I'm excited.
The last time I played Scrabble competitively was 2 years ago.
I used to play it competitively back in uni and led the Boogle team as well.
3rd September.
There's an inter-house Scrabble competition happening within the organisation. I signed up for it. Yay!
There's a good player in the Black House who was rather cocky the last time we played together in the group playoffs. I won that game and he wasn't very happy about it.
Hope I don't meet him again during this year's competition haha.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, August 06, 2010
Lame attempt at writing Chinese
我今天早上在Promenade Circle Line地铁站看到了一位女生。哦，她好酷！
头发断得像个男孩， 瘦瘦高高，黑色上衣和深灰色裤子， 手上拿着一个黑色的laptop bag。
她走路“有风”，够有帅气！
好酷！
头发断得像个男孩， 瘦瘦高高，黑色上衣和深灰色裤子， 手上拿着一个黑色的laptop bag。
她走路“有风”，够有帅气！
好酷！
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
...................
There are people who are your friends and remain your true friends even after a long time has passed. There is an initiative to keep in touch and when contact is there, it’s a genuine one with no motive.
Then there are others who remember you only when they need a favour from you. Are these people still considered friends? Or acquaintances? Or once friend but now acquaintance? Or.......oh nvm.
Point is, don’t come to me only when you need something from me.
Then there are others who remember you only when they need a favour from you. Are these people still considered friends? Or acquaintances? Or once friend but now acquaintance? Or.......oh nvm.
Point is, don’t come to me only when you need something from me.
Active aging, active learning
K’s mother has a big appetite for learning. I think it’s good and I find it an admirable trait.
I don’t know any other person who has had the tenacity to take up a Masters programme at 50-something years of age.
She’s 60-plus now and is still learning everyday. She volunteers at various social organisations, reads a lot, is proficient enough in using the computer, has taught in a school and also took sewing classes last time. She is currently taking art classes and a separate course on writing a biography as well.
Active aging. It’s good.
Much better than sitting at home and watching Korean dramas or Korean MTVs.
I don’t know any other person who has had the tenacity to take up a Masters programme at 50-something years of age.
She’s 60-plus now and is still learning everyday. She volunteers at various social organisations, reads a lot, is proficient enough in using the computer, has taught in a school and also took sewing classes last time. She is currently taking art classes and a separate course on writing a biography as well.
Active aging. It’s good.
Much better than sitting at home and watching Korean dramas or Korean MTVs.
august
This morning, I realized my desk calendar was still showing the month of July.
I flipped the page over to August.
And I saw this phrase on the page for August.
“Fear not the future. Weep not for the past.”
How true.
Though at times, it takes courage, strength and determination to achieve this.
=========
Time has gone by in a jiffy.
I thought I just celebrated Xmas and CNY. And now it's going to be National Day already.
And before you know it, it'll be Xmas time again.
Year after year.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Babe!
I enjoy my MSN conversations with Chloe.
We regale each other with stories, complete with explicit details. We gripe to each other. We listen to each other.
She listens, she understands. :) She dispenses good advice. She is rational and keeps me sane too haha...
And every so often, we have conversations which dissolve us both into maniacal laughter. Virtually that is haha.
I miss you babe!
When was the last we met up? Two years ago?
I will drag you out in time to come.....
In the meantime, till our next conversation....hehe.
We regale each other with stories, complete with explicit details. We gripe to each other. We listen to each other.
She listens, she understands. :) She dispenses good advice. She is rational and keeps me sane too haha...
And every so often, we have conversations which dissolve us both into maniacal laughter. Virtually that is haha.
I miss you babe!
When was the last we met up? Two years ago?
I will drag you out in time to come.....
In the meantime, till our next conversation....hehe.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
My little terrarium
It's almost official.
One of the plants in my terrarium is dying. :(
Checked it this morning and its stem was turning a dull brown-grey. It's being propped up now by a toothpick.
*wails*
Not too sure what went wrong. Either there was too much water, or there was too much direct sunlight??
p/s: Thank you Ally for your very kind offer!! I'm sure your African violets would be happier under your care though haha. Let me figure out what's wrong with my terrarium first before I take on other plants...;p
One of the plants in my terrarium is dying. :(
Checked it this morning and its stem was turning a dull brown-grey. It's being propped up now by a toothpick.
*wails*
Not too sure what went wrong. Either there was too much water, or there was too much direct sunlight??
p/s: Thank you Ally for your very kind offer!! I'm sure your African violets would be happier under your care though haha. Let me figure out what's wrong with my terrarium first before I take on other plants...;p
English Lessons
Yes boss. I will keep it in mind that when I write policy papers...
...I should use the Active Voice and not the Passive Voice.
...and I should put the recommended policy position as the bottomline concluding paragraph.
...I should use the Active Voice and not the Passive Voice.
...and I should put the recommended policy position as the bottomline concluding paragraph.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Lunch Today
I had lunch with a New Zealander today. He could have been my father, given his age of 62 years. In reality, he seems younger and is still very much a go-getter.
We first knew each other in Mexico back in March 2009. Nice guy. No airs. Very easy to talk to. Back then I didn’t even know he was the president of the Internet governing body in New Zealand. He had run out of business cards when I first met him and so it was only very much later that I found out that he was actually holding a high position. We last met in Sydney 2009 at another conference.
This time round he’s here chairing an event and so we decided to catch up. Over a bowl of wanton mee, a plate of chicken rice and two pots of Earl Grey tea haha. He was staying at M Hotel and so I went down to Café 2000, which is located at the hotel itself, to meet him.
Discovered that he’s actually Scottish, holds both a British passport and a New Zealand passport. He speaks Gaelic, a little French, English, Spanish, a little German and has studied Latin before. Gosh, what a linguist. His Dad speaks German, English, Hebrew and Arabic. Wah, another linguist!
All in all, a good catch-up.
My conclusion. Australians and New Zealanders are really quite nice people and are quite easy to get along with. :)
We first knew each other in Mexico back in March 2009. Nice guy. No airs. Very easy to talk to. Back then I didn’t even know he was the president of the Internet governing body in New Zealand. He had run out of business cards when I first met him and so it was only very much later that I found out that he was actually holding a high position. We last met in Sydney 2009 at another conference.
This time round he’s here chairing an event and so we decided to catch up. Over a bowl of wanton mee, a plate of chicken rice and two pots of Earl Grey tea haha. He was staying at M Hotel and so I went down to Café 2000, which is located at the hotel itself, to meet him.
Discovered that he’s actually Scottish, holds both a British passport and a New Zealand passport. He speaks Gaelic, a little French, English, Spanish, a little German and has studied Latin before. Gosh, what a linguist. His Dad speaks German, English, Hebrew and Arabic. Wah, another linguist!
All in all, a good catch-up.
My conclusion. Australians and New Zealanders are really quite nice people and are quite easy to get along with. :)
Buy or Sell? Domain Names that is
Some people just trade domain names for a living, some do it on the sidelines.
I didn’t know about all these things before I joined the industry.
But gosh, it can be a lucrative thing. So lucrative they even have brokers to seal the deals. There are also many online auction sites catered for these purposes.
029.com was recently sold for USD$110,000. Underdog.com was sold for about US$62,000. Cured.com was sold for US$25,000.
But these are just small amounts I think.
I’ve heard of bigger price tags on a single domain name, up to US$350,000. If you put it in perspective, that’s like SG$490,000 which is just about the price of a 5-room HDB resale flat in Singapore.
These people who sold the names probably got them at very cheap prices in the early .com days. Registration fees could have been as cheap as US$30-40 a name for a year during the 90s. Keep the name for maybe 10 years and that only puts your total investment at US$400. In return, you could get back more than 50 times your initial investment. The Return on Investment would be more than 100 or 500 times for really sought-after names.
Keeping names for 10 years is just a conservative estimate. With technology these days, the turnaround time is probably much faster at maybe just 2-3 years for some of the popular names. This in turn, would put ROIs at even greater figures.
That much money for something as simple as a domain name.
If this is not lucrative, I don’t know what is. :)
Go figure.
I didn’t know about all these things before I joined the industry.
But gosh, it can be a lucrative thing. So lucrative they even have brokers to seal the deals. There are also many online auction sites catered for these purposes.
029.com was recently sold for USD$110,000. Underdog.com was sold for about US$62,000. Cured.com was sold for US$25,000.
But these are just small amounts I think.
I’ve heard of bigger price tags on a single domain name, up to US$350,000. If you put it in perspective, that’s like SG$490,000 which is just about the price of a 5-room HDB resale flat in Singapore.
These people who sold the names probably got them at very cheap prices in the early .com days. Registration fees could have been as cheap as US$30-40 a name for a year during the 90s. Keep the name for maybe 10 years and that only puts your total investment at US$400. In return, you could get back more than 50 times your initial investment. The Return on Investment would be more than 100 or 500 times for really sought-after names.
Keeping names for 10 years is just a conservative estimate. With technology these days, the turnaround time is probably much faster at maybe just 2-3 years for some of the popular names. This in turn, would put ROIs at even greater figures.
That much money for something as simple as a domain name.
If this is not lucrative, I don’t know what is. :)
Go figure.
Monday, July 26, 2010
My Own Terrarium
I did it. :)
After reading about terrariums for a few days and thinking about what I could do, I finally went out with K two weekends ago and got myself some plants and cacti, vase, potting soil, peat moss and pebbles which I needed to start one with.
And I made my first terrarium on Sunday 18 July!
I decided on building an open terrarium because it was easier for a beginner to do so.
In that time till now, I’ve bought more things including some activated charcoal, and two more pots of fittonias (one’s pink veined and the other’s white veined, can’t remember their scientific names though haha). All that’s left now is to find a suitable glass container or vase and then I’ll start making my second terrarium already!
Two days ago, I added some decorative seashells to my first terrarium…:) The way I like things, simple, uncluttered but still aesthetically pleasing.
Hmm, maybe I could make a closed terrarium and bring it to office.
Yay! Decorate my table a little…
p/s: I have not been able to find a universally accepted definition of a terrarium. But suffice to say that it is miniature garden landscape designs encased in a container (usually glass) with no drainage systems. Sometimes, animals are also added to terrariums. If so, then they end up being called aquariums (of which we are very familiar with) or vivariums.
After reading about terrariums for a few days and thinking about what I could do, I finally went out with K two weekends ago and got myself some plants and cacti, vase, potting soil, peat moss and pebbles which I needed to start one with.
And I made my first terrarium on Sunday 18 July!
I decided on building an open terrarium because it was easier for a beginner to do so.
In that time till now, I’ve bought more things including some activated charcoal, and two more pots of fittonias (one’s pink veined and the other’s white veined, can’t remember their scientific names though haha). All that’s left now is to find a suitable glass container or vase and then I’ll start making my second terrarium already!
Two days ago, I added some decorative seashells to my first terrarium…:) The way I like things, simple, uncluttered but still aesthetically pleasing.
Hmm, maybe I could make a closed terrarium and bring it to office.
Yay! Decorate my table a little…
p/s: I have not been able to find a universally accepted definition of a terrarium. But suffice to say that it is miniature garden landscape designs encased in a container (usually glass) with no drainage systems. Sometimes, animals are also added to terrariums. If so, then they end up being called aquariums (of which we are very familiar with) or vivariums.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Of beauty
The lengths women go to to make themselves look prettier.
My colleague is 44 this year. Looks rather good for her age and still has a good figure too. Divorced with a 16-yr-old son.
I just discovered she spent more than $25,000 a few years ago on veneers for almost her full set of teeth. It costs $1000 per veneer per tooth.
How did I find out?
Um, the veneer covering one of her two front teeth unfortunately dropped out yesterday while she was having her dinner.
She showed me her original tooth this morning. It was small, long, yellow and looked slightly decayed. A total opposite of the beautiful veneers she had and which I initially thought were her real teeth.
And because the original tooth is small, there are gaps between it and the other two veneer-capped teeth on both sides of it.
Gosh.
Apparently she was given a guarantee that the veneers would last 10 years at least. She called up the dentist to complain and she’s going down later during lunch to get a new veneer if possible.
In the meantime, she’s trying not to laugh or smile to hide the strange gap in front.
Interesting.
The amount of money some people would go to to make themselves look better.
She has spent tens of thousands of dollars on body wraps, facials, treatments, acupuncture, tui na massages, laser treatments, pulse light treatments, manicures, pedicures and a whole host of other treatments and packages.
And she's thinking of going for liposuction next year.
My guess is that she’ll be spending more in the years to come. :)
My colleague is 44 this year. Looks rather good for her age and still has a good figure too. Divorced with a 16-yr-old son.
I just discovered she spent more than $25,000 a few years ago on veneers for almost her full set of teeth. It costs $1000 per veneer per tooth.
How did I find out?
Um, the veneer covering one of her two front teeth unfortunately dropped out yesterday while she was having her dinner.
She showed me her original tooth this morning. It was small, long, yellow and looked slightly decayed. A total opposite of the beautiful veneers she had and which I initially thought were her real teeth.
And because the original tooth is small, there are gaps between it and the other two veneer-capped teeth on both sides of it.
Gosh.
Apparently she was given a guarantee that the veneers would last 10 years at least. She called up the dentist to complain and she’s going down later during lunch to get a new veneer if possible.
In the meantime, she’s trying not to laugh or smile to hide the strange gap in front.
