Christmas 2016 -- A little late but nonetheless served

My first post of 2017 before the first quarter ends is about Christmas 2016. A little late but nonetheless served.

IMAGE HEAVY
Loooooooong picture-ful post. Go get your drinks and popcorn while waiting for the images to load. You could even savour your main dish in front of your computer. Those viewing this on your smartphones and other hand held devices, I suggest you skip reading this post till you get home or you might risk jamming your device and cursing at my blog in public. I know my turtle friend did that once minus the cursing in public. =P








~*The One with AVJ*~

Since I have a new home and a new cat, friends naturally asked if they could meet up at my home.

"Can we visit Miyo's home for our next gathering?" was the question they asked to self invite to my place. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°




Christmas meet up with That Group That Shall Not Be Named (aka AVJ) would either take place way before Christmas or after Christmas since it has become a tradition for April to spend the December holidays at her hub's birth country with the whole family. For this year, April and Viv were the first group of friends to crash my place early in December.




And because I'm a lazy Singaporean host who doesn't whip up Pinterest-worthy meals for my guests, we ordered from West Grill Station via Food Panda instead.




It was so funny how Viv brought a bottle of blueberry Somersby when this lousy host has got a full carton of the apple version in the fridge. We had it with some gluten free, egg free and everything free healthy cookies.




Everyone agreed that Miyo is a pretty cat but looked like a uncooperative bitch in photos. ヾ(＾∇＾)









~*The One with F4 Minus 1*~


F4 Minus Wy were also excited to see my new home and my new cat. I never knew Em and Hs are such cat lovers! Or maybe it's just Miyo that really melts non cat lovers' hearts.




Do you know how many shots it took to try to get Miyo to shed off her Resting Bitch Face when taking wefie? This many! And still, she did not wipe off that RBF of hers.




We ordered Miam Miam via Food Panda again. Food Panda is a lifesaver for lazy hosts like me. You would soon see that Miam Miam was the choice selection for all the meet ups during the Christmas season at my place because everyone loved Miam Miam and those who hadn't tried Miam Miam loved it after that!




Miyo wanted to join in the feast too!




Our neverending chats would be interspersed with a furry little gremlin trying to make everyone swoon and laugh (even though she looked like a bitchy cat 翻白眼 in all the photos taken that day). And the sofa seemed to make everyone melt into it. I swear there's some sort of magic dust on this sofa that we didn't know about. I simply love stay in Sundays with the good people in my life.




Miyo said, "Why does everyone fusses about with that Apple thing?"




Miyo said, " She's my mummy and I claim this human territory."
See what Miyo is up to at @miyo_kitty on Instagram.




Thank you Em for the unicorns and rainbows. We still think those are rocking horses but we are totally cool if you wanna say they are unicorns. LOL!




As per all my Christmas gifts over the years, there would always be the customization/personalization aspect. This year's gift came in the form of an ambigram keychain whistle of the name with an inspirational word when turned upside down. It was really fun getting everyone to read what their inspirational word is!




The best feeling when friends received their gifts was when they showed how much they loved the word I chose for them. :D









~*The One on Christmas Eve Eve*~


There were only so few of us who were in office on the 23rd so we unaimously agreed to have a good lunch at Ichiban Boshi.




This was what I ordered. It was a really filling and satisfying meal.




I just thought how this spontaneous arrangement of letters at Typo made it look like the shop belonged to hubz and me. LOL









~*The One on Christmas Eve*~


Christmas Eve was spent with the BHimbos. The theme was "Of Cats and Pets" and then it became "Be Mild or Go Wild".




Spot the leopard, rabbit, reindeer, tiger, spider, unicorn, baby and cat. Nothing that wild except possibly the stuff friends of 20 something years talk about.




The cat lovers.




The Baby Whisperer Number 1.




The Baby Whisperer Number 2.




Um... The Baby Whisperer Number 3? Humans and cat alike were so gentle to Baby Ethan.




The BHimbos...




And their inspirational word.




Super love this photo that Xtina took for us! Miyo had never been that cooperative when taking photos and Xtina totally nailed it when Miyo turned to look without flashing her usual RBF.




RBF on the rise.




Itacho Sushi Xmas eve dinner with the hubz.











~*The One on Christmas Day*~


The best way to spend Christmas? With my family of course!




Just the night before, I gave my family ridiculous instructions for the Christmas gathering at our place and they really followed!

Things such as:
- Pressing our unit number and saying "Open sesame!" Checked!
- Yell "ding dong" at the main door. Checked!
- Come dressed in cats or pets. Checked!

