing to follow the path that he has created for me.

Pretty intimidating to even say the least, but its this part of life that makes it extremely unique and exciting.

Life is never perfect and its understandable that the odds are against me right now, but I hope that the odds are in my favor.

xx

Plead

Hey guys,
I'm trying not to think about it.
Tomorrow is the day.
The day I know if my hard work has paid off.
I know that no matter what, I cannot change the outcome of tomorrow,but I'm praying so hard deep down inside that everything I've done has been fruitful in the final lap of my secondary school life.
Like what Gordon Ramsay said,"Its not how you start, its how you end.", and I really hope that I finish strong.
At the same time, I'd like to thank all my tutors, my family, my teachers in school, and all my friends for going through this tough year together with me.:)
It all depends on tomorrow.
I pray to God that he will grant great things for me tomorrow and for my beholded future and that I thank him for everything he has done for me the past year, like giving me the strength to carry on despite not doing relatively well for certain subjects for my Prelims and pulling up my socks for the upcoming tests.
I may not have done as well for some of my subjects for my Prelim 2, but I have put in alot of effort during the last 2-month interval in order to come this far, like staying back in school in order to seek my teachers for consultations regarding my queries on certain things,like why I did not score for that particular section, or have I missed out on any steps in my working etc., doing 2 papers/day and going through them constantly after I've done them so that i would not make the same mistake in the actual papers, literally re-memorising 3 themes for ss and going through ALL the SBQ skills and going through and re-memorising biology and geography facts until my brain was about to burst(I managed to pull through though:)),doing my revision package non-stop for both math and checking constantly for careless mistakes at the same time,trying to contain my nerves for the language papers and at the same time, making sure that I try to fill in ALL the blanks for every single question in every single paper I take.
Even when I'm sick and tired of studying so much and just long to go online and check out my social media sites, I tried to resist the temptation and carried on.
I do admit that I go online occasionally and update my social media status, I could not stop thinking about the upcoming papers and hence had to shut down the computer in order to focus on my work.
I just hope that everything turns out right tomorrow and that all my hard work will pay off.
Please God
Please Bless Me In Your Name
AMEN!:)
Fingers crossed for tomorrow!
xx
P.S. Good luck to everyone receiving their O Level results tomorrow! Remember that God believes in you!:)

Seventeen enough to read Seventeen

Hello everyone!
I don't know why I'm so excited right now but I am!
Probably its because of the adranaline HAHAHAHAH.
Anyways,its 10 January 2014 and the very day where I turn one year older.
Its also the day where my mother gave birth to me many years ago (guess my age hehe!)
As I'm still having my post-O Level break, I was unable to go to school and see my friends.
When the clock struck midnight, my co-worker(i was at T3) took out a cake from the fridge and I started asking why is there a cake all of a sudden.
She said: Your birthday mah,so we celebrate together lor! *to the people in Palm Foods company*Eh come come come let's sing happy birthday to her,she this year 37 years old leh!
Me: who say lor! I 37-20 years old okay!
What nonsense man this Ah Chiau is damn funny I swear.
We took some photos with my co-workers from T3 before they sang me a birthday song and cut the cake for me.

Shortly after,it was time to clean up the shop,wash all the dishes and head home.
While waiting for Chi Keat(my T2 co-worker) outside the main entrance of T3, This chinah-looking guy sat a distance away from me and started smoking.
Though his cigarette appeared to be small in size, the smoke given off was so strong that I had to put on my hospital mask and use my book to fan off the smoke so that it doesn't engulf me.

Terminal 3 @ 1am

The bus ride was rather bleak as everyone was tired and wanted to go home and sleep.
Upon reaching home, I washed up and fell into a deep sleep.....
At 8am,
"Andrea here's your money for your facial!"
Mummy can be so annoying sometimes.
Just like that, my beauty sleep was disrupted.
Thanks but no thanks, because I had to wash my hair as I did not get it washed before bed the previous night.( I was too tired)
I really dislike going for facial because to me its not a spa, its more like an hour and a half of torture on your face.
However, I really needed it as my skin was getting really horrible and disgusting.
After I got my face treated,its time for me to get ready and head out to town and get some retail therapy done.
First stop: 313 Somerset
I popped by New Look, appalled that they actually had a section called New Look Generation in which all the youth-related stuffs are sold,like skater skirts, printed tops etc.
I'm gonna have to go there again real soon,once new things arrive at that store.
When I go to 313, its always for this massive store called Forever 21,which holds 4 storeys in that particular building!
Still, I bet the ones in the USA are like 10 times bigger than this.
I like the designs on some of the shirts, however, they either too pricey or I really dislike the cutting.
However, 1 shirt caught my eye

