Year 2010

In gist.

I visited a number of cities, tried their cuisines, walked their streets, sat on their public transport, admired their architecture, visited their churches, explored their museums and bought their souvenirs. Kuala Lumpur, Brussels, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Cartagena, Nice, Paris, Geneva, London, Venice and Rome. My fridge door has been lovingly adorned with magnets from different cities. :)

Some long-lost friends found me on Facebook. Some other friends went MIA, two of whom somehow missed my birthday even though they did not for the last 10 years. Kept things going with those who matter and love them even more.

I turned 30. And had a fantastic time celebrating with friends, colleagues and family. And I even had a virtual celebration with K too haha. I don’t feel 30 though. My mind seems to be stuck in my 20s. Denial? I don’t know. ;p

Started a mini gardening project and am still keeping it up!Cactuses and fittonias for the time being as they’re hardier plants and relatively easy to care for. Alison just gave me a pot of African Violets too. :)

Jogging also distanced itself from me in the last quarter of the year…wait, or was it the other way around hmm. ;p

I redid my entire room in June! Tore out my old furniture, put in new ones. All major furniture are dark brown in colour which is my favourite colour for furniture. Repainted the whole room in two shades of yellow. Threw out many old things and kept minimal items. Redecorated everything. Minimal items, minimal clutter.

Read more than 12 books (I think). Both fiction and non-fiction. Some were thoroughly enjoyable. Others were just forgettable. Bought a lot of books, at least 15 of them. Some in French, a majority in English. I’ll enjoy them slowly over the course of 2011.

My grand-aunt, passed away in May. My granny’s younger sister. I visited her in hospital 12 hours before theLord took her away. I spoke to her and I hope she heard me even though she had been in a coma for almost a day by then. The experience brought me a little closer to some of my cousins. Felt rather sad but I guess that’s life. I am just glad she led a good life and had very filial grandchildren.

Managed to strive on with French classes. Oui, et je pense encore que cette langue est tres difficile!

I saw the pope! Well, almost. I missed him by 10 minutes and had to watch him from a video outside the St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City haha.

Cooked Loh Mai Gai (glutinous rice) for the first time and it turned out quite nice actually. :)

Permed my hair for the first time in my life.

Kept up my weekly visits to Granny. Except for the times I was traveling. I’ve lit candles and also prayed on her behalf in churches in Venice, Rome and Paris.

Embarked on a month-long break from work. The first time I’ve had such a long break. And no, the month-long MC in 2005 after my major operation does not count. I went travelling in Europe. And lived the life with K. I felt happy, fortunate and blessed to be able to take such a lovely break.

Other things probably happened in 2010. I can’t really recall. Then again, if I cannot recall, they might have been insignificant. :D

Narcissism and the Weekend Ahead!

I had a happy time doing something I've not done for a long time.
I was trying on all the new clothes which I'd gotten myself over the past week.

Yes, the narcissist in me appears quite often these days lol. Maybe the Europe trip had something to do with it. Hmm ;p

It's a happy Friday. :)
And I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead. Especially tomorrow evening with Ally & PQ.
It's catch up time for the girls!

Sunday will be a cooking day as my parents and I need to start preparing for the Ayam Buah Keluak dish that we have annually during CNY. Sunday will be D-Day where we will crak the nuts open, enlarge the holes, dig out the meat inside, mix the meat with fish paste and prawn paste, and then stuff the meat inside the nut shells again. Yum. :)

The Man

I miss K. Wonder what he is doing now.
He's in London for a career fair. So I really hope it was a fruitful day for him.

Great Friday Night!

It wasn't a fruitful day in the office. I was sleepy and simply had no mood to think or do any form of work. I did some filing and cleared up abit of the papers on my table. Replied some emails, finished up my self-appraisal, advised some of my staff on some areas they weren't sure of and that was about it.

I also went to see the doctor again this afternoon as I still have a slight cough and stuffy nose.

But it was a different story after work. I spent time on my own. I went shopping and participated in a lucky draw. And then I had a slow quiet dinner on my own at Coffee Club at Millenia Walk.

In between 6pm till 915opm when I left town, I managed to:

- Get myself 2 dresses, 2 belts, 2 tops and 1 skirt
- Get my annual must-buy: Lilian Too's 2011 Horoscope for the Monkey
- Finish up the book "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- Edit my CV (though it was done on hard copy and I'd have to amend the soft copy later on)
- Do up a blogpost (on hard copy again)
- Sort through some thoughts
- Listen to Korean jazz
- Get supper for my parents
- Have my favourite seafood bisque soup from Coffee Club
- Participate in a lucky draw
- Visit a small exhibition area in Suntec where they were showcasing various breeds of absolutely adorable rabbits

I thought it was a very fruitful night. And I was feeling happy spending time alone on my own and managing to do and complete most of the things I set out to do.

