Babies Galore!

From top to bottom, done in true Indian style: Baby Lucas s/o Mdm Stephanie Tham, Baby Tiffany d/o Mr Melvin Tan, Baby Caleb s/o Mdm Sharon Fong and Baby Isaac n(nephew)/o Mr P

Aren't the babies cute? I never could imagine myself a mother, and honestly, I still can't. But over the weekend, as Baby Caleb and Baby Tiffany set eyes on each other, I thought, how nice it would be if my own baby could join in the fun! Maybe cooing over all the adorable toddlers have awakened my maternal instincts. And it has also made me realise that I am now 2 phases behind my peers.

Up to the point when I started working, I never felt the disparity. Although I've known my friends at different points of my life, we've always moved together, from P1 to P6, S1 to S4, J1 to J2, U1 to U3. Hardly anyone I knew ever got left behind, and even if they were, I never saw them as being different from myself.

The situation has since changed. Most of my friends have upgraded themselves from "Singlehood" into "Marriagehood" and, appallingly for some, "Parenthood". Parenthood, the word itself scares me shitless. Though I turn 28 this year, I could scarcely consider myself an adult. I cringe and complain when I have to do "adult" stuff, such as getting a loan for my house. I'm still a "Toys R' Us" kid at heart, and I still yearn for that re-assuring pat on the head that tells me things are dandy or I'm doing good. Which makes me wonder how I could ever be a parent to anyone?

Kudos to all the mamas and papas out there!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year for me this year, was an understated affair. My first day was spent wandering along Jonker Street in Malacca searching for our favourite chicken rice balls for lunch. Sadly, the "original" shop under the bridge was closed and we had to settle for a copy-cat.

Despite opting for the pricey "Kampong" chicken ($50 ringgit, mind you), we were still a tad disappointed. The chicken, for one, did not have the aromatic fragrance that would make you drool before you can even shove a chunk into your mouth. The meat was slightly tough and the rice balls were too salty. Nonetheless, a delicious and satisfying meal for 5 hungry travellers!

Couldn't say the same for dinner, unfortunately. The service sucked and the food was mediocre. But I had fun catching up with my relatives!

Disgusted parents looking on while greedy brother displays his voracious appetite!

Chanting auspicious greetings whilst tossing "Yee Sang" to herald in the New Year!

Spending time with granny dearest!

xxxxx

P came to visit on Monday and off we packed into our favourite restaurant, TGI Fridays, for dinner!

Daddy and Mommy :)

Posing brudders!

"I'm not sharing my margarita!"

A Bad Trip

I was rushing down to Sushi Tei @ Taka after work on Friday to meet the gals. To escape the madding crowd, I exited from the train station and walked from the Wisma taxi stand to Taka, picking up pace so that the gals would not be kept waiting too long.

Being the multi-tasker that every Singaporean is conditioned to be, I was busy reading and sending SMSes as I strode purposefully towards my destination. So absorbed was I that I did not notice a black chain in my path that sent me, my skirt and handphone flying! My mind blacked out momentarily and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on all fours in the middle of the road, not just any road, but ORCHARD ROAD! The fall left me feeling stunned and my initial instinct was to cry, as my nervous system picked up the signals from the fresh scrapes, cuts and bruises. But with an Indian man standing behind me plus a busload of people staring at me from the other side of the road, I was more intent on picking myself up and looking unfazzled by the fall. Of course, with messy hair and a raw and bloody knee, who was I kidding?

New challenge

2 days into the new job. So far, it's been a whirlwind of faces, names, emotions and expectations. Truth be told, I have yet to recognise more than 10 faces or commit to memory more than 10 names of my new colleagues. More appalling is the fact that the 10 names and faces I can remember belong mostly to either ex-colleagues or acquaintances from yonks ago. Which goes to show that I have a long-term memory but not a short-term one. I must be getting old and senile.....

