Thursday, May 24, 2012
Feet
Bunions, callouses, obvious veins and knobbly toes don't make for pretty feet. I am still very grateful to my feet though. For they have carried me long and far for the last 30-odd years. And hopefully for the next 30, 40 or 50-odd years as well. :)
I really don't need this right now
NOTHING is going right in this bloody project. First time in my life I called a tender and it has to screw up so badly. It's not even a $1million tender although it's still a large sum at $800K. I am facing a situation where I might lose my venue for the event next year. I need to answer to my Board. I need to answer to the two overseas organisations involved in the event.
Really. WTF? What the hell is going on?
Really. WTF? What the hell is going on?
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
加油！
进几个星期的情绪处理的不是很好。时好时坏，偶尔又神经兮兮的，偶尔又想哭。有时觉得压力大，有时觉得东西太多了，不知从何开始， 只想靠一边， 什么都不做。
真的是有点累，不过我还是尽量保持笑容！其实这也是多亏K给我的鼓励和支持啦。希望来临的几个星期和几个月会更好！
美金，你要加油哦！*fighting!*
Ps: 短短几句华文字就花了我整20分钟来type！
真的是有点累，不过我还是尽量保持笑容！其实这也是多亏K给我的鼓励和支持啦。希望来临的几个星期和几个月会更好！
美金，你要加油哦！*fighting!*
Ps: 短短几句华文字就花了我整20分钟来type！
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Monday, May 21, 2012
Note to Self
1. When applying lotion on your body, make sure everything is fully spread over and absorbed by your skin before leaving the house. Do not leave the house with globs of creamy ivory-colored stuff running down your thighs and calves. It leaves the imagination of others in overdrive.
2. Remember to suck your tummy in when taking photos, especially when you are standing in an oblique angle. There should only be two visible bumps, the boob bump and the bum bump. Nothing else. (unless you are pregnant of course)
3. When having a buffet meal, remember not to gorge yourself till past 9pm. It leaves you bloated and uncomfortable the next day. And, it leaves you with an expanded girth the next day as well.
4. "When in doubt, just buy" Try not to apply this piece of advice too often.
2. Remember to suck your tummy in when taking photos, especially when you are standing in an oblique angle. There should only be two visible bumps, the boob bump and the bum bump. Nothing else. (unless you are pregnant of course)
3. When having a buffet meal, remember not to gorge yourself till past 9pm. It leaves you bloated and uncomfortable the next day. And, it leaves you with an expanded girth the next day as well.
4. "When in doubt, just buy" Try not to apply this piece of advice too often.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Saturday
Another Saturday of tasks and schedules. Glad that I managed to get some things done today. It always feels good to check off some things on the to-do list. There's still Sunday and Monday to get more things done and to have some me-time and rest-time as well. Been quite awhile since I had some good rest.
Here I am, sitting in K's room. Half-working and half-blogging. Listening to music and sipping a glass of moscato as well. My favourite Brown Brothers - Orange Muscat & Flora flavour. He's surfing the Net.
I like this. Peace and quiet, slow and steady. Just me and him. Each of us doing our own thing but knowing that the other is just inches away. No words spoken. Just a comfortable quiet.
Here I am, sitting in K's room. Half-working and half-blogging. Listening to music and sipping a glass of moscato as well. My favourite Brown Brothers - Orange Muscat & Flora flavour. He's surfing the Net.
I like this. Peace and quiet, slow and steady. Just me and him. Each of us doing our own thing but knowing that the other is just inches away. No words spoken. Just a comfortable quiet.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Does busy-ness attract more busy-ness?
Mad day rushing different things here and there. Was in a 3hr discussion as well during which 3 different groups of people were looking for me via text, call and whatsapp.
Feeling a little zapped. Now rushing to see Granny before heading home. It'll be a late dinner for me again today. Hope I maintain my weight!!
------------------
Update 8:30pm
Not that good a day.
Rushed to see granny and was caught in 2 separate jams. By the time I got to CGH, she was already dozing off. Spoke to her for a mere 3-4 sentences and she's now sound asleep. I can only pat her now and watch her fall into a deeper sleep.
Feeling a little zapped. Now rushing to see Granny before heading home. It'll be a late dinner for me again today. Hope I maintain my weight!!
------------------
Update 8:30pm
Not that good a day.
Rushed to see granny and was caught in 2 separate jams. By the time I got to CGH, she was already dozing off. Spoke to her for a mere 3-4 sentences and she's now sound asleep. I can only pat her now and watch her fall into a deeper sleep.
Good morning!
Cheery happy colors greet me every weekday morning as I wait for my private bus to come pick me up for work. 
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sleepy Shell
Cab rides, an unwell tummy, late dinners and late nights seem to be the norm these days. Coupled with visits to CGH to see Granny, tasks to accomplish and chores to do.
Which reminds me. There's still a pile of 3-4 accumulated pieces of clothing which need to be handwashed! Eeeek!
Which reminds me. There's still a pile of 3-4 accumulated pieces of clothing which need to be handwashed! Eeeek!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Le Weekend
It was a busy and tiring one, but quite fulfilling because we managed to get a lot of things done.
Visited Granny. Spent the entire Sunday afternoon buying furniture. Met with videographer. Collected the cards. Bought our bedspread.
The coming weekend will be another busy one...as is the work week ahead. Jiayou to K and self!
Visited Granny. Spent the entire Sunday afternoon buying furniture. Met with videographer. Collected the cards. Bought our bedspread.
The coming weekend will be another busy one...as is the work week ahead. Jiayou to K and self!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Lots of Granny posts these days. She's getting alot of airtime!
Went to see her again last night and was very happy to see that she was in good spirits, in spite of the physical ailments plaguing her.
She was sitting up and was considerably less "stoned" compared to Tuesday and Wednesday. She was smiling and laughing and chuckling at her own jokes. She was talking loudly and disturbing everyone in the room lol. She initiated conversations and was talkative, although all she did was to repeat the same few sentences tens of times. "Have you eaten?" "Why haven't you eaten?" "You came straight from work?" "Are you cold?" "Is that why you are wearing a jacket?" You want to drink water?"
I took it as a good sign. At least her mind is doing good.
On the physical aspects, aside from the cuts and bruise from the fall, the doctors ran more tests and scans and Xrays and now the list seems to be getting longer?
She was sitting up and was considerably less "stoned" compared to Tuesday and Wednesday. She was smiling and laughing and chuckling at her own jokes. She was talking loudly and disturbing everyone in the room lol. She initiated conversations and was talkative, although all she did was to repeat the same few sentences tens of times. "Have you eaten?" "Why haven't you eaten?" "You came straight from work?" "Are you cold?" "Is that why you are wearing a jacket?" You want to drink water?"
I took it as a good sign. At least her mind is doing good.
On the physical aspects, aside from the cuts and bruise from the fall, the doctors ran more tests and scans and Xrays and now the list seems to be getting longer?
- Slight hairline fracture in the right hip. Leaving it alone for now since she is not complaining of any pain. She already has an existing metal plate in her left hip in a surgery done a few years back.
- Intestines and kidneys are weak.
- Cyst detected near one of her ovaries. Further scans may be needed. This is suspected to have been giving her some pain and discomfort. BUT, an invasive surgery at her age is not possible and highly not recommended. To be monitored and further assessed by the doctors.
- Bad cough originating deep in her chest. Phlegm building up quite quickly. Docs administered liquid medication through a drip for her. Hopefully it helps to clear the cough and phlegm up quickly.
- Itchy dry skin. With patches of flaky skin here and there.
- Some sores on her bum due to her scratching and also due to insufficient blood circulation maybe.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
........
Quite amazing. How some people can solicit information from you beneath your own nose and at the same time deftly withhold their information from you.
Some new age skill?
Some new age skill?
More on English
A senior manager from another department just corrected my English. She changed my "iterate" to "reiterate".
Sigh.
For the record, to "iterate" means to do or say something again. To "reiterate" means to re-repeat something. It is sufficient to use the word "iterate" to convey the idea of repetition.
Sigh.
For the record, to "iterate" means to do or say something again. To "reiterate" means to re-repeat something. It is sufficient to use the word "iterate" to convey the idea of repetition.
*stressed*
Never in my life have I been so nervous and fidgety about sending out an email.
Not until this morning. Not until 5minutes ago.
It was a long one-page email sent to rebutt and refute some strongly worded emails sent to us by overseas people on a joint event we are working on. It was an email sent to defend and justify our position and decisions made. I hope this doesn't cause things to boil even more and bubble over! As it is, there are too many cooks stirring the pot already...
Ti Gong Boh Pi. I really hope that things will simmer down after this email. If not...sigh....there'll be more stress and pimples for me.
*clasps hands together to pray*
*fingers crossed*
Not until this morning. Not until 5minutes ago.
It was a long one-page email sent to rebutt and refute some strongly worded emails sent to us by overseas people on a joint event we are working on. It was an email sent to defend and justify our position and decisions made. I hope this doesn't cause things to boil even more and bubble over! As it is, there are too many cooks stirring the pot already...
Ti Gong Boh Pi. I really hope that things will simmer down after this email. If not...sigh....there'll be more stress and pimples for me.
*clasps hands together to pray*
*fingers crossed*
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Granny
Went to visit her earlier on. She could recognise me when I asked her who I was. :)
She's supposed to go for a CT scan. They need to inject her with contrast and there's a certain amount of risk here. Her kidneys are weak and if her body can't expel the contrast fluids out on its own after the procedure, she may get renal failure.
And then she's having a bad cough. With heavy phlegm developing.
And then her itchy hands went to pull out the stitches which were holding her wound closed. Seriously don't understand how she did it. Wouldn't it have been extremely painful?? They replaced the stitches with tape and gauze instead.
And then she went to peel away one edge of the gauze. She was duly scolded by my dad and hopefully now understands that she shouldn't be doing it.
And then she's got a big reddish bruise next to and around her left eye.
And then her intestines are weak too.
And then...
And then..
Sigh.
Blew her a flying kiss when I left her bedside. She didn't return it today. She shooed my dad and I away instead.
At times like this, I'm glad I always have a rosary in my bag. It's comforting.
She's supposed to go for a CT scan. They need to inject her with contrast and there's a certain amount of risk here. Her kidneys are weak and if her body can't expel the contrast fluids out on its own after the procedure, she may get renal failure.
And then she's having a bad cough. With heavy phlegm developing.
And then her itchy hands went to pull out the stitches which were holding her wound closed. Seriously don't understand how she did it. Wouldn't it have been extremely painful?? They replaced the stitches with tape and gauze instead.
And then she went to peel away one edge of the gauze. She was duly scolded by my dad and hopefully now understands that she shouldn't be doing it.
And then she's got a big reddish bruise next to and around her left eye.
And then her intestines are weak too.
And then...
And then..
Sigh.
Blew her a flying kiss when I left her bedside. She didn't return it today. She shooed my dad and I away instead.
At times like this, I'm glad I always have a rosary in my bag. It's comforting.
BIG BIG Note to Self
STOP buying random clothes online from stores carrying Korean fashion pieces.
1. You don't look like any of the models parading the clothes.
2. The clothes don't turn out right 95% of the time. Whether in terms of size, colour or material.
3. You don't know what to do with the junk pieces.
4. You upset yourself by thinking how you could have saved the money.
5. You upset yourself even more when you think of how you could have used the money for a nice meal with K.
*****************
何必呢?? I ask myself. It's a vicious cycle. 1 year later I'll probably write another post like this again. Sigh.
1. You don't look like any of the models parading the clothes.
2. The clothes don't turn out right 95% of the time. Whether in terms of size, colour or material.
3. You don't know what to do with the junk pieces.
4. You upset yourself by thinking how you could have saved the money.
5. You upset yourself even more when you think of how you could have used the money for a nice meal with K.
*****************
何必呢?? I ask myself. It's a vicious cycle. 1 year later I'll probably write another post like this again. Sigh.
Granny
Any calls received from the nursing home is never a good one. Dad received a call from them at 10pm last night and had to rush to the A&E soon after.
Granny had fallen down and also had a gash to her forhead near her left brow. They had to clean her up and suture her wound. Good thing was that they did not find anything else wrong with her when they did checks on her at the hospital. Only thing was that her red blood cell count had dropped a little and they kept her for a night in the hopspital to monitor her.
There wasn't any available bed last night and she could only be kept at the A&E's observation ward. Hopefully she gets to be in a proper ward by noon today. Or even better still, hopefully she gets the all-clear to be discharged directly from A&E.
The story is that she apparently tried to get to the washroom on her own last night, using her walking frame. She barely left her bed when she fell. The nurses, or so they said, tried to rush to her when they noticed that she had gotten up on her own but by the time they got to her, they were too late. She had already slipped and fell.
I have my doubts. Her bed railing is always secured in a way that she cannot release it on her own. This is to force her to ask for help from the nurses and to prevent her from moving about on her own. Why was she able to wake up last night and get up on her own and use the walking frame on her own?
Told my dad and aunt to get a proper explanation from the nursing home by today.
Meanwhile, I'm just waiting for updates.
Granny had fallen down and also had a gash to her forhead near her left brow. They had to clean her up and suture her wound. Good thing was that they did not find anything else wrong with her when they did checks on her at the hospital. Only thing was that her red blood cell count had dropped a little and they kept her for a night in the hopspital to monitor her.
There wasn't any available bed last night and she could only be kept at the A&E's observation ward. Hopefully she gets to be in a proper ward by noon today. Or even better still, hopefully she gets the all-clear to be discharged directly from A&E.
The story is that she apparently tried to get to the washroom on her own last night, using her walking frame. She barely left her bed when she fell. The nurses, or so they said, tried to rush to her when they noticed that she had gotten up on her own but by the time they got to her, they were too late. She had already slipped and fell.