In fact, check out our spirit animals. We have got a mouse, 4 cats and 2 dogs. My mum even made my dad wear his only animal top with a Mickey Mouse logo even though it's an old shirt that hasn't been worn for a long time. So the 老鼠屎 is really the hubz whose only animal shirt (a Mickey Mouse too) isn't with him. So he had to make do with my kitty blankie. I love sporting people!



Those whose spirit animals are dogs:

My mum




My 2nd sis (who really wanted her spirit animal to be a cat so in goes Miyo)




And Miyo photobombed coz she really wanted my mum's spirit animal to be her!




Those whose spirit animals are cats:

My big sis



My BIL




Me of course




And my hubz who didn't have any animal top so he had to carry kitty blankie everywhere as a punishment.




As for my dad, his only animal top was this Mickey Mouse top. And he too, really wanted a cat.




So all our spirit animals are actually cats!




My mum used to be terrified of cats. She would scream and stand on the chair if a cat brushed against her legs. She slowly grew to love Simba, our first and only family cat. And even then, she only dared to carry Simba by her "armpits". It's the first time I ever seen my mum carrying a cat in this way!




My parents love Miyo so much! The last time Miyo stayed over at their place when hubz and I were overseas, they totally spoiled her rotten.







Evil cat look




Evil cat gets Christmas gifts from my sis. These are actually Luke Oreo's (my sis's rescued one eye blind black cat) favourite can food.




LOL... Miam Miam again!






Well at least something I did my best as a good host to personalize their paper cups.














Our balcony looks pretty with the white outdoor furniture. However it is the most under utilized area in our home as the floor gets caked with black dust every other day that I got lazy to clean it. The hubz cleaned the balcony and the cushion swing before my family came over coz he thought my dad might love to sit on the swing and true enough, my dad asked if he could! I thought that was really sweet of the hubz.




This is Miyo saying, "Look at this regal lion."




This is Miyo saying, "FML."




My cute parents.



The evening was spent at my big sis's place and I was so happy to see my god dog Princeton again. If you want to see more photos of him, follow him at @princeton_bratwurst on Instagram.




Ambigram of our names.




Could you decipher the inspirational words?









~*The One on Boxing Day*~


We had too much rich food in our tummies during the whole festive holiday. So on Boxing Day, the St Nicks gang (aka the 上半年 babies) gathered to have a home cooked feast at Sy's home!






Love this CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School doll!




For lunch, we had a great balance of delicious japchae, baked lemon butter garlic salmon, chicken drumsticks, salad, black bean soup, dim sum and Choya to top everything off.




Such yummy in our tummies!




I loved every single dish and I loved it that my friends loved my black bean ground nut pork rib soup even though it doesn't look appetizing at all. This soup has since become synonymous to me as a few friends who came over my place had tried and loved it.




Sy's japchae is like the best japchae ever!
















And then for tea, we had pistachio cake with matcha ice cream, lavender biscuits, orange biscuits and Irish breakfast tea.






Candice's 2 kids are lovely! And of course all Singaporean mothers would say, "Oh but they are monsters at home."



They said, "Must snap how a blogger takes flat lay shot!"

Actually I don't really know how to take flat lays and I'm sure I'm doing it wrong coz they certainly look nothing like those instagram-worthy photos I often see on other people's feed.




All the sweet sweet gifts!






My share of gifts after unwrapping. Really sweet right?




Time to unravel the code again!







Friends of 20 years gather together for home cooked lunch and western tea on Boxing Day. Some things may change but true friendship never does.




Quoting from last year's Christmas gathering with this 上半年 babies:
When we said that we have been frenz for 20 years, we all pretended that we knew one another since we were 5. So you know, we are REALLY 25 years young.









~*The One with the Friends at Work*~


The 27th was spent with my department at one of our colleague's place. If you don't already know, I really like my dept colleagues a lot. We often joke that we are not colleagues but friends because somebody once said during a dinner after work that "Lunch is for colleagues. Dinner is for friends". That phrase stuck on till now.




I missed the first part of the party coz I felt like I popped something in my right rib when I was coughing badly in the middle of the night. I had been coughing for 3 months then without getting better. The flooding of delicious food photos over Whatsapp prompted me to go no matter what coz you know, I'm a greedy pig (no... I really like my dept).




H's specialty -- Stuffed turkey. I've never eaten turkey so moist and flavourful before!




Yummy!




ZM's home baked mini cakes!




Apparently these are 3D glasses.




Games time!






The 2 newest colleagues were the party planners.




Cheers to the end of the year and a fruitful new year.




Parting shots before crashing the next colleague's home.




Thanks C for letting us crash your home.




Parting shot at the next coll's home. Boo hoo... I was not in there coz I was otw to the polyclinic to have my lungs checked. Thankfully the x-ray showed no bone fracture and the doc ruled it as pulling a muscle from violent coughing.




