The Cat has figured out how to open the toilet door. It has tasted freedom and now refuses to be locked up in a spacious toilet with everything it needs. No, that is no longer enough; it now wants the Dining Table, the Full Length Curtains, and my Shoe Bag.
It's now a free cat, roaming our house as it likes.
Intuition and I are defeated by HoudiMimi, a scarily smart cat that has figured out the intricacies of The Toilet Door and The Storeroom Door.
It responds to scoldings by acting super duper cute, such that we will drop our harsh tone and succumb to its charms, dropping to our knees, scratching its chin, saying "ooohhh you sho cute, you sho cute..."
We're so doomed.
Showing posts with label Musings and Ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musings and Ramblings. Show all posts
13 May 2010
19 January 2010
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
As usual, I'm fashionably late. To my credit, it is still January 2010.
2009 was a crazy year for me.
When I was standing at the brink of the beginning of 2009, I had some idea of what it would bring. I was getting married in February 2009. I was going to shift to my new apartment. I had just started work at X Company. I didn't know I was going to change jobs in June 2009, which brought new adventures that I'll keep offline.
At the start of 2009, one of my few close friends left the country. This year, I'm hoping to visit her in the faraway land she flew off to =)
I started anew on some old hobbies of mine, most notably drawing. In 2007 and 2008, I focused more on playing the guitar, but that took a step back in mid-2008 and I've not resumed the level of commitment since, except for playing at home for my own consumption. Oh, but drawing... that's my first love amongst all my hobbies and I think it always will be, considering I was a doodler before I was a reader or a guitarist.
As for writing, I think I express myself better through writing than through verbal speech, except when I'm very very emotional, which hardly ever happens. As an angsty teen, when I quarreled with my mum, she'd win any verbal argument. Until I got fed up and wrote to her a long letter detailing why she's a terrible mum and why I'm so misunderstood :P LOL I wonder if she still keeps those love letters ; )
Back to drawing though. 2009 was a milestone for my drawing because I started on some lessons with my long-suffering Shifu who taught me caricature drawing way back when. This time, he got me started on live drawing. For those who are not familiar, live drawing is figure drawing, which is drawing nudes, male or female. This has led to several rather interesting conversations I've had with people who can't believe that I would do something as sleazy as gaze upon a nekkid body for 3hours with a group of like-minded people.
For instance, my young colleague looked through my sketchbook and proclaimed for all within earshot to hear, "These are screenshots of p0rn! What have you been looking at? TSK TSK TSK look at all these!" *flips through book loudly*
In another instance, Intuition was explaining my absence to a gathering which clashed with my class, and a (rather conservative) friend wanted to find out more:
He: Quirkie can't make it tonight cos she has drawing classes.
She: Oh really? What class is she taking?
He: She's doing live drawing.
She: Oh that sounds like fun! What happens in the class?
He: The model... poses, and then they draw the model.
She: Oh wow! Can I be a model?
He: ... ermmm *not wanting to embarrass her, says* it's a pretty niche thing.
Another one involved an sms exchange between a friend and I:
His sms:
To which I replied:
Me: Unless Y Organization increases my pay, I won't draw them with clothes on.
He: ... I'll let her know.
Me: Thanks. I can be persuaded.
He: You know, in a sense, one of the mascots is kinda like my avatar. So if you draw him nekkid, you're drawing me nekkid.
Me: OW STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP
He: Just so you know.
2009 was a crazy year for me.
When I was standing at the brink of the beginning of 2009, I had some idea of what it would bring. I was getting married in February 2009. I was going to shift to my new apartment. I had just started work at X Company. I didn't know I was going to change jobs in June 2009, which brought new adventures that I'll keep offline.
At the start of 2009, one of my few close friends left the country. This year, I'm hoping to visit her in the faraway land she flew off to =)
I started anew on some old hobbies of mine, most notably drawing. In 2007 and 2008, I focused more on playing the guitar, but that took a step back in mid-2008 and I've not resumed the level of commitment since, except for playing at home for my own consumption. Oh, but drawing... that's my first love amongst all my hobbies and I think it always will be, considering I was a doodler before I was a reader or a guitarist.
