I speak for myself and what I've observed over the past few days.
It's a very short amount of time. And definitely not alot of interaction.
So...it's just my two cents worth.
Attitudes
I find it unnerving that I have met many rude service people.
By service people I mean, the hotel staff at the concierge, the staff at the hospitality desk, the guy manning the kebab stall, the waitress serving drinks at the cocktail reception.
Rude and disinterested. No smiles, nothing. And they try to brush you off.
Am not sure if it is a general attitude problem. Or cos I'm Asian.
I usually feel pissed off when I meet one of such buggers.
And then I walk off and somewhere later in the day, I meet with the other kind of Parisian - the friendly one.
I was sitting on the steps of a building with my map spread out in front of me when a French middle-aged guy came over and asked "Are you japanese?? I was born in Tokyo!"
When he found out I was frm Singapore, he got excited and said "Ni Hao Ma?" hahaa...
There were other instances when people see me with a map and approach me to see if I need help with directions.
Romance
To say that French people are romantic is probably true.
You see couples just standing in the middle of the pathway canoodling with each other, kissing and hugging...And others don'tbat an eyelid.
You see happy couples enjoying a cuppa together, in a cafe, in each others' embrace.
Hug and kiss in public in SG and you'll get labelled as one who enjoys engaging in public displays of affection.
Arty
Lots of arty people around. But I guess this is cos of the country's culture...
Was just walking along the streets one day when there were 3 young guys busking...probably in their early 20s.
And boy were they good. One on the clarinet, one on the violin and one on the cello.
And they played classic pieces..Ave Maria and Pachelbel were amongst those which I recognised.
There were many people in the Lourve armed with sketch books, sitting in front of statues and sketching out what they see..
There are lots and lots of theatres around. Showing local French films, showing Opera, mime, etc.
There are also many bookstores and huge stores selling painting accessories. One store selling painting accessories can be as big as one floor of a BHG in Bugis.
Fashion
Shoes sold here are really "orbiang". Clothes are so-so...of cos the nice ones are simply unaffordable. One skirt for $200 SGD? shopping is out of the question here hahaa.
Though I managed to get a singlet for $5 euro i.e. $12 SGD.
People dress normally. Nothing so very fashionable or what. I think the Japanese dress better.
Even in the fashion district where all the mega stores are...people still dress normally haha.
Cars & Traffic
Lots of Peugeots, Renaults and Citroens around. Seeing a Toyota or a Mitsubishi is really a rare sight!
The traffic lights turn red or green with no warning.
Similarly, the red man changes to green with no warning...there's no blinking before it changes or what...
Speech
When they speak in French, they sound nice. When they speak in English, it sounds even better!! haha.... ;p
The French tongue has a very nice way of lolling its way around English syllables...the words come out sounding litlted, pretty and altogether very different!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Written on 25 June Wednesday
Woke up feeling a bit under the weather, a little feverish maybe…
Found it abit hard to get out of bed. Was hoping I did not catch a bug or something…
Gobbled a sandwich for breakfast and made my usual way to the conference venue.
Was stuck in a technical meeting for 2 hours. Didn’t understand 95% of what they were saying but had to take notes for my technical colleague.
But skipped it before it ended. Went back to the hotel room to sleep and rest.
Discovered that the cause of my feeling unwell was the monthly cycle…Heng I came prepared with the necessary feminine items…
Had smoked salmon sandwich for lunch, popped 2 panadol pills and slunk into bed…
The Lourve
Woke an hour later at 545pm and felt better…time for my own explorations again.
I did not manage to get into the Lourve Museum the other day since the ticket counter was closed. But I still spent about an hour purely taking pics of the exterior of the place…
They close later on Wednesdays, about 945pm and so I decided to go there today.
I reached there around 615pm, bought a ticket from the vending machine…and marched in, unsure of what to expect.
Gosh. Flabbergasted would be a good word to describe me when I first stepped in. Other adjectives like awesome, grand, wonderful, great, magnificent, spiritual, incredible, ghostly, fantastic would be good as well. Surreal would sum it all up.
There were 3 wings, each with 4 storeys, which makes it a total of 12 storeys to cover across the wings. I spent 3 hours there. And I only covered about 5 and a half storeys.
It was incredible.
I think there must be tens of millions of artifacts and prized paintings in the museum alone. French, Italian, English, Spanish paintings.
With many so huge that each paintings’ surface area is bigger than my living room, almost twice. And I live in an executive apartment.
No one paints like this anymore. The level of detail is almost excruciating.
Every strand of hair, every speck of grime, every fold of skin, every ripple of muscle is captured with so much finesse and precision.
You could tell that every square inch of each painting was accorded with much respect and attention.
I went from room to room feeling in awe. I left each room feeling more in awe than the other…The grandeur was indescribable.
The ceilings were painted too...Think my mouth was gaping open a lot of the time.. ahha…Almost in a constant “wah…” or “ooooo”….:)
A lot of the paintings were on Christ, Mary and scenes of war.
Italian, Greek, Eygptian, Iranian, Arabic, French, Oriental sculptures. Other works of decorative art.
Carpets depicting scenes of war, romance. I took a close peek at the carpets and wondered about the ghosts of those who trod on it centuries before…
Cutlery, Egyptian tombstone, Victorian statues, chairs, ancient swivel doors, age old stained glass, long forgotten rosaries…I wondered who touched all these things centuries ago…
The Renaissance period, the Baroque period, the Romantic period, the Revolution…
And of course, I saw the Mona Lisa. I was expecting to see a larger painting. But it ended being smaller than an A2 poster. In between A3 and A2 would be a good bet. It naturally attracted hordes of visitors. Had to shove my way to the front to get a picture...
And I saw Napolean Bonaparte’s rooms & household furnishings too haha!!
The grandiosity of it all. Gosh!!
Crystal & gold chandeliers, gold plated chairs, gold cutlery, red plush cushions, gold crockery…everything was red and gold!
Haha...there I was staring at a long teakwood dining table where Napolean once sat eating merrily. I felt great to be there man… haha…wooo!!
I walked and I walked. Across endless corridors, across endless staircases and across endless passageways. Sometimes I found myself alone in a room.
Ensconced within a stange quietness.
It was almost unnerving to be alone amongst so many artifacts so richly steeped in history. I started at my own reflection once when I passed by a glass shelf...Geez hahha.
It’s late. 12am here. Nearing 6am in SG….I shall blowdry my hair and head to bed…
Aching all over..back, thighs, feet, eyes, arms, boobs… haaaaa….;p Oh yah, I need to go back to LV on Friday again. On a mission to get something for HC’s wifey…
I won't load pics as of now...perhaps later...Stealing bandwidth at the conference haha...
Meeting ends tomorrow. i.e. 26 June. So I'll lose access to any network....bleah..
Found it abit hard to get out of bed. Was hoping I did not catch a bug or something…
Gobbled a sandwich for breakfast and made my usual way to the conference venue.
Was stuck in a technical meeting for 2 hours. Didn’t understand 95% of what they were saying but had to take notes for my technical colleague.
But skipped it before it ended. Went back to the hotel room to sleep and rest.
Discovered that the cause of my feeling unwell was the monthly cycle…Heng I came prepared with the necessary feminine items…
Had smoked salmon sandwich for lunch, popped 2 panadol pills and slunk into bed…
The Lourve
Woke an hour later at 545pm and felt better…time for my own explorations again.
I did not manage to get into the Lourve Museum the other day since the ticket counter was closed. But I still spent about an hour purely taking pics of the exterior of the place…
They close later on Wednesdays, about 945pm and so I decided to go there today.
I reached there around 615pm, bought a ticket from the vending machine…and marched in, unsure of what to expect.
Gosh. Flabbergasted would be a good word to describe me when I first stepped in. Other adjectives like awesome, grand, wonderful, great, magnificent, spiritual, incredible, ghostly, fantastic would be good as well. Surreal would sum it all up.
