A Nostalgic Trip

I remember how I used to complain about working in Tanjong Pagar (TP). I used to scoff about it being the suburbs and how everyone working there is so shabbily dressed for work...definitely nothing like the painted girls in power suits and killer heels you see strutting around in the central business district.

A short trip back to TP this afternoon, however, brought back feelings of nostalgia that I never thought I'll experience. My first stop was to the old cobbler seated outside 7-11. The old uncle took his time in fixing my shoe, whilst chatting to his old pal seated next to him. I stood there suppressing my impatience, whilst marvelling at how a man his age could still be so deft with his hands.

Next stop was the photo shop as I wanted to get some prints developed. The friendly lady boss chirped that my prints would be ready by tomorrow. I can't wait to see the photos taken during my last Hong Kong trip! Finally!

Last stop was to "Yin Yin Alterations" to get my pants shortened. I've been using Auntie Yin Yin (I assumed that's her name) for years now, and I trust her skill and the care that she takes with my clothes.

Once the errands were done, I took my time wandering around the shops in Amara Shopping Centre. I stopped at a boutique that I've never been in whilst working in TP and chatted to the salesgirl for a good half an hour. Of course, I left the shop with a small purchase in hand - Chilli Japanese bath sea salt. It's supposedly effective in getting rid of flab, so the salesgirl said.

Last day

Last Friday (26th January 2007) was a very memorable day for me. For not only was it my pay day (Yayyy!), but it was also my last day in the firm. Strangely, everyone whom I spoke to expected me to be in high spirits and counting down to 5:30 when I can bounce out of the office once and for all. Maybe I was the strange one not to feel what they expected me to feel. I had a lot of mixed feelings, afterall, this was my 1st job and I practically grew up here! Though the good feelings I once had have almost vanished, I will miss the few good people that I have bonded with over the years.

And...look what some of my colleagues got me! It looks and smells gorgeous! Thanks guys, for the lovely gift, the lunches and all your well wishes!

Freebie for grabs!

Remember the movie tickets I won in the lucky draw for my Dinner & Dance (See entry: 3rd time lucky posted in Dec 06)? I then realised, to my utter disgust, that the tickets are valid only from Mondays to Fridays, before 5.30pm. What the !@?#$?#@$%?

I remember thinking how ridiculous the conditions were. And how my dear company could actually give away tickets knowing full well where we'll be and what we'll be doing during that earthly hour.

At that time, it was unbeknownst to me that I'll be putting in my resignation and leaving the company shortly after. In 2 days time, all my bags will be packed and I'll be ready to go! On top of that, my request for a 1-week early release has been granted, thanks to the sweet and understanding manager I've been working for over the past 6 years. She was the only one with a real reason and the power to block my request, but she didn't. Thank you, TSJ!

Back to the topic, I now have a 1 week break tucked securely under my armpits and guess what! I'm going to take this chance to utilise my movie tickets!! As I've 4 tickets, I can either catch 4 movies alone for free or, I could be nice and offer to share them with my beloved friends. So to you punks out there, if you're not working and would like to catch a movie with yours truly next week, let me know! I promise you we'll have a rolling good time! :o)

The Illusionist

Inspired by The Prestige and somewhat disappointed with Perfume, P and I decided to satisfy our movie craving with The Illusionist.

It wasn't hard for me to decide on this one, actually, as I've always been partial to Edward Norton. I admire him for his quiet strength, intelligent mind and great acting capabilities. I've watched him in American History X, Fight Club, Frida and 25th hour, and his performance has always been spectacular.

The Illusionist was no exception. The show had me gaping in awe and amazement, and I give it 2 thumbs up! However, if you're expecting it to be like The Prestige, you may be a tad let down, as it didn't possess the action, excitement and thrill that was inherent in The Prestige. But if you're an admirer of Mr Norton just as I am, you would find the plot and mystery in The Illusionist possibly more intruguing and unpredictable.

Rated: 4.5/5

P/S: After watching The Illusionist, Perfume seemed over-rated and not deserving of 3.5/5. I have reduced the rating to 3/5. Boo!!!

Perfume

P convinced me to watch this show with him, and both of us were looking forward to a modern thriller of a psychopatic serial killer hunting down young, hot-bodied girls! But the movie turned out quite to be something else.

In fact, when it started, we both wondered if we were in the right cinema, for instead of a modern setting, we were greeted by a fish market in 18th century France. We were told a story about a young boy with a talent to suss out the millions of different scents and smells in the world. In his teens, he uncovered an obsession for the aroma of young womanhood, which eventually transformed him into a murderer in his attempt to extract the "essence" from these young women.

Despite a marked difference from what we imagined the movie to be, it was still quite enjoyable save for the last 45 minutes, where we witnessed with our disbelieving eyes how a murderer who was about to be nailed into a wooden crucifix and hacked to death became an angel in the eyes of the hating public, after he dabbed himself with the very perfume he concoted from the essence of the women he murdered. Intoxicated with the powerful scent, which purportedly held magical powers of love, the crowd started disrobing themselves and making out with each other. To me, it looked horribly like a mass orgy which was quite incongruous with the style and taste of the show in its earlier parts. Even the distraught father whose daughter was killed begged the murderer for forgiveness (What the #$%#^$#^@?).

So if you wanna catch something different and interesting, but don't mind the last quarter of the show being crap, you might wanna consider this movie. It's along the same line as Chocolat, but without the irresistable and sexy Johnny Depp, of course. Or, if you've always wanted to witness a mass orgy, don't give this show a miss!