I'm sure most of you would agree that it is rather tiresome to say hi and make small talk with people whom you know are not going to make a difference in your life. But life leaves you with little choice. Seems rather jaded and anti-social to say this, I know. As we go through the daily grind, how many farces do we have to put up each day? It struck me especially hard after I met 2 of my ex-colleagues for lunch. With them, I need not pretend to be another person and I can talk my heart out without reservations. Boy, do I miss them *sob*

My emotions also went through a tumultous time, suffering mostly from a case of the nerves. Apprehensive about whether I can step up to the job and prove my worth, given the change in my job scope. Gee...why am I even putting so much pressure on myself at this point? I'm only into my 2nd day at work?!?! I too, find myself quite ridiculous.

Am I ready to face up to the challenges ahead of me? I certainly hope so. One of the biggest blunder a person can make is to have high expectations - of himself and the people around him. My friend Sinner subscribes to this equation: "No expectation = No disappointment". Could that be the key ingredient to happiness?

3 more fell out!

You will not believe this, but last Saturday, I dreamt that another 3 of my teeth fell out! Some of you might think this is funny and heyy, go ahead and laugh at my expense man, evil fellas...but when your teeth fall out for real next time, you ain't gonna get any sympathy from me! Hmmmpphhh!

Startled by this uncanny coincidence, I decided to test out a theory from the dream interpretation (See blog entry: Interpretation of Dream - http://jellbellfrhell.blogspot.com/2007/01/interpretation-of-dream.html). Motivated by the allure of a windfall, I headed straight for the 4D shop after tennis on Sunday and bought 4343, 0043 and 4300 - $1 big each. Initially, I thought 4343 alone was good enough, but the very masterful and imaginative P threw up 2 other alternatives (and he might have come up with more permutations had I not stopped him in time!)

Sadly, none of the numbers made it. As always, my gambling luck stinks and the only way I'm ever going to get rich is to slog my butt off! :(

The Healthy Tai-Tai

I was utterly dismayed when realization hit me that my 1-week break is almost over. Many of you might be wondering what I've been up to for the past couple of days. Here's a lowdown of my activities for the week:-

Monday: Woke up to a late lunch and met my ex-roommate from uni for dinner.

Tuesday: Pre-medical check-up and gym in the morning, met Hay for sashimi and sushi for lunch, followed by movie: The Painted Veil (Rated: 3.5/5)

Wednesday: Shopping and met my secondary school cum JC friend for dinner @ New York New York. Had a mushroom sandwich and salad, in line with the "Eat Healthy" campaign.

Thursday: Gym in the morning, lunch with an ex-colleague and met P for martinis and filet mignon @ Morton's in the evening. Yum yum!

I would also add that on all days, I managed to squeeze in a bit of shopping here and there. You see, what I've been up to is basically to lead the life of a tai-tai. Except I don't play mahjong but go to the gym instead. Haha I have this comic visual of a tai-tai, with bee-hive hair and heavy makeup, sweating it out at the gym and getting her mascara-laced lashes all smudgy. I guess you could call me a new-age tai-tai! :o)

I could really get used to this lifestyle, you know.....

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!

2007 is here!

My New Year resolutions

1. To go to the gym more often

2. To be more patient and tolerant

3. To save more money

4. To spend more time with my family

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!

The strategy to make you come back for more!

Can't believe my facial took 2.5 hours today...the longest ever! But you know what, I've got nice, clear, blemish-free skin (at least for now), plus perfectly-arched eyebrows! The lady who attended to me was damn "lao jiao". I think she could do a facial with her eyes closed.

As with all facial therapists, these people can never heap out positive comments whole-heartedly, without some sort of a qualification.

Facial therapist (FT): Wow, your complexion looks good! Don't think I have to do much squeezing today.

Me: *mutters* Thanks!

FT: But I feel many small pimples beneath your skin that may pop out at any moment. Have you been drinking water?

Bummer! See what I mean? Make me happy, then make me sad so that I'll come back for more!

Oh the weather outside is frightful

Best place to be: In bed tucked under layers of blanket right up to the neck / Under a hot shower

Best thing to do : Nap, sleep and snooze (wait, aren't they all the same thing!?) / Do nothing

Best food : French loaf dipped in spicy curry chicken to give your stomach that kick! / My very own spaghetti bolognaise (recommended for both rain and shine!)