Interesting.
The amount of money some people would go to to make themselves look better.
She has spent tens of thousands of dollars on body wraps, facials, treatments, acupuncture, tui na massages, laser treatments, pulse light treatments, manicures, pedicures and a whole host of other treatments and packages.
And she's thinking of going for liposuction next year.
My guess is that she’ll be spending more in the years to come. :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
do i lack folic acid?
I read with amusement Chloe's recent post on her lack of ability fo focus.
Partly because it is so her, partly because she has shared other anecdotes with me.
And partly because I'm like that as well at times.
Forgetful and blur. Distracted and fidgety. Absent-minded.
And this multiplies a few-fold when you add in the factor of tiredness or sleepiness.
I brushed my teeth twice on Friday afternoon.
I brushed after lunch, came back to the office and left my toothbrush and toothpaste on the desk.
Was hard at work for the next 2 hours and then when I saw my toothbrush and toothpaste on my desk, I thought I had not brushed my teeth yet. And so I went. Again.
Oh well.
Partly because it is so her, partly because she has shared other anecdotes with me.
And partly because I'm like that as well at times.
Forgetful and blur. Distracted and fidgety. Absent-minded.
And this multiplies a few-fold when you add in the factor of tiredness or sleepiness.
I brushed my teeth twice on Friday afternoon.
I brushed after lunch, came back to the office and left my toothbrush and toothpaste on the desk.
Was hard at work for the next 2 hours and then when I saw my toothbrush and toothpaste on my desk, I thought I had not brushed my teeth yet. And so I went. Again.
Oh well.
she.
in darkness sat she
solitary
calm
ruminating
everything
nothing
attempting
reflection
achieving
vacuum
faith
presence
hope
force
know
not
things
in
darkness
sat
she
solitary
calm
ruminating
everything
nothing
attempting
reflection
achieving
vacuum
faith
presence
hope
force
know
not
things
in
darkness
sat
she
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
------------------
I do not enjoy
The uncertainty
I do not know if
My melancholy is justified
But my heart does not feel good
My senses do not bode well
The uncertainty
I do not know if
My melancholy is justified
But my heart does not feel good
My senses do not bode well
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Jen
I had dinner with Jenaline the other night. Everytime I see her, I get reminded of the time when we were both hired by our ex-company. I was only 23 then and still clueless about many things in the working world. She on the other hand, was already in the workforce for almost 20 years and had been a high flyer at various MNCs. Needless to say, she was my boss and she took me under her wing.
6-over years have passed, we have both moved on from that company and I am happy we are still in touch. It's always a joy talking to her. I quite admire her openness and ability to talk to people of all ages, backgrounds, professions, etc. Maybe that's one reason why I feel comfortable with her. She has always said that my strength lies in my "ren yuan". My ability to make people feel at ease when I meet them or talk to them. I always tell her maybe she sees me this way because she's the one who is making me feel comfortable around her in the first place.
Anyway as usual, she has encouraged me to strike out on my own. And see if I can put my strengths to good use at the same time haha. So encouraging and enthusiastic haha. :) She said a few things. One of them was that to try and fail and try again is an advantage the young have over the old. Not in her exact words of course. But generally the notion she was trying to put across.
She shared with me some of her own big dreams as well. I think it's good to continue having dreams and aspirations even when you're close to hitting 50. I think it keeps the mind going. And I'm glad she's still got the strength, energy and enthusiasm to run around and get things done. Bravo to her!
Her church service is now held on Thursdays at Suntec. So she said perhaps we'll meet up more often than before given that I work at Suntec as well.
We'll see we'll see. She's a busy bee and I won't hold her to her word hhaa.
6-over years have passed, we have both moved on from that company and I am happy we are still in touch. It's always a joy talking to her. I quite admire her openness and ability to talk to people of all ages, backgrounds, professions, etc. Maybe that's one reason why I feel comfortable with her. She has always said that my strength lies in my "ren yuan". My ability to make people feel at ease when I meet them or talk to them. I always tell her maybe she sees me this way because she's the one who is making me feel comfortable around her in the first place.
Anyway as usual, she has encouraged me to strike out on my own. And see if I can put my strengths to good use at the same time haha. So encouraging and enthusiastic haha. :) She said a few things. One of them was that to try and fail and try again is an advantage the young have over the old. Not in her exact words of course. But generally the notion she was trying to put across.
She shared with me some of her own big dreams as well. I think it's good to continue having dreams and aspirations even when you're close to hitting 50. I think it keeps the mind going. And I'm glad she's still got the strength, energy and enthusiasm to run around and get things done. Bravo to her!
Her church service is now held on Thursdays at Suntec. So she said perhaps we'll meet up more often than before given that I work at Suntec as well.
We'll see we'll see. She's a busy bee and I won't hold her to her word hhaa.
?
How does one define success? What makes one succeed? Should one align his definition of success to that of his parents, his friends or even the society at large? When one sticks to his beliefs and preferences, is that determination, perserverance or stubborness? How does one find oneself? How does one see oneself clearly? Does one usually see another more clearly than he does himself? What makes one grow? How does one grow?
Things
The last few weeks were busy.
The next few weeks (and months?) will be busy too.
I can't describe much of my work projects here and anyway, most wouldn't understand also. So anyway, my current personal projects include:
The next few weeks (and months?) will be busy too.
I can't describe much of my work projects here and anyway, most wouldn't understand also. So anyway, my current personal projects include:
- Starting a terrarium - I've been quite interested in them since last time. I wanted to try making one myself some years ago but didn't quite get down to it. My interest was piqued again when I saw some terrariums in Amsterdam. So over the last two weeks, I've started doing some simple research on them. :) I've bought two little pots of cacti and a nice simple rectangular glass vase. Looking for some moss and pebbles before I can start designing my terrarium! Hope I can get them next weekend!
- Finding ways to use my baby gouda cheese - When I was in Amsterdam just 2 weeks ago, I visited a cheese-making factory-cum-retail store. There was a whole array of cheeses available for tasting and I quite liked one of them. It was a 400gm round piece of cheese wraped in red plastic. :) nice taste, not too strong, not too overwhelming for the taste buds. And it was made with young cow's milk, hence the name "Baby Gouda". K is asking me to make cheesy scramble eggs for him. I'm thinking more along the lines of foccacia bread with cheese melts, a sunny-side up egg and maybe some sundried tomato thrown in for an extra zing to the tastebuds. Oh well, maybe we can find some time next weekend to try out some recipes too.
- Finding the motivation to run - Or rather, finding the motivation to start jogging again. I signed up for the Shape Run on 25 July. I've not run for almost a month. And with less than 3 weeks lft, I think I'm screwed. Either I start my jogging regime again, or I skip the event altogether, which will be a little disappointing actually. Hmmmm......
- Putting my room together - The renovations ended in mid June. And my room has been bare from then till now. My new furniture will be coming in tomorrow though. And I've instructed my mother how to place the furniture. And then the tedious process of transferring my things from the current room where I'm living in (my brother's room actually) back to my room will start. I've still not gotten a computer and work table. Okok, one thing at a time.....I think this will take awhile to settle.......The nice thing is, I didn't bust my budget of $5k. Actual expenditure currently stands at $2.5K. A proper new roller chair and a computer/work table shouldn't bring it more than $3.2K. Yay!
- Thinking - There are things I need to think about. Enough said on this.
There are still some other things to do...but one thing at a time I guess.
Otherwise too many things at the same time will mean a very distracted me.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
The year so far
The Year of the Tiger has not been good for the Monkey.
Every month, there seems to be something happening which is not right. Regardless of whether they are big or small issues, they still cast a dull spell on things…
I hope the Year of the Rabbit brings with it better things.
Every month, there seems to be something happening which is not right. Regardless of whether they are big or small issues, they still cast a dull spell on things…
I hope the Year of the Rabbit brings with it better things.
Monday, July 05, 2010
sigh
sad.
just got news of 2 people who tendered their resignations already.
one of them's my lunch kaki who has been hanging out with me since when i first joined the company. she just tendered today.
she's leaving very soon after offsetting her leave and all.
her last day's on 23rd july. only 3 weeks more. :(
the other guy's from a department whose director is interested in getting me over to join them.
just got news of 2 people who tendered their resignations already.
one of them's my lunch kaki who has been hanging out with me since when i first joined the company. she just tendered today.
she's leaving very soon after offsetting her leave and all.
her last day's on 23rd july. only 3 weeks more. :(
the other guy's from a department whose director is interested in getting me over to join them.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Of my Chinese
Usually after any ICANN meeting, my Chinese improves a little due to my interaction with the Chinese, Taiwanese and Malaysian people whom I usually hang out with. Apparently such improvements only last for less than 5 days.
I called up a Chinese organization this morning. And my brain can’t seem to process Chinese words today.
I said,
Hello, 我可以跟Wai Heng说话吗？
And immediately after I said it, I felt dumb. Because it sounded so much like the words of a small child.
I should have said this instead!
Hello, 请问Wai Heng在吗？
I called up a Chinese organization this morning. And my brain can’t seem to process Chinese words today.
I said,
Hello, 我可以跟Wai Heng说话吗？
And immediately after I said it, I felt dumb. Because it sounded so much like the words of a small child.
I should have said this instead!
Hello, 请问Wai Heng在吗？
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
28 June 2010
And it’s goodbye Amsterdam.
Flew off on the morning of 28th June. And reached SG after 13 hours on 29th June 6am. K came to fetch me from Changi…it’s always nice knowing you have a special person waiting for you.
Flew off on the morning of 28th June. And reached SG after 13 hours on 29th June 6am. K came to fetch me from Changi…it’s always nice knowing you have a special person waiting for you.
27 June 2010 Sunday
Windmills
It was like a school excursion. A 15-minute train ride to the suburbs of Amsterdam city, to this place called Zaanse Schans. They had windmills there! Something I wanted see…they also had a small cheese-making factory, a woodenshoe-making workshop, souvenir shops, a small museum, a clock museum, etc.
The place was pretty. Long, green and lush fields. Bright blue skies, white fluffy clouds. Crisp cool air. The only thing that spoiled it was the number of tourists there haha…
I was inside two windmills. Saw the inner workings of the huge wheel clogs and big big wooden pegs. Climbed steep staircases within the mill to get up to the highest possible level…and felt wobbly while doing so haha. Stepped outside the windmill too to enjoy the scenery, looked down and felt like I was gonna faint. The wooden flooring had 1inch gaps between them..I could see the ground below, and I was 2 stories up.
Trains
The train network is quite confusing. Not to mention the unfamiliar names and Dutch words are hugely confusing. Alkmaar, Koog-Zaandeijk, Koog-Zaans, Zaans de Vans Mars, etc…gosh. And the station names are not prominently displayed too.
It was like a school excursion. A 15-minute train ride to the suburbs of Amsterdam city, to this place called Zaanse Schans. They had windmills there! Something I wanted see…they also had a small cheese-making factory, a woodenshoe-making workshop, souvenir shops, a small museum, a clock museum, etc.
The place was pretty. Long, green and lush fields. Bright blue skies, white fluffy clouds. Crisp cool air. The only thing that spoiled it was the number of tourists there haha…
I was inside two windmills. Saw the inner workings of the huge wheel clogs and big big wooden pegs. Climbed steep staircases within the mill to get up to the highest possible level…and felt wobbly while doing so haha. Stepped outside the windmill too to enjoy the scenery, looked down and felt like I was gonna faint. The wooden flooring had 1inch gaps between them..I could see the ground below, and I was 2 stories up.
Trains
The train network is quite confusing. Not to mention the unfamiliar names and Dutch words are hugely confusing. Alkmaar, Koog-Zaandeijk, Koog-Zaans, Zaans de Vans Mars, etc…gosh. And the station names are not prominently displayed too.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
26 June 2010 Saturday
Van Gogh Museum
Spent quite awhile in the museum this morning. Took a tram there and found at least 60-70 people in the queue. Thank goodness I’d already bought my ticket at the hotel reception. Received a few dagger stares from the people in the queue when I waltzed past them into the museum. :)
I met a Taiwanese friend there at the museum. Such a coincidence haha.
Overdose
As much as I love H&M, I am having an overdose of it already. There was only 1 H&M store in the whole of the Brussels city centre. I have already seen at least 5-6 H&M stores within the main shopping street. And this shopping street is only about 5km long or less.
Red Light District
I went to the area again tonight. And tonight was different from yesterday. Maybe it’s the weekend. The girls standing in the little window spaces were much prettier and slimmer than those I saw yesterday. I found out more today. The average going rate is about $50 euros for a 15-20 minute session. Though what the session entails I don’t know for sure. Probably the full works.
Saw a few deals taking place. Saw some other deals falling through. Saw young punks trying their luck. Saw older men striking deals with the ladies. Aw guys leaving the little cubicle spaces after having a good time. Saw some really young looking ladies plying their trade. My guess was that they were probably only 20 or 21?
Tomorrow
It will be windmills day! Looking forward to it. I’ll need to catch a 20-minute train ride to some place on the outskirts of Amsterdam and then walk about 10-minutes to the area. There’s an oil mill, a cheese mill, a clog workshop, etc. I have this feeling I’ll be buying cheese and other craft items from there. :)
Spent quite awhile in the museum this morning. Took a tram there and found at least 60-70 people in the queue. Thank goodness I’d already bought my ticket at the hotel reception. Received a few dagger stares from the people in the queue when I waltzed past them into the museum. :)
I met a Taiwanese friend there at the museum. Such a coincidence haha.