As for writing, I think I express myself better through writing than through verbal speech, except when I'm very very emotional, which hardly ever happens. As an angsty teen, when I quarreled with my mum, she'd win any verbal argument. Until I got fed up and wrote to her a long letter detailing why she's a terrible mum and why I'm so misunderstood :P LOL I wonder if she still keeps those love letters ; )
Back to drawing though. 2009 was a milestone for my drawing because I started on some lessons with my long-suffering Shifu who taught me caricature drawing way back when. This time, he got me started on live drawing. For those who are not familiar, live drawing is figure drawing, which is drawing nudes, male or female. This has led to several rather interesting conversations I've had with people who can't believe that I would do something as sleazy as gaze upon a nekkid body for 3hours with a group of like-minded people.
For instance, my young colleague looked through my sketchbook and proclaimed for all within earshot to hear, "These are screenshots of p0rn! What have you been looking at? TSK TSK TSK look at all these!" *flips through book loudly*
In another instance, Intuition was explaining my absence to a gathering which clashed with my class, and a (rather conservative) friend wanted to find out more:
He: Quirkie can't make it tonight cos she has drawing classes.
She: Oh really? What class is she taking?
He: She's doing live drawing.
She: Oh that sounds like fun! What happens in the class?
He: The model... poses, and then they draw the model.
She: Oh wow! Can I be a model?
He: ... ermmm *not wanting to embarrass her, says* it's a pretty niche thing.
Another one involved an sms exchange between a friend and I:
His sms:
Me: QKK can draw a new mascot for us this year.
His boss: She got time anot?
He: I'll ask her la.
*pause*
His boss: Will she draw them with clothes on or not?
To which I replied:
Me: Unless Y Organization increases my pay, I won't draw them with clothes on.
He: ... I'll let her know.
Me: Thanks. I can be persuaded.
He: You know, in a sense, one of the mascots is kinda like my avatar. So if you draw him nekkid, you're drawing me nekkid.
Me: OW STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP
He: Just so you know.
18 November 2009
Comic Relief
So the other day, my colleague emailed me saying "PLEASE COME TO MY DESK RIGHT NOW. I NEED YOUR EYES", I sauntered over 1 hour later after his second email "WHERE ARE YOO?", only to find him hunched over at his desk, as if in great pain.
I asked, "Yo, what's up, what's the emergency?" and he said, "THIS!"
He showed me a powerpoint presentation, done using the crayon template in MS Powerpoint *cringe factor 10*, with plenty of colourful starbursts *cringe factor 15* that DON'T MATCH. OW. It's the visual equivalent of scratching your nails across the blackboard. To top it all off, as a crowning glory, the entire breathtaking presentation was done using COMIC SANS FONT.
*hyperventilate* excuse me, I need to calm down.
COMIC SANS is NOT A FONT. It is an ABOMINATION. Never, ever ever use it. Delete it from your list of fonts, if possible. Please, for the love of all things good and pretty, use Arial or Helvetica Neue. At least people won't snigger when they look at you during the presentation.
With that, I leave you with a video discussing both sides to the issue: Comic Sans--Trash it or junk it?
I asked, "Yo, what's up, what's the emergency?" and he said, "THIS!"
He showed me a powerpoint presentation, done using the crayon template in MS Powerpoint *cringe factor 10*, with plenty of colourful starbursts *cringe factor 15* that DON'T MATCH. OW. It's the visual equivalent of scratching your nails across the blackboard. To top it all off, as a crowning glory, the entire breathtaking presentation was done using COMIC SANS FONT.
*hyperventilate* excuse me, I need to calm down.
COMIC SANS is NOT A FONT. It is an ABOMINATION. Never, ever ever use it. Delete it from your list of fonts, if possible. Please, for the love of all things good and pretty, use Arial or Helvetica Neue. At least people won't snigger when they look at you during the presentation.
With that, I leave you with a video discussing both sides to the issue: Comic Sans--Trash it or junk it?
Comic Sans from Sam and Anita on Vimeo.
10 November 2009
FAILZ.
Fren says:
Jim buys some chocs and gives half to ken
ken buys some sweets and gives half to jim
jim eats 12 sweets and the ratio of jim's sweets to chocs was 1:7
ken eats 18 chocs and the ratio of ken's sweets to chocs was 1:4
how many sweets did ken buy?
