that's so rude

I just found out today that someone took photos from my blog WITHOUT ASKING and posted it up in an "advertising-based website for all around the world"...and used it to "advertise" someone closely related to me (in the industry). These are photos that i took with my own camera - of MY PERSONAL LIFE, NOT for commercial/entertaining purpose!!! What the F@#K!!!

Shouldnt the author at least have the courtesy to ASK first??? And not just 1, but 2 photos were STOLEN! This is so rude of him/her! Thank God, we tracked him down shortly, and it was removed! Phew... I really hope it doesnt happen again.

I was probably "detected" coz i wrote a post about Elvis being "my famous husband" (which i have since deleted). It came as a shock to me when i knew about this. Frankly, i'm a little surprised...but pleased, of course! That's why i wrote about it.


This nasty incident made me think about closing down this blog (again)... As much as i enjoy writing here and showing pictures of the good time we have (especially of our new life together), it's giving me more stress than anything now... Sob Sob... =[ But i'm not going to let this get to me...

dubbedr-in-chinar-dvdr

I've finally finished watching the Korean drama A Love to Kill. Cant believe that it took me almost ONE MONTH! I remember the craziest speed was to finish something within 2-3 days! And i was told that this is a very sad show...but i didnt use up more than 3 pieces of tissue...and they are NOT soaked through at all! Just a few tears here and there... Hmm...I'm such a crybaby! Why is that so???

I think it might be because this drama is very badly dubbed in "local mandarin" with the slang & tongue twirrrrl...so it kinda affected my mood when watching - which might explain the speed. But this single DVD9 disc only cost ¥7/S$1.40...so i shouldnt be complaining huh! ;p

Also, on Saturday night, Elvis & i was watching The Holiday...and about 45 mins into the movie, the language (English) suddenly changed to something else (maybe French)! It's so funny to watch it mimed in a "weird" language! We had a good laugh! We then watched it with the English subtitles, but that was wrong too! So we finally, we decided to give up! ;p

Haha! So much for China-bought DVDs.

p.s. Elvis successfully went into the H&M with me (but things in the mens dept were snapped up by now). As expected, there was still THE QUEUE (though not as loooong as last weekend's)! He commented something that's so true! This is the only place in China that people will queue!!! LOL! ;p

boring boring

Somehow Dime A Million has become like a blog update of my daily life - like a diary. I have also lost the touch for writing funny stuffs like what i did at the very beginning - about my horrrrrible knitting, weird things that happen around here in CHINA!!!, things so unSingaporean and seemingly shocking or even rude to us. Sometimes, it's also a complain blog when i need to vent my anger, especially since there's 101 "unavoidable" irritating things - the traffic, motorists, cab drivers, people, menus, service, construction...

Sometimes, i wonder if my friends are still reading...hmm...but the occasional comments makes my day. ;p

Elvis, u are still reading before u come home every night, right???

i just have to show u these too

And these! The 80s come alive!
Today, i went to H&M (again). I didnt buy a single thing! Haha! Nah...nothing much, really. Kekee... Though i was hoping to find these. I was there with a new Singapore friend, Hannah. I've always liked this name coz it's spelt the same backwards! Cool huh! She's pretty easy-going (like me). We've arranged to see more of Shanghai tomorrow. ;)

the touch

I havent touched any design work for the past NINE months. But I started working on my 1st freelance project on Monday late in the afternoon (after lazing around most of the day, and with half my heart on blogging)...and i finally came up with a few options. As i started working on it, i already felt that it was really quite bad! I had lost the touch. =[

I was even a bit embarrassed to email it out, so i asked a friend for her opinion. After some minor changes, we decided to get it over with. Anyway most of the time, to designers, clients have weird taste. On top of that, it's never easy working with a client who knows about design. Anyway, quoting him in his reply: "Haha...i can see you have lost some of your touch..." Thankfully, "my client" was very nice as always and he gave me more info on what they are looking at. So with that in mind, i relooked at it...and came up with something on Wed. My friend & i agreed it was much better than yesterday's...but i still didnt find the confidence. When i got his email, i was thinking i would be sooo super duper embarrassed if he didnt like it again...but thankfully, here's what he said, "Wah...damn good liao...". He's not exactly the real client for this project, coz he just referred a good friend to me. So, i think me embarrassed = he also embarrassed (coz i was his favourite designer).