Overdose
As much as I love H&M, I am having an overdose of it already. There was only 1 H&M store in the whole of the Brussels city centre. I have already seen at least 5-6 H&M stores within the main shopping street. And this shopping street is only about 5km long or less.
Red Light District
I went to the area again tonight. And tonight was different from yesterday. Maybe it’s the weekend. The girls standing in the little window spaces were much prettier and slimmer than those I saw yesterday. I found out more today. The average going rate is about $50 euros for a 15-20 minute session. Though what the session entails I don’t know for sure. Probably the full works.
Saw a few deals taking place. Saw some other deals falling through. Saw young punks trying their luck. Saw older men striking deals with the ladies. Aw guys leaving the little cubicle spaces after having a good time. Saw some really young looking ladies plying their trade. My guess was that they were probably only 20 or 21?
Tomorrow
It will be windmills day! Looking forward to it. I’ll need to catch a 20-minute train ride to some place on the outskirts of Amsterdam and then walk about 10-minutes to the area. There’s an oil mill, a cheese mill, a clog workshop, etc. I have this feeling I’ll be buying cheese and other craft items from there. :)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
25 June 2010 Friday
Brussels to Amsterdam
I reached Amsterdam’s Schipol airport around 9-plus in the morning and caught a train ride into centre of town. It was quite confusing. Almost everything was written in Dutch. Looking for directions was a challenging affair. And the darn train had split levels. I had to climb the stairs of the train carrying a big luggage which weighed 18kg, my laptop bag and my handbag. Had to drag all these bags around while going from the train station to my hotel. I can feel my biceps growing already.
Anne Frank Museum
I went to the Anne Frank Museum today. Visited the house that she and her family stayed in during their 2 years of hiding from Hitler’s military people. Saw many artifacts left behind from those days of the Holocaust. It was quite a touching hour and a half for me, seeing those black and white photos and seeing the actual sinks, bathroom, photos, walls, stairs that the Frank family used all those years ago.
Shopping
H&M again. Mango again. Hmm…I hope I have enough euros. This trip will cost me a lot man…
Red Light District
I was curious about Amsterdam’s famous red light district. Haha…it really is a “red light” area. There are windows lined up all along the streets, some windows have curtains drawn on them, some don’t. Those which are uncovered will sometimes have a girl standing on the other side of the glass pane dressed in scanty bikinis and waiting for guys to come to them. I did see several guys knocking on their doors and negotiating prices. I heard one going for $80 euro but I wasn’t sure what her services included. Ahem.
BUT. Out of all the white, black, brown girls that I saw, almost 95% of them are fat. Some are just pudgy. Some have a lot of cellulite. Some have fats that jiggle with every movement they make. And yet some others are really gorillas who could crush a man flat by sitting on him. No kidding. They’re probably 2-3 times my size. Maybe European guys just prefer meaty fat girls.
There were many live shows too. Much like what you would get on Patpong street on Phuket. They have their own “Tiger” shows here in Amsterdam. And they have porn cinemas screening hardcore films the whole night through. I wonder how um…clean the seats are inside these cinemas. Hmm.
Weed
Shops are selling cannabis, marijuana and coke. I saw a shop where all sorts of drug paraphernalia was sold. Coke and weed grinding tools. Glass bottles and different types of pipes for smoking. Jars with tubes running out of them. Test tubes. Syringes. Gosh. The whole works. That particular shop looked like it was a chemistry lab. It even sold plant kits and seeds for people who wanted to grow their own weed. I also saw cannabis incense sticks, much like those used for aromatheraphy.
Food
The way my colleague is eating is scaring me. And he is the one with high cholesterol and who needs to watch his diet. Hmm, no wonder he grew a big pot belly in the 2.5 years that I’ve known him. Alcohol, meats, seafood, etc. I was having a light sandwich for lunch and he was wolfing down meatballs and chips, although he said that he didn’t feel like eating much. I think I’m gonna eat light tomorrow again.
p/s: Before coming to Amsterdam, I spoke to several Dutch people as well as some others whom I know stayed for awhile in Amsterdam. I asked them what type of food are the Dutch famous for. They said, nothing.
And when I walked around just now. It was quite true. There’s no special Dutch dish which I had to try. In fact, what was available were different types of international cuisines. Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, English, American, Irish, Japanese, Spanish, etc.
World Cup
The streets were filled with WC supporters from various countries. I saw a whole bunch of Brazillian supports in yellow and green, chanting away. I saw a group of Spanish supporters dancing in the streets and another group of Dutch supporters drinking beer together. Bars and pubs everywhere were showing live matches. Flags of various countries in the WC were strung up along the streets.
Brussels pales in comparison
From the moment I stepped out of the train station, I felt Amsterdam buzzing with life. So different from Brussels. If Amsterdam were Orchard Road on a weekend night, then Brussels would be almost like our CBD area on a weekend night. Locals and tourists are aplenty in Amsterdam!! And I saw a lot of Asians here as well. Japanese and Chinese. Have not seen any Koreans yet.
K
I managed to speak to K a few times today! :)
I reached Amsterdam’s Schipol airport around 9-plus in the morning and caught a train ride into centre of town. It was quite confusing. Almost everything was written in Dutch. Looking for directions was a challenging affair. And the darn train had split levels. I had to climb the stairs of the train carrying a big luggage which weighed 18kg, my laptop bag and my handbag. Had to drag all these bags around while going from the train station to my hotel. I can feel my biceps growing already.
Anne Frank Museum
I went to the Anne Frank Museum today. Visited the house that she and her family stayed in during their 2 years of hiding from Hitler’s military people. Saw many artifacts left behind from those days of the Holocaust. It was quite a touching hour and a half for me, seeing those black and white photos and seeing the actual sinks, bathroom, photos, walls, stairs that the Frank family used all those years ago.
Shopping
H&M again. Mango again. Hmm…I hope I have enough euros. This trip will cost me a lot man…
Red Light District
I was curious about Amsterdam’s famous red light district. Haha…it really is a “red light” area. There are windows lined up all along the streets, some windows have curtains drawn on them, some don’t. Those which are uncovered will sometimes have a girl standing on the other side of the glass pane dressed in scanty bikinis and waiting for guys to come to them. I did see several guys knocking on their doors and negotiating prices. I heard one going for $80 euro but I wasn’t sure what her services included. Ahem.
BUT. Out of all the white, black, brown girls that I saw, almost 95% of them are fat. Some are just pudgy. Some have a lot of cellulite. Some have fats that jiggle with every movement they make. And yet some others are really gorillas who could crush a man flat by sitting on him. No kidding. They’re probably 2-3 times my size. Maybe European guys just prefer meaty fat girls.
There were many live shows too. Much like what you would get on Patpong street on Phuket. They have their own “Tiger” shows here in Amsterdam. And they have porn cinemas screening hardcore films the whole night through. I wonder how um…clean the seats are inside these cinemas. Hmm.
Weed
Shops are selling cannabis, marijuana and coke. I saw a shop where all sorts of drug paraphernalia was sold. Coke and weed grinding tools. Glass bottles and different types of pipes for smoking. Jars with tubes running out of them. Test tubes. Syringes. Gosh. The whole works. That particular shop looked like it was a chemistry lab. It even sold plant kits and seeds for people who wanted to grow their own weed. I also saw cannabis incense sticks, much like those used for aromatheraphy.
Food
The way my colleague is eating is scaring me. And he is the one with high cholesterol and who needs to watch his diet. Hmm, no wonder he grew a big pot belly in the 2.5 years that I’ve known him. Alcohol, meats, seafood, etc. I was having a light sandwich for lunch and he was wolfing down meatballs and chips, although he said that he didn’t feel like eating much. I think I’m gonna eat light tomorrow again.
p/s: Before coming to Amsterdam, I spoke to several Dutch people as well as some others whom I know stayed for awhile in Amsterdam. I asked them what type of food are the Dutch famous for. They said, nothing.
And when I walked around just now. It was quite true. There’s no special Dutch dish which I had to try. In fact, what was available were different types of international cuisines. Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, English, American, Irish, Japanese, Spanish, etc.
World Cup
The streets were filled with WC supporters from various countries. I saw a whole bunch of Brazillian supports in yellow and green, chanting away. I saw a group of Spanish supporters dancing in the streets and another group of Dutch supporters drinking beer together. Bars and pubs everywhere were showing live matches. Flags of various countries in the WC were strung up along the streets.
Brussels pales in comparison
From the moment I stepped out of the train station, I felt Amsterdam buzzing with life. So different from Brussels. If Amsterdam were Orchard Road on a weekend night, then Brussels would be almost like our CBD area on a weekend night. Locals and tourists are aplenty in Amsterdam!! And I saw a lot of Asians here as well. Japanese and Chinese. Have not seen any Koreans yet.
K
I managed to speak to K a few times today! :)
Friday, June 25, 2010
24 June 2010 Thursday
Fatigue
Felt quite tired today. Sleepiness followed me the whole day through.
Shopping
Managed to do a bit of walking around. As usual, things that I like do not have my size. It really is sometimes quite difficult for me to buy clothes in Europe. They don’t have my size!!
Stopped for a quick snack at McDonald’s and got myself a small little hamburger for $1 euro. :) A small hamburger is even cheaper than a small cup of iced lemon tea. The latter costs $1.60 euro!
Quarrel
Hahahha…each time I travel to Europe, I am sure to witness two people quarrelling. Transcribed here…
Woman 1: Arrete! Ca suffit!
Woman 2: *continues shouting*
Woman 1: Je vous dit ARRETE! CA SUFFIT!
Woman 2: Demener! Demener! Putain! Baisser-vous! *shouts more stuff which I can’t pick out*
Woman 1: Quelle impolitesse!!!
Woman 2: SALOPE! SA CHIEN! Depece-vous!
In English…as far as I can translate:
Woman 1: Stop! It’s enough1
Woman 2: *continues shouting*
Woman 1: I told you to stop! It’s enough!
Woman 2: Off with you! Off with you! Whore! Fuck you!
Woman 1: What rudeness!
Woman 2: Bitch! Dog! Tear yourself up!
Bear in mind, Woman 2 was carrying a young child. Wonder if the child spends each day listening to his mother shout vulgarities.
Dinner
A kind soul gave me a voucher to one of the restaurants at the meeting venue. 3-course dinner for two with drinks. The meal was lovely. Salad with prawns and truffles. Lobster bisque. Terrine of crab, sea urchin and fish. Risotto with truffles. Rositto with prawns and champagne.
If you don’t know that many people. It helps to know someone who knows many people. :) A Malaysian friend passed me the voucher because he couldn’t make it.
Land of weed? Window-shopping?
Heading to Amsterdam on Friday morning. I’d better get a good sleep tonight. Was trying to squeeze everything back into my luggage. Seemed to be working out well. Till I realized I still have two bags of toiletries to throw in. Uh oh. If I buy more stuff in Amsterdam I’ll need to activate my extra luggage bag.
Felt quite tired today. Sleepiness followed me the whole day through.
Shopping
Managed to do a bit of walking around. As usual, things that I like do not have my size. It really is sometimes quite difficult for me to buy clothes in Europe. They don’t have my size!!
Stopped for a quick snack at McDonald’s and got myself a small little hamburger for $1 euro. :) A small hamburger is even cheaper than a small cup of iced lemon tea. The latter costs $1.60 euro!
Quarrel
Hahahha…each time I travel to Europe, I am sure to witness two people quarrelling. Transcribed here…
Woman 1: Arrete! Ca suffit!
Woman 2: *continues shouting*
Woman 1: Je vous dit ARRETE! CA SUFFIT!
Woman 2: Demener! Demener! Putain! Baisser-vous! *shouts more stuff which I can’t pick out*
Woman 1: Quelle impolitesse!!!
Woman 2: SALOPE! SA CHIEN! Depece-vous!
In English…as far as I can translate:
Woman 1: Stop! It’s enough1
Woman 2: *continues shouting*
Woman 1: I told you to stop! It’s enough!
Woman 2: Off with you! Off with you! Whore! Fuck you!
Woman 1: What rudeness!
Woman 2: Bitch! Dog! Tear yourself up!
Bear in mind, Woman 2 was carrying a young child. Wonder if the child spends each day listening to his mother shout vulgarities.
Dinner
A kind soul gave me a voucher to one of the restaurants at the meeting venue. 3-course dinner for two with drinks. The meal was lovely. Salad with prawns and truffles. Lobster bisque. Terrine of crab, sea urchin and fish. Risotto with truffles. Rositto with prawns and champagne.
If you don’t know that many people. It helps to know someone who knows many people. :) A Malaysian friend passed me the voucher because he couldn’t make it.
Land of weed? Window-shopping?
Heading to Amsterdam on Friday morning. I’d better get a good sleep tonight. Was trying to squeeze everything back into my luggage. Seemed to be working out well. Till I realized I still have two bags of toiletries to throw in. Uh oh. If I buy more stuff in Amsterdam I’ll need to activate my extra luggage bag.
