Harry Potter : The Visions of Magic with Mx & Angela

 Our Harry Potter experience began with a high tea @ Platform 1094... 

prettiness : 5/5

taste : 3/5

i very much prefer the mains and salad at this eatery... 

then made our way to RWS, collected our wands and into the magical world of Harry Potter we went... 🪄🪄🪄

Onboard the Knight Bus to Leaky Cauldron 

Then 'up' to Ministry of MAGIC, only for those who knows how to use a rotary dial phone... 😂😂😂

so many so many sparkly bloop bloops at our command in The Hall of Prophecy... 

@ The Chamber of Secretsssssss

spotted a witch @ Knockturn Alley !!!

this fluffy is so much cuter than the fluffy in the movie!!! 

so many keys!!! i want that one!!! 

got myself and Angela our house badge!!! 😍😍😍

took us more than 90 minutes to 慢慢玩, 慢慢拍s in all 9 magical Harry Potter worlds... enjoyed ALL of them!!!... am really impressed with all the set-ups... is solid de!!!... 没有马虎, 糊弄... all 真材实料!!!

Giving Thanks in January

9th Jan (Thur)

survived my first mri... not as scary as i had imagined it to be... another case of 自己吓自己... 😅😅😅

8th Jan (Wed)

giving thanks to Jeo for gifting me this sunscreen after hearing my complains about my 'new' sunspots... 我一个讨厌太阳的人竟然有 sunspots!!! 

4th Jan (Sat)

had a terrible night of sleep... had a terrible moody morning...it's a day where i shouldnt be left alone to 胡思乱想 胡思乱骂 so super thankful when joyce invited me over to gym together and thankful for kakis who suggested, sponsored and participated in our first ever mask-jong together too... 😂😂😂

I.II.MMXXV (Thur)

original plan was to title this year's monthly entry as "MicroJoy in..." as inspired by the book "MicroJoys" that i read in May last year... but I had used "Joy in..." just in 2024 and MicroJoy in 2025 does sound like a downgrade in retrospect... 😂😂😂

nopx, i'm not gonna jinx my 2025... my life can only get better and be better. Since i'm reading on how practicing gratitude is an amazing tool to help children (and me) build our happiness and well-being in "My Happy Mind", i decided to tweak it for this year's monthly headers... 

and for today, i am giving thanks to :

> wise & flexible leadership that allows me to sleep in a little more and to wfh today

> the efficiency and resourcefulness to finish all that i had to for Art & PAL... no math this year!!! HooWoo!!! 

> the determination to complete book #1 of the year "My Happy Mind"

> the anti-laziness to go out for lunch just so to have the much needed veg intake and for my 7km hamster walk walk which allowed me to bump into uncle wan!!!

Happi SG60 with 60 must-eat in Singapore

Singapore is 60th this year!!! so i'm setting a 60 Singapore hawker food quest for myself to indulge in since our hawker culture was successfully inscribed in UNESCO... 😋😋😋

(2) Bak Chor Meepok @ 乐满园 coffeeshop... 重重的一包 at only $3 !!! 😍😍😍 

10th Jan (Fri)

(1) buy 2 free 1 姜葱田鸡 with veg & tofu @ Chang Jiang G1 as 开工大餐

3 Jan (Fri)

Beneficial Reading in 2025

 after a year of 'forceful' reading, i found out that my reading preference is at two extreme > romance in Chinese and self-help books in English

reading Chinese romance books started way back when i was only 12, a year or two after 蔡妈咪 picked up the habit as i had to tag along her to book stores to rent them so very often... every visit would last at least an hour so might as well make my time and her money worth... 

in my peak, usually during the school holidays, i could finish 3 books a day... headache were a norm from long hours of reading and crying over all the misunderstandings and unacquitted love of the characters...my eyes would be so puffy from the crying that i had multi-layer eyelids... 😂😂😂... 

i stopped reading them during JC times, after an S-0 told me that they made me form unrealistic expectation of him... and i think i also got busier with school, then with work and definitely with more fun things to occupy my time with... 

then Covid hit, confined at home, watched one show after another on Netflix and i was hooked onto a C-drama that was adapted from a "juicy" novel... and the floodgate is open once more... now even more because of the many many online platforms... 就是喜欢谈恋爱的感觉, 甜甜的... 以前是希望发生在自己身上... 现在是接受现实, 享受想象就可以了... 😍😍😍

i think i was only a English reader in primary school... have recollections of reading all, if not most of the books by Roald Dahl and the series of Nancy Drew, Secret Seven, Hardy Boys, Famous Five, Sweet Valley Twins... moved on the Reader Digest in Secondary school and stopped reading altogether when silent reading was no longer mandatory in my life... 😂😂😂... completed the first few books of Harry Potter before it got too dark and sadist and Twilight because of the movies... 