Whee! :)

Mr Ding

I had dinner with TH today. It was a last minute thing and he called me up since he was hanging around Raffles City. We ended up at Botejyu at the basement of the mall.

The set meals we had were quite nice actually! I ordered a tofu hamburger steak and it came with a Japanese pancake, a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice and some accompanying sauteed bean sprouts.

The steak was actually tofu and minced pork mixed together and shaped into a patty. It was marinated in a slightly sweet, slightly salty brown sauce. The Japanese pancake had seafood in it and was mixed with flour and cabbage.

It was a lovely meal with great company! Hhahaha...
I'm happy for him. He's gotten himself a job! And is starting work next week! After close to 4 months of rest.

Hmm, what's this with friends all finding jobs. Yesterday it was Purpleskies and today's it's TH. Tomorrow? Hmmm...lol.

Anyway, the highlight was that I discovered we'll be neighbours at work pretty soon!!! He'll be at Alexandra too! So after I shift office in end April, I'll be at the second building in front of his building.

Wheee! Another lunch kaki! :)))

Little Mr K

This is exciting. :D

Alison’s gonna pop in the next 2 weeks plus. Hee…the first baby in our group!
And a big baby at that! Apparently he’s weighing about 3.3kg now. I think that’s quite huge actually as it works out to be more than 7pounds! There’s still about 2 weeks more to go, I wonder if he’ll grow somemore…hmm.

PQ & I are going over to her place this Saturday. I told PQ, if Alison happens to pop while we’re there, then we might need to morph into midwives. Hehe. :)

I won't reveal the little one's name yet. But yes, he's another K.... haha.

Lol, Pq, Ally and I each have our own Ks. :D

My Dreams

I realise I have recurring dreams.

All my dreams almost always fall into two categories. It would either be in a school or varsity hostel environment, or it would be a crime scene/puzzle and I would be one of the investigators or police officer assigned to the case.

And all, if not most, of the dreams would involve me feeling a sense of anxiety or fear or being perplexed.

The dreams in school or hostel usually involve me trying to find my way somewhere or I would be walking/running past long corridors and or room doors.

The crime dreams always involve violent crimes like murder or assault. None of them have ever involved petty crimes like theft or vandalism.

And in all my dreams, there will be people I know. I've dreamt of sec sch people, uni folks, ex and current colleagues, relatives, my immediate family, etc.

And I always have first party dreams. That is, I am seeing things from my perspective and not through the eyes of a third party. I do not see myself in the dream but I see through my own eyes. Do I make sense here?

Anyway, I find it slightly disturbing that my dreams almost always fall into these two types.

Hmm.

Bans

There are souvenir T-shirts with the phrase “Singapore is a fine city” emblazoned across the front in big bold letters. There have been jibes about the tons of different types of fines there are in Singapore. Pretty soon, there’ll be a whole laundry list of things which are banned too.

Some existing bans which we are all too familiar with include the ban on chewing gum and the ban on smoking in various public places.

As with all restrictions imposed on Singaporeans, when these bans were first imposed, those who were affected griped, moaned, complained, sulked and cried their little hearts out. But still grew to live with the restriction eventually.

Not much of a choice anyway right? The people in white call the shots. Oh. Opps. I mean the government calls the shots.

And then there is the other category. Bans imposed by private entities.

A few of these have come under the spotlight recently. You hear about it on the radio, you read about it in the papers and online. People are complaining about human rights, unfair treatment, discrimination, yada yada. I read their comments with amusement.

For one, some restaurants in Singapore are banning children in their premises. And the number of restaurants going in this direction seems to be increasing. Their reason? Rowdy kids are a turn-off for other patrons.

For the other, 8 out of 10, if not all, condomimiums in Singapore are banning domestic helpers from using their swimming pools. Their reason? These domestic helpers always flout the rules. What rules? I don’t know, the reports did not elaborate. Maybe domestic helpers in bikinis and swimsuits lead to men going astray?

Anyway.

The former ignited a huge backlash from the community. Needless to say, especially from young parents and would-be young parents. Hell hath no fury like um, a parent denied his/her few remaining and rapidly depleting social excesses?

I say rapidly depleting because it seems like most peoples’ social lives dip drastically after a child appears in their lives. Correct me if I am wrong. But I don’t know any parent who still keeps playing mahjong from dusk to dawn every weekend after having a child.

I digress.

Class 95 deejay Glenn Ong has his own views on children and their parents. He said one day on the Morning Express that parents who do not know how to keep their kids in check should be banned from having children in the first place.