23 June 2010 Wednesday
Meetings
It was a day of one-to-one chats with many different people. Started my morning with a meeting with two German folks, one of them was born in India but migrated to Germany since young. Rushed off to a conference session and then snuck out of it halfway to meet up with a French guy. Quite cute actually haha. Had lunch with a Dutch and two Belgians. Spent the rest of the afternoon in another conference session and before I found myself at dinner sitting with some Taiwanese, a Chinese, a Laotian, a Filipino, a Dane, a Greek and a Czech.
I love the international crowd at these ICANN meetings.
Gala Dinner
Voila, the gala dinner this time round was held in a chateau. Castle in French.
Le Chateau de Grand-Bigard. We were ferried in coaches and it took about 30-40 minutes to reach the place from the meeting venue. About 800 of us all were there.
We were greeted by men dressed in court jester suits of red, yellow and black, Belgium’s colours. Some were on stilts walking around, some were playing drums, some were on trumpets. Some were flame-throwers, some were with eagles perched on their shoulders. And all of them were there to greet us.
It was a lovely place. An old castle and its towers made of red brick and wooden beams, surrounded by a big lake. Within its compounds were smaller lakes with small rose gardens surrounding them.
We had dinner in a specially built marquee which had transparent see-through plastic ceiling and walls. Because it does not get dark till 1030pm at this time of the year in Belgium, we were eating dinner in broad daylight.
Sole with sautéed vegetables, cream of sea urchin and artichokes, grilled heart of turbotin, chocolate fondant with vanilla ice-cream and fresh mint tea. And of couse, red wine, white wine, still water, sparkling water.
There was a live band there and they sang oldies like “Peggy Sue”, “The Twist”, etc. But my favourite moment came when they slowed it down and sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia”. God that made me immediately wish K were there with me in that tranquil setting.
One of the best ICANN gala dinners I’ve been to.
It was a day of one-to-one chats with many different people. Started my morning with a meeting with two German folks, one of them was born in India but migrated to Germany since young. Rushed off to a conference session and then snuck out of it halfway to meet up with a French guy. Quite cute actually haha. Had lunch with a Dutch and two Belgians. Spent the rest of the afternoon in another conference session and before I found myself at dinner sitting with some Taiwanese, a Chinese, a Laotian, a Filipino, a Dane, a Greek and a Czech.
I love the international crowd at these ICANN meetings.
Gala Dinner
Voila, the gala dinner this time round was held in a chateau. Castle in French.
Le Chateau de Grand-Bigard. We were ferried in coaches and it took about 30-40 minutes to reach the place from the meeting venue. About 800 of us all were there.
We were greeted by men dressed in court jester suits of red, yellow and black, Belgium’s colours. Some were on stilts walking around, some were playing drums, some were on trumpets. Some were flame-throwers, some were with eagles perched on their shoulders. And all of them were there to greet us.
It was a lovely place. An old castle and its towers made of red brick and wooden beams, surrounded by a big lake. Within its compounds were smaller lakes with small rose gardens surrounding them.
We had dinner in a specially built marquee which had transparent see-through plastic ceiling and walls. Because it does not get dark till 1030pm at this time of the year in Belgium, we were eating dinner in broad daylight.
Sole with sautéed vegetables, cream of sea urchin and artichokes, grilled heart of turbotin, chocolate fondant with vanilla ice-cream and fresh mint tea. And of couse, red wine, white wine, still water, sparkling water.
There was a live band there and they sang oldies like “Peggy Sue”, “The Twist”, etc. But my favourite moment came when they slowed it down and sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia”. God that made me immediately wish K were there with me in that tranquil setting.
One of the best ICANN gala dinners I’ve been to.
22 June 2010 Tuesday
Shower
My shower is schizophrenic and literally goes from hot to cold in 2 seconds. I thought I was the only one who was fighting with the shower on a daily basis. Turned out that some others I spoke to who stayed elsewhere also had the same experience. Hmm…are all showers in Belgium schizo?
Faces
It is interesting how Caucasians can recognize me and remember my name after only one short encounter. Sometimes I can’t tell them apart and only remember who they are after taking a quick discreet glance at their name badges. Think I need to buck up on my “face recognition” skills. ;p
European Men
European men are cute...:) The younger ones at least. Brunettes are the cutest.
And European men hold doors open for you, let you go into the lift first, let you get out of the lift first, let you pay at the cashier first, let you take the food first at a buffet line, let you get on the escalator first, etc.
European Women
The women are beautiful. Great features and great figures for some of them. Others look good from the neck upwards but the body proportions below the neck are way too....um, big. I love the way their noses are sharp, their eyes are large, their mouths are large and their necks are long and graceful.
My shower is schizophrenic and literally goes from hot to cold in 2 seconds. I thought I was the only one who was fighting with the shower on a daily basis. Turned out that some others I spoke to who stayed elsewhere also had the same experience. Hmm…are all showers in Belgium schizo?
Faces
It is interesting how Caucasians can recognize me and remember my name after only one short encounter. Sometimes I can’t tell them apart and only remember who they are after taking a quick discreet glance at their name badges. Think I need to buck up on my “face recognition” skills. ;p
European Men
European men are cute...:) The younger ones at least. Brunettes are the cutest.
And European men hold doors open for you, let you go into the lift first, let you get out of the lift first, let you pay at the cashier first, let you take the food first at a buffet line, let you get on the escalator first, etc.
European Women
The women are beautiful. Great features and great figures for some of them. Others look good from the neck upwards but the body proportions below the neck are way too....um, big. I love the way their noses are sharp, their eyes are large, their mouths are large and their necks are long and graceful.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
21 June 2010 Monday
Meeting
It is always nice to see a familiar face. Met up with some people whom I’ve not seen for quite awhile. Met some other new people, including a Frenchman whom I managed to have a few sentences of French with haha. And I’ve arranged a number of meetings with yet some others.
Food
Breakfast was usual. Nothing special. Lunch was cup noodles. But in the evening, I had a cocktail reception and managed to grab some finger food. These included beef carpaccio, beef tartare, some salmon thing served on a Chinese spoon, some other fish paste served on small round biscuits and of course the famous Belgian fries. Dinner was a treat from a Taiwanese uncle. And I had a beef patty with alfalfa salad.
Cobblestone Paths
I used to love cobblestone paths. That 17th century feel that they add to the environment. The character that they add to the roads and streets. My love for these paths is decreasing quite rapidly though.
Try walking 7-8 minutes from the hotel to the meeting venue and struggling to walk on these paths on heels. ARGH!!!
Chocolates
An ubiquitous snack. Abundant. I think I’ve eaten more chocolate in these 2-3 days than for the whole of the past 3 months.
K
I wish K was here with me. :( I see chocolates and I think of him. I walk back to my hotel wishing he was there to hold my hand. And whenever I take pictures, I wish he was right there to see what I am seeing, to experience what I am feeling.
Service Staff
If the common idea is that service staff in France have horrible and snobbish service, then those in Brussels are much worse. Yesterday’s waiter cleared our plates without asking us if we still wanted our food. And the plates were clanking noisily against each other. Some food crumbs spilled out onto the table.
And then this evening there was an interesting exchange between the head waiter of the restaurant we went to and the Taiwanese uncle (TW) we had dinner with.
Waiter: Good Evening.
TW: For 3 people please.
Waiter: Good Evening. *Gives an attitude face*
TW: Um, for 3 people.
Waiter: Good Evening.
Me: Bon soir. (good evening in French)
Waiter: *nods and acknowledges me with a smile*
TW: Err.
Waiter: I said good evening to you. You need to say good evening to me!!! Before I will find a table for you!!!
TW: Oh, good evening.
Waiter: Ok.
TW: 3 people please.
Waiter: You need to wait an hour.
TW: *looks at me*
I stepped into the conversation with my broken French and managed to get us a table for 3. Outside the restaurant that is. Out in the open in a temperature of about 12degrees. Oh well, at least we had a table haha.
It is always nice to see a familiar face. Met up with some people whom I’ve not seen for quite awhile. Met some other new people, including a Frenchman whom I managed to have a few sentences of French with haha. And I’ve arranged a number of meetings with yet some others.
Food
Breakfast was usual. Nothing special. Lunch was cup noodles. But in the evening, I had a cocktail reception and managed to grab some finger food. These included beef carpaccio, beef tartare, some salmon thing served on a Chinese spoon, some other fish paste served on small round biscuits and of course the famous Belgian fries. Dinner was a treat from a Taiwanese uncle. And I had a beef patty with alfalfa salad.
Cobblestone Paths
I used to love cobblestone paths. That 17th century feel that they add to the environment. The character that they add to the roads and streets. My love for these paths is decreasing quite rapidly though.
Try walking 7-8 minutes from the hotel to the meeting venue and struggling to walk on these paths on heels. ARGH!!!
Chocolates
An ubiquitous snack. Abundant. I think I’ve eaten more chocolate in these 2-3 days than for the whole of the past 3 months.
K
I wish K was here with me. :( I see chocolates and I think of him. I walk back to my hotel wishing he was there to hold my hand. And whenever I take pictures, I wish he was right there to see what I am seeing, to experience what I am feeling.
Service Staff
If the common idea is that service staff in France have horrible and snobbish service, then those in Brussels are much worse. Yesterday’s waiter cleared our plates without asking us if we still wanted our food. And the plates were clanking noisily against each other. Some food crumbs spilled out onto the table.
And then this evening there was an interesting exchange between the head waiter of the restaurant we went to and the Taiwanese uncle (TW) we had dinner with.
Waiter: Good Evening.
TW: For 3 people please.
Waiter: Good Evening. *Gives an attitude face*
TW: Um, for 3 people.
Waiter: Good Evening.
Me: Bon soir. (good evening in French)
Waiter: *nods and acknowledges me with a smile*
TW: Err.
Waiter: I said good evening to you. You need to say good evening to me!!! Before I will find a table for you!!!
TW: Oh, good evening.
Waiter: Ok.
TW: 3 people please.
Waiter: You need to wait an hour.
TW: *looks at me*
I stepped into the conversation with my broken French and managed to get us a table for 3. Outside the restaurant that is. Out in the open in a temperature of about 12degrees. Oh well, at least we had a table haha.
20 June 2010 Sunday
Breakfast
I was amazed by the different types of cheeses, butter and sauces they had. They were all in little convenient packages. Whether wrapped in foil or housed in a plastic container, all the sauces, butter and cheeses looked very good and I was tempted to grab a handful of each type to bring home to SG. Hmmmm…maybe I’ll do that on another morning when no waiter is looking hehe….
They had a whole spread of lovely breads as usual…and butter croissants and my favourite chocolate brioche! Whee!
Weather
Cold. Cloudy. Rainy. Windy. Chilly.
12 degrees at 5pm in the afternoon and about 10 degrees or less in the night.
BRRRRR….
Shower
Nothing beats having a lovely hot shower after having spent hours out in the cold. :)
Sights
I went to see the Manneken Pis today. It’s a small bronze statue of a little curly haired boy who is taking a piss. Cute. Really cute. And it was really amusing to see throngs of people elbowing each other to get a chance to take a picture of this little bronze boy. :) I was one of them. Ahem. Hehe.
I was amazed by the different types of cheeses, butter and sauces they had. They were all in little convenient packages. Whether wrapped in foil or housed in a plastic container, all the sauces, butter and cheeses looked very good and I was tempted to grab a handful of each type to bring home to SG. Hmmmm…maybe I’ll do that on another morning when no waiter is looking hehe….
They had a whole spread of lovely breads as usual…and butter croissants and my favourite chocolate brioche! Whee!
Weather
Cold. Cloudy. Rainy. Windy. Chilly.
12 degrees at 5pm in the afternoon and about 10 degrees or less in the night.
BRRRRR….
Shower
Nothing beats having a lovely hot shower after having spent hours out in the cold. :)
Sights
I went to see the Manneken Pis today. It’s a small bronze statue of a little curly haired boy who is taking a piss. Cute. Really cute. And it was really amusing to see throngs of people elbowing each other to get a chance to take a picture of this little bronze boy. :) I was one of them. Ahem. Hehe.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
19 June 1100pm Brussels time, 500pm SG time
Wingtips
It took me a grand total of 17 hours to reach Brussels. Including transit time.
I watched three shows on the plane:
- How to Train Your Dragon (love it)
- From Paris With Love (zzz, wonder how come John Travolta accepted this role)
- 14 Blades (I love Donnie Yen!!!)
First Impression
Brussels is not exactly a bustling place. Compared to some other cities I’ve been to, I think Brussels lacks character. But anyway, this is just the first day. Hope I’ll be able to see more of what Brussels has to offer. :)
Food
So far, I’ve tried the mussels and fries, omelette and meatballs in tomato sauce. Not too bad.
Weather
Horrid. Cloudy, windy, rainy. I forgot to bring my gloves and my umbrella.
Anecdotes
Waiter: Bon soir! Where are you from?
Me: Singapore
Waiter: Oh! Malaysia? No?
Me: No, we’re next to Malaysia.
Waiter: Oh! Your capital is Taipei. No?
Me: No. We’re a small country. In fact, we’re so small we don’t have a capital city. The whole country is the city itself.
Waiter: Oh! Ok. Enjoy your meal sil vous plait!
Shopping
Found my favourite H&M store. Managed to grab some stuff...:)
Will go back again to the same street. I saw Pimkie, Jennyfer and Bershka..Can't wait to go to these stores...
It took me a grand total of 17 hours to reach Brussels. Including transit time.