I have my doubts. Her bed railing is always secured in a way that she cannot release it on her own. This is to force her to ask for help from the nurses and to prevent her from moving about on her own. Why was she able to wake up last night and get up on her own and use the walking frame on her own?
Told my dad and aunt to get a proper explanation from the nursing home by today.
Meanwhile, I'm just waiting for updates.
Expectations
Is it bad of me to half expect an acknowledgement after I say "thank you" to someone? Is it bad of me to half expect an acknowledgement or a "thank you" when I hold the lift or door open for someone? K shared with me once that I shouldn't expect anything in return, since I did it on my own accord.
Perhaps he's right and I have not yet learnt not to expect things in return.
I watched an episode of a local Chinese TV drama a few weeks back. The pastor in the show said something to this effect: “最重要的是你在做你觉的是对的事。最重要的是你做得开心。别人的事， 就不用去管了。他没表示谢意， 没表示感激， 那是他的事， 就别去管了。这样你自己也开心多了！”
My Mandarin is bad, I hope I got the right Chinese characters to convey the message of the pastor.
Loosely translated in English, it means that the most important thing is that you are doing what you think is right and that you are happy doing it. It does not matter what others do. Even if they don't express thanks and gratitude, that is their business and you do not need to bother about it. This way, you'll be a happier person!
Note to self: High time I learn not to have such expectations.
Perhaps he's right and I have not yet learnt not to expect things in return.
I watched an episode of a local Chinese TV drama a few weeks back. The pastor in the show said something to this effect: “最重要的是你在做你觉的是对的事。最重要的是你做得开心。别人的事， 就不用去管了。他没表示谢意， 没表示感激， 那是他的事， 就别去管了。这样你自己也开心多了！”
My Mandarin is bad, I hope I got the right Chinese characters to convey the message of the pastor.
Loosely translated in English, it means that the most important thing is that you are doing what you think is right and that you are happy doing it. It does not matter what others do. Even if they don't express thanks and gratitude, that is their business and you do not need to bother about it. This way, you'll be a happier person!
Note to self: High time I learn not to have such expectations.
Monday, May 07, 2012
婆婆
A conversation I had with Granny on Saturday morning when I went to visit her.
Gran: Eh?? Why are you here?? Where did you come from??
Me: Huh? I came from home lor.
Gran: How did you know that I'm staying here??
Me: ?? I come and visit you every week one leh. -_-" *sigh*
Gran: Oh...is it? Ok...
I've been visiting her there every Saturday since July 2007, save for the times when I am travelling or when I really cannot make it. I know she doesn't mean it but it still kinda stings a little when she does or says things like that.
Oh well, at least she can still recognize me :)
Gran: Eh?? Why are you here?? Where did you come from??
Me: Huh? I came from home lor.
Gran: How did you know that I'm staying here??
Me: ?? I come and visit you every week one leh. -_-" *sigh*
Gran: Oh...is it? Ok...
I've been visiting her there every Saturday since July 2007, save for the times when I am travelling or when I really cannot make it. I know she doesn't mean it but it still kinda stings a little when she does or says things like that.
Oh well, at least she can still recognize me :)
Ugh
I get irked when people who don't know better correct my written English.
For the record and contrary to what many people mistakenly believe, the phrase is written as "with regard to".
THERE IS NO "S" FOR THE WORD "REGARD".
So stop correcting my English!! Stop adding "s" to my "regard"!!
老娘is very annoyed!!
For the record and contrary to what many people mistakenly believe, the phrase is written as "with regard to".
THERE IS NO "S" FOR THE WORD "REGARD".
So stop correcting my English!! Stop adding "s" to my "regard"!!
老娘is very annoyed!!
Woot Woot!
It's that time of the year again. Just before I left office, my boss handed me the letter which contained information on our corporate bonus, individual performance bonus, market adjustment and performance rating.
Suffice to say, I'm a happy woman. :D
Suffice to say, I'm a happy woman. :D
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Sleep? Not Yet...
It's 12:15am.
The mum's sleeping soundly in the next room. The dad's watching the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea. No points for guessing which team we are rooting for. You'll Never Walk Alone. I say "we" because by association, I am a Liverpool supporter as well.
Just finished some chores and an impromptu spot of gardening. Because the pot of basil needed some urgent topping up of soil and the pot of Bowle's Mint needed urgent support from a second stick. It's growing up beautifully and is about 80cm tall already. Hence the need for a second stick to support its height. I had a mini battle with some ants as well.
I should be sleeping but I think I'll try to settle some more things first before hitting the sack. My room needs some tidying up. I need to clear some of the clutter else it starts cluttering my mind as well.
The mum's sleeping soundly in the next room. The dad's watching the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea. No points for guessing which team we are rooting for. You'll Never Walk Alone. I say "we" because by association, I am a Liverpool supporter as well.
Just finished some chores and an impromptu spot of gardening. Because the pot of basil needed some urgent topping up of soil and the pot of Bowle's Mint needed urgent support from a second stick. It's growing up beautifully and is about 80cm tall already. Hence the need for a second stick to support its height. I had a mini battle with some ants as well.
I should be sleeping but I think I'll try to settle some more things first before hitting the sack. My room needs some tidying up. I need to clear some of the clutter else it starts cluttering my mind as well.
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Deliriously Happy?
Lol, I popped by Ally's place this afternoon again. Happy was out of her enclosed area and was running around in the living room. She was so hyper and went ballistic when I arrived at the door. She started barking and jumping on me and also grabbed a ball in her mouth to try to get me to play with her haha. I happened to be in shorts today.....Look at the scratches she gave me!!
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Fingers crossed
The event project really doesn't seem to be doing well at this point in time. From getting "played out" by a venue provider who screwed up our initial plans....to getting negative feedback from some of the overseas folks overseeing the organisation of the event....to the high costs of holding the event in Singapore.....to a fellow goverment agency not seeming to be forthcoming with its funding scheme which we are applying for........
I hope I can stay strong for this project for the next 10months. And my event manager (whom I hired specially for this project) had better not throw any "stunt" on me......
I hope everything works out okay.......
I hope I can stay strong for this project for the next 10months. And my event manager (whom I hired specially for this project) had better not throw any "stunt" on me......
I hope everything works out okay.......
FYP mate!
Eddie's back in town for a week. Had dinner with him earlier this evening and had a good time catching up with him. I hope things pan out well for him in Chengdu. Am proud of him for taking the plunge into this make-or-break venture. All the best dear pal!
On a separate note, I hope he can make it for the July dinner. As it is, quite a number of people won't be attending already....
On a separate note, I hope he can make it for the July dinner. As it is, quite a number of people won't be attending already....
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Rest in Peace Lok Gu Dai
Just attended the wake of a relative earlier tonight. She passed on at the grand age of 91. I still remember the last time I saw her was during Chinese New Year in January. She was wobbling around, taking miniscule steps and being generally happy with the festivities.
In the last couple of years, I've attended a few such wakes of old relatives. I'd thought that I'd be used to it by now. But it seems otherwise. The melancholy I feel after attending each wake is still there.
In fact, it seems to have increased. Probably because it has dawned on me that my own parents are getting on in years. My dad is 70 this year and my mum's 62.
And my grandmother's 96.
Sigh. The years pass by so quickly. Everyone's growing older so quickly.
In the last couple of years, I've attended a few such wakes of old relatives. I'd thought that I'd be used to it by now. But it seems otherwise. The melancholy I feel after attending each wake is still there.
In fact, it seems to have increased. Probably because it has dawned on me that my own parents are getting on in years. My dad is 70 this year and my mum's 62.
And my grandmother's 96.
Sigh. The years pass by so quickly. Everyone's growing older so quickly.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Granny
I love my granny. And I love this picture of her and me taken when I was 5months old. Although it's an oblique angle of her, you can still subtly sense her joy at that moment in time. 
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Slowly but surely
The rooms are taking shape. Piece by piece. Bit by bit. Week after week. A new coat of paint a few weeks ago. New waterproofing. New varnish for the parquet. Wardrobes and bedframe last week. New lights soon. New mattress soon. TV console soon...Settee, shelves and desks soon too....
Voila, bientot, notre petite d'espace sera prêt. :)
May our pockets stay strong enough and hang in there! Lol...
Voila, bientot, notre petite d'espace sera prêt. :)
May our pockets stay strong enough and hang in there! Lol...
Battleship
I'm glad we made that impromptu, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment decision to catch a movie after dinner. I'd had a bad night yesterday (was in self-bashing mode) and woke this morning with swollen lids and a headache. The movie was a welcome respite.
I'd initially thought Battleship was a lame fighting type of show, typical guy-stuff. Well, it still was a run-of-the-mill humans vs aliens type of show with a predictable ending. But it turned out that I actually enjoyed the movie alot and was surprised by some of the comic dialogue and scenes peppering the movie. Eye candy, patriotism, romance, comedy, excitement, sadness, scary parts, lame parts....the movie had it all. :)
Nice show. Surprisingly.
I'd initially thought Battleship was a lame fighting type of show, typical guy-stuff. Well, it still was a run-of-the-mill humans vs aliens type of show with a predictable ending. But it turned out that I actually enjoyed the movie alot and was surprised by some of the comic dialogue and scenes peppering the movie. Eye candy, patriotism, romance, comedy, excitement, sadness, scary parts, lame parts....the movie had it all. :)
Nice show. Surprisingly.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Ohm.....
I guess I do not like taking instructions from people whom I do not report to. Especially when I think it is not even necessary to issue that instruction. And especially when it is coming from The Coll.
I know I am supposed to do certain things. When I see it coming in, I KNOW it is my responsibility to handle it. So you do not need to tell me to do it.
I guess I need to learn even more patience. For my blood pressure rises when I get into such a situation. Ya, I guess I need to be more cool and patient, lest more wrinkles appear.
Cool cool, calm calm, zen zen.
In the words of Ally……“Ohm Ohm Ohm”
I know I am supposed to do certain things. When I see it coming in, I KNOW it is my responsibility to handle it. So you do not need to tell me to do it.
I guess I need to learn even more patience. For my blood pressure rises when I get into such a situation. Ya, I guess I need to be more cool and patient, lest more wrinkles appear.
Cool cool, calm calm, zen zen.
In the words of Ally……“Ohm Ohm Ohm”
Monday, April 23, 2012
vro...vro....vrooo....vr...vroom?
Engine does not seem to be working well today. I am slow, groggy and distracted. All I seem to think of is K and whether he’s doing ok (he’s sick), how I need to go home for a run after work, and how I need to cook dinner for myself thereafter (parents are overseas).
I have not gotten much done since morning and I didn’t even have any appetite for lunch till around 1pm. Went to dabao mee hoon kuey eventually.
May the drone of the afternoon NOT lull me to sleep. May work beckon a little too otherwise I’d feel like a useless sack of potatoes sitting here.
I have not gotten much done since morning and I didn’t even have any appetite for lunch till around 1pm. Went to dabao mee hoon kuey eventually.
May the drone of the afternoon NOT lull me to sleep. May work beckon a little too otherwise I’d feel like a useless sack of potatoes sitting here.
want. to. go. somewhere.
A 6-month hiatus from flying or having any short trip suddenly seems too long to bear. Wonder if I can squeeze in any 2D1N trip to a nearby place in the next few weeks? Time seems short and tight these days, hope K & I can find some time out from the hustle and bustle of work and stuff!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Orr Kuay
I'll spend some time on another day trying to figure this newly revamped Blogger interface out. For a first impression, I quite like it though. Spiffier, funkier, more up-to-date and the colour scheme is much nicer.
So anyway, back, to the issue at hand.
Um, I had my virgin taste of black chicken today. At K's place. The helper, under instructions from K's mum, cooked black chicken with white fungus as a soup, with no Chinese herbs if you wondering. Their family apparently likes this combination and K's Dad was happily feasting on the chicken.
I, on the other hand, have never ever had black chicken before in my entire 31+ years of existence. Mainly because my family doesn't cook it at home and those found outside are usually prepared with Chinese herbs. Plus, I find the thought of cooked black chicken quite strange.
A big bowl of soup and its accompanying ingredients was given to me during dinner. No choice.
As squeamish as I felt, I managed to take a few bites of the black chicken thigh I was given. I "donated" the rest of the meat to K.
Verdict? It tasted ok I guess. But I still felt squeamish trying it. -_-
So anyway, back, to the issue at hand.
Um, I had my virgin taste of black chicken today. At K's place. The helper, under instructions from K's mum, cooked black chicken with white fungus as a soup, with no Chinese herbs if you wondering. Their family apparently likes this combination and K's Dad was happily feasting on the chicken.
I, on the other hand, have never ever had black chicken before in my entire 31+ years of existence. Mainly because my family doesn't cook it at home and those found outside are usually prepared with Chinese herbs. Plus, I find the thought of cooked black chicken quite strange.
A big bowl of soup and its accompanying ingredients was given to me during dinner. No choice.
As squeamish as I felt, I managed to take a few bites of the black chicken thigh I was given. I "donated" the rest of the meat to K.
Verdict? It tasted ok I guess. But I still felt squeamish trying it. -_-
Errrr
So I've not logged on to Blogger in 3 days. They now have a whole new format and layout and I am suddenly at a loss...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
加油！
I wonder how my boss does it. Maybe that’s why he is the boss.
To need to go through every single item and every single sentence a staff does or writes and make sure everything is correct and accurate is a tedious, cumbersome and challenging thing that I have not mastered fully yet.
I don’t know if this is considered managing at too micro a level but at least some important mistakes have been previously corrected in this manner, through his sharp eyes.
I gave my staff too much trust and did not check through and confirm whether something she wrote was factual and accurate. I should have done so when she has a track record for being careless. When the paper reached my boss, he pointed out the discrepancy/mistake almost straightaway.