It was really cute how some of my friends from work asked if I took a group shot of everyone's names (coz I gave the gifts earlier to those who were in office on the 23rd). So those 6 who turned up for work on the 23rd returned theirs so that I could take a group photo... of their names. Lol!




This cute little fella visited me finally while the rest of the world had already collected loads of Santa Pikachu.




The hubz was craving for Italian cuisine so we went to Le Cantina in Venezia for dinner.




Clams in white wine and garlic is my absolute favourite. I like them as pasta, as soup, as antipasti, as anything.




Another favourite antipasti of ours in any restaurant would be the beef carpaccio with shaved parmesan cheese.




We weren't too blown over my the main dishes though. We couldn't even remember what we ordered.




His and mine tasted almost the same even though we did not order the same type of sauce.




Some sweetness to end it all.




My pretty sandals were causing me pain by the end of the day because of the beads.









~*The One from 2016 to 2017*~


Had it become an unspoken tradition to spend the last day of the year and the first day of the new year with this amazing group of friends?

As usual, it was a wonderful evening of loads of food in the tummy and joy in the heart with the VIOS gang. I have lots of wacky and super onz friends and this is one of the group that's always game for silly theme dressing, doing outrageous stuff and laughing ourselves crazy from the things we say and do.

I "burst" something under my right lung from vigorous coughing and I laughed so much that day that the burst part continued to snap down the right ribs. That night, I finally understood how the term "side-splitting" came about.




That was Miyo protesting before we went out without her till the next year because we told her, "Bye Miyo. See you next year!"




That was how the buffet spread looked like.




That was how I wrapped my gift with magazine paper and felt so proud that the words sorta match the gifts.




Grabbing from Facebook is this photo collage of the boys and the gals that Flor made coz I'm too lazy to do it myself.










As mentioned in my previous post, for some periods of time whenever people talked about future events, I would be indifferent because I would have this strange thought that I would no longer be in this world. Christmas was one season I struggled with last year. While I always look forward to basking in the love and warmth of people I care for during this festive season, 2016 was difficult for me considering the bad state I was in. I slowly shared my feelings with more friends and surprisingly, many of them could identify with how I felt. As the year came to an end, I was once again filled with lots of warmth and fuzziness in my heart. I am and will slowly pull myself back to my normal happy self. This is something I'm working towards this year. :)

Saying Goodbye to 2016

2016 is a year of major ups, many major downs and many little bumps here and there. I have been meaning to write the last blog entry for 2016 here yet as I'm typing this, I still don't have a conceptual idea of what I am comfortable to share here.

A good friend told me she feels that blogging has always been a part of me and that I might feel better being bold enough to write out my feelings. She is one of the only two persons in my life who completely understands and empathizes with whatever downs I've been going through. Looking at the total number of posts written in 2016 as opposed to all the years past, I realized just how much I've been neglecting this space.

It also dawned on me that:

1. I've always been able to remember events of my life well because writing jolts my memory. I feel upset that I've not been able to document on this space the many events and travels that I hold dear memories to. And when I want to recall those events, I don't have anything to read and look back on.

2. I've learned to be thankful and appreciate all the good things that happen to me because I write them down and seal them on virtual space. I could always have something for me to read back on and smile.

3. I keep my sanity because I express myself here. Even if I don't share 100% of what I feel here, it helps a lot in decluttering my mind and cleansing my heart.

The 3 major ups of 2016 to be thankful for are that hubby and I finally moved into our new home, we have gotten a cat and I donated blood for the first time.

While my in-laws are great people to live with, I have always dreamed of having our own home. The room in my in-laws place was getting a little too cluttered. I feel pent up living in that space. Most of the items in the room are mine and I badly need a new space for me declutter my stuff. Hubby can totally vouch that ever since we moved to our new home, my OCD nature sky rocketed that it is quite abnormal for my usually creative and free-spirited self (also read as untidy) to be like this.

On my sweet little cat Miyo, OMG. I really don't know where to start. Anybody who follows me on Facebook and Instagram would know how Miyo is my everything now. She is the happiest thing that happened to me this year. The Hubz isn't a cat person at all so when he finally allowed me to get a cat in our new home, I was ecstatic. Miyo has also crawled her way into his heart and it is really sweet to see how much he loves her.

I also donated blood for the first time. It may seem like something small to frequent blood donors but it is a significant milestone for me as I've always been under the weight limit to donate blood. This year, I've not only reached the weight limit but was over it by a few kgs to actually donate the bigger pack too. That means I grew fat but I could save more life with those extra weight.