I watched three shows on the plane:
- How to Train Your Dragon (love it)
- From Paris With Love (zzz, wonder how come John Travolta accepted this role)
- 14 Blades (I love Donnie Yen!!!)
First Impression
Brussels is not exactly a bustling place. Compared to some other cities I’ve been to, I think Brussels lacks character. But anyway, this is just the first day. Hope I’ll be able to see more of what Brussels has to offer. :)
Food
So far, I’ve tried the mussels and fries, omelette and meatballs in tomato sauce. Not too bad.
Weather
Horrid. Cloudy, windy, rainy. I forgot to bring my gloves and my umbrella.
Anecdotes
Waiter: Bon soir! Where are you from?
Me: Singapore
Waiter: Oh! Malaysia? No?
Me: No, we’re next to Malaysia.
Waiter: Oh! Your capital is Taipei. No?
Me: No. We’re a small country. In fact, we’re so small we don’t have a capital city. The whole country is the city itself.
Waiter: Oh! Ok. Enjoy your meal sil vous plait!
Shopping
Found my favourite H&M store. Managed to grab some stuff...:)
Will go back again to the same street. I saw Pimkie, Jennyfer and Bershka..Can't wait to go to these stores...
18 June 1145pm SG time
Changi Terminal 3
Even before I left home for the airport, I was already missing K although he was still right next to me. When I went past the immigration counters and looked back to wave at him, I really felt quite sad.
Even before I left home for the airport, I was already missing K although he was still right next to me. When I went past the immigration counters and looked back to wave at him, I really felt quite sad.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Vandalism
And so, a 33-yr-old Swiss national has been detained for allegedly vandalizing an SMRT train. The graffiti spanned the length of an entire train carriage.
Micheal Fay suddenly popped into my mind. His much publicised case happened back in 1994 and I found it amusing that wikipedia actually had a whole entry on the case.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
Micheal Fay suddenly popped into my mind. His much publicised case happened back in 1994 and I found it amusing that wikipedia actually had a whole entry on the case.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
for-ren-ners
Just a few nights ago, K was sharing with me a somewhat heated discussion he had with a friend of his. It was on a sensitive topic. One that has been on the minds of many Singaporeans in recent months and maybe even the last year or two.
The issue of foreigners living and working in Singapore.
K asked me what my take was on the subject.
I remember replying him and saying that I am fine with these foreigners coming to Singapore.
That is, provided they don’t bring with them their bad habits, bad attitudes, and vices. I am fine with them living and working in Singapore, everyone is just trying to make a living. But when on our soil, they should respect our country, our culture and our ways of doing things.
I read with horror the recent Kallang slash-and-rob cases. A group of Sarawakians killed a man, left 2 in ICU and one young man with half his hand sliced off. All for the grand amount of $400 and 3 mobile phones. What seemed like petty robbery crimes turned into malicious violent bloody attacks in the hands of this group of men. The attackers were young men too. 19, 22, 30 and so on...
What the hell? What were in their minds? What made them go on such a rampage?
And now we even need to be aware of domestic workers either turning violent or doing strange things or morphing into sexual predators. What with the recent cases of a 29-yr-old Indonesian maid holding a scissors to a baby and forcing its mother to buy her a ticket home, the 27-yr-old Indonesian maid sexually abusing a 12-yr-old boy, a 30-something Fillipino maid putting detergent into the milk formulas of the two babies under her charge...and the list might just go on.
There have been increasing reports of foreigners being involved in crimes here. Some are victims, some are perpetrators. Some cases probably never even reach the news-stands.
You take the public transport and you'll hear the Chinese, Fillipinos and Koreans talking loudly, the Indians jostling with you, the Caucasians leaning on the railings, yada yada yada.
I'll admit it. I do view foreigners here with a wary, exasperated eye at times.
But even with all that said, I maintain, I am not writing all of them off just because of some bad apples.
I do know some of them on a personal basis and they are nice folks. Some speak now with a slight Singlish lilt, some sit at kopitiams reading newspapers and drinking kopi-o just like any of us, some buy groceries with us at NTUC, some buy 4D and toto....Englishmen still holding doors open for ladies and letting them go out of the elevators first. Domestic helpers who guard their charges as if they were their own children.
Others have chosen to make Singapore their home, some have married here, some have left but still come back to visit often because they thoroughly enjoyed their stay here.
I think it's great that these people have assimilated so well within our culture and get along with the locals well.
It's just those who don't bother to observe or understand our laws and ways who irk me.
The issue of foreigners living and working in Singapore.
K asked me what my take was on the subject.
I remember replying him and saying that I am fine with these foreigners coming to Singapore.
That is, provided they don’t bring with them their bad habits, bad attitudes, and vices. I am fine with them living and working in Singapore, everyone is just trying to make a living. But when on our soil, they should respect our country, our culture and our ways of doing things.
I read with horror the recent Kallang slash-and-rob cases. A group of Sarawakians killed a man, left 2 in ICU and one young man with half his hand sliced off. All for the grand amount of $400 and 3 mobile phones. What seemed like petty robbery crimes turned into malicious violent bloody attacks in the hands of this group of men. The attackers were young men too. 19, 22, 30 and so on...
What the hell? What were in their minds? What made them go on such a rampage?
And now we even need to be aware of domestic workers either turning violent or doing strange things or morphing into sexual predators. What with the recent cases of a 29-yr-old Indonesian maid holding a scissors to a baby and forcing its mother to buy her a ticket home, the 27-yr-old Indonesian maid sexually abusing a 12-yr-old boy, a 30-something Fillipino maid putting detergent into the milk formulas of the two babies under her charge...and the list might just go on.
There have been increasing reports of foreigners being involved in crimes here. Some are victims, some are perpetrators. Some cases probably never even reach the news-stands.
You take the public transport and you'll hear the Chinese, Fillipinos and Koreans talking loudly, the Indians jostling with you, the Caucasians leaning on the railings, yada yada yada.
I'll admit it. I do view foreigners here with a wary, exasperated eye at times.
But even with all that said, I maintain, I am not writing all of them off just because of some bad apples.
I do know some of them on a personal basis and they are nice folks. Some speak now with a slight Singlish lilt, some sit at kopitiams reading newspapers and drinking kopi-o just like any of us, some buy groceries with us at NTUC, some buy 4D and toto....Englishmen still holding doors open for ladies and letting them go out of the elevators first. Domestic helpers who guard their charges as if they were their own children.
Others have chosen to make Singapore their home, some have married here, some have left but still come back to visit often because they thoroughly enjoyed their stay here.
I think it's great that these people have assimilated so well within our culture and get along with the locals well.
It's just those who don't bother to observe or understand our laws and ways who irk me.
Good Ol' Milo
I had a milo craze last year. It’s back again and I’ve been having a cup of Milo each morning for the last one to two weeks.
Think I need to stop drinking too much of it before it adds more kilos on my frame…
Think I need to stop drinking too much of it before it adds more kilos on my frame…
Monday, May 31, 2010
Ee-Poh
Ee-Poh.
Is what I call my grandaunt.
THE BACKGROUND
It happened quite unexpectedly and over just a short period of time. I guess it took everyone by surprise.
My grandaunt was hospitalized on a Thursday morning, 20 May. She was discharged by the same evening and given medication to expel excess liquid from her lungs and legs. She went home and all was fine.
Come Saturday 22 May, she had a panic attack, couldn’t control her bowels, couldn’t breathe properly and was sent to A&E. She was warded and had to go for an immediate heart op the next afternoon to clear a blockage they found in a major artery. They did the operation but right after it, they realized it wasn’t working and wasn’t doing much for the blockage.
And so they performed a second consecutive bypass surgery immediately after the initial heart op. She came out and was put into ICU and was doing okay up till the next day. She could speak. But on the second day after the op, she suddenly deteriorated. Organs started failing. Bowel, spleen, kidneys all stopped working. Body couldn’t get rid of toxins. Liver was failing as well.
And at 320am 26 May, she passed on. At the age of 86.
It was a sudden affair. I remember I had trouble sleeping after I received the SMS shortly after at 345am that morning.
THE 4 OF THEM
I was close to my grandaunt when I was in primary school. She came over every Saturday or Sunday to play mahjong at my place. She was fortunate enough to have had education when she was little. Girls of those days rarely had the chance to go to school.
There are four of them siblings. My grandmother, the eldest at 94 now, followed by a brother aged 91 now, followed by my grand aunt who was aged 86 and then the youngest granduncle who is 82 now and still plays tennis regularly.
The 4 of them. Now minus one.
My Dad mentioned before that once the old folks pass on, much of the CNY visiting won't happen anymore.
SIGH
The thing that hits me the most during this whole episode is that we cannot tell my grandmother of this. Don’t think she can take the news.
As it is, I think my grandmother felt it on the night my grandaunt passed on. Call it sixth sense or what. I don't know.
Apparently she woke the very next morning and started crying alot. She was crying the entire morning. The nursing home folks told us that she insisted on going to see her younger sister. She even told them that her younger sister has passed on.
How could she know? When none of us told her? When none of the nursing home folks even knew what happened?
I was in the midst of arranging a lunch for my grandmother and my grandaunt. I thought it would be a good idea for them two old sisters to sit down and have lunch together, with some of us grandchildren around. I’d already contacted my cousins and brother and we'd even settled on a date already….30 May.
But alas, the lunch was not to take place.
Is what I call my grandaunt.
THE BACKGROUND
It happened quite unexpectedly and over just a short period of time. I guess it took everyone by surprise.
My grandaunt was hospitalized on a Thursday morning, 20 May. She was discharged by the same evening and given medication to expel excess liquid from her lungs and legs. She went home and all was fine.
Come Saturday 22 May, she had a panic attack, couldn’t control her bowels, couldn’t breathe properly and was sent to A&E. She was warded and had to go for an immediate heart op the next afternoon to clear a blockage they found in a major artery. They did the operation but right after it, they realized it wasn’t working and wasn’t doing much for the blockage.
And so they performed a second consecutive bypass surgery immediately after the initial heart op. She came out and was put into ICU and was doing okay up till the next day. She could speak. But on the second day after the op, she suddenly deteriorated. Organs started failing. Bowel, spleen, kidneys all stopped working. Body couldn’t get rid of toxins. Liver was failing as well.
And at 320am 26 May, she passed on. At the age of 86.
It was a sudden affair. I remember I had trouble sleeping after I received the SMS shortly after at 345am that morning.
THE 4 OF THEM
I was close to my grandaunt when I was in primary school. She came over every Saturday or Sunday to play mahjong at my place. She was fortunate enough to have had education when she was little. Girls of those days rarely had the chance to go to school.
There are four of them siblings. My grandmother, the eldest at 94 now, followed by a brother aged 91 now, followed by my grand aunt who was aged 86 and then the youngest granduncle who is 82 now and still plays tennis regularly.
The 4 of them. Now minus one.
My Dad mentioned before that once the old folks pass on, much of the CNY visiting won't happen anymore.
SIGH
The thing that hits me the most during this whole episode is that we cannot tell my grandmother of this. Don’t think she can take the news.
As it is, I think my grandmother felt it on the night my grandaunt passed on. Call it sixth sense or what. I don't know.
Apparently she woke the very next morning and started crying alot. She was crying the entire morning. The nursing home folks told us that she insisted on going to see her younger sister. She even told them that her younger sister has passed on.
How could she know? When none of us told her? When none of the nursing home folks even knew what happened?
I was in the midst of arranging a lunch for my grandmother and my grandaunt. I thought it would be a good idea for them two old sisters to sit down and have lunch together, with some of us grandchildren around. I’d already contacted my cousins and brother and we'd even settled on a date already….30 May.
But alas, the lunch was not to take place.
Friday, May 21, 2010
ARGH
Frustrated.
Boss asked The Coll to liase with a partner for a joint promo. The Coll, by the way, is as flexible as a slab of concrete.
Partner is vomiting blood dealing with The Coll and her restrictive ways.
Partner comes to me for help and says they do not want to deal with her. They have half a mind to tell the boss they do not want to work with her.
Partner pours out their frustrations to me. I understand totally. I try to help out a little but maintain that The Coll is the point of contact for this promotion.
To me, a joint promotion should be a win-win situation for both parties. Not a one-sided affair.
I speak to boss and suggest some things. Boss agrees with me and says he will get The Coll to do the necessary to get things done.
Partner emails The Coll and cc-es me in the discussion.
The Coll is not happy and told me. “They should be dealing with me, not you. I am the one writing the approval paper.”
Sigh.
I am not giving suggestions for personal glory. What the hell. I’m just trying to get things done and moving. Promotions should be done on the ball and quickly. Not sat upon and incubated for weeks when things can be settled within 4 days.
Sigh. The boss of the partner company just told me “I hope she stops making a fool of herself.” Strong words. Such strong words. And I am caught in the middle.
How to work like that? Fragile grounds on both sides.
Boss asked The Coll to liase with a partner for a joint promo. The Coll, by the way, is as flexible as a slab of concrete.
Partner is vomiting blood dealing with The Coll and her restrictive ways.
Partner comes to me for help and says they do not want to deal with her. They have half a mind to tell the boss they do not want to work with her.
Partner pours out their frustrations to me. I understand totally. I try to help out a little but maintain that The Coll is the point of contact for this promotion.
To me, a joint promotion should be a win-win situation for both parties. Not a one-sided affair.