Fren says:
P6 question
took me 10mins....
I am shamed
I say:
WTH
where did u get this?
Fren says:
my cuz sent it to me
I lost to her by 5 mins
(4min later...)
I say:
did he buy 21 sweets?
Fren says:
failz pri 6
I say:
omg
wat's the answer!?
Fren says:
68
I say:
... wth.
Fren says:
tough isn't it
I say:
HOW?!
Fren says:
took me 10
(1hr later)
Fren says:
solved?
:D
I say:
stop mocking me!
Fren says:
I is not 'toopidest
woot!!
I say:
ROFL!!!
I HATE YOOO
Do YOU know how to get to the answer??
Jim buys some chocs and gives half to ken
ken buys some sweets and gives half to jim
jim eats 12 sweets and the ratio of jim's sweets to chocs was 1:7
ken eats 18 chocs and the ratio of ken's sweets to chocs was 1:4
how many sweets did ken buy?
Fren says:
P6 question
took me 10mins....
I am shamed
I say:
WTH
where did u get this?
Fren says:
my cuz sent it to me
I lost to her by 5 mins
(4min later...)
I say:
did he buy 21 sweets?
Fren says:
failz pri 6
I say:
omg
wat's the answer!?
Fren says:
68
I say:
... wth.
Fren says:
tough isn't it
I say:
HOW?!
Fren says:
took me 10
(1hr later)
Fren says:
solved?
:D
I say:
stop mocking me!
Fren says:
I is not 'toopidest
woot!!
I say:
ROFL!!!
I HATE YOOO
Do YOU know how to get to the answer??
17 September 2009
Clinging on
No room and strength for any original thoughts, so shall just share a passage here that sums up my thoughts and philosophy on life these few days:
This was a passage that was shared a long time ago by a person I previously knew, who can only be described as a saint--Dr Walter Steitz, a man completely devoted to learning and teaching the Bible. His death was sudden and came as a complete shock to us, and up til today, I remember his perfect gentleness and complete and utter respect for every single person he meets with great fondness.
Anyways, my rambling aside, the point I'm trying to make is that in dire and difficult times, the richness, comfort and truth of the Bible is a balm to the soul like nothing else can be. When a man reaches the very end of his rope, it's oftentimes the beginning point for God's gentle hand.
"The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."
This was a passage that was shared a long time ago by a person I previously knew, who can only be described as a saint--Dr Walter Steitz, a man completely devoted to learning and teaching the Bible. His death was sudden and came as a complete shock to us, and up til today, I remember his perfect gentleness and complete and utter respect for every single person he meets with great fondness.
Anyways, my rambling aside, the point I'm trying to make is that in dire and difficult times, the richness, comfort and truth of the Bible is a balm to the soul like nothing else can be. When a man reaches the very end of his rope, it's oftentimes the beginning point for God's gentle hand.
09 September 2009
Plumbing
This morning, I on my usual train ride to work and someone came and sat next to me. Which was fine, until I noticed some vigorous fingering around his nasal area from the corner of my eye. As I averted my gaze with wide-eyed horror, I realised there was no escape from it, because all around me were reflections of the very scene I wanted to avoid.
And suddenly, he started wiping his hand on his book and pants. All I can say is, thank God it's on the side of him that is away from me.
By this point my eyes were as large as saucers. Unable to contain my horror, I had to find an outlet or I will burst up in flames, I smsed The Husband, The Blur Friend, The Colleague and The Weird Librarian: "Sitting next to a guy digging his nose & wiping his snot on his book is the highlight of my train ride this morn. i hate my life."
The responses I got were as interesting as my sms itself. The Blur Friend and The Husband essentially said the same thing: "This is a worthy FML post." The Weird Librarian said: "Is that a library book!? What a horror!", followed by "Never hug a library book!", and The Colleague was apparently still asleep, cos 30min later the sms came: "Holly cow I just woke up!"
This sparked of a series of thoughts about how my life is like a magnet for all things quirky and off-beat. I get the strangest encounters with people and before I was taken off the market (i.e., married), I had the strangest admirers as well. I'm not sure what it says about me, but I do know that it makes for great conversation fodder. And when life gives you bizarre encounters, the best thing to do is to make stories out of them.
