Where lies the boundary?

I have colleagues cutting their finger nails and combing their hair at their desks. I've seen people in office wear digging their noses on buses, inspecting the shit as if it's the most complicating genetic material they've ever gotten in touch with.

I thought personal grooming is done only at home or in the confines of a toilet? Whatever happened to etiquette?

Snip snip snip...

After 4 hours, gone is my 'mane'. No wonder I get to say this only once every 6-7 months. I know most women will cut their hair/change their hairstyle whenever they get bored or stressed or feel depressed. But I dun consider sitting on my ass, withholding my bladder for 4 hours as any form of therapy!!!!

Introduction

When I was little, the great mystery to me wasn't how babies were made, but why. The mechanics I understood - my older brother Jesse had filed me in - although at the time I was sure he'd heard half of it wrong. Other kids my age were busy looking up the words penis and vagina in the classroom dictionary when the teacher had her back turned, but I paid attention to different details. Like why some mothers only had one child, while other families seemed to multiply before your eyes. Or how the new girl in school, Sedona, told anyone who'd listen that she was named for the place where her parents were vacationing when they made her.

Now that I am 13, these distinctions are only more complicated: the 8th-grader who dropped out of school because she got into trouble; a neighbour who got herself pregnant in the hopes it would keep her husband from filing for divorce. I'm telling you, if aliens landed on earth today and took a good hard look at why babies get born, they'd conclude that most people have children by accident, or because they drink too much on a certain night, or because birth control isn't 100%, or for a thousand other reasons that really aren't very flattering.


- My Sister's Keeper
By Jodi Picoult
(I'm done with this and I loved it!)

Nice? Look again...

The flats in our estate have gotten a new coat of paint recently so now my block is no longer in that ugly (aesthetic) and heat-absorbing (functional) colour.

However, if you were to come closer, real close, you'll notice spots of paint splatter all over the floor with the workers having no apparent intention to clean them up. At all. Ever.

Nice from far....but far from nice. Aren't most things/relationships so too?

ZBD

Becks is a dramatic girl, so I've realised already. Last night, she kept a book in the drawer and upon me entering the room, she whipped it out and pointed out a sentence to my attention: "Mummy, look, read! 'Is your name Zeebeedeeeee.....???'" And broke into a bubble of hysterical laughter.

Drama and adorableness in its best form.

Loss

I'm definitely losing it with my boss - my temper. I wonder when the breaking point was. It got blurry between losing respect for the way he makes (and doesn't make) decisions and those irritating spaced-out look he gives from time to time.

Speaking of this, Becks asked me something interesting the other night. "Mummy, Miss Quah told us she's lost her brother. How does a person lose another?"

And so I attempted feebly on explaining death and it got me wondering why we term it 'lost' when we don't lose someone out of carelessness like how we lose our wallets in a shopping mall.

On Course

I was out of office the past 2 days attending a course entitled "Leadership Essentials for Managers & Team Leader".

As like any other courses, it creates the illusion and feeling of inspiration for the 8 hours I'm there. I give credit to the energetic, enthusiastic and creative local trainer Mr SS who has huge amounts of overseas training and coaching experience but who couldn't decide which accent to adopt - pure Australian or Australian & Singlish.

To summarize, there are basically 4 leadership styles - D.I.S.C. D=demanding (bitch) I=influential (NATO - no action talk only), Stable (boring and kiasi), C=Compliant (must follow law). So anyway I'm a strong S, not kidding, and I'm back to reality.

Transformers

I watched it. For someone who's not big on effects and no-brainer shows, I enjoyed it.

Things which could only happen in cartoons can happen now on screen alongside with human actors. I watched and wondered, at the same time, what my kids can be seeing in cinemas when they reach my age.

Block Party-Children's Day

It is official that I am going to be involved in organizing the above event which is scheduled to be held on 30 Sept.

The members are so amazingly enthusiastic. I am sure they already have busy day jobs (some of them turned up late, sweaty and apparently haven't had dinner with an Old Chang Kee curry puff in hand).

Enthusiam can be contagious. I want to stop being apathetic (maybe except towards politics). :P

Who's The Boss?

What's worse than working with a bitch? (1) When she's your direct boss or (2) When she's backed by her boss who's 10 times more aggressive than your own.

I experienced the 1st 10 years ago. The 2nd was experienced yesterday. A childish (or not?) part of me is hoping that the project will fail because of her obstinacy and unco-operativeness. Then I can tell many people, including my boss:

"I told you so."