There were 3 wings, each with 4 storeys, which makes it a total of 12 storeys to cover across the wings. I spent 3 hours there. And I only covered about 5 and a half storeys.
It was incredible.
I think there must be tens of millions of artifacts and prized paintings in the museum alone. French, Italian, English, Spanish paintings.
With many so huge that each paintings’ surface area is bigger than my living room, almost twice. And I live in an executive apartment.
No one paints like this anymore. The level of detail is almost excruciating.
Every strand of hair, every speck of grime, every fold of skin, every ripple of muscle is captured with so much finesse and precision.
You could tell that every square inch of each painting was accorded with much respect and attention.
I went from room to room feeling in awe. I left each room feeling more in awe than the other…The grandeur was indescribable.
The ceilings were painted too...Think my mouth was gaping open a lot of the time.. ahha…Almost in a constant “wah…” or “ooooo”….:)
A lot of the paintings were on Christ, Mary and scenes of war.
Italian, Greek, Eygptian, Iranian, Arabic, French, Oriental sculptures. Other works of decorative art.
Carpets depicting scenes of war, romance. I took a close peek at the carpets and wondered about the ghosts of those who trod on it centuries before…
Cutlery, Egyptian tombstone, Victorian statues, chairs, ancient swivel doors, age old stained glass, long forgotten rosaries…I wondered who touched all these things centuries ago…
The Renaissance period, the Baroque period, the Romantic period, the Revolution…
And of course, I saw the Mona Lisa. I was expecting to see a larger painting. But it ended being smaller than an A2 poster. In between A3 and A2 would be a good bet. It naturally attracted hordes of visitors. Had to shove my way to the front to get a picture...
And I saw Napolean Bonaparte’s rooms & household furnishings too haha!!
The grandiosity of it all. Gosh!!
Crystal & gold chandeliers, gold plated chairs, gold cutlery, red plush cushions, gold crockery…everything was red and gold!
Haha...there I was staring at a long teakwood dining table where Napolean once sat eating merrily. I felt great to be there man… haha…wooo!!
I walked and I walked. Across endless corridors, across endless staircases and across endless passageways. Sometimes I found myself alone in a room.
Ensconced within a stange quietness.
It was almost unnerving to be alone amongst so many artifacts so richly steeped in history. I started at my own reflection once when I passed by a glass shelf...Geez hahha.
It’s late. 12am here. Nearing 6am in SG….I shall blowdry my hair and head to bed…
Aching all over..back, thighs, feet, eyes, arms, boobs… haaaaa….;p Oh yah, I need to go back to LV on Friday again. On a mission to get something for HC’s wifey…
I won't load pics as of now...perhaps later...Stealing bandwidth at the conference haha...
Meeting ends tomorrow. i.e. 26 June. So I'll lose access to any network....bleah..
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Written on 24 June Tuesday
Day 4 of eating breads and sandwiches and mashed potatoes and grilled fish. Oh yes, let’s include grilled tomatoes into the list too…
Haha..Surprisingly, those restaurant meals are not as nice as a simple smoked salmon sandwich bought at a convenience store…The one bought at the store costs me $2.60 Euro…i.e. $6 SGD…and wah…super yummy…
Rushed off after meeting today, went back to hotel room to dump my notebook and I went out again…to explore on my own. I seriously think I’m a born loner….haha. Armed with my trusty map…I took the metro to St Germain Des Pres…supposed to have lots of shops & knick knacks…according to a guide I read online…
Knick knacks my foot ah! It’s was yet another place with branded stores!! I went past Helmut Lang, Sonia Rykiel, GAP, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Escada, MAC, Burberry, and the list goes on…zzz…Needless to say, I didn’t get anything.
There were quite a number of shoe stores…But the shoe designs are all errr…..quite orbiang haha. Mostly on sales. But still super ex. For a pair of ballerina flats, a normal one I can get for say $40 tops in SGD was on sale for $56 euro. And that price was after a 50% discount…xiao….$56 Euro is more than $120 SGD lor….
Went into the pharmacy and hmm…a stick of Loreal eyeliner costs $13.90 euro…i.e. about $30 SGD…Argh! Wish I were in BKK! Hahaha…
p/s: did I share that the metro trains…there are some trains that you need to open the door yourself? Else it will not open automatically at each stop? We’re quite lucky that we don’t have to do that. The trains there, either you need to push a button to open the train doors, or you need to push a lever to get it open…else you can’t get in…or you can’t get out…
p/s: another cultural thing..in the supermarkets, after you buy your stuff, you’re expected to put your groceries into plastic bags ON YOUR OWN. The cashier lady will only scan your items & collect $$ from you. She is not expected to place your items into bags. If she so happens to do it for you….then she’s just doing you a BIG FAVOUR. Otherwise, she’ll just stare at you while you hold up the queue and struggle to pay up, collect your change and put your groceries into bags ALL AT THE SAME TIME…voila, do I sound like I’m speaking from experience??? That’s cos I am!!!!!!
It’s 410am in SG and 1010pm here…
Am gonna blowdry my hair, watch one more episode of Season 2 SATC…and then crash into bed…
Think I’m growing fatter hmm mm. Going by SG timing…I am really eating at irregular hours haha…thinking in terms of SG time, I’m having breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 7pm and dinner at 3am. Uh-oh….*crosses fingers*
Haha..Surprisingly, those restaurant meals are not as nice as a simple smoked salmon sandwich bought at a convenience store…The one bought at the store costs me $2.60 Euro…i.e. $6 SGD…and wah…super yummy…
Rushed off after meeting today, went back to hotel room to dump my notebook and I went out again…to explore on my own. I seriously think I’m a born loner….haha. Armed with my trusty map…I took the metro to St Germain Des Pres…supposed to have lots of shops & knick knacks…according to a guide I read online…
Knick knacks my foot ah! It’s was yet another place with branded stores!! I went past Helmut Lang, Sonia Rykiel, GAP, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Escada, MAC, Burberry, and the list goes on…zzz…Needless to say, I didn’t get anything.
There were quite a number of shoe stores…But the shoe designs are all errr…..quite orbiang haha. Mostly on sales. But still super ex. For a pair of ballerina flats, a normal one I can get for say $40 tops in SGD was on sale for $56 euro. And that price was after a 50% discount…xiao….$56 Euro is more than $120 SGD lor….
Went into the pharmacy and hmm…a stick of Loreal eyeliner costs $13.90 euro…i.e. about $30 SGD…Argh! Wish I were in BKK! Hahaha…
p/s: did I share that the metro trains…there are some trains that you need to open the door yourself? Else it will not open automatically at each stop? We’re quite lucky that we don’t have to do that. The trains there, either you need to push a button to open the train doors, or you need to push a lever to get it open…else you can’t get in…or you can’t get out…
p/s: another cultural thing..in the supermarkets, after you buy your stuff, you’re expected to put your groceries into plastic bags ON YOUR OWN. The cashier lady will only scan your items & collect $$ from you. She is not expected to place your items into bags. If she so happens to do it for you….then she’s just doing you a BIG FAVOUR. Otherwise, she’ll just stare at you while you hold up the queue and struggle to pay up, collect your change and put your groceries into bags ALL AT THE SAME TIME…voila, do I sound like I’m speaking from experience??? That’s cos I am!!!!!!
It’s 410am in SG and 1010pm here…
Am gonna blowdry my hair, watch one more episode of Season 2 SATC…and then crash into bed…
Think I’m growing fatter hmm mm. Going by SG timing…I am really eating at irregular hours haha…thinking in terms of SG time, I’m having breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 7pm and dinner at 3am. Uh-oh….*crosses fingers*
Written on 23 June Monday
Today’s a sad, lonely, boring day. I had an invite to a dinner at night, after the day’s meetings. Before that we all had a cocktail function held by the meeting organizers. Agreed to meet up at the cocktail place and then we were all supposed to go to the dinner place together at 830pm…
Think I’m too small a fry. I was forgotten…Waited at the cocktail place feeling like a fool. Standing there sipping a glass of punch, I felt pathetic. Approached a familiar Asian face and made small talk. Us minority Asians amongst all the big, tall Caucasians.
