Bonjour! Hola!

It's only been 9 days but it feels like an awfully long time since I last penned any notes within this space.

It feels a little surreal right now. To be sitting on a bed with lovely flowery sheets and with Spanish programmes running on TV. Yeps, I'm in Barcelona right now.

The weather's rather cool here. Bright and sunny but still cooling with occassional winds blowing. That's temperate weather for you. It's doing good for my skin definitely. The oil glands are not in overdrive. :)

K & I flew off on the night of the 20th of September. Paris was our first stop, my second time there and his first. We did the usual rounds of places and touristy hotspots like the Musee du Louvre and Notre-Dame Cathedral. The weather was cold. K loved it but I was feeling quite grumpy at times haha. For a person used to being in a 30C environment, 18C suddenly felt quite cold. ;p The mornings and evenings were especially cold.

Meals were simple. Sandwiches and baguettes filled our days. Oh yes, and crepes too! Lovely lovely crepes! Made fresh on the spot right in front of you, wrapped up steaming hot in foil or paper and passed right into your waiting hands. These were the more reasonably priced meals we could think of haha. Such is the life of a weaker currency. (It's about 1 euro to 2.08 SGD by the way.) A baguette cost about 3.90 to 5 euro. Crepes were usually about 3-plus euro.

From Paris, we also spent some time visited outskirt towns like Fontainebleau (where INSEAD is situated) and the Versailles area.

We bid farewell to Paris after about 3 nights and trundled our way on a high-speed train to Nice. I'd never been on a train before (unless you count the MRT haha). It was a nice experience watching the fields, terrains, hills, mountains, roads, buildings go past you in more than a jiffy. And it felt nice to have K sitting by my side. :)

Nice was about 4 hours from Paris. It was much warmer there, much to my delight. The days were absolutley sunny and I was glad I brought my shades and sunscreen. (Yes, I have taken to using sunscreen. For those whose mouth are agape right now, that's a whole story on its own.)

Anyway, yes, Nice was so sunny I had a tanline running straight across my chest from wearing a tube. Haha. The place was lovely. Stunning stunning views of the whole town and the sea too from a hilly tourist spot called the Colline du Chateau. We visited a monastery on top of another hilly area called the Cimiez Hills. Out of the numerous cathedrals we'd seen, that was my favourite. I spent some time sending silent prayers to Mother Mary and Jesus, some on behalf of Granny.

Being a coastal town, Nice's beaches were almost always populated with hordes of people tanning. Topless men (and ladies) dotted the sandy beaches. K was complaining of old sagging titties hanging (pun intended) around the area. Anyway, the waters were so nice! A blue-green aqua colour reflecting slivers of sunlight...I've never ever seen blue coastal waters. Those we have in SG are just um, brown? Or grey?

The architecture in Nice was pretty. Very very pretty. For lack of a better word. Especially in the section of Nice called Vieux-Nice (Old Nice). Old alleyways, criss-crossing each other, cobbled streets, wooden doors with brass or cast-iron locks and knobs. Small little verandahs cordoned by iron railings, some with vines trailing through them or creeping up the brick walls.

Quaint bistros and restaurants all along the streets and nestled in quiet corners. Old folks walking their dogs or just sitting around. People enjoying a cuppa with their pals at one of the ubiquitous cafes. There was just this huge iota of charm and cosiness oozing from that part of town. I loved the place! :)

We spent half a day over in Monaco, which was about an hour's ride away from Nice by bus. Monaco is technically a country on its own. And all I can say is that it's filled with rich people haha. The number of expensive cars we saw was horrendous! Haha...loads of BMWs, Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins, Mercedes, Maseratis, Ferraris, Porsches, blah blah blah...

From Nice, our poor butts spent another 8 hours on an old train to go into Barcelona, with an hour's stopover in Montpeiller, a town in the south of France. Our first day was spent shopping haha. We had the intention of looking for lunch at McDonald's because we saw it on the map. Somehow, we stumbled across a huge shopping area. Streets and streets of shops. I know some people who would go berserk in such a place haha. We spent quite awhile in H&M (H&M is to Europe what Uniqlo is to Japan, but of better fashion and higher quality), Mango and Zara just to name a few shops.

We've tried out paellas and fidueas and will be trying out a tapas meal tomorrow. :) yum yum.

We've got about 2 more days here before we haul our butts back to dear old Paris where we'll be hitting the streets of Champs-Elysees and Le Marais, climbing up the Eiffel Tower, traversing the old corridors of the Basilic Sacre-Coeur cathedral and riding in a boat down the La Seine river.