As for the major downs and many little bumps, we could say that it is a year of many many medical bills and a few hefty ones too. (Not gonna share everything here.) I also felt like whatever I embarked on doing would always be met with stumbling blocks.

I was on to a healthy lifestyle. I signed up for membership with a yoga studio and also started going to the office gym with colleagues more often. And then I injured my knee when I tore my ACL in a stupid accident. That really put me in an emo state for quite a while. Why did it have to happen just when I was in the highs of wanting and having a more active and healthy lifestyle?

For many periods in the year and last, I was also on certain medications which made me put on weight. Coupled with the lack of exercise, I grew the fattest I ever did in my life. I could not fit into many of my usual tailored work dresses and even burst the seams of 2 of them. I look significantly fatter than my usual in photos that friends who have not seen me for a while would ask if I'm expecting. Even relatives who did not see me for a long time asked me the same questions. They are just harmless words but deep down inside, my heart was bleeding even as I was smiling on the outside and making fat jokes and pregnancy jokes about myself.

I was feeling down in the dumps most of the times and I lost my usual mental capability while at it. It affected the way I functioned and even the way I interacted with people. I am just not that much the person I am. I'm not the good wife, I'm not the good friend. I'm not the good daughter. I'm not the good worker. I'm just not good. I am out of sorts. I lack initiative. I feel really lousy most of the times. I'm also easily upset by minor things and little actions by people.

For some periods of time this year whenever people talk about future events, I would be indifferent because in my mind I would be thinking that I would no longer be in this world.

It is a strange thought really. I don't know how to explain and no normal person would understand this. I don't think about dying. I'm not suicidal. I just feel like I would be dissipating slowly and no longer in existence so there is no part for me to play in future events.

"It's the hormones! It's not you. You are not like this." the same good friend I mentioned in this post assured me. I really wished I could blame everything on the hormones. But I know that I have to control my mind too. Coz you know, the mind is a powerful tool.

I read up a lot on the feelings and symptoms I've been experiencing and they all pointed to depression. Depression? ME???

Hey why not? If you read up on depression, you would discover just how easy it is to be diagnosed as depressed in this modern world.

I watched TED videos and read up on how to cope with depression. It also felt good to know that there are smiley people out there who are also battling depression. You wouldn't have known it if they hadn't shared about it. Being in connection with similar people really helped a lot. However there are times when things I practise would only work for a while and when they no longer work, I allow myself a period of wallowing before I pick myself up again and act normal again. Sometimes the masks keep piling up each time it is time to go onto the stage that I have to keep acting and smiling and entertaining for long periods until the curtains fall and then I peel off the many layers of masks and cry a river.

Just like now...

which kinda makes me feel better.

Friends, random people and little serendipity in life always help to rein me in a little too.

For 2017, I will:

Try very hard to keep my mind in check and let go of what I can't control.

Undergo deep healing of the mind, body and soul.

Cut myself some slack on the many expectations I put upon myself.

Practise yoga and exercise regularly.

Blog more often even if it means documenting events I hold dear to from a few years back just so that I have something to read back on and smile.

Count my blessings.

Fill my heart with love and positivism.

Release things that cause negative attachment.

Let go of poisonous past and live the abundantly beautiful present!

Instagram Snapshots ~*July, August, September 2016*~

The late blogging cycle continues doesn't it? I badly want to blog. I really do. I'm suffering from memory loss of events from when I stopped capturing those memories here on my blog. I am most active on Instagram and Facebook so see all of you there for little spectrum of my life.

Thank you for sharing your experience on Instagram in my last post. I wold get down to replying your comments soon!

xoxo


~*2 July 2016*~
After 2 days of gastric flu, my ravaged insides are craving all sorts of food now.

My last full meal of the day was on Thursday afternoon with my colleagues.
I had nonya pork chop with rice for mains and we shared the kueh pie tee and steamed otah. The pork chops were the softest and tenderest pork chop I've ever eaten with a light crispy batter that didn't scratch the roof of my mouth. Their kueh pie tee ingredients were fresh with a delectable crisp shell. This is the only kueh pie tee I could put whole into my mouth without choking. It simply crumbles in your mouth bursting with all sorts of spicy, savoury and sweet flavours.
We always term this eatery "the peranakan place" without really knowing what its actual name is. Upon googling, I found out it is called Makko Teck Neo Pineapple Tarts or Teck Neo Nonya Cafe. Located at 35 Telok Blangah Rise, the food is pricey for a cafe under a HDB flat but totally worth going once every few weeks when our craving kicks in.

#nonyafood #peranakanfood #porkchops #kuehpietee #sgfood #eateateat #instafood #yummy #foodie #foodporn #ilovefood




~*6 July 2016*~
I need a cat in my life nao, like right NAO!

