Piglet's Post

Self Reflections

2010-07-04T11:15:00.002+08:00

At some point in life, we get to the stage of having to confront our own demons; with the desire to bring about healing. Too many times in life we allow small pieces of ourselves to be chipped away or broken down, sometimes the cracks happen inside but we pretend to show a pristine state of us to the world. Not allowing the world to see the pain that is inside our soul.

I have been forcing myself to show the world that I am okay, that everything is okay. The truth is, I am hurting inside. After too many heartbreaks and love affairs, can I still pretend to be caustic about love, to pretend that I don't care?

Truth is I miss J very much and I wish he would call or sms, but I should never have fallen for him from the start; not having treasured H more will probably always be a turning point in my life, probably a regret that I will have to live with all my life. For T, I should have realized long ago that I'm not a priority in his life and he'll always have his other social engagements that come first. Simply put, we can be friends, companions and the occasional lover to each other. What other words are just simply illusions from him, and silly dreams on my part.

It is time to really wake up, move on and learn to love myself a lot more. No more hapless nights waiting, willing and wishing that someone to call. No more crying into my pillow. I am okay, I am great being myself. It's about learning to take what people say and proclaim with a pinch of salt... a big pinch of salt. And if all else fails, pinch yourself hard to wake up from the illusion.

A lazy Sunday Afternoon

2009-09-20T16:29:00.004+08:00

Woke up to a lovely day today, did a lot of lazing around the house, then went out for a lovely relaxed breakfast at Starbucks with SP :) We had our all-time favorite hot chocolate and shared a chocolate chip muffin which had a sprinkling of what I thought was peanuts and what SP thot was walnuts... anyway it was still yummy nonetheless!

After the rather sinful breakfast, I decided to further indulge my craving for freshly made waffles with chocolate and blueberry filling... yumz... as usual SP was his 'crazy' and friendly self and made the Prima Deli auntie smile with his jokes that always seem to pop up from nowhere haha anyway, the auntie probably liked him so gave us a very generous filling of chocolate and blueberry so our waffles was really oozing with the yummilicious stuff (very satisfying :D)

After that we headed to Cold Storage where SP wanted to do some groceries shopping since he was planning to cook for his family... here are some pictures of him picking up mussels and happily finding the garlic and chives he needed for his dish :)

Apparently his menu is gonna be fettucine in cream sauce served with a side of chicken and mussels broiled in lager (yep beer)... I managed to convince him to buy fresh mushrooms to add to his pasta dish... so I think the addition should make the dish more yummy...

Anyway hope he has fun cooking... I decided to head back home to continue my lazing and uploading of some new pics onto FB... also started my FlickR account... haha not bad for 3/4 of a Sunday! Yayyy!!

You are the Communicator

2009-03-24T18:59:00.000+08:00

You Are the Communicator

You are a collector and facilitator of knowledge. You love storytelling and teaching.

You light up when you're around other people, and you especially light up in front of a crowd.

You are a charismatic person who's genuinely a joy to be with. You remind others to have fun.

You love life, and you're wake up grateful for every new day. This attitude makes the people around you love life as well.

What's Your Life's Mission?

The Cause of My Pain

2009-03-20T12:57:00.003+08:00

Here... I know its gross but after all the effort and pain I had to go thru to get it out... It's a pity not to 'flaunt' it.

The exorcised wisdom tooth (Total Bill: S$676 / of which S$450 can be claimed from Medisave)

It took about an hour or so of pushing down on the tooth to crack it, before yanking it out and digging in my gum for the roots and then be sewn up - 5 Days MC to get over the ordeal and 4 kinds of medications, antibacterial mouthwash and plenty of gauze..

He's just not that into you

2009-03-15T21:06:00.002+08:00

Not sure if the love advice offered by this book is too absolute in its way of defining the blacks & whites and rights & wrongs in love... but its was definitely a fun read and encourages women who are putting up with their 'half-past-six' relations to kick the bummer's ass and move on to greener pastures...

According to the book, HE's JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU if...

1. He doesn't take the initiative to ask you out (basically you are doing all the work to try and propel the relationship, asking him out and being lovey-dovey, etc.)

2. He doesn't call when he says he's going to (yup, that's the answer most women who are constantly staring at their phones, willing and praying for it to ring should know - he just couldn't be bothered enough with you to realize that you are waiting for his call like a fanatic while he is out galivanting with his friends or that you are just concerned whether he is safe.) Worse still, he doesn't pick up when you call him and doesn't call back when he sees a missed call from you - heck maybe he even said he thinks you call him too much! :(

3. He doesn't want to be in a relationship with you (for good reasons we are sure) - but the fact is he is not sufficiently into you to want to be committed to you.

4. He doesn't want to have sex (self-explanatory) aka he has a fear of intimacy? Unless he's gay and you are into gay men...

5. He is sleeping with somebody else

6. He is not in a position to love you FREELY (THAT IS - He is married and stringing you along for the haul in the mud)

7. He makes you feel less about yourself (He probably has an esteem issue himself and is unable to love himself or other person for that matter - all he wants is to pull you down to where he is by talking you down, bullying or just being obnoxious and insensitive... generally better off dating a bouquet of flowers... at least they look pretty and smell nice)

8. He does not want to marry you or even consider that possibility

9. He is cold, aloof, rude, standoffish to your friends and family

10. He keeps breaking up with you or threatening to break up with you

11. He just DISAPPEARS

It doesn't take a genius to figure out the above, so bite into it and take what you will from it... maybe if you are just in any of the above situations... the book is an added push or a wake-up call to get out of your 'He's not that into YOU' relationship :)

A Special Guardian Angel

2009-02-02T07:20:00.003+08:00

A poem I wrote for my professor, Dr. Musselman

A Special Guardian Angel

Too many people we brush shoulders with and never learn their name
Some we learn and forget
Some we meet and part, yet do not forget.
Once in a long while though, we cross paths with special people who become and remain an absolute part of our lives; in essence friends who become family

Relationships like these are precious gems that one sifts from the journey of life
They give meaning and reason to life
Likes colors on a painter's palette, they make the journey a million times more vibrant, a million times more meaningful

While one may not have the privilege of spending time with such gems in-person everyday,
yet their very presence, establishes itself like a distant lighthouse.
A beacon that provides direction and comfort in the darkest of nights, after the heaviest of storms

In many ways, these specials souls are like guardian angels
And You, my dearest BFMG can only be such an angel

The Special Supper

2009-01-31T14:51:00.000+08:00

Mrs Whittler heaved a sigh of relief as she put down three very heavy shopping bags on the kitchen counter. The groceries she had just bought would do just nice for James and her for the week.

She was faintly annoyed. She had asked James earlier to go with her to the store to help her pick up the items. But he had dawdled and put on a most reluctant face, so she had told him to ‘Forget I asked. I’ll go pick up the stuff myself’.

That was one thing about James that she really didn’t like after more than twelve years of being married to the man. He didn’t pull his own weight or contribute to the house chores very much. He just shuffled along, yes just shuffled along – he was best at that.

It was that she was making James out to be a selfish or self-centered kind of person; he was by most measures, a good husband. He worked hard at his job and brought money back on time to maintain the family. But he just wasn’t all there.

When they had met, she had known that he was no Casanova or Romeo; he wasn’t particularly bright, but quite loyal like a puppy wagging its tail. He was never romantic or passionate and making love to him was like having a slow picnic in the park, you knew exactly what was in the picnic basket and you just gave it time for the picnic to play out.

Thinking all these thoughts made Sally feel almost unkind, on another day when she might have felt more spiteful towards her husband of twelve years, she would have thought to herself that she would let him go without his supper and let him go hungry.

Suddenly she heard the doorbell going off. It must be her sister Martha, she said she would drop by to visit her and bring her some tea cakes. Sally loved her sister’s tea cakes, they were small and delicious with the aroma of fresh butter.

Opening the door, it was Martha alright, but she was looking almost disheveled, the sight of her usually perfectly groomed sister in such a state of appearance startled her quite a bit.

She quickly usher Martha to a cosy cushion seat in the sitting room.

‘Give me a minute! I’ll just put the kettle to boil and bring you some tea’.

Sitting from across Martha, she noticed that she looked like she hadn’t slept in years! Both her eyes were tired and bloodshot, and in the corner of her right eye, it looked like she had cried and she had traces of mascara left over.

‘Come on dear, tell me what happened.’

‘Roger talked to me earlier, he said very simply that he was going away. He said he couldn’t stay with me anymore and he was leaving. That’s it.’

‘Oh dear, how did that come about? You both always seemed so good with each other?’

‘Oh I don’t know, I really don’t! I know Roger seemed unhappy with our marriage for some time now. I just don’t know what to do. I try to be a good wife to him, cook him what he likes and keep the house neat and tidy for him. I just don’t know what I am not doing or what I am doing to make him so unhappy with me! I just don’t!’

‘There there sweet. Do you want me to ring him and try to talk to him or something? Or do you want James to ask him out and let him try to sort Roger out? Things can’t be that bad surely. I am sure we can still salvage matters.’

‘No you don’t understand Roger, he is an intensely private person and he doesn’t like washing dirty linen in public. He said he won’t divorce me or anything, he’ll just go live abroad and I can tell people that he is away on a work assignment. That way we can still keep up appearance. But I can’t stand it! Why doesn’t he see that I am in love with him still? I love him very much and he is all I have! I can’t stand for him to leave me just like that! That would kill me Sally, you know it would!’

Seeing Martha all worked up and in tears like that really made Sally upset. She did care for her younger sister very much as an elder sister should. She found herself thinking about her James, in comparison, James’ lameness in not helping out around the house didn’t seem all that atrocious now. Shopping for groceries alone wasn’t really all that bad. She made up her mind then that she would cook James a nice supper this evening.

She stood up and went to the phone, she knew Roger’s office number by heart. She had called him a number of times in the last couple of months to chat about things.

‘Hi Roger, this is Sally. Martha is over at my place. Can I invite you over this evening for supper together with James? No, no I won’t take no for an answer. It will just be a quick supper, nothing fanciful. I should be most grateful if you would oblige.’ Great, I’ll see you at half past seven then.’

She gave Martha a small glass of brandy and made her rest up awhile in the guest room. After that she went down to the kitchen to prepare supper for the evening.

She made up her mind that it would be a special supper. It would be a labor of love for Martha and Roger.

After everyone had settled down at the table, Sally served out the poached vegetables and potatoes first. She had made roast chicken flavored with rosemary and thyme. She knew both Roger and James enjoyed that dish immensely. As a special side, she had also made baked Portobello mushrooms drizzled with cheese and topped with smoked salmon.

Dessert was Martha’s favorite, baked custard pudding with just a light caramel crisp on the top, drizzled with caramelized brown sugar.

While Martha went to get the coffee for everyone while James excused himself to the bathroom, Sally said to Roger ‘So you finally did it. Well you know that’s the right thing to do. You never really loved her. You always did love me better. It will all be alright now dear.’

There was a terrible clang as a tray of tea cups and freshly brewed coffee fell to the floor. ‘That must be Martha’, Sally said in a matter-of-fact way.

‘I’ll go check on James, he’s taking an awfully long time in the bathroom.’

After awhile, Roger heard Sally calling out to him in a light sing-song voice, ‘oh dear me, James is dead. My, my…’

The Unnamed Sailor

2008-12-12T16:06:00.002+08:00

There was a sailor who sailed the seas
He boarded the ship and went overseas
Swim he could not but sink not he
Found unnamed treasures but bore the silence of the seas

Love’s Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

2008-12-12T10:06:00.001+08:00

Love can be an obsessive compulsion
A deriding addiction that drives even the sanest of us to distraction

Is that Love's Mr. Hyde or just a love affair not meant to be?

Jealousy rewinding itself into rage, the fear of losing your love fueling the frenzy
When reality and surrealism becomes a blur and real life is interposed with disruptive drama

What about the tender loving moments that once rang true?
When before, all you ever wanted was the well-being of the beloved?

When love goes into a compulsive overdrive, it no longer bears resemblance to the once nurturing form of love, the Dr. Jekyll kind of love ~ a gentle and quiet love that is peaceful like the softest meadows

The serenity of knowing your love is real and no further words are required to reinforce what is already known in one’s heart
That kind of love is refreshing like morning’s dew and pure like the first snowflake…

I'll never love this way again - Dionne Warwick

2008-11-24T00:07:00.001+08:00

You looked inside my fantasies
And made each one come true
Something no one else
Had ever found a way to do-oo
I've kept the mem'ries one by one
Since you took me i-in
I know I'll never love this way agai-ain

I know I'll never love this way again
So I keep holdin' on
Before the good is gone
I know I'll never love this way again
Ho-old on, ho-old on
Ho-o-old on

A fool will lose tomorrow
Reaching out for yesterday
I won't turn my head in sorrow
If you should go away
I'll stand here and remember
Just how good it's bee-een
And I know I'll never love this way agai-ain

I know I'll never love this way again
So I keep holdin' on
Before the good is gone
I know I'll never love this way again
Ho-o-old on, ho-old on
Ho-old o-on...

I know I'll never love this way again
So I keep holdin' on
Before the good is gone
I know I'll never love this way again
Ho-old on, ho-old on

I know I'll never love this way again
So I keep holdin' on
Before the good is gone
I know I'll never love this way again
Ho-old on, ho-old o-o-o-on [fade]

An old song that came to mind :-)

2008-11-23T23:40:00.003+08:00

What do you get when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble.
I'll never fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again.

What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia.
After you do, he'll never phone you.
I'll never fall in love again.
I'll never fall in love again.

Don't tell me what is all about,
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out,
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you

What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow.
So, for at least until tomorrow,
I'll never fall in love again!
I'll never fall in love again!

Don't tell me what is all about,
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out,
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you

What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow.
So, for at least until tomorrow,
I'll never fall in love again!
I'll never fall in love again!

What would you give for HAPPINESS?

2008-11-23T23:15:00.004+08:00

What would you give for Love?
What would you give for Money?
What would you give for Health?

People have given up love and health for money
and in turn have given up money to regain love and health

What is it that we are searching for? A sense of happiness in our hearts?

Happiness can be gained from a new lover, acquisition of a new house or a new car or a job promotion or even the doctors declaring that you have a clean bill of health

Happiness is fundamentally simple yet complex
As easily obtainable as it is unattainable
All at once close at hand, yet at the next turn prove as elusive
as a needle hidden within the ocean floor

There are too many formulae for happiness
Too many self-help books professing to guide you in the attainment of happiness

Yet real, unadulterated happiness resides dormant in your heart
and you alone possess the key to unlocking your own happiness
You only have to look within yourself and in your heart to find the key

Material possession are but transient elements of our short time on this earth
The intricate fabric of our emotional ties with those closest to us,
is what will stand the test of time.

Will You Forgive My US$16 Billion Debt Please?