Till here for now...:) It is 1040pm in Barcelona. 440am in SG.

Lameness

Haha, I seriously wonder why or how these people have so much time to do these things? Lol..a cheap way of lame entertainment. Not good for kids though, the standard of english is not good at all haha.

We'll pick kutus from each other's hair

I came across this hilarious parody of The Wondergirls hit single "I Want Nobody But You"...
And this cover version was done by no other than....Mr Brown! hahahah...

Th elyrics were really funny and had me laughing like a hyene hahha...Enjoy the vid!
check out the rap portion at the end. ;p

In 7 seconds, someone in the world gets dementia

I thought this video was quite nicely done too.

Dementia

This video has been circulating on Facebook.
Watching it brought me tears. Not only because of hte storyline, but also of how it reminds me of my own granny when she gets a little "off".

Have a watch.

Going Home

cuzzie

Just got the news that my cousin's intending to get married. Sometime on or after March 2011.
Happy for her...:)

Hope their flat and everything will be smooth-sailing...

She said something to me though. Which got me a little worried hmm.
"I hope I did not make the wrong choice. Sigh"

And this was not the first time she mentioned that to me.

Hope her mind gets sorted out...

miffy shell

A little miffed.

Incident #1:
I offered to help a friend buy LV back for his wife because he told me before that he really wanted to give his wife some nice stuff. And he did mention to me before to let him know if I were to go to Europe again. He sent me an email with 3 items today. One item, and it was the most expensive item, was for his sister. Didn't even offer to give me some cash as partial payment first. I macham delivery girl. Am gonna get $$ from them first before I fly off.

Incident #2:
I have become the unofficial Nokia handphone charger lender. There's a guy who comes to borrow it at least 3 times a week. Not that I don't want to help. But it's starting to irk a little that it has become such a regular basis. Maybe I should start charging him.

Incident #3:
When you talk to me about non-work stuff and I am not responding. It means I AM BUSY and I NEED TO WORK. Why do I always have to tell you straight in the face that I NEED TO WORK?

==========
I'm hormonal. AGAIN.
Ok, time to go home.

Zua

I think I'm heaty.
Lips are red and feel like as if they're about to crack and peel anytime.

Not good. :(

I was uber thirsty yesterday and constantly guzzled water. I feel less thirsty today but lips feel a little sore...hmm mm...

law-gor-WHAT??

I came across this word today. And thought it to be an interesting one.

Logorrhea.

Means "incessant talkativeness" or "incoherent repetitive speech".

Pronounced as "Law-guh-ree-uh".

And it reminds me of diarrhoea.

hmm. ;p

SP

Met up with Sock Peng for lunch today. Haha, I think the last time we met was more than a year ago? I really cannot recall.

I think work changes a person. New experiences, new responsibilities, new exposures. She seems a little bit more worldly-wise now compared to before. I don’t know. Can’t exactly tell much within the span of an hour haha.. ;p

But still it’s nice to see your ex-intern coming along good. And she’s intending to start a part-time degree course early next year too. Still waiting for her application results now though. Hope everything pans out well for her.

Stay happy little one.

Me and my pair of ears

Maybe I should consider a career switch.
Maybe I could be a Meet-the-People session volunteer (like what K suggested).
Maybe I could become a counsellor.
Maybe I could be a social worker dealing with teens.

Aw man.
Just spent the last 15 minutes being an Aunt Agony and listening ear to my department's admin exec. Was dispensing some advice to her as well.

Her problem. She's scared of my other 2 peers and can't talk to them. Scared to talk to them. Words don't come out right. But she can talk to me. Only thing is, I am not her reporting officer. And I don't oversee her work except on certain occassions.

Hmm.

I know! I'll go join HR! muahahhaha...;p
HR people need more empathy right? And it's good to have a HR who can listen right? ahhahahah

still a hubber at heart hahaa

Whenever I walk home from the MRT station, I’d do a simple short-cut through Tampines North CC. I was doing that yesterday evening and happened to see a sign saying “NTUC LearningHub Workshop #01-06”.

It was the first time I’d seen such a sign indicating LHUB stuff and so I went over to see.
The room had its blinds drawn but there were still some small gaps where I could peep in.

There I was, an office exec, trying to peep in through the glass windows of a nondescript room in a CC. I felt like a voyeur but oh well.

It was a Workplace Literacy class. I saw coursewares on the table, people concentrating in class and the teacher reading out loud to them.