Best drink : Double-boiled soup (any kind!) / Hot chinese tea

Best music : Jazz / Lullabies

Worst place to be : Out in the rain and cold (brrrrrr!) / My office

Worst thing to do : Work / For once, I'll have to say shop :(

Worst food : Cold salad / Raw food (unless taken with some alcohol..hic!)

Worst drink : Anything from the fridge / Cold soup

Worst music : Trance / Techno

I must be running out of things to blog, or the cold must have frozen my mind! I love this frightful weather!!

A logcake too many??

When I was a little girl, I always bugged my dad to buy me a logcake for Christmas. I always imagined the logcake to be the house of Santa, his reindeers and the random cute characters you see resting on the log. My dad, being the all-practical father who believed that logcakes are no different from normal cakes but a lot more expensive, never bought me one.

The magic of a logcake stayed with me until I started having my own parties. It was then that I realised that my dad is right (as he always is). But I still think logcakes are oh-so-pretty!! Check out the ones I had this Christmas....

Logcake 3 wins hands-down in the "2006 Christmas Logcake Competition". It's dark chocolate cake with layers of rich, gooey, dark chocolate in between. Heavenly!

Ironies

IRONY 1 : The new, swanky office

Looks darn cool, right? Did I mention that we have a karaoke room and a pool table? Alrite, stop drooling with envy, 'coz despite the cool amenities, I still think our office sucks. 'Coz they gave me a FREAKING LOUSY seat in the office. It's right outside the photocopy room and next to a door. So I get the hear the photocopier warm-up every morning and the shredder ravage pieces of paper fed into it. And rude, noisy people banging around looking for paper or see the photocopier room as a nice, cosy place to chit-chat and giggle.

And if that's not enough disturbances, the movers and workers hammer on my door constantly. Excuse me, I'm not your personal butler but the noise affects me badly, so out of the goodness of my heart I open the door for you and leave it ajar 'coz I know you have a job to do. But instead of gratitude, these people reward me by singing in the corridor outside at the top of their voices. And mind you, they don't exactly sound like nightingales! Hey misters, the karaoke room is just downstairs, so why don't you bring your melodious voices there instead?!?!?!

I haven't gotten past a day since I moved to the new office without a splitting headache. My partner has "kindly" offered to relocate me but gave me 2 less-than-pleasant alternatives (I shall not elaborate on this one, ask me if you really want to know).

So I chose to remain where I am.

IRONY 2 : View from my office

On the right.....

On the left.....

xxxxx

On a happier note, I caught Charlotte's Web on Friday and enjoyed it tremendously. It was a sweet and touching portrayal of friendship between a pink pig and an ugly-looking spider. It reduced my guy friend to tears, so it must be good, ya?

Christmas is finally here!! 2nd Christmas with Mr. P and still counting! :)

The highly coveted chair

Meet the OSIM iMedic PRO.

Hay and I have been contemplating this gift for my parents and finally decided to pool our $$ together to purchase this baby. We were really excited 'coz we knew our parents would be totally bowled over by this gift and we couldn't wait to see the look of surprise/elation/delight on their faces!

So we planned and plotted, and finally presented the gift (in the form of brochure and invoice) to my Mom before dinner. We watched her expression closely, awaiting the much-anticipated response. But her reaction was something that we did not quite expect.

MOM: "But we bought the chair too!"

I stared at my brother in dismay. How coincidental can things get?! Buying the chair has always been on the cards, but who would have expected us both to get the chair at the same time! Bummer! Instead of words of thanks, we were hollered at for not discussing this expensive and important purchase with them first.

ME: "But Mom, it was meant to be a surprise!"

Sadly, one does not get credit for the effort put into creating a surprise. Surprises, unfortunately, are considered impulsive, whimsical, unnecessary and in this case, somewhat expensive.

To look on the bright side of things, we finally own that chair! I'm really looking forward to hours of pure, indulgent massage for my tired body. Ooohh yeah, baby, yea!!!