So, i'm very happy now, not becoz it was good work, but becoz half of my money is secured! Now, i've just got to complete the other stuff, and i'll be a rich woman! HAHA!

Most importantly, i found out that i have definitely lost the touch by being a "tai tai", shopping, watching TV/DVDs, MSNing... (though it was a hell lot of fun!) ;p

togetherness

thank you for standing firmly beside me - always.

Love Spell
Every time I look at you
my heart skips a beat
I wonder if you know, my love,
that my heart is at your feet
I leave it there for you to do
whatever that you wish
You could take my heart,
and love me,
Or just leave me in this bliss.

- Ana Martinez -

humour

Just step on me when the light turns green! I'm the new crosswalk! This is my first job since moving to the big city!

...and being in Shanghai = dead (zebra) meat!

agenda 1,2,3

I just finished writing & uploading the photos i took over the weekends in the post below. I was lazy to combine the photos, but think i had no choice, or it'll be way too long to show u everything nice at Neocha.

1. This coming week should be a crazy one... 1st, i just got a freelance job to do from a contact in Singapore. I have promised to show something TOMORROW, so i've really got to rush (after typing this)! The $ (in SGD not RMB) should be quite good, so i'll have to do a good job. Then i can buy a more expensive anniversary gift! Or take a shorter time saving it. Heehee... ;)

2. Then, i've got to accompany Cindy's friend, Hannah, who's here for a holiday. Need to find out what she's keen to see here in Shanghai...then arrange something... Hope we can click. ;p

3. Then, i've got to head to Parkson to get that oven i've short-listed! No, it's not the Hello Kitty one - though i would have loved it more! Haha! I want something with a reputable brand, nice/okay design, easy to use/control the temperature - for an amateur like me! And i've decided on the white Kenwood over the Tefal!

Okie! Time to get to work!
Money, money, money...must be funny... =D

what a weekend!

Now is one of the few times that i can access my blog without the help of a third-party proxy. So, i think i better type more! Plus, i have sooo many pictures to show! Haha! This weekend was just cool! First, on Friday, i met up with Elvis & his Singapore friend Cynthia for lunch, then the 2 of us went to the new H&M store in Huai Hai Road. It was their 2nd day of opening. When we got there, there was a queue already. Not too long, about the corner of the block. She was to meet her friend in 30 mins, but buying something (here) that others in Singapore wouldnt have is also an attraction to her! Heehee... So we decided to queue anyway. ;p

When we finally got in, we went separate ways. Anyway, she only have 10 mins by then. As i walked around alone, i realised that not all the things are the same as the Hong Kong store. Perhaps it's because Shanghai's store is MUCH BIGGER occupying 4 levels (including a basement). Little did i know that the queue for the fitting room took me almost ONE HOUR! And when i was done roaming all the 4 floors including the Mens, i didnt want to get out of the store! Perhaps coz it took so much effort to get in! LOL! I guess that also explains why there's such a looong queue (since everyone's not leaving). Finally after 2 hours, i left happily with a pair of jeans & a cute tee of rainbow prints. If without "self-restrain", i would have definitely bought more! ;p

Then i walked around in Parkson - looking at ovens! Haha! There's a really cool range of Hello Kitty electricals here! I cant take a photo of it, so i took a brochure which i have uploaded here. Sooo pretty huh! Imagine a white kitchen with all these cute stuff!

Then i met Elvis and his Thai friends for dinner at Ba Guo Bu Yi 巴国布衣 a traditional Sichuan restaurant with a performance of the Chinese secret art of 变脸 "Face-Changing".
http://www.baguobuyi.com



Watch again!