It sucks that it doesn't have the size I'd usually wear in, but it still fits when I tried it,so I had to get it.
The shops thereafter did not interest me as much as there weren't many new clothes.
I headed to Bugis afterward to check out what's new at Bugis Street and then meet my parents for my birthday dinner.
After scouring most of the place, I managed to find a denim skater skirt-like finally hallelujah and I got it for a really good price!:)
I went to the Intercontinental Hotel to meet my family and we decided to have a buffet dinner at the Olive Tree restaurant, where food from all around the globe were presented in front of us.
The food,regardless of savory and sweet were really good and I had lamb with Red Wine sauce for the first time ever and Bam.
Its like a party in my mouth!
Words are unable to describe how good it was and I devoured lots of food tonight

Omg a chocolate fountain?!

Before I end off for the night, I would like to thank everyone who wished me "Happy Birthday",be it on my Twitter mentions, on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and the typical texts which I've received.
It really is the thought that counts and although I was physically alone, wandering across the streets of the island called Singapore, I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful family, a bunch of awesome friends and some dope co-workers to have spent my birthday with!:):)
Whatever the cost, I would like to thank everybody who was involved in supporting me during these 17 years of my youthful life,guiding me through every step of the way and making me into the person I am right here, right now.:)
Last but not least, I'm so excited to tell you guys that I JUST ORDERED A PIECE OF CLOTHING FROM ASOS.COM AND ITS SAID TO COME BY THE END OF THE MONTH AND I'M FREAKING OUT BECAUSE I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I ACTUALLY BOUGHT SOMETHING ONLINE FSDESJSLFKSJ.
With that, have a great day/night everyone!
xx

Life is as Mysterious as A

Hey guys

I have no idea what to blog about at the moment, but I really feel like blogging now so I'll just pamper y'all with some of my blabbering and give you guys a tiny update on life.

This has happened for quite some time now and its really bugging me,because right now, I find it hard to wake up at 9am!

What's worse is that 9am is when MCAUS starts airing on Lifetime, the channel where I watch the programme.

Nowadays, I've been waking up at 11am as I find that having 7 hours of sleep is genuinely not enough.

This has caused me to sleep really late,like in the wee hours of the morning like say,about 2-3am?

I think that its really an unhealthy way to live my life but I cannot help it as I work until 11pm and by the time I finish bathing,its like 1 in the morning already.

So yeah,I sadly conclude that my body clock has officially been screwed.

I got teleported to Terminal 3(T3) to work today,which is sad because I'm not gonna work with y co-workers from Terminal 2(T2) for today and tomorrow.

I don't know about Saturday yet, but either way is cool for me.:)

The good thing about working in T3 is that I get to work till 1am (got free transport okay!) as there is very little manpower there and they're not so strict about the attire and all those kind of stuff there,unlike T2.

However, I'm very used to the working environment in T2 already and its workspace is way bigger as compared to the one in Terminal 3.

There is also less crowd in T2 as compared to T3,which is a good thing as it gives us time to replenish everything, clean up the area and do prep for the next set of customers to come.My co-workers from T2 are way faster in terms of actions too.

I woke up to the worst news on Earth: O Level results are said to be released on the coming Monday.

It got me rather gobsmacked and its scary to hear this like only days before the actual released.

Frankly speaking, 5days is not enough for me to be mentally prepared but I will try my very best to keep myself composed.

I just know that I have tried the best I can in order to achieve I'll be getting on the 13th and I am praying that it will turn out fine.

I'm not going to think about it much, which is a relief that I like going to work-put all the concerning thoughts behind me and focus on what I have in front of me.:)

Okay enough about O's man I can care less about it right now.

I have some errands to run before I head out for work later in the afternoon(its 2am now hahahaha).

Firstly,is to return my library book-Stunning and Seventeen mag.

Then call to bring forward my facial appointment.

Last but not least is to bank in my money(hopefully they'll accept!).