Read an English suspense / adventure book hoping that it would ignite my love for reading in English... nah, didnt like it... too adulty for me with the much violence and sexual references... eventually it was books on how to be better at my job and how to better my life that kept me willing to continue reading... 

so for this year, i'm gonna continue my love for trashy romance novel in Chinese as nutrients for my heart and self-help books in English as tonic for my brain...  

the trashy romance novels that i read / listen to are so trashy that i'm too embarrassed to mention the titles to anyone... hence the title of this post is "Beneficial" reading where i only document the worthy books... 😅😅😅 

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completed on : I.II.MMXXV

> happy breathing technique to wake the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex when the amygdala is in control 

> notice, comment and celebrate character strengths that lead to achievement and not of achievement itself

> additional printable @ myHappymind

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completed on : 6 Jan 2025

started this book on Friday afternoon and received the heart aching news that night... it's as if whoever / whatever here there is prepping me for the terrible news... my viet cake whom was under my form-ship for 4 years has passed on last december... if only... but there's no 'if only' in life after it happens... 早知如此 何必当初..

Planner 2025 is ready!

using the last of notebooks that ex-big-big boss gifted for Planner 2025... a new notebook but after my flip-flip-flips during doodling, bits and shreds of the brown cover material started to fall/peel off... what lousy quality seh!!! 😂😂😂

 

a month late in planning this planner cos was busy with work (surprise!), many many hatchday celebrationS and weak attempt at inktober in October... 

one of my relief activities as my cover activity and name sticker from Sylvia...😊😊😊

the monthly spreads for Planner 2025 are all festive related...

first up; Chinese New Year in January!!!

 inspired by the book "MicroJoy" that i read in May, i included a MicroJoy section to jot down the top 3 MicroJoys of each month... 

新的一年, 新的一岁 for everyone 😂😂😂... hence a birthday tracker as January monthly activity... it's also easier to reference from compared to having it in October in Planner 2024

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February is when we celebrated (big scale) Friendship Day on 14th Feb back in college time hence a F.R.I.E.N.D.S theme with polaroids for wefies for all my friends from primary times till now... 😍😍😍

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三八妇女节 is on 8th March... a month for women... a month for me... taking great care of myself is upmost important hence a tracker for self-care activities such as having sufficient sleep, exercising, applying more facial masks and eating more veg... 

weekly post-it from teachers' day prezzie stash

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World Book Day is on 23rd April... just nice for a reading log... only worthy books will be recorded... will continue to read kiddos books and 没有营养的 online novels though... 😅😅😅

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Mother's Day in May... 蔡 mummy is 65 in 2025... gonna shower mummy monthiversary love with a gift, a do-together activity and a gai gai day out every term... 😍😍😍

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June will always be my travel month... shall it be 2 weeks in tibet / china or poland / germany leh?!?!?!? 

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Plastic Bag Free day is on 3rd July hence this Go Green theme... 

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Singapore is 60th!!! valid reason to find 60 Singapore hawker food to indulge in since our hawker culture was successfully inscribed in UNESCO... 😋😋😋... 

these two sheets were To-Do List which i koped from Qiyi

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Teachers' Day is back in September this year so 2 'notice boards' to 'collect' notes & stickers from kiddos & work pals... 

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Hangul Day is on 9th October, my birthday... what a coincidence!!!... so die die must continue to learn my korean... set a target to clear section 2 by end of 2025 = must master 2 to 3 topics per month!!! 

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Thanksgiving month so must give thanks for each and every day in the month

as per always, no December spread needed cos no need to work hence no deadlines to meet in the month... 😍😍😍

original plan to use templates, then cut & paste for the monthly activities was because i thought they would look prettier, neater and i would like them more... but i found out that i am so 自恋 that i actually prefer looking at my own kiddish doodles... 😂😂😂

also luv how 4 of the monthly spreads; feb / jun / oct / nov, are not in the usual boring boxy calendar grid style... 

Joy in December

30th Dec (Mon)

welcoming me back to work are goodies prepped by swb and luv from work pals... 😍😍😍

also received a new homework for the upcoming work year... heng, i'm so 'into' reading now... 😅😅😅

felt displaced at work today cos no timetable,  no form class, no cca, no committee duty... i'm a phantom... 😂😂😂... a good year to take PDL, be in NLC and a(symbol)edge?!?!?!?! 

used this bag that Alvin bought for me from Japan that came with a strap crocheted by Angela as my water bottle + hp + card holder bag when i dont have to bring my barang barangs around school... 

28th Dec (Sat)

3 course set lunch + free flow drinks... 好饱 好饱!!!

primary school mates gathered @ Mama Diam... an eatery so interesting that this was my 4th visit, first with Angela, second for a drink with Mab & Laurice, third with mx...and every visit, a new menu!!! 👍👍👍 

27th Dec (Fri)

Q: Why did the 'si ka zua' cross the road? 