At one point, he even walked down the stairs (where everyone is standing to watch) to shake Elvis' hands and did a face-change right in front of Elvis! It all happened at a blink of an eye that you really cant tell how he did it! No wonder it's called a secret art! After dinner, we went to a club Zapatas coz someone was curious to see the "meat market". I found out that Zapatas is a bar/disco where male expats pick up/try to pick up Chinese girls. There's even a funny article that i saw here http://www.chinasnippets.com/2006/08/04/zapatas-are-you-a-prostitute . (Sorry, the link doesnt work well, just delete the letters after 'prostitute') We left at about 130am, and i went home to zzz while Elvis & Aey headed to another more "happening" club BonBon. Since afternoon, my left eye was already red due to contact lens infection, and here's what i got when i reached home. ={

Saturday, we woke up early (despite Elvis' late night till 430am) to meet Aey for lunch, and to accompany him to register for Chinese lessons at Miracle Mandarin. The teacher was very sweet and pretty, and i would have been sold too! Haha! After that, we went to Pudong in search of an exhibition ArtFutura. This is ArtFutura's first event in China. It is an avant-garde Spanish exhibition of new media, technology and interactive art. This is one of those that i dont enjoy nor understand! Haha! Anyway, so much about being arty! ;p



Then, we moved on to something arty which i like! neocha - NeoSpring Creative Festival where there's a sale of designer art wares, music, booze, performance etc. This was much better than the one we went to previously at Raffles City. This being held in an old 3-storey warehouse with rooftop (much like Elvis' super cool office) also made the event feel more artaz!



After that, we went to Ken & Diana's house for BBQ. But it started to rain just as it was about to start! Haha! Here's a picture of Elvis carrying their baby. Can u tell she's a girl?? ;)

Sunday morning after our dimsum brunch at Crystal Jade (as usual), we went to a hospital recommended by the pioneers in Shanghai. I wanted to see the doctor for my eye infection, and Elvis for his sinusitis. The inside looks really good...and well, of course very expensive! It had a comfortable waiting area with sofa and couch, proper (doctor) rooms, and the medicine was packed in the most beautiful bag i've seen! At other hospitals, it's thrown at you, and you have to pack them yourself in plastic bags. This are how real clinics/hospitals should be - especially for patients!

After that, we decided to head to H&M. As expected, there was a queue. As we walked towards the end of the queue, we decided to give up! It was just impossible! EVERYONE was here including Aunties, Uncles & Ah-Mas! This is perhaps as crazy as the queue in Hong Kong H&M (which opened on 10 March - only 1 month earlier than Shanghai's)!


So we walked towards another hip shopping street and we saw a nice shop selling hiphop "YoYo!" stuffs like Bathing Ape etc. Elvis saw a pair of spectacles and we found out that it was ¥3500/S$700. OMG! Imagine how much it would cost with the prescriptive lens! So we went to People's Square to make a pair of specs that Elvis saw a few weeks back (before we went to HK). Heng it was still there! And it was only ¥700! And i couldnt resist more shopping when i look at elvis shop! Haha!

Shanghai can be such an expensive place to live in! But it's still good! Haha!

just a little bit of shanghai

...with the latest addition of H&M into the scene
2% - 5cm - adidas - agnes b. - alexander mcqueen - anna sui - anycall (samsung) - a.p.c. - arnold palmer - as know as - atsuro tayama - aquascutum - b+ab - baby jane by cacharel - baccarat - balenciaga - bally - bcbg max azria - benetton - biotherm - blumarine - bobby brown - bottega veneta - burberry - burger king - bvlgari - cacharel - carrefour - cartier - celine - chanel - chloe - chopard - clarins - ck, calvin klein - clinique - coach - coffeebean & tealeaves - comme des garcons - converse - daks - dhc - diana von fursenberg - diesel - dior - dkny - dolce & gabbana - doublepark - dunhill - earth made - elizabeth arden - emporio armani - energie - eni:d - escada - esprit - estee lauder - etam - etro - fancl - fcuk - fendi - fornarina - franck muller - furla - giorgio armani - givenchy - gucci - guerlain - guess - haagen dazs - h&m - h2o - hallmark - helena rubinstein - hello kitty - hermes - http://www.izzue.com - hugo boss - iblues - iimk - ipsa - issey miyake - i.t. - jean paul gaultier - jil sander - john galliano - junya watanabe - kate spade - kanebo - kenzo - kfc - kodak - kookai - kose - lacoste - lancome - laneige - lanvin - la mer - lee - levis - l'occitane - loewe - loreal - louis vuitton - luella - lu lu frost - m.a.c. - mango - manolo blahnik - marc jacobs - marni - max & co. - maxmara - mcdonalds - michael kors - michel klein - missoni - miss sixty - miu miu - mont blanc - moschino - motorola - mulberry - nike - new balance - nice claup - nine west - nokia - noly - oasis - olive des olive - omega - on pedder - ozoc - paco rabanne - pageboy - panasonic - patrizia pepe - paul smith - pennyblack - prada - ports - pou dou dou - promod - pucci - puma - quiksilver - rado - ralph lauren - red earth - roberto cavalli - rolex - roxy - sakae sushi - salvatore ferragamo - samsonite - sasa - see by chloe - sephora - shanghai tang - shiseido - sk-II - sonia rykiel - shu uemura - sisley - sony - sony ericsson - starbucks - stella mccartney - st. john - swarovski - swensen's - tiffany & co. - tod's - tommy hilfiger - triumph - trussardi - tse - tsumori chisato - valentino - van cleef & arpels - vera wang - versace - vivienne tam - vivienne westwood - wacoal - wolford - xlarge - yohji yamamoto - yoshinoya - ysl - zara - zuczug - z zegna
I'm sure there's something for you - definitely.