Too bad our new home and my old hubby isn't very cat friendly.

This sweetie pie isn't mine. He's Gunnar Scott from @thecatmuseumsg. I love his beautiful stripes on his super soft and smooth semi long fur. I love his innocent little face. So handsome! When we visited The Cat Museum in May, we were told that Gunnar was in the process of being adopted. Awwww... Lucky owners!

#thecatmuseumsg #gunnar #gunnarscott #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #kittensofig #igkitty #stripedcat #meandmycat #iwish #ilovecats #crazycatlady #catcatcat #kittenkindergarten #throwback




~*10 July 2016*~
Happy 7th wedding anniversary my dear hubby! A couple that eats together stays together and grows fat together. May we continue to eat our tummies full till we grow old and fat and check out all the fine dining places on special occasions and burn big holes in your pocket! Wahahahahhaha

#happyanniversary #weddinganniversary #wefie #ilovemyhusband #wakughin #wakughinsingapore #tetsuya #acouplethateatstogetherstaystogether #acouplethateatstogethergetsfattogether #marinabaysands #marinabaysg #mbs




~*16 July 2016*~

It's TGIF so we cheers to Somersby, warm water and girly friendship. 

#somersby #cheers #harrysbar #harrysbarsg #tgif #ilovemyfriends #galpals

~*17 July 2016*~

Look Ma! No wefie stick!

Too many too many longkang fishing photos for today and this is our only group shot. It has been years since we had so much outdoor fun with Cyn and godkids. Gonna miss you all badly. 

@cyngapore @123jaselim 

#ilovemyfamily #myotherfamily #besties #godkids #orto #longkangfishing #wefie

~*17 July 2016*~

Back to the kampong days catching little fishies with small nets and bare hands... In a man-made concrete longkang with fake rocks. Never knew that could be so fun!

#orto #longkangfishing #godkids #ilovemygodkids #ilovemyfamily #kamponglife #manmadenature #fishing

~*17 July 2016*~

Gonna miss you 2 little rascals so much! 

#ilovemyfamily #ilovemygodkids #godkids #cutekids #redandwhite #nationaldaycameearly

~*18 July 2016*~

We went to saga beef heaven with these perfectest beef cubes ever. Ooi Japanese Dining would become one of hubby's favourite Japanese restaurants for omakase.

#ooijapanesedining #japanesecuisine #sagabeef #beefcubes #foodporn #foodie #ilovefood #eateateat #omakase

~*31 July 2016*~

Got myself a new toy after my 5-year-old Canon S95 blur out on me. Back to Panasonic Lumix again. I'm looking forward to more nicely taken photos on my Instagram Coz everything has been iPhone all the way till date. 

#panasoniclumix #panasonicgf7 #iphone6 #sundayfunday #igsg #instamood #instadaily

~*9 August 2016*~

I was on my way to meet my family to watch the National Day Parade together and while waiting at AMK MRT Station just now, I saw that the park in front was full of Pokéstops with lures and it was not within my radius!

So many people are dressed in red and white today. It sure feels like Pokemon Go and National Day is binding the whole Singapore together.

Happy 51st birthday Singapore!

#happybirthdaysingapore #nationalday2016 #ndp2016 #redandwhite #pokemongo #selfie




~*9 August 2016*~

Happy National Day! All of us in red/pink and white from right to left: Yoda, BB8, C3PO, Darth Vader, Storm Trooper and Luke Oreo (the cat) blocking R2... Oh, and the humans of course! 

#happybirthdaysingapore #nationalday2016 #ndp2016 #redandwhite #familyportrait

~*10 August 2016*~

Today was the first time I donated blood.

The very first time I attempted to donate blood was when I was 18 years old. I got rejected then as I was below 45 kg. No matter how much I ate, my weight would never go above 43 kg.

It was only from 2 years ago that my weight hit 45 kg and continued skyrocketing upwards. I'm 50 kg today and so what if I've grown so much fatter from before? I could save lives now.
I'm truly amazed at how simple and painless the whole process was. The only pain was during the initial jab and the inserting of needle and that pain was totally negligible. It was akin to any normal prick from blood drawing. I thought that the process of the blood flow and squeezing of the stress ball would cause pain and soreness but nope, nothing at all. I thought that I would feel faint, tired or nauseous after that as I'm pretty prone to such symptoms but nope, nothing at all.
Everything went so smoothly that I'm quite surprised. Do you know that each bag of blood could save 3 lives? After this experience, I know that I would continue to give blood and save lives. How about you?

PS: Isn't the paw print bandage absolutely cute? It's like a mark on the arm to show people "Hey! I've got a cute gaudy paw print bandage because I donated blood." Plus that limited edition army boy stress ball. Good marketing strategy from Health Sciences Authority!