2008-11-22T13:06:00.003+08:00

Dear Brother-in-Kuwait,

I am writing to ask that you forgive my previous debt of US$16 billion. You must know that I am only asking that cos it is in your best interest to do so. US being the superpower (super consumer) that we are, you know it is only a matter of time before we regain our economic strength and might again. And when that time comes for our country to make a full recovery(you can bet your last dollar that it will be real soon), we will not forget this little favor which you extend now.

I am sure you get my drift about what I am saying... it is all in your nation's best interest.

The other thing that I was coming to is, since my gulf brother you, are sitting atop loads of oil; money to you is as plentiful and abundant as the sands in the desert (and of no immediate use to you); thus I am sure it is not too much to ask for a loan of another US$40billion (rest assured that I won't ask you to forgive that... if I can help it of course).

Well anyway, do arrange to send me the money soon bro, cos my darling corporates from our dear banks and automobile companies are at this very moment, flying to my office in Washington (in their private jets - which are of course propelled by Kuwait's oil) to ask for alms to save their ailing backsides.

I know the boys in the car business deserve to have their asses whipped for running their companies to the dogs, but they have at least been rolling up the Hummers (nothing like a Hummer for rugged desert style), not forgetting that our beautiful monsters helps to maintain and up the oil consumption levels in your side of the world, ensuring that your petroleum companies continue to turn in obscene amounts of profits. So I know you have the bucks, please send it quick - By Wire, Paypal or VISA Money Transfer. If you are writing me a cheque, please let me know, I'll send my private jet to pick it up from you first thing tomorrow morning.

Thank you.

Reasons Why There Should Be No Work On Sat

2008-11-22T10:37:00.004+08:00

Here I am sitting in the office on a perfectly fine Saturday morning, bemoaning the fact that I have to drag my sorry ass to the office at 9:00am. While working on some Saturdays which you actually have work to clear is fine, it is often more a case of showing face and satisfying the punch-in machine on Saturdays.

I know people during our parents and grandparents time worked Saturdays and possibly infact EVERYDAY in order to survive and make ends meet for the family; and particularly during these tumultuous economic times, one must be grateful to simply have a job and keep it. Afterall there are constant bills waiting to be paid in the mailbox and financial commitments to be met (and folks who would probably be happy to have your job if you didn't want it). Yes, it would be really bad news to be out of a job in such times.

Coming back to my original grouse, there are two (2) primary reasons why I feel that making people come back to the office on Saturday is counter-productive to an organization:

One (1) - If there's no real pressing work to be done, people are just going to come in to the office, surf the web, read the magazines, munch munch munch and yak yak yak... the office is effectively a corporate picnic field with the company picking up the tab for the utilities AKA keeping the air-con on, electricity for lights, computers and what-nots.
*The good thing though that comes out of this, is the bonding time between colleagues that is often not possible during busy weekdays!

Two (2) - Because people are not completely rested coming back from the weekend, more often than not, they will show symptoms of 'Monday Blues' and be sluggish for at least the first half of Monday. As a result, companies will not be able to derive 100% economic benefit of having their workers 100% productive for a full eight hours. People are gonna take time to warm up and rev up their engines and psychologically, energy levels are just gonna be a tad lower as compared to if people are well rested and just raring to go for the week and scale new heights for the company and themselves.
*This theory only works if the company has sufficient honest hardworking folks who will put in their fair share (if not more) of work once they are sufficiently rested.

If abolishing work completely on a Saturday is a hard-to-swallow notion by management, perhaps companies can consider the option of working-from-home on a Saturday; companies will benefit from the resultant goodwill from staff, saves the company $$$ in resources, staff will feel more rested over the weekend and the company would be doing a good turn to the environment, with reduced petrol and gas emission from travelling to and from the office!

The Meaning of Love

2008-11-21T15:33:00.003+08:00

True love is not sustained through physical attraction,

neither is it madly passionate nor romantic all the time
True love endures even during days when you don’t feel like you are in love
It is a binding commitment to stay steadfast to your vows, to promises made
To stay by him/her in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty

True love and a true heart comes by only once in a lifetime
See it, know it and cherish it for what it is worth

A moment’s pleasure may be a tempting treat
And desires of the flesh are easily succumbed to
But know in your heart the price and value of real love
The value of keeping faith to the one who will stay by you through it all

‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is…
She is my wife, the woman whom I promised to love all my life, come what may’

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry, as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch, and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health; he told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease.As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are'? He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ''She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'I had to hold back tears as he left. I had goose bumps on my arms and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life'.

True love is neither physical nor romantic, it is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Love is like a cup of coffee

2008-11-18T19:07:00.000+08:00

Yes, coffee is addictive, just like love
Defined by its bitter notes yet savored for its strong aromas
A bouquet that’s all at once smooth yet acidic
Have it with sugar or enjoy the original taste
Boost it with the flavors of chocolate, caramel and vanilla
Espresso, café, decaf, latte or macchiato
Love surely isn’t all sugar and spice
But definitely invigorating, addictive and hopefully mostly soothing
Nothing in this world like love
Nothing in this world like my favorite cuppa…

A Phone/Love Contract

2008-11-12T11:59:00.003+08:00

Just an interesting analogy that just came to my mind as I was chatting with a friend of mine.

Well basically my friend is already attached but he find himself liking another gal, thus was just ‘lamenting’ to me about why relationships can’t be like mobile phones… To have two lines at one time… after all there are folks who hold lines from SingTel as well as M1 and/or StarHub…

So I was like saying with everything getting more expensive and the economy looking grim, why would you want to take on more liability when your main line is working perfectly well?

Then I thought about it a bit more and was telling him that the whole problem with relationships and signing new mobile phone contracts, is that often people sign up for a new phone contract simply because they are attracted by the physical appeal of the ‘SEXY’ new phone models, and while the phone is new and good, all is well. But once you get used to your new phone, you start looking at your bills and the details of your contract and then think of “damn what a shitty contract I got myself into and hey have to stick around for 24 months some more??!!!” thankfully the good thing is J once in the while, your telecoms company decides to maintain the goodwill and your ‘interest’ in the ‘relationship’ by giving out MEMBERSHIP FREEBIES and LOYALTY DISCOUNTS

Then of course, we have people who stick with their mobile providers for a long time – never ever consider switching despite tempting treats held out by other providers; still others who are the occasional switchers and yet others who are HABITUAL switchers, going with the flow depending on which provider is offering a sweeter deal at present, and yet there are others who eventually go back to their original provider after realizing that they are actually getting more shit from other operators…

Just thought it an apt analogy of how relationships are, dun you think?

Random Pictures

2008-07-24T20:36:00.003+08:00

Pan Seared Salmon served with Sauteed Broccoli

A touch of White

Sand, sea, sky and palms

Taken @ Forum

Fantastic Choc Fondue Set - Great Value

Thursday MC

2008-07-24T20:27:00.002+08:00

Just absolutely stuffed with oats, yes oats... for some strange reasons I have a weakness for green bean soup, oatmeal cooked with condense milk and I can quite a fair bit if I want to... well I got my mum to cook me some oatmeal for dinner this evening and I finished 2 big bowls, the first I had with a dollop of blackcurrant jam and the 2nd bowl I added a wee (quite a bit more) condense milk just to make what was sweet even sweeter...

Not healthy I know but hey I am sick right so I deserve to indulge myself...

This silly flu bug has been bogging me since last week... I think it was last Thursday, I was feeling perfectly A-OK but somehow after my lunch of 'zha-yu cu mi fun' I started sneezing and sneezing and my nose started a dripping and I kept tearing and no... it was not because of the pepper in the soup... anyway I took the next morning off and slept in and it seem to get better... but the last two days I kept having this low fever and feeling lerthagic and all and so I decided that I shud go see my doc and get some medicine to clear out the bug...

While at the clinic... I got my regular nasal spray for my sinusitis too... my doc say the sinus condition prob added to my discomfort as well and the sinus prob felt worse due to the recent wed weather, which made the air more humid and thus irrated the sinus...

Oh well... will go pop my pills and spray my nose now

Evolution of Dance - Funny

2008-06-21T12:39:00.001+08:00

Who says good performers have to be hunks?

Auld Lang Syne - Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis (Sex And The City)

2008-06-04T01:04:00.001+08:00

Body Contours Open House Promotion @ Terminal 3 (From 21 - 25 May 2008)

2008-05-21T13:02:00.003+08:00

What My Birth Date Means

2008-05-19T03:34:00.001+08:00

Your Birthdate: December 7

You are an island. You don't need anyone else to make you happy.

And though you see yourself as a loner, people are drawn to you.

Deep and sensitive, you tend to impress others with your insights.

You also tend to be psychic - so listen to that inner voice!

Your strength: Your self sufficiency
Your weakness: You despise authority
Your power color: Maroon
Your power symbol: Hammer
Your power month: July

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Random New Pictures

2008-05-19T03:19:00.004+08:00

Dr. M and Me
Dr. M and Ho Wan
One week make-shift office :(
Dad and Mum
@ Marina at Keppel Bay

Sleepless @ 3:08am

2008-05-19T03:08:00.002+08:00

Am pretty much wide awake - yes @ 3:08am, I should be asleep... problem is, I slept most of my Sunday away.

The weather is the afternoon w as rather oppressing, the heat was pretty much overbearing and there was little much to do but to go back to bed with the air-conditioning set at 19 degrees. Of course, with the sweltering weather - it was impossible to achieve a climate of 19 deg celsius at all!

I just finished devouring a couple of books recently, namely The Alchemist, Notes from an Even Smaller Island and The Rector's Wife. Hmnn... lamely, nothing beats the works of my beloved Agatha Christie. She is the Queen.

Seeing that this is probably one of those entries which is just mindless talk... I think I shud just turn off the pc and try to sleep. If I am lucky, I might wake up in time to go to gym.... which means i shud leave the house at 9am and get to the gym at 10am... gym for an hour till 11, then wash up and blah blah till 12... well gonna meet yuzi and dilka @ 1pm for dilka's bday lunch @ Harry's so that shud be good timing. adios and au revoir

Qing Ren De Yen Lei / The Tears of Your Lover

2008-05-19T00:22:00.003+08:00

为什么要对你掉眼泪
Why do my tears fall before you
你难道不明白是为了爱
Do you not understand that my tears represent my love for you
只有那有情人眼泪最珍贵
The tears of the beloved is most precious
一颗颗眼泪都是爱都是爱
Each tear drop is love, my love for you
为什么要对你掉眼泪
Why do my tears fall before you
你难道不明白是为了爱
Do you not see that my tears are for you
要不是有情人跟我要分开
If not for my lover's desire to bid me farewell
我眼泪不会掉下来掉下来
My tears would not fall as they do now
好春才来春花正开
The good spring has just arrived, the blooms of Spring has just blossomed
你怎舍得说再会
How could you bear to bid me farewell
我在深闺望穿秋水
In my solitary abyss, I look upon Autumn's water
你不要忘了我情深深如海
Forget not the depth of my love, a love that is as deep as the oceans

The sentiments of the Sun

2008-04-30T14:01:00.002+08:00

Something I wrote for a good friend and colleague :)

Sometimes it is only human to feel that despite our best efforts,

the world does not seem to recognize it
At times, even words forsake us as we struggle to try

and explain our thoughts and feelings to this world,
And still, we feel that the world just won’t listen to us…

But consider the Sun for a moment…
It never fails to shine its very best for the world every day
Yet, mostly the world does not sit up and take notice of the Sun’s efforts;
If you are anything like me, most of us simply take our Sun for granted

On some days, our dear Sun shines with a little extra vigor – hoping that by doing so, someone may finally start to take notice and maybe even look up to say ‘hi’ or ‘thank you’
But mostly, despite the Sun’s efforts to try and get a little attention,

hopefully affection and maybe a little praise
What it really gets, are curses and grumblings about how

‘the silly Sun has made it so maddeningly hot!’

On some days, we might feel a little like what the Sun must feel
And the Sun probably understands how we feel too

To take a leaf from our dear Sun’s book, our darling Sun continues to rise diligently

day after day, dawn after dawn
Warming this world with its rays, giving light to man and bringing harvest to the fields
It may not receive its due thanks and appreciation today
But nevertheless, it continues in its good works

Consider the spirit of the Sun; let us too take faith and labor to produce good fruit for our world, knowing that our labors at the end of the day will not be in vain!

Dedicated to the one I love

2008-04-26T12:13:00.006+08:00

If my forever was just today... I would give thanks for you.

I would spend my last hour looking into your eyes...

for there I would see the meaning of my life unfold.

Like the simple beauty of the morning glory that is made possible only by the warmth of the morning sun; your love has caressed the depths of my soul, making me complete in the knowledge of your complete and unselfish love.

In you, I am fulfilled, content and satisfied. No more shall my spirit be in want,

no more shall my soul thirst for the futile pleasures of this world.

With you, loneliness is a stranger that shall never cross my path, so will tears be foreign to my eyes... with you, my laughter is true and my smile content,

because I love you; I am complete, I am whole.

While rains may fall and clouds may gather, I shall not fear, for the knowledge of your love,

accords me immeasurable strength to counter the uncertainties of this world.

A simple affirmation of your affection is like the most beautiful song;

to know that you love me, is more than I could ever ask for.

Even if my forever was just today.

Thoughts on Life, Love and Goodbye

2008-04-26T10:52:00.003+08:00

When I first read this letter, I did not give much thought to what it was really saying as I was reading it in the office... yet today I read it again and deliberated upon its words and I realize the depth of its meaning in the nuances of the words...

I was touched most by:

'I would give merit to things not for what they are worth... but for what they mean to express'
- More often than not, consciously or otherwise, we might evaluate gifts presented to us by the price tags that they carry, yet this reminded me that the best gifts in life are not to be evaluated or weighed as such... the best gifts in life come from the heart... like the gift of my parents' love is a gift that no price tag could ever be attached too... like the gift of love from the one whom I have now lost through my own foolish actions...

'Give wings to children but leave them to learn how to fly themselves' ~ I thank my parents and my mentors in life, who have equipped me with knowledge and the tools necessary for the accomplishment of my dreams, but have not insisted that they know the best way for me to achieve my dreams...

'Everybody wants to live on top of a mountain, without realizing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken and the form used to reach the top of the hill' - we all want to be at the top of our game, to be rich, successful, to be atop the mountain, to arrive so to speak... our eyes are focused so much on getting there... 'there' where we think we will be most happy, finally fulfilled and contented... but such is the fallacy of the journey... it is unexpectedly the simply joys shared with close friends and loved ones through the journey that gives meaning to our existence to begin with. How often have we been consumed with a game, a book or a movie... willing ourselves to go faster, read faster, play faster to reach the end of the journey... yet upon reaching... experience a haunting sadness, a newfound emptiness that what has kept us going and alive if for awhile has reached its last chapter... I would be happier if I could be constantly reminded that happiness is in daily living, it is not in the next increment, not in the year-end bonuses, not in the new IT bag acquisition to be looked forward to... but the simple smile and a hug given by those who truly love us...