My bad. I made a mistake too. I did not check her work thoroughly. :(
Nevermind, learn from this and move on.
下次我会做的更好!
To need to go through every single item and every single sentence a staff does or writes and make sure everything is correct and accurate is a tedious, cumbersome and challenging thing that I have not mastered fully yet.
I don’t know if this is considered managing at too micro a level but at least some important mistakes have been previously corrected in this manner, through his sharp eyes.
I gave my staff too much trust and did not check through and confirm whether something she wrote was factual and accurate. I should have done so when she has a track record for being careless. When the paper reached my boss, he pointed out the discrepancy/mistake almost straightaway.
My bad. I made a mistake too. I did not check her work thoroughly. :(
Nevermind, learn from this and move on.
下次我会做的更好!
Monday, April 16, 2012
My Monday
Went to guan yin temple today after my morning medical check-up.
Prayed for loved ones, family, closes friends. Hope I didn't miss out anyone. Hmm...
Parked myself at TCC Bugis for the nex 2 hours trying to sort out some personal and also som work stuff before heading home.
And that's a whole Monday gone already. Well almost, there's still 5 more hours to go till bed time. Let's see...what shall I do now?
Prayed for loved ones, family, closes friends. Hope I didn't miss out anyone. Hmm...
Parked myself at TCC Bugis for the nex 2 hours trying to sort out some personal and also som work stuff before heading home.
And that's a whole Monday gone already. Well almost, there's still 5 more hours to go till bed time. Let's see...what shall I do now?
equilibrium
Life is all about balance is it not?
Where there is good, there is also evil.
For every grain of rice we waste, there is someone elsewhere in the world who would kill to have it. For every tear we shed, there is a smile to counter it.
For every unwanted pregnancy, there is a couple who is trying ways and means to conceive.
For every baby born, there is an old person leaving earth and returning to the heavens.
There is Heaven and there is Hell. There is white and then there is black.
There are dreams fulfilled and there are those which are not.
I don't know where I am heading with all these. Just that life's quite a mystery.
Where there is good, there is also evil.
For every grain of rice we waste, there is someone elsewhere in the world who would kill to have it. For every tear we shed, there is a smile to counter it.
For every unwanted pregnancy, there is a couple who is trying ways and means to conceive.
For every baby born, there is an old person leaving earth and returning to the heavens.
There is Heaven and there is Hell. There is white and then there is black.
There are dreams fulfilled and there are those which are not.
I don't know where I am heading with all these. Just that life's quite a mystery.
ambitiousness
I’ve been recently digging through my old photos for the purpose of doing up a photo montage for the wedding dinner. Leafing through them definitely brought back memories of my geeky secondary school and JC years and of my fun-filled years in hostel.
I still find it strange though, that my closest friends are from my secondary school and hostel years. None of them are from my JC school years. But anyway, that is not the crux of this post.
While sorting through the photos, I came across a box of my old autograph books. Back in the days of the 1980s and 1990s, it was the trend amongst teenagers, especially girls, to pass around autograph books to their classmates so they could jot down contact details and nice words for the owner of the book.
I leafed through the book I had when I was in Sec 4 and came across an entry I thought was strange and um, sounded very serious. Here’s an extract:
“…I personally feel that you should not be so ambitious. It’s okay for a man to be like that but I shiver in fear when I think of a girl/woman who is so ambitious....you have made me wonder what it would be like if a lady were to be elected as President, what would her husband be called? First Man?
Anyway, you have also taught me about the power of women and that it takes a lot of effort for something between 2 people to work. Ambitious people like you have to sacrifice a lot you know. Maybe when you stop bouncing around more, you would comprehend.….”
Needless to say the above was written by a guy whose initials are CKM. I might have brushed off his entry when I was aged 16, I cannot remember. I cannot even remember if he was from my class or from the next class.
I wonder why he wrote those things about me being ambitious. Maybe at that point in time his young male MCP ego couldn’t take it that a female his age was excelling in all aspects of studies way more than him.
And for the life of me, I also cannot fathom why he wrote those last few sentences…
I was competitive when I was young. I did not want to "lose" out to another girl whom I disliked back then. She sometimes smirked at me when she trumped me in class. So I studied hard and gradually excelled in all my subjects (except Chinese lah ;p).
But I wouldn’t call it ambitious. Reading his comments now somehow makes me feel a little riled up and at the same time a little amused.
Riled up cos he was being an MCP even at that young age of 16.
Amused because most people who know me now probably won’t even say I am an ambitious person.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
$&^%*&^@#@!$^&^%*
Xian.
Staff just wrote a strongly-worded email to an international organisation. Chairman of that organisation just replied back in a strongly-worded email as well. And cc-ed the entire world including my boss.
I really don't need this now. Was already feeling down and then now this.
Need to pick up the pieces and answer to the boss. Damage recovery badly needed.
Oh FML.
How to rein-in a staff 12 years my senior and who is emotional and quick to jump the gun?
Staff just wrote a strongly-worded email to an international organisation. Chairman of that organisation just replied back in a strongly-worded email as well. And cc-ed the entire world including my boss.
I really don't need this now. Was already feeling down and then now this.
Need to pick up the pieces and answer to the boss. Damage recovery badly needed.
Oh FML.
How to rein-in a staff 12 years my senior and who is emotional and quick to jump the gun?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Business Trips
Just realised that I've been dropped out of the trips to a neighbouring country for a consultancy project we're doing for their government. I'm still part of the team but I'm the only one not going there for information gathering and presentations to their Management and Minister. :(
I'd initially relished the opportunity to go there and learn and get exposure. How often would you get a chance to attend high-level stuff like that? Sigh. The only time I'll get a chance to go there would be to conduct training for their staff....on a rushed 2-3 day trip.
=======
Meeting in Toronto in October is confirmed. I think I'll love the place. I've booked my hotel already as well. The only thing is.....my birthday is right smack in the middle of it. FML.
=======
Thinking about the Prague meeting in June. In two minds about attending. It's a place I've always wanted to go cos TH said it's a beautiful place. But the wedding's only 3 weeks after the meeting ends.
I'd initially relished the opportunity to go there and learn and get exposure. How often would you get a chance to attend high-level stuff like that? Sigh. The only time I'll get a chance to go there would be to conduct training for their staff....on a rushed 2-3 day trip.
=======
Meeting in Toronto in October is confirmed. I think I'll love the place. I've booked my hotel already as well. The only thing is.....my birthday is right smack in the middle of it. FML.
=======
Thinking about the Prague meeting in June. In two minds about attending. It's a place I've always wanted to go cos TH said it's a beautiful place. But the wedding's only 3 weeks after the meeting ends.
moolah no lah
I seldom swipe for so much payments on my credit card.
I got a shock when I received a message from DBS this morning asking me if I wanted to increase my credit card limit. My initial reaction was whether my card had been fraudulently used.
Did some Math and then realised that hey, I actually did soend so much money within this month alone!! And it's only Day 10 of the month lol...
Time to eat grass...
I got a shock when I received a message from DBS this morning asking me if I wanted to increase my credit card limit. My initial reaction was whether my card had been fraudulently used.
Did some Math and then realised that hey, I actually did soend so much money within this month alone!! And it's only Day 10 of the month lol...
Time to eat grass...
Sunday, April 08, 2012
hmm.
Words and nuances are often misconstrued and lost in the online virtual world.
Words meaning something to one may mean something totally different to another.
And people don't talk as much to each other in maintaining relationships as before?
The more connected we get, the more disconnected we get as well?
Words meaning something to one may mean something totally different to another.
And people don't talk as much to each other in maintaining relationships as before?
The more connected we get, the more disconnected we get as well?
Thursday, April 05, 2012
afternoon rants
Just found out from staff that The Coll told them not to approach me anymore for any advice on general enquiries from the public and just go to her only.
So, she's carving me out of the equation. -_-
Win liao lor.
===============
I've been put on another dose of doxycycline and also been given antibiotic cream to zap the stupid thing away from my forehead.
Darn it, I've never had any acne cyst before and suddenly over the last 2 weeks, I had 2 of them??!!
Please hormones...don't wreak havoc on my skin now...I only have less than 4 months to the big day!
===============
Maybe the basil pesto pasta wasn't a good idea for lunch. Tummy has been feeling bloated and heavy since then.
So, she's carving me out of the equation. -_-
Win liao lor.
===============
I've been put on another dose of doxycycline and also been given antibiotic cream to zap the stupid thing away from my forehead.
Darn it, I've never had any acne cyst before and suddenly over the last 2 weeks, I had 2 of them??!!
Please hormones...don't wreak havoc on my skin now...I only have less than 4 months to the big day!
===============
Maybe the basil pesto pasta wasn't a good idea for lunch. Tummy has been feeling bloated and heavy since then.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Will you marry me?
I read with amusement at the recent news of how a man proposed to his girlfriend of 3 years. He had arranged for a flash mob just outside the Art & Science Museum at MBS. Dancing to the tune of "Marry You" by Bruno Mars, he popped the question to his girlfriend.
That guy turned out to be one of my ex-colleagues. I did not keep in touch with him since I left the organisation 5 years ago. I'd always felt he was one to love attention and drama haha. Anyway, I'm happy for Charlie and his fiance. May their union in the near future bring them much happiness and everlasting bliss.
I was thinking.
Why are marriage proposals getting so competitive these days? Seems like as if so many guys are trying to outdo each other? I had a friend who got up on stage at Timbre to sing a song and propose on stage. Another who sprinkled the whole hotel room (including the carpeted floor) with rose petals and different presents and a big bouquet of 99 roses. Another who lit candles on a grass patch spelling out the words "will you marry me". Now Charlie has upped the ante with his flash mob proposal.
The trend seems to be going on elsewhere in the world as well. I've noticed that in recent years you start seeing more and more photos and videos of dramatic proposals being circulated on the net.
Then again, where there's demand, there's supply. Are these men going to such lengths because their other halves are asking for it?
Whatever happened to the good old "down on one knee-will you marry me" type of simple proposal?
Or maybe it's just me who doesn't need the theatrics.
That guy turned out to be one of my ex-colleagues. I did not keep in touch with him since I left the organisation 5 years ago. I'd always felt he was one to love attention and drama haha. Anyway, I'm happy for Charlie and his fiance. May their union in the near future bring them much happiness and everlasting bliss.
I was thinking.
Why are marriage proposals getting so competitive these days? Seems like as if so many guys are trying to outdo each other? I had a friend who got up on stage at Timbre to sing a song and propose on stage. Another who sprinkled the whole hotel room (including the carpeted floor) with rose petals and different presents and a big bouquet of 99 roses. Another who lit candles on a grass patch spelling out the words "will you marry me". Now Charlie has upped the ante with his flash mob proposal.
The trend seems to be going on elsewhere in the world as well. I've noticed that in recent years you start seeing more and more photos and videos of dramatic proposals being circulated on the net.
Then again, where there's demand, there's supply. Are these men going to such lengths because their other halves are asking for it?
Whatever happened to the good old "down on one knee-will you marry me" type of simple proposal?
Or maybe it's just me who doesn't need the theatrics.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Miss that feeling
It's been a long time since I had that feeling. That feeling of seeing a random something and feeling the need to write about it. Or seeing something which triggers a story which in turn starts unravelling on its own in my grey matter.
I miss that feeling.
That feeling when a random thought floats across my mind and I feel the urge to write it down. Or when I stand alone in the crowd and my mind starts stringing out simple poems and verses on its own. Or when I witness something mundane on the street and my mind starts thinking about life's coffer of amazing things.
It's slowly slipping away over the last couple of years. I hope I don't lose it completely.
I used to spend 1-2 hours each night glued to my PC typing away or blogging away. These days I hardly do so and I probably spend that amount of time on my blog in a whole month.
I miss that feeling.
That feeling when a random thought floats across my mind and I feel the urge to write it down. Or when I stand alone in the crowd and my mind starts stringing out simple poems and verses on its own. Or when I witness something mundane on the street and my mind starts thinking about life's coffer of amazing things.
It's slowly slipping away over the last couple of years. I hope I don't lose it completely.
I used to spend 1-2 hours each night glued to my PC typing away or blogging away. These days I hardly do so and I probably spend that amount of time on my blog in a whole month.
The big picture
Speaking or discussing things with people who draft and strategise policies for a living makes me feel inadequate. Alot of these are the public service scholars and those armed with Masters and PhDs.
I feel small and somewhat dumb when I'm sitting in with them in a discussion. Half the time I am lost in the wilderness, the other half of the time I am trying hard to keep up. And most of the time my mouth is shut. I just listen in. How to comment when I have no idea what is going on half the time?
I tried asking a question today. And the reply I had from someone was in such a "matter-of-fact, you mean you didn't deduce it?" manner that I retreated back into my shell again after that. Sigh.
They speak in motherhood statements and the big picture. They speak in "what ifs" and "what if nots". They speak in nuances and angles of influences. They speak in positions and propositions and ???...???.....
Oh bugger. :(
Someone suggested to me that I could seek a job rotation request and go join the policy team. No, definitely not my type of work.
I feel small and somewhat dumb when I'm sitting in with them in a discussion. Half the time I am lost in the wilderness, the other half of the time I am trying hard to keep up. And most of the time my mouth is shut. I just listen in. How to comment when I have no idea what is going on half the time?
I tried asking a question today. And the reply I had from someone was in such a "matter-of-fact, you mean you didn't deduce it?" manner that I retreated back into my shell again after that. Sigh.
They speak in motherhood statements and the big picture. They speak in "what ifs" and "what if nots". They speak in nuances and angles of influences. They speak in positions and propositions and ???...???.....
Oh bugger. :(
Someone suggested to me that I could seek a job rotation request and go join the policy team. No, definitely not my type of work.
Friday, March 30, 2012
...
