My little garden

Terrariums are supposed to be easy to care for. Fittonias are hardy indoor plants and are supposed to be easy to care for too.

I have no idea how, in my month-long absence, my mum managed to almost destroy one of my open-air terrariums. It's the smallest terrarium somemore, just a small little jar which used to house preserved soy beans.

Sigh, I told her not to water it anymore since I'm back. She watered it anyway. And didn't bother taking notice of how water-logged it already was. I discovered, to my horror, that the water level was above the soil. My plants were SWIMMING in muck. And she didn't notice it.

Sigh.

And they were probably waterlogged alot of times during my absence. One can tell by looking at their stems and leaves. You know those science experiments we did in primary school where you take a white rose, stick it in blue colour water and its leaves and petals start turning blue after a day or two? Well the plants in this terrarium had stems which were brown in colour and some of the leaves were half brown too, after having taken in too much muddy water.

So I spent my whole afternoon saving this terrarium. Took out the plants and repotted them elsewhere. Transplanted newer, younger and fresher stalks of fittonias into the jar instead. And of course I drained out as much water as I could.

Repotted my other pots of fittonias into larger pots and also the plant that Ally gave me last night. Hehe, so sweet, she gave me one of her pots of African Violets. Yay new plant for me! :)

Oh yes, did I mention my mum also murdered my cactus? I came back last Friday to see a grey-brown looking lump of what-used-to-be-vegetation instead of my fresh green cactus. Sigh, no cactuses for the time being till I get my other plants in order.

I might need to stock up on my soil, sphagnum moss, activated charcoal, and pebbles hmmm.
Maybe I might need some more pots too, prettier ones. Ally gave me an idea, I'll visit Daiso tomorrow to see what deals I can get there. :D

Ayam Buah Keluak

It has been a tradition in my family since eons ago. Since I was old enough to remember, we've always had Ayam Buah Keluak as one of the main dishes during CNY. Nothing too strange about it since I grew up in a household strongly influenced by Peranakan practices. My Granny's Peranakan for the uninitiated.

Granny used to helm this task each year. She'd do almost everything herself and I remember running around in the kitchen watching her prepare this dish when I was young. (Mind you, this is a dish which is tedious to prepare and needs alot of effort.)

That was up until the time when she didn't have the strength anymore to cook and prepare everything. And then my mum took over. With Granny giving instructions by the side or doing the simple things like chopping up the spices to be used for the gravy paste.

And then the time came when Granny couldn't even handle a knife. Mum took over completely. And it was around that time as well when Dad & I were roped in as helpers.....that was at least 5-6 years ago or it could have been longer.

Anyway it was no different this year. Mum & Dad bought the nuts at a Bedok South stall about 2 weeks back at $0.30 for each nut. About a week ago, Mum scrubbed them clean and soaked them in a pot of water.

This morning, Dad & I set about our arduous task of "tackling" the nuts. Dad, with his trusty screwdriver and heavy duty hammer, cracked open the nuts and I, with my trusty metal plier, would pry open the cracks further and enlarge the holes in the nuts, till the holes were big enough to fit a finger inside.

After the nuts were cracked open, we then had to scrape out all the contents within. Mum would then mix fish paste with the nut fillings. Dad & I then had to fill the empty nutshells up again with this new prepared buah keluak paste.

In the meantime, Mum would be frying the spices and getting the gravy base ready. And preparing the chicken drumsticks and chicken pieces to be thrown in together with the buah keluak.

By the time Dad & I were done, it was already close to 12pm. 2.5hours of work just to prepare the nuts.

And Mum still had to cook them in the soup base together with the chicken pieces.

By the time she was done, it was already 2-something close to 3pm.

5hours of work.

3 person's efforts.

2 big pots of Ayam Buah Keluak.

Nonya dishes are really tedious to prepare.

Maybe that's why they taste so so good.

And oh yes, we saved a tupperware of it for someone who's salivating in Europe right now. ;p

My Sunday

It was a tiring day. Up till late afternoon at least.

I woke early at 8-something which never happens on a Sunday morning. I set my alarm clock to wake me up that's why. ;p Checked my office email, harvested the crops in my Smurfs village and then read some of today's newspapers.

Came 930am and it was time to start the family tradition. Oh, at least it's a tradition between my parents and I. The annual Ayam Buah Keluak cooking session. Tedious thing but that's gonna be a whole post on its own.

Anyway, finished that by lunch time, had my lunch, rested awhile. And then it was gardening time. I was at it for a good 2.5hours. Details to be shared later. After bonding time with my plants, it was a quick shower and then bonding time with K.

:) It was morning in London and he had to sit at his hotel's lounge which was the only place that had WIFI in the whole building. Skyped for an hour and then it was dinner.

I spent dinner camped out in front of the TV and watching an episode of the new Korean serial showing on KBS Channel 115. Finished that and then...

Voila, here I am in front of the PC again. :) I just popped my antibiotics and had my cough syrup which would guarantee a drowsy me by the time 945pm comes. Just nice for bedtime anyway.

Strange

2010 was a strange year. In the sense that nothing major happened in my life. No significant milestone, no big events.

Since 2004, there has been something significant happening in my life each year. Be it a positive or negative event, there would definitely be something big happening each year.

For 2010 however, nothing major occurred. Nothing I could say which made a big impact on my life. The year was surprisingly calm, plain and simple.

Hmm. I wonder what 2011 has in store for me.

Year 2010

In gist.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Permed my hair for the first time in my life.

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

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

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

Narcissism and the Weekend Ahead!

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

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

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

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

The Man

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

Great Friday Night!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whee! :)

Mr Ding

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wheee! Another lunch kaki! :)))

Little Mr K

This is exciting. :D

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

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

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

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

My Dreams

I realise I have recurring dreams.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hmm.

Bans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anyway.

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

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

I digress.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=========

I am under medication and am half drowsy.

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

Oh, I am high.

Sigh

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back in SG. Since Monday.

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

It's been a busy time since touching down.

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

It's Thursday already. Time really flies.

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

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

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

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

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

Day 5 – 8th December Colombian time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day 4 – 7th December Colombian time

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

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

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

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

Day 3 – 6th December Colombian time

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

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

Day 2 - Sunday 5th Dec Colombia Time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Start – Country Hopping, Movies and Bloodshot Eyes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mind Over Body

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

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