For now, at this moment, I am humbled... for the many times when I was thinking of just 'ME', for my own creature comforts... for the hurts and tears that I have brought to those who have cared enough for me to have shed tears for me... I am sorry and I love you

Love, Life and Goodbye

2008-04-26T10:49:00.001+08:00

GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ, a famous writer from Colombia, and Nobel Prize winner for literature, has retired from public life for reasons of health.
He has a form of cancer, which is terminal. He has sent a farewell letter to his friends.
It is recommended reading because it is moving to see how one of the best and most brilliant of writers expresses himself & with sorrow.
(even as I'm sure this would have sounded twice as good in Spanish, let us enjoy the English version nonetheless. ....)

> ====================================<

A GENIUS SAYS GOODBYE FOR GOOD, he says:
If God, for a second, forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit more of life,

I would use it to the best of my ability.
I wouldn't, possibly, say everything that is in my mind, but I would be more thoughtful of all I say. I would give merit to things not for what they are worth, but for what they mean to express.

I would sleep little, I would dream more, because I know that minute that we close our eyes,

we waste 60 seconds of light.

I would walk while others stop; I would awake while others sleep.

If God would give me a little bit more of life, I would dress in a simple manner, I would place myself in front of the sun, leaving not only my body, but my soul naked at its mercy.

To all men, I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love.

I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them to learn how to fly by themselves.

To old people I would say that death doesn't arrive when they grow old, but with forgetfulness.

I have learned so much with you all, I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken & the form used to reach the top of the hill.

I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with its little hand, his father's finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life.

I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground.

Say always what you feel, not what you think. If I knew that today is the last time that that I am going to see you asleep, I would hug you with all my strength and I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of your soul.

If I knew that these are the last moments to see you, I would say 'I love you'.

There is always tomorrow, and life gives us another opportunity to do things right,

but in case I am wrong, and today is all that is left to me,

I would love to tell you how much I love you & that I will never forget you.

Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today could be the last time to see your loved ones, which is why you mustn't wait; Do it today, in case tomorrow never arrives.

I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the opportunity today to give a smile, a hug, a kiss, and that you were too busy to grant them their last wish.

Keep your loved ones near you; tell them in their ears and to their faces how much you need them and love them. Love them and treat them well; take your time to tell them 'I am sorry';' forgive me', 'please', 'thank you', and all those loving words you know.
Nobody will know you for your secret thought.

Ask the Lord for wisdom and strength to express them.
Show your friends and loved ones how important they are to you.
Send this letter to those you love. If you don't do it today...tomorrow will be like yesterday, and if you never do it, it doesn't matter either, the moment to do it is now.

For you, With much love, Your Friend,
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Weird Salad

2008-03-30T12:20:00.004+08:00

Had lunch with a bunch of colleagues on Friday at Beppu Mekan restaurant at Far East Square. It is one of my favorite places to go for ramen... if you are familiar with the spicy kind of ramen that comes with a choice of 1 chilli, 2 chillis, 4 chillis, 6 and the ultimatum... 8 chillis which is sufficient to send one into half comatose, with swollen sausage lips...

I decided that since I have been feeling guilty with my diet recently and no yoga class for 2 weeks, I decided to opt for salad instead. The restaurant offered three kinds of salad... cant quite recall what exactly, think they have garden salad and the one I thought interesting to try was, Thai Lemon Grass Salad... which I ordered and arrived in the picture below:

I was like... what the hell is that manz? The whole dish was a mixture of spring onions (which I hate), onions (which I dun really fancy raw), chilli padi (yes I like that), and loads and loads of sliced lemon grass (see those small white rings?) - the whole dish was really lemon grass and to me, lemon grass is like a spice... not like the main leaves for a SALAD? OMG... my colleagues were like laughing when they saw my SALAD, which oh yes came with a few pieces of lettuce on the side for you to wrap the salad mixture in like a popiah...

As you might well guess... it was a sad and unfulfilling lunch for me and most of the lemon grass and spring onions and onions stayed pretty much in the same state that they arrived in... oh the only saving grace of the dish was that it came with a sprinkling of dried shrimp and cashew nuts which I picked at miserably throughout my sad lunch...

A perfectly lovely Thursday morning

2008-03-27T07:09:00.003+08:00

and I flipped and I tossed and flipped and tossed and decided... what the heck I might as well wake up and do something fruitful.. It's one of those things that I have been wanting to do, yeah the intention is there but never got around to waking up in time.

Have been talking about going for an early morning jog for the longest ever time... but damnz usually when I wake up, its much too late already. Another wasted morning(s) ;-P

So tis morning @ 6am, I decided to kick myself out of bed, throw on the jogging shoes and head down for a nice leisurely jog around the estate. The morning was fresh, the world was at peace, the birds were singing their tune of dawn and others like me too, were enjoying the time of the morning strolling/jogging... it was a great feeling, exuberantly alive with the morning coolness caressing one's skin as one abandons the cares of the world, leaving them to flutter away, along with the whispers of the wind.

And a random song in my heart, 'you asked me if I love you, and I choke on my reply. I rather hurt you honestly than mislead you with a lie, and who am I to judge you, on what you say or do? I'm only just beginning, to see the real you... At times I understand you and I know how hard you try, and through the insecurities, some tenderness survives. At times I want to break you and drive you to your knees, at time I want to love you and hold you endlessly...'

Morning has broken, like the first morning; Blackbird has spoken like the first bird...

Today has dawned, the same way the first morning dawned... if we could see our world as it was through the eyes of our forefathers, our earth in all its youthful splendor nurtured by the hands of mother nature, what would our eyes see and ears hear?

Turn Ons

2008-01-18T01:39:00.000+08:00

What works for Me...

Men who hold the door open for the ladies (car doors, lift doors included - but not washroom doors)
Men who aren't MCP but are able to demonstrate that they are in control, knowledgeable and articulate
Sense of Humour (but not the dry and cold type)
Salmon Belly Sashimi
Moscato D'Asti (actually any damn dessert wine that is nice and sweet)
Amaretto on da rocks
Well made dresses that complement and fit like a second skin
Good Ole Friends
Company who you can have decent heartfelt conversations with
Popcorn that is crispy and well coated with honey
Nice perfume and lotion (but the scent has got to be right)
Good music that flows with the mood of the moment - groovy, sensuous, R&B, Pop
Literature that speaks to you
Carrot Cake (the kind with icing sugar on top not the black black alot of chilli kind)
Most importantly! Chillies especially Chilli Padi - cant live without it
Well directed sarcasm
Alvin & The Chipmunks!!!

Pet Peeves

The lingering smell of stale cigarette smoke on someone you are toking to
Uncouth, rude and unruly people (and I dun mean ah bengs) - in-born instinct in some people
Weird person who touches my soft toys in the office and arranges them in lewd positions (when I am not around - not funny at all)
Male Chauvinistic Pigs
Women who are bitchier than I am and wh0 worse direct it at me :(

4D3N in Bangkok

2008-01-18T00:49:00.000+08:00

After several holidays with my friends - I can very safely say that I am NO holiday shopper... like a tyre that goes flat too easily after extended miles on the road, my capacity for holiday shopping is limited to 2 hours at a stretch. Beyond that, my mind and body starts to beg for mercy; ignore that and soon my face clouds over in a dark shade of moodiness...

No way, the piglet needs her mochas, macchiatos, frappuccinos... liquid sin to keep her spirits up and yes of course, not to forget the daily foot massages and body massages to keep the mood light and happy :P

Women aren't hard to please at all... you just have to press the right buttons ahahaha... Fine, I confess this is a partial manifestation of my LAZY self... so there ;-)

So here are some pics from Bangkok 3/12/07 - 6/12/07 (FOUR FREAKIN' days of UNPAID leave - to go spend money and make me poorer than I already was...)

My Favorite Moments...

Dilka - My Torturer

Shoppaholic Queen with feet of steel...

Something, Anything or Nothing to talk about... Oh whatever I guess

2008-01-16T19:08:00.000+08:00

Strange but its so hard to keeping up with blogging these days... perhaps if I were a full time blogger... I might have the luxury of time to do that :P

Sometimes I think... it would be so nice to take a day off and wander down to the beach... in the early hours of the morning when the dew is still fresh upon the green and the breeze is light, cool and gentle to the skin.

How perfectly refreshing and wondrous is that... armed with something to read, head to coffeebean for a nice soothing and deliciously sweet cuppa Cafe Caramel and a nice chempedak muffin...

Anyway since this is an entry that is really bout nothing at all except that i want to write something that doesnt really require engaging the major functions of the brain... I shall just be as haphazard as I wan and blog as I wan and above whatever I wan...

Rather abruptly, I am deciding as I write this entry to post some new images so... whether you like it or not, here are some pictures to take up space!

Me and My Donkey

Bottom: Donk, Me & Dennicce

The Ultimate Wellness Haven @ Terminal 2

The Labyrinth of Skins

2007-11-29T00:04:00.000+08:00

A labyrinth of skins, a labyrinth of many wondrous skins…

She is the Mistress of Disguise, the last bearer of an art so ancient that even Time reveres with a silent reverie.

Her true form is not known by anyone, her transformation and her guise having taken upon so many forms that even the Mistress herself was lost within its many faces – having long forgotten her true form.

Her mysterious playground paid heed to no one but her, for whoever could come through its door would first have to go through an arduous and grueling initiation; and only those who have earned the mark of Transformation would earn the right and the curse to enter through its doors.

Every night when the Moon shone full in her regal splendor, the Mistress of Disguise would once again shed the skin that she was wearing to put on another – thus starting yet a new story, never staying long enough to learn the ending of the story before.

No, her role was not to stay for the ending – but to start new beginnings; for she is the Catalyst.

Through the ages, Mistresses of Disguise have taken upon the role of being the catalysts of this world; through their actions and by their hands alone, shaping the history that the world knows today.

To the Mistresses, there is no Right, nor is there Wrong – morals and ethics do not bind her, compassion carries no meaning for her, all that matters is that Fate must take its course. History is fore-written, and history is absolute; that itself is the decree of the Master of the Universe.

The Mistresses are appointed by the sole divine powers of the Universe, a calling so mystical and unexplainable, except that the Mistresses’ were solely created for the purpose for which they were to serve.

In the mystical labyrinth, Light and Dark joined their bodies to form Nothingness – their very nature canceling out the presence of the other so that Nothingness is birthed through their union. In this space where it is neither light nor dark, the Mistress will undergo her next transformation; before taking her rightful place in the world that we know.

None of her actions are ever by chance, where she goes, what she does, who she meets and what words come out of her mouth – all are premeditated, premeditated to form the seamless, flawless symphony of life. All is done so History unfolds as it is meant to unfold.

The Mistress divulges no emotions whatsoever, it is not their role to display any emotions – they come only as a Cause, the Cause that results in the reaction desired. Like clockwork, like a mechanical device, the symphony that they orchestrate hits each key with an inhuman perfection.

Beowulf Movie Review

2007-11-18T00:44:00.000+08:00

I am Beowulf...

Nah, she is obviously Angelina Jolie who stars as the Mother of the monstrous Grendel.

In fact in the movie, she is not just the Mother of Grendel the Monstor, but the Mother of loads of monstors before Grendel and Mother of loads of other more horrific monstors to come.

Her weapon is 'Seduction' and her language of love is 'Temptation'.

Through the ages, she has tempted kings and heros alike, bringing to life the greatest enemy that they must face through their own chosen actions: the action of union with her.

Unable to resist her surreal beauty and the honeyed words of prophesy of greatness to come thru' the promise union of flesh with her; the union leads to the sowing of a single seed within her womb from which the most fearsome demon would be birthed. The father would forever be cursed by the devilish child fathered illegitimately by his own choice, by his own weakness.

The legendary hero Beowulf, successfully battles the monstor offspring of the cursed king before him, yet falls prey himself by laying with the Mother (Jolie) - the monstor he fathers is strong like him and sadly more fearsome and powerful that the Grandel that he has slained.

At the very end, he destroys his own evil child, paying the price with his own life. Heroic till his last breathe, he is determined to rid his kingdom of the evil that he has brought upon it thru his own lust and weakness.

Yet, his death and the death of his dragon-son is no end to this legend that must carry on... for the Mother must mate, the dead son must be reincarnated... growing more and more powerful with each incarnation...

Rate: 6 out of 10

What kind of temperament?

2007-10-24T14:39:00.000+08:00

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things.
Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life.
You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation.

You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon.
Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall.
You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others.

At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults.
Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion.
A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

What Temperment Are You?

What kind of breakfast food am I?

2007-10-24T14:27:00.001+08:00

You Are Yogurt

Modern and streamlined, you prefer a breakfast that's quick and healthy.
You live a fast paced life, and you get breakfast only when you're lucky.
And while you are strapped for time, you are still a hardcore foodie.
You often eat the best that your money can buy. You figure you're worth it.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

Have I changed?

2007-10-24T13:44:00.000+08:00

You Are An INTP

The Thinker

You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.
Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.
Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat.
A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.

In love, you are an easy person to fall for. But not an easy person to stay in love with.
Although you are quite flexible, you often come off as aloof or argumentative.

At work, you are both a logical and creative thinker. You are great at solving problems.
You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.

How you see yourself: Creative, fair, and tough-minded

When other people don't get you, they see you as: arrogant, cold, and robotic

What's Your Personality Type?

New Personality Test Results after a month or two

2006-10-03T02:58:00.000+08:00

No wonder they say Women are fickle-minded creatures... I admit that wholeheartedly...

You Are An INFP

The Idealist

You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.

You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's Your Personality Type?

1st Entry of the Month

2006-10-01T00:57:00.000+08:00

The past two weeks have been absolutely crazy - and I mean absolutely crazy... it's 1/10/2006 and I realize that I haven't been blogging for the past month! Not even a single entry in the month of September...

Was only when I saw that lunatic Jacky's message in my C-Box that I realized the last entry was exactly 31 August!!!

Time has been flying by at a supremely fast rate - especially the past two weeks, everything has been in a blur and I realize how disorganized 'some' people can be, not mentioning names at all...

From my last few entries about start work at Body Contours - I'm almost hitting my 3rd month!!! I should be getting my confirmation by 3 October 2006. Well, keeping my fingers crossed for you know what!

I started with Body Contours, but I'm effectively now doing marketing for The Ultimate spa, there's plenty of work to be done and in the 2 weeks that I've been transferred over, I've organized two rounds of photoshoot and 1 roadshow at Singapore Expo and put in the artwork for 2 double-page spread advertisement in Her World and Citta Bella.... Basically, it's just loads of letover work from the previous Marketing Executive who has since left the company...

Strange that the marketing manager made little efforts to follow up on his stuff at all - simply leaving it to the grace of the heavens to sort things out by themselves! Amazing!