And I waited. Till 850pm. I gave up. I took the metro all the way back to my hotel area and walked back…passed by a kebab store along the way and dabao-ed the kebab set meal…kebab burger with fries and a drink. Went back to the room and watched SATC on my laptop…=(
Yeah, felt so “lang bei”.
And to think I didn’t feel good and thought of giving everything a miss by staying in the hotel…but roused myself fup and went for the cocktail…only to have it as a wasted trip…
Think I’m too small a fry. I was forgotten…Waited at the cocktail place feeling like a fool. Standing there sipping a glass of punch, I felt pathetic. Approached a familiar Asian face and made small talk. Us minority Asians amongst all the big, tall Caucasians.
And I waited. Till 850pm. I gave up. I took the metro all the way back to my hotel area and walked back…passed by a kebab store along the way and dabao-ed the kebab set meal…kebab burger with fries and a drink. Went back to the room and watched SATC on my laptop…=(
Yeah, felt so “lang bei”.
And to think I didn’t feel good and thought of giving everything a miss by staying in the hotel…but roused myself fup and went for the cocktail…only to have it as a wasted trip…
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Written on 22 June Sunday....
The day started with a sandwich and a cup of jus d’orange (orange juice) in my room. Bought both items from a nearby supermarket the night before and dunked it in the fridge. Went to the meeting at 9 and was stuck there till 1230pm.
Went for lunch at a nearby French café with a whole bunch of folks from the Nordic countries. Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands. And 2 other Singaporeans and 1 Malaysian. Had the set lunch of roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Choc ice-cream for dessert & eggs with mayo for starter. Portions were darn huge!!
Went to Champs Elysees after that since there were no more meetings for the day for me. Went to LV! And err…heh, bought something. I think I’m having a crush on the sales giy who served me. Sebastien’s his name. Cool~! Uber cool~!! My fav guy from Il Divo happens to be a Frenchman named Sebastien as well…*swoon*
This real-life Sebastien was tall, can joke, very pretty eyes with pretty long lashes…and he was nice enough to show me a map of Paris and show me where to go once he found out I spoke a pathetic smattering of French. Actually, I only asked “What‘s your name?” in French and he stared rattling things off. Haha…Anyway, he speaks good English too and before I left the store, he actually gave me a namecard with his personal email address…Asked me to email him if I needed a guide around town…*double swoon*
The whole of Champs Elysees is like a huge Paragon or Takashimaya. Big brand names. Huge stores. Hordes of people and tourists (and also pet dogs, those small toy dogs like Chihuahuas, dashunds, Yorkshire terriers, etc). Lots of cafes. And lots of cars too. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything else. No more money and well, did I mention 1 Euro is equals to $2.14 Sing dollars!! Sibei ex. Haha…
Visited the Arc du Triomphe. And then walked and walked and walked. I think I covered more than 10km today on foot. Or maybe even 12km or more?? Walked from 4pm to 8pm.
Visited the famous Lourve Museum today. Very nice architecture. A pity I went there late. Couldn’t get in to see the “Mona Lisa” cos the ticket counter was already close…!!! Should I go back there another day just to pay 9 euro to see the Mona Lisa? Hmm mm…
It’s 430am in SG now and 1030pm in Paris…heading to bed now..Meeting will start at 830am tomorrow…zzz….feet are tired. Haha. Will go sleep….
Oh p/s: I think I am not fated with technological gadgets. Net access is impossible in this hotel though I am supposed to get it FOC. (but heng that I can log onto the meeting venue’s wireless network during meetings)
Went for lunch at a nearby French café with a whole bunch of folks from the Nordic countries. Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands. And 2 other Singaporeans and 1 Malaysian. Had the set lunch of roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Choc ice-cream for dessert & eggs with mayo for starter. Portions were darn huge!!
Went to Champs Elysees after that since there were no more meetings for the day for me. Went to LV! And err…heh, bought something. I think I’m having a crush on the sales giy who served me. Sebastien’s his name. Cool~! Uber cool~!! My fav guy from Il Divo happens to be a Frenchman named Sebastien as well…*swoon*
This real-life Sebastien was tall, can joke, very pretty eyes with pretty long lashes…and he was nice enough to show me a map of Paris and show me where to go once he found out I spoke a pathetic smattering of French. Actually, I only asked “What‘s your name?” in French and he stared rattling things off. Haha…Anyway, he speaks good English too and before I left the store, he actually gave me a namecard with his personal email address…Asked me to email him if I needed a guide around town…*double swoon*
The whole of Champs Elysees is like a huge Paragon or Takashimaya. Big brand names. Huge stores. Hordes of people and tourists (and also pet dogs, those small toy dogs like Chihuahuas, dashunds, Yorkshire terriers, etc). Lots of cafes. And lots of cars too. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything else. No more money and well, did I mention 1 Euro is equals to $2.14 Sing dollars!! Sibei ex. Haha…
Visited the Arc du Triomphe. And then walked and walked and walked. I think I covered more than 10km today on foot. Or maybe even 12km or more?? Walked from 4pm to 8pm.
Visited the famous Lourve Museum today. Very nice architecture. A pity I went there late. Couldn’t get in to see the “Mona Lisa” cos the ticket counter was already close…!!! Should I go back there another day just to pay 9 euro to see the Mona Lisa? Hmm mm…
It’s 430am in SG now and 1030pm in Paris…heading to bed now..Meeting will start at 830am tomorrow…zzz….feet are tired. Haha. Will go sleep….
Oh p/s: I think I am not fated with technological gadgets. Net access is impossible in this hotel though I am supposed to get it FOC. (but heng that I can log onto the meeting venue’s wireless network during meetings)
written on 21 June Saturday...
Saturday 630am Paris time. 1230pm SG time.
Je suis presque d’arriver. I am almost reaching…
Abit surreal. Abit tired. Didn’t really sleep much, maybe less than 6 hours? Kept waking up on and off….And 13 hrs in almost the same position is definitely doing no good to my neck/shoulder muscles and my knee joints! Haha..Tried to stretch abit else no good.
They served supper & breakfast. I’m not a fussy eater so I thought the fod was actually not bad…Watched 3 movies”Step Up 2 The Streets”, “27 Dresses” and a Korean one “For The Moment” depicting South Korea’s real life story of going into the handball finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Played some in-flight computer games as well.
Brushed my teeth just now with a sniffling little French toddler waiting outside the mini toilet. Think her Dad had the intention of changing her diaper and she was protesting in her own little way…
Pilot just announced weather is 16C. Sounds tolerable…hope it stays fair.
Lady on my right kinda friendly. Abit auntie. And err…divulged too much info. To the point that I know she’s a widower with 2 daughters aged 16 & 20. Stays in Yew Tee, works in Suzhou and has been doing so for the last 1.5 years. Has 3 sisters and I think she is upset about foreign students taking up places in the local universities hahaa….
Saturday 7am Paris time. 1pm SG time.
Just touched down.
The airport was amazingly warm. And was amazingly confusing. Took me 20 mins to find the taxi stand.
Cab 407 FPV 92.
En route to hotel...The uncle just snorted and spit a blog of goo into a plastic cup he pulled out from nowhere…hmm mm.
Saturday Afternoon...
Decouvrir. To discover.
So far, I’ve discovered that I’ve been “cheated”. The weather is hot. And I brought along a thick jacket good for withstanding 10C. I brought gloves just in case. And I have another trenchcoat-looking jacket. But it’s hot. Sun is scorching….wah lau eh!!!
I’ve discovered that Paris pigeons are fat. Well, compared to SG pigeons. Somehow they look more well-fed haha.
And I discovered a bunch of theatres 5 mins away from my hotel. Some host sex shows and or RA shows that kind of joint…hmmm mm..