MSN hacker

At about 9pm, when i was in the midst of watching A Love to Kill (korean drama), Elvis called me on my cellphone and asked me if i've had my dinner. I told him that i ate long ago about 7pm, and has been watching TV since! Apparently, a minute ago, he was on the MSN with "me"! He even told me about "our" conversation! He said that "i" typed with bad english...and suddenly said gtg. So, he called me immediately to find out what happened.

It got me REALLY scared - for the next few hours! ;p

Then when he came home, he told me about it again...so i decided to google about such MSN hackers, and true enough, it can happen to anyone! No wonder when Elvis was in Hong Kong on a business trip 2 weeks ago, i saw him online for a short while and thought that he had landed. A few hours later, he called me and say that they just checked-into the hotel, and he's going for his meeting. So, i told him that i saw him online earlier! We were puzzled then, but didnt think too much about it.

It's really scary huh?

just a nice picture

little miss sunshine

Last night, Elvis left the office early at 9pm, so we had dinner together followed by a movie (DVD of course) at home.
Little Miss Sunshine
Usually, i'm not too keen in watching movies which i dont even know who the actors are. This is such a movie. Haha! But it was really a good black comedy, and we both enjoyed it loads! Go catch it too! ;)

swap package #2, #3

Yesterday, I received my 2nd swap package (supposedly my 4th/April)! It was sent via courier service to my doorstep! Here's what i got from Phyllis:

1 : A box of surprises!
2 : Strawberry Shortcake candle, Care Bears band-aid, monkey keycaps
3 : Muffins A-Z book, Seattle info & map, Seattle postcard & magnet
4 : notebooks x2, post-it pads, California State University mug, pen & keyring (where Phyllis is teaching)
5 : Loccitane travel shampoo & body lotion, indian mirror
6 : chocolates, candies, almond toppings & Tazo passion tea

And here's what i sent Phyllis (click for bigger view)

: yarn, earrings x4, hairties x4 & hairclips, chinese propaganda postcards, oriental pouch & tissue case, socks, mirror & clipper, chinese snacks, stationery, deco tapes, stickers, memoclip. (there's also a Jay Chou CD which i didnt take a photo of)

Updated on 13 April: Phyllis has received my package!
"My package arrived today! And I'm so happy with it! :-) You picked out such a wonderful collections of things,; I'm not even sure which is my favorite yet. I just finished eating some of the snacks. I'd had haw slices before and I forgot how much I like them. The earrings are definitely my style. I know the girls are going to be just thrilled with the hairbands and pens and pencils. Thank you so much for a wonderful swap!! I've put up a picture on my blog: dephal.blogspot.com.
I hope you liked your package as much as I like mine. :-)
Phyllis"

I also got the slip from the post office that my March/3rd package from Caro in France has arrived too! I just collected it:

: coasters, vase, lollipop, PVC wall organiser, toys, magnets, purple lipgloss?, bracelet, pencil, eraser, nougat, chocolates, tissue, cellphone strap, tea, postcards.

And here's what Caro requested for

: bag, socks x2, lipgloss, blusher, Jack cellphone strap, stickers x3, memoclip, deco tape, eraser, pen x3 (requested crocodile) & pencil, earrings x2, keyring, tea infuser, chocolates.