I felt a strange sense of pride when I saw the company logo on the courseware. Maybe it could be that I was from the pioneer group of staff and the second Marketing person (first was my boss) hired back haha. That LHUB has done well so far and will be doing better in times to come. :)

It’s strange though, but I don’t get that feeling with Ducktours even though I was one of the pioneer batches… haha.

Way to go LHUB!
And yeah, in a way, I’m glad to have left the place on a good note.

Calcium is good!

I suddenly realized I have been loading up on calcium hahah…
I’ve been eating fish soup mee sua with milk (calcium) and there’s lots of accompanying ikan bilis (calcium) with it.

I’ve eaten kimchi ramen two meals in a row as well and ikan bilis (calcium again) comes along with it too! Haha…

And I’m drinking a glass of milk or more almost everyday too..:)

*claps claps*

I just got news on confirmed meeting venues next year…and I’m getting excited.
I hope I get to go to these places man..

February – Jordan
I want to go see the Petra! One of the 7 Wonders of the World! I want to see River Jordan where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist! I want to see Mount Nebo, where Moses was said to have viewed the Holy Land from before he died. And lastly, I want to see the Dead Sea!!

March – Nairobi, Kenya
Enough said. I’ve dreamt of visiting safaris since I was a kid. The only thing is the flight there would probably be a killer long flight.

June – Brussels
I want to eat mussels there! Drink Belgium beer! Munch on Belgium fries! And most of all, speak French there! Hahahha..

spend spend spend

I remember asking K that day. There are 3 or 4 IT shows each year. And yet, throngs of people still go to each event and tons of people still buy stuff at each event. Are there so many things to buy?? Doesn’t seem like as if there’s a recession going on?

Today’s report says $63million was spent at the recently concluded Comex. About 710,000 people attended the event. If each of them bought something, then on average, each person spent about $89.

Heh, this time round, I am part of the statistic. I spent a grand total of $87.50 buying 2 wireless adaptors and 1 SD card!

Forward Foreword

There comes many a time
When you wonder out loud to yourself
Why things happen the way they do
How things happen the way they do

You think and ponder
Sometimes reaching plausible explanations
Other times not reaching any conclusions
But all the time realizing
That things can usually be handled in a better manner

To improve, to reflect, to think
Ameliorer, reflechir, penser. As the French verbs go
And then we grow
Hopefully with new insights, perspectives, knowledge
Ready to face the world again
With a more valiant heart and a bigger smile

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.....

hmm. thought my visitor counter was numbering at 19,000 plus.
how did it en up as 11,000 plus now? hmm.

Funny Street Signs

http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/2009/hilariousstreetsigns.htm


haha....this is absolutely hilarious...:)

okok

Ok, I apologise for my outburst.
It's just that when you have told someone umpteen times not to do something.
And that person still does it.
You can't help but feel frustrated.

Oh well. TGIF.....lun.

Looking forward to 530pm.
Cos I'll be seeing a special someone...:)

argh

Why the hell are people always asking me if HC is gonna "be in the office today?"???

If you want to know, can't you call him or SMS him??? Or email him???

I am not his friggin PA for god's sake..........!!!!!!

$%&^*&$!#^&^*&#

Came in this morning and the admin asked me if he was going to be in today.
Like the hell I will know!

You're the PA and admin supporting the team, you're supposed to know all these. Not me.

sigh

I worked hard for a paper. Dabao-ed lunch for a few days and OT-ed for it.

And now I just found out that the presentation date for that paper is now on 28 Sept. I won’t be around. It was supposed to be in mid-October but was rescheduled. The boss may be getting another guy to present on my behalf.

I admit, I’m a little disappointed that I won’t get the air-time in front of the 2 big bosses who will chair that meeting.

Less exposure = less recognition

tick tock tick tock

I’m not sure if this is what they term as the “biological clock ticking away”…

But in recent months, I have wondered how it would be like to have a kid of my own. How it would feel like carrying it to full term and how it would be like bringing a child up. A child with my genes running through its bloodstreams. Hmm, I’ve even wondered how would the child look like. And what lessons in life would I teach to my child…what clothes and toys would I buy? Would I get impatient? Would I be a good mother?

Cham.
I think the bio clock really exists…..

With or Without You - U2

Another classic song. *swoons*

We, the complainers of Singapore

What is it with Singaporeans?

Complain, complain, complain.

Complain once and it's still not so bad.

Complain alot of times somemore.

Since when did we become such a nit-picking crowd??