There’s somehow a lot of Japanese restaurants near my hotel…
The bed in the room is excellent. The TV channels suck cos the only English channel is CNN. And I am having trouble logging into their wireless network….bleah…………
Saturday 7pm
Cham!! It’s 2am SG time…it’s 7pm here. And the sun is still up in the sky….the Parisians are just starting their night life…jialat…I can hear loud noisy music…
How to sleep like that?? Abit jet-lagged…
Je suis presque d’arriver. I am almost reaching…
Abit surreal. Abit tired. Didn’t really sleep much, maybe less than 6 hours? Kept waking up on and off….And 13 hrs in almost the same position is definitely doing no good to my neck/shoulder muscles and my knee joints! Haha..Tried to stretch abit else no good.
They served supper & breakfast. I’m not a fussy eater so I thought the fod was actually not bad…Watched 3 movies”Step Up 2 The Streets”, “27 Dresses” and a Korean one “For The Moment” depicting South Korea’s real life story of going into the handball finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Played some in-flight computer games as well.
Brushed my teeth just now with a sniffling little French toddler waiting outside the mini toilet. Think her Dad had the intention of changing her diaper and she was protesting in her own little way…
Pilot just announced weather is 16C. Sounds tolerable…hope it stays fair.
Lady on my right kinda friendly. Abit auntie. And err…divulged too much info. To the point that I know she’s a widower with 2 daughters aged 16 & 20. Stays in Yew Tee, works in Suzhou and has been doing so for the last 1.5 years. Has 3 sisters and I think she is upset about foreign students taking up places in the local universities hahaa….
Saturday 7am Paris time. 1pm SG time.
Just touched down.
The airport was amazingly warm. And was amazingly confusing. Took me 20 mins to find the taxi stand.
Cab 407 FPV 92.
En route to hotel...The uncle just snorted and spit a blog of goo into a plastic cup he pulled out from nowhere…hmm mm.
Saturday Afternoon...
Decouvrir. To discover.
So far, I’ve discovered that I’ve been “cheated”. The weather is hot. And I brought along a thick jacket good for withstanding 10C. I brought gloves just in case. And I have another trenchcoat-looking jacket. But it’s hot. Sun is scorching….wah lau eh!!!
I’ve discovered that Paris pigeons are fat. Well, compared to SG pigeons. Somehow they look more well-fed haha.
And I discovered a bunch of theatres 5 mins away from my hotel. Some host sex shows and or RA shows that kind of joint…hmmm mm..
There’s somehow a lot of Japanese restaurants near my hotel…
The bed in the room is excellent. The TV channels suck cos the only English channel is CNN. And I am having trouble logging into their wireless network….bleah…………
Saturday 7pm
Cham!! It’s 2am SG time…it’s 7pm here. And the sun is still up in the sky….the Parisians are just starting their night life…jialat…I can hear loud noisy music…
How to sleep like that?? Abit jet-lagged…
written on 20 june friday...
Ok, let’s put it this way. Me no balls haa. Literally & figuratively.
Writing this as I’m sitting on the plane waiting for take-ff. Didn’t do Internet check-in so didn’t manage to get an aisle seat for more convenience if I needed to use the washroom.
And so now I’m squashed in between 2 ladies. Both Singaporeans. But heng at least both are ladies.
Am a nervous nervous soul right now.
Travelling on a long-haul flight on your own for the first time in your life is far more scary than going for a brain op. At least during the op, you’re sedated!
It’s a 13h 15min flight to Paris – Charles du Gaulle airport. Work will take up Sunday morning and Monday to Thursday. Will have 3 days on my own after that to do my own explorations & do touristy things. But kinda xian to do it on your own.
They’re making the usual flight announcements on the plane and there’s a guy speaking in French. Voila! I can understand here & there! Haha…
Hmm mm...hope I don’t have to go pee often. Else I’ll have to wake either one of the ladies..Tired. Went to work, rushed home, packed last minute stuff, rested for 45mins, then went off to airport liao.
The luggage’s 14 kg. Jialat. Plus a laptop & a handbag...abit cumbersome. Will be a challenge.
Ok…signing off, they’re dimming the lights already…should be taking off liao. Wonder what movies they have for this “season”.
Writing this as I’m sitting on the plane waiting for take-ff. Didn’t do Internet check-in so didn’t manage to get an aisle seat for more convenience if I needed to use the washroom.
And so now I’m squashed in between 2 ladies. Both Singaporeans. But heng at least both are ladies.
Am a nervous nervous soul right now.
Travelling on a long-haul flight on your own for the first time in your life is far more scary than going for a brain op. At least during the op, you’re sedated!
It’s a 13h 15min flight to Paris – Charles du Gaulle airport. Work will take up Sunday morning and Monday to Thursday. Will have 3 days on my own after that to do my own explorations & do touristy things. But kinda xian to do it on your own.
They’re making the usual flight announcements on the plane and there’s a guy speaking in French. Voila! I can understand here & there! Haha…
Hmm mm...hope I don’t have to go pee often. Else I’ll have to wake either one of the ladies..Tired. Went to work, rushed home, packed last minute stuff, rested for 45mins, then went off to airport liao.
The luggage’s 14 kg. Jialat. Plus a laptop & a handbag...abit cumbersome. Will be a challenge.
Ok…signing off, they’re dimming the lights already…should be taking off liao. Wonder what movies they have for this “season”.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
*sheepish*
I shouldn’t.
I won’t.
I can’t.
BUT………
I needed.
I wanted.
I should.
And well....I did.
Bleah…I watched SATC the serial till 12-plus or 1am yesterday…
And now I am zombified…
Bad girl. Bad bad girl.
*wags fingers at myself*
I won’t.
I can’t.
BUT………
I needed.
I wanted.
I should.
And well....I did.
Bleah…I watched SATC the serial till 12-plus or 1am yesterday…
And now I am zombified…
Bad girl. Bad bad girl.
*wags fingers at myself*
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Money Makes the World Go Around..
Would you lend $1,000 to a friend you've known for more than 10 years?
Who happens to be broke and owing a loanshark a 5-figure sum?
All because of gambling?
One school of thought:
Lend him, else he'll get chopped.
Second school of thought:
Lend him and the cycle has only just begun. A leopard will never change its spots.
Feed him and he will become reliant. Leave him to fend for himself and he might learn better.
Who happens to be broke and owing a loanshark a 5-figure sum?
All because of gambling?
One school of thought:
Lend him, else he'll get chopped.
Second school of thought:
Lend him and the cycle has only just begun. A leopard will never change its spots.
Feed him and he will become reliant. Leave him to fend for himself and he might learn better.
My New Idol...
Po the Panda.
I feel as clumsy as he is.
I feel as pudgy as he is.
I feel as out of place as he is.
And one thing for sure...I don't know if I have any potential in me... haha...
The show was hilarious!! I loved it to bits!
I suppose if you go into the theatre with zero expectations, you can expect to be delighted more...Afterall, your minimum threshold to reach excitement is much lower...
And I guess that was what happened with this show!
The man went in with a "Oh well, another of those cartoon movies..." kind of notion.
And I went in with a "I hope there will be no bawling kids in the cinema..." kind of thought.
And then we were bowled over by Po, Master OoGway and Shifu...
And of course, the 5 other disciples of Shifu...namely, Crane, Tigress, Praying Mantis, Viper, Monkey...
I laughed till my sides ached...and the man had to "shush" me cos I was laughing too loudly...
I giggled, I cheered, I shouted, I teared...I think I was noisier than the kids in the theatre.. ahha..
Very good animation. Very fee-good kinda of show.
Very real. Very believable.
Very good show.
Profound in some aspects if you look past the cartoon antics & the exaggerations...
I think you see a little part of Po & the 5 disciples in each of us.
They were personified to the best of the animators' abilities...
DreamWorks did a good job...:)
Big Thumbs Up.
Definitely in the ranks of Ratatouille which was produced by Pixar & Walt Disney and shown last year...
p/s: I particularly liked Master OooGway...and the way they portrayed him...
