Thursday, October 08, 2009

I realise that...

  • My pockets are getting dry and will get drier in the next few months. There's 3 one-month-old baby celebrations this week alone and there'll be 2 upcoming weddings,and Xmas is coming...
  • I might be too accomodative sometimes.
  • One should still try to smile despite having shit poured all over you. Easier said than done though.
  • My back view probably looks like thousands of other Chinese girls in Singapore.
  • It's been 3 weeks (or more) since I went jogging. Uh-oh..how to prepare for 10km SCM?
  • Even when you do good and get nothing in return, you should still try doing good. And that's a paradoxical truth of life.
  • I am blessed to have a wonderful bunch of friends, family and my Knight.
  • I miss K alot now.
  • Alot of people live in the past. I am one of them. Need to learn how to be more forward looking.
  • I should probably be slogging my butt off now but I am not. Uh-oh...
  • A pimple has sprouted on my nose.
  • SQ is still the best airline I've taken. Not that I've taken many others though hahaa..
  • I' d better get back to work NOW....hmmm then again...there should be time for just one more short post right? hmm mm....

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Me Back

16 days, 4 cities, 750 photos, numerous sandwiches and dozens of cathedrals later, I am back in Singapore.

I am back at work. After clearing 1200 emails and 6 files on my table, I MIGHT be back here.

In the meantime, I’ll slog away…body in SG, mind in Europe.

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Bye Barcelona, Bonjour Paris Again

By the time we left Barcelona, we were already tired from the trip. For me, it was sore feet, tired eyes from the glare of the sun at times and a lower back which ached at times. Haha, I seem old suddenly.

We went to a hill called Tibidabo on our last day there. It was a long way there, about an hour-plus by public transport (metro, bus, then tram). But it was surprisingly beautiful place which overlooked the city. A cathedral sat atop the hill and atop the cathedral, there was a statue of Jesus, almost like the “Christ the Redeemer” statue in Rio de Janeiro.

There was an amusement park there too, complete with carousels and Viking rides. It felt as if we were transported back in time to the 1950s where such fairs were commonplace in UK. What was missing was clowns walking around and cotton candy machines haha.

I've tried the Fideguay and the Seafood Paella in Spain. And all I have for them is applause haha. :) Hehe, those with a preference for more salty stuff will like them too.

We left Barcelona early yesterday morning. And reached Paris about 9 hours later in the evening. Trundled through loads of towns and finally reached sometime around 530pm.

It was extremely cold today. So cold till my fingers were frozen. Toes were half frozen in my shoes too haha. And my lower back acted up again in the cold weather. K had to bear with a grumpy me lol.

Nothing particularly exciting today though haha. Tomorrow will be more exciting. With a boat ride along the La Seine planned and a special dinner reservation at this mini island within the city. The island's called Chalet des Iles.

Till here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Bonjour! Hola!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Lameness

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

We'll pick kutus from each other's hair

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

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


Saturday, September 19, 2009

In 7 seconds, someone in the world gets dementia

I thought this video was quite nicely done too.

Dementia

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

Have a watch.

Going Home

Friday, September 18, 2009

cuzzie

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

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

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

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

Hope her mind gets sorted out...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

miffy shell

A little miffed.

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

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

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

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

Zua

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

Not good. :(

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

law-gor-WHAT??

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

Logorrhea.

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

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

And it reminds me of diarrhoea.

hmm. ;p

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

SP

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

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

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

Stay happy little one.

Me and my pair of ears

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

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

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

Hmm.

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

still a hubber at heart hahaa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Calcium is good!

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

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

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

*claps claps*

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

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

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

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

Monday, September 14, 2009

spend spend spend

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

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

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

Forward Foreword

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

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

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

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

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