*doh!*

I just remembered I haven't collected my new pair of spectacles which I bought 2 weeks ago!

Allergy?

After almost 33 years, I suspect I am allergic to prawns.

LOVE Actually

I was watching a movie titled "The Last Kiss" which I bought solely based on the fact Zach Braff was in it. Strange enough, Zach, with his stiff face and acting skills to match Ben Afflecks', appeals to me.

There was a dialogue that got me. It isn't profound but I guess nobody thinks about it or can understand the real meaning when they express it.

"'I love you'...every asshole says it. It's what you do that matters. It's the ONLY thing that counts..."

The 3rd Member

On 23 Apr, I posted about a new member. Well he has arrived and his name had been on the tip of the troops' tongue the whole of yesterday! Such a cutie...all of 13 years old. 13 dog years that is.

WELCOME DEENO!

Toto (Got hope meh?)

The 'aunties' in my department just hollered that the top prize is worth S$5 million. Because a 'miracle' happened at work today at 1112 hours, I decided to chip in a small amount. To buy hope.

'Hope' can enable one to stay optimistic. It can also disappoint.
I think it's overrated.

Washroom Hygiene

This is one of the many emails we received yesterday and it came from HR. How embarrassing. But I heard it was highly necessary; it was a like murder scene!

My life in a day in the office. Sigh...

Dear fellow colleagues,

Recently, there have been feedback received from the building cleaning lady with regards to the washroom hygiene condition. Some of the feedback include issues like improper disposal of used sanitary pads and traces of blood stains (menstruation).

For the kind consideration of other users, please kindly adhere to the followings when using the washroom;-
(1) All used sanitary pads should be wrapped with toilet paper and disposed into the SANITARY BIN provided (next to each toilet bowl).

(2) During menstruation, kindly ensure that the toilet bowl is free of blood stains BEFORE leaving the cubicle.

(3) Please do not dispose used sanitary pad into the bin located outside the cubicle(s) as it is very unhygienic and unsightly.

(4) Please keep the wash basin and floor dry at all times.

(5) Please ensure that the toilet is flushed properly after use.

Appreciate your kind cooperation in upkeeping the cleanliness and hygiene of the washroom.

A baking sensation?!

When was the last time I was domestic? Never. When was the last time I felt like doing something domestic? Never. When was the last time I did something domestic? 19 years ago at Home Economics class where Mrs Koh watched me like a hawk, certain I was going to burn my pastries or sew up a wrong stitch.

So when WL sent me pictures of Movarian pecan tarts she baked this morning and told me they tasted great, there was this unfamiliar wave of inspiration (to bake!) sweeping over me. But I have only a small oven at home and WL said it is difficult to bake cookies in one so it is unlikely to materialize. Believe it or not, I got disappointed.

Quote/Question of the Month

Questions I've just been asked recently by a good friend.

1. Have you carried a condom around thinking there's opportunity of sex?
2. Do all guys have balls?

I know....I know....what friends I've got. They say variety is good. :P

What's The Frequency?

There are millions of artistes suited to the musical tastes of each and every one of us. From Guns N Roses to Josh Groban to S.H.E., etc. So today what I saw baffled me - this normal-looking man clutching his transistor radio listening to..........................static. 15 whole minutes throughout the train journey.

And I must say Singaporeans are great at feigning nonchalance.

Lervia

Tis the name of a little girl born today. For almost 9 months, apparently the pregnancy wasn't very smooth so MS sought my understanding that her contact would not be as frequent but she assured that she would inform me the minute she's given birth.

Strange it was but I gave my understanding and so did she keep her promise. She text me yesterday evening and so during lunch hour today, I dropped by Raffles Hospital to see her and baby.

I'm glad this friendship can literally take off where it was left.

Education (academic only!)

We don't have to watch Ripley's Believe It or Not! to think incredible.

Popular Bookstore was having a massive sale during the weekend so I was drawn into it and found myself browsing while I waited for Becks to finish her class. A Ms Tai with a Bachelor degree wrote a Primary One Mathematics Assessment Book. I hope she is not in touch with the current education system because it contained all the wordy questions which I had to read twice! And I'm not even sure if an average Primary One student can recognize all the words to even understand the question (even if they had time to read it over and over again), hence they can only guess the correct answer (it was a multiple choice question).

Gosh, where are we heading to with our next generation?