His sayings are so profound at times...haha lol..
*whine*
I seriously wonder.
How many times can one's air-con break down within the span of one year.
Mine has leaked for at least 4 times in the past year.
The lastest incident was on Sunday evening.
And why do things always happen when both parents are out of the house and away on travels???
It's so uncanny it's unsettling.
And yes, I'm frustrated.
I am not used to sleeping with a fan blowing on me.
There's no breeze in my area.
The only time there's a breeze is in the months of December and January.
Was told I look darn shack today.
Hope I sleep better tonight...
*signing off*
the pampered one
How many times can one's air-con break down within the span of one year.
Mine has leaked for at least 4 times in the past year.
The lastest incident was on Sunday evening.
And why do things always happen when both parents are out of the house and away on travels???
It's so uncanny it's unsettling.
And yes, I'm frustrated.
I am not used to sleeping with a fan blowing on me.
There's no breeze in my area.
The only time there's a breeze is in the months of December and January.
Was told I look darn shack today.
Hope I sleep better tonight...
*signing off*
the pampered one
The Ultimate SATC!!!
Sheesh. I am hopeless!!
I was a little upset when my full season of SATC grew legs and disappeared sometime back in 2006 I think..
Knowing how I never really got over the series...(Time doesn't heal all the time you know..)
The sweet sweet man got me a new set again from his trip to China last week!!
Haaa...and I'm watching it all over again! For the 3rd time!
I need help...I just watched 3 episodes...and I'm hankering for more...
I had withdrawal symptoms this afternoon in office.
Was thinking to myself..how nice if I could watch just one episode in the afternoon.
It'll probally be a magnificent healing potion for my otherwise drab soul in office...
And yes, I think I might be a Carrie.
Confident at times, Inferior at times.
Neurotic when left alone in my thoughts, Rational when being an aunt agony to friends.
But oh well, she has nice abs and a toned biceps...
I err........you get the drift...
Hope I don't dream of the 4 ladies tonight...
hehehe...
I was a little upset when my full season of SATC grew legs and disappeared sometime back in 2006 I think..
Knowing how I never really got over the series...(Time doesn't heal all the time you know..)
The sweet sweet man got me a new set again from his trip to China last week!!
Haaa...and I'm watching it all over again! For the 3rd time!
I need help...I just watched 3 episodes...and I'm hankering for more...
I had withdrawal symptoms this afternoon in office.
Was thinking to myself..how nice if I could watch just one episode in the afternoon.
It'll probally be a magnificent healing potion for my otherwise drab soul in office...
And yes, I think I might be a Carrie.
Confident at times, Inferior at times.
Neurotic when left alone in my thoughts, Rational when being an aunt agony to friends.
But oh well, she has nice abs and a toned biceps...
I err........you get the drift...
Hope I don't dream of the 4 ladies tonight...
hehehe...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
*pant pant*
Voila! The Anlene Orchard Mile run went well this morning.
Errr....with the exception of me walking for 25m haha...
1.6km..kinda short...
But still a good 'achievement' for one who was exempted from all forms of physical activities throughout all her schooldays hahaha...
Ok...hope to do 3km by end of the year?
And I would like to sign up for the Shape Run next year...5km?
Jiayou!!
============
Heading to the PC Show later..hopefully there'll be last minute deals.
Wouldn't even step in there if it weren't for the man...who wants to get a new laptop...
Hahaa...
Errr....with the exception of me walking for 25m haha...
1.6km..kinda short...
But still a good 'achievement' for one who was exempted from all forms of physical activities throughout all her schooldays hahaha...
Ok...hope to do 3km by end of the year?
And I would like to sign up for the Shape Run next year...5km?
Jiayou!!
============
Heading to the PC Show later..hopefully there'll be last minute deals.
Wouldn't even step in there if it weren't for the man...who wants to get a new laptop...
Hahaa...
Friday, June 13, 2008
Isabella - Search
I used to listen to English & Malay songs when I was in P5 & P6..right up till Sec 1 actually where I switched to mainly Mandarin songs..
And back in 1992, this was my fav Malay song..Most Malays would know this group...:)
Enjoy this song..Isabella
By the group Search
Slash!!!
Sibei talented..!!
One of the most revered electric guitarist of all time!!!
Each GNR concert will have a solo section just for Slash to strut his stuff...
November Rain
What can I say man?
Ultimate classic from Guns n Roses.
Almost 20 years on. And the song still pulls at my heartstrings...
Rock on GNS!!!
Rock on Axl Rose!
Rock on Slash!
hahaa...
The Duckie Encounter
As usual...Put 6 ladies together and you'll get...
Gossips, screams, laughter, giggles, sniggers, guffaws, more screams, more laughter, lots of banter and the list goes on...
It's an infinite equation.
We had 6 ladies and 1 gentleman last night.
Coupled with a pot of chicken curry, some white rice, some baguette...
And we got lots of gossip, lots of screams, lots of banter, lots of guffaws, lots of blah blah blah....
Voila, it's yet another infinite equation. haha....
It was a gathering of souls of the DK gals again. It was an especially good one this time round...
Why so? Cos everyone turned up.
Venue was at Ee Hong's place...
Ee Hong, Selin, Tricia, Lydia, Ginger, Sashi & myself...7 of us.
Crowded around at the dinner table...As the tradition goes, each took turns to give the rest updates. But oh well, needless to say, my life ain't very happening these days. Hahaa...I've been relegated to one of the boring ones already lol....
Lydia as usual bore the brunt of it all with her over-the-top antics and her stories about guys/boyfriends.
Selin claimed to put on weight though I simply couldn't see it. haha...
Tricia had good updates this time round...there's a guy chasing her.. haha..
Ee Hong...poor thing lah..stuck at home with a very painful slipped disc...HANG IN THERE YAH!
Ginger was "chau tah"...having spent 10 days in the States..
Sashi was loud as usual!! His bug eyes every twinkling in mischief, his mouth ever rattling away and his body ever in huge theatrical actions...
Till the next time again! It'll be a long hiatus perhaps...Lydia will only be back in November...
Hmm...we'll see, maybe we can squeeze in something in between.. haha...
Force Tricia out for some updates or something.....hiakzzzz
Gossips, screams, laughter, giggles, sniggers, guffaws, more screams, more laughter, lots of banter and the list goes on...
It's an infinite equation.
We had 6 ladies and 1 gentleman last night.
Coupled with a pot of chicken curry, some white rice, some baguette...
And we got lots of gossip, lots of screams, lots of banter, lots of guffaws, lots of blah blah blah....
Voila, it's yet another infinite equation. haha....
It was a gathering of souls of the DK gals again. It was an especially good one this time round...
Why so? Cos everyone turned up.
Venue was at Ee Hong's place...
Ee Hong, Selin, Tricia, Lydia, Ginger, Sashi & myself...7 of us.
Crowded around at the dinner table...As the tradition goes, each took turns to give the rest updates. But oh well, needless to say, my life ain't very happening these days. Hahaa...I've been relegated to one of the boring ones already lol....
Lydia as usual bore the brunt of it all with her over-the-top antics and her stories about guys/boyfriends.
Selin claimed to put on weight though I simply couldn't see it. haha...
Tricia had good updates this time round...there's a guy chasing her.. haha..
Ee Hong...poor thing lah..stuck at home with a very painful slipped disc...HANG IN THERE YAH!
Ginger was "chau tah"...having spent 10 days in the States..
Sashi was loud as usual!! His bug eyes every twinkling in mischief, his mouth ever rattling away and his body ever in huge theatrical actions...
Till the next time again! It'll be a long hiatus perhaps...Lydia will only be back in November...
Hmm...we'll see, maybe we can squeeze in something in between.. haha...
Force Tricia out for some updates or something.....hiakzzzz
*burp*
Realised I've been eating alot of curry stuff this week.
Wednesday
They served vegetable lemak during the buffet lunch break for the 1-day seminar I had at SMU.