A : To slap me with its tail for not doing my almost daily hamster walk since June... 😅😅😅 

8km for day 1 of walk walk... not bad, hopefully can sustain...

we know we are kakis when i gifted Joyce a MJ tile soap + a box of MJ cards and she gifted me a MJ rubik's cube... 😂😂😂 

26th Dec (Thur)

接小老太婆回家咯 !!! 

stood on me for so long, she left a paw imprint on my left calf... 😂😂😂

帮我照顾小老太婆还买糖给我的 little wifey... 😍😍😍

20th Dec (Fri)

early 冬至 冬至 吃汤圆... 😍😍😍

19th Dec (Thur)

gift exchange with the nies ladies after 1.5 rounds of our favourite game... 

🤶ho🤶ho🤶ho🤶ho🤶ho

i did put more heart & thoughts into this year's xmas gifting after last year's blunder😅😅😅... gifted artsy table clothes to Claire for use @ her art studios, gifted Harry Potter passport cover & luggage tag to Mab, gifted super cute cats / dog handphone straps, 香香 room spray & 旺旺 mahjong soap tiles to Michelle and Laurice and finally cute cute luggage wheel covers + environmental friendly powder shampoo & bath foam for every one!!! 

18th Dec (Wed)

Alfred is back from Japan with luvlies for me... similar vibe to the luvlies Alvin got for me from his Japan trip in Oct... 😍😍😍

while Angela built this super duper cute girl with pearl earrings for me while snowy-sitting @ home sweet home... 

i mega luv my 3As for luving me in cute cute ways!!! 

17th Dec (Tue)

PAM stayca in JB (again)... 吃东西 买东西 吃东西 买东西 and most importantly, massage!!! New foody place explored > Kin Mookata & FuFu Dessert Cafe where i saw a live omega...😍😍😍

14th Dec (Sat)

Thanks Shi Ying, aka atinymaker, for this interesting workshop... 😍😍😍... inspired by her artistic exploration and awed by her creations... 

completed last book of the year... i really no like to read but am doing an okay job at forcing myself to read... all my library books from the last few loans had been extended from the usual 3 weeks to the max 6 weeks... 😅😅😅

a book that explains all my emotions and behaviour in that year... thankful and useful to know that human all handles our grieves in a similar manner... resilience and strength 是熬过来的... 

13th Dec (Fri)

my favourite 老太婆... 好可爱的老太婆...😍😍😍

12th Dec (Thurs)

pom pom 的去, 光光的回来... 😂😂😂

Happi happi hatchday!!!

11th Dec (Wed)

tagged along mab for our first eyebrow embroidery experience... part of aging correction as my right eyebrow started to 掉毛了... 😂😂😂... 

had to endure one week + of 蜡笔小新 eyebrow, hence was in spects for the next few days... 😂😂😂

dessert @ Shaw Foodcourt

9th Dec (Mon)

Marie Kondo-ed for two days... the last round was 4 years ago after the traumatizing Home Improvement Program... was rather surprised that much time was spend re-arranging and neatening up my barangs barangs than the actual decluttering... didnt have much stuff that doesnt spark joy > only managed to pack one bag of my pre-loves for donation, re-gifted these & those and another smaller bag of ling ling long longs to trash... 

booked Suri, my favourite, from Urban Cleaning to help with all the wiping and home sweet home is clean once more... 😍😍😍

7th Dec (Sat)

xmas celebration with & for the residents then after volunteering 后的甜点 with mx at Cafe de Paris, 313... 😍😍😍 

6th Dec (Fri)

Hip Hip Hooray to achieving one year of learning the korean language... no, i still cant speak it, neither do i understand any korean conversation cos they are just too fast for me but i do recognise about 874 words... 😍😍😍  

this was in my revision today and it translates into "There are three bears in a house."

Reminded me of this scene in my first favourite korean drama, Full House, that i watched back in 2005... 

i remembered the year so clearly because i remembered rushing home from double-o to catch the re-telecast at 3.30am on Sunday morning... 被电视机控制的年代... 😂😂😂

i know how to sing this song now!!!... heee 

5th Dec (Thur)

breakfast at Cafe De Muse after mummy's review @ nsc 

then to Pameran Poskad @ Ion to show some friendship support to Sylvia... =D

3rd Dec (Tue)

fyp mates gathered at sbcd korean tofu house @ suntec

1st Dec (Sun)

belated hatchday date for and with Lene... lunch was a simple ramen affair as i insisted that we needed to save tummy space for the unlimited ice-cream @ a super pink and super ulu Museum of Ice Cream 

we can celebrate our 30th year friendship next month lo 😍😍😍 

my favourite was this mango & raspberry sorbet ... just realised it's in a 💩 shape... 😂😂😂

lene had 3.5 while i had 7 servings of ice-cream... 吃到肚子痛... 😅😅😅