The devil in me agrees wholeheartedly. My blood pressure rises each time I see parents either ignoring or allowing their ill-behaved kids to continue behaving like spoilt brats or raving monkeys.

Then again, there are also the parents who manage to rein in their children and keep in them control. For these parents who cannot bring their children to a certain restaurant anymore and are unhappy about that fact, I say, no choice. Suck thumb lor. Live with it. Hey, I couldn’t have my chewing gum too because some assholes kept sticking their chewed up gums in between lift doors and on lift buttons.

A few inconsiderate black sheep leads to the whole herd being ostracized and penalised. Life’s unfair. Nobody ever said it was. :)

The latter ban. Domestic helpers not being able to use a condominium’s swimming pool.

Class 95 opened it up for discussion. Needless to say, a whole flurry of comments came in. Some for, most against. Most listeners seemed appalled at the discrimination. And said that it wasn’t a discrimination against race or anything. It was a discrimination against an occupation. (Strange how these people didn’t use the word “profession”.)

I agree that while such a ban seems discriminatory, a condo manager did highlight that most condos will still allow domestic helpers to use the pools, especially when they need to take care of the kids under their charge. But they will not hesitate to tell them to leave if they flout any rules or if any other condo resident complains.

Seems fair enough for me if these condos allow some bending of their own restrictions. Like most restrictions and rules, they are there not to be enforced all the time. But to allow someone to be able to enforce if and when the need to arises. In Singlish terms, “I close one eye but if people complain then I will catch.”

=========

I am under medication and am half drowsy.

It’s strange how much crap I can type out under the influence of drugs.I don't know if I am making sense actually. I let my fingers do the typing.

Oh, I am high.

Sigh

I don’t know if I have changed or friends have changed. Perhaps we have all changed. And with changes come adjustments which can be easy or difficult depending on how much emotions are involved and depending on how much people accept that you have changed.

It is rare that friends have brought me tears of sadness. But it has happened before on a few occasions. Today is one occasion.

I don’t feel good now. Not at all. And it’s made even worse because today is my last day at work before I go on leave. I have things to clear but cannot concentrate on them properly.

Sometimes I wonder if I am taken for granted. Sometimes I wonder if I take people for granted. Sometimes I wonder why I am not an expressive person. When it comes to unhappy things with friends, I tend to dust things under the carpet or accept it with a shrug. Less is more ain’t it? More tolerance, less words, more compromise and acceptance = more harmony no?

For such a close friendship which has lasted a long long time and has seen and weathered its own storms, I hope this incident is only a small hurdle to cross.

Feeling tired, didn't want to work, hence...

Back in SG. Since Monday.

I remember watching several in-flight movies while on the way back home.
- Hanamizuki, a lovely Japanese film
- The Other Guys, finished watching the second half of the show
- Never Let Me Go, a movie base don dystopian ideals, somewhat eerie and disturbing at times, a little arty farty, based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Charlie St. Cloud, I have to say Zac Efron did a good job here haha

It's been a busy time since touching down.

Was clearing a major piece of work, running around buying things for the trip and then packing at night. All the while feeling stoned and jetlagged on Monday and Tuesday.

It's Thursday already. Time really flies.

In less than 60 hours I will be flying off again. To see my baby in Nice. :)

I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that the weather doesn’t go any colder than it already is. I’m hoping hard for the snow to be light, light enough for all airports and planes to still operate. :)

Counting down to a white Christmas too. I’ve never seen real snow before and this will be the first time that I am spending Christmas away from home too. I’m glad I managed to settle all the family presents before going away...

It’s been 3.5months since K went over. Can’t wait. :)
It’s a pity his apartment doesn’t have fireplace. It’ll really be lovely to sit in front of it sipping hot chocolate and wrapped up in a warm blanket.

But oh the packing. Too many things. Too small a luggage. I've discovered the wonder of ziploc bags though. Am trying to see if I can squeeze in some cup noodles...and some creams...and I don't know if I need another pair of boots...and I don't know if I need another jacket...

Day 5 – 8th December Colombian time

Same old, same old. Meetings. Conferences. Taking notes. Felt quite tired by 4-plus in the afternoon and went back to the room to sleep till 6-plus. Dinner was a

Met a guy from Tunisia. Conversed a little in French with him but I didn’t really dare to talk freely lol. Paiseh of my broken French.

Colombian men & women
The men & women here are quite good looking. But only a small number of them, the fairer ones. Quite sensuous and model-like. But a great majority of them are dark-skinned and seem rough. Alot of pear-shaped, heavy bottomed women walking around. My colleague said it's a major turn-off lol.