Its going to be an extremely long day tomorrow so I hope that I stay strong and keep my body in good condition.

Until then,

xx

P.S. I can't wait for Friday(TGIF, not.)

The Ties That Bind

Hey guys
Saturday was eventful to say the least and I'm pleased to say that I've enjoyed every single moment of it.
It all started when my parents returned from the market.
Mum: Andrea, call the salon and quickly arrange to dye your hair. Later no time already!
After calling the salon, I head down to get my hair coloured-something which I longed for quite some time but I couldn't do so due to school.
Initially, I wanted it highlighted.
However, due to my natural hair colour being jet black, it wasn't easy to choose a suitable colour to highlight in.
I'm going to have to pay the same amount regardless, so I decided with the latter, which is to have my whole head dyed.
This is the final result of my hair:

I really love my new hair!
Screw all those people who dislike my new hair colour, I could care less about their opinionated selves!
Upon reaching home, my mother asked me to help her make some pineapple tarts.
It was pretty tedious to do all the prep work, especially the part where we had to roll the pastry and pineapple paste.
Ultimately, its not how you start, its how you finish, and I'm really ecstatic to announce that we ended on a high note.:)

There is actually pineapple paste stuffed inside, and its really successful for first-timers like my mum and I.:)
The family reunion was held in a Chinese restaurant within the ITE college central campus.
Its really good to be catching up with my relatives and cousins and also enjoy the scrumptious food at the same time!
Now its time for the food to speak for itself:

I was pretty upset regarding the service of the restaurant as the food came in pretty slowly and what I've learnt is that when food takes a long time to come in, customers will be full quickly and that they won't consume the last few dishes.

Other than that, the food tasted really nice.

We also celebrated the birthdays for the January babies at the same time.

The cakes were really chocolaty, but it tasted really good!

Overall, it was a really good day.

I enjoyed good food, together with the best company ever and I had the best hair over that anyone can think of!:)

An enormous thank you to my family for making this day happen for me and for taking the time to organise this event.

Till then,

xx

Self-Wealth

Hey guys
I get alot of people asking me if I'm from a wealthy family.
I really wish I was from one, but sadly
I'm not.
I may have the money to buy so many things from my shopping trips and get so much good out of my money.
That's because all the money I have were all saved up by me and I do my research before I head out to shop.
I also like to make a list of what I want for the entire year so that I do not spend money on unnecessary things.
I'm the type of person who don't like to depend on other for what I want unless they offer me.
Ever since I was thirteen, my parents would give me a decent amount of money and that would cover everything, be it clothes, school needs, after-school lunches with friends etc and I satisfy my book cravings by loaning my books from the National Library too.
I ever asked them to give me some money to buy some pen refills from the bookstore, and they said,"No."
That's it.
From then on, I'd always use the money from my savings to get the stuff which I needed and wanted.
I also do not get weekly/monthly pocket money from my parents during the holidays to shop for what I want.
So during this long break, I decided to get myself a job so that I can earn some money for myself to shop and at the same time, kill time and get some experience in the working industry.
I secured myself with a part-time job at Subway(@Airport Terminal 2) and work is pretty tiring to say the least.
I'm fine with it as its really fun to make the sandwiches, prep the ingredients and serve the customers.
The feeling when you get your pay will be so darn good thereafter because you've worked so hard in order to achieve a decent amount of cash to shop and buy some really nice stuff.:)
I actually feel really contented with what I have because though my family may not be rich, but as long as I get the amount of money to shop for my needs and wants, I'm wrapped.
The other thing is about timing.
If you shop at the right timing with all the sales and stuff, you may be able to grab some pretty cool stuff at really great deals!
I'm the kind of person who likes to shop big once in a while and I do my research and calculate the prices before I head out.
Call me OCD, call me a perfectionist.
However I just can't help but do it and some bizzare things may shake up your shopping plans too, which is unpredictable to even say the least.
To me, this is my take on getting whatever I want and how I managed to get so much money for doing such things.
Byeeee
xx

Tonight, We Own the Night

"May our hearts be full like our drinks tonight
May we sing and dance 'til we lose our minds
We are only young if we seize the night
Tonight we own the night"