Went home for dinner at night to discover...voila! Mum cooked vegetable lemak too...
Thursday
Dinner with the DK gals was the humble chicken curry...complete with white rice & roti...
Friday
Family dinner, celebration of Fathers' Day. Went to the Chinese Restaurant at Paramount Hotel.
One of the dishes was curry prawns...complete with fried man tou, the same as those served with chilli crabs...
Think I might have an overdose of coconut & curry this week...
Must lay off for next week! haha...
Wednesday
They served vegetable lemak during the buffet lunch break for the 1-day seminar I had at SMU.
Went home for dinner at night to discover...voila! Mum cooked vegetable lemak too...
Thursday
Dinner with the DK gals was the humble chicken curry...complete with white rice & roti...
Friday
Family dinner, celebration of Fathers' Day. Went to the Chinese Restaurant at Paramount Hotel.
One of the dishes was curry prawns...complete with fried man tou, the same as those served with chilli crabs...
Think I might have an overdose of coconut & curry this week...
Must lay off for next week! haha...
How Gracious Are We As A People?
Let me clarify from the onstart, this post is not meant to glorify myself for my politeness haha lol…
Since 2-3 months back, I started a daily habit while on my way to work.
I’d get a copy of the free tabloid-sized newspaper, usually My Paper, because I would pass that stand first en route to the MRT station.
I’d say “Thank you!” to the lady handing out the freebie newspaper to me. Or if she happens to greet me “Morning!” first, then I’d reciprocate and do likewise and greet her a “Morning!”.
Many a time, there’d be a short queue of perchance 2-3 pax…on some days there’d be up to 5-6 pax crowding around her. Yesterday was one such day.
With many an auntie or executive cutting queue in front of me, I was naturally jostled to the back of the small crowd. What the heck, wait lor….
I am not “rushing for reincarnation” anyway, as those familiar with the Chinese saying would comprehend.
Out of the 5 or 6 who took the paper from her, only one male executive in his 30s said “Thank you!”. The rest, young or old, working adult or retiree, just took the paper and left, rushing back into the streaming path of zombified people heading to the MRT station.
Abit sad lah. I mean come on, only 1 out of 5 pax said “Thank you”.
If you take this proportion and extrapolate it across the entire SG population, that means what?? Only 20% of folks have the decency to be somewhat more polite than the other 80%.
I know my sample size is small and therefore non-representative when used to measure the attitudes of 4.6million people.
But this is prolly just a simplistic example to highlight the long distance Singapore needs to run before it calls itself a truly gracious society.
Look at the debates in the papers on the issue of giving up seats on public transport for those who need them more. Many folks have compared the attitudes of locals with those from the Western countries and even Japan. And what I read is that we are so so so lacking in many areas.
Kinda sad lah. How did we as a people morph into such a state?
Am sure we can do better than this??
Since 2-3 months back, I started a daily habit while on my way to work.
I’d get a copy of the free tabloid-sized newspaper, usually My Paper, because I would pass that stand first en route to the MRT station.
I’d say “Thank you!” to the lady handing out the freebie newspaper to me. Or if she happens to greet me “Morning!” first, then I’d reciprocate and do likewise and greet her a “Morning!”.
Many a time, there’d be a short queue of perchance 2-3 pax…on some days there’d be up to 5-6 pax crowding around her. Yesterday was one such day.
With many an auntie or executive cutting queue in front of me, I was naturally jostled to the back of the small crowd. What the heck, wait lor….
I am not “rushing for reincarnation” anyway, as those familiar with the Chinese saying would comprehend.
Out of the 5 or 6 who took the paper from her, only one male executive in his 30s said “Thank you!”. The rest, young or old, working adult or retiree, just took the paper and left, rushing back into the streaming path of zombified people heading to the MRT station.
Abit sad lah. I mean come on, only 1 out of 5 pax said “Thank you”.
If you take this proportion and extrapolate it across the entire SG population, that means what?? Only 20% of folks have the decency to be somewhat more polite than the other 80%.
I know my sample size is small and therefore non-representative when used to measure the attitudes of 4.6million people.
But this is prolly just a simplistic example to highlight the long distance Singapore needs to run before it calls itself a truly gracious society.
Look at the debates in the papers on the issue of giving up seats on public transport for those who need them more. Many folks have compared the attitudes of locals with those from the Western countries and even Japan. And what I read is that we are so so so lacking in many areas.
Kinda sad lah. How did we as a people morph into such a state?
Am sure we can do better than this??
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Scaling Everest Vs Helping the Community
I thought to myself that day.
Singaporean lady Ms Linda Tan attempted to scale Mount Everest a few weeks back...
And for her attempt, her company Great Eastern Life sponsored $50,000 worth of funds.
Wouldn't that large sum of money be put to better use helping the poor and needy instead?
Ok sure, if she really did manage to reach the top, she would have put Singapore on the map as an achievement.
But what of that?
Wouldn't the money be put to better use helping a needy family send its kids to school, helping a kidney patient afford his or her dialysis treatment, sponsoring an old folks' home, sponsoring a hospice, aiding a special needs school, aiding ACRES (Singapore's own wildlife sanctuary) and the list goes on and on and on...??
My two cents.
There might be others who disagree with me.
But I cannot think of a reason why spending $50,000 on helping one woman achieve her dream is more fruitful than spending that amount on possibly helping many others in more meaningful ways......
Food for thought....
Singaporean lady Ms Linda Tan attempted to scale Mount Everest a few weeks back...
And for her attempt, her company Great Eastern Life sponsored $50,000 worth of funds.
Wouldn't that large sum of money be put to better use helping the poor and needy instead?
Ok sure, if she really did manage to reach the top, she would have put Singapore on the map as an achievement.
But what of that?
Wouldn't the money be put to better use helping a needy family send its kids to school, helping a kidney patient afford his or her dialysis treatment, sponsoring an old folks' home, sponsoring a hospice, aiding a special needs school, aiding ACRES (Singapore's own wildlife sanctuary) and the list goes on and on and on...??
My two cents.
There might be others who disagree with me.
But I cannot think of a reason why spending $50,000 on helping one woman achieve her dream is more fruitful than spending that amount on possibly helping many others in more meaningful ways......
Food for thought....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
shell...seafood..GEODUCK?
Ok, the latest nickname I have in office is......well...as the title of this entry says...
Geoduck.
No idea how the hell that came about though...
Oh well, did a Wiki on Geoduck and here's the URL....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck
Lol...at least it's a more expensive species of clam.. ahha....up to US $56 per kg of it lol...
Nothing like cockles...hmm mm....
Geoduck.
No idea how the hell that came about though...
Oh well, did a Wiki on Geoduck and here's the URL....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck
Lol...at least it's a more expensive species of clam.. ahha....up to US $56 per kg of it lol...
Nothing like cockles...hmm mm....
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Keep Looking, Don't Settle.
That's what Steve Jobs said.
Work forms a major part of your life. And you gotta love what you're gonna do. If you haven't found what you're looking for, keep looking and don't settle.
Which brings to mind. What exactly am I looking for?
I know what I day-dream about but is that what I am really looking for?
Some find their calling early on in life. Some take longer. I suppose I fall in the latter category...
I see myself plodding along the streets. Looking into every shop window that pops by along the cobbled path...I shun some windows, perhaps they are grimy and gritty. Or perhaps because they are the windows sheltering goods of haute couture within. Which I know I cannot afford and which might not suit me anyway so why bother stepping in?
I look in through some windows once in awhile when a shop sign catches my eye. I step into these shops once in awhile. I try stuff but I don't buy anything.
So I step out again and walk again.
Finding that elusive something.
There's a restlessness in me that cannot quite get settled down. I thought the current stint shushed out those threads of emptiness and feelings of being lost that I felt before.
But I'm beginning to think the embers are starting to be revived again. I am not stoking them vigorously of course. It would not be wise to do so.
I am thinking.....what value does the current work stint add to my CV? Is my restlessness only due to the uncertainties in my career aspects? Or some other issues?