Food
For those times that food is sponsored, I hardly have an idea what I am eating. Prawns are easily identifiable, as are meats. But things like rice, vegetables, and other tubers are quite difficult to identify. I was having fritters last night. I think they coul dhave been either sweet potato, bananas or tapiocas. As my friend from China said "Don't judge the food. Don't look. Just eat and swallow." Hahaha...

They have strong tastes here I think. Food is either very salty or very sweet.

Mozzies
My right foot has been a target for hungry mosquitoes. It's like as if word got around amongst them. I found close to 12 bites on the top of my right foot. And only there. No bites on the rest of my anatomy. Strange. Very strange.

Hotel Staff
The hotel staff know me by name. They see me and greet me with a cheery "Hello Miss Michelle!" Lol...and they also know me as the girl who asks for hot (drinking) water to be sent to her room almost everyday or every other day. ;p Oh yes, and the restaurant staff know me as the Chinese lady who takes tea (and not coffee) for her breakfast meal. Lol.
They are a nice bunch of people, especially the young boys Harold and Juan at the reception. Maybe I will take a photo with them before I leave this place.... :)

Day 4 – 7th December Colombian time

It was a productive day. I had a one-on-one meeting followed by a full day of conference sessions. Managed to keep awake and follow thorugh with most of the discussions and topics which were being presented. Managed to clear some work in between. And managed to meet-up with some overseas friends as well.

Had a sponsored dinner event and it was another lovely affair. I was at a table with Mexicans, a Spaniard, a guy from Costa Rica, another from Venezuela and another from Puerto Rico. It’s always interesting meeting people from different cultures and places. You learn that some fads are not only in your little island but are happening around the world too. Haha.

Told my parents about me sitting with these Latino men and my Dad's first reaction was to sak "Are they tikopeks?" ahahaha...

Caught up with old friends, by old meaning I’ve known them for around 3 years, haha…and met some new ones. :)

Day 3 – 6th December Colombian time

Not doing too good today. Am feeling jet-lagged and getting quite sick of eating bread, sandwiches, cheesy stuff and pasta. I miss my bee tai bak.

Spent a part of the afternoon in the hotel room accessing the meeting remotely.

Day 2 - Sunday 5th Dec Colombia Time.

Didn’t get a good night’s rest. There was some event going on around the hotel and booming music was going on till maybe 2-plus in the morning. Woke, skyped with K, and then went to the meeting venue to register myself and collect the goodie bag. :)

Took a walk by myself after that when I went back to the hotel. Opps, I broke my promise. Told my parents I’d not walk alone but ah well…nevermind lah hehe.

The Streets, Buildings and Vendors
The streets were alright, though with shady characters lurking around various street corners and street vendors plying their trade everywhere. Pushcarts, people carrying trays and walking around, motorcycles with a tray attached behind, hawkers, people with necklaces and bracelets strung on themselves, etc. All just trying to earn their living. And oh yes, some beggars here and there.

These people approach you and since I, being Asian, stick out like one big sore thumb, I was approached more often than not. Modus operandi was to play dumb, smile and walk away. They ask if I speak English, I’d just shake my head and smile. Eventually they’ll move off. The good thing is these people don’t touch you or try to pull you to their stalls. Unlike some of the other countries I’ve been to where they hold you and try to pull you to their wares.

The buildings are quite nice actually, all low-lying 2 or 3 storey buildings. Some colourful in yellow, red, green or blue hues. Others are just plan white. With railings and overhanging balconies and some with flowers trailing along the balcony railings.

Weather
Sunny, warm and much like Singapore. Except with more breeze as this place is just next to the Caribbean sea. Big bright blue skies with lots of white fluffy clouds. But it gets dark here early, probably around 5-plus.

People
There are whites, blacks and browns. Some of the brown-skinned people look like Filipinos, some fairer ladies look like Asians. Some of the really dark-skinned people look and talk like Jamaicans. Maybe they really are…I don’t know.

They can’t speak English well and most folk only one or two words of English. Which makes it extremely difficult to order food or buy things when you’re outside. It’s the same with cab drivers. They can’t speak English.

The ladies are really booby. Even the young girls are. I feel like I’ve got nothing when I stand next to them. Didn't really notice the men though haha...

The Start – Country Hopping, Movies and Bloodshot Eyes

It's the 4th of December now I think according to South American timing. Not too sure as I've been travelling across time zones. It gets very confusing really.