There are some people who are probably just acquaintances now. Partly due to not being in each other's circle anymore and partly due to some not reciprocating when I tried to maintain contact.
So when they suddenly appear with the intention of being gossipy, I find it not my cup of tea.
No, not at all.
So when they suddenly appear with the intention of being gossipy, I find it not my cup of tea.
No, not at all.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
.......
The list seems to be growing.
4 male cousins can’t attend the wedding: 1 has a clash of wedding with me, 2 are in Australia studying, 1 is working in Shanghai. Now my mum’s best friend and her husband can’t attend because they need to go Canada to help look after their toddler grandson for a few weeks.
Sigh.
4 male cousins can’t attend the wedding: 1 has a clash of wedding with me, 2 are in Australia studying, 1 is working in Shanghai. Now my mum’s best friend and her husband can’t attend because they need to go Canada to help look after their toddler grandson for a few weeks.
Sigh.
WTH
The Coll asked me about something yesterday afternoon and made it seem like I was not following proper procedures. I clarified certain points and left it at that. I did not say more as I did not want to seem too defensive. AND I do not report to her so I didn't see the need to tell her so many things.
During a team meeting with the boss in the later half of the afternoon, she brought the matter up again for discussion. Was she trying to make me look bad??
I mean, what the hell. This is my area of work. If you want to bring this up for discussion at a team meeting, fine. I am open to discussions and not making decisions unilaterally. But at least have the slightest bit of decency to tell me you are going to bring it up. Was she trying to sabotage me??
Anyway, the key word is "TRY". She tried to, but she failed.
The boss and the other senior manager agreed with the way I handled things.
Enough said.
During a team meeting with the boss in the later half of the afternoon, she brought the matter up again for discussion. Was she trying to make me look bad??
I mean, what the hell. This is my area of work. If you want to bring this up for discussion at a team meeting, fine. I am open to discussions and not making decisions unilaterally. But at least have the slightest bit of decency to tell me you are going to bring it up. Was she trying to sabotage me??
Anyway, the key word is "TRY". She tried to, but she failed.
The boss and the other senior manager agreed with the way I handled things.
Enough said.
parfois
Sometimes I feel like a bystander in this world. A little detached, a little disconnected. The world flows and ebbs around you. Sometimes you get overwhelmed and don’t know where to go. You’re afraid and end up staying where you are as it’s the only safe and familiar place you know. Sometimes you get pushed along with the currents, bobbing and floating along, like a piece of driftwood with no particular direction in mind. Sometimes, you float along thinking you’ve travelled far but then you find yourself back in the same place full circle. Sometimes, I think I ramble too much. Sometimes...I feel like I am left behind while others progress at a pace much faster than mine.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Snap, Shoot, Click
I arrived at the photo studio at 930am yesterday and got home at 930pm. I think I probably spent close to 3 hours in total during the whole day doing hair and make-up and changing in and out of outfits.
I hope the photos turn out good in the end because there were a number of shots and poses that both K & I thought were abit too cheesy for our liking. :( Well, we’ll be heading back there in about 2 weeks’ time to pick out photos that we like for our wedding album. More updates after that session.
We were at Portsdown Road in mid-afternoon and “borrowed” a lady’s veranda to do some shots. She was so nice about it and even made us cold organic cherry drinks (seeing how hot and bothered we were). I felt so paiseh about it…
It’s amazing how make-up can alter a person’s appearance so much. I thought I looked so different with meticulously coiffured hair and meticulously applied make-up. The make-up artist plastered my eyes with 2 layers of false eyelashes! She said my double eyelids were quite uneven and “messy” as well. But I loved how she covered all my pimple scars and large pores haha.
I changed the colour of my eyeshadow and my hairstyle a total of 3 times.
The end result of all that hairspray and make-up?
12-14 cotton pads taken to clean my face and wipe off ALL traces of make-up. 2 times of shampooing and 2 times of conditioning to wash off all gunk from my hair and restore it back to the usual (almost) state. 5-10mins to search for all hairpins left in my hair. A grand total of an hour in the washroom.
I really hope the photos turn out nice!
I hope the photos turn out good in the end because there were a number of shots and poses that both K & I thought were abit too cheesy for our liking. :( Well, we’ll be heading back there in about 2 weeks’ time to pick out photos that we like for our wedding album. More updates after that session.
We were at Portsdown Road in mid-afternoon and “borrowed” a lady’s veranda to do some shots. She was so nice about it and even made us cold organic cherry drinks (seeing how hot and bothered we were). I felt so paiseh about it…
It’s amazing how make-up can alter a person’s appearance so much. I thought I looked so different with meticulously coiffured hair and meticulously applied make-up. The make-up artist plastered my eyes with 2 layers of false eyelashes! She said my double eyelids were quite uneven and “messy” as well. But I loved how she covered all my pimple scars and large pores haha.
I changed the colour of my eyeshadow and my hairstyle a total of 3 times.
The end result of all that hairspray and make-up?
12-14 cotton pads taken to clean my face and wipe off ALL traces of make-up. 2 times of shampooing and 2 times of conditioning to wash off all gunk from my hair and restore it back to the usual (almost) state. 5-10mins to search for all hairpins left in my hair. A grand total of an hour in the washroom.
I really hope the photos turn out nice!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Nom nom nom nom
It will be a busy afternoon ahead. Before I get my head buried in work, I'll just share this picture. Happened to come across it and it brought a smile to my face. :)
I just had baby carrots for lunch too hhaa.
Ok, enough of these.
Time for serious work.
Friday, March 16, 2012
TGIF?
Sometimes, I question the need for a PA role in my unit.
Sometimes by the time I instruct and guide her how to do things, so much time would have been wasted that I'd probably be better off doing it myself.
If it was her first time doing it, I'm alright to spend time guiding her along. No problems. We all have our first time doing things.
If it was her second time doing it, I'm okay to guide a little as well. No problems. We sometimes need longer to know and remember how to do things.
This is her Nth time doing it. Where N is at least >10.
Why the hell am I still spending time telling her how to do it??
It is just a simple hotel room booking. You have all the details. No need to ask me so many things.............
Sometimes by the time I instruct and guide her how to do things, so much time would have been wasted that I'd probably be better off doing it myself.
If it was her first time doing it, I'm alright to spend time guiding her along. No problems. We all have our first time doing things.
If it was her second time doing it, I'm okay to guide a little as well. No problems. We sometimes need longer to know and remember how to do things.
This is her Nth time doing it. Where N is at least >10.
Why the hell am I still spending time telling her how to do it??
It is just a simple hotel room booking. You have all the details. No need to ask me so many things.............
Thursday, March 15, 2012
hmmm
The longer I am in the workforce....
- the less open I am with most people
- the longer it takes for me to warm up to others
- the more untrusting I become, both to new people I meet and existing people in the workplace
And I am in a government agency. I wonder how it would be if I were to have been in a private company.
punctuality and working hours
I've been in the office for slightly more than an hour. It's 915am now.
None of the 2 guy technical managers are in yet. I don't expect them in till 930am maybe? Well, one of them saunters into office at 945-10am every other day. Sometimes either one of them disappears for 2-3 hours at a stretch and you have no idea where they go.
And they leave on the dot at 6pm.
Over time, you wonder about the fairness of things?
None of the 2 guy technical managers are in yet. I don't expect them in till 930am maybe? Well, one of them saunters into office at 945-10am every other day. Sometimes either one of them disappears for 2-3 hours at a stretch and you have no idea where they go.
And they leave on the dot at 6pm.
Over time, you wonder about the fairness of things?
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Tan
Someone just told me that I look bronzed after I came back from India.
Bleah! My wedding photoshoot is coming soon!! Hope the photographer takes good shots of me and uses his lighting to make me slightly "fairer"!
Bleah! My wedding photoshoot is coming soon!! Hope the photographer takes good shots of me and uses his lighting to make me slightly "fairer"!
Fingers crossed
This project has hit so many snags and it is only the beginning. There is still one more year to go before the actual event. I hope things work out eventually. Hoping for some good news in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
mistakes
Sigh. I've been making more mistakes at work again. Especially so over the last 2 weeks. Maybe I was distracted by the trip???
Or simply not motivated?
Or simply not motivated?
Monday, March 05, 2012
Initiative. The lack of.
First day back to work after the 2-week trip to Delhi.
Discovered 2 staff were sitting on some things because they were just hanging around waiting for instructions from me.
All I ask for is some initiative. Simple things also need to keep waiting for instructions? If I need to look into such small details all the time, won't I be unneccessarily busy??
Discovered 2 staff were sitting on some things because they were just hanging around waiting for instructions from me.
All I ask for is some initiative. Simple things also need to keep waiting for instructions? If I need to look into such small details all the time, won't I be unneccessarily busy??
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
More of Delhi
Meals
More curries everyday. All the Chinese folks were tired of curries already. Last night, I brought a bunch of 10 Singaporeans, HongKongers, Taiwanese and Malaysians to an Asian restaurant about 5 mins away from the hotel by cab. It served Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Cambodian and Japanese. We absolutely enjoyed ourselves and I must say the food was very good. Quite authentic and totally exceeded our expectations. Even the Chinese tea was authentic.
The Socials
As with any conference/meeting/event I attend, there are socials, be they official or unofficial ones. At one unofficial gathering in the evening in the hotel’s lounge, I was “harassed” by an Indian professor from Malaysia. He kept coming on to me and wanted me to dance with him and even asked me to go with him “behind the pillar” (his exact words). I said no, albeit with a small smile because I didn't want to offend anyone, backed away and stayed away from him throughout the rest of the evening.
He then shifted his target to a young 20-yr-old Chinese Malaysian girl who was the niece of a lady delegate. She had tagged along to help her aunt out in the event. This professor told her he preferred Chinese girls and those with smaller breasts. -_-‘’ I mean, seriously??!! You're a professor and you conduct yourself this way? This is a social function but it's still an industry event and there's basic decorum to be followed. Gosh. Both of us avoided him thereafter, with the help of some of our other male colleagues and friends.
Side note: We discovered later on that at 4am that same night, he called the hotel concierge and asked to be sent to the hospital due to some terrible stomach discomfort.
Air/Water/Dryness
Nose poop is blackish at times. Goes to show how dirty the air is. I think my skin’s not used to the water too. I’ve got itchy skin on my legs and part of my torso. :( My thighs have red scratch marks now due to my over-zealous scratching. My skin is dry too….
Room/Weather
Room is rather cold sometimes though the air-conditioning is off. The toilet still flushes on its own from time to time. I'm ok if it happens in the day but it gets a little creepy at night. Lol. There were some knocking sounds coming from the air-con vent last night as well. FIrst time I've heard it in the time I'm here. Oh well...I just mouthed "Hail Mary" in my mind, hid under the covers and went to sleep. :)
Weather's turning cold. Strange when last week was warm. I was freezing last night when walking back from the restaurant.
The Rich, The Poor, And the In-Betweens
You see the rich dressed in fine tailored clothes and driving big cars. Then you see the middle class dressed okay and bringing their children out for some fun in the parks. Then you see the poor and destitute dressed in rags and filthy clothes, barefoot and hanging around scrounging for food or begging for money. You see children with kohl-lined eyes waiting at traffic junctions and when they spot a car carrying tourists, they come running to the car and knocking on the windows and asking for food or money. Or they start dancing in front of you in the hope of getting money.
The disparity between the lives of people. When you see how some of these people live in the slums, you question the way you live your life with its excesses and abundance. And you feel some form of guilt as well. As a Taiwanese friend put it: "Tong Ren Bu Tong Ming". (We are all people, but we have different lives and destinies."
More curries everyday. All the Chinese folks were tired of curries already. Last night, I brought a bunch of 10 Singaporeans, HongKongers, Taiwanese and Malaysians to an Asian restaurant about 5 mins away from the hotel by cab. It served Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Cambodian and Japanese. We absolutely enjoyed ourselves and I must say the food was very good. Quite authentic and totally exceeded our expectations. Even the Chinese tea was authentic.
The Socials
As with any conference/meeting/event I attend, there are socials, be they official or unofficial ones. At one unofficial gathering in the evening in the hotel’s lounge, I was “harassed” by an Indian professor from Malaysia. He kept coming on to me and wanted me to dance with him and even asked me to go with him “behind the pillar” (his exact words). I said no, albeit with a small smile because I didn't want to offend anyone, backed away and stayed away from him throughout the rest of the evening.
He then shifted his target to a young 20-yr-old Chinese Malaysian girl who was the niece of a lady delegate. She had tagged along to help her aunt out in the event. This professor told her he preferred Chinese girls and those with smaller breasts. -_-‘’ I mean, seriously??!! You're a professor and you conduct yourself this way? This is a social function but it's still an industry event and there's basic decorum to be followed. Gosh. Both of us avoided him thereafter, with the help of some of our other male colleagues and friends.
Side note: We discovered later on that at 4am that same night, he called the hotel concierge and asked to be sent to the hospital due to some terrible stomach discomfort.
Air/Water/Dryness
Nose poop is blackish at times. Goes to show how dirty the air is. I think my skin’s not used to the water too. I’ve got itchy skin on my legs and part of my torso. :( My thighs have red scratch marks now due to my over-zealous scratching. My skin is dry too….
Room/Weather
Room is rather cold sometimes though the air-conditioning is off. The toilet still flushes on its own from time to time. I'm ok if it happens in the day but it gets a little creepy at night. Lol. There were some knocking sounds coming from the air-con vent last night as well. FIrst time I've heard it in the time I'm here. Oh well...I just mouthed "Hail Mary" in my mind, hid under the covers and went to sleep. :)
Weather's turning cold. Strange when last week was warm. I was freezing last night when walking back from the restaurant.
