Friday Blues

There's always a first for everything and today for me, it is 'Friday blues'.

I am back in the office now and I feel this big fat cloud of 'blues' hovering above me. My hunch is that it'll take till 6pm to disappear. I dunno whether it is my flu, my slight soreness on the right side (still!) or the AGM at 2-6pm that's killing me.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...

The Big 4-0

Happy birthday today, my nanny!

What we take for granted

Minor it may be, with the recent operation, I realised unless you are ambidextrous, being unable to exert the whole of our right side (especially our hand) will slow you down quite a bit.

But I thank God I still have an able left hand...and for the thumb which M has reminded me time and again, without which, we wouldn't be able to survive through practical life.

Let's not forget.

Movies

With ample time, of course you know I wouldn't pass the chance to indulge in my favourite past-time - watching movies which I had missed on the big screen. They are listed in no order of my preference but I would like to recommend them if you are NOT into big bang, Michael Bay-and-Jerry Bruckheimer styles.

1. Palindromes
I already enjoyed his unconventional Happiness which I bought from Amazon.com. This one was even more unconventional. To benefit the ignorant (like me...before dictionary.com), Palindromes refer to words, phrases, sentences or verses that read the same backwards and forwards.

The main character was a teenage girl called Aviva (palindrome...there!) who wanted to become a mom regardless how and with whom so she went on an adventure to fulfil this deep-seated desire. This character was played by many different actresses which got me confused at first. But what I wanna share is the style. The characters who played the first few scenes also appeared in the last few scenes such that they made me realise even that was a symmetry, like a palindrome. I totally loved the originality.

2. 300
Why is it here? Because I can't believe I watched it (on the big screen actually) but I did. Only for the abs and goatee (of the guy who played king)...or for those who enjoy MTV, pretending you are watching a Korn or Nickelback performance. :P

3. TransAmerica
I don't think it came to Singapore, did it? Some scenes made me cringe cos of the boldness. I actually lent to my folks cos in the end, I felt it was still a movie not to pass for the same reason I cringed. Several touching moments between 'mother' and son too...and you know, I'm a sucker for tear-jerking stories (excluding Korean dramas I didn't forget to add so don't accuse me of being contradicting).

4. Clerks 2
I watched Clerks 12 years ago and quite recently bought the DVD to re-watch it. I still liked it. Clerks 2 was not shot in black and white so it was easier on the eye. But what wasn't that easy was all the main actors had grown old and fat. The dialogue was still witty and bastardy. It was made more enjoyable watching it with dudes like my M and Say. Heh.

5. Paris, Je T'aime
Many many short unrelated stories about love in different forms. Even rejected/unrequited love. Mostly in French...what else can I say? ;)

While you were here...(13 Mar)

So what does one do when they have time at home? Upload photos before they are long forgotten...but I didn't say I'll organize them properly. They are posted in the order I remember - from lunch when we met to dinner to home (when Shen had accompanied me all the way back to see the troops).

Enjoy....(and yes! I did a pedicure!)

Hospitalization Leave

7 days...I need to rest but it'll be my very good chance to be with the troops :)

Going going gone...

We were driving along Orchard Road when Becks caught sight of a man on a bicycle. She was amazed and pointed out excitedly: "What's that mummy?"

I paused for a while, forgotten: "A trishaw."
Then M corrected me: "A rickshaw lah."
Me: "Is it??!"
M: "Er...is it not?"
Me: "I also don't know! Is there a difference?"

Truly gone are the yester-years. Actually I don't need further convincing.

Pre-admission

This morning's pre-admission blood test was a breeze. Gathering all shards of memory from past experiences (blood tests were aplenty during pregnancy!), I finally decided that fasting wasn't required. So luckily, I had my prata and TT@ Amoy first.

When it was over, I had much time left before my half-day leave ran out. Opting spontaneity, I took the train to meet "nanny". No mistake; conversational topics ran from a psychic called "Subah" and armed with a Masters of Buddhism (???!!!!) to prostitutes to work capability to her $700-spectacles.