And suddenly, he started wiping his hand on his book and pants. All I can say is, thank God it's on the side of him that is away from me.
By this point my eyes were as large as saucers. Unable to contain my horror, I had to find an outlet or I will burst up in flames, I smsed The Husband, The Blur Friend, The Colleague and The Weird Librarian: "Sitting next to a guy digging his nose & wiping his snot on his book is the highlight of my train ride this morn. i hate my life."
The responses I got were as interesting as my sms itself. The Blur Friend and The Husband essentially said the same thing: "This is a worthy FML post." The Weird Librarian said: "Is that a library book!? What a horror!", followed by "Never hug a library book!", and The Colleague was apparently still asleep, cos 30min later the sms came: "Holly cow I just woke up!"
This sparked of a series of thoughts about how my life is like a magnet for all things quirky and off-beat. I get the strangest encounters with people and before I was taken off the market (i.e., married), I had the strangest admirers as well. I'm not sure what it says about me, but I do know that it makes for great conversation fodder. And when life gives you bizarre encounters, the best thing to do is to make stories out of them.
22 August 2009
A Slice Of Heaven
In the early morning breeze,
the play of light and shadow upon the trees
As orioles flit about
chasing each other between the leaves
And the clear blue sky smiles with sunshine
I feel my heart
lifting up
with the passing time.
the play of light and shadow upon the trees
As orioles flit about
chasing each other between the leaves
And the clear blue sky smiles with sunshine
I feel my heart
lifting up
with the passing time.
10 August 2009
Weekend Musings
How did you spend your National Day holiday?
Did you go out of town for a short getaway? Go out partying til late at night, every night from Friday to Sunday? Spend some much needed time with the family?
For Intuition and I, this past National Day weekend was a great time to catch up with family members and friends. During the National Day evening, we wanted to meet some friends to play boardgames at our place, but one of them was super enthusiastic about catching the National Day Parade on TV and was recounting to us the highlights of his participation, when he nearly got tickets to the NDP, when he was part of the parade, when one of the high ranking officials stopped by him to comment on his uniform etc. When they had the cheesy medleys (full disclosure: i used to love those songs when I was in Primary school!), I frowned at the bad choice of techno-fying the songs while he crooned away happily.
Inevitably, when 8.22pm came around, he stood up and proudly placed his fist (somewhat) near his heart and recited the pledge. So did another girl in our midst =) And they proudly stood there singing Majulah Singapura while we whipped out handphones to capture the moment on video, threatening "youtube! i'm gonna youtube this! hahaha!"
Is it now cool to be anti-Singaporean? Patriotism is passe?
While the Singapore story is flogged to death in many many many articles from the Gahmen, it is a part of our history, like it or not. Too bad that it's so short that each recounting of history forces us to revisit the same ol' facts :P And of course, there's lots of things to be said about *cough* freedom of speech here, plus the ridiculous emphasis on profits and progress while neglecting our souls and character development, except when it's in line with National Interests. Need I mention the restrictive rules and regulations, the elitism, the cheesy song and dance put up during NDP & election period, and the suffocatingly strict atmosphere in general.
But is it all bad? Surely there are many good things about our country which we like to gloss over. It's honestly more fun to be critical, but hey, being thankful is good for the heart. What about walking along the streets late at night without fear of being mugged (mostly), being able to eat out anytime you want (a real boon, something you'll appreciate if you've stayed overseas for any length of time), and decent infrastructure and amenities? I love the parks available around town, i love the beautiful Southern Ridges and air conditioned public libraries. I like how it's easy to move around... assuming the MRT doesn't break down, the bus comes relatively on time, or if you have a car, preferably without ERP *cough*. I like the quirks of Singaporeans and our ability to laugh at ourselves, from using tissue paper to chope tables to our intelligible Singlish.
Mostly, I just love my friends and family based in Singapore.
Thanks for spending the weekend with me =) It's been wonderful. Have a great week ahead!
Did you go out of town for a short getaway? Go out partying til late at night, every night from Friday to Sunday? Spend some much needed time with the family?