The Rich, The Poor, And the In-Betweens
You see the rich dressed in fine tailored clothes and driving big cars. Then you see the middle class dressed okay and bringing their children out for some fun in the parks. Then you see the poor and destitute dressed in rags and filthy clothes, barefoot and hanging around scrounging for food or begging for money. You see children with kohl-lined eyes waiting at traffic junctions and when they spot a car carrying tourists, they come running to the car and knocking on the windows and asking for food or money. Or they start dancing in front of you in the hope of getting money.
The disparity between the lives of people. When you see how some of these people live in the slums, you question the way you live your life with its excesses and abundance. And you feel some form of guilt as well. As a Taiwanese friend put it: "Tong Ren Bu Tong Ming". (We are all people, but we have different lives and destinies."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Namaste
That's like a "Hi, how are you" in Hindi.
It's almost my 6th day here in Delhi already. Time flies. I'm very thankful that the hotel room is alright. Much much much better than the dingy old chalet room I had when I went Senegal for a conference last October.
Precautions
Water has been ok so far. We're not taking any ice with our drinks. We only drink bottled water and I've been brushing my teeth with bottled water as well. Oh yes, and washing my contact lens case with mineral water too.
Friends
It's always nice to meet and catch up with old friends at such events. Come to think of it, I've known some of them for 4 years already! Time really flies. I see them more often than I see some of my relatives lol. Kinda sad though, to hear that a Japanese friend will be leaving her organisation at the end of this month, after serving 10 years with them. Pretty lady. Will miss catching up with her at future events.
Food
I've been having curry at every meal. I might end up being a bride who puts on weight before her wedding instead of staying slim! Anyway, thosai, cottage cheese, chicken curry, fried fish are some of the things that appear at each of the catered meals at the event. I have till next Friday here......they'll be serving the same type of food everyday. I'm GLAD I brought cup noodles....Anyway, a bunch of us went out together for Chinese food today hehe. Kungbao chicken, stir-fried vegetables in soya sauce, lemon fried chicken, chinese roast pork, mapo tofu and more. My colleagues and I were so happy!
Taj Mahal & Akshadham
Grand. Lovely. Pretty. Gorgeous. Spent a total of 10.5hours or so travelling to and from the Taj Mahal on my free day on Wednesday. I shan't say more about the Taj. People have seen more than enough photos and pictures of it to know what it is like. I'll talk about Akshadham instead. I
t is the biggest Swaminarayan temple in India I think. They were so strict we spent an hour trying to get into the temple. We had to surrender our mobile phones, bags and cameras. Only wallets, passports, waterbottles and some other items could be taken with us. Then we had to go to separate long queues for men and women. Everyone was frisked. The ladies had extra metal scanners run on them by lady attendants.
So finally after an hour we went in and then had to surrender more things along the way. Shoes had to be taken off from a certain point onwards. And then our water had to be surrendered too after yet another certain point. It was like as if we were being stripped of almost all our material items.
About 6 of us were there and we were awed by the temple which was made entirely of marble (like the Taj). When you step in side, you'll realise that every surface is covered in carvings of patterns and statues. Absolutely lovely. The ceilings had many intricate carvings done on them too. Very very pretty. Much it was a huge pity that we were all not able to snap pictures in the compound.
Errrr.....
My toilet flushes itself every once in a long while. I'm not reading too much into it. It's probably a piping or plumbing issue but my colleagues are teasing me about it and are saying that maybe...there's...something...or....ok, shan't scare myself.
Diplomatic enclave
By the way, a diplomatic enclave is where all the embassies, consulates and international diplomats are situated at. So security in the area is high with many road blocks. Guards check the boot and engines of all cars entering the hotel premises. All hotel entrances have metal scanners (like those at the airport), and guards checking bags, especially that of the ladies. Even when we first arrived at the hotel with our luggage, wee had to run our bags and luggages through a scanner as well.
Traffic
Traffic in the diplomatic enclave where my hotel is in = smooth, quiet and simple. Traffic in main city centre Delhi = mad, chaotic, noisy, dusty, scary. Dozens and dozens of cars, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, trucks and buses vie for space on the roads. Constant honking seems t be the de facto here. They honk their horns to say "I'm coming up behind you. Beware." or "I'm here." or "WTH do you think you are doing in my space." or "F*** you" or for fun or..... So really, there'd be a honk every 3 seconds or so.
In the smaller towns in the outskirts of Delhi, add pedestrians to the equation. It really takes alot of nerve to drive in such traffic. Being in a car on the roads is also a bumpy affair. I don't know how they lay their roads but let's just say its about as smooth as one bump for every 20cm of road.
CJK
Aside from the folks at the event, I've not really seen any other "Mongoloid" in Delhi. Which probably explains why the locals just gawk openly at you when they see you. When I was at the Akshadham temple, I think my group was one of the rare Chinese/Japanese/Korean who was in the temple. I swear whenever I passed by the locals, about 80% of them would stare at me or my group like as if we were aliens.
It's almost my 6th day here in Delhi already. Time flies. I'm very thankful that the hotel room is alright. Much much much better than the dingy old chalet room I had when I went Senegal for a conference last October.
Precautions
Water has been ok so far. We're not taking any ice with our drinks. We only drink bottled water and I've been brushing my teeth with bottled water as well. Oh yes, and washing my contact lens case with mineral water too.
Friends
It's always nice to meet and catch up with old friends at such events. Come to think of it, I've known some of them for 4 years already! Time really flies. I see them more often than I see some of my relatives lol. Kinda sad though, to hear that a Japanese friend will be leaving her organisation at the end of this month, after serving 10 years with them. Pretty lady. Will miss catching up with her at future events.
Food
I've been having curry at every meal. I might end up being a bride who puts on weight before her wedding instead of staying slim! Anyway, thosai, cottage cheese, chicken curry, fried fish are some of the things that appear at each of the catered meals at the event. I have till next Friday here......they'll be serving the same type of food everyday. I'm GLAD I brought cup noodles....Anyway, a bunch of us went out together for Chinese food today hehe. Kungbao chicken, stir-fried vegetables in soya sauce, lemon fried chicken, chinese roast pork, mapo tofu and more. My colleagues and I were so happy!
Taj Mahal & Akshadham
Grand. Lovely. Pretty. Gorgeous. Spent a total of 10.5hours or so travelling to and from the Taj Mahal on my free day on Wednesday. I shan't say more about the Taj. People have seen more than enough photos and pictures of it to know what it is like. I'll talk about Akshadham instead. I
t is the biggest Swaminarayan temple in India I think. They were so strict we spent an hour trying to get into the temple. We had to surrender our mobile phones, bags and cameras. Only wallets, passports, waterbottles and some other items could be taken with us. Then we had to go to separate long queues for men and women. Everyone was frisked. The ladies had extra metal scanners run on them by lady attendants.
So finally after an hour we went in and then had to surrender more things along the way. Shoes had to be taken off from a certain point onwards. And then our water had to be surrendered too after yet another certain point. It was like as if we were being stripped of almost all our material items.
About 6 of us were there and we were awed by the temple which was made entirely of marble (like the Taj). When you step in side, you'll realise that every surface is covered in carvings of patterns and statues. Absolutely lovely. The ceilings had many intricate carvings done on them too. Very very pretty. Much it was a huge pity that we were all not able to snap pictures in the compound.
Errrr.....
My toilet flushes itself every once in a long while. I'm not reading too much into it. It's probably a piping or plumbing issue but my colleagues are teasing me about it and are saying that maybe...there's...something...or....ok, shan't scare myself.
Diplomatic enclave
By the way, a diplomatic enclave is where all the embassies, consulates and international diplomats are situated at. So security in the area is high with many road blocks. Guards check the boot and engines of all cars entering the hotel premises. All hotel entrances have metal scanners (like those at the airport), and guards checking bags, especially that of the ladies. Even when we first arrived at the hotel with our luggage, wee had to run our bags and luggages through a scanner as well.
Traffic
Traffic in the diplomatic enclave where my hotel is in = smooth, quiet and simple. Traffic in main city centre Delhi = mad, chaotic, noisy, dusty, scary. Dozens and dozens of cars, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, trucks and buses vie for space on the roads. Constant honking seems t be the de facto here. They honk their horns to say "I'm coming up behind you. Beware." or "I'm here." or "WTH do you think you are doing in my space." or "F*** you" or for fun or..... So really, there'd be a honk every 3 seconds or so.
In the smaller towns in the outskirts of Delhi, add pedestrians to the equation. It really takes alot of nerve to drive in such traffic. Being in a car on the roads is also a bumpy affair. I don't know how they lay their roads but let's just say its about as smooth as one bump for every 20cm of road.
CJK
Aside from the folks at the event, I've not really seen any other "Mongoloid" in Delhi. Which probably explains why the locals just gawk openly at you when they see you. When I was at the Akshadham temple, I think my group was one of the rare Chinese/Japanese/Korean who was in the temple. I swear whenever I passed by the locals, about 80% of them would stare at me or my group like as if we were aliens.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Quick update
.....on my plants and projects
- Project Moss - Errrr...turning brown. Not good. Maybe not enough light.
- Project Bonsai - the plant is doing good, with 3 bunches of flower buds appearing. Each bunch ranges from 1 bud to 5 or 6 buds. But the moss covering the soil is turning brown. Think it's not getting enough light in my balcony...And despite the numerous baby spiders I killed a few weeks ago, there are still some left. Good thing is that they are bigger now and I can see the more clearly. I clear their webs everyday and kill one or two each day now. With my upcoming 2-week trip, I think I'd better return the plant back to K's Dad. My mum will feel stressed looking after it haha.
- Project Rosemary & Project Spring - did I mention this already? Can't remember. But both were unsuccessful and have been terminated since just after CNY.
- Project Coriander - from the initial joy of seeing 20 seedlings sprout so quickly from the seeds. Errr I'm now left with 10 seedlings flopping over in the soil. Not quite sure what to do with them or make of them. Some of drying up. Some have grown a little more but remain scraggly and thin. I repotted some but they still remain stagnant. Sigh...
Other plants are doing well though:
- Bowles Mint - growing growing growing. :) New shoots appearing too...fed it with organic fertiliser last week
- Open air terrarium #1 - The fittonias are doing great...the red fittonia has grown a flower shoot. But I read online that if flower shoots appear, they should be pinched off as it does not add to the beauty of the plant...oh well...see how it goes
- Terrarium #2 - It was a closed terrarium but I've left it open now since the plant is outgrowing the container haha.
- Bryophyllum - It's growing very slowly...but I've been waiting for more than a year and little leaves have not appeared on the edges of the leaves. I was told it's supposed to appear!
- Ginseng ficus - growing beautifully. New leaves coming out and old leaves getting rounder and bigger
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tweet Tweet
The folks have gone off again to the highlands for their quarterly bout of casino fun.
So this little birdie has been left alone in the nest to fend for herself lol. Time to whip out the culinary wings again.
I was lazy, so dinner last night was just a pack of kimchi instant ramen with tang-oh vegetables thrown in it.
Tonight's menu will be a bit more exciting. If all goes well at work and I go home on time, then it will be laksa fried rice tonight with egg, baby corn and meatballs in it. Accompanied by some stir-fried baby dou miao with buna shimeiji mushrooms!
Yum yum. :) Looking forward to this evening!
So this little birdie has been left alone in the nest to fend for herself lol. Time to whip out the culinary wings again.
I was lazy, so dinner last night was just a pack of kimchi instant ramen with tang-oh vegetables thrown in it.
Tonight's menu will be a bit more exciting. If all goes well at work and I go home on time, then it will be laksa fried rice tonight with egg, baby corn and meatballs in it. Accompanied by some stir-fried baby dou miao with buna shimeiji mushrooms!
Yum yum. :) Looking forward to this evening!
"Eye" spy with my little Eye?
I gave myself a good few days to mope and feel upset about the condition of my eye. It’s high time I pick myself up, get a grip and move on with life. Life goes on. If it’s nothing debilitating (aside from the fact that my right vision is a little blurred from the big floater), I shouldn’t feel upset for too long also.
Besides, there isn’t much I can do and no medication I can take to reverse the condition. And also, honestly, there are people out there who are facing much more challenging medical issues than mine. I shouldn’t be a brat about my condition.
Hmm. My cough and flu came back for awhile because I was feeling down I think.
Anyway, off with the negativity! Getting there slowly but surely. Thanks to K, friends and family for their patience, support and encouragement.
Particulierement pour mon bebe, je t’aime tellement. Merci pour etre avec moi toujours. :)
Besides, there isn’t much I can do and no medication I can take to reverse the condition. And also, honestly, there are people out there who are facing much more challenging medical issues than mine. I shouldn’t be a brat about my condition.
Hmm. My cough and flu came back for awhile because I was feeling down I think.
Anyway, off with the negativity! Getting there slowly but surely. Thanks to K, friends and family for their patience, support and encouragement.
Particulierement pour mon bebe, je t’aime tellement. Merci pour etre avec moi toujours. :)
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Hmm
Common reactions I had today:
- Wah you wear specs one ah? Didn't know man!
- Eh? How come today wear specs leh?
- *walks past me and does a double-turn* Oh, it's you? I couldn't recognise you!
- Me: *smiles*. Other party: *stares for 2 seconds* Oh! Haha, I didn't know it was you!
- You look so innocent and decent in specs
- You look like a teacher
- What happened? Why must wear specs?
Monday, February 06, 2012
Not feeling good
The close of the Rabbit Year and the start of the Dragon Year has not been very good for me health-wise.
From delayed menstrual cycles and panic attacks, to fainting spells, tooth decays and tooth extractions. From a long bout of cough, bad skin and a cranky digestive system to now having eye issues.
At Ally's place yesterday and sometime during Kyler's birthday party, I experienced a strange phenomenon with my right eye. I saw some flashes of light and thereafter, my vision was blurred by a big piece of squiggly floater across my central vision.
I thought it would disappear after a night's sleep but it didn't.