Work forms a major part of your life. And you gotta love what you're gonna do. If you haven't found what you're looking for, keep looking and don't settle.
Which brings to mind. What exactly am I looking for?
I know what I day-dream about but is that what I am really looking for?
Some find their calling early on in life. Some take longer. I suppose I fall in the latter category...
I see myself plodding along the streets. Looking into every shop window that pops by along the cobbled path...I shun some windows, perhaps they are grimy and gritty. Or perhaps because they are the windows sheltering goods of haute couture within. Which I know I cannot afford and which might not suit me anyway so why bother stepping in?
I look in through some windows once in awhile when a shop sign catches my eye. I step into these shops once in awhile. I try stuff but I don't buy anything.
So I step out again and walk again.
Finding that elusive something.
There's a restlessness in me that cannot quite get settled down. I thought the current stint shushed out those threads of emptiness and feelings of being lost that I felt before.
But I'm beginning to think the embers are starting to be revived again. I am not stoking them vigorously of course. It would not be wise to do so.
I am thinking.....what value does the current work stint add to my CV? Is my restlessness only due to the uncertainties in my career aspects? Or some other issues?
surprise email..
An ex-colleague left my previous company in end May. We were only colleague for a very short 3 months since I jumped ship quite early on.
Truth be told, I have not kept in touch with him ever since I left the place, except for the one brief SMS conversation we had a few months. People come, people go. I asmit I did not bother keeping in touch with him. I've not seen him for the last 8.5 months and it was a shock of some sorts when he dropped me an email.
It was a farewell email. One of those farewell emails that you'd send to your current colleagues when you're leaving the company to bid them "goodbye", "thanks for all the wonderful memories", "glad to have known you", "keep in touch", yada yada. That sort of email.
Except that he included some ex-colleagues in it as well. And I was one of them. It was a pleasant surprise...definitely something which I did not expect. He said this:
Michelle : Your flair for Marketing is superb, and your sensitivity Surpassing many a young lady executive… St James was FUN!
Needless to say, I did feel honoured that I was included in the farewell email, with a small little paragraph within dedicated to me. Didn't think that I would leave such a lasting impression on him.
Ok, you can discount the last sentence of the paragraph haha. What struck me more was that no one has ever said that I had a flair for marketing.
And this came at a time when I was just thinking to myself the other day if I would ever go back to marketing sometime in the near future.
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
Transcript of a speech by Steve Jobs.
Delivered at a graduation ceremony at Stanford University in 2005.
An ex-colleague sent it to me.
===================
Thank you. I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation.
Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months but then stayed around as a drop-in for another eighteen months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife, except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.
So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy. Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college.
This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea of how college was going to help me figure it out, and here I was, spending all the money my parents had saved their entire life.
So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer was beautifully hand-calligraphed.
Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me, and we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts, and since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.
If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class and personals computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.
Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.
My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was twenty. We worked hard and in ten years, Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We'd just released our finest creation, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and I'd just turned thirty, and then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?
Well, as Apple grew, we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so, things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge, and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him, and so at thirty, I was out, and very publicly out.
What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the Valley.
But something slowly began to dawn on me. I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I'd been rejected but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life.
During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, "Toy Story," and is now the most successful animation studio in the world.
In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT and I returned to Apple and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance, and Lorene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle.
My third story is about death. When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"
And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months.
My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctors' code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next ten years to tell them, in just a few months. It means to make sure that everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope, the doctor started crying, because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I am fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept. No one wants to die, even people who want to go to Heaven don't want to die to get there, and yet, death is the destination we all share.
No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stuart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late Sixties, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. it was sort of like Google in paperback form thirty-five years before Google came along.
I was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stuart and his team put out several issues of the The Whole Earth Catalogue, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-Seventies and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath were the words, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
It was their farewell message as they signed off. "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
And I have always wished that for myself, and now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Thank you all, very much.
Delivered at a graduation ceremony at Stanford University in 2005.
An ex-colleague sent it to me.
===================
Thank you. I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation.
Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months but then stayed around as a drop-in for another eighteen months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife, except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.
So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy. Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college.
This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea of how college was going to help me figure it out, and here I was, spending all the money my parents had saved their entire life.
So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer was beautifully hand-calligraphed.
Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me, and we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts, and since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.
If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class and personals computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.
Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.
My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was twenty. We worked hard and in ten years, Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We'd just released our finest creation, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and I'd just turned thirty, and then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?
Well, as Apple grew, we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so, things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge, and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him, and so at thirty, I was out, and very publicly out.
What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the Valley.
But something slowly began to dawn on me. I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I'd been rejected but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life.
During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, "Toy Story," and is now the most successful animation studio in the world.
In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT and I returned to Apple and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance, and Lorene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle.
My third story is about death. When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"
And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months.
My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctors' code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next ten years to tell them, in just a few months. It means to make sure that everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope, the doctor started crying, because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I am fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept. No one wants to die, even people who want to go to Heaven don't want to die to get there, and yet, death is the destination we all share.
No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stuart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late Sixties, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. it was sort of like Google in paperback form thirty-five years before Google came along.
I was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stuart and his team put out several issues of the The Whole Earth Catalogue, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-Seventies and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath were the words, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
It was their farewell message as they signed off. "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
And I have always wished that for myself, and now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Thank you all, very much.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Les Couleurs
I was decidedly a black, brown, grey, white, beige person..
Neutral, earthy, plain and well...perhaps a little dull?
After some suggestions by others...and some self-thinking last year...
I decided to add some colours to my wardrobe..
I still have alot of black stuff. But now I also have violet, pink, green, yellow, blue, magenta, lime, bright orange, red, peach, silver (or is this just stylised grey?)....
I am still plain & simple....but yeah, colours do make a difference I guess...haha.
Sometimes I feel happier wearing more colours...:)
And voila, the green spaghetti I wore yesterday received quite a number of positive comments!
Whee! Haha...someone said "I think you look good in green! Next time buy more green!"
Neutral, earthy, plain and well...perhaps a little dull?
After some suggestions by others...and some self-thinking last year...
I decided to add some colours to my wardrobe..
I still have alot of black stuff. But now I also have violet, pink, green, yellow, blue, magenta, lime, bright orange, red, peach, silver (or is this just stylised grey?)....
I am still plain & simple....but yeah, colours do make a difference I guess...haha.
Sometimes I feel happier wearing more colours...:)
And voila, the green spaghetti I wore yesterday received quite a number of positive comments!
Whee! Haha...someone said "I think you look good in green! Next time buy more green!"
Thursday, June 05, 2008
I don't quite know how to react..
It's scary when you see a different side of a person...
Because when you least expect it, it pops up on you suddenly...
And you're not prepared at all to see it when it happens...
Saw a very different side of a friend today. Anger in its most raw form.
It was etched all over his face, all over his features.
Because when you least expect it, it pops up on you suddenly...
And you're not prepared at all to see it when it happens...
Saw a very different side of a friend today. Anger in its most raw form.
It was etched all over his face, all over his features.
I don't know how to put it. It was like the devil manifested....sounds like I'm cranky hor? haha
But I have to say. It scared me to death.
I just couldn't shake his image off for hours after that. Well, actually till now.
And I'm not the only to say that it was scary. Another lady confessed to me as well.
When I am indirectly involved in the reason which led to the anger....it's even scarier.
:(
The friend did assure me that he was not angry with me but with someone else.
But still, it felt bad enough.
Found myself being on my toes treading around him carefully during the afternoon & evening.
In gist
Not a good week.
Department morale low. Boss driving us nuts. Colleagues behaving weirdly.
My own emotions are running wild. My morale is abit low too.
And I feel kinda tensed up.
============
Will be heading to Paris. Leaving on 20th June.
Very last minute decision by the boss. Attending an international meeting there.
A gathering of international representatives of the domain name fraternity.
Desperately trying to find hotel & tickets there. Alot fully booked.