Actually, i'm pretty disappointed with this swap coz many of the items Caro said she will send, she did not. She had also promised a bag (or vintage accessories if she cant find a bag), notebook, receipe, CareBear figurine. I suppose the CareBear undergone mutation to become the purple monkey, Obelix-lookalike and dog. And the 'cute things' and 'handmade item' she mentioned was not what i had anticipated. =[

Anyway, i'm going to take a break until my July swap with Malin from Sweden! I'm REALLY looking forward to that! It's got to be the best! Here's the preview!

And i think my February (supposedly 2nd) swap package from Katy in USA is a goner... ={

hong kong the city of lights

Yesterday night, we came back from our short holiday in Hong Kong. It was a last minute decision to go to coz Elvis was able to get off work for a while. I was really thrilled! We did the usual Shop, Eat, Shop, Eat, Shop, Eat... + an unexpected gambling trip in Macau! Haha! Here's my HK diary:

DAY 1
Our flight was delayed in Shanghai, and we waited close to 2 hours on the aircraft. See the window during boarding and take-off. The Hong Kong Airport Express was fantastic and we were in the city within 30 mins. Then we took a taxi to our hotel. When we arrived in Mongkok, I realised it was NOT the "can-wear-tshirt-only" weather which greeted Elvis last week!!! It was pretty cold, and many people were also wearing thick winter jackets! Wish i had brought my jackets and scarves! Now, we're stuck in the 1-and-only jacket we wore there for the rest of our holiday! Anyway, we went for supper and zzz coz most of the shops in Mongkok area were already closed. But the streets were full of people as always.



DAY 2
We had breakfast at a teahouse, and i had the yummy "sai dor se". We shopped for a while at Langham Place in Mongkok area near our hotel. Then it's lunch at a sushi bar where they serve miniature chawamushi & salmon. Haha! Then we headed to Central for shopping. Gosh, there's a queue to enter H&M! We queued anyway...and managed to get some stuff. Most of the sizes were gone, so u just have to grab whatever u can. We believe that when H&M opens in Shanghai this week, it'll be equally packed! We also went to the Comme des Garcons - White Box. Realised it opened a few days ago! In the evening, we met up with Clara - my childhood friend. After dinner, we shopped around in Causeway Bay.



DAY 3
We had late breakfast since most of the shops open late (around 3/4pm). Then we headed to Tsim Sha Tsui area in search of 2 malls which we liked (when we came last time). When we found it, 1 of the building has been converted to a 1-stop bridal gown place. We had lunch then continued to search for the other building. Luckily, the building was still around! After that, we headed to Habour City and waited/rested till the "lights performance" of HK's skyline. It was not fantastic, but still glad we caught it.



DAY 4
We went to Macau in the afternoon with Clara our tourguide for the day. There were a lot of people (or gamblers), so we only arrived at about 4pm. The weather in Macau was lovely and it felt like we were in Europe! After visiting some of the sights, we headed to Sands Casino for a short while. When we left, Elvis & Clara had lost HK$100 each. Then we went for a traditional Portugese dinner, and left at 10.30pm to the ferry terminal. When we arrived, we realised that the return ferry tickets were sold out! The next available timing was 3.30AM! But when it was our turn, it was also sold out, and we bought the 6.30AM ferry tickets! So we had no choice but to head back to Sands to "fatt choi". When we left at 5.30am, the 2 gamblers had lost a total of HK$1200. ={ At the ferry terminal, people were already delivering the day's newspapers to Macau! Haha! We took the train home, and Elvis & Clara were still mesmerized by the sounds of the jackpots and kept saying "Bling, bling" at the MTR ticket machine! LOL!



DAY 5
We were totally exhausted and the thought of checking-out at noon and roam the streets till our flight home was crazy. So we managed to extend our hotel room till 6pm, paying half-day's published rate. My infected-eye was also acting up after the whole night of wearing my lens, so I'll have to give them up (Aarrgghhh!). Anyway, we slept like a log till 3.30pm and did our last minute shopping in Mongkok before heading to the airport via the Airport Express. We arrived in Shanghai in slightly over 2 hours, and I was totally knocked out by midnight after ordering our supper delivery which is like a dream service in this cold weather. Thank goodness i'm in Shanghai!