Freak show

When I saw this picture, I stared at it for a good 10 minutes. What the hell is it? And don't you be a smart aleck and say "But you took this picture!", 'coz I didn't! Initially, I thought it was just a regular bird-next-door, but why would anyone take a picture of a plain jane? And the realization struck me: it's a WHITE CROW!

Everyone knows I am terrified of crows, regardless of colour, though I can't imagine anyone taking a blue crow seriously. If you didn't, time for you to sit up and listen. 'Coz these birds are smart. I once saw this Japanese programme of a crow dropping a walnut onto the zebra crossing so that the cars can run over and crack open the nut. When the pedestrian light turned green and the cars stopped, this conniving bird flew down and pecked its way through the broken pieces. Is that smart or what? Man, I was horror-struck!

I've always been scared of birds, but the ultimatum came when I was attacked by a black crow 3-4 years ago. AND I DID NOT PROVOKE THAT DARN BIRD! I ran all the way home while that bird hovered over me and swooped down to peck my head as and when its fancy was tickled. By the time I got home, I was a nervous wreck! Of course, I swore vengeance against crows and gave AVA a friendly call to invite them down to my neighbourhood for a shoot-out session.

Anyway, I digress. Here's another freak picture I found. Looks like my friend's fat cat Punch split into two....hmmmm. I hope that cat is a stuffed one and not alive and jumping around in the glass box. Looks pretty real, huh?

Late night blogging

An interesting photo, starring "The toothpick man", "The girl who stared at my breast", "The visually violated girl" and "The girl with the real assets".

Proper blogging will resume this weekend, hopefully! Good night! :)

3rd time lucky

Annual D&D at Swissotel hotel last Thursday. Lo and behold, guess who walked away with a prize for the lucky draw again? Yeah, it's none other than moi :)

Call it coincidence, but I've been really lucky. My 6th D&D, my 3rd prize...it's been 1 every alternate year. I've been bragging to all my colleagues that this is my year to win again, and it would have been truly embarrassing if I didn't. Unfortunately, the prize I won was nothing to brag about - 4 Shaw movie tickets....a downgrade from the Enzer mini hi-fi I won in 2004, and the LG vacuum cleaner I won in 2002. But useful nonetheless, wouldn't you say?

The theme this year was "Red carpet". I was pretty impressed that some of my colleagues went through great lengths to have their make-up and hair professionally done, and most came decked in their best! Pictures to come later!!

Oh, did I mention that the filet mignon I was stuffing myself with at Mortons prior to the D&D killed my appetite for dinner? But they were so succulent and yummy! I wanna go back to try the chocolate martini soon!

Service standard in Singapore

Poor, I must say, after this incident that happened to me @ Forever21 in Wisma Atria.

Rude Salesgirl ("RS"): (knocks on fitting room door)
Me ("ME"): Yes?
RS: Did you get a number tag?
ME: Yes.
RS: Please hang it outside.

(As I was in the midst of changing and had only 1 item left to try, I decided to ignore RS' order. I was almost done putting on my own clothes when......)

RS: (hammers on door)
ME: (opens door and walks out, slightly irritated) Yes?
RS: Please hang the tag outside the door in future.
ME: (blood starts to boil) If you had wanted that tag outside, you should have informed me right from the start.
RS: But I knocked on your door!
ME: (smoking at the ears) Yes, and I was changing! (turns to leave)
RS: Whatever!
ME: (loud mutter) Bitch!

After hurling an insult at her, I was all ready to leave the store and never come back. But I also wondered why I had to suffer such bad service when I was the paying customer. Isn't customer always king? Appalled by RS' attitude and rudeness, I requested to speak to the supervisor and related the story to her. She, being a matronly and kindly lady, apologized and chided RS, telling her that the job of hanging the tag on the door is hers, not the customer's. Feeling slightly appeased, I decided to drop the matter.

Trust me, I'm not proud that I lost my cool. But faced with a rude salesgirl like RS, anyone would be fuming mad! Why can't our sales people be warm and friendly like in the US? That would make shopping a whole lot more pleasurable!

Gone to meet her maker

It's indeed saddening for me to announce that Scarli, the black goldfish is dead.