I feel dirty, oily, sticky and smelly as I sit here typing this. I am currently in Panama, sitting in an airport café with a cup of hot chocolate. Yeps, I am in South America, waiting for my last connecting flight to bring me into Colombia and into the city of Cartagena. By the way, it is pronounced as “Car-Tah-Hay-Nah”. :)

It has been an arduous journey so far. I started out at SG time 830am when I arrived at Changi Airport. That was the 3rd of December. Looking at my watch now, it is just past 12midnight on the 5th of December back home. Yeps, I’ve spent about 40 hours on the road so far. And will need to spend at least another 6 hours before I reach my hotel. (That’s about how long I’d have gone without a shower.) Fucking inefficient to spend 2 days to get to a conference venue.

I went from SG to Tokyo to Los Angeles. Had a 14-hour layover in LA and so we rented a car and went to some factory outlets to walk around in between. Came back to the airport and caught another flight to Panama where I am now. And I’ll be hopping onto another flight to get to Cartagena in Colombia about 4 hours later.

That’s friggin 5 cities within 4 separate flights within 3 continents within 2 days lah. Ugh.

The flight from SG to Tokyo had numerous delays due to a technical glitch. It was something about the auxiliary power supply accidentally shutting down. Definitely somehting which I’ve never experienced with Singapore Airlines. Flight from Tokyo to LA was punctuated with lots of turbulence in the first 2-3 hours. Felt like puking. Had the vomit bag within close reach just in case. Thank god I managed to keep everything in my gut.

The air stewardesses serving me on both SQ flights were also uncharacteristically rude. Maybe rude is too strong a word. Unwilling or “Buay Gam Guan” might be a better description. This is another something which I’ve never experienced with SQ. All SQ girls I’ve seen are smiley and very willing to help. Nevermind if they curse at passengers in private, at least they are professional in front of passengers. Not the two which I saw on my flights this time round. Both had perpetual black faces and were quite domineering when dealing with guests. Oh anyway….

I am holding out well so far…except for a scratchy throat and bloodshot eyes. It isn’t exactly fun trying to sleep intermittently on various flights. I may have had only had less than 15 hours of sleep in all. I’ve also lost myself in the days, dates and different time zones. I am literally flying back in time. LA is 16 hours behind SG and South America is 13 hours behind SG.

Oh yes, and my hair’s in a mess. Oh yes, my mind isn’t functioning as fast as it needs to. Oh yes, the backs of my ears are hurting cos I’ve had my spectacles on the entire time. Oh yes, I look quite nerdy too. Oh yes, my nose is a little leaky too from the cold weather in LA. Oh yes, my lips and hands are a little wrinkly and chapped from the dry air in the planes.

Did I already mention that I am holding out well so far? Sorry, my mind is functioning as well as it should be. Oh wait, did I say that already too? Hmm.

I watched three movies and a half on the SQ flights. “Eat, Pray, Love”, “Killers” starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl who were both extremely good-looking, and “Step Up 3”.

“Eat, Pray, Love” was a little draggy at times but I have to say it made me think about some things. “Killers” was quite funny asnd Katherine Heigl has proved that she’s got some comic talent within her. Ashton Kutcher was hot. Put the both of them together and voila…gorgeousness. “Step Up 3” was……entertaining enough. For only the dance battles and the dance scenes. The plot was horrid, lacked any depth whatsoever, and could have been written by a pre-pubescent girl.

I also watched “The Other Guys” halfway which explains the “half a movie”. Will try to finish it up on my return trip back home. Will also try to catch “Wall Street 2” and “Charlie St. Cloud”.

Speaking of which, I hope I won’t be too jet-lagged when I finally get my bum back home to Singapore and hope I can get enough rest before my next trip begins.

Mind Over Body

It is time for Vitamin C again. And loads of water.

Off with you, bloody sorethroat!! You're affecting my concentration at work!!

Thoughts. About Work.

It does suck a little when your boss claims your credit in front of the even bigger bosses. However small that credit may be.

It does not pay to be always the nice person.

Grapevines and gossip get you nowhere. But it does not harm to build up some small relationships here and there through such chatter. You never know when you need a helping hand.

Work-life balance is important. Enough said.

When in doubt, ask. When you're still in doubt, you either ask somemore and risk being labelled a bimbo, or shut up and pray to god to help you figure things out.

I've taken both paths. Figuring things out on your own does bring more satisfaction. But I've also come to realise that sometimes, two heads are definitely better than one.

A clear head and mind brings out the best results. I've been careless and distracted in recent times. And I mentally slap myself each time I discover a silly mistake I make.

People management is just as important as time and project management. From managing your boss to your peers to your support personnel to external parties to internal customers to colleagues from other divisions.

Procrastination. The taboo word in work. But I seem to be embracing it with all my heart. Especially for work items I dislike. This should not be happening though. I should be saying that I will change this trait. But I'd be lying to myself. So, in the spirit of honesty and truthfulness, I declare that I will try changing and improving but any positive result is unlikely to happen.