For Intuition and I, this past National Day weekend was a great time to catch up with family members and friends. During the National Day evening, we wanted to meet some friends to play boardgames at our place, but one of them was super enthusiastic about catching the National Day Parade on TV and was recounting to us the highlights of his participation, when he nearly got tickets to the NDP, when he was part of the parade, when one of the high ranking officials stopped by him to comment on his uniform etc. When they had the cheesy medleys (full disclosure: i used to love those songs when I was in Primary school!), I frowned at the bad choice of techno-fying the songs while he crooned away happily.
Inevitably, when 8.22pm came around, he stood up and proudly placed his fist (somewhat) near his heart and recited the pledge. So did another girl in our midst =) And they proudly stood there singing Majulah Singapura while we whipped out handphones to capture the moment on video, threatening "youtube! i'm gonna youtube this! hahaha!"
Is it now cool to be anti-Singaporean? Patriotism is passe?
While the Singapore story is flogged to death in many many many articles from the Gahmen, it is a part of our history, like it or not. Too bad that it's so short that each recounting of history forces us to revisit the same ol' facts :P And of course, there's lots of things to be said about *cough* freedom of speech here, plus the ridiculous emphasis on profits and progress while neglecting our souls and character development, except when it's in line with National Interests. Need I mention the restrictive rules and regulations, the elitism, the cheesy song and dance put up during NDP & election period, and the suffocatingly strict atmosphere in general.
But is it all bad? Surely there are many good things about our country which we like to gloss over. It's honestly more fun to be critical, but hey, being thankful is good for the heart. What about walking along the streets late at night without fear of being mugged (mostly), being able to eat out anytime you want (a real boon, something you'll appreciate if you've stayed overseas for any length of time), and decent infrastructure and amenities? I love the parks available around town, i love the beautiful Southern Ridges and air conditioned public libraries. I like how it's easy to move around... assuming the MRT doesn't break down, the bus comes relatively on time, or if you have a car, preferably without ERP *cough*. I like the quirks of Singaporeans and our ability to laugh at ourselves, from using tissue paper to chope tables to our intelligible Singlish.
Mostly, I just love my friends and family based in Singapore.
Thanks for spending the weekend with me =) It's been wonderful. Have a great week ahead!
12 November 2008
With the passage of time...
Wow.
It's been so long since I last blogged =P Typing here seems like treading on unfamiliar ground, but I do miss this space and I hope that the usual readers are not all gone yet? In case you do see it, thanks for hanging around =)
How's life been for me? Work's been busy and since I'm adjusting to the new (faster) pace at work, I've been pretty tired when I reach home the past few months. Wedding preparations are progressing quite alright... we've been greatly blessed to have fantastic helpers along the way and we're grateful =)
My parents, for example, have been fantastically helpful with regards to our renovation works, them being so experienced with the recent works on their own house and all. We're looking forward to staying at our new place cos it's everything we wanted in a home -- a stone's throw away from amenities and facilities, near yet not toooo near my parents, and fairly accessible. Though still far removed from my beloved ex-neighbourhood, it's still a lovely area. And the view ROCKS. Can't wait to move in ; )
My brother has been doing his brotherly bit for his precious sister. Intuition needs to make a suit for the wedding, and the metro that is my brother gallantly offered to help this clueless couple to face conniving tailors who will recommend Egyptian cotton and 100% cashmere and thus rip us off of our cash. And so off we went to see the tailor this evening. It was a fairly painless process and the tailor was nothing like what my brother cautioned us against -- in fact, he was rather pleasant. Plain speaking, non-snobbish and patient to explain the different fabrics to plebians like us.
Somehow, it still hasn't hit me that I'm inching inevitably towards a major change in my life... that in slightly more than 3 months time, I will not be waking up to the sound of my sleepy dad shuffling towards the toilet and making my morning coffee; that my mum won't be popping in uninvited to my room at 12.30am in the morning just as I'm about to sleep and ask me how my day was and what are my detailed plans for tomorrow and if she should cook dinner for us the next day etc; and that the doofus of a brother won't be mocking my fats on a daily basis cos he won't be seeing me.
In slightly more than 3 months time, I will be doing my own housework and there won't be anyone to pick up my trail of rubbish after me (unless Intuition is so inclined ;) ).