Hey guys
Yesterday marks the end of 2013 and frankly speaking, it was the best day of my life!
I met Kimberlyn at City Hall to have dinner before we head to the floating platform for the Countdown party.
We at macs, mainstream but who cares.
After which, we headed to the Floating platform at 1830h as we didn't want to miss out on anything and we wanted to get inside without having to go past the huge crowd later on.
After what seemed like an eternity, the countdown party started.
The party started when all the acts were introduced on the red carpet.
Firstly, they were the Mediacorp actors and actresses from channel 8.
I can guarantee you all that Rui En wore hair extensions, seeing that she had her long locks chopped off about 2 months back when the drama, Sudden was aired on TV.
Next, were the aunties and uncles who appeared in past news and television shows when I was still an embryo.
This sounds rather absurd, but they look like ministers to me HAHAHAHA!
After that were the contestants who appeared on local competitions like Singapore Idol, The Final One etc.
I personally think that Cilia Chan should've been there too.
She's like a hundred times better than the winners of these local singing competitions seeing that she got chosen to be on Blake's team on NBC's The Voice USA season 5.
The fact that she got chosen to be on USA version of The Voice really shows that she's a force to be reckoned with as in the states, they expect more from your singing and the way you accentuate your voice.
Guess who was after that?
THE WANTED!!!
I literally screamed my lungs out as they walked out onto the Red Carpet and thankfully, I managed to get a few shots of them:

Guys I just died.
Okay I'm alive hahahahaha
There were many performances that night and it started off with the local singers singing recent chart-topping songs like Treasure, Locked Out Of Heaven and a few others.
Honestly speaking, the standard of our local talent is not up to par as some parts were pitchy and the notes weren't really as well-defined.
Jeanette Aw also danced on stage and I am sorry but she has to know the brutal truth: She CANNOT dance.
Its supposed to be hip-hop dancing, but she made it into the 'pole dancing' that hookers and prostitutes do when they're clubbing.
Its pretty definite that the dance wasn't well-received by the audience, be it the people back at home or the ones who came to witness.
After which, there were a few performances by the contestants from local singing competitions like Shawn Jenson,Taulfik Batisah( I think he's in his 30s now seeing that he auditioned for Idol about 10 years ago), Sylvia Ratonel and some others and they did a pretty decent job executing the performances.
There were also dances by the Malay and Indian performers and i' really happy that the government saw something in them and made sure that they're not left out of the party.

At 11pm, This Is It.
THE WANTED PERFORMS LIVE AT MARINA BAY!
Ohmygod words are unable to express how excited I was for them to perform!
I was pleasantly surprised that their voices sound equally the same, be it live or recorded in the studios.
Which means that they do not require auto tune at all!!!:O
I took our my camera and took photos of them on stage as we sang along together with them.
The crowd was extremely energetic despite it being so late at night and the band even took the time to talk to us in between each song!:)
These are the songs that they sang:
All Time Low
Lightning
Heart Vacancy-Max wrote it
Show Me Love
Gold Forever
Warzone
Chasing The Sun(my fave!)
I Found You
We Owned The Night(another of my fave!)
Glad You Came
All in all, it was very entertaining and soon, an hour passed by quickly and I was so sad that their performance was coming to an end really soon.
But I'll still have the picture-perfect memories and those in which I keep in my heart.:):)

After The Wanted's jaw-dropping performance, its time for the countdown.

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!(:

2013 was by far, one of the craziest and most important years of my life.
I have met so many awesome people this year and I they are those whom I've never anticipated to have them doing it to me.
These include Georgina Poh liking my photo on Instagram, meeting Andrea Chong(@dreachong) at the dentist, and definitely seeing my husbands(The Wanted) perform live for the first time ever!
I've gone through much pain and sweat having to prepare myself for my O Levels that year and I knew for a fact that I've tried my very best and that I've worked really hard to get this far.:)
I've also ate my very first macaron and found my very first job at Subway@Terminal 2 too!
All in all, I would like to thank everyone who was a part of my life that very year(its 2014 yo!) and I hope that I have impacted you guys in a good way.
I also wish everyone a blessed 2014 and as friends come and go, a new chance at life awaits.

Have a blessed 2014 everyone!
Until next time
xx
"We're standing in a light that won't fade,
Tomorrow's coming but this won't change,
Cause some days stay gold forever.
The memory of being here with you,
Is one I'm gonna take my life through,
Cause some days stay gold forever."