Well - still it's overall 100 percent more fulfilling than my days at RTC - at least the work is interesting and I think I'm learning more stuff.

Just hope that I'll have good news when it comes to my confirmation day...

Oh well, managed to put in this entry as I finally have a bit of breathing time... Have been working in the office past 9.30pm almost everyday this week and till midnight on Thursday! Anyway, my poor graphic designer kenah also and had to stay back in the office with me - but hopefully, alls well ends well!

A Terrorist TIBS881G Driver - Bus No. 190

2006-08-31T01:20:00.000+08:00

Here's a letter I wrote 30 minutes ago to the Corporate Comms department of SMRT...

Re: Complaint against driver of TIBS881G – 30 August 2006

Bus No: 190
Vehicle No: TIBS881G
Boarding Point/Time: Outside Stamford House / 6:50pm
Alighting Point / Time: Outside RGS / 7:20pm

I would like to highlight a serious complaint against the driver of the vehicle with details as listed.

At 6:50pm, my colleague and I boarded bus 190 outside of Stamford House. We had intended to take the bus to the stop outside Thong Teck building to meet our manager for a crucial business appointment at Shaw Centre at 7.15pm.

The bus being a bendy bus had two exits and we were standing at the 2nd exit located at the furthest end of the bus. Having reached our destination, the bell was pressed by other passengers sharing the same stop and the first exit was opened. The driver however forgot to operate the 2nd exit, the exit where we were waiting to get off the bus.

Seeing his oversight, I pressed the bell repeatedly to signal his attention to open the door. This repeatedly pressing of the bell failed to jolt his memory to open the 2nd exit. Due to the peak hour, the bus was fairly packed and we were unable to try and make our way to the first exit in time and risk having the bus move off.

In a state of panic as we were rushing for our important business meeting, I raised my voice sufficiently to request the driver to please open the door. My volume was loud enough to have passengers in the front portion of the bus turn their heads to look at me. I repeated my request twice in the same volume.

Unfortunately, none of the passengers in the front assisted in getting the driver's attention and he simply drove off with us still frantically pressing the bell.

About a minute later, the bus came to a stop at a nearby traffic light, seeing that this was the perfect opportunity to salvage the situation, I again frantically pressed the bell repeatedly hoping that he could open the door for a second just so that we could hop off and get to our meeting in time.

The driver again chose to ignore our signals and the sounding of the bell. He finally let us off at the next stop outside of Raffles Girls School.

Once I got off the bus, I ran over to the entrance to get the driver's attention and he had the audacity to open the door and glare at me as if it was our fault that he forgot to open the second door.

If the driver is not able to be sufficiently focused and competent enough to captain a bendy bus with 2 exits (3 including entrance) he should be scheduled to drive normal buses with just 1 exit and 1 entrance.

The way the driver handled this situation is truly appalling and NOT a good or healthy representation of SMRT. I would not have complained if he had the decency to apologize when he opened the door after we got off.
Our distress did not end there, after the bus happily sped off, we were left in the rain - in great panic as we were late for our important business meeting and we were not even able to call a cab due to the peak hour situation coupled with the rainy weather.

As a desperate resort, we had no choice but to trudge our way back to Shaw Centre by foot in the pouring rain. By the time we walked all the way back to Orchard, we were soaking wet and an hour late for our appointment.

As anyone can imagine, we did not look a pretty sight, much less expect to maintain a professional image. Our manager was also not impressed with the whole situation and we were 'advised' to not attend the meeting with her so as not to disgrace our company; in our state of being 'rain-soaked' - all thanks to the fantastic TIBS881G terrorist driver who happened to ply the roads at the peak hours of 7pm.

I can only hope that my colleague and I will not be black-marked by our company for this unfortunate incident that was through no fault of ours. As a working professional yourself, I trust you will understand our position and our fears of being misunderstood as shoddy employees by our company.

With his level of customer service and professionalism, it would be safer if he kept to just driving a bicycle instead of jeopardizing the welfare of his passengers who are at his total mercy and have to risk being glared at by him for his mistake.

I hope that your good company will look seriously into this matter and investigate the performance of this driver so as to prevent your good name from being further tarnished.

I hope to receive compensation on the fares that my colleague and I paid since the service required was not delivered. More importantly, I would also appreciate if your company could take suitable action against the driver or to issue him a warning or better still, send him for skills retraining.

Seeing how Singapore is aiming to be a world class city nation with world class service as illustrated in our hosting of the upcoming IMF meeting, such a 'wonderful' driver would be a befitting disgrace to our country.

I am ready to write in to the Straits Times and to the Ministry of Transport to highlight this incident. My colleague is too willing to testify towards this incident, so as to prevent others from the possibility of being terrorized and distressed by this driver in future.

Please contact me at 9xxx xxxx soonest possible. I thank you for your kind attention in this matter.

Yours Sincerely,
Sharon Tan

Pics from The Ultimate 2's Opening

2006-08-18T13:26:00.000+08:00

Hi Pple,

Here's some pics from the opening event.

Left to Right: Jaz, Shirley and Me

Cool Sales Technique!

2006-08-15T14:55:00.000+08:00

Woahz! Cool manz, just received a box of ‘free’ sampler mooncakes from Tung Lok!
Hey, it’s not like I never tasted mooncakes before or so cheapskate that I get so happy over a box of mooncakes but hey its just an example of great customer service and very subtle yet effective sales technique…

Anyway how the goodies came about was just by dropping Tung Lok with an email to request a quotation for the corporate purchase of mooncakes… they followed up with an email, their detailed quotation (with plenty of options and flavors of mooncakes to choose from) plus sent a box of sampler mooncakes…

Don’t worry, I am not such a greedy pig to keep the mooncakes for myself… left them on my manager’s chair for her appraisal hehe…

Good work manz Tung Lok! They must be rich!

Here's the link to their mooncake page http://www.tunglok.com/index1.html
If you going to order mooncake for your company, email their Senior Sales Manager johnho@tunglok.com

Disclaimer on the results of the Personality Test

2006-08-07T12:01:00.000+08:00

I just got to put in a disclaimer on the results of the personality test I posted.

I got to say that it is pretty accurate overall, but I think it is a reflection of my 'raw' nature, that is if I totally act without thinking or self-control...

But having been schooled for a bit in the school of hard knocks... I must say that I am definitely must self-controlled and conscious these days...

Besides being a girl... how could I resist making small talk :)

And for seconds, in case my boss is peeping in on my blog... I assure that I DO respect authority and proper reporting conduct :)

The giraffe sitting beside me at work shared this cool test with me

2006-08-07T11:59:00.000+08:00

Thanks Jacky!

You Are An INTP

What's Your Personality Type?

Part 1: DVD Review on Da Qing Feng Yun

2006-08-07T01:43:00.000+08:00

This DVD series depicts the epic tale of the Qing Dynasty.

Key Characters:
- Huang Tai Ji
- Duo Er Gun
- Da Yu Er
- Hao Ge
- Fu Lin
- Kang Xi

The story starts from Huang Tai Ji, the 2nd generation Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Upon the death of his father, Nie Er Har Ci, the throne was to have gone to his fourteen brother Duo Er Gun; however his lust for the throne made him plot against his own brother and Duo Er Gun's mother. His plot succeeds, he manages to remove Duo Er Gun's mother and claims the throne as his own on the pretext that Duo Er Gun was merely a boy and unable to manage the throne.

Years later, Duo Er Gun grows up to be a leader of exceptional abilities. Huang Tai Ji employs him as an able general to help him win numerous battles.

But the seed of Huang Tai Ji's betrayal of him and his mother was to take root in his heart and play a pivotal role in the history of the Qing Dynasty.

Meanwhile, Duo Er Gun as a young man falls in love with a ravishing Mongolian princess, Da Yu Er... she too falls in love with him... Sadly, their desire to be together is thwarted when Huang Tai Ji takes a liking to her as well and asks for her as his concubine...

From this point on, fate was to play a cruel joke upon Duo Er Gun and Da Yu Er... destined to fall in love yet never to let their love come to light... they were fated as chess pieces forever to be playing on different sides.

Part 1:

Huang Tai Ji is suddenly taken critically ill in a strange turn of events; at this point of time, the Qing dynasty is just about to overthrown the decrepit Ming Dynasty. This sudden turn of events creates internal turmoil caused by the tricky situation of succession.

The vying candidates are the Crown Prince, Hao Ge and his fourteen uncle, Duo Er Gun.

Hao Ge hopes that Duo Er Gun will be tempted to rebel at this time, so that Duo Er Gun who has always been a thorn may be removed from his flesh forever.

It is apparent that Hao Ge lacks the foresight to be a great ruler as he is narrow minded and more concerned with removing those he dislikes and those whom he perceives as a threat to him, rather than considering the overall game plan and the fact that some of those he dislikes, are the key players in the overall chess game.

Duo Er Gun definitely is a stronger leader and of a better caliber to lead the country, however it is natural that Huang Tai Ji would like to hand the throne over to his own son, his other fear is that by handing the throne to Duo Er Gun, his sons who have been against Duo Er Gun thus far might be endangered,

In his heart of hearts, he knows that Duo Er Gun is the best possible choice for the country. He decides upon a test for Duo Er Gun, one which if he should fail, it would be a test that would warrant his death and removal.

Huang Tai Ji stages a scenario where Duo Er Gun’s loyalty to his country is tested against his love for Da Yu Er. He issues a decree that he wants Da Yu Er to accompany him in his royal grave to the netherworlds.

Da Yu Er is torn between her fear and her love for Duo Er Gun. While fearful for her life and the fate of her son, she is tempted to seek Duo Er Gun’s aid in saving her from her untimely death, yet she does not want to jeopardize Duo Er Gun’s life or well-being by standing up to the Emperor for her life.

Her love for Duo Er Gun prevents her from telling him or seeking his assistance, the news of her impending death is however deliberately leaked out to Duo Er Gun’s ears by the Emperor.

Duo Er Gun is duly agitated by this news; he contemplates storming to the Emperor to demand he withdraws his decree. He makes a visit to the fretful Da Yu Er to assure her that he will not watch her accompany Huang Tai Ji to the grave.

Da Yu Er tries to stop him, to dissuade him from confronting the Emperor over this matter and possibly risking his life in the process. Da Yu Er finds it strange that the news has passed so quickly to Duo Er Gun’s ears, upon further contemplation; they both realize the plot behind Huang Tai Ji’s decree.

Having realized this plot, they both realize that Huang Tai Ji may not be really dying but possibly exaggerating his condition to test Duo Er Gun’s loyalty to him and to his sons.

They decide to take a step at a time and not act rashly and possibly rocking the boats… They wait in cold sweat as Huang Tai Ji speaks his last, Duo Er Gun is ready to battle it out if the Emperor should insist upon his request for Da Yu Er to accompany him on his dying bed. Fortunately, Huang Tai Ji decided against it with his last breath, he decides that the Empress should accompany him to the Netherworlds.

With Huang Tai Ji having passed on, an internal strife ensues with Hao Ge’s and Duo Er Gun’s struggles to claim the throne as their own.

Review on Hoodwinked

2006-08-06T22:42:00.000+08:00

Based on the infamous fairy tale 'Little Red Riding Hood', the makers on this innovative animae offered a refreshing twist on this age old tale of 'Good triumphing over evil' but of course, the notion of 'happily ever after' still rings true even for this tale with a slightly macabre twist!

The movie start with its four key characters or so it seems, Red (short for Red Riding Hood), the 'Big-Bad' Wolf, the 'frail' old granny and the 'hero' the woodcutter!

The tale is fast forwarded to the pivoting point where the wolf is found in granny's bed, Red's life is being threatened by the wolf, and granny hops out of the cupboard all bonded and tied up and the woodcutter bursts in through the window wielding an axe...

At this point, the animal kingdom's law-enforcers burst into the scene and conducts their investigations to establish the truth of the matter.

Of course, the complicating matter of the whole entire story is that, there is a recipe bandit who is going all over the forest and robbing all pastry shops of their precious recipes... thus the police is given the task of trying to establish who the bandit is... the wolf, the granny, red or the apparently heroic woodcutter...

At the end of the day, the culprit emerges as a disillusioned character... supposedly whom no one suspects (but actually it get a bit obvious as the plot proceeds halfway through...)

In all, RED is seeking freedom and trying to tell the world that she is no longer a kid, frail granny is also not as frail nor as frumpy as she seems, the woodcutter is an accidental hero and the wolf... is basically a victim of generalization.

Plenty of hidden messages in this animation, but an engaging and fun one to watch nevertheless!

Link to official movie site: http://hoodwinkedthemovie.com/mainpage.html

Check out the crowd manz

2006-08-06T22:28:00.000+08:00

Taken at Plaza Singapura a couple of weekz back...during the food festival...

Just look at the amazing
crowd of people manz...

We love food indeed!

Celebrating a Special Occasion

2006-07-24T00:30:00.000+08:00

Attended Doraemon's Baptism yesterday at 7 Holland Hill Park yesterday... was late by about 30min and rushing like crazy becos of these...

Hehe... was so kan cheong when Doraemon messaged me and asked me what happened and am I coming... shootz manz... and then I got lost with all the blocks and couldn't locate #02-01... thankfully... alls well ends well... and I managed to grab a couple of good pictures... to see the pictures, click on this www.sthuifen.shutterfly.com

Here's a sample:

After that, we went to Alexandra Market for Sting Ray, Cuttlefish & Kang Kong in Satay Sauce, Oyster Omelette and Satay! Yumz Yumz!

Third Friday @ Body Contours

2006-07-21T18:44:00.000+08:00

Hmnn... Feeling kind of tired and sort of helpless... Marketing is sort of like a waiting games at some times... after you pass the proactive stage of hunting down the possible connections, partners and avenues to do stuff... You make the approach and... you WAIT... anything from three days to a week...

And then you got to submit your stuff to Management and wait for approval and most importantly... budget to be released... In the midst of all this waiting... you sit down and finetune your proposals and yes... trawl the net and magazines for more ideas and more inspirations... and make more approaches... just so that you got more stuff to... yes WAIT for again...

Hmnn... perhaps I am just one impatient soul... actually it's not I think... I know it's proven and my friends know I am blardy impatient as well...

I so dislike the feeling of waiting and feeling helpless... yet you can't keep bugging other people like you are some desparado right? What kind of professional image am I portraying then... but yes we wait, we wait and we wait...

Then when an email response does come through... you are keeping your fingers crossed to hope it's not a rejection...

To be a wee bit more positive... It's through rejections that we finetune our approach... our speech... our conversational skills and yes... we think of ways and means how to reduce the rejection level...

How? Dating gives us a good analogy... boy A sees girl A... not well-groomed enough... dud...no interest...

Boy A sees Girl B... nice, pretty, well-dressed and well-groomed - Okie, might have a match there...