In slightly more than 3 months, my parents will be celebrating the absence of a overgrown parasite who still doesn't help with the housework and yet has the audacity to bring her friends in for a cookout just after they have labouriously cleaned it.
In slightly more than 3 months, Intuition and I will be enjoying this new place for which we signed off 30 years of our lives together to service the loan, and whose renovation demands have cleaned out our savings :P We have never felt poorer, and yet at the same time, we look forward to it with great anticipation =)
It's been so long since I last blogged =P Typing here seems like treading on unfamiliar ground, but I do miss this space and I hope that the usual readers are not all gone yet? In case you do see it, thanks for hanging around =)
How's life been for me? Work's been busy and since I'm adjusting to the new (faster) pace at work, I've been pretty tired when I reach home the past few months. Wedding preparations are progressing quite alright... we've been greatly blessed to have fantastic helpers along the way and we're grateful =)
My parents, for example, have been fantastically helpful with regards to our renovation works, them being so experienced with the recent works on their own house and all. We're looking forward to staying at our new place cos it's everything we wanted in a home -- a stone's throw away from amenities and facilities, near yet not toooo near my parents, and fairly accessible. Though still far removed from my beloved ex-neighbourhood, it's still a lovely area. And the view ROCKS. Can't wait to move in ; )
My brother has been doing his brotherly bit for his precious sister. Intuition needs to make a suit for the wedding, and the metro that is my brother gallantly offered to help this clueless couple to face conniving tailors who will recommend Egyptian cotton and 100% cashmere and thus rip us off of our cash. And so off we went to see the tailor this evening. It was a fairly painless process and the tailor was nothing like what my brother cautioned us against -- in fact, he was rather pleasant. Plain speaking, non-snobbish and patient to explain the different fabrics to plebians like us.
Somehow, it still hasn't hit me that I'm inching inevitably towards a major change in my life... that in slightly more than 3 months time, I will not be waking up to the sound of my sleepy dad shuffling towards the toilet and making my morning coffee; that my mum won't be popping in uninvited to my room at 12.30am in the morning just as I'm about to sleep and ask me how my day was and what are my detailed plans for tomorrow and if she should cook dinner for us the next day etc; and that the doofus of a brother won't be mocking my fats on a daily basis cos he won't be seeing me.
In slightly more than 3 months time, I will be doing my own housework and there won't be anyone to pick up my trail of rubbish after me (unless Intuition is so inclined ;) ).
In slightly more than 3 months, my parents will be celebrating the absence of a overgrown parasite who still doesn't help with the housework and yet has the audacity to bring her friends in for a cookout just after they have labouriously cleaned it.
In slightly more than 3 months, Intuition and I will be enjoying this new place for which we signed off 30 years of our lives together to service the loan, and whose renovation demands have cleaned out our savings :P We have never felt poorer, and yet at the same time, we look forward to it with great anticipation =)
31 July 2008
Flux
Yes I am aware of how neglected my blog is. In the past few weeks, even months, I seem to have lost my momentum in blogging, and posts come in far and few in between.
I guess it's mostly due to the nature of this blog: I've kept it largely lighthearted and silent about the more serious topics in my life, and the past few months have been months where I've contemplated and acted upon bringing about some changes in my life. For example, Intuition proposed, so there is the whole business of looking for a new house to stay in. I have been considering a career switch, and so for weeks and months I've been looking for jobs (oh how I dislike that process!), going for interviews, updating the resume, so on and so forth.
This is truly a year of transitions. I was uprooted from my old home to a new one in a vastly different neighbourhood; I will be enjoying my last few months of singlehood; I have resigned from my old job and am now officially in between jobs as today's my last day; I am preparing for a new home; I am also preparing for a new phase in life. Wow. How do you blog about all these in-between stages without baring your soul to the world? And since this blog is simply not such a platform, I just keep the silence. It's not that I've not been hanging around the computer--I've been surfing the web as if my life depended on it--it's just that I don't know what to say here.
In the course of these changes, God has been good at every stage, and I've had people come alongside to give me the support needed to cushion the stress and iron out my thoughts. I am blessed =) Can I just say that my church is really a great church? Seriously.
Now that the dust has settled and though I'm still in flux, though not so much, I can begin my blogging again. Changes to the blog ahead? Perhaps; I'm getting rather bored of the look and feel, but we'll see how it goes. Maybe with so many other changes going on in my offline world, it might do me good to just keep my lil online corner the same.