Hong Kong - the city of lights & aches! Where's my Yoko-yoko? ;p

mundane things

I'm thankful that we can afford domestic help here. And i'm very nice to our "Ah Yi" (aunty in Chinese)...and i'm not calculative with her, always rounding off the amount to the full hour. But i really feel she's taken me for granted. Everytime after she leave, i will find slipshod work here and there... And i dont even need to swipe my finger across the table! ;[

Today, after she said she has swept & mopped the floor...and i happened to walk to the living room (most of the time, i will just sit in the study throughout the entire time she clean up the place), I still saw FOOTPRINTS (from our bedslippers) on the parquet...so i had no choice but to tell her to clean it again using a bit more strength - giving her the benefit of the doubt that it was a really tough stain.

After she left, here's what i saw in the bathroom sink. I had to do the scrubbing myself:





Each time after she leave, although i will be a little pissed when i discover that she didnt do a good job, i will still treat her very nicely when she comes again. I also dont want to "monitor" her when she does her work.

O ya! There's a blouse hanging in my wardrobe which is still sooo crumpled, it looks like it just came out from the wash! When i saw it (after she ironed), i dont know whether to laugh or what?! LOL!

free kitty calendar

train of thought

I just saw this on a friend's blog...
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

I'm grateful i've met the one i was meant to meet.

to market to market

I went out for a little while just now. When i reached the ground floor, i saw many people, camera crew etc... Seems like they are shooting something here at our condo again (coz it's quite nice). There's many other blocks/lobbys, but i dont know why it's always at our block.

Then when i came back and went to open my mailbox, juggling my plastic carriers like an aunty, i saw a guy sitting just beside the door! He was none other than Christopher Lee! Yes, the Singapore (or Malaysian) TCS actor! WOW!

As i went up to my house, i was hesitating if i should go down again to take a photo of/with him. So, i asked my 2 Malaysian consultants Tomy & Elin who was online. They both said GO! And so i went... Haha! I felt like a teenage school girl!

These are the 2 BMWs parked downstairs for the shoot (taken from my balcony on the top floor).

I'm not his fan, but i just thought that since it's such a coincidence, i shouldnt miss the chance to take a picture with him (it's true). This is my FIRST time doing this okay! ;p

Now that i've tried this crazy star-chasing stuff, tomorrow i will try to take a photo with Nicholas Tse! Keep tuning in! Haha! ;)

Hmm...when i go to Hong Kong on Wed, maybe i can go to the tv station and look for Fang Zhong Xing, Zhang Zhi Ling, and my dearest Mai Bao! I can see Elvis fainting already! LOL!

ready, get set, go

Yesterday morning, Elvis told me out of the blue, "Let's go to Hong Kong this week!". I was still in my dreamland and said, "Huh! Dont want lah...I'm trying to save money leh..." So, we decided to maybe wait till May.

Then in the evening, Elvis called home, and asked me to go ahead to find out more about the airfares and hotels. I did some research at night. I was feeling a bit frustrated coz i'm always the one doing all these shitty planning stuff. I shorlisted a few hotels, and got an airfare from 1 website. Other offices had already closed for the day, so it was impossible to check. At the back of my head, i was thinking that we might not go anyway. Coz 1 of his friend will arrive in Shanghai tomorrow, and we had plans to go tour some part in China during the May Day 1-week holidays with Aye and his girlfriend. Airfares out/in of China are all very expensive, and it would cost the same from Singapore (though the distance is much nearer from Shanghai). Hmm... Everything was kinda surreal to me.

When we woke up this morning, Elvis went to see the hotels i have shortlisted, and he called his regular "airticket supplier" to check the cost. Then he called another one (from the web), and their price is lower! So, he immediately said OK!

I quickly went to book the hotel online coz there was only 5 rooms left last night. Now, everything has been processed! It all happened so quickly, i can barely think clearly! Wow! So...Hong Kong here we come - this Wednesday! This is not an April Fool's joke.

My life is certainly full of surprises! ;)

It's been a while since i last went to Hong Kong. Time to do some research! http://www.discoverhongkong.com