We bought Molli (another black goldfish) and Scarli in July 2006 at the Qian Hu fish farm. Sadly, Molli could not live past the first day in her new home. Scarli survived 5 months and passed away peacefully on 24 November 2006 (Friday). Cause of death is unknown but no foulplay suspected. Here are the possible causes of death:-

1. Cancer - A white tumour seemed to have manifested itself onto Scarli's spine 5 days before her demise.
2. Bacterial infection / parasites.
3. Black Molly disease - A common disease among black goldfishes and characterised by white patches on the fishes' body.
   

Here's a tribute to Scarli, the beloved goldfish who came, saw and left.

Goodbye Scarli
You've gone to heaven
Where you'll finally meet
Your best friend, Molli

We named you as such
Due to your white scar
But you've been a strong girl
And even outlived Molli

We're sorry if we've neglected
To change your water daily
We'll miss you Scarli
You've been a great fish

REST IN PEACE (R.I.P.)

Special day gone awry

Every morning, I drag my tired body and unwilling mind to work. Though time hardly stands still when I'm in the office, I am counting down every minute of it, waiting for time-to-go-home to strike.

What happened to my sense of motivation? Truly and honestly, I used to enjoy most aspects of my work. I am certainly not a bum or couch potato who can stay home all day watching drama serials or playing computer games.

I was chatting to a colleague about how ironical things can be on hindsight. For example, when I first joined the company, I truly and sincerely believed that everyone in the office had a kind heart. The percentage of likeable colleagues stood at an all-time high of 95%. At this very moment, it has plunged to an all-time low of 50%.

In particular, I am put-off by so-called friends who gossip about you behind your back. If you people happen to be reading this, you can cut out the pretence now. Feel free to put on that double-headed snake mask of yours as often as you like in front of the bosses, cause some of these creatures are really depraved and screaming for attention, but I don't need you, so get off my back, won't you? If you wanna gossip about me, go ahead, I don't give a shit, but it shows on your ugly, hypocritical face and I know what you did, ok? So don't try to chummy up to me after that, 'coz I'll hate you even more.

Right now, I've never felt lonelier and I regret not accepting my friend's invitation for drinks at the bar. You don't know what a blardee bad week I've had and how long I've waited for today to come so that I can spend the most of tomorrow in the company that I enjoy. You think I'm wallowing in self-pity, but why can't you be there for me when I need you? Why are your friends so important when I could possibly be the one who'll be there for you for the rest of your life?

Hello fats!

I stare at my naked reflection. A sense of discontentment sweeps past me. I no longer see the quite-toned body I used to have. My dimpled skin appears to be smirking at the unsightly appearance. I pull on my clothes and find difficulty in buttoning my pants. I take a deep breath, fingers working frantically at the button. I thank god I am wearing a black knit (read: stretchable) top today.

The indulgent pleasure of eating plus lax exercise regime has finally found its way to my tum-tum.

My 30-something classmates console me (and themselves), saying this is just natural progression. Everybody gets fat as they grow older, 'coz the fats retain better. They have long given up on their own bodies. Even the skinniest one has something to complain about.

I refuse to accept the new, rotund me and resolve to visit the gym 3 times a week to whisk myself back into shape. You wait and see!

P/S: It does seem kind of bimbotic complaining about being fat etc etc but wait till you realise your clothes don't fit anymore and you have to "upgrade" into another size. And you can forget about the brand new ready-to-wear-as-soon-as-I-lose-weight dress you bought in anticipation of slimmer days (yes, there are actually people who buy clothes which do not fit).

Quirky finds

Here's the final instalment of my Hong Kong adventure!


P chided me for taking this photo, calling me 'suaku'. According to him, such signs abound in Geylang. He defensively averted my question on what he was doing there with this reply: "Who never go Geylang before?!"

Protesting against the demolition of the mechanical clock tower, following the relocation of the monumental Star Ferry from TST to Central. To be replaced by a digital clock at the new pier @ Central. Read more about the relocation @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Ferry.

A tribute to the former Star Ferry pier at TST. Adieu!