I speak to boss and suggest some things. Boss agrees with me and says he will get The Coll to do the necessary to get things done.
Partner emails The Coll and cc-es me in the discussion.
The Coll is not happy and told me. “They should be dealing with me, not you. I am the one writing the approval paper.”
Sigh.
I am not giving suggestions for personal glory. What the hell. I’m just trying to get things done and moving. Promotions should be done on the ball and quickly. Not sat upon and incubated for weeks when things can be settled within 4 days.
Sigh. The boss of the partner company just told me “I hope she stops making a fool of herself.” Strong words. Such strong words. And I am caught in the middle.
How to work like that? Fragile grounds on both sides.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Straits Times Article
Wow, even this gets a mention in the papers. Gosh. Don't they have better things to report???
=======
Travolta's 2 dogs killed
BANGOR (Maine) - A SERVICE vehicle at Maine's Bangor International Airport has struck and killed two dogs owned by John Travolta.
The city says the accident happened after an airplane carrying members of Travolta's family landed early last Thursday and the dogs were being walked. The city issued the statement after the Bangor Daily News newspaper confirmed the accident through an e-mail from the city manager to the City Council.
A Travolta spokesman hasn't returned a telephone message left on Monday seeking comment.
The Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction actor is an accomplished pilot who often flies to Bangor while en route to his home on Islesboro, off the Maine coast. It's unclear whether he was in the cockpit the night his dogs died. -- AP
Friday, May 14, 2010
Of foam and bristles
I was brushing my teeth after lunch. An auntie came into the washroom, did whatever she had to do and then came to wash her hands next to my basin.
She started talking to me.
Gosh. Do I look like I’m in a position to hold a proper conversation? When my mouth is filled with foam and toothpaste?
She: Oh you do this everyday ah?
Me: *smiles a foamy toothpaste outlined smile and nods*
She: Wah really ah? You’re very well-kept hor! So hardworking!
Me: *think for a split second* (well-kept? Is this the right phrase to be used to describe what I am doing? I’ve heard of well-kept secrets and well-kept mistresses who are well-kept secrets but hmm…..)
Me: *another foamy smile*
She: You use something special issit? Some kind of creamy thing?
Me: ?????????
Me: *picks up the tube of COLGATE toothpaste on my basin and shows it to her*
She: Oh okok. Only Colgate ah? I thought you’re using some special cream or what….
Me: *gives a foamy grimace*
She: Ok lah, I’ll go back to office first.
Me: *continues brushing*
She started talking to me.
Gosh. Do I look like I’m in a position to hold a proper conversation? When my mouth is filled with foam and toothpaste?
She: Oh you do this everyday ah?
Me: *smiles a foamy toothpaste outlined smile and nods*
She: Wah really ah? You’re very well-kept hor! So hardworking!
Me: *think for a split second* (well-kept? Is this the right phrase to be used to describe what I am doing? I’ve heard of well-kept secrets and well-kept mistresses who are well-kept secrets but hmm…..)
Me: *another foamy smile*
She: You use something special issit? Some kind of creamy thing?
Me: ?????????
Me: *picks up the tube of COLGATE toothpaste on my basin and shows it to her*
She: Oh okok. Only Colgate ah? I thought you’re using some special cream or what….
Me: *gives a foamy grimace*
She: Ok lah, I’ll go back to office first.
Me: *continues brushing*
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Counsellors & Controllers
A personality survey I did in March last year left quite an impression on me because I found it rather accurate. According to that theory, there are 4 types of people: Controllers, Counsellors, Engineers and …blah, I cannot remember the fourth type but it doesn’t matter in the context of this post…
Counsellors. Softer in nature, more approachable. Mediator. Concilliatory. Avoids conflicts. Tends to internalize thoughts. Generally the peace-maker.
Controllers. Wants to be in control and be seen in control. Tend to impose their views on others but not always in an uncompromising manner. Speaks up, speaks out, speaks more.
Engineers. Straight and less flexible compared to the other types. Rigid and unyielding at times. Less creative. Everything by the book.
It’s easy to tell which of the above I am. I am a “Counsellor”. I had a little of the other traits, but the test indicated that I was mainly a Counsellor. At least 80-90%.
It’s a little difficult. Working in a team where there’s a majority of Controllers and some Engineers around. Each having their ways of doing things. Each insisting on their views. Each wanting things to be done this way and not that way.
Recently, another Controller joined my team. He’s now the dominant Controller because he’s had more experience and greater knowledge. Loud voice too. He can be quiet and contemplative when mulling over an issue but when he wants to make a point known. He’ll talk the whole room down. And he sure can probe as hell. His questions strategically placed in conversations. One of those whom you know the mind is on a constant whir of activity. And one of those whom you find it hard to tell if he has a hidden agenda or not.
But, he is smart and very capable.
The team’s been plagued by MCs, reservists, child sick leave and blah blah. So we’ve been operating on a half-strength from time to time. When it gets back to the days when all are around in the office, I wonder if there’ll be more work discussions and disagreements on how to move forward.
Come to think of it, I think I actually am surrounded by a lot of Controllers. Whether in work or personal life. Haha…do Counsellors attract Controllers?
Counsellors. Softer in nature, more approachable. Mediator. Concilliatory. Avoids conflicts. Tends to internalize thoughts. Generally the peace-maker.
Controllers. Wants to be in control and be seen in control. Tend to impose their views on others but not always in an uncompromising manner. Speaks up, speaks out, speaks more.
Engineers. Straight and less flexible compared to the other types. Rigid and unyielding at times. Less creative. Everything by the book.
It’s easy to tell which of the above I am. I am a “Counsellor”. I had a little of the other traits, but the test indicated that I was mainly a Counsellor. At least 80-90%.
It’s a little difficult. Working in a team where there’s a majority of Controllers and some Engineers around. Each having their ways of doing things. Each insisting on their views. Each wanting things to be done this way and not that way.
Recently, another Controller joined my team. He’s now the dominant Controller because he’s had more experience and greater knowledge. Loud voice too. He can be quiet and contemplative when mulling over an issue but when he wants to make a point known. He’ll talk the whole room down. And he sure can probe as hell. His questions strategically placed in conversations. One of those whom you know the mind is on a constant whir of activity. And one of those whom you find it hard to tell if he has a hidden agenda or not.
But, he is smart and very capable.
The team’s been plagued by MCs, reservists, child sick leave and blah blah. So we’ve been operating on a half-strength from time to time. When it gets back to the days when all are around in the office, I wonder if there’ll be more work discussions and disagreements on how to move forward.
Come to think of it, I think I actually am surrounded by a lot of Controllers. Whether in work or personal life. Haha…do Counsellors attract Controllers?
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Mind Over Body!
I share a close office environment with about 4 other colleagues. 3 of them have taken turns to fall sick with high fever and cough…another one sitting slightly further away is away on long MC with chicken pox.
I hope I’m strong enough! Can’t fall sick with an exam in 3 weeks and my house renovation stuff happening!
I hope I’m strong enough! Can’t fall sick with an exam in 3 weeks and my house renovation stuff happening!
Monday, April 26, 2010
:(
One of the main reasons why I have not coloured my hair at a salon for the last 5 years at least....
Is that it never turns out nice to me.
The ones that somehow end up looking alright on my head...are those DIY packages which can be bought for 10% of the price you pay at the salon.
I did my hair yesterday. Permed it again. It fried my hair a little.
Considering I didn't give it enough rest since the last perm.
I highlighted it too. I should have insisted on a brownish colour. Safe colour for me considering that I'm tanned. The fella told me to try a deep magenta...a shade of red, in layman terms. I told her I prefer browns. She said to try something new..I thought ok lah. Fuck it and just do it.
So now I have red highlights.
I need to remind myself that whenever I say "fuck it and just do it" for hair colouring. It never does turn out right.
I don't like it.
Hell I'm considering if I should get a DIY pack and cover it all up.
I want my natural hair colour back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that it never turns out nice to me.
The ones that somehow end up looking alright on my head...are those DIY packages which can be bought for 10% of the price you pay at the salon.
I did my hair yesterday. Permed it again. It fried my hair a little.
Considering I didn't give it enough rest since the last perm.
I highlighted it too. I should have insisted on a brownish colour. Safe colour for me considering that I'm tanned. The fella told me to try a deep magenta...a shade of red, in layman terms. I told her I prefer browns. She said to try something new..I thought ok lah. Fuck it and just do it.
So now I have red highlights.
I need to remind myself that whenever I say "fuck it and just do it" for hair colouring. It never does turn out right.
I don't like it.
Hell I'm considering if I should get a DIY pack and cover it all up.
I want my natural hair colour back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I've got a friend
I've got a friend. A fun-loving 21-yr-old young girl prone to crazy shrieks and mad giggles.
She's listed as a Portugese in her identity card. But looks like a girl from China.
She was born in Hong Kong. But spent the latter half of her life in Singapore.
She speaks English like any Singaporean. But can't speak enough Mandarin to save her own ass (like alot of other Singaporeans haha).
She's petite at 1.58m. But her voicebox is a loudhailer in its own right.
She is learning French. But also intends to learn German and Korean.
She can kick any guys' ass flat with her jujitsu skills. But she's also into scrap-booking.
She loves food. But doesn't eat pork, can't take seafood, doesn't eat chicken, cannot take much spicy food and doesn't like vegetables.
If I were her, I'd be terribly confused by now.
She's listed as a Portugese in her identity card. But looks like a girl from China.
She was born in Hong Kong. But spent the latter half of her life in Singapore.
She speaks English like any Singaporean. But can't speak enough Mandarin to save her own ass (like alot of other Singaporeans haha).
She's petite at 1.58m. But her voicebox is a loudhailer in its own right.
She is learning French. But also intends to learn German and Korean.
She can kick any guys' ass flat with her jujitsu skills. But she's also into scrap-booking.
She loves food. But doesn't eat pork, can't take seafood, doesn't eat chicken, cannot take much spicy food and doesn't like vegetables.
If I were her, I'd be terribly confused by now.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
blogging
I have not been writing in here very regularly. Interest is waning.
Even if I do write, it's on trivialities and mundane issues and uninteresting matters.
So really...why write? Why blog anymore when I've got nothing better to say?
Hmm....
There are times when I have a sudden inspiration during the day or when I'm on my way to work, or when I'm walking somewhere and I see something......I'll tell myself "Ok, I'll write on that!"
But when I sit in front of the PC hours later, I find that that moment of inspiration has come and gone. Lost to the wind. And I'll be sitting in front of the PC feeling empty again with nary a clue of what to write.
That's right. Emptiness. Not knowing what to write, to say, to feel, to think.
I wonder how an author feels when he/she gets writers' block.
Even if I do write, it's on trivialities and mundane issues and uninteresting matters.
So really...why write? Why blog anymore when I've got nothing better to say?
Hmm....
There are times when I have a sudden inspiration during the day or when I'm on my way to work, or when I'm walking somewhere and I see something......I'll tell myself "Ok, I'll write on that!"
But when I sit in front of the PC hours later, I find that that moment of inspiration has come and gone. Lost to the wind. And I'll be sitting in front of the PC feeling empty again with nary a clue of what to write.
That's right. Emptiness. Not knowing what to write, to say, to feel, to think.
I wonder how an author feels when he/she gets writers' block.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Angry Birds vs Green Pigs
My throne in K-kingdom has been usurped by a bunch of angry birds... haha.
K has recently been somewhat addicted to this game called Angry Birds on his iphone...
Here's a cute excerpt.
And the following vid will explain to you..why the hell these birdies are all so angry at the pigs hahahahahhahahahhaa
K has recently been somewhat addicted to this game called Angry Birds on his iphone...
Here's a cute excerpt.
And the following vid will explain to you..why the hell these birdies are all so angry at the pigs hahahahahhahahahhaa
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Jigsaw
The pieces were there
All the while
It took time of course
But she had pieced together
Some of them
She felt elated
For a short while
But the more she
Fit them together
The more she had doubts
Colours and shapes
Don’t seem to
Match anymore
She felt confused
And lost
The pieces did not
Match anymore
All that time spent
She had to undo
Had to unlearn
Her previous steps
Start all over
Keep moving forward
In the hope that
The pieces will
All fall together
In place
Eventually
All the while
It took time of course
But she had pieced together
Some of them
She felt elated
For a short while
But the more she
Fit them together
The more she had doubts
Colours and shapes
Don’t seem to
Match anymore
She felt confused
And lost
The pieces did not
Match anymore
All that time spent
She had to undo
Had to unlearn
Her previous steps
Start all over
Keep moving forward
In the hope that
The pieces will
All fall together
In place
Eventually
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Le matin
Let’s see. How was my morning?
The negatives
Cut my elbow, yet another consequence of my clumsiness and silliness. Lost a patch of skin, lost a few drops of blood and now I’ve got a plaster across my right elbow.
Was glared at by a friggin’ taxi driver when he almost hit me when I crossing a zebra crossing. Zebra crossing leh. I don’t think I was at fault…I gave him ample time to stop.
Someone told me straight in my face that I should do something to the big open pores on my nose.
The pimple on my nose was an ugly purple.
The positives
I found two primary school friends through FB. Gosh…I lost touch with them 18 years ago after we went to different secondary schools.
Finally made some headway on a long-standing issue
The pimple is drying up, albeit slowly.