Therefore it's the same here... we got to keep elevating ourselves to reach the levels of the partners we wish to prospect... not so much as to be something we are not...

But say for example.... Girl B and Girl A are one and the same... difference is, Make-Up, Dressing, Deportment, Speech and the rest is history (of cos this is a fairly biased and not that accurate analogy - but I think it works well for the corporate theory)

Your partners judge you by your website, your company name, your logo, your correspondence, your associations, your public profile and of cos... the voice that comes through to them on the phone... confident? Shaky? Focus? Blur Cock?

Thus it is so important for a company to have the right people... people who can represent the company correctly and professionally... that's where training comes into play... a good company must invest in the training (continuous) not just one-time and hope for a miracle...

So that's all the rambling in my head and the update in the workplace...

A picture of my doggie

2006-07-17T21:16:00.000+08:00

Name: Buddy
Breed: Maltese (but weird that his built seems to be larger than regular Malteses...maybe he's just fat)
Age: 5 years old
Birthday: 23 July 2006
Attitude: Mostly lazy and nonchalent and ya greedy... occasionally affectionate
Favorite Person: My Mum (Cos she feeds him like a king)

Most memorable incident: Almost got ran over by a bus when he ran off the leash after getting bitten by a stupid tiny terrier... (that was when he was a couple of months old), and I was chasing after him across the road frantically waving and screaming at cars and an oncoming bus to STOP!!! Help!! Stoopid Stoopid Terrier! Pui!

The furore about Xiaxue's entries in STOMP

2006-07-10T22:50:00.000+08:00

Have been a little stuck in my brains the past few days... just Saturday... I was trying to write something basically just some to update my blog...but was so stuck, I actually fell asleep after two sentences... imagine that! My brain juices must be evaporating...

Well I suppose writing is a bit like that sometimes...there are days when you have diarrhoea and there are days when it is just full-blown constipation *Shakes Head*

Being a little bored...I decided to check in our my 'favorite' blogger Xiaxue... the last few times i checked in...it was still the entry on Jolin Tsai and how she thinks she was a princess in her previous reincarnation... romantic thought :)

Thankfully, there was a new entry today and it was one of her signature *Fuck Fuck Fuck* entries... this time it was 'F the STOMP readers' for writing in to the STOMP editorial team and trying to get them to censor her words...

To be totally honest... I did think that STOMP should exercise a teeny whiny bit of editorial control as ultimately it is a public portal and especially so since STOMP IS an extension of SPH. There's no need for perfect English I'd say and a few sprinklings of the 'F' word probably harms no one, just like adding the vital spices to a dish...

Blogging is quite unlike news reporting in the sense that news writing is all about facts and the writer has got to be very impartial and detached from the subject matter... blogging is a different thing... bloggers usually blog about stuff or news that they feel passionate enough for... with passion comes expressiveness and a certain lack of control over personal emotions...

It may not be that we are all that upset about what we are blogging about but simply allowing ourselves to exaggerate our emotions of the moment... just like wailing and crying our eyes out while watching a soap opera... it's all about letting go and letting your emotions run a full circle.

At any rate... blogging is about freedom of expression... no one gets paid to blog or read so what an individual choose to do or write or comment is purely up to the person's discretion... so readers can criticize but the blogger can still continue to blog in whatever ways he or she wants... of cos unless MICA decides to issue a warning or like Mr. Brown... have his column removed from Today...but what the heck... he still have his own airspace on his own blog at any rate!

Officially One-Week Old

2006-07-10T19:00:00.000+08:00

Hmnn I wonder if this calls for a celebration haha :) I survived my first week at Body Contours! Actually... it's not like I had a hard time also lah, I would say all in all...it was a pretty fulfilling and satisfying week...

Basically it was just plenty of emails and phone calls informing contacts of my move to the new company and brainstorming on possible stuff that we could do together (incidentally the stuff has got to be fun to do of course ;P)

I've got a nice little corner near the back of the office and the best part is that it's near to the printers, fax machine, photocopier and of course yippee! The pantry area hehe...

Great location! One of the first few things that I did was...ahem to dress up My Space... ok, it's not like I did anything fantastic like placing flowers or painting the wall red or yellow, just pasted my pictures on every centimeter of available space :)

I actually thought it was a great idea till I got worried that people might draw cat faces or even pig faces on them... decided to be boring, crossed over to Funan and bought 2 motivation posters to keep me on my toes!

The first one says 'Perseverance - The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge BUT rather a lack of WILL'.

The second one is a A-Z list of stuff to remember in Achieving Your Dreams...

A- Avoid Negativity
B - Believe in Yourself
C - Consider things from all perspectives
D - Don't Give Up
E - Enjoy what Life brings Today cos Tomorrow is not an Absolute
F - Family and Friends are your real crowns of success
G - Give more than what you think you can (in terms of work, love and affection - $$$ erm maybe when I'm more well off hehe)
H - Hang on to your dreams
I - Ignore those who discourage you
J - Just Do It (Wonder if they paid copyrights to Nike?)
K - Keep on Trying. Things can only get better
L - Love yourself
M - Make your dreams Happen
N - Never act against your conscience
O - Open your Eyes
P - Practice puts the P in Professional
Q - Quitters never win and Winners never Quit
R - Read, Study and Continue Learning
S - Stop Procrastinating
T - Take Control of Your Destiny
U - Understand Yourself
V - Visualize Success
W - Want it More than Anything
X - Xccelerate Your Efforts (Opps... looks like X got too tough)
Y - You are unique and likewise so is your method of success
Z - Zero in on your target

Ta-Dah...all the motivation I need to get started... :)

1st Day of Work at Body Contours!

2006-07-03T23:38:00.000+08:00

Just this morning I woke up feeling very reluctant...yes reluctant cos it was going to be my first day of work at Body Contours as a Marketing Executive :/

As I got prep, and ready to step out of the house...all the way to the train station and in the train...my mind was contemplating all the possibilities that could occur throughout the day...

Would my colleagues be nice or mean? I mean Spa industry...sure got a whole bunch of girls right...and urmm... what does girls equate to?
B-I-T-C-H-I-N-E-S-S rite?

Well or maybe wrong...anyway... I'm suppose I can't be the only person on earth suffering from nervousness on the first day of work with a new company right?... call it the butterflies in your stomach or knotted stomach...all that was in my brain was that I was going into unknown territory where all I knew and was familiar with is not there...

Would I be able to cope? Would my new colleagues like me? Would I be able to deliver results? Would I become a laughing stock onto myself...all of a sudden... I kinda regretted leaving my old workplace where though
Shit still occur... at least you knew where the toilet paper was and you knew you had colleagues who would clean it up with you...

With all these thoughts revolving in my head... I made my way to Body Contours @ 30 Hill Street...

Well by the time lunch happened (btw lunch is catered in for all staff on a daily basis) I had kind of realized that I had been over-reacting and people really weren't as frightening as you would imagine them to be when you yourself was in a state of nervousness...

Thankfully...everyone was pretty friendly if shy and hey geez...that's when I recalled that we were all human beings... all with a little bit of built-in shyness or modesty as you might call it :)

Well I got my pc fixed up and I was lucky enough to get a new pc with 120gb of memory or hard-disk space or watever... the only thing I'm lacking now is my own telephone...which brings me to my grouse that we don't have DID, but rather a general line for everyone :( I much prefer a DID system but oh well... one can't ask for too much right...

Guess the task on hand now is to whip myself into action and start thinking about joint promotions and business partners to approach :) Wish me luck!

If any one reading this happen to have any ideas or suggestions for joint marketing promotions... do drop me a liner at sharontan@bodycontours.com.sg Thanks for reading this!

Movie Review on Superman Returns

2006-07-01T02:09:00.000+08:00

I know this is starting to sound like I am damn free and constantly bunking out at the cinemas... but that's only cos it's my week off before I start my new job on Monday :)

Btw thanks to Meow King for supporting my blog and for the well wishes for my new job!

Okie going back to the movie review... I need to admit to one thing... urmnn I kinda fell asleep during the first 20 - 30 minutes of the film :( Not sure if the following review is considered a spoiler but just in case... don't say I didn't give warning from the onslaught (",)

Was sort of confused in the first part of the movie as it switched between Superman falling from the sky as an adult and then going back to when he was a kid and a teenager. Sort of daft of me... but I almost thought that Superman was suffering from a bout of 'fan lao huan tong' i.e. growing young backwards ;p

I'm not sure if the rest of you who have caught the film might agree... but I thought the on-screen chemistry between Superman (Brandon Routh) and Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) wasn't exactly that sizzling... bs in the first part of the show Lois was mostly acting neurotic and agitated towards Superman and Clark Kent (strange since she was aparently clueless that they are both one and the same) - and oh yeah... if she was so in love with Superman that they apparently had a cute kid together...how is it that she can't recognize Clark just coz he was wearing glasses??!! - Too amazing

Most parts of the movie had me almost exclaiming outloud that it was too exaggerated...but to be fair...I'll attribute it to the fact that I haven't watched any Superman movies before this one...so maybe I'm the kuku one haha

The storyline proceeds with Superman returning to Earth after a voyage to his home planet to dunno do wat lah, then of cos he comes back and saves the day (or a few days) - same stunts like stopping a plane crash, and stuff from dropping on pple's heads... Of cos his return reignites the passion and anger in Lois after his sudden disappearance... All this time, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) the villain of the movie who has a fetish for many wigs... (cos he is bald) is plotting for the death and downfall of the hero with the red underwear.

So he goes and steal some Kypto-something (anyway it's the only stuff that can injure the steelman and even kill him), the psycho also steals another crystal from Superman's home planet... a pretty colorless crystal that when you dump into water will grow and grow and grow... thus he forms his devilish plan to 'grow' his own land and to kill Superman in the process...

Don't think it's much of a surprise to anyone that 'good triumphs over evil' and SM saves the day! Of cos in the process he is injured and came close to death... but the kiss of Lois and his son jolts him back to stainless steel good health!

Other characters to look out for in this movie:

- Richard White (Lois's fiance - since SM left): his role as a quiet, understanding and supportive partner is commendable, especially when he is aware of Lois's soft spot for SM - think his onscreen chemistry with Bosworth is much better too)
- 'The Kid' ermm cos he was so absolutely adorable that I didn't note his name (damn and he was one of the highlights of the show as well, vulnerable innocence and all)
- The bimbo sidekick of Lex, Kitty Kowaiski (Parker Posey) who finally shows her mettle at the closing part of the show.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (several fantastic scene shots by talented director Bryan Singer) the other 3.5 pts deducted for the extremely predictable storyline

For more stuff on Superman Returns, visit http://supermanreturns.warnerbros.com/

Garfield 2: A Tale of 2 Kitties

2006-06-29T05:28:00.000+08:00

www.garfieldmovie.com

Since Garfield is an Orange cat (duhz..) this entry is thus in Orange
Reviewed: Tuesday, 27 June 2006

To put it diplomatically, this is basically a light-hearted movie (One of those that you would watch after a hard day's work - just basically cos you don't need brains to enjoy it)

To put it otherwise... well it's not exactly a very intellectual or stimulating storyline... to sum it up in a nut shell... there are 2 identical cats, one of whom we all know as GARFIELD... the other is a 'Royal' cat known as Prince.

The old senile owner of Prince goes and leaves all her wealth to her fav. Kitty after her death... thus leaving her of cos evil nephew scheming after the property... He goes way out to get rid of Prince who he traps in a basket and dumps into the river...

Enters Garfield who is just roaming the streets of London..and as fate would have it...is mistaken as the lost Prince by his anxious butler... the real Prince is of cos found and mistaken for Garfield... (pity they dun wear dog/cat tags - they would otherwise have prevented the mistaken identity right?)

So Garfield gets into the castle and irritates the shit out of the evil nephew much to his chagrin while Prince falls in love with Lasagne while still pinning for his home...

The movie reaches its peak when finally both kitties meet up, realizes the devious plan of the nephew and joins forces to kick his ass and while they are at it... induce a ferocious Rottweiler to attack the *ahem* crotch of the deserving b$55sta5d.

As with all cartoons, alls well ends well, Prince regains his inheritance and Garfield lives happily after with odie and jon...and oh yah... Jon proposes to girlfriend Liz in this movie...

Overall 6 out of 10

Dido - Life For Rent

2006-06-29T04:27:00.000+08:00

Upload videos at Bolt.

The Most Amazing and Addictive Dish ever...

2006-06-29T01:55:00.000+08:00

What is it: Beef Carpacio

Extremely Addictive
- Tested and proven by all who I have brought to the place ;P

Where: En Japanese Dining Bar
207 River Valley Road, #01-57, UE Square
Call: 6735 2212 for Reservations (Very encouraged, cos business is usually extremely brisk)

Frequented by plenty of native Japanese expatriates for its authentic and flavorful Japanese fare, En Jap has never failed to impress the palate of all my friends whom I have brought there.

The beef carpacio is expertly prepared... EVERYTIME... each succulent slice offers a delightful burst of flavor, thanks to chef's special marinate. The beef slices are thin yet sufficient for you to enjoy the 'creamy' texture of the beef that simply melts in your mouth... Heavenly and delicious, even to a not-so-beef fan like me :)

Other culinary specialties include its Unagi Fried Rice (Fragrant pearl rice stir-fried with tender morsels of teriyaki eel!), assorted skewers platter, grilled mushroom with minced chicken skewer, assorted Sashimi platter and refreshing macha ice-cream with red beans... and while you are at it...dun forget to order a flask of your favorite Sake (good choices available)...

A decent meal for 2 should come up to $70 - $80

Enjoy!!

Timeshare Fraud?? Leisure Group Marketing

2006-06-29T00:31:00.000+08:00

Hmnn... I received an email from a friend circulating the despicable selling tactics of this particular company :(

For starters... I can't stand all these MLM companies or for that matter...any companies that use those blardy psycho sales tactics, can't be bothered to even give them an ounce of my time...

What puzzles me more is their recruitment abilities... how they even convince thinking adults to join their ranks and join in their scamming activities... well perhaps they are really unaware of the true intentions of their company... the second puzzling question is how they convince pple to part with relatively large sums of money like $30,000 with unclear vacation benefits...

From what I gathered from the email, pple who did kiss their cash goodbye to enroll in the program later derived no benefits whatsoever from the program... the organizer simply says that they book too late, all slots have been taken up and if they want to book their vacation...they have to do so 6 to 8 months in advance and even then...it's not guaranteed that you will get it... geez.... I would think that I would be hopping with rage if I was caught in that position!

In fact I did receive these 'telemarketing' calls on 1 or 2 occasions... saying that you won some totally unbelievable and fantastic gifts in some shopping mall contest... but to receive your gift you have to go down to their office and blah blah blah... thank goodness I heard rumours of such scamming activities before and secondly I subscribe to the notion that 'if something sounds too good to be true... more often than not...it is NOT true' thus I tend to be pretty short with these telemarketing people usually just telling them that I really dun care for whatever freebies they are giving away!