Googled about the symptoms this morning. And freaked out when I read about the possible situations this would occur. Had a panic attack but by now I could recognise the symptoms and managed to control it a little through deep breathing.
Went to CGH immediately and had my eyes checked.
I have "posterior vitreous detachment" in my right eye.
I googled about it to find out more. This usually happens in older folks in their 50s and 60s. It happened to me because I am highly myopic. The vitreous is a gel lining in the eye and over time, it may slowly "peel away" from the retina, much like how a gelatin dessert peels away from the sides of a bowl after awhile. In some cases, it may lead to something worse. But I am trying not to scare myself.
All I can do is to wait and monitor the floater in my eye.
And nothing can be done about the floater. I'll just have to live with it. Live with a floating squiggly worm-like thing in the midst of my vision. So when I speak to you and if you feel that my eyes aren't exactly focusing on you. My apologies. I can't focus well at this point in time with that thing in my eye. Maybe as time goes by I will learn how to do it better.
I'm worried. And at the same time trying not to think about it.
I might lay off contact lenses for awhile, not that they are the cause of the condition, but perhaps to let my eyes rest a little more. I do dread going to work in glasses though. The last time I ever did that was 5 years ago. I think I'll look ugly.
Had a crying fit earlier on. Why do things all happen at the same time? Two big projects, my wedding, my 2-week long business trip to India happening in 2 weeks time.....and this has to happen?
From delayed menstrual cycles and panic attacks, to fainting spells, tooth decays and tooth extractions. From a long bout of cough, bad skin and a cranky digestive system to now having eye issues.
At Ally's place yesterday and sometime during Kyler's birthday party, I experienced a strange phenomenon with my right eye. I saw some flashes of light and thereafter, my vision was blurred by a big piece of squiggly floater across my central vision.
I thought it would disappear after a night's sleep but it didn't.
Googled about the symptoms this morning. And freaked out when I read about the possible situations this would occur. Had a panic attack but by now I could recognise the symptoms and managed to control it a little through deep breathing.
Went to CGH immediately and had my eyes checked.
I have "posterior vitreous detachment" in my right eye.
I googled about it to find out more. This usually happens in older folks in their 50s and 60s. It happened to me because I am highly myopic. The vitreous is a gel lining in the eye and over time, it may slowly "peel away" from the retina, much like how a gelatin dessert peels away from the sides of a bowl after awhile. In some cases, it may lead to something worse. But I am trying not to scare myself.
All I can do is to wait and monitor the floater in my eye.
And nothing can be done about the floater. I'll just have to live with it. Live with a floating squiggly worm-like thing in the midst of my vision. So when I speak to you and if you feel that my eyes aren't exactly focusing on you. My apologies. I can't focus well at this point in time with that thing in my eye. Maybe as time goes by I will learn how to do it better.
I'm worried. And at the same time trying not to think about it.
I might lay off contact lenses for awhile, not that they are the cause of the condition, but perhaps to let my eyes rest a little more. I do dread going to work in glasses though. The last time I ever did that was 5 years ago. I think I'll look ugly.
Had a crying fit earlier on. Why do things all happen at the same time? Two big projects, my wedding, my 2-week long business trip to India happening in 2 weeks time.....and this has to happen?
Thursday, February 02, 2012
stressed? desserts?
2012 will be an extremely busy year for me. I feel stressed thinking about it.
Just received news that I will be part of a core group of people handling a consultancy project for a national agency for a neighbouring country. It is likely to be a 6-8months long project starting from April. And I will need to fly in and out the country a couple of times, albeit for short 2-5days type of trips. Some high-level government officials of that country will likely be involved and we will also eventually need to present to the Minister-in-charge.
Given this project at other times, I would gladly welcome it with open arms. Both for the challenge, the experience and the exposure.
But with my major event in early 2013 and the wedding on the horizon, all I want to do now is sigh and wonder how much time I will have for all these things....
Just received news that I will be part of a core group of people handling a consultancy project for a national agency for a neighbouring country. It is likely to be a 6-8months long project starting from April. And I will need to fly in and out the country a couple of times, albeit for short 2-5days type of trips. Some high-level government officials of that country will likely be involved and we will also eventually need to present to the Minister-in-charge.
Given this project at other times, I would gladly welcome it with open arms. Both for the challenge, the experience and the exposure.
But with my major event in early 2013 and the wedding on the horizon, all I want to do now is sigh and wonder how much time I will have for all these things....
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
a little disappointed
Sigh. Another cousin cannot make it back from Shanghai.
That's 5 cousins, all male, from both sides of my family, who won't be attending my wedding.
:(
Some of them have families of their own. Including the rest, that's a total of 9 of them not attending liao.
:(
That's 5 cousins, all male, from both sides of my family, who won't be attending my wedding.
:(
Some of them have families of their own. Including the rest, that's a total of 9 of them not attending liao.
:(
Monday, January 30, 2012
wth
This sucks. WTF.
I have a cousin who is about 5 years older than myself. Relatives have been bugging him and me to get married for the longest time but he has borne the brunt of it because he's older. We used to always say we would wait for the other to get married first before we would ourselves.
And now, by sheer coincidence, the both of us are holding our Chinese wedding dinners this year. Two weeks apart from each other. His first, then mine.
And we're not allowed to be at each other's wedding. Some pantang reason of "double happiness" and "you cannot let a happy occasion clash with another happy occasion".
Wah lan. Sad.
As it is, 2 of my cousins will be in Australia studying and won't be able to come back. Another cousin has got a strange affliction where he would get vertigo and ringing in his ears if he takes salt and hence he can't make it as well cos he can't eat restaurant food.
Now there'll be a total of 4 cousins who will not be around during my wedding dinner.
wth.
I have a cousin who is about 5 years older than myself. Relatives have been bugging him and me to get married for the longest time but he has borne the brunt of it because he's older. We used to always say we would wait for the other to get married first before we would ourselves.
And now, by sheer coincidence, the both of us are holding our Chinese wedding dinners this year. Two weeks apart from each other. His first, then mine.
And we're not allowed to be at each other's wedding. Some pantang reason of "double happiness" and "you cannot let a happy occasion clash with another happy occasion".
Wah lan. Sad.
As it is, 2 of my cousins will be in Australia studying and won't be able to come back. Another cousin has got a strange affliction where he would get vertigo and ringing in his ears if he takes salt and hence he can't make it as well cos he can't eat restaurant food.
Now there'll be a total of 4 cousins who will not be around during my wedding dinner.
wth.
Project Status Updates
Project Spring, where I was trying to grow spring onions by soaking part of a red onion in water, has been terminated because of a lack of any visible progress. Besides, a part of the surface skin of the onion was getting soggy and "nuah". Decided to throw it away last night.
Project Rosemary, where I was trying to root 2 sprigs of rosemary in water, had been terminated as well. One sprig dried out after I stuck it into a pot of soil. I threw the other spig away last night as well. After soaking in water for the past 3-4 weeks, I saw no signs of any rooting and decided to throw it away.
Project Coriander, where I am trying to grow coriander directly from seeds, is progressing well. Close to 20 seedlings have now sprouted, about 1.5weeks after I planted the seeds. They still look like bean sprouts though. Tall, very thin and extremely wobbly stems, with 2 leaves at the very top. I'm wondering what to do after this. Not too sure whether I should keep them in this state in the small pot. Think I'll wait awhile more and see what happens.
Project Moss, where I am trying to get 2 patches of moss to root on new soil and grow more, is still stagnant.....zzz.
Project Bonsai, where I am looking after a 20-yr-old pot of bonsai from K's Dad, is going alright. I saw a flower bud the other day and was elated. :) I hope more flower buds appear. A few leaves have withered and fallen off but at the same time, I've spotted 2 or 3 new shoots growing out as well. I don't know if the fallen leaves should be of any concern. Hmm...I'll give it a few more days. Wait and see.
Project Rosemary, where I was trying to root 2 sprigs of rosemary in water, had been terminated as well. One sprig dried out after I stuck it into a pot of soil. I threw the other spig away last night as well. After soaking in water for the past 3-4 weeks, I saw no signs of any rooting and decided to throw it away.
Project Coriander, where I am trying to grow coriander directly from seeds, is progressing well. Close to 20 seedlings have now sprouted, about 1.5weeks after I planted the seeds. They still look like bean sprouts though. Tall, very thin and extremely wobbly stems, with 2 leaves at the very top. I'm wondering what to do after this. Not too sure whether I should keep them in this state in the small pot. Think I'll wait awhile more and see what happens.
Project Moss, where I am trying to get 2 patches of moss to root on new soil and grow more, is still stagnant.....zzz.
Project Bonsai, where I am looking after a 20-yr-old pot of bonsai from K's Dad, is going alright. I saw a flower bud the other day and was elated. :) I hope more flower buds appear. A few leaves have withered and fallen off but at the same time, I've spotted 2 or 3 new shoots growing out as well. I don't know if the fallen leaves should be of any concern. Hmm...I'll give it a few more days. Wait and see.
early morning sigh
It's not been a very smooth start to the project so far.
The venue which I submitted the event bid with is about to undergo a very major renovation and is likely not able to accomodate my event anymore. My brother is similarly affected for his Dec 2012 event. We joked that that manager, whom we both know, might be against the Sngs.
Jokes aside. We both feel like we've been screwed over and we both now have to look for alternative venues for our events.
Though my event's anticipated number of attendees is only about 600-800, the room requirements are quite heavy and my event spans over 11 days in Feb 2013. I just opened the tender for venue space and I hope suitable providers do come in with suitable proposals.
*fingers crossed*
The venue which I submitted the event bid with is about to undergo a very major renovation and is likely not able to accomodate my event anymore. My brother is similarly affected for his Dec 2012 event. We joked that that manager, whom we both know, might be against the Sngs.
Jokes aside. We both feel like we've been screwed over and we both now have to look for alternative venues for our events.
Though my event's anticipated number of attendees is only about 600-800, the room requirements are quite heavy and my event spans over 11 days in Feb 2013. I just opened the tender for venue space and I hope suitable providers do come in with suitable proposals.
*fingers crossed*
Overdrive
There's been an overdose of CNY activities this year. Well, almost.
Weekends before and during CNY have been packed with things to do.
I'm not exactly a very social person so too much noise, activities, food, meeting people and chit-chatting tires me out lol. Senses in too much of an overdrive.
After this week, things should slow down. :)
Cool, cool, calm, calm, zen, zen.
Weekends before and during CNY have been packed with things to do.
I'm not exactly a very social person so too much noise, activities, food, meeting people and chit-chatting tires me out lol. Senses in too much of an overdrive.
After this week, things should slow down. :)
Cool, cool, calm, calm, zen, zen.
Oh Creative!
My beloved pair of Creative earphones is spoilt. Left side working, right side no sound coming through.
BUMMER.
I need to plug into music to drown out the distracting sounds in the office. Especially so now that this new office has an open concept.
BUMMER.
I need to plug into music to drown out the distracting sounds in the office. Especially so now that this new office has an open concept.
Friday, January 27, 2012
lucky draw
A vendor sent in a hamper to the company for CNY. We held a lucky draw today to distribute the items within the hamper and also the basket which was carrying all the goodies. Goodies included abalone stock, dried scallop, mushrooms, dried cuttlefish, etc.
I ended up with the basket. -_-''
Oh well, at least it’s a pretty basket. More of a wooden box actually complete with a brass lock and rattan handle. Red and black in colour. Might come in handy for the Chinese traditional stuff for the wedding maybe?
I ended up with the basket. -_-''
Oh well, at least it’s a pretty basket. More of a wooden box actually complete with a brass lock and rattan handle. Red and black in colour. Might come in handy for the Chinese traditional stuff for the wedding maybe?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Fighting Spiders
Literally.
Spent CNY eve searching for and killing an adult spider which had made a home out of the bonsai plant K’s Dad gave me. Took me about 10 minutes for that effort. And I spent another 30-45mins searching for and killing 15-20 baby spiders on that same plant. Eyes were super tired after that. Each spider baby was just about as big as…..a speck of dust, less than 0.5mm wide. These spiders were already there when the plant was brought over to my place….I know because of the webs which were already on the plant.
Yesterday night, on the 3rd day of CNY, I spent another 20mins searching for and killing an adult spider which had somehow sought refuge in my open-air terrarium. Searching for a dark brown spider amidst dark brown soil and many many red and green fittonia leaves was really quite challenging….
And I had to kill a baby roach on the 1st day of CNY...hmm...this CNY seems to have more than my fair share of encounters with these pests and insects...
Spent CNY eve searching for and killing an adult spider which had made a home out of the bonsai plant K’s Dad gave me. Took me about 10 minutes for that effort. And I spent another 30-45mins searching for and killing 15-20 baby spiders on that same plant. Eyes were super tired after that. Each spider baby was just about as big as…..a speck of dust, less than 0.5mm wide. These spiders were already there when the plant was brought over to my place….I know because of the webs which were already on the plant.
Yesterday night, on the 3rd day of CNY, I spent another 20mins searching for and killing an adult spider which had somehow sought refuge in my open-air terrarium. Searching for a dark brown spider amidst dark brown soil and many many red and green fittonia leaves was really quite challenging….
And I had to kill a baby roach on the 1st day of CNY...hmm...this CNY seems to have more than my fair share of encounters with these pests and insects...
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Project Updates..Progress Reports!
Project Moss seems to be slow-going. The two pieces of moss which I transplanted onto a new bed of soil doesn't seem to be growing nor spreading. Nevermind, patience...I shall just continue watering it everyday.....
Project Spring...the one where I am trying to grow spring onion from yes, an onion. Seems to be slow-moving as well. Hmm, I've only seen new roots grow from the bottom of the onion butnothing growing out from the top. No green shoots or anything. Hmm...am I doing it right?