Sin #3: Party like there's no tomorrow

Okay, okay, to be honest, there was no late night partying as P and I were exhausted from all the shopping we were doing earlier. But we did enjoy 2 bottles of beer each at the uber-cool Armani bar and 1/5, both in Wan Chai. We tried to get into the very exclusive Dragon-i at LKF, but were turned away because we were not good-looking enough....ooops, correction: I mean, the place was spilling with models and VIPs, that's why they didn't let us in!! All in all, an unforgettable night!

THANKS KARINE DEAR!!!!

P/S: Did I also mention that I was enjoying this droolicious eye candy in the form of a bartender and his bewitching eyes? Yea, I noticed his eyes, despite the darkness. Don't ask me what colour they were, though.... hehe.

Sin #2: Excessive compulsive shopping

From the departmental stores.....

Time's square

World Trade Centre

To the roadside shops @ Tsim Sha Tsui & Mongkok





PS: I loved the shops in this 5 level building at Granville Circuit, TST! Lots of cool and hip stuff! The place was thronging with local dudes and babes when we went!

Sin #1: Gluttony

Dim Sum @ Maxim's, HK (Excellent!)

Writer's note: You may have noticed that the food are all "half-eaten". That's because the greedy photographer was so absorbed in eating that she forgot to snap!


Lunch @ Cafe de Coral, HK (Cheap & Good)

Writer's note: One of my favourite fast food chain (the other would be Fairwood) with a wide array of delectable dishes. The honey pear tea rocked!


Dinner @ Macau Restaurant, HK (Roasted pigeons to die for!!)

Writer's note: Yum yum! The pigeons are tiny, so you might want to order 1 per pax. While you are there, try the beef curry as well!


Lobster Termidore @ Platao Restaurant, Macau (yummy!!)

Writer's note: Initially, our order was for the cheese-stuffed crabs (cheaper of course), but the waiter got our order wrong and out came the expensive lobster termidore. But we had no regrets! :)



Needless to say, I must have put on at least 5 kg over the past few days. But it was all worthwhile!

Shop, eat, shop, eat!

In just a couple of hours, I will be off to Hong Kong! Yayyy! The much awaited and needed trip. Needless to say, the hazards of my job required me to slog for the last couple of days to ensure that all outstanding work is cleared so that I can leave with peace of mind. And slog I did, working till the wee hours of the night and even over the weekend. I really take my hat off bankers and auditors, I'm sure late nights are peanuts to them.

It's time to stuff myself silly with dim sum and shop till my pockets burn! I am happy as a bee! :)

Missed me?

The week has flown by so quickly...it's quite scary how time has this tendency of catching up with you, no matter how fast or slow you run. It's like your shadow, always tagging along no matter where you go. And paradoxically, the older you get, the faster time runs. I can still remember vividly what I was doing around this time last year, and last year certainly doesn't feel that long ago.

Here's a low-down of my activities for the past week:-

THE GOOD

1. Caught "A Good Year" on Tuesday. I must admit that Russell Crowe, being the male lead, was quite a put-off initially, and I briefly contemplated giving the movie a miss since I got the tickets free. But I must applaud Mr Crowe this time, for he was un-stereotypical in his role and very fun to watch. I might even add that this movie is my favourite for year 2006! It fulfiled my criteria of a good movie: it was simple, witty and classy. The romantic setting in a French vineyard, of course, was a plus point. So if you're in a quandary over what movie to watch this weekend, go catch "A Good Year"!

P/S: I noticed that P drifted off to sleep less this time, which speaks loads for the movie! :)

2. The long awaited musical, Notre Dame! I give it 4.5 stars. The cast was amazing, singing and dancing were top-notch! Bravo! Bravo! The only flaw was the ultra loud music (my ears are still ringing!) and the erratic subtitles which "hanged" or changed too quickly. Also, having to split my attention between the stage and subtitle screen strained my eyes and gave me a slight headache. I vow to brush up on my French so that I can appreciate and understand a French musical without having to rely on the lousy subtitles next time!

THE BAD

1. I hate my job!

2. I hate my job!

3. I hate my job!

You know it's time to move on when your good friend reminds you to buy the Saturday papers tomorrow.