Anyway, I'm only blogging about this cause I really detest these cheat tactics cos they are downright despicable cheating people out of their hardearned money... so just in case anyone is reading this... thought you might like to know. :)

Here are 2 forum links that offer some discussion and insight to this subject:

http://www.voy.com/161450/71.html
http://www.crimeshare.net/63.html

An inspiring email I found while clearing my email archives

2006-06-20T18:22:00.001+08:00

Saw this circulated email from a friend, thought it was kind of sad, yet inspiring all at the same time...

Perhaps it's just a reminder to the rest of us to remember to be grateful for the things we have now... a healthy body, a thinking mind and a whole spirit... Also a reminder to ever remain hopeful regardless of how bleak life situations may be at times...for if we look beyond the blank wall, we may still find ourselves being a source of encouragement and support to a fellow human being...

~~~~~~~~~~

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue. . . .There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

What if people did not work

2006-06-20T18:22:00.000+08:00

Kinda lazing around at home when this thought came into my mind...

Well, it's sorta nice to stay at home once in awhile, to recuperate your energies and refocus on what you want to achieve in life... work can be a pain in the ass sometimes especially with weird and senseless management directives...

Just yesterday, I did not know whether to laugh or cry with regard to my company's policy on lost cheques. The thing is this, due to a compensation scheme currently in place to compensate close to 14,000 members, we are making quarterly payments of part cash part voucher, each eligible claimant under the scheme is entitled in $120 cash and $120 in vouchers per quarter until full repayment of $3,000/$2,000.

If you happened to lose the cheque issued to you, there will be strictly no replacement even if you should make a police report or blah blah, if you would like the company to cancel the lost cheque however (you still don't get a replacement cheque) you would need to pay the company $20 admin fee for doing the cheque cancellation.

It made me wonder what's the logic of that... I mean if I had lost the cheque and no that under no circumstances would I be getting a replacement, then why should I bother calling the company to inform them of the lost...and worse...paying $20 to make a cancellation that is of NO benefit to me whatsoever?

Geez...might as well just tell the member to forget he/she ever received the cheque in the first place!

Or well...guess that's what they call a double whammy or stating the obvious like 'a colorful rainbow? or Spaghetti = Pasta but Pasta does not = Spaghetti?'

Haha anyway... my initial thoughts about this whole subject was... imagine a world without work... without the major MNCs that we are so familiar nowadays... what if no one invented companies...come to think of it... work is one of the largest components of Entertainment isn't it... a singular activity that keeps us entertained for up to hours on end... an activity that keeps us lawfully occupied, entertained and at times...amused for at least 8 hours a day!

Geez without work... what would we do? Watch movies? But there aren't any movie companies filming any production... no Hollywood, no Harvest Productions, no Disney productions... wonder if there'll even be books to read...since authors can write but with no publishing companies and no retailers and distributors...how would we ever lay our hands on the 'books'... plus maybe there'll be no school in the first place...so where would the authors learn how to write?

Guess we'll be digging for wild potatos and mushrooms and hunting for the occasional rabbit and fowl... wheez!

Ending a Chapter

2006-06-19T13:58:00.000+08:00

Friday, 23 June 2006 will present itself as a concluding chapter to my 12 months and 10 days of service to Raffles Town Club.

It has been an amazing year, filled with great people and wonderful colleagues… it has been a tough year as well, brought about by the court case that the Club faced and the subsequent Scheme of Compromise and Arrangement that was presented to members.

Had I not been involved in the exercise, I would never have believed the possibility of cold-calling 17,000 people in a matter of 2 to 3 weeks! Not a pleasant experience, firstly the horrid feeling of doing the cold calls and secondly, the expectation of being screwed by the angry party on the other side of the line.

With my other colleagues, we spent close to a month bunking in the Club, packing our stuff in the Junior Suite and staying there due to the long working hours during that period. There was plenty more ‘interesting’ things that we did then, all just to allow the Scheme a higher chance of take-up rate.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime to observe how some companies operate and how things may not run as clockwork or as perfect as we may expect them to be. There were some cock-ups, some grey areas and some areas which we totally could not agree with; yet limited in our capacity and our positions…we could do nothing but simply to abide with Management’s directives.

It has been a fulfilling year in all, plenty of eye-opening scenarios and now its finally time to move on and to grow with new challenges that would present itself in my new workplace, till then… let me just pray that the new place will be a more stable environment where I can focus more on my job scope rather than constant firefighting and picking up lost parts of the puzzle…

I suppose there would never be a perfect workplace but we can only try to make it better through our own efforts… I will take next week to recharge, rejuvenate and re-plan in what I want to achieve in my new workplace!

Movie Review: Da Vinci Code

2006-05-22T02:44:00.000+08:00

Starring:

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon
Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu
and
Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing

Having read the book, I was totally looking forward to the movie reproduction ; ) Besides, with such a stellar cast... it is hard to imagine a disappointing performance!

The whole gin-gang of us (7 in all) Wai Kim and Huimin, Megan and Kelvin, Andy as well as Ho Wan and me, made our way to Tiong Bahru GV to catch this long-awaited blockbuster! Thankfully HW made tickets reservations two days in advance, so we were all looking forward to reasonable seats... Loaded with drinks, popcorn and nachos...we headed straight into the theatre.

On the whole, I would say that the process of the movie followed Dan Brown's novel to a "T".

The movie started on the exact same footing as the book with a museum curator being for dead on the floor with a strange pattern marked on his naked body and a death note asking for Robert Langdon to be found. RL was thus implicated and brought into the story with the French police assuming that he was the killer behind this gruesome crime.

Making an escape in a bid to clear his name and to solve the mystery behind this murder, RL is assisted by the dead curator's own granddaughter, Sophie Neveu.

They go on a treasure hunt to plenty of places, piecing together the incredible clues left by the dead man... it soon becomes all too aparent that the dead curator was no simple man...together with a secret society known as the Priory of Scion, they kept a secret that was birthed in the lifetime of Christ.

Cinematography was ok, nothing excessively artistic or brilliant like those of Zhang Yi Mou... really an action flick except for the excellent story script... since I had read the book, the whole movie was pretty predictable... going through the novel... I had been amazed each time they deciphered the code to the old man's clues... Brown's skill of unraveling the puzzles had your mind light up each time a new puzzle was pieced together...this 'bing' feeling was sorta lacking in the movie...perhaps due to a constraint in air-time...

The overall feeling was that they were rushing through the sequence to tell the story... much like a subway rushing through with the goal of just hitting the next station... it was hard to enjoy the process of rushing from between one station to another...

The chemistry between Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou was also so-so only... no sizzling passion there... in the novel... these two characters had a stronger sense of affinity...being brought together by the dead man's wish for them to solve the puzzle and protect his secret... in the movie...there was always the presence of a 'teacher-student' relationship...

The good thing about the movie is the visuals that you get... in the novel, you could only try to imagine the architecture of the various buildings described, the symbols, etc whereas in the building... you could actually see the visuals before you... aiding one's understanding of the significance of the various elements...

A worthy movie to catch in my opinon...but then again that's cos the novel is so good... to not lose out on anything at all...I'd suggest you catch the movie, read the book and watch the documentaries on it...fantastic storyplot!

One thing I don't understand though...the entire secret and controversy surrounding the novel was playing on the possibility that Christ had a wife and fathered a daughter...but erm... who ever made the rule that Christ could not marry, have a child and still be God? Any rules that immortals have to be celibate or like some fairytales...once you have any 'connections' with mortals, the immortal will lose his power? hmmnnn... Jesus was also God's son rite? Conceived through Virgin Mary, gifted through the Holy Spirit... Well, maybe I should try to read the Bible again.

Just Me :)

2006-05-22T01:23:00.000+08:00

A Vain Episode

Too Free? Maybe?

Celebrating Dilka's Birthday

2006-05-22T01:02:00.000+08:00

21 May 2006
Shen Ri Kuai Le to Dilka! Yeah we met at 8:00pm at Orchard to celebrate Dilka's 25th birthday!

We went to Pasta Cafe at Takashimaya for dinner where I had my favorite Linguine Pescatore in Tomato Cream sauce!

Supremely delicious, yummy clams, with succulent mussels, juicy prawns and delightful squid... yippee!

Dilka had her Prawn Aglio Olio... fresh pasta tossed with prawns, chilli padi and pasta in olive oil.
Jodie and Desmond had dinner already as it was Jodie's dad's birthday today as well, so they only got drinks...and Desmond tried a new interesting drink blend...Melon Sprite with Chocolate ice-cream... weird but he say it tasted nice...hmnnn...

Anyway...here's some pictures of the celebration!

Dilka enjoying her Machiato at Coffee Bean Paragon later!

Me, Jodie and Dilka at Coffee Bean, Paragon

4 Days and 3 Nights in Shanghai

2006-05-20T07:33:00.000+08:00

Just yesterday, Donkey was about getting crazy...when I met her at the bus-stop opposite the club, she told me that the plane was about to take off to Shanghai and that we would reach by about 1 plus pm.

Hmnn...hallucination donk (",) That was last week! We were in Shanghai 12 - 15 May and yesterday was clearly 19 May leh... Haiz oh well... to fulfil donkey's fixation on revisiting the past...nah you can re-read this blog entry as many times as you like...

Courtesy of Piglet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, after almost 1 year of slogging like slaves at the Club, donkey and I decided to pack our bags for a 'weekend getaway' in Shanghai.

We'd been planning this trip almost a month or a month and a half in advance and boy were we looking forward to the trip!

We took the opportunity of the VesakDay holiday on 12 May to do this trip... and took an additional 1 day leave the following Monday to make up a humble 4 days for our holiday...

Damm! On hindsight, it was really too short a trip...oh well Thierry had warned us against that but then as it was hard for us to get any extra days of leave...what could we do right?

Okie okie...so we met at about 6pm at Changi Airport Terminal 2 where we check-in at the counter and then proceeded to Mac Donald's for a lovely warm breakfast of fluffy pancakes with plenty of butter (for donkey) and plenty of maple syrup (for me)! Yayyyy and yummy yummy.... Absolutely delicious (Btw, when I was a kid...MD's hotcakes were the only things I craved for during BF... Hotcakes = Great Breakfast!)

By about 0715, we made our way to 'Inside the Gates' urmmm I kinda forgot what it's really called...but oh well the place where you find all the DFShops after they've checked your passport 'seriously' at the counter hahaha.

We caught Thierry (T) standing around the display case of Omega watches... by the time we had finished our Hi's and all...dilly-dallying around a fair bit...T caught a glimpse of the electronic information board saying that our flight was ready to close its gates! OMG it was a mad rush especially with T telling us that he had once missed his flight this way after seeing the similar 'gate closing' message....

Arghhh it was then that we realized that our boarding gates were quite far down... and damn this stupid pig here (yes myself) was wearing heels and ya...walking with as big steps as my short legs could muster to keep up with Donkey (D) and T!

The Saga of the Kidnapped Scissors

At the security checkpoint... D got 'caught'....geez D must be a terrorist! She tried to smuggle a pair of scissors on board! But Singapore's security was too good for that... they found the scissors in her shoes! (haha actually in her bag lah). They told her to pass a message to her leader Al Dunnowho that terrorism cannot be effectively carried out with a pair of scissors and they simply had to invest in more decent and sophisticated weaponry...seeing how it was such a lame attempt at terrorism...they simply 'kidnapped' her scissors and sent D on her way (seeing that D was not a big-time terrorist at all... :P)

Next... what else do you expect? The plane took off and landed as scheduled in Pudong International Airport lah... haiz... D without her scissors couldn't capture the plane at all... otherwise we might have landed at some exotic locations in the Maldives ermm...or maybe in the Indian Ocean... Anyway No Scissors = No Hijack so 4D 2N in Shanghai will start properly in the next entry...This is a prelude only
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keke... I know this entry is pretty dry... but hey, it's Saturday morning at 0800 so need something to start revving up my engine...so please bear with this dry stuff first...we're getting there... In the next entry...we'll be checking out juicy joints like stripbars in Patpong and .... (opps again wrong channel...not Bangkok...) I shall go back to sleep again and carry on when I wake up haha

Check out D&P new cool emoticons at:

www.laurellerual.shutterfly.com and www.sthuifen.shutterfly.com

A lazy Sunday spent at home... not doing anything much but napping intermittently and reading Xiaxue's Blog

2006-04-23T13:26:00.000+08:00

Oh God, how loser am I... I am so totally not doing anything on a Sunday and yes tomorrow is Monday and it's a fact that it's going to be damn hectic...

I exchanged duty with my colleague Mark yesterday cos my new GM on the block called for an urgent Update brainstorming meeting at 3:00pm.... (In case you are wondering what is Update, it a DL size booklets that RTC sends to all its members to inform them of upcoming events and F&B promotions...) duhz...

So fine I dilly-dally in the morning cos I didn't want to reach the office exactly at 10am cos I know for a fact that I'll never get off at 3:00pm sharp... his meetings are always very very long and okie... since I am not really in a bitchy mood... I would say the sessions are sometimes pretty insightful as well...

Okie, so on the MRT I got a call from my darling Donkey that AA was looking for the person on duty... urghhh so its me lah... and she had to save my ass by lying that we only start work at 10:30am on weekends...

Pain in the ass manz... so I rush my ass into the club and called his office... "Morning Mr. AA, you were looking for someone from the department?" Feigning Ignorance all the while knowing that I am 30min late...but thank God I was late otherwise I would have felt even more cheated of my time and no off in lieu damn it...!!! $%%%^$ESS#$R%$w

Okie went up to the office where he was having a meeting with some HODs from the various departments and then he announced that from now on... PR will take charge of all poster spots in the club we will manage the poster allocation for all the departments.... farking hell what does that make us? Official poster changers!!!!?????? And our department is UNDERSTAFFED...UNDERSTAFFED!!!!!!! Is that so hard to understand... and then he say he wanna bring back the screening of 'advertisements' of club promotions and events in the Theatre before every movie screening and that means... yes I have to do the PPS. slides....

The warning lights are going off in my heads and in fact I think like everywhere... but no choice got to say 'Yes, Mr. AA noted, we will do as instructed'... #$%$## (the price of professionalism - everything also have to say can do...even though you'll spend hours tearing your hair out and screamin vulgarities while your life ebbs away before the computer and you are literally squeezing even damn braincell for whatever juice it will yield and kill yourself with all the caffeine that you can ever get your hands on...)

Okie...the next to come was that he was us all to gather at 12pm (yes lunchtime) at his office and we will take a walk with him and we will conduct a club inspection... basically it's more work again as when we walk around we'll have to make pointers of things he points out and yes...get it fixes...

The inspection (part 1 only) took a freaking 1hr 45min and by the end of it... I was tasked to change lift signs and all 'doggied-eared' menus in all the outlets...absolutely fabulous I would say...