Till here.

Le sommeil m'evade

Je me suis couché sur mon lit pendant une heure.
J’ai essayé de s’endormir. Mais je ne peut pas et je ne sais pas pourquoi ca.
J'ai regardé dehors les fenetres, au ciel de la nuit qui est rose ce soir.
Je me suis surpris parce qu'il y a eu des larmes dans les coins de mes yeux.
J'ai pleuré. Tout seul. Silencieusement.
Ma coeur n'a pas été calme ce soir. Mais encore, je ne sais pas pourquoi.
Ah ben, peut-être j'essayerai encore de s'endormir.
J'espere que s'endormir bientot et tout les choses seront bien...

The Perennial Helper

I just started up an excel file and saved it as "The Perennial Helper".

As corny as it sounds, it is a tabulation of all the weddings I've helped out at. After being activated to help out at yet another wedding next month, I finally decided that perhaps I should list all of them down.

For posterity. Haha.

Some insights I gleaned from my list:

• My helper services officially started back in 2001 with my brother's wedding. I have excluded those weddings which had me as a flower girl when I was a young girl. I think there were two of those.
• Including the weddings happening next year for which I have been booked for my *ahem* excellent services haha, I would have helped out in a grand total of 11 weddings.
• Out of these 11 weddings, I would have manned the reception counter 9 times, which makes it an overwhelming more than 80% of the time. I've been duly advised that I am either pleasant looking enough, or I know enough people to do a good job, or I have done it so many times I am an obvious choice.

I have been pre-booked for 2 weddings happening next year and expect another "booking" to come in.

I have had a shirt tailored for me when I was a "brother" but surprisingly, no dresses sponsored for me haha.

I have helped at wet rainy weddings, hot sunny weddings and cloudy day weddings.

My services have been rendered at various locations all over Singapore like Bishan, Serangoon, Tampines, Jurong West, Ang Mo Kio, St Michael's, Hougang, Sengkang, Rochester, .......

And I have been a "sister", a "brother", a receptionist, an emcee, a main coordinator, a tea-lady, an umbrella holder, a wedding gown train holder, a guardian of ang pows, an usher.....you name it.

Voila, the life of a wedding helper.

Silly me.

I couldn't wake up this morning. Felt heavy and was aching a little.
Stood outside my door and contemplated the idea of taking an MC so I could sleep the whole day away....Somehow, I didn't.

And so I made my way to the office. Reluctantly dragging my feet like a little girl not wanting to go to school.

I "floated" my way through the day. Did some work. By some, I mean minimal.
Answered a few calls, replied a few emails. And felt the same aches in my neck and schoulders.

By evening, a sore throat had developed. Hmm, "heaty" I thought and chugged more water.

I went home and sat at my desk. Stared at myself in the mirror and felt the same tiredness as in the morning. I was deciding whether to go for my jog. Run the tiredness off, I said to myself.

And so, like a dutiful servant, I changed, did my warm-ups and went for a short jog. By mid-point, my legs felt like lead. By the time I reached home, I was half jogging, half walking.

I warmed down. Went back home. Had dinner, watched a TV serial.

And then discovered that.

I was running a slight fever. :(

Silly me.

I might have been running a slight fever the entire day without knowing. :(

Dreams again. :(

Last night was fraught with dreams. 3 in all. All had feelings of anxiety and tense-ness.

Dream #1
My granny decided that she wanted to go to Europe. By herself. At her current age of 94.
I remember her packing a lot of things. A lot of luggage. And she was trying to carry them all to the airport. I remember thinking how the hell was she going to survive the long flight there? Let alone carry all those bags of things? And how was she going to converse with the Europeans there? I remember being very worried about her having a cardiac arrest on board the plane……Sigh.

In reality, she’s in hospital again. And I was trying to plan for a trip to Europe at the end of the year. Put the two together and the above dream was what I got.

Dream #2
I dreamt of a Caucasian man named Chris. He was singing, albeit with a croaky voice, some old jazz song. He was drunk and got into an argument with someone else in the hotel lounge. It spiralled into a melee. Someone had his head smashed with a green beer bottle.

In reality, he’s a prominent figure in the domain name industry. An Australian with a caustic tongue at times but otherwise dedicated and passionate towards his cause.