#ProudBloodDonor #HeroBloodDonors #GiveBloodSaveLives #BloodDonation #SingaporeHero #StressBall #GiftOfLife #FirstTime #igsg #sgblogger #pawprint




~*13 August 2016*~

I really like this picture coz when would we ever get to see these four guys all in the same picture proudly holding their Olympic medals?

Today, the whole of Singapore rejoiced (still rejoicing as I'm typing this) because Joseph Schooling has won Singapore our very first gold medal in the Olympics. Yes, this is a mean feat for our tiny little nation. Breaking the Olympic record with a time of 50.39 sec, Joseph beat world champion Chad Le Clos of South Africa, butterfly specialist László Cseh of Hungary and his childhood idol, the legendary Michael Phelps who all tied for silver.

It was indeed a historic sight to see young Joseph standing on the gold podium. It was also a historic moment to witness the 3 legends on the silver podium holding hands like best buddies with wide smiles on their faces.

What really warms the heart is the sportsmanship exhibited throughout the event. Before the medal presentation and after the race, all three swam over to give Joseph congratulatory hugs and hair ruffles like big brothers being truly happy for their little brother. Michael Phelps had nothing but sincere praises for Joseph Schooling and even directed international journalists' attention to the latter. Similarly, Joseph kept emphasizing on how Phelps was his inspiration and that he would never have dreamed of getting this far if not for Phelps.

Just gimme a tissue already, can?
I can't say it better than this post from Mothership which aptly summarizes the Olympic Gold medal ceremony that will live on in Singaporeans' hearts forever:
http://mothership.sg/2016/08/17-moments-from-singapores-first-ever-olympic-gold-medal-ceremony-that-will-live-on-in-our-hearts-forever/

If you're viewing this on Instagram, clickable link is available on my profile page.

#josephschooling #rio2016 #rioolympics #michaelphelps #sportsmanship #oneteamsg #majulahsingapura #proudtobesingaporean #sg51 #olympics2016 #igsg @josephschooling




~*20 August 2016*~

This is the cutest Scottish Fold boy boy kitten I've ever seen!!! 😍😍😍 His folds are the 2nd degree kind which I personally feel makes him cuter than the usual coveted full fold ones. I don't usually fancy Scottish folds and boy boy cats but OMG, this boy did it! I love his big innocent eyes, his type of grey and his beautiful tabby markings. 

In the background is his sister which is a Scottish straight. She is just as cute too!

#caturday #notmycat #wisheditweremine #scottishfold #scottishfoldcat #tabbycat #greycat #innocentface #ilovecats #catlover #catsofinstagram #igcats

~*27 August 2016*~
This Bún Chả was lovingly prepared by a friend at work for the friends at work. What a yummy Vietnamese lunch with great company on a Saturday. Thanx @bakchormee for inviting us to Kat's Kitchen and for being an awesome host.

#buncha #vietnamesefood #vietnamesecuisine #ilovefood #foodie #foodporn #eateateat #igsg #instagood #instafood




~*13 August 2016*~

Have you been to Singapore's one and only cat museum -- Lion City Kitty The Cat Museum, Muses and Mansion?

It is just the PURRFECT place for cat lovers (and even cat disliker like my hubby). This gem of a place is nestled in a three-floor shophouse space along Purvis Street.

Unlike cat cafes, there are no food and drinks served at Lion City Kitty. Also, instead of paying hefty hourly rate to be in the company of kitties like in cat cafes, you only need to pay $9 for admission fee into the museum (free admission for children under 6 years old). Lion City Kitty is a social enterprise founded by former Gold 90.5FM DJ Jessica Seet as a way to change Singaporeans’ attitude towards the cats we see on our streets as well as to create a genuine interest in them and their kitty heritage. Your $9 would go a long way to helping the kitties there! Indulge in kitty happiness while supporting a good cause.

Read about my experience at The Cat Museum:

http://iamjolene.blogspot.sg/2016/08/singapores-one-and-only-cat-museum.html?m=1

#thecatmuseumsg #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #kittensofig #igkitty #ilovecats #crazycatlady #catlover #catcatcat #meow #scrabble #catillustration #sgblogger #igsg

~*31 August 2016*~

Hi humans and kitties, 

I am Miyo the ragamuffin girlgirl. I overheard my human saying she doesn't wanna flood her Instagram account with too many photos of me. So now I haz an Instagram account! Follow me at @miyo_kitty. I will be more famous than my human in a few years' time. As for now, can I haz cheezburger?