Project Bonsai. The pot from K's dad seems to be doing alright. Don't think I saw any new shoots but at least it's not turning yellow on me. :) My own pot of ficus is doing good ever since I changed its position in the balcony. From being on the balcony window ledge to being on a table in the balcony, it's now growing a number of new shoots and some of its leaves are bigger and rounder as well. :)
Project Rosemary. Err...not quite sure what to make of this really haha. I had 2 sprigs of rosemary. I kept one in some water. It has been 3 weeks plus I think, and it has not rooted. Strange thing is that it is still surviving and doesn't seem to be drying up. I stuck the other sprig directly into a pot of soil and that cutting absolutely did not survive. It started drying up and so I threw it away. Now that I have rooting powder, maybe I should try rooting the last remaining sprig into the soil and see how it turns out. Hmm...
Project Spring...the one where I am trying to grow spring onion from yes, an onion. Seems to be slow-moving as well. Hmm, I've only seen new roots grow from the bottom of the onion butnothing growing out from the top. No green shoots or anything. Hmm...am I doing it right?
Project Bonsai. The pot from K's dad seems to be doing alright. Don't think I saw any new shoots but at least it's not turning yellow on me. :) My own pot of ficus is doing good ever since I changed its position in the balcony. From being on the balcony window ledge to being on a table in the balcony, it's now growing a number of new shoots and some of its leaves are bigger and rounder as well. :)
Project Rosemary. Err...not quite sure what to make of this really haha. I had 2 sprigs of rosemary. I kept one in some water. It has been 3 weeks plus I think, and it has not rooted. Strange thing is that it is still surviving and doesn't seem to be drying up. I stuck the other sprig directly into a pot of soil and that cutting absolutely did not survive. It started drying up and so I threw it away. Now that I have rooting powder, maybe I should try rooting the last remaining sprig into the soil and see how it turns out. Hmm...
Project Coriander!
New Project!!
Managed to locate the shop "Ban Lee Huat Seed" on 32 North Canal Road and went to explore it last Friday. Old school Chinese towkay shop with containers and containers and packets and packets of .....yes, seeds. Nope, no points for guessing.
Pak choy, cabbage, lettuce, bell peppers, parsley, long beans, cucumber, tomato, chilli...all sorts of vegetable and fruit seeds.
I asked the uncle (who happened to be dressed in a retro white singlet and blue-striped pajama cotton pants complete with a white-coloured drawstring) if he could sell me some coriander seeds. He asked where I was planting them and I said at home, in a pot. He shuffled to a cabinet, took out a container and a small little plastic bag and filled the bag up with coriander seeds.
Hundreds of seeds I think, perhaps weighing a grand total of....err.....10grams?
And he charged me a grand total of.......$1. So cheap!! Lol....
Anyway, I planted some seeds last Sunday. I've never grown anything from seeds before, right from scratch. I didn't really know how it would turn out. I just threw some seeds into a small pot of soil and watered them faithfully everyday.
And....
Guess what I discovered earlier tonight?
Yay!! I saw two small little seedlings!! :) Just breaking out from the surface of the topsoil.
Lol, never knew it would bring me so much joy just to see two little seedlings haha. Anyway, I'm hoping that more seedlings will start to sprout from the 10-over seeds that I threw into that pot. I hope the seedlings survive too!
Gonna give Ally some seeds tomorrow when I see her! Lol, so she can start her own plant experiments. Whee!
Managed to locate the shop "Ban Lee Huat Seed" on 32 North Canal Road and went to explore it last Friday. Old school Chinese towkay shop with containers and containers and packets and packets of .....yes, seeds. Nope, no points for guessing.
Pak choy, cabbage, lettuce, bell peppers, parsley, long beans, cucumber, tomato, chilli...all sorts of vegetable and fruit seeds.
I asked the uncle (who happened to be dressed in a retro white singlet and blue-striped pajama cotton pants complete with a white-coloured drawstring) if he could sell me some coriander seeds. He asked where I was planting them and I said at home, in a pot. He shuffled to a cabinet, took out a container and a small little plastic bag and filled the bag up with coriander seeds.
Hundreds of seeds I think, perhaps weighing a grand total of....err.....10grams?
And he charged me a grand total of.......$1. So cheap!! Lol....
Anyway, I planted some seeds last Sunday. I've never grown anything from seeds before, right from scratch. I didn't really know how it would turn out. I just threw some seeds into a small pot of soil and watered them faithfully everyday.
And....
Guess what I discovered earlier tonight?
Yay!! I saw two small little seedlings!! :) Just breaking out from the surface of the topsoil.
Lol, never knew it would bring me so much joy just to see two little seedlings haha. Anyway, I'm hoping that more seedlings will start to sprout from the 10-over seeds that I threw into that pot. I hope the seedlings survive too!
Gonna give Ally some seeds tomorrow when I see her! Lol, so she can start her own plant experiments. Whee!
of plants and poultry
Popped by NTUC yesterday after lunch to buy a toothbrush. Ended up chancing upon stuff that I've wanted to buy for a few weeks but can't seem to find readily.
Hehe, I bought organic fertiliser and rooting powder! :)
Silly me thought that organic fertiliser was just something more natural compared to chemical fertilisers but it didn't occur to me that it would actually be.............................................
............
...................
.................................
.....................................................
processed poultry manure.
Yeah, the organic fertiliser I bought was actually chicken shit.
And I only just discovered it a day later i.e. tonight. I cut open the packet just now and was immediately hit by an overpowering smell...One whiff and I went "oh shit."
Ya, "oh shit" as in both metaphorically and literally.
I didn't dare put too much on my pot of mint. The instructions said 1 tablespoon to a 10cm pot. My mint is in an 18cm pot and I think I only dared to put half a teaspoon of the stuff onto the pot hahahaha. That's about as much smell as I can tahan.
I hope the smell dissipates by the time my mum wakes up tomorrow and steps into the balcony lol.
Hehe, I bought organic fertiliser and rooting powder! :)
Silly me thought that organic fertiliser was just something more natural compared to chemical fertilisers but it didn't occur to me that it would actually be.............................................
............
...................
.................................
.....................................................
processed poultry manure.
Yeah, the organic fertiliser I bought was actually chicken shit.
And I only just discovered it a day later i.e. tonight. I cut open the packet just now and was immediately hit by an overpowering smell...One whiff and I went "oh shit."
Ya, "oh shit" as in both metaphorically and literally.
I didn't dare put too much on my pot of mint. The instructions said 1 tablespoon to a 10cm pot. My mint is in an 18cm pot and I think I only dared to put half a teaspoon of the stuff onto the pot hahahaha. That's about as much smell as I can tahan.
I hope the smell dissipates by the time my mum wakes up tomorrow and steps into the balcony lol.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Toothy business
I had 2 fillings today and cleaned my teeth as well. And that easily set me back by $220.
Ouch. And I still have 2 more fillings to be done.
Bleah........zzzzzzzzz......
Ouch. And I still have 2 more fillings to be done.
Bleah........zzzzzzzzz......
Boooo...
Sutffed nose and scratchy throat over the weekend.
Nose cleared yesterday after self-medication but then phelgm developed instead.
Feeling paiseh cos I passed the bug to K and also to 2 of my colleagues I think.
Both of them are on MC today haha.
Anyway, not absolutely well yet so hope I get back to at least 99% by the time CNY comes!
Nose cleared yesterday after self-medication but then phelgm developed instead.
Feeling paiseh cos I passed the bug to K and also to 2 of my colleagues I think.
Both of them are on MC today haha.
Anyway, not absolutely well yet so hope I get back to at least 99% by the time CNY comes!
Friday, January 13, 2012
sigh
Lying in a big open field
Bright blue skies above me
Big white fluffy clouds adorn the sky
Sunrays caress my face
A light breeze blows
The air is crisp and clean
Peace abounds
With an undercurrent energy
Of growth and renewal
Dandelions dancing with the breeze
Marigolds and daisies
Tilt their faces to the sun
I hope I can be in such a place right now.
Unfortunately I am not. Sigh.
Major project not looking good at all. Friggin thing got thrown onto my lap.
Many many many obstacles. And this is even before we start any actual work for the project. The more I look at it, the more I feel I have been thrown into a losing battle. Like a sacrificial lamb. Tmd. Really frustrating.
Bright blue skies above me
Big white fluffy clouds adorn the sky
Sunrays caress my face
A light breeze blows
The air is crisp and clean
Peace abounds
With an undercurrent energy
Of growth and renewal
Dandelions dancing with the breeze
Marigolds and daisies
Tilt their faces to the sun
I hope I can be in such a place right now.
Unfortunately I am not. Sigh.
Major project not looking good at all. Friggin thing got thrown onto my lap.
Many many many obstacles. And this is even before we start any actual work for the project. The more I look at it, the more I feel I have been thrown into a losing battle. Like a sacrificial lamb. Tmd. Really frustrating.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Mind Over Body?
Bad throat.
Feeling so cold in office. But my colleagues are not.
Nose starting to feel a little weird.
Eyes tired and dry.
Hang in there Michelle!
You cannot fall sick! CNY is coming!
*sniff*
Feeling so cold in office. But my colleagues are not.
Nose starting to feel a little weird.
Eyes tired and dry.
Hang in there Michelle!
You cannot fall sick! CNY is coming!
*sniff*
no, you are wrong.
There are just so many “I-know-it-all” people around.
It makes even a simple thing of having lunch together difficult. If there's a particular topic being brought up, people want to butt in to give their expert opinion and if there are differing views then voices get louder and louder and more agitated. Nobody wants to back down from their own views.
Hello, it’s just a lunch conversation. Can we just eat in peace and have casual chats. Can we not get into heated discussions over trivial things like “the official age of retirement in Singapore now” or “whether the CPF special account can be used for investments”? Leave the agressive discussions to work-related issues.
I prefer my lunches to be simple, chill-out sessions with simple normal conversations...
It makes even a simple thing of having lunch together difficult. If there's a particular topic being brought up, people want to butt in to give their expert opinion and if there are differing views then voices get louder and louder and more agitated. Nobody wants to back down from their own views.
Hello, it’s just a lunch conversation. Can we just eat in peace and have casual chats. Can we not get into heated discussions over trivial things like “the official age of retirement in Singapore now” or “whether the CPF special account can be used for investments”? Leave the agressive discussions to work-related issues.
I prefer my lunches to be simple, chill-out sessions with simple normal conversations...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Mr Az!!
I had the luxury of listening to Jason Mraz the entire day. Mr Az is one of his monikers in his early days by the way.
A youtube playlist was playing all the way and I am mesmerized. Most of the songs were sung live in front of a fantastic crowd and his voice was absolutely wonderful.
To have that much soul and sincerity in his voice. To be so charismatic and charming. To be able to improvise and conjure up a melody and a whole song on the spot just like that. To sound better in person than on any commercially produced album. To sound even better in person with just a mike and an acoustic guitar rather than having digital nuances added to his voice. To have this wonderful sense of humour that endears him to everyone. To have this down to earth quality and humility even though he is a big star.
Pure pure talent.
I really hope he comes to Singapore again. I missed his concert the last time round in March 2009 because I had to go to Mexico. Please please come back again!
A youtube playlist was playing all the way and I am mesmerized. Most of the songs were sung live in front of a fantastic crowd and his voice was absolutely wonderful.
To have that much soul and sincerity in his voice. To be so charismatic and charming. To be able to improvise and conjure up a melody and a whole song on the spot just like that. To sound better in person than on any commercially produced album. To sound even better in person with just a mike and an acoustic guitar rather than having digital nuances added to his voice. To have this wonderful sense of humour that endears him to everyone. To have this down to earth quality and humility even though he is a big star.
Pure pure talent.
I really hope he comes to Singapore again. I missed his concert the last time round in March 2009 because I had to go to Mexico. Please please come back again!
Journals
I have a penchant for notebooks and journals. I can’t describe their allure in words.
Maybe it’s the blank pages and the potential each page has to tell its own story that gets to me. Or maybe it’s the capacity of the book to hold my thoughts and give it some tangibility. Or maybe it’s just me with my obsessiveness of making lists and trying to organize things.
I’ve had acid-free books which acted as my diaries. I’ve kept one of them, a lime-green book, for 13 years and the pages have not yellowed one bit. Wonderful quality. Made in Japan.
I’ve also had cloth bound books, a variety of colourful Azone books, some from IKEA, and others. Big ones, small ones. Thing is, I buy some of them and end up not using them because….because I want to find the right purpose for using them and sometimes…I can’t find that right reason ahha.
I’d gotten Ally & PQ notebooks for their birthdays from the Kimmi doll collection (www.kimmidoll.com). I hope they find a right purpose for their books :)
Maybe it’s the blank pages and the potential each page has to tell its own story that gets to me. Or maybe it’s the capacity of the book to hold my thoughts and give it some tangibility. Or maybe it’s just me with my obsessiveness of making lists and trying to organize things.
I’ve had acid-free books which acted as my diaries. I’ve kept one of them, a lime-green book, for 13 years and the pages have not yellowed one bit. Wonderful quality. Made in Japan.
I’ve also had cloth bound books, a variety of colourful Azone books, some from IKEA, and others. Big ones, small ones. Thing is, I buy some of them and end up not using them because….because I want to find the right purpose for using them and sometimes…I can’t find that right reason ahha.
I’d gotten Ally & PQ notebooks for their birthdays from the Kimmi doll collection (www.kimmidoll.com). I hope they find a right purpose for their books :)
360
Some companies call it the “360 Appraisal” and others refer to it as the “All Round Appraisal”. My organization calls it the “Multi-Source Feedback” where you are rated on a certain set of competencies and hard/soft skills by your supervisor, your subordinates, your team-mates and others within the organization whom you work with (but not from your team).
The report used to be tied to your performance appraisal but these days they’ve removed that link already.