Well at least I wasn't the worst hit... the worst pple to kenah were colleagues in the Engineering department, Housekeeping Department and F&B.... by the end of the inspection... they were told to remove scotchtape stuck on weird hidden corners of the kitchen, repair broken lampshades... repaint coin-sized spots....overturn tables and check if the legs are stable and yup we went into 6 or 10 toilets... (Male/Female) and I had to hold my breath in the Gents as they usually don't smell as nice as the females... urgghhhh

So the inspection stopped at Level 2 and we were given a 30min lunch break before carrying on with the brainstorming meeting for the Update at 3:00pm!!!!! FARK FARK FARK!!!

I was so damn blardy tired and so freaking irritated... damn... in case I haven't mentioned before... my June Update is already all completed... just need him to sign and approve the artwork and I would send it out to our printers on Wed and the stuff is suposed to be delivered by early next week...

But no he wanted this brainstorming session... brainstorming session... come on even a fool can equate that to Full Revamp of EVERYTHING RITE..otherwise it would be called a Review Meeting NOT A BRAINSTORMING MEETING

Okie enters this meeting and he spends the first 30min explaining to us the purpose of producing the UPDATE booklets to all present... basically... the F&B manager, 4 Executive Chefs, the Asst F/O Manager, Sports& Recreation Manager and Executive and Yours Truly....

So I had to be the flip chart girl and write down all the points about Marketing, Communications and blah blah while all the while he was cracking jokes about me being left-handed and the weird way left handed people write... then he ask me which school I came from and I was like which school do you mean? Sec sch, Poly or Uni...he say Sec Sch so I say Westlake (Well most pple don't really know the school well...just a neighborhood school tucked in a corner of Braddell...but hey so what... i had great friends there...and I am happy to be from a neighbourhood school...)
then he ask me what uni I studied at...and I said Oklahoma City University... he was like huh???!!! Again...it's not NUS, NTU, SMU or SIM... but what the heck the program was great and the lecturers was great...

Basically I don't even know why he was asking that... does the schools I came from have anything to do with this brainstorming session at all??? Come on I am fairly confident of my braincells in my head irregardless of where they were trained at... anyway...

To cut a long tail..errmm...tale short... as expected the whole freaking booklet will be changed... emphasis should be given to F&B and all the other departments will be marginalized in publicity allocation from now on and the cover pages will only feature F&B stuff from now on...

Great! And I have to schedule food shots with all the outlets on Monday, and find some daddy figure and some poster girl to take picture in a Nonya Kebaya somemore... tell me where to go find at such short notice...

And oh ya for the Father's Day promotions at all outlets... all patrons who take up F'Day's Set Menu will be given a doorgift...a polaroid picture in a card frame... and yes yours truly department is appointed as the official photographers for the day...we'll have to hang around the outlets lunch and dinner on Father's Day to take pictures of smiling families...while yes our Dads get ignored and we are denied of a celebration with them...

Blardy Fabulous....

And June 18 happens to be my Dad's birthday as well...seriously... it's his birthday and it is Father's Day as well but no I have to be working....

So tomorrow is justifiably a challenging day at the office...i shall have to rush for all the foodshots plus grab whatever pictures I can from our archives and do the copy-writing and confirm the details of the various F&B promotions and events at the Club.... Fantastic...

i wonder if we are going to get an increment for our efforts... this Club is always putting us through Hell...it should be called Raffles Hell Club!!!!

See that's why i am spending such a sucky Sunday at home...licking my wounds and prepping myself for the war tomorrow!!!

And i forgot to add that by the time the meeting ended it was 5:30pm and by the time I got back to the office and rushed out a series of emails to the various departments to ccordinate the activities to accommodate the revamped Update...

I left at 7:00pm... and I was supposed to be working 10:00am to 3:00pm!!!!!!!!

Why do we learn to Cherish only after Loss

2006-04-15T18:52:00.000+08:00

Why are humans as such? We don't realize the value and importance of things, environment and people around us until we are on the verge of losing them or worst, have lost them.

We spare but a moment to thank our lucky stars when we gain a new friend, a possession, a new career progression, etc... Yet all too soon, we forget our initial euphoria and allow events and happenings to overcome and discontentment to take place.

We set our sights on what we think is bigger, better, more expensive, more prestigious...all the while taking for granted what is already ours...

We start to make comparisons of what life has dealt out to us, while hankering after possessions that others possess...believing that achievement of all those things will make us more successful and a happier person...

But when is enough, enough? Just like buying a new mobile phone... the excitment and thrill in owning the latest gadget lasts but a few days...but for the most of us... it takes us many more days to work and to recover the cost of getting the phone... then all too soon...the next mobile A&P wave sweeps over us and we are left once again lusting over the NOW latest gadget...

As we pick our once novel toy up... its former glory and exhilaration is fully and truly gone... try as we might... the initial sensation of owning the phone and holding it in our hands is forgotten and gone...

Why are we such fickle creatures... even in the matters of the heart... the same vicious cycle applies... we fall in love with someone...be it for chemistry or particular attraction... we get together... we get used to each other...we take things for granted...things and life fall into a pattern and soon we are tearing our hair out wondering why our partners aren't as ideal as they should be and then discontentment and comparisons set in... and for the some of us... that's the signal to look out for the next better player... we seek in search of happiness...yet we fail to realize that we are already happy.

Only when our partners are shaken and disappointed and the risk of losing them for good becomes a reality.... that's when the truth sets in, jolting us out of our fantasy realm...

Only then do we regret our actions.. crossing and double-crossing our fingers and toes... hoping that things aren't too late and can still be salvage... hoping beyond hope that our partners may forgive us...perhaps yes and perhaps no... but why do we even want to venture towards this direction?

Stupidity, pure human stupidity... learning to cherish only when loss is in our face...

This is Gross

2006-03-19T14:47:00.000+08:00

I just looked at the date of my last post and it says January 24, good grief I just realized how long I have neglected my poor blog... I wonder if it actually missed me... :P

Well I have been wanting to update my blog for ages... there's been interesting stuff happening, so hey my life is not all that boring ya... but it's more a case of overactivity...and yes... at the workplace... I've been so sick of hitting on the keyboard, though actually I really like the sound created by hitting away at the keys and seeing the characters come on the screen...

For starters, to make up for lost time, I must announce that the 2nd quarter's club magazine is finally almost done... it's now in the hands of our Executive Director...now the challenge is how to get her to give it back quickly so I can run it to the printers...damn I am sure I am late from my printing and mailing schedule...oh well I think I did try hard enuf...

Of course there were intermittent delays during the process of putting all the material together... but nope it's not course I have been lazing... just due to all the extra work and disrupting phone calls which have to be answered and taken care of...

There's lots of excitment in the Club, primarily since the vouchers have been mailed out...there has been a influx of members coming by and demanding to use their vouchers...

So food costs increase, electricity increase, staffing costs increase but no real income coming in...how fulfilling is that right... all actions have their own consequences so looks like the Club is paying the price for what the previous owners did... anyway it's the perfect excuse for the owners to reject increments, prevent requests for more bonus and blah blah...

Really despite all past unhappiness at the Club, working here doesn't seem all that bad at times... environment is pretty, co-workers are great, especially since I have got my donkey working with me... haha mutual support for the animals...

It's a Sunday today, and yes I have been doing weekend duty for three weeks in a ROW...WTF!
On a more positive note, coming in on the weekends is a great way to clear all the paperwork and re-organize the desk for the coming week... of course I have been answering a few complaint emails and calls...

I was working on the skeleton contents for the 3rd quarter publication earlier... I am trying to make a promise to myself to ensure that the 3rd quarter's publication is on time this time...so I shall try to start ASAP...yes ASAP... no more delays...and no procrastination....

I wonder if all the work stress is driving Singaporeans nuts or rather the working population of this world...with the pressure to perform, outperform and continuously finetune what we are doing... I am sure pyschotherapy will be a fantastically lucrative profession in the future...

Perhaps that's why financial/commercial analysts forecast that the economy of tomorrow will be fuelled 70% by the services industry...Psychotherapy/Pyschiatric treatment/Psychology Services... = 65% Services Industry... haha

I must be going crazy after that long break of not blogging... oh well I am back for now....but just dunno how long I can keep this up... urmmm...

Qi Pao = Cheong Sam = Gorgeous!!!

2006-01-24T23:32:00.000+08:00

Yippee!!! Went shopping with Donkey and Chipmunk at Far East today... I am so so pleased with my purchases!!

I bought two cheongsams!! The first cheongsams I have ever owned in my life...am as pleased as a fiddle with both dresses... the first one is a light colored one...very sweet and demure... with a layer of see through lace atop a peach lining... the lace is emboidered with gold, peach and light green floral patterns running all over it...so damn 'shu nu' when I wear it haha...

The second one is just a simple red sleeveless version with 2 simple floral mottiffs emboidered on...I love the fit... really figure hugging...but I think I shud try to do a few more sit-ups before New Year and ya tone up those arms...sign sign sign....

Ooh I love my dresses... and oh ya...I bought 2 skimpy abit translucent lace dresses from BYSI as well...a bit short but I think they are perfect for clubbing!!! Woah! $21 bucks each only.... how wonderful is that...and I got a sweater for another $33... I think it is okie lah... the style is abit like a bathrobe you might put on at the beach or pool...

YAYAYAYAYAYYYY overall a day well spent...and ya I had a bowl of my favorite mushrooms at Wheelock Place too! Roasted Mushrooms with Herbs...without spring onions (yucksss)!!!

I love TODAY!!

ooh it's been a long time since I updated anything on this blog...

2006-01-22T23:42:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning...still feeling kinda tired... hmnn... damn had to go to work... really hate it sometimes... makes me wonder if a 9 to 5 job is more desirable at times... oh well... so I struggled out of bed...washed my face and tried to put on my make-up... damn... recent stress is making my skin crappy...tiny little pimples abuzz... geez...still, I was eager to try out my new Shu'mera 2-way foundation compact... but too lazy to wet the sponge... #$%%$##

Make-up didn't seem to help much today so I left the house feeling crappy and ugly... ate lunch and then made my way relunctantly to the office...

My mood seem to lift a little after I settled into my office... and I seem to manage to get a few tasks done today... started and completed an article feature on RTC's banquet operations manager...think it was not too bad...

did some other miscellaneous stuff like update new reciprocal clubs onto our website and then the GM called me to do a club tour for some of his overseas guests from Philippines... sign...shoots... and I was in jeans today... how presentable for overseas visitors rite..

And oh ya...before I knocked off at 5.30pm... I submitted my proposal for the last issue of club life for ECCR yippee... hope the GM approves...

BB came to pick me outside the club...and ya in case I haven't mentioned... staff of RTC are officially announced to be 2nd or 3rd class citizens of the club... even if it is raining and we are taking a cab... we can't even get the cab to drop us off at the club's lobby...no...we have to drop ourselves outside the club where they is no shelter and walk to the service entrance which is technically located where the rubbish collection point of the club is... the club is definitely worried that we've got no money to buy perfume so have to make us walk past the rubbish dump daily to get 'free perfume' very thoughtful and economical right?

And ya... since we are on this subject... let me wash another piece of dirty linen... the HR manager pulled me to one side after Friday morning's meeting to tell me that they prefer female staff to dress more conservatively... no low cuts... god...are we in the 15th century or wat? need to wear a god-damn corset anot...siao... no spaggetti straps and no V-necks... tell me what the heck can we wear? Sweaters or pull-overs? Goodness... and in Singapore's lovely warm weather... there's no reason why I should enjoy shirts should I...

Might as well just wear a sack and cover up like in the middle east...fucking hell... hate pple telling me what I shud do with my hair and what I should wear... damn it... the company is hiring me for what is in my head rite... and I'm not like indecently exposing myself...Jesus!

why dun we all just be nuns and wear habits instead... and ya white socks over shoes so that our legs dun show... stoopid autocracy... I shall wear whatever I like and I dun fucking care... who the hell is anyone to tell me how I should dress... I shall wear feathers if I like...so be it...

Haiz... I trailed so far off... my original intention was to blog about watch 'Memoirs of the Geisha' but look wat happened... anyway... I might have a second entry abt the Geisha later...all I can say is that the book is definitely a richer experience... whether in imagery...or emotions expression... wonderful wonderful... Still the movie casting director did a great job... all three actresses suited their roles to a 'T' like they were made for it...

Kudos to Authur Golden! Brilliance in itself!

Not working today! How Great is that?

2006-01-13T12:16:00.000+08:00

It feels like a happy day today...why? No particular reason other than I am not working today and not working tomorrow or Sunday...I've got my whole weekend to myself and it just feels fabulous!

I woke up at about 10am this morning, put on the music and lifted some light weights to 'try' and tone up my arm muscles... I think I have been eating quite a bit more recently so I better seriously try to do some workout or be threatened with the prospect of being the butt of the jokes during this Lunar New Year Gathering...

Another 2 weeks away and boy, that's another sinful time of indulgence and eating and eating and eating... geez... how could anyone resist those buttery and crumbly pineapple tarts? With their slightly sweet, sour and tangy pineapple topping...

Thankfully, I am not such a big fan of the bak kua though it's always nice to have a little... Love Letters are always nice... crisp, nicely rolled up with the fragrant aromas of coconut n eggs...

This year's new year gathering for my dad's side of relatives is gonna be at our place... that means that I must stop lazing around and try my bestest to whip my room into shape... hmnnn think it I ever have a place of my own... it'll either have to be a minimalist concept or one with lots of storage compartment and I definitely want a storeroom to dump all the rubbish and unsightly stuff haha

I am supposed to be trying to bake a cake today and I know that I have got all my ingredients sitting in the fridge... kekeke...okie let me try to psycho myself more into baking the cake...but actually I think I had better not create more mess but put my heart and soul into cleaning my room...

Hey... now that I've reached toking about cleaning up and all... I wonder why I even felt happy this morning :(

'I woke up feeling good...thinking what a beautiful day this is... but
now I think I need to reconsider my feelings...for how could I smile with a broom and mop in my hands...???'

Okay...stop complaining and start cleaning up... urghhhh..... why do things keep getting messy? I think that I must be a messy person by nature... for things always mess up big time without me trying too hard... okie... clear up time and till later! Adieus!

Okie... goodbye to the pretty nails...

Funnies in the MRT

2005-12-25T11:00:00.000+08:00

Okie, before I start on this entry...I need to declare that what you read in the paragraphs below maybe a little less than kind...still I mean no harm and I am just recording some of my observations in the MRT tongue in cheek style...so here goes...

The tale of the Big Pink Flowery Lady with Pink Shoes and her wannabe invisible husband
