In Abundance

Women are getting bolder....or maybe I'm just stuck in ice-old age. Cleavage, cleavage, cleavage!

A Fulfilling Day!

The day with :B was marked by 3 significant things - (1) endless beverages, (2) a warped movie and (3) well-spent with great friends.

It started with lunch and our TT. It was like a small reunion, back-dated to 3 years. Then we had teh-si, a before-dinner juice, iced water during dinner and hot drink for dessert. It's no wonder I felt bloated at the end of the day.

The movie - Taxidermia was my selection. OK, it was very hard to digest and it didn't help that it was in Hungarian with English subtitles. I wouldn't say it was really enjoyable but it was certainly UNIQUE in that the theme, though common and probably even easy to relate, was depicted in the most raw form. It reminded me of those many 'weird' shows which I watched with WL during Film Festival.

And finally, Mich and Say joined us. The last time us 4 gathered was about 1.5 years ago. I'm glad we are still around, enjoying good food and one another's company!

Official Day 1

The new Japanese Manager just arrived for his new assignment. Did I share? He has a habit of winking his eye and giving the thumbs-up sign whenever one does a favour for him. Maybe he's confused himself to be George Clooney.

Anyway, this morning, I was given the signature wink when we exchanged greetings. I better get used to it...for the long haul.

Age Gap

Quote: "Yea...he's 4 years younger. Actually acceptable age difference is 3 years max. 4 years is truly pushing it."

- SK, 34

The good news. SK, one of us 4, has been proposed. Her actually-not-boyfriend has proposed to her. Apparently he had bought the ring and kept in his bag for sometime before 'launching the attack'. But what was truly amazing and baffling was before that, SK and him were not dating exclusively. They hadn't held hands once during their many dates for a year now (so I assumed they had also never been intimate).

So...finally, it makes us Four Married Ones soon.

Au Revior

I met up with the 3 gals last night. As usual, it was great. The next one could be a long long time from now given that QT is going to shift to New Zealand for at least 2 years. Her husband got a new job there.

QT brought Xavier, her cute smiley 4-month boy. Commonly known among friends not to be one who is crazy about kids (except my own!), I kept carrying and communicating with him. Maybe also to ease QT's inconvenience while she ate her dinner *how nice I am as a friend eh!*. He was so responsive it was almost hard to let go in the end.

Now just dun ask me if my maternal instincts went on overdrive. It didn't!

Hair and Beauty

They tend to come in the same mold - fair, clear, porcelain complexion, naturally sweet-faced...and hairy arms. Hair that is long enough, like willows for the wind to blow.

There ought to be a case study to show the relation. The result could be interesting.

Nail Art (part 2)

It was one of the Taiwan business trips - I kid you not. That's why to advise 'never mix business with pleasure' is bullshit.

Nail Art (part 1)

A Sad News

Jun, my maid never made it to see her father one last time before his last breath. She was scheduled to return home from 2 to 16 May to see her whole family. Then she received a call through my mom's cell phone that her father had passed away the day before...in his sleep.

I got the news at 10am...and went on to attend my meeting with a damn heavy heart...

Energy Consumption

Working experience in the central area has changed. By this I mean there are now so many more retail areas for people to de-stress during lunch-time or after-office hours. MRT stations are also equipped with music to welcome commuters early in the morning. * seriously I wonder if it really helps? To make us feel more sophisticated as people working in an executive environment (as opposed to sad faraway industrial areas chucked in the corners of Singapore)?* Then there are small flat screens in the lifts of some office buildings, showing stock market performance, "Did You Know" segments and general affairs. When we get to our office during peak hours, the lift gets so packed I bet nobody is going to crane their necks to read that finger and toe nails take 6 months to grow fully from the nail bed to the top.

My point is - we must be consuming electricity exponentially in the past years! They say things that go up must come down. I don't have much faith where the price of crude oil is concerned. We can only grit our teeth and bear it...and pray we don't lose our jobs.

5th Anniversary

I broke my own record - today is exactly my 5th year in the same company...without much feeling of dread and boredom yet! But the road ahead remains uncertain...

Being a Chaperone

Whatever problems or obstacles faced, they dissolve the moment I see my troops upon reaching home before sunset.

They have found some good friends to play with every evening at the playground. Yesterday I was amused with myself for playing 'chaperone' to 6 kids...and I think - I can do this everyday!

Yummm~~~

Guilty as charged - I snacked. Less than an hour after I posted my last entry.

Right after a rather heavy lunch with Mich, we proceeded for teh si and kaya toast. Finally an outlet with thick crispy toast and enough rich & creamy kaya. I was starting to lose faith completely.

Like most people who are struggling with abstinence, I comfort myself that THERE IS ALWAYS TOMORROW.

PS: The charm bracelet is in my hands now. Nice! Do check out BNW!

It Is Time

You know it is time to....

1. Quit your bad habit (nail-chewing)
when your colleague passing by your workstation tells you :"Hey, stop biting your nail."
(Oops. Was I? In broad daylight when your GM was seated so near?)

2. Cut your hair
when your 5-year-old daughter had commented more than thrice during the weekend :"Mummy, why is your hair so messy?"
(oh....it's just the wind. Oh....it's the fashion these days - the just-got-out-of-bed fashion. Oh....*damn. I ran out of excuses*)

3. Buy more work clothes
when you spent more than 10 min every morning at your wardrobe, swinging hangers from left to right, right to left.