Rated: 3/5

Mundane days

Boring the days have been! I've not been doing much except work, work and work. It's strange how nothing else seems to happen when you're working. No rude salesgirls to make your blood boil or nasty incidents to bitch about. Took a reprieve over the weekend by paying my good friend Zara a visit. Donated my entire savings to help build her empire. Can't believe that I'm helping her get richer at my own expense.

The new office still sucks. You would have thought they would have gotten their act together by now and rectified the hundred and one faults and flaws. Why were there so many to begin with anyway?! Offhand, I can already identify a couple:-

• Leaky floor pipes. The workers had to remove the floor tiles to blow dry the dampness on Monday. Did I mention the pipes are located right next to where I'm sitting. Yea, I'm still outside the darn photocopy room.
• A corrider still horribly littered with discarded boxes.
  
• Overhead cabinets built directly above the sink. Imagine having to stoop over to fit your head under the cabinet and risking a neck sprain or getting your painstakingly gelled hair all messed up. Or having an unnaturally erect posture whilst you wash your cup. Definitely designed by a shortie for shorties!
  
• Vacuum cleaning during office hours.
  
• Fire alarm that goes off at least once a week, halting all lift services and creating unnecessary alarm! (Haha. You will not believe this, but nobody ever budges when the fire alarm goes off. I'm serious.)
  

In less than 2 weeks, I will no longer be part of this mayhem. Trust me, I will not miss my lousy seat! P thinks that my seat is not fit for even the lowest ranking employee in the office. What does that make me?

Interpretation of a dream

Recently, I dreamt that 4 of my teeth fell out.

I told P and Lynn that the dream was likely to be a reflection of my current situation as I've been plagued with a toothache for quite a while. And possibly a sign that a visit to the dentist is due. P thinks that the dream came about after I witnessed on TV a tooth visibly being knocked out flying from a footballer's mouth after he was elbowed by another player. Lynn, being a firm believer in the spiritual, urged me to read the interpretation of my dream online. So I did, and here are some interesting excerpts I found from http://www.dreammoods.com:-

"One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxiety about your appearance and how others perceive you."

"Another rationalization for these falling teeth dream may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some specific situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxiety."

"The loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard."

"You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream is an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion."

"In the latest research, it has been shown that women in menopause have frequent dreams about teeth."

"According to the Chinese, there is a saying that your teeth will fall out if your are telling lies."

"It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money."

The one about menopausal women sure made me laugh. I really hope the last bit about $$$ comes true! And I'm not greedy, I'll be happy if the tooth fairy pays me 1 grand for each tooth! :o)

Captain weather

I thought I'd do a weather-related blog entry since the rain hasn't let up since nine-plus, spoiling all plans for an exciting Friday night out!

Choose your favourite scenario:

COLD: Brrrrr......The cold pierces through your heart. You have nothing on except a thin, see-through singlet. Your toes and fingers are frostbitten and they are precariously close to snapping off. Your face is blue from the cold and your teeth chatter incessantly. Your friends are the polar bears and penguins frolicking in the background. The penguins are cute but the polar bears are biding their time to rip you apart and devour you.

DRY: Your skin has a wrinkled and weathered quality, and though you just turned 20, you look like you're 50 years old. Your throat is parched and the only source of water is your own urine, but that supply is about to run out too. And yea, your breath kinda stinks. But that's not a big deal 'coz you're the only surviving soul in this dry ghost-town. The vultures hover over you, swooping down now and then to check on dinner.

HOT: You're sweating profusely and the heat prickles your skin. You feel like you're in a hot, burning furnace. Fire, destruction and chaos have erupted everywhere around you. Your friends have lost all sanity and are mindlessly throwing stones, then rocks, at one another. Unable to witness another act of cruelty and hate, you stumble along in apocalyptic hopelessness and it dawns on you that the end of mankind has finally come.

WET: It has been raining for months and the bad drainage system in your town has created a massive flood. The sky is overcast with rain clouds and light cannot filter through. The murky, putrid waters have risen to waist level. You cannot help but entertain fears of what lies beneath still waters. Now and then, you see clumps of hair floating on the water surface and your thoughts race wildly. You live in perpetual fear of the unknown and as you trudge your way through, you sense that you are not alone.....

To greener pastures

I'm finally going to fulfil my long-time wish of changing jobs! The opportunity came along late last year, and this time, I am going to seize it! Gone are the days of wishing and hoping that the purrffecct job will drop from the sky and beg me to take it. Finally, I've gathered enough resolve to rid myself of the inertia that has been plaguing me for the past few years.

I'm not saying my current job sucks. I've said many a time that I used to feel motivated about going to work and I truly loved my colleagues! Unfortunately, as you scale the ladder, you realise from the higher vantage point that the people around you are not simple as they seem. I used to tell my buddy that she and I may be loud and make a lot of "noise", but at least we're straightforward and direct. No tricks. We don't play mind games, and we steer clear from the politiking going around us. Over the last year or so, I've witnessed an exodus of the nicest colleagues I've known, and yea, the evil ones somehow stick around longer.

And then, of course, there are 2 sides of the fence. If you're on the right side, your future is made. Promotions will come along easily and you basically get to do special stuff that your peers can only think about. Question is: What do you have to do to get to the right side of the fence? Easy, just (boot)lick and suck(up) your way around. I'm no whore, and look where I got myself.

Of course, there's no guarantee that my new job will be the perfect one, but I wanna give it my best shot and cross my fingers that it'll work out for me. People always say the grass is greener on the other side. To me, the surest way to find out if that's true is to cross to that other side. Wish me luck!