Now to wait 7 days for the 'big thing' at SGH.

Back...

I'm back from my annual leave. Current morning mood:

Nostalgia

I have taken half-day leave this afternoon to visit nostalgia. It comes in 2 forms - a girl and a boy. I have known them for almost a decade, during the time when I was most care-free so the times we hung out together are automatically ingrained in my mind.

I hope there will be photos to do the talking.

And teh-si makes 3?

:B is heading back to Singapore for a 2nd business trip.

Our tea-time date has been set to 17 Mar...I say it isn't over till it's over. Just one week ago, I thought it wouldn't be happening...

Good vs Bad

In blockbuster films, the good guys live and there are happy endings. In real life, it depends on how one plays your cards, simply luck or karma.

I noticed that the good staff in my company are tendering one by one. It's like the domino effect. I haven't been testing waters but I do suppose the labour market has picked up a lot for certain posts. The bad (personally and professionally) ones remain, resilient and like maple syrup, sticky and flowing out, spreading.

YUCKS!

Relativity

I'm not referring to Albert Einstein's profound theory, just the simple fact that EVERYTHING is relative.

We often grouse about the conditions/benefits of the company in which we work and it seems to be human (sadistic) nature to compare with the better ones only to make ourselves feel the whole world owes us something.

What WL told me made me wonder if anything could be worse. She and her colleagues realised that their petty claim fell short of $2. So thinking it was a mistake made by Accounts, they approached them only to be faced with a rude and disgusting shock that it was no mistake. It was deliberate deduction of the amount because they had used coloured printer to print out their claim for submission.

So where does comparison end?

The Tremor (and my nausea)

A glimpse into a foodie's blog this morning whetted my appetite - a cream-filled donut! I have never seen anything quite like it. Maybe it's because it is found in Paris and unless I'm dreaming 24 hours a day, I won't be at that part of the world anytime soon.

Don't you feel like like poking a hole in that wide clump of cream? And don't you wish it was vanilla ice cream instead? That was my innocent train of thought this morning.

Fast forward that to a few hours now, after experiencing tremors (no thanks to an earthquake in Sumatra), if I really ate that, I would have vomitted all of it, plus half a cup of the TT I had during lunch. This is how I feel now - very nauseous. The whole office was gasping in shock and apprehension when they found everything before and under them swaying.

Another disaster has struck. More people homeless, more living in fear and discomfort.

A Question

We were having our usual bed-time conversation when Becks asked me this last night:
"Mummy, why do you have many colleagues but only one boss?"

She stumped me simply for the fact that she had picked up words from me in the past. I tried to think of an easy-to-understand answer, then I realised what the heck, just tell what comes to mind, mostly the truth or what I know. And so, at less than age 5, I talked about company hierachy and who makes important decisions. :P

Whatever.

Kids say the darn-est things and ask the darn-est questions too!

New Staff

Very firm handshake. Good. Checked.

Age...ing

They say age is just a number, then yea, I am really ancient. Nobody I know would go to Carrefour for harmless shopping only to return home needing a paracetamol badly. Nobody except me.

I believe I haven't gone there, the one at Suntec City for more than 5 years. The variety of things overwhelmed me, most of all the crowd (even though it's just before 11am) and the heat inside the carpark. But I am glad that I bought 2 things - one planned and the other not. A bicycle for Becks which I hope she would use often especially with Gong gong (my dad) and a bunch of yummy Red Globe grapes.

Till next year I guess...

A book...a powerful 'companion'

My 3rd 'companion' for my trips home from the office - Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. Talk about a skilful author or maybe someone whose style suits me to a T. I thought only movies make me weep but words jumping from plain yellow pages?!

Picoult weaves stories based on parents' bond with their children. I noticed that she wrote mostly about daughters, not sons. The same reason why I love intense drama in movies, I find myself soaking into character and getting swept by her words. I wonder where and how she got all that talent. I often imagine that people like her would always be able to turn things around and make us see them as a glass half-full, instead of half-empty.

Innocence & Bliss

I used to possess them too...

Now they are just in a different form. :)