The negatives
Cut my elbow, yet another consequence of my clumsiness and silliness. Lost a patch of skin, lost a few drops of blood and now I’ve got a plaster across my right elbow.
Was glared at by a friggin’ taxi driver when he almost hit me when I crossing a zebra crossing. Zebra crossing leh. I don’t think I was at fault…I gave him ample time to stop.
Someone told me straight in my face that I should do something to the big open pores on my nose.
The pimple on my nose was an ugly purple.
The positives
I found two primary school friends through FB. Gosh…I lost touch with them 18 years ago after we went to different secondary schools.
Finally made some headway on a long-standing issue
The pimple is drying up, albeit slowly.
Monday, March 22, 2010
:(
Been making many silly careless mistakes for the last few weeks and months maybe.
I feel like as if I'm a fresh grad who just started working.
Angry & pissed.
I used to be a meticulous worker, especially during my editorial and proof-reading days.
What happened from then till now??
Argh.
I feel like as if I'm a fresh grad who just started working.
Angry & pissed.
I used to be a meticulous worker, especially during my editorial and proof-reading days.
What happened from then till now??
Argh.
Peanut
I suddenly thought of Peanut today. One of my hamsters from all those years ago.
When he was a baby, his head and body were shaped like groundnuts. Hence the name Peanut. He wasn't a very pretty sight though when he grew older. Dull grey fur and pink feet. And he looked rather bedraggled all the time. Haha...But he was still loved by us together with his other 4 sisters.
He died a somewhat tragic death back in 2003 or 2004 and both my Dad and I felt guilty for it.
We caused his death due to our carelessness. We didn't check his water-bottle properly. It wasn't flowing well. I think he died of thirst, at the premature age of 1.5 years old.
Funny how I suddenly thought of him today. While at work somemore.
When he was a baby, his head and body were shaped like groundnuts. Hence the name Peanut. He wasn't a very pretty sight though when he grew older. Dull grey fur and pink feet. And he looked rather bedraggled all the time. Haha...But he was still loved by us together with his other 4 sisters.
He died a somewhat tragic death back in 2003 or 2004 and both my Dad and I felt guilty for it.
We caused his death due to our carelessness. We didn't check his water-bottle properly. It wasn't flowing well. I think he died of thirst, at the premature age of 1.5 years old.
Funny how I suddenly thought of him today. While at work somemore.
Bad Debts
Sometimes, you loan out things and never get to see them again...
- CD - Wu Bai
- Book - Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Book - Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
- Book – Notes from a Small Island by Neil Humphreys
- Book – Notes from an Even Smaller Island by Neil Humphreys
- $$$$
I return what I borrow, unless the other party tells me to keep it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Depapepe
I discovered a new musical duo. Depapepe.
A Japanese duo who first launched their debut album in 2005. Enjoy...:)
A Japanese duo who first launched their debut album in 2005. Enjoy...:)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
...........zzz...............
How can something so fulfilling in some months become an utter source of boredom in other months?
The pendulum swings. The cycle begins.
I can taste the bittersweet grain of things. I can hear the churn of the machines.
Love-hate relationship.
With?
Work, of course.
OMG.
God, grant me the energy to keep my eyelids up for the rest of the afternoon......
The pendulum swings. The cycle begins.
I can taste the bittersweet grain of things. I can hear the churn of the machines.
Love-hate relationship.
With?
Work, of course.
OMG.
God, grant me the energy to keep my eyelids up for the rest of the afternoon......
Love It, Hate It?
I can't claim to be a music critic or be well-versed in any genre or forms of music..
But I seem to like this particular performance alot...
But I seem to like this particular performance alot...
Pompeii
One of those songs in which you can imagne great and grand settings in some greek or roman empire building...
Last of the Mohicans
I’ve always liked this song. I don’t know what genre you call this. Celtic music? Hmm…yeah I think it is. I have a CD on Celtic music…think it’s time I dig it out from the cupboard. :)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
What you would you....
If you had zero commitments and liabilities right now,
And were given the chance to drop everything,
And do something you want,
What would you do?
If you weren’t that afraid of the unknown,
And that comfortable with your current situation,
And that stubborn to stick to what you’re doing now,
What would you try?
If you had a lot more courage,
And a little bit more sense of adventure,
And perhaps a dash of impulse,
What would you endeavour?
What would you attempt?
What would you take a crack at?
What would you give a shot at?
And were given the chance to drop everything,
And do something you want,
What would you do?
If you weren’t that afraid of the unknown,
And that comfortable with your current situation,
And that stubborn to stick to what you’re doing now,
What would you try?
If you had a lot more courage,
And a little bit more sense of adventure,
And perhaps a dash of impulse,
What would you endeavour?
What would you attempt?
What would you take a crack at?
What would you give a shot at?
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
*Breathe*
Had two dreams. One last night and one this morning on the train to work.
Both were the same dream.
I was in an underground cave which was almost full with water. I had to swim fully submerged underwater to get out. Paddled with the right hand and The left hand was held above my head feeling the roof of the cave for any potential cavities for pockets of air I could catch a few breaths from. I felt rather suffocated. My lungs were bursting.
And then I woke.
It was exactly the same for both dreams.
Both were the same dream.
I was in an underground cave which was almost full with water. I had to swim fully submerged underwater to get out. Paddled with the right hand and The left hand was held above my head feeling the roof of the cave for any potential cavities for pockets of air I could catch a few breaths from. I felt rather suffocated. My lungs were bursting.
And then I woke.
It was exactly the same for both dreams.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
I'm not alone
I've never seen anyone else with triangular-shaped nostrils.
Till yesterday on the MRT, when I saw an auntie from China.
Voila. I'm not the only one with strangely-shaped nostrils.
Till yesterday on the MRT, when I saw an auntie from China.
Voila. I'm not the only one with strangely-shaped nostrils.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Fresh Blood
A new colleague just came in.
Oh well, he's not entirely new. He was with my company previously but left about 3 years ago, had a stint outside but was still in the same industry and now he's back again.
New colleague, new dynamics again.
He's a smart smart guy..Hope he injects new directions to the way the compan is run.
And hope I can learn more things from him.
Oh well, he's not entirely new. He was with my company previously but left about 3 years ago, had a stint outside but was still in the same industry and now he's back again.
New colleague, new dynamics again.
He's a smart smart guy..Hope he injects new directions to the way the compan is run.
And hope I can learn more things from him.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Sigh
What else do you do to help a staff learn?
What more can you do to change the attitude of a staff?
Me: *explains what she needs to do to amend a document*
Me: You get it or not?
Her: *nods*
Her: Ok, heh. I ask mei mei (a temp staff) to help me.
Me: Why everytime ask her to do YOUR things? You need to try then you can learn mah. Then next time when she’s not around already then how? Who’s going to help you do?
Her: Heh. Orh thanks. *walks off*
What more can you do to change the attitude of a staff?
Me: *explains what she needs to do to amend a document*
Me: You get it or not?
Her: *nods*
Her: Ok, heh. I ask mei mei (a temp staff) to help me.
Me: Why everytime ask her to do YOUR things? You need to try then you can learn mah. Then next time when she’s not around already then how? Who’s going to help you do?
Her: Heh. Orh thanks. *walks off*
Thursday, February 25, 2010
There's Something Strange In the Neighbourhood
- pimple outbreak
- tiredness
- aching back
- aching feet
- bloatedness
something’s coming…
- tiredness
- aching back
- aching feet
- bloatedness
something’s coming…
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
more GRUMbles
In a foul mood.
Is this Murphy's Law? When you're on leave, your boss finds you through calls and SMS-es. But when you're in office, there's nary a sound from him???
WTH?
Is this Murphy's Law? When you're on leave, your boss finds you through calls and SMS-es. But when you're in office, there's nary a sound from him???
WTH?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Street Drummer
Just using normal pails and stuff...
Quite cool..Makes me wish I had some sort of musical talent in me...
But I think I've nary a shred ahahhaa...enjoy the vid!
Quite cool..Makes me wish I had some sort of musical talent in me...
But I think I've nary a shred ahahhaa...enjoy the vid!
:(
I'm upset.
I won't get the chance to go on a safari tour afterall.
And so much so for having taken 3 vaccination jabs and 1 oral vaccine. And endured 2 days of having a sore upper left arm.
I'm not going to Nairobi afterall. :(
Some friggin islamist insurgency millitant group originating from Somalia issued a video statement threatening to bomb the US Embassy and our meeting venue. But didn't say when. Still for safety and security reasons, alot of people are pulling out of the meeting.......alot of those foreigners I'm familiar with are not going too....The US, Australia and UK State Travel Departments have issued travel advisories against travel to Nairobi.
Upsetting...sigh.
It's been a dream since young to visit the safari....:(
Oh well.
I'm putting more hope on the conference in Brussels coming up in June.
*crosses fingers*
I won't get the chance to go on a safari tour afterall.
And so much so for having taken 3 vaccination jabs and 1 oral vaccine. And endured 2 days of having a sore upper left arm.
I'm not going to Nairobi afterall. :(
Some friggin islamist insurgency millitant group originating from Somalia issued a video statement threatening to bomb the US Embassy and our meeting venue. But didn't say when. Still for safety and security reasons, alot of people are pulling out of the meeting.......alot of those foreigners I'm familiar with are not going too....The US, Australia and UK State Travel Departments have issued travel advisories against travel to Nairobi.
Upsetting...sigh.
It's been a dream since young to visit the safari....:(
Oh well.
I'm putting more hope on the conference in Brussels coming up in June.
*crosses fingers*
Je n'aime pas les boutons!
Which translates t "I hate pimples!"
Having a bad breakout…probably because of…
- that time of the month drawing near
- all the junk food consumed during CNY gatherings and festivities
- that hair cream which I was instructed to use after perming
- general skin sensitivity
Having a bad breakout…probably because of…
- that time of the month drawing near
- all the junk food consumed during CNY gatherings and festivities
- that hair cream which I was instructed to use after perming
- general skin sensitivity
early morning grumbles
There are times when I should just mind my own business. I can’t help but voice things out when there’s something dumb and inefficient I see going on.
But whatever lah. This small voice of a small manager is easily dismissed by a Senior Manager. So I’ll just curse at her silently and wish that she f*cks off.
But whatever lah. This small voice of a small manager is easily dismissed by a Senior Manager. So I’ll just curse at her silently and wish that she f*cks off.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Dans La Cuisine
When I have kids of my own, regardless of whether they are sons or daughters, I’ll make sure they at least have some level of competency in the kitchen.
I think it’s essential. And yes, I do thank my mum for making me to learn and help out in the kitchen when I was younger.
I think it’s essential. And yes, I do thank my mum for making me to learn and help out in the kitchen when I was younger.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Mothers...
My mum still talks to me like I'm a child at times or like as if I don't know anything...
Nag here nag there...sigh...
Are all mothers like this?
Nag here nag there...sigh...
Are all mothers like this?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Earful
Everybody needs a listening ear from time to time.
Maybe we spend a considerable time during our youth being listening ears to others, especially the older folks. When we get older, we ourselves want more air-time. We pounce on unsuspecting younger people…and so the cycle continues.
Everybody needs a listening ear from time to time.
Some people listen better than others. Some talk better than others. And others just see better than others. So what are you? Or which are you? I think I’m the former. Some people talk, without listening to themselves. Some people talk, without listening to others and it ends up as a one-man tirade.
Everybody needs a listening ear from time to time.
Be it for grouses, happy things, sad stuff, general chat or nonsensical things...
Maybe we spend a considerable time during our youth being listening ears to others, especially the older folks. When we get older, we ourselves want more air-time. We pounce on unsuspecting younger people…and so the cycle continues.
Everybody needs a listening ear from time to time.
Some people listen better than others. Some talk better than others. And others just see better than others. So what are you? Or which are you? I think I’m the former. Some people talk, without listening to themselves. Some people talk, without listening to others and it ends up as a one-man tirade.
Everybody needs a listening ear from time to time.
Be it for grouses, happy things, sad stuff, general chat or nonsensical things...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
爱心 Cookies
Ok, so they don't really look like choc cookies, but at least the taste and fragrance is there haha. I should have sprinkled some choc chips on the cookies before sending them off into the oven....:)
They ended up looking more like oatmeal cookies. ;p
Voila, the finished product...:)Spent at least 3.5 hours after work trying to get everything done up nicely.
No points for guessing who was the recipient of the gift...hehe.
I love the ribbons!!! White, lilac and silver...
Friday, February 12, 2010
Meteor Garden
It all started with K playing Harlem Yu's song one night. "Qing Fei De Yi".
The main theme song from the all-too famous Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden" from all those years back. I think it was almost 6-7 years back. Or was it more? I really can't remember!
The song brought back memories of that show.
Before I knew it. And before I could stop myself. I started watching the show again.
This is probably my 3rd time watching the whole show.
I am surprisingly still hooked to it. I wonder why.
It still evokes a certain sense of yearning in me. I still swoon over Jerry Yen.
I still like Barbie Hsu. I still think she's sweet looking and very much like an Asian barbie doll.
I still get touched at the same scenes, get irked by the same scenes and get emotional at the same scenes as when I watched the show last time.
Hmm.....;p
The main theme song from the all-too famous Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden" from all those years back. I think it was almost 6-7 years back. Or was it more? I really can't remember!