Singapore is so small, nothing to do ??!!!???!!
This foodcourt nothing to eat one...???!!!???!!!
My company sucks.
My life sucks.
Everybody sucks.
Taxis are so expensive!!!
The schools are not doing enough for our kids!!!
The government is too strict!!!!

Blah blah blah.
Yada yada yada.

Oh darn.

I'm complaining.

One - U2

What more can I say? Classic classic song...:)
One by U2

Reflection Time

Just a little something I received in the mail...

=====
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were aloving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open.

He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle, was fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died.

The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, helooked at his wife and uttered just five words.
What will you do if you were the husband?


More QUESTIONS :
1. What were the five words?
2. What is the implication of this story?












ANSWER :
The husband just said ' I am with you Darling '

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. '

A journey of a thousand milesbegins with a single step ' . Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

Bees no more

On hindsight, I think K was quite right.

When the green light appears above a girl’s head signifying availability and singlehood, the bees naturally come buzzing. When that green light turns to red, the bees stay away.

The bees from the 1st quarter of this year have all but disappeared.

Human behaviour can be so interesting at times. Loads to observe.

Yellow Ribbons Aflutter

I went for the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run yesterday. :)
Finished the 5.8km fun run. I was very slow but steady enough.
I felt very happy about it…for 2 reasons.

1. I felt good after the run. I didn’t feel overly breathless and could still run an extra 500-600m to the baggage collection area. Hehe…
2. It was my first run with K! Though we had different routes but at least we did something together…And that’s what matters most! :))))

The right bunion is aching now though...bleah.

Next up: SCM in December…

Aidan Davis

I have recently gone a little nuts over watching America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent on YouTube.

And I was mighty impressed with this kiddo...Uber cool boy..:)
Love his charisma and confidence!

Wise Words

A woman can never have too many bags, shoes, make up, sex and love.

~quote from Ms Cylea Au aka Thicelia Pijjay

===============

Lol, this is the kind of advice you get from your girlfriends from time to time. ;p

TGIF

Woke this morning feeling a groggy and tired. :(
The tum’s acting up again. Too much restaurant food this week perhaps.

Hope I’ll feel better later on.

Jiayou!

Berlari-lari

I did a 4km jog just now. yay!
It was excrutiatingly slow but yes, managed to complete it...:)

I hope Sunday's inclined slopes will be merciful to me and my legs...

abstractism

I was brought up in an autocratic family.
Submerged since birth in an almost vile liquid of authoritarianism.

Close to 30 years in the jar. I feel pickled by now. Almost turgid.
Preserved in a state of inertia and ensconced in a bubble of nothingness.

Emotionally rich but clueless. Mentally adept but clueless.
The mind seeks reprieve yet knows not how.

I slip and slide. Within the rut.
It is said when preserved food jars traverse past their date of expiry, naturally built up gases from within forces the jar cap off in a somewhat explosive occurrence.

The jar has been shaken. Not stirred. More gases build. Pressure is rising.
Albeit at slow rates. In the meantime. The dams are open.

Love Without Talking

I saw a very lovely video on Facebook today.
For those who are feeling less than well, I hope this video brings a whole big pot of positivity to you..

I loved the vid and was feeling so happy for Jason by the end of the 12 minutes.
Enjoy it...

Click here.

Or you might want to cut and paste into your browser.
http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/love-without-talking/3687832661

Ffffttttpppphhhttttt........

Why is it that no one wants to think of a place to go to. “Anything” becomes the reply when the question of where dinner should be is thrown at them.

But when a venue is suggested, counter-suggestions and comments flow in fast and furious like the Yangtze River. “Too far to walk leh”, “The food not very good there leh”, “Err, can we go elsewhere”, “Is there anything for me to eat there?”. Yada. Yada. Yada.
Whine. Whine. Whine.

You don’t like the place then you bloody well suggest one and you bloody well organise the gathering.

A dinner is just a dinner is just a dinner. Sure food matters somewhat but the company you’ll be with matters more right???

I am cheesed off. Period.

Hmm.

Dilemma.

Not sure if I should still head to Korea for the end October conference.

Growing Old - Redux

I’ve got 3 old folks at home. Well, technically one of them is now in a nursing home.
For the last 15 or 16 years of my life, I’ve seen enough of medicines, pills, liquids, sprays, creams, mixtures, supplements, lotions, strange breathing apparatuses, etc.

Hearing of them heading to medical check-ups every other week has become just a routine thing.
Dad needs to go for an op. Now mum needs to go a procedure as well.
The mum is a little upset. Don't really know how to console her.