Feel abit bad for HC. He was supposed to go. Boss went back on his word and made me go instead. Said he needed HC around in SG to manage projects.
I feel bad. And I felt worse when the boss said "It's a pity we can't make it. We have projects and urgent matters to attend to....so well.....you go LOR".
Might extend for a few more days after the meeting. Take the chance to visit some of the things in Paris.
============
Went Balaclava last night.
Guess I broke my 7-year promise.
7 years ago I think..or was it 8 years ago....I once said to myseld. I will never step into Balaclava again.
Cos I was throw out from there last time for being underaged.
And it was in an unceremonious manner. Perchance it was also cos we were dressed slightly casual.
Anyway, ya, was there last night. And was at Oosters as well.
Some beer to booze the grey spells away.
Heading to ICB with XL & Kym tomorrow night.
Hope they can cheer me up...
Department morale low. Boss driving us nuts. Colleagues behaving weirdly.
My own emotions are running wild. My morale is abit low too.
And I feel kinda tensed up.
============
Will be heading to Paris. Leaving on 20th June.
Very last minute decision by the boss. Attending an international meeting there.
A gathering of international representatives of the domain name fraternity.
Desperately trying to find hotel & tickets there. Alot fully booked.
Feel abit bad for HC. He was supposed to go. Boss went back on his word and made me go instead. Said he needed HC around in SG to manage projects.
I feel bad. And I felt worse when the boss said "It's a pity we can't make it. We have projects and urgent matters to attend to....so well.....you go LOR".
Might extend for a few more days after the meeting. Take the chance to visit some of the things in Paris.
============
Went Balaclava last night.
Guess I broke my 7-year promise.
7 years ago I think..or was it 8 years ago....I once said to myseld. I will never step into Balaclava again.
Cos I was throw out from there last time for being underaged.
And it was in an unceremonious manner. Perchance it was also cos we were dressed slightly casual.
Anyway, ya, was there last night. And was at Oosters as well.
Some beer to booze the grey spells away.
Heading to ICB with XL & Kym tomorrow night.
Hope they can cheer me up...
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Bittersweet Symphony
This here is another song from The Verve.
I think this one was more popular than Drugs Don't Work.
Drugs Don't Work
I cannot remember if I have shared this song before.
But it's one of my favs...from all those years ago..I think this was when I was in JC. Which makes it about 9 years ago?
Used to listen this late at night..when all was still and quiet and I was all alone in my room...
Sad song made great by the chords of The Verve.
And of course, the lilting British vocals...
When they first appeared as a band, people compared them to The Beatles...
Enjoy...Brit pop rules!
twitterings
The Butterfly and The Diving Bell was shown in the movies a few months back.
A really sad French movie and also motivational I think...
I wanted to go watch it. But somehow didn't have the chance to.
But I'll soon watch it!!
Alliance Francaise is showing it on 24th June! Woohoo and Eric has got 2 free movie passes which can admit up to 4 pax!
Wonderful...A mini outing with my French classmates...
Looking forward to it!!
=========
I didn't do well on the mini-run just now...Had a stitch so was reduced to walking hmm mm.
=========
Time to take a small shower...and then get to work on opening my Nano package...
Lol, havene't had tht time to fiddle with it.
It's still sitting in its plastic case in the Harvey Norman plastic bag...
I guess with this gaadget...I'm almost an Apple-convert hiakzz
=========
I'll be a photographer's assistant come 26th June.
Or should I say a bridal assistant???
XL called me this morning...She needed a helper for her bridal outdoor shoot..
And voila...so I became the one to help with her gown changes blah blah blah...
I think XingNi (her sister) couldn't make it so she called me...
Anyone lend me a PSP so I can entertain myself while they're shooting?
Afterall, my services are only needed when she needs to change clothes...
Ok, need to remember to submit my leave tomorrow for the 26th....=)
A really sad French movie and also motivational I think...
I wanted to go watch it. But somehow didn't have the chance to.
But I'll soon watch it!!
Alliance Francaise is showing it on 24th June! Woohoo and Eric has got 2 free movie passes which can admit up to 4 pax!
Wonderful...A mini outing with my French classmates...
Looking forward to it!!
=========
I didn't do well on the mini-run just now...Had a stitch so was reduced to walking hmm mm.
=========
Time to take a small shower...and then get to work on opening my Nano package...
Lol, havene't had tht time to fiddle with it.
It's still sitting in its plastic case in the Harvey Norman plastic bag...
I guess with this gaadget...I'm almost an Apple-convert hiakzz
=========
I'll be a photographer's assistant come 26th June.
Or should I say a bridal assistant???
XL called me this morning...She needed a helper for her bridal outdoor shoot..
And voila...so I became the one to help with her gown changes blah blah blah...
I think XingNi (her sister) couldn't make it so she called me...
Anyone lend me a PSP so I can entertain myself while they're shooting?
Afterall, my services are only needed when she needs to change clothes...
Ok, need to remember to submit my leave tomorrow for the 26th....=)
SATC
Went to watch it last night.
It was a nice show...but not as nice as the serial itself..
There were some scenes or little ditties which were not "finished" and were just left hanging.
And well, Charlotte still irritates me haha..
The 2hr 20 mins was not justified too...kinda got draggy...
But of course, there's still the same friendship theme...
The same essence of love, both lost & found, which permeated the whole movie...
Sadness, hurt, anger and their counterparts: happiness, passion, forgiveness, healing, blah blah...appeared in well proportioned parts.
There were parts where I yawned...and parts where I felt just like them (sans the fashion statements though ahha).
I'm glad they brought back most of the people we saw in the series...
Anthony and the bald guy with the tinted glasses (forgot his name)..
A pity they did not bring back Aidan though...He was a really good man (wonder why Carrie dumped him back in the series)....
Steve looks visibly older than he was in the series...but he's still got his puppy-dog deameanour..
Mr Big still looks as delicious as he was in the series...
And the girls...they still look gooodd...Charlotte, or Kristin Davis in real life, put on a bit of weight though...
The clothes this time round are still nice, but not as nice as those in the series haha...
Maybe there wasn't enough time in 2.5hrs to make a big impact...
But they still managed to squeeze in 300 costume changes for all 4 ladies...a mean feat! Haha..
Ahboy was visobly bored...Oh well, presumably so for the MCPs out there...
I have a simple wish..if you could even call it a wish...
And that's to get my hands on the full set of Season 1 to 6 again...
And watch it all over again...
I think I watched Season 1-3 twice liao ahhaa
It was a nice show...but not as nice as the serial itself..
There were some scenes or little ditties which were not "finished" and were just left hanging.
And well, Charlotte still irritates me haha..
The 2hr 20 mins was not justified too...kinda got draggy...
But of course, there's still the same friendship theme...
The same essence of love, both lost & found, which permeated the whole movie...
Sadness, hurt, anger and their counterparts: happiness, passion, forgiveness, healing, blah blah...appeared in well proportioned parts.
There were parts where I yawned...and parts where I felt just like them (sans the fashion statements though ahha).
I'm glad they brought back most of the people we saw in the series...
Anthony and the bald guy with the tinted glasses (forgot his name)..
A pity they did not bring back Aidan though...He was a really good man (wonder why Carrie dumped him back in the series)....
Steve looks visibly older than he was in the series...but he's still got his puppy-dog deameanour..
Mr Big still looks as delicious as he was in the series...
And the girls...they still look gooodd...Charlotte, or Kristin Davis in real life, put on a bit of weight though...
The clothes this time round are still nice, but not as nice as those in the series haha...
Maybe there wasn't enough time in 2.5hrs to make a big impact...
But they still managed to squeeze in 300 costume changes for all 4 ladies...a mean feat! Haha..
Ahboy was visobly bored...Oh well, presumably so for the MCPs out there...
I have a simple wish..if you could even call it a wish...
And that's to get my hands on the full set of Season 1 to 6 again...
And watch it all over again...
I think I watched Season 1-3 twice liao ahhaa
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