The song brought back memories of that show.
Before I knew it. And before I could stop myself. I started watching the show again.
This is probably my 3rd time watching the whole show.
I am surprisingly still hooked to it. I wonder why.
It still evokes a certain sense of yearning in me. I still swoon over Jerry Yen.
I still like Barbie Hsu. I still think she's sweet looking and very much like an Asian barbie doll.
I still get touched at the same scenes, get irked by the same scenes and get emotional at the same scenes as when I watched the show last time.
Hmm.....;p
Fivers
I went through an exercise about 4 years back. It was a strange campaign. A little self-centered some may say, but maybe also a process of understanding yourself better too.
Then, I went around bugging a few close friends to each give ma a set of 5 words. 5 words which, in their opinion, best describes me.
I think it’d be cool to go through this again. For posterity, for fun, for more understanding.
Purpleskies was one of them who had to go through my incessant bugging back in 2006. ;p Poor thing.
But oh well, she’ll need to go through it again. Yes, my darling, you’re reading this and you have the CNY holidays to prepare the 5 words. Will ask you next week haha. ;p
I was looking through my past entries from 2006. And I came across 5 words from Glenn.
Hormonal, Emphathetic, Lively, Linguist and Sensible.
After 4 years, looking at these 4 words, I’ve come to realize that some still hold true and one or two might be a little inaccurate already.
So what would be your 5 words to describe me now?
Then, I went around bugging a few close friends to each give ma a set of 5 words. 5 words which, in their opinion, best describes me.
I think it’d be cool to go through this again. For posterity, for fun, for more understanding.
Purpleskies was one of them who had to go through my incessant bugging back in 2006. ;p Poor thing.
But oh well, she’ll need to go through it again. Yes, my darling, you’re reading this and you have the CNY holidays to prepare the 5 words. Will ask you next week haha. ;p
I was looking through my past entries from 2006. And I came across 5 words from Glenn.
Hormonal, Emphathetic, Lively, Linguist and Sensible.
After 4 years, looking at these 4 words, I’ve come to realize that some still hold true and one or two might be a little inaccurate already.
So what would be your 5 words to describe me now?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
wth
It is said that in the Year of the Tiger, the tiger and the monkey will be at extreme loggerheads.
How nice.
I am surrounded by tigers.
Mother. Boss. K's Dad. K's bro-in-law.
=====
"You don't antagonise me, I don't antagonise you." She said.
"Fine. You don't step in my way, I don't step in yours. The former happens 95 times more than the latter anyway." I replied.
That was a few weeks ago.
=====
Voila. And we had the first argument of the year.
Over a hot pan of yam cake.
Sheesh.
How nice.
I am surrounded by tigers.
Mother. Boss. K's Dad. K's bro-in-law.
=====
"You don't antagonise me, I don't antagonise you." She said.
"Fine. You don't step in my way, I don't step in yours. The former happens 95 times more than the latter anyway." I replied.
That was a few weeks ago.
=====
Voila. And we had the first argument of the year.
Over a hot pan of yam cake.
Sheesh.
Waves
Ok, I don't really look good in pics.... haha...But here you go...big waves...can't be really clearly seen though..hmm
Didn't do massive curls
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Ni Yao De Ai - Penny Dai
I admit. I was a fan of Meteor Garden and I think I still am. Oh well at least, I definitely don't mind watching the whole drama again.
This is my favourite song from the show...Penny Dai's Ni Yao De Ai.
"The Love That You Want" I don't understand the MV though.
This is my favourite song from the show...Penny Dai's Ni Yao De Ai.
"The Love That You Want" I don't understand the MV though.
Online shopping
The first time I tried ordering online.
Out of 2 tops, I only wore one.
The second time I bought stuff online.
Out of 2 tops. I wore one.
There was a belt. It's still hanging in the cupboard.
The third time I did it.
Out of 6 tops, I wore 2 and gave away 2.
Am still wondering what to do with the other 2 sitting in the cupboard.
I don't know why I am so stubborn.
When the experiences so far have been far from good.
I am trying a fourth time.
I just received a mail saying that they've despatched the goods out already.
I should receive the things today or tomorrow.
1 bag and 2 tops.
*crosses fingers*
Out of 2 tops, I only wore one.
The second time I bought stuff online.
Out of 2 tops. I wore one.
There was a belt. It's still hanging in the cupboard.
The third time I did it.
Out of 6 tops, I wore 2 and gave away 2.
Am still wondering what to do with the other 2 sitting in the cupboard.
I don't know why I am so stubborn.
When the experiences so far have been far from good.
I am trying a fourth time.
I just received a mail saying that they've despatched the goods out already.
I should receive the things today or tomorrow.
1 bag and 2 tops.
*crosses fingers*
:(
Sad leh.
Am told by quite a number of folks that the curls I did are not enough. And it seems to be loosening up so much that it looks like just a body volume perm now.
Sigh. Waste money?
Am told by quite a number of folks that the curls I did are not enough. And it seems to be loosening up so much that it looks like just a body volume perm now.
Sigh. Waste money?
Monday, February 08, 2010
evolution
I used to listen to English songs when I was a kid. I mean come on, I've got two "kantang" parents...and a "kantang" brother as well...went from 98.7FM with my brother to 90.5Fm with my parents...
And then in 1993. By some strange discovery, or myabe it was through a friend's influence, i discovered Chinese music. And I switched to 93.3FM. For a long long while I was listening to Mandarin songs for more than 95% of my time.
It was a strange thing actually. I was listening to Mandarin songs, watching Chinese dramas and getting hyper over singers like Alex To...But I was struggling with Chinese in school. It was quite a paradox really haha.
And for the next 15 years, it was Mandopop all the way.
Till 2007, 2008 and 2009 when I found myself switching back to English songs...
Things happened naturally...and now I'm back to being a Class95FM listener...
I tried listening to 933Fm that day and found it a little jarring to my ears haha..
And then in 1993. By some strange discovery, or myabe it was through a friend's influence, i discovered Chinese music. And I switched to 93.3FM. For a long long while I was listening to Mandarin songs for more than 95% of my time.
It was a strange thing actually. I was listening to Mandarin songs, watching Chinese dramas and getting hyper over singers like Alex To...But I was struggling with Chinese in school. It was quite a paradox really haha.
And for the next 15 years, it was Mandopop all the way.
Till 2007, 2008 and 2009 when I found myself switching back to English songs...
Things happened naturally...and now I'm back to being a Class95FM listener...
I tried listening to 933Fm that day and found it a little jarring to my ears haha..
Alex To - Lover
We were listening to Chinese songs. The first time we've done that haha.
And hearing some of the old songs made me nostalgic. I remember the below song being one of the nice ones from 10 years ago...
And hearing some of the old songs made me nostalgic. I remember the below song being one of the nice ones from 10 years ago...
It's Spring!
I've come to realise that...
The days are getting longer!
Springtime! :)
It's 640pm now and the skies are still as bright as ever! :)
The days are getting longer!
Springtime! :)
It's 640pm now and the skies are still as bright as ever! :)
jab jab jab
I went for vaccinations today...:(
Had 3 jabs...and another oral vaccine.
yellow fever
thyphoid
hepatitis A
polio
I went TTSH with the intention of only having the yellow fever jab and ended up with 3 more vaccines....gosh.
Is Africa really country with so many rampant diseases?
Took 2 jabs in the left arm and 1 in the right.
Left arm feels a little sore now...
Had 3 jabs...and another oral vaccine.
yellow fever
thyphoid
hepatitis A
polio
I went TTSH with the intention of only having the yellow fever jab and ended up with 3 more vaccines....gosh.
Is Africa really country with so many rampant diseases?
Took 2 jabs in the left arm and 1 in the right.
Left arm feels a little sore now...
curly fries
I did it. Finally. :) A step into being more open and positive.
I permed my hair haha. After talking about it for 2-3 years.
But I think I won’t do it again till maybe a few years later or what….I sat for 5 hours in the salon. I thought spending 4 hours to rebond my hair last time was bad enough…This took 5 hours haha…My bum was a little numb at one point in time lol.
Mixed reactions from people haha. Aunties say nice…peers say quite okay, some said nice also. The Coll and another guy said there’s no difference, just a wavier version of my previous straight hair. My brother said there’s not much difference too, just some waves only…
One thing I know. Maintenance can be quite a chore for such manes…
I permed my hair haha. After talking about it for 2-3 years.
But I think I won’t do it again till maybe a few years later or what….I sat for 5 hours in the salon. I thought spending 4 hours to rebond my hair last time was bad enough…This took 5 hours haha…My bum was a little numb at one point in time lol.
Mixed reactions from people haha. Aunties say nice…peers say quite okay, some said nice also. The Coll and another guy said there’s no difference, just a wavier version of my previous straight hair. My brother said there’s not much difference too, just some waves only…
One thing I know. Maintenance can be quite a chore for such manes…
Friday, February 05, 2010
Birdie Time Again
Ok, trips are confirmed.
28 Feb – 3 Mar: KL
6 – 13 Mar: Nairobi, Kenya
But damn it, I need to go for a yellow fever vaccination at least 2 weeks before the Nairobi trip. And maybe even a thyroid vaccination too…..
I don’t want needles!!! :(
28 Feb – 3 Mar: KL
6 – 13 Mar: Nairobi, Kenya
But damn it, I need to go for a yellow fever vaccination at least 2 weeks before the Nairobi trip. And maybe even a thyroid vaccination too…..
I don’t want needles!!! :(
What the??
Omg. I don’t like the cover done on the two songs….
And the styling of the two boys was horrendous. Two pale vampires with curry-puff hair….errrrrr……
And the styling of the two boys was horrendous. Two pale vampires with curry-puff hair….errrrrr……
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Yellow
I was dressing up this morning. I picked one of my fav tops…
A comfy yellow half cotton, half knit-wear type of top to match my beige skirt…..
I put it on.
It went over my head. My arms slid through the sleeves…..And then I heard an awful sound………………
*Spppprrrrrrriiiiiaaaaattttttttccccchhhhhhh*
Oh shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTH!
One big hole appeared right in the front of the blouse. A seam had decided there and then to part ways...A seam which runs right below the chest area……
*wails*
I hope it can be mended….Hmm……
A comfy yellow half cotton, half knit-wear type of top to match my beige skirt…..
I put it on.
It went over my head. My arms slid through the sleeves…..And then I heard an awful sound………………
*Spppprrrrrrriiiiiaaaaattttttttccccchhhhhhh*
Oh shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTH!
One big hole appeared right in the front of the blouse. A seam had decided there and then to part ways...A seam which runs right below the chest area……
*wails*
I hope it can be mended….Hmm……
幸福小女人 – 重播
Hehe, K surprised me with dinner! He made crepes! Both savoury and dessert crepes! So clever!! Hahhaa…And so sweet of him! :)
My crepe! With sausage, egg, mushroom and cheese filling
The whole spread! With salad and greens....
He had a tuna and cheese crepe.....
The dessert crepes...Bottom one was butter and honey crepe.
And the top one's my all-time favouraite! Nutella crepe!!
Thank you baby! :D
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
This Morning
6 SMS-es in 20 minutes.
Is this considered harassment? I think almost?
But they were from the man who controls how much bonus I’ll get in May.
Oh, woe is me!
Is this considered harassment? I think almost?
But they were from the man who controls how much bonus I’ll get in May.
Oh, woe is me!
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The Tech Era
I've got a feeling.That the youngsters of the next generation will start saying things like this.
I cannot stand people who jump to conclusions.
I had this on my MSN nick today. "Je Veux". Which in French means "I Want".
JM is someone who understands French.
JM: Hey Congrats!!
Me: Huh? Congratulate me for what?
JM: Cos you're engaged!!
Me: Engaged?
Me: What the hell makes you think I'm engaged???
JM: Cos you wrote "je veux"
Me: Pls lor. Don't anyhow jump to conclusions lor.
Me: In any case, "je veux" means I want lor.
Me: It doesn't mean "I do" or " I will" lor.
JM: haha ok.
Like WTF?
I couldn't be bothered to reply.
5 minutes later.
JM: What is the thing which inspires you most recently?
omg. irksome.
Me: Truth be told. NOTHING.
And yes, that killed the conversation.
Just the way I wanted it.
I needed to concentrate on work anyway.
So adieu to silly conversations and people who jump to conclusions.
JM is someone who understands French.
JM: Hey Congrats!!
Me: Huh? Congratulate me for what?
JM: Cos you're engaged!!
Me: Engaged?
Me: What the hell makes you think I'm engaged???
JM: Cos you wrote "je veux"
Me: Pls lor. Don't anyhow jump to conclusions lor.
Me: In any case, "je veux" means I want lor.
Me: It doesn't mean "I do" or " I will" lor.
JM: haha ok.
Like WTF?
I couldn't be bothered to reply.
5 minutes later.
JM: What is the thing which inspires you most recently?
omg. irksome.
Me: Truth be told. NOTHING.
And yes, that killed the conversation.
Just the way I wanted it.
I needed to concentrate on work anyway.
So adieu to silly conversations and people who jump to conclusions.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Voila, load up ladies! It pays to paint yourself a little!
There are times when I can't resist posting something. This is one of those moments. :)
Ed Alleyne-Johnson
It's music like this which accompanies me while I work.
Left me friggin speechless man...
Left me friggin speechless man...
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