4. Buy more work clothes - part II
when you wonder when the next time you will go to your folks' place where you can run through your younger sis' wardrobe (she has A LOT of new clothes which she did not bring to Vietnam!).

5. Stop snacking
when your colleagues whom you see everyday commented that you have a double-chin and seemed to have put on weight (I thought the weight gain is subtle! Only my clothes are a bit tighter now...but my reflection in the mirror....)

6. Panic
when your GM doesn't care a thing you are saying anymore (because he's leaving soon!).
A few outstanding issues and project....how, who, what, when? I was almost going to take the initiative to take them up because shamefully, 2 of my staff have expressed concern over his, hence mine, nonchalance. Then I consulted 'some people'. M summed it up for me - "Don't be a hero".

Heros always die in the end, don't they?

Sophie Kinsella

Phew! Glad Mich has heard of and even has a collection of Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella! Hope she likes my gift...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND!

I love the author. Ever since I've stumbled upon her books in the library, I've been zooming straight to the KIN shelf to check if there are any others not on loan. She's nice-looking and she's got a great sense of humour. Now how many of our girlfriends belong to this category? :PPP

A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

While I was battling with my sinus on the way to work - as usual! - I couldn't help but glance at the packet of facial tissue from which I had been pulling continuously pieces and pieces to save my morning. "Cutie" says the plastic...with a picture of a baby with black curly hair in diapers (wait, or is it a rikishi???).

I am amused. Who comes up with the designs? Imagine a group of guys in smart black Hugo Boss suits coming together for a meeting, working overtime daily, brainstorming designs that will capture the hearts of consumers. And finally, the CEO goes : "I like the baby! We go for that one!"

My Neighbour

There are some people in this world whom you should never have a run-in if your life depends on it. In-laws (especially MOTHER-in-law. It is an innate quality for most women to not forgive and/or forget), colleagues (you see them more often than you see anyone else), boss (you are f*cked! Forget about that increment...) and neighbours (they know who lives in your unit, what living style you adopt, what your underwear looks like).

I went through it, albeit a slight one (actually how should I define 'slight'? It's not like there's a meter to measure this sorta thing) last weekend.

For months I had tolerated with their frequent drilling, the screechy sound of furniture being dragged across the floor, their dog pit-pattering across, marbles dropping on the floor at anytime of the day...and night, etc. So while I was watching a movie in a blissful state and my troops were napping, this sudden loud drilling came directly above my head! I was shocked and angered. True enough, the troops were jolted from their slumberland and Mong was shrieking, inconsolable. That angered me even more, so I trudged upstairs immediately and rang the doorbell.

Once, twice...nothing. Then I heard a child's voice inside so I was certain at least an adult was home. I knocked on the wooden door a few times and finally, a crack opened. The face that met me wasn't polite. The attitude that accompanied it was even worse - she was haughty and defensive while explaining to me about decibels and that 'drilling was community noise'.

Community noise??!!! Drilling??? I told her I wasn't convinced because there are time restrictions and since it was a Sunday, actually no prolonged drilling should be allowed. She was almost close to slamming the door when she kept going, "You can check with NEA. OK?....OK?!" What was I to do? So I said "OK" and with that, she closed the door. *bitch!*

Seething, I called the neighbourhood police to confirm there is no 'acceptable decibel' but for drilling works to be carried out, it boiled down to how long and if the resident/s was tolerant enough. *ha! I win!* A few exciting options swam my mind. I could either get the police to check on them or slip in a note, quoting so-and-so about her being wrong. Well, luckily I managed to calm down and stay rationale within 10 seconds. No sense in worsening things with your neighbours. Also, I still had that lovely movie to complete...and Mong was already pacified and resuming his nap. So I went back to my normal life and decided to close the case.

The highlight of my Sunday.

LIFE

RJ told me she has been thinking about life. Well this was through sms so I did not ask further and neither did she elaborate. The first thing that went through my mind were a couple of words - osteoporosis and calcium.

Osteoporosis is one disorder that hits women and we should all be very concerned about delaying the process. Calcium is the key, right? I don't suppose the milk in my teh tarik and teh si counts, so other than that, I really don't consume milk or any other dairy products.

I need to get calcium pills pronto. What's a good brand? All the same isn't it??? It's just a matter of aggressive marketing and hence, different retail pricing (what does sis' voice keep ringing in my ear? FYI - she is in product marketing). So first, to battle with the Devil Procrastinator in me. *the problems that I have.....life...*

User Acceptance Testing

For a module which was going to be launched on 1 April and having presented to about 25 companies already, the fact that we are still going through UAT and the 3rd one is a fucking worrying sign.

It doesn't end. There were still observations to be rectified! By when, by when??????

The system developer seemed to be losing their steam. To be fair, they were very competent and great to work with at the start. After 2.5 years and a continuous series of phases, I guess every normal human being will get burnt out. But professionally speaking, should it even happen? Can we get our money back? :P

Zzz

I go to work today, bleary-eyed. It's been some time since my physical endurance has been put to the test. Mong had a temperature of 39C at 3:30am. After medication and sponging, by the time he fell asleep and I fell asleep, it must have been close to 6am already (I dared not look at the time!).

Luckily there is nothing major going on today. I have mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open afterall..........