#miyokitty #ragamuffin #littlegremlin #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #thedailykitten #catoftheday #catlovers #catsagram #cateye #crazycatlady #catlife #catlove #cutecat #meow #bestmeow #kittycat #catsclub #ilovemycat #catsofig #igsg

~*7 September 2016*~

It's been a month and a week since you all flew off to join Papa. Sealing this memory on social media so Facebook Memories would dig them out next time. 😘 

#ilovemyfamily #myotherfamily #besties #godkids #reminiscing

~*12 September 2016*~

After 2 whole days of neverending unpacking and chores at our new home, this is the first cooked meal of the day by the Hubby. 

We had cheesy garlic butter scrambled eggs, blue cheese, sliced cheese and cherry tomatoes with wholemeal bread. We also had our first coffee with the Nespresso machine.

Hubby said, "Expect chicken thigh pasta for dinner today. Now you wash up while I relak Jack on the sofa and watch TV like what ALL MEN do." 

#firstmealoftheday #firstcookedmealinthenewplace #breakfastonthebalcony #scrambledeggs #bluecheese #yummy

~*13 September 2016*~

It had been a really hectic long weekend of moving. It didn't help when all sorts of pain from gastro, cramps, headache etc came as a package in this hot and humid weather. My only relaxation were the pockets of rest time in between to play with Miyo.
While darling Miyo provided lots of joy and affection, she's an annoying little gremlin too. She meows a lot, like really a lot, constantly seeks attention and loves doing things that she's not supposed to do. Also, she is still not used to her new Pee Wee litter and we were constantly wiping pee and poop off the study room floor and patiently toilet-training her.
Moments like this when she snuggles up to me and purrs in her sleep makes me love her so much.

#miyokitty #ragamuffin #enjoyinglife #zzz #exhausted #sleepycat #acatslife #littlegremlin #pinknose #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #thedailykitten #catoftheday #catlovers #catsagram #crazycatlady #catlife #catlove #cutecat #meow #bestmeow #kittycat #catsclub #ilovemycat #catsofig #igsg @miyo_kitty

~*23 September 2016*~

"We don't realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace."
Wished I could discover that supreme self.

#qotd #quoteoftheday #quotestoliveby #wisewords #lifelessons #throwback #balilife #tanahlot #tanahlotbali #背影

~*25 September 2016*~

Do you know that when your kitty kneads/massages you, it is a sign of affection? Miyo loves to knead us at times.

There was once when I was lying in bed with headache and tummy pain, she hopped onto the bed to look at me as if knowing I needed her affection. She started to nose me gently like how she always does. Then the sweetest thing was when she used her cute little paws to hold both sides of my face and kissed me by pressing her face onto mine with her mouth touching mine. Finally, she sat down and kneaded my cheeks and forehead with her kitty soft paws till she fell asleep.

Awwwww... I'm so tired with all sorts of tummy pain and all I want is her healing touch right now.

#miyokitty #ragamuffin #catmassage #zzz #readingwithcats #sleepycat #acatslife #littlegremlin #pinknose #pinkpaws #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #thedailykitten #catoftheday #catlovers #catsagram #crazycatlady #catlife #catlove #cutecat #meow #bestmeow #kittycat #catsclub #ilovemycat #catsofig #igsg @miyo_kitty

Instagram Direct Does Not Protect Recipient of Message

Over the past few years on Instagram, I would either have my Instagram photos reposted and credited by cafes and restaurants or get requests from various Instagram accounts to do shout outs for me.

I don't mind if my photos are posted with credit and would always appreciate the eateries for the kind mention and exposure.

It is the latter that I am more cautious about.

Of course sponsors from hair salon accounts and other beauty-related accounts are more than welcome to approach me. Unfortunately with the introduction of Instagram Direct, I would often see their messages a few months late and lose out on the offers since I do not get notifications from accounts I do not follow.

So which are the accounts I am cautious about? Babe-themed, hot Asian-themed, sexy ladies-themed and the likes are what I'm referring to.

Whenever I post work out selfies, I would have the above mentioned Instagram accounts asking my permission to repost my photo in the comments section.

Just looking at their account names and tapping into their accounts did not give me good vibes.

Sometimes, I would reply them that I do not want to be featured. At other times, I figured that no reply is a form of reply. They would respect me and not post my photos of course.

Some would delete their comments after a while and there would no longer be traceable links to them. For those that I replied before that, you would see that the accounts are not available but at least something I would always have their account names sealed in the comments.

Recently, the administrators of such accounts are reaching out via Instagram Direct. I guess that Instagram Direct is more personalized and professional. However, I soon realized that it is more for the privacy and to cover their digital tracks.

I thought that Instagram Direct works like email whereby whatever that the sender sends would be in my inbox.

I was mistaken.