Dream #3
It was a murder/crime scene again. Somewhat related to Dream #2 in that it was the same hotel. I don’t remember what I was doing in the hotel room. It was a suite. I was supposed to be investigating something when I came across a set of skeletal bones underneath a short flight of steps which led from the living room to the sleeping quarters. They were exposed because a tile had come loose and fallen off, revealing some sort of a crevice where the bones were. It was a female skeleton which was clutching a smaller skeletal frame, which I took to be of a young child’s. I remember a senior police officer coming by to take over the crime scene investigation. He was Caucasian and was dressed in a smart suit. He looked tres chic, as if he had just walked off a fashion runway. I couldn’t remember what else happened after that….

Damn it. The 3 crime novels I read over the last 2 months had such am impact on me?

Bad Dream

I feel like as if I didn’t sleep at all last night.

I was tossing and turning for quite awhile.

And when I finally slept, I ended up dreaming. I don’t know whether to consider it a nightmare or what but I know that I was feeling very very tense.

I might be reading too many crime novels recently. Time to change to a different genre for now perhaps.

The dream was a very long-drawn one. It was a homicide scene. Two bodies involved. Chinese men. It was at a HDB block I think, or an apartment building or somewhere with a very large room accessible by various staircases.

The scene was complete with police barricades and tape. There were police technicians milling around, waiting for further instructions. Others were scanning the area for any signs of evidence.

I remember I was the one person at the scene of the crime who was appalled that the bodies weren’t covered up and I went to cover them up with black body bags. Big mistake cos when I went near to do that, I remember being quite horrified at the bloodied and slashed up corpses and the awkward positions they were in. The men had crew cuts and were probably in their 20s or 30s.

And I remember feeling nauseous and choked up by the horrible rich and warm iron-copper smell of the big big pool of blood which had congealed beneath the bodies.

I think I was one of the detectives on duty. I remember trying to console the family members of the two men and carrying a young boy who was the child of one of the victims. The family members were somehow all seated on thick piles of mattresses. Some women were sobbing but most of them were just sitting there looking bewildered and not speaking.

I remember there was another detective who was following me around like a puppy, apparently enamoured with me. He kept saying that he wanted to go home with me and meet my mother.

I cannot remember what else happened after that but I remember running, chasing and being chased along corridors and staircases.

One of those dreams where you’re tensed and on edge all through it.

I woke feeling super uneasy. And I woke up wayyyyy before my alarm sounded again.
Couldn’t get back to sleep after that. Argh.

I miss K :(
*wails*

Anecdote

Three of us brought a new temp out for lunch today. A very young girl. 19 and still studying in poly. It was her first day with us and we were having drinks at Killiney Kopitiam after lunch.

Us: How’s the first day so far? Are you reading up some of the policy documents?
She: Yes, I’m reading. There’s quite abit to read.
Us: Better read properly yah. There’ll be a test for you in the afternoon.

We meant it to be a joke and we were laughing to ourselves…She took it seriously though and asked us…..

She: Will it be an open-book test?
Us: *momentarily stunned*

And then we broke out into peals of laughter…HAHAHAHAHAHA…...

Ah, the innocence of youth.
We did not expect her to ask us that question at all and were caught by surprise. I felt abit bad though because she turned red-faced when we all burst out laughing. Haha. :D

Saturday evening

I had a fruitful (but somewhat lonely) 2.5hours on Saturday evening. I managed to grab a quick dinner, buy a pair of ballerina flats, get a skincare set and also find 3 French storybooks and 2 English books from Kinokuniya.

The book covers have been lovingly wrapped in plastic already. :)
The flats are still sitting in the shoe box awaiting their first day out.
And the skincare set is also still in their packaging….

I told K if this goes on, then he’d better come back to SG soon. Hahaa..

The blues

I feel like throwing a tantrum in office now. Or a “hissy fit” as the Brits call it.

How nice it would be to smash some windows, break the copier machine, spray graffiti on the walls, throw the contents of rubbish bins all over the floor, slash the window blinds, break some chairs, whack the fax machine into submission, punch some people, pluck out the stuffing from the cushion at the main door………

Oh friggin Monday blues.

9/11

I watched a little of a documentary last night.

It was a special feature on phone voicemail recordings which families received from their relatives who were trapped in the twin towers on September 11, 2001.

Eac year for the past nine years, a documentary related to the event is shown on television. Each year I happen to catch several minutes of a documentary programme on the incident. And each time round, the interviews with families and rescue workers alike never fail to make me tear.

I remember the time when it happened. It was late at night and I was in my hostel room. Block 15 of NTU hall 1. Room 226 to be exact.

My TV was on the floor and it was on. I was packing up my room and listening to Channel News Asia. I was soon crouched in front of the TV with my eyes glued to the screen, watching the live footage of the events happening at the site.

I was one of the rare few who had a TV in their room. Before long, neighbours from along my corridoor and even some from downstairs were camped in my room watching the news. The rambunctious atmosphere when you pool a group of young folks together was not there that night for sure.