The FY11/12 report just came out and I checked mine out yesterday.
Glad that this is the best MSF rating I’ve ever gotten in my 4 years. 4.9 out of 6.
Received both candid, amusing, good and not so good feedback in the free-range comments section including the following -->
- Must learn to share more knowledge with others
- Be more confident
- Develop more soft skills like people management
- Responds promptly to emails. good.
- Able to deliver and perform above expectation
Monday, January 09, 2012
Project Moss
Project Moss is underway. I was given two patches of moss by K’s Dad who was so generous about it. He scrapped some off from the big pot of cactus in their driveway.
I’ve since patted them down in a bed of soil, given them a generous amount of water and placed them in partial shade. I hope they start multiplying soon!
I’ve since patted them down in a bed of soil, given them a generous amount of water and placed them in partial shade. I hope they start multiplying soon!
Bonsai
There’s a new honorary member to the family of plants in my balcony. A small pot of bonsai though I’m not sure which species it is.
Courtesy of K’s Dad who insisted I take it home with me and take care of it for awhile. It won’t be a permanent fixture in my balcony though. I’ll bring it back when I move into K’s place in a few months’ time. Either that or I’ll bring it back sooner if I think it isn’t doing very well at my place under my amateur care.
I gave it a misting yesterday night and also watered the moss and soil at the same time. It doesn't look as healthy as it should be though. The leaves are a little on the pale side and have slightly yellow undertones.
Stress. I hope I can take care of it well enough.
I was told that the plant’s 20 years old. O_o
Courtesy of K’s Dad who insisted I take it home with me and take care of it for awhile. It won’t be a permanent fixture in my balcony though. I’ll bring it back when I move into K’s place in a few months’ time. Either that or I’ll bring it back sooner if I think it isn’t doing very well at my place under my amateur care.
I gave it a misting yesterday night and also watered the moss and soil at the same time. It doesn't look as healthy as it should be though. The leaves are a little on the pale side and have slightly yellow undertones.
Stress. I hope I can take care of it well enough.
I was told that the plant’s 20 years old. O_o
Sunday, January 08, 2012
AmeiZing!
Went for the Zhang Hui Mei "AmeiZing" concert last night with the sec sch folks.
Compared to her 2007 concert, I thought she was much more subdued this time round. More emo and less stamina as well. 2007 had been a concert full of adrenalin pumping dance songs and quick beats. 2009 however had lesser such songs being performed. Instead, she had a whole section of 45minutes dedicated to all her famous emo songs from her past albums. (Think I teared for some of the songs).
Not complaining though. Her voice is still as powerful as ever. Big lungs in a small body.
I also love the fact that a very big majority of her supporting stage performers are from Singapore. From the two female keyboardists and the two bassists to the back-up singers and even the drummer and the music producer.
Kudos Amei!!
May your music continue to touch us for many more years.
I think, I want to watch the following artistes. Hope they come to SG again:
Compared to her 2007 concert, I thought she was much more subdued this time round. More emo and less stamina as well. 2007 had been a concert full of adrenalin pumping dance songs and quick beats. 2009 however had lesser such songs being performed. Instead, she had a whole section of 45minutes dedicated to all her famous emo songs from her past albums. (Think I teared for some of the songs).
Not complaining though. Her voice is still as powerful as ever. Big lungs in a small body.
I also love the fact that a very big majority of her supporting stage performers are from Singapore. From the two female keyboardists and the two bassists to the back-up singers and even the drummer and the music producer.
Kudos Amei!!
May your music continue to touch us for many more years.
I think, I want to watch the following artistes. Hope they come to SG again:
- MayDay (aka Wu Yue Tian) - their coming in a few weeks but I did not manage to get tickets.
- Jacky Cheung - I was supposed to go to his concert this year but due to exigencies of work, I had to travel and had to miss the concert. Mega sad.
- David Tao - I loved many of his songs during the peak of his career a few years back.
- Jason Mraz - he touched my heart the first time I saw him sing live in a Youtube video. Sincere, unassuming guy with a great talent.
me time
It is late and I am supposed to sleep.
Instead, I am awake, on the Net, warbled thoughts in mind, pillow behind me, laptop on err..my lap. I have things to do and can't sleep as yet. It just started raining outside. Pitter patter. The sky is a muddled colour of purple and pink. A slight breeze is drafting through the windows. The room is dark. I have switched off all lights.
I relish this time at the end of the day before I go to sleep. I feel like I am in my sanctuary, safe and undisturbed. Just me, myself and my mind. No one else. Sometimes I manage to calm myself down, sometimes I still feel tensed up and end up going to bed tired. (Hmm, come to think of it, beause of the latter situation, maybe that's why I have perpetual dark eye circles. Hmm.)
Instead, I am awake, on the Net, warbled thoughts in mind, pillow behind me, laptop on err..my lap. I have things to do and can't sleep as yet. It just started raining outside. Pitter patter. The sky is a muddled colour of purple and pink. A slight breeze is drafting through the windows. The room is dark. I have switched off all lights.
I relish this time at the end of the day before I go to sleep. I feel like I am in my sanctuary, safe and undisturbed. Just me, myself and my mind. No one else. Sometimes I manage to calm myself down, sometimes I still feel tensed up and end up going to bed tired. (Hmm, come to think of it, beause of the latter situation, maybe that's why I have perpetual dark eye circles. Hmm.)
of ups and downs
I don't enjoy the see-sawing of emotions.
When there is a high, it isn't the highest it can go. I always feel like I have something holding me back somehow, something at the back of my mind. But when there is a low, I sink deep. And sometimes it becomes a struggle trying to claw my way out.
Does this make any sense?
When there is a high, it isn't the highest it can go. I always feel like I have something holding me back somehow, something at the back of my mind. But when there is a low, I sink deep. And sometimes it becomes a struggle trying to claw my way out.
Does this make any sense?
Friday, January 06, 2012
The Funnies
A member of the public just brought me peals of laughter. Hahaha....he said this in an email sent to me about one of our policy documents...
"I have read through the document. Very long and my brain come out with nothing. Hope you can help me."
Hahahahhaha....hilarious!
"I have read through the document. Very long and my brain come out with nothing. Hope you can help me."
Hahahahhaha....hilarious!
Thursday, January 05, 2012
breathe in, breathe out
I feel like I am being pulled in a dozen different directions at the same time.
My mind feels the same way. There're tons of thoughts going in and out of my mind at the same time that I can't really focus properly. My mind feels like a broken TV with that grey static running across the screen and that hideous "pshaw pshaw pshaw" sound violating your ears.
There's a million different things to do at work and a million different things to do in my personal life. I am zipping from task to task, a little here, a little there, back to here from there, anywhere, wait...where am I again??
Falling behind on some deadlines, chased by external people.
Lots to buy, lots to plan, lots to prepare, lots to think through, lots to search for info on...
ACK~! ARGH~! AHHHHH~!!!
*meditation pose*
breathe in, breathe out....
*ohm*
My mind feels the same way. There're tons of thoughts going in and out of my mind at the same time that I can't really focus properly. My mind feels like a broken TV with that grey static running across the screen and that hideous "pshaw pshaw pshaw" sound violating your ears.
There's a million different things to do at work and a million different things to do in my personal life. I am zipping from task to task, a little here, a little there, back to here from there, anywhere, wait...where am I again??
Falling behind on some deadlines, chased by external people.
Lots to buy, lots to plan, lots to prepare, lots to think through, lots to search for info on...
ACK~! ARGH~! AHHHHH~!!!
*meditation pose*
breathe in, breathe out....
*ohm*
*breathe*
I feel inundated by my contract staff’s papers sometimes.
She submits them to me for clearance and vetting before it goes up to my boss. Her mistakes in formatting, policy approach, grammar, typos, language and other things get to me and I find it time-consuming and somewhat tiring to have to guide her. It is especially trying when sometimes she doesn’t heed what I suggest. (I don’t blame her, she’s 12 years my senior.)
But yeah, it gets a trifle tiring looking through her work and not being able to start on your own work!
I wonder how my boss does it. He oversees 4 of us managers who flood him with policy papers for vetting and approval from time to time. It gets worse when there are Board meetings and each of us coughs up about 2-3 papers or so each. Maybe that’s why he has a perpetual frown on his face, like a grumpy old man.
Oh dear, I cannot be a grumpy old woman!!
She submits them to me for clearance and vetting before it goes up to my boss. Her mistakes in formatting, policy approach, grammar, typos, language and other things get to me and I find it time-consuming and somewhat tiring to have to guide her. It is especially trying when sometimes she doesn’t heed what I suggest. (I don’t blame her, she’s 12 years my senior.)
But yeah, it gets a trifle tiring looking through her work and not being able to start on your own work!
I wonder how my boss does it. He oversees 4 of us managers who flood him with policy papers for vetting and approval from time to time. It gets worse when there are Board meetings and each of us coughs up about 2-3 papers or so each. Maybe that’s why he has a perpetual frown on his face, like a grumpy old man.
Oh dear, I cannot be a grumpy old woman!!
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Project Spring
You know the science experiment we did when we were little children in primary school? Sticking an onion in water and watching it sprout shootsafter a few days?
I think I'm going to do it haha. After more than 2 decades, I'm gonna try it again! Once they grow sufficient roots, I'm gonna transplant it into a pot of soil and then see what exactly happens hehe.
I think I'm going to do it haha. After more than 2 decades, I'm gonna try it again! Once they grow sufficient roots, I'm gonna transplant it into a pot of soil and then see what exactly happens hehe.
Project Mossy
I am embarking on a new plant project. I want to grow moss! :)
I have a pot of ficus ginseng bonsai and I've also bought a nice ceramic pot for it. Before I do any major transplanting into the new pot, I want to grow some moss so I can do landscaping with it.
Am currently doing some research on growing it. I hope I manage to grow them successfully hehe. It'll be fun trying it out....
Wish me luck!
I have a pot of ficus ginseng bonsai and I've also bought a nice ceramic pot for it. Before I do any major transplanting into the new pot, I want to grow some moss so I can do landscaping with it.
Am currently doing some research on growing it. I hope I manage to grow them successfully hehe. It'll be fun trying it out....
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
hmmm...
Some pointers for a civil/public servant when taking questions from the public or media:
Evade
Avoid
Dance around
Tiptoe
Be indirect
Reply but don't reply
Be politically correct
Be diplomatic
Evade
Avoid
Dance around
Tiptoe
Be indirect
Reply but don't reply
Be politically correct
Be diplomatic
$#^%$&#&^@%&U#@%#$
I IS ANGWEEEEEE!!!!!
stupid boss!!!!!! argh!!!!
how can he send out my entire draft email out to other divisions????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wah lau eh!!!!
@$#&$^%I&^*^$%%^#$^&$*E$^^$@#
stupid boss!!!!!! argh!!!!
how can he send out my entire draft email out to other divisions????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wah lau eh!!!!
@$#&$^%I&^*^$%%^#$^&$*E$^^$@#
Encounters of the Squirmy Kind
TAMPINES - An epic battle of sorts was fought in a quiet corridor of a residential block in the eastern town of Tampines yesterday afternoon. After an intense one hour 20 minutes, it appeared that a female resident in her 30s emerged victorious.
Denizens residing within the soil of a particular pot of bamboo were thought to be eradicated. According to witnesses, inhabitants included silverfish, a small striped young lizard, dozens of ants and other unidentified wriggling creatures.
Witnesses at the scene of the carnage said they saw plastic bags, newspapers, rotten bamboo stems, bits of earth, scissors, gloves, a water spray, a small spade and other paraphernalia lying around the pot. There was another pot containing palm-like plants close by but it seemed unscathed.
When interviewed, the female resident, who declined to be named, explained, “This is what happens when you leave your outdoor plants unattended for too long. I had initially left them to my mother’s care but a year of no attention paid to the bamboo was far too long. I found rotten stems, rotten leaves, dead insects, ants, cobwebs and a whole host of other strange creatures. I had no choice but to kill as many of those creatures as I could. If not, the bamboo would perish!”
Indeed, in the aftermath, a lingering smell of insecticide was still in the air.
At last count, the pot of bamboo was seen sitting in a bed of fresh soil and peat moss and had been freshly watered. A thin layer of mist covered its leaves, its stems and new shoots were reaching out to the sun and its future seemed infinitely brighter.
For her parting shot, the female resident advised, “Your plants are just like your pets. They need care and attention. Give them some love and patience as well and I’m sure you will find lovely surprises along the way!”
-Agence de presse-
Denizens residing within the soil of a particular pot of bamboo were thought to be eradicated. According to witnesses, inhabitants included silverfish, a small striped young lizard, dozens of ants and other unidentified wriggling creatures.
Witnesses at the scene of the carnage said they saw plastic bags, newspapers, rotten bamboo stems, bits of earth, scissors, gloves, a water spray, a small spade and other paraphernalia lying around the pot. There was another pot containing palm-like plants close by but it seemed unscathed.
When interviewed, the female resident, who declined to be named, explained, “This is what happens when you leave your outdoor plants unattended for too long. I had initially left them to my mother’s care but a year of no attention paid to the bamboo was far too long. I found rotten stems, rotten leaves, dead insects, ants, cobwebs and a whole host of other strange creatures. I had no choice but to kill as many of those creatures as I could. If not, the bamboo would perish!”
Indeed, in the aftermath, a lingering smell of insecticide was still in the air.
At last count, the pot of bamboo was seen sitting in a bed of fresh soil and peat moss and had been freshly watered. A thin layer of mist covered its leaves, its stems and new shoots were reaching out to the sun and its future seemed infinitely brighter.
For her parting shot, the female resident advised, “Your plants are just like your pets. They need care and attention. Give them some love and patience as well and I’m sure you will find lovely surprises along the way!”
-Agence de presse-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)