Instagram Direct protects the sender and not the recipient. Instagram senders CAN DELETE their messages from recipients’ phones.

To quote from the link I've shared, Instagram Direct not only leaves the detonation button in the hands of the sender, but the act of deleting a photo interrupts the recipient’s viewing of the photo. This also means that it leaves the recipient no trace of the contents that the sender sends if a screenshot was not captured before the message is deleted. Even as you are reading the message, it could simply disappear if the sender deletes the message there and then.

I'm sure every one of us would experience the foolishness of accidentally sending an email or message and wishing we could undo it. Actual opportunities to undo a message are uncommon. Also quoting examples from the same link I've shared, Gmail offers a brief “undo” option for sent e-mails, for instance, and certain types of Microsoft Exchange server setups facilitate this. But with Internet messaging, once it is sent, it is out there.

Instagram Direct appeals to senders because they are in control of what they send.

All senders REJOICE!

However as a recipient, I got the short end of the stick.

One of my recent encounter was with a Singapore babe website. I will not be dropping any name but this "number one babes and lifestyle website" used their Instagram account of the same name to send me 3 direct messages over a few months.

It started off with this account following me and liking my photos. It then sent its first message saying that they love my photos and asking if I would like to be featured on their account.

At that time, their account had babes all right. But those babes look kinda unclassy and some shots look sleazy. Many of the girls look like underaged Ah Lians or mollers (local slang for models wannabe). Their answers to the mandatory questions for the photo caption like a short introduction of themselves and the type of men that attract them did not impress me at all.

To be fair, this sg babe account had been polite in their message. However, I did not want to be associated to their babe theme in such a manner and hence did not reply.

This sg babe account continued being my follower and would occasionally like my photos. Then came their second and third messages. It took me some time to realize that I had two unread messages from them, along with many other messages from people whom I'm not following as I do not get notifications for these.

This time I was "invited" to be featured and was given a direct link to a form. As usual, they were polite and wrote some niceties about how much they love my account, my photos, my style etc.

I sensed their sincerity and decided to QC their Instagram account once more. I also noticed that they have a website that looks pretty decent. Scrolling through their account, I found a lot more wholesome babes featured. There was even a pretty mother of two being featured.

I asked my hubby what he thought of this website and IG account, whether it is legit or sleazy and he thought that it looked pretty decent too. I gave him a background to this and made the decision to be featured on their Instagram page.

Upon checking out their feature form, I realised to my horror that the waiting time is 15 months! If they have so many people wanting to be featured on their own accord, why would they still have to reach out to Instagrammers personally? What did it meant to be invited by them?

I noticed the clause (see underlined in screenshot below) about skipping the queue and hence decided to reply their message via Instagram Direct about it. I had already typed out my answers to their mandatory questions for the caption and have decided to send the form once I get their positive reply.
I mean to be invited by them and having a favourable impression of them from their polite messages, wouldn't it be natural to expect a positive reply from them?

NO...




Here is my Instagram Direct reply to them:





I knew my message was read as indicated by the "Seen". Shortly after reading my message, I realised that I could no longer scroll up to see all their previous messages to me.

I thought there was an error, consulted Google and found out the truth about missing Instagram Direct messages: they had deleted their messages to me.

As if sparking a chain of reaction, they also deleted their comments on my photos and unfollowed me.

What did all of these mean?

Did one of their administrator make a mistake to feature me? Not once but thrice.

Was there a sudden disagreement among the administrators to reach out to me?

Perhaps they were offended by my message? Even if they were, it doesn't seem quite professional to handle it in such a manner.

Or are they simply trying to erase all digital evidence of them reaching out to me and made it such that I was the one approaching them to be featured?

The most likely deduction would be the last one. You noticed the parts I circled in the 1st screenshot:

Which photo will you choose from my profile for the feature?
Whichever photo we think you look the best in!

By submitting the form, you are giving them access to use any of your photo they deem fit! What they think you look best in may not be the photo which you think you look best in. You don't get to choose at all and yet you are giving them full power to use your photos.

All their actions after my reply to them DISGUSTS me as no credible Singapore's number one babe and lifestyle website and Instagram account would react in such a way. I wonder if they also did  the same thing to the many Instagrammers they had reached out to.

I regretted not taking screenshots of everything before they erased their digital trail and this happened because Instagram Direct does not protect the recipients.

This encounter which I've shared had not harmed me in any way but I'm sure any of you could see the possible dangers that Instagram Direct could pose to unsuspecting people.

What are your thoughts to Instagram Direct or anything Instagram? Have you any interesting encounters to share about unpleasant encounters on social media platforms? Has any Singaporean babe been approached by this account too?

Let's hear what you have to say in the comments section!