Coming in through the doors and stepping into the 'spacious' (ahem! Sardine Packed) train compartment, there is absolutely no way anyone could have missed her... She was fairly tall, very and I mean very 'well-nourished and voluptious (to say the least)' and most likely in her late 50s or so. She had her hair cropped really short to the sides of her head and had them bleached a shocking blond (but you could see the black roots coming out inside), well the hairdo wasn't the worst part, but it definitely helped in drawing the attention.

Before I carry on with the rest of the description, I must add that a man wearing a black shirt with orange patterns running all around was standing beside her... In fact he looked kind of insignificant standing beside her as he was built a little more regular...He had his hand constantly touching his forehead as if to shield his face in the direction of the woman and throughout the journey, he made all possible efforts to avoid looking at her...yet undoubtlessly, he was her husband... and throughout the trip, he never made one attempt to speak a word to her...

Now let me come down from her face...she had a fantastically pink shawl on, top, but when it slid apart, you could see that she was wearing a tunic kind of top, pink, flowery, colorful and yes...transluscent...!!

To match her top, she had on an equally flowery long skirt that was also pink, but clearly of a different design motiff...definitely a weird mix...my only thoughts were, 'I could empathise with the husband, I am not sure if she knew people were gawking away and if I could do her a favour, I would tell her to simply wear black instead...(not solely cos black has the amazing ability to make one appears slimmer but also for the simple fact that it draws considerable less attention than being covered head to toe in bright shocking pink and a flowery pink combi, not forgetting to mention...Pink SHOES to top the whole look off...)

Think her husband should consider appointing a personal groomer to color coordinate her wardrobe and yeah...throw in a hair stylist to unbleach the hair too...

Saturday Night Outing with the Weekend Gang

2005-12-22T13:26:00.000+08:00

Dinner at Alexandra Village Food Market...
From Left to Right: Ho Wan aka Stupid Bao Bei, Kelvin, Megan and Dr. Musselman

Foods sampled: First to arrive, the Bak Kut Teh with the salted vegetables, followed by the Oyster Omelette, the sugar cane juice, the satay, seafood fried rice, sambal stingray and stir-fried kai lan...yummy a feast of local delights...

Commentary on the food: The assorted satay of pork, mutton and chicken were great with the peanut sauce blended with pineapple and I think the kai lan, stingray and fried rice was good as well... oyster omelette so so only...

We spent a happy hour or so over dinner...laughing and chilling out over food and drink... the night was still young so we decided to head up Mount Faber to show Dr. M, Singapore's night scene...

It was a lovely evening to be out walking and strolling, so after we parked the car...we all bounced out and started 'hiking' up to catch a glimpse of the limited night scene that Singapore has to offer...
The picture on the left is just to show that we really made our way to Mount Faber that Saturday evening..
Since there really wasn't plenty to do up at Mount Faber...we drove to HarbourFront and made ourselves comfortable at Starbucks where we enjoyed icy Rhumba Frappuccinos and Dr. M has his ice hazelnut latte.

The subject for the rest of the evening was mainly a discussion of life, our career aspirations and what makes life fulfilling and worthwhile... I guess in a nutshell...so many of us are just rushing full steam ahead that we are often blinded by our make-believe goals and what's really important in a fulfilling and satisfying existence...

Life can be meaningful or it can be a burden...either ways...the choice is yours to make... the world can be your wonderland of miracles and it can also be one of bleakness and misery...whatever it is...the sun still rises and sets and life still goes on... so live your life the way you want to and have no regrets at the end of the journey...

Just make sure we have good friends beside us to experience and share life's ups and downs...

Friendships are such wonderful things

2005-12-22T12:44:00.000+08:00

It is strange how friends come into our lives, it might be cliche to say this, but some are there for a whole lifetime, while others are there just for a couple of years or maybe even months... it is strange how tightly people bond together at the right place at the right time... perhaps fate intended it to be so just cos we needed each other at that moment in time...

Still, with the passing of time...some friends may grow distant and we continue upon our own journey in life...yet that doesn't mean that the other person is no longer a fren..we still have their names in our journal of friends...just perhaps a little sadly that our chapter or story with the other person is not progressing and making new highlights as before...

We have new people entering our lives and we start new chapters of friendships, experiencing new and different things and beginning to understand the differences in people a bit more...

As kids, our understanding of friendship is perhaps companionship, the amount of time we spend with each other, the joys and the tears that we share... it was a lot easier then... we didn't question people's motives for being friendly and we accepted them just as they are and to take them into our trust with our innermost thoughts...

As we grew up... it seems a lot more difficult to make frens, perhaps we have greater expectations of friends and expected them to conform to certain standards and social etiquettes... and then work and material success comes in to complicate things even more...sometimes we find it so hard to take someone into our trust and to open up to let the person know the real us...no the passing years have already covered us with so many layers and armors, that sometimes we dun quite know ourselves all that well anymore...

Yet, just sometimes, the right person comes along and we find ourselves opening up...not sure why...but simply willing to pour out our true sentiments to that person and to let them see us for what we really are...

No one is perfect, not ourselves, not our friends and therefore it is hard to ever expect a fren that always lives up to your expectation...but I guess that's what friendships are all about... we put aside some of our expectations and hopefully the other person does too and we simply appreciate each other for what we are... friendships forged will not be forgotten, perhaps diluted over time and if we fail to spend enough time nurturing it...but hey, at least we did share special times and experiences with each other...

As the famous saying engraved on the Sovil Titus brand, 'I dun ask for a lifetime, but just for that moment in time...'

Night out with Dr. M...from Boat Quay to Esplanade

2005-12-13T00:13:00.000+08:00

Spent a lovely Saturday evening with Dr. M and my silly Bao Bei...I went to my cousin's baby girl's one month shower in the afternoon and then we swung by the new MDIS unicampus to get Dr. M after his Saturday afternoon class...

We decided to head down to Boat Quay for Black bean sauce beef hor fun... I love the dish... the beef slices are so nicely stir-fried...very tender and the sauce is yummy too... we order a seafood soup, garlic kai lan and 'ma po tou fu' too...

Dr. M wasn't quite familiar with tou fu so we thot it would be a great new experience... Dr. M said he enjoyed the beef hor fun too...great stuff...according to him :))

After dinner, the three of us strolled along the river...walking towards Fullerton Hotel and then taking the underpass to the Esplanade... there was a jazz performance by a local group at the outdoor performing theatre and we took some time to enjoy the music, all while snapping some shots and enjoying the cool air of the night...

It was great that it wasn't too humid an evening...the weather was nice enough for us to just stroll along without aggravating the sweat pores... after the performance ended...we strolled back to Boat Quay and landed ourselves at the TCC there... we ordered hot chocolate and iced coffee-tea (yuan-yang) tea and spent the rest of the evening making happy conversations and cheerful jibes at each other...

Hanging out is really great...and good friends who we can really connect with, makes all the difference in the world too... how else could we keep our sanity in such a pressure cooker society? If only there were more weekends...

Night out at Zouk

2005-12-07T16:00:00.000+08:00

Night out at Zouk on 7 Dec 2005: Flash Imp 5th Anniversary Celebration!

From Left: Shirley, Amanda, Laurel, Me and Christina

It was a pretty happening night with plenty of Moet and think everyone got a bit tipsy and high with the alcohol coursing through our blood...

Think I was hit worst cos it so happened to be my birthday that night and I had to down a flaming lamborghini and I think it definitely downed me...literally...

By the time I got to the carpark below my block, I was practically swerving and swaying and hardly able to keep from tumbling into a pile...

I do wonder who started this crappy tradition of getting the birthday person drunk...

Getting drunk is definitely not a pretty thing to do and I think I shall try to keep more to orange juice or sparking grape juice from now on...(well not quite I think)

A little wine here and a little cocktail there is nice...just as long as it is kept in moderation (",)

Last night in the Junior Suite

2005-11-24T22:55:00.000+08:00

Tonite's the last nite that we are going to be spending over at the club... the 4-year long saga concerning the club seems finally about to end... we spent a gruesome three weeks struggling through the calling of our members, the form fillings, station manning and voting process...

Tomorrow is going to be the last official day for us to collect votes... foresee that it's gonna be a very busy day with plenty of members rushing to put in last minute votes for the scheme... hope no nasty scenes are going to pop up... just hope for a busy but pleasant day where you are sufficiently busy so that time passes quickly but you can still work with happy spirits without getting pissed or irritated with anyone...

Today was an okay day...I went in to work at about 1.30pm and worked till 10pm in the night... was busy collecting the votes and calling NHB to see how we could get them to allow us the complimentary use of some historical pictures...would have been easier paying the $650 for the rights to use the 12 pictures for our 2006 calendar... pretty meagre sum to pay considering that we will be printing about 20,000 copies of the calendar... comes up to less than 3cents per calender for the pictures...

Oh well...who doesn't want to save money? Guess the same theory applies for companies... not wanting to pay even though you can well afford it...haiz... oh well...that's how sponsorship and 'with compliments' came about huh?

I just washed my hair...caught a little bit of 'What a Girl Wants', didn't see the beginning so got a little lost with the story line... will be going to sleep in a while... maybe I will try writing a more philosophical blog entry when I am less tired... I will prob want to write an analytical piece about whether I am more introverted or extroverted...more expressive or more reserved...but for now...I will sleep upon it and try to understand myself just a little more...

It's been good blogging, kinda like talking to myself or writing in a diary, except unless someone ever happens to chance upon my blog...otherwise this is just an online diary of my thoughts..

Good nite if you happen to ever read this...for that matter...I better say Good Morning, Good Afternoon as well since I don't know the time of the day when anyone might be reading this entry...just being cliche again = )

Just a teeny whiny tipsy

2005-11-20T00:26:00.000+08:00

I kinda like the feeling of being a little tipsy...not drunk but just that very comfortable feeling when you start feeling just a little drowsy but otherwise still in full control of your senses and you just know that you are going to have a good nite rest when you finally get into bed...

Just came back from a quick drink with my weekend kakis at the Wine Connection at Dempsey Road...it was a lovely evening well spent with good friends...We order a bottle of dessert wine from Germany...can't remember the name of the bottle now...taste alot like Muscato... but a little lighter and a trifle less sweet...

Met up with Megan at about 6.30pm at Plaza Singapura...nothing in mind to do...simply spend the weekend as what many other Singaporeans would do...dinner with friends and just coffee or something...

kinda an eventful day...went to the MOS Burger at PS to order a ice milk tea but ended up emptying a quarter of the cup down my boyfriend's pants...haiz what a clumsy oaf I was...so embarassing...

Later, our friend MoMo Kim wanted to go to Best Denki to check out some stuff so we all went...Megan and I were just standing near the shavers section when a salesperson approached us to find out if we needed any help...I stupidly replied that we just so happened to be standing there...an I guess the salesperson was at a loss with my answer as well...cos he sheepishly told us to slowly stand there and enjoy our stand...

It was really pretty amusing... pity I have to work tomorrow...otherwise I would definitely enjoy my evening even more...still I think the worst period in my job is going to end soon...so I shall be looking forward to the rainbow ahead...

Till Later,
Stubborngal

2005-11-08T01:08:00.000+08:00

Just Me and my MP3

House of Tang

2005-11-08T00:29:00.000+08:00

Cool! My usually reserved boyfriend whom I can hardly get to speak more than 3 words at times actually started his own blog... and he actually got it to look quite nice with the comic drawings...

Come to think of it...god! He is so selfish... I have been telling him to draw me something too... but till now I have yet to have a drawing dedicated to me... he probably thinks that I am not worth his effort to draw...

How very upsetting...well at least I am glad that he acknowledged my existence on his blog...not least his birthday surprise... well I will forgive you 20% on account of the pic of the speakers... anyway till later... till I find something else to grouse about... as for now... I am just gonna whack him over the head with my trusty bolster....

Selamat Hari Raya Adifitri - 1 Nov 2005

2005-11-01T11:31:00.000+08:00

Thanks to our Muslim friends going thru a whole entire month of fasting... the rest of us are all enjoying a day off today! Probably gonna be a lazy day... maybe going for a picnic in the afternoon with my 'Bao Bao'.

Think we will head to White Sands later, grab some picnic foods, maybe borrow a book and head down to East Coast for a lovely lazy day...

Maybe we can get a bottle of fruit wine and drink a toast to the wonderful afternoon... a massage would be perfect for now... theurapeutic and soothing...

Maybe I should do a internet search to find out the places for good massages... wanna do a slimming massage... have been putting on quite a bit of weight... ever since I started working about 4 months ago... I have horrendously put on almost 3 - 4 kgs!!!

Think I really should be getting off my butt and doing some workout to burn away all the excess calories... just yesterday I had a triple decker chocolate chip cookie from Dough Boy... donkey had recommended it... she had a white socialite cookie herself... it is actually a cookie with white choc chips... very sweet and lovely...

It was the dessert ending for our meal at BAB Noodle at Millenium Walk... as usual, I had my 'Kimchi Seafood Vermicelli', while donkey had her 'Tom Yam Seafood Kway Teow', Dennicce ordered a portion of Agedashi Tofu and deep fried calamari rings to share with plenty of mayonnaise and thousand island dressing... hardly the way to go if we were really trying to diet right...

After dinner, Dennicce went home, leaving me and donkey to wander over to Suntec and do some shopping... IORA was having a steal and we bought similar brown jackets as a steal... only $29 for a jacket!! Great Buy! Anyway... it was donkey who found the cool jacket...

I bought a black bag at one of those push cart stalls... the bag is pretty simply... both formal and informal... it could probably go with work wear or just jeans and a spagetti top... such is the ease of most black stuff...

Okie... will be stopping here... gonna get ready for my picnic later... think will buy carrot cake, bee hoon... some nachos... well we'll see what White Sand has to offer... till later...ciao!!

Graduation Day

2005-10-17T15:52:00.000+08:00

Finally! I finished my 22 months degree program in Mass Communications with Oklahoma City University. The graduation was held on October 16 at the Ritz Carlton, we had to report in at about 11am to get ourselves registered, numbered and gowned.

We had to go through a round of rehearsal on that morning itself before the actual ceremony took place in the afternoon...

By about 12 noon, many were complaining of rumbling tummies... thankfully the good folks at MDIS were considerate enuf to provide a Gardenia bun for each granduand.

It was kinda grand when the whole ceremony started later in the afternoon.. I thot everyone looked kinda funny decked out in our gowns and the mortar boards...still it was an unique experience and one that we had worked hard for in the last 2 years... thus it was with an undeniable sense of pride that we marched in a single file and made our way into the main hall...

After the many speeches by the Guest of Honour and officials from OCU and MDIS... the award ceremony finally commenced.. a total of 700 over students received their certifications on that day... and before I knew it... it was my turn to walk up the stage, shake the hand of the guests of honour and receive my degree...YIPEE! At long last... I finally realized the first step of my academic aspirations...

Well... for now I am happy with what I got...perhaps when the itch to study starts again in a couple of years time... I shall reconsider my options...