I digressed.

Anyway.

I guess something so horrific and painful would be remembered for many more years to come, especially by the families of the victims.

My silent regards and best wishes to them. From this corner of the world.

Fleeting thoughts

Little thoughts zipping here and there.
Touch and go. Touch and go.
I can almost see them.
Like little water boatmen.
Skittering across the surface of a small lake.
Leaving silvery tendrils in their wake.
I’ve caught some.
But most have seeped through my fingers.
What I have I share.
In the little snippets that follow.

========
I am not trying to be racist or anything. But I’ve noticed that most Indians, especially those who have studied overseas, are good conversationalists.

========
I am a simple girl with simple needs. I don’t ask for much. Or at least in my opinion I don’t demand for much. So why do I sometimes feel like I’m missing out on something, somewhere somehow.

========
I won’t get to speak to K today. Not until tomorrow morning. It’s been a week. I didn’t realize it. Times does fly past when you occupy yourself with things.

He’s been surviving on bread and pasta and oranges. But he just bought some chicken fillet and chopped bacon. I hope he’s getting enough nutrients.

========
I think I’ve grown more assertive over the years. But it is not enough. And I still feel uncomfortable in being assertive in anyway.

Chloe feels this too.

========
Sometimes, I miss my straight hair. Haha.

========
Kel told me he saw me running yesterday night. Haha. He was in a friend’s car and was going past me. It must have been an unglam sight because I wasn’t doing too good yesterday. Running with a slight diarrhea was definitely not a good idea. I had to stop several times as I felt quite breathless.

========
I want to go home on time today. Granny’s in hospital again. I need to go CGH after work and then see where I can grab some dinner first before going home. Was thinking of hiding in a corner of a café, armed with a plate of steaming hot pasta and my book.

========
It’s a rather cold day. I am wrapped up in a jacket. With the sleeves of another woolen cardigan covering my forearms, and a blanket over my legs. My fingers still feel stiff though.

========
In the little snippets up above.
What I have I’ve shared.
So it’s back to the work and daily grind.
And I do hope functionality engages my mind
For if it is not to be the case
Then I will find myself back in the first space.
Like little water boatmen.
I can almost see them.
Touch and go. Touch and go.
Little thoughts zipping here and there.

It's been 3 days

A shell provides an excellent home for hermit crabs, snails, clams, oysters, abalones, cockles….you get the drift.

I’m retreating into my shell for awhile. K left for Nice 3 days ago and I find myself missing him terribly and wondering if he’s taking good care of himself over there. And…I find myself suddenly with some spare time also.

Spending some time alone for the coming two to three weeks (or maybe even longer) seems like a nice way to take things slow, especially with work being on a ramp-up and possibly being hectic in the next 2-3 months.

Let’s see…..I can…

Read my books. Spend some time wandering in malls with a little bit of shopping thrown in. Run. Skype with K. Sit in a corner of a café reading or observing the world going by. Blog. Do some research for my year-end trip. Visit Kinokuniya and Borders. Take some time to breathe a little slower. Get up to speed on French again. Go for my facial and massage. Take care of my terrariums. Do some art and craft.

Ok, seems like a lot to do already haha. :)

And then after that...I'll probably throw in some meet-ups with close friends. :D Some long overdue dates....haha..

Of Weddings and Funerals

I attended a wedding on Sunday morning and then a wake during the evening.
In less than 3 months, this is the second time it has happened. The first time round I went to both a wedding and a wake on the same day was back in end of May.

Too much going-ons for a single day.

Boredom Breeds Awesomeness

Chloe was bored. So I gave her a task.
I gave her 5 random words. She was to create something out of it. Could be a sentence, could be a ditty, could be a poem.

These were the 5 words: snowman, flower, plastic, ass, tissue

And this was what lovely Chloe came up with.

AWESOME LAH!!!!!

I’m a cute little snowman
Made out of snow
My creator abandoned me
And left me out in the cold
Here I am sneezing away
With a tissue in my hand
Nothing to look forward to
I wish I was someone’s Christmas plan
Where did my creator go?
I am so alone
Asleep I fell as the days came and went
In my dreams, I saw my vengeful self
Chasing my creator to his house
And sticking a stalk of plastic flower up his ass.

Sept 3 - Scrabble Competition

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.

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！

...................

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. :)

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.

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.

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. :)

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.

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

..............

even a rubber band has an elasticity limit

------------------

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

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.

?

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:

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 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......
4. 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!
5. 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.

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.

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.

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？

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.

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.

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. :)

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! :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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

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.

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…

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.

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.

So interesting haha..

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

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*

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?

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!