Toodles for now =)
PS: 2 posts in a day! Woot!
I guess it's mostly due to the nature of this blog: I've kept it largely lighthearted and silent about the more serious topics in my life, and the past few months have been months where I've contemplated and acted upon bringing about some changes in my life. For example, Intuition proposed, so there is the whole business of looking for a new house to stay in. I have been considering a career switch, and so for weeks and months I've been looking for jobs (oh how I dislike that process!), going for interviews, updating the resume, so on and so forth.
This is truly a year of transitions. I was uprooted from my old home to a new one in a vastly different neighbourhood; I will be enjoying my last few months of singlehood; I have resigned from my old job and am now officially in between jobs as today's my last day; I am preparing for a new home; I am also preparing for a new phase in life. Wow. How do you blog about all these in-between stages without baring your soul to the world? And since this blog is simply not such a platform, I just keep the silence. It's not that I've not been hanging around the computer--I've been surfing the web as if my life depended on it--it's just that I don't know what to say here.
In the course of these changes, God has been good at every stage, and I've had people come alongside to give me the support needed to cushion the stress and iron out my thoughts. I am blessed =) Can I just say that my church is really a great church? Seriously.
Now that the dust has settled and though I'm still in flux, though not so much, I can begin my blogging again. Changes to the blog ahead? Perhaps; I'm getting rather bored of the look and feel, but we'll see how it goes. Maybe with so many other changes going on in my offline world, it might do me good to just keep my lil online corner the same.
Toodles for now =)
PS: 2 posts in a day! Woot!
03 July 2008
Confusion and Consternation
Pregnant woman on public transport. I always feel very strongly that pregnant ladies should not need to stand up for more than 1 stop; people should automatically give up their seats for them. My friend had this experience on the train when she was into her third trimester: she was standing on the train and a lady who was getting off said loudly for all to hear "My gosh, can you please ask someone to give up his seat for you?". Shortly after, a guy (finally!) gave up his seat to her.
Another friend who recently gave birth said that she never had to stand for very long; her stern-faced big sized husband will glare at all the men sitting down until some poor guy stands up to give her a seat.
A Malaysian friend of mine shared this anecdote: in the crowded MRT one day, a very pregnant lady boarded the train. No one gave her a seat until much later, a man belatedly realises and stands up to offer her his seat. Then someone else rushed to grab the seat, and upon realising that it's for the pregnant lady, said "oops!" and continued hogging the seat. *facepalm*
With all these righteous indignation brewing in me, it is with much pride and gusto that I stood up and gave up my coveted seat to a lady with a bulging belly standing in front of me today. Her belly was protruding, so it didn't look like just a chubby belly. She had a certain glow to her face, one I associated with happy mothers to be. As I stood up, she looked at me with surprise and ... she hesitated to take the seat. In fact, we were both standing up looking at each other uncomfortably for about 5 seconds (an eternity, really) before she resignedly sat down.
WAS SHE PREGNANT OR WAS SHE JUST CHUBBY?!?!?!
WAS SHE MORE EMBARRASSED OR WAS I?!
AAAHHHHH!!!!
Another friend who recently gave birth said that she never had to stand for very long; her stern-faced big sized husband will glare at all the men sitting down until some poor guy stands up to give her a seat.
A Malaysian friend of mine shared this anecdote: in the crowded MRT one day, a very pregnant lady boarded the train. No one gave her a seat until much later, a man belatedly realises and stands up to offer her his seat. Then someone else rushed to grab the seat, and upon realising that it's for the pregnant lady, said "oops!" and continued hogging the seat. *facepalm*
With all these righteous indignation brewing in me, it is with much pride and gusto that I stood up and gave up my coveted seat to a lady with a bulging belly standing in front of me today. Her belly was protruding, so it didn't look like just a chubby belly. She had a certain glow to her face, one I associated with happy mothers to be. As I stood up, she looked at me with surprise and ... she hesitated to take the seat. In fact, we were both standing up looking at each other uncomfortably for about 5 seconds (an eternity, really) before she resignedly sat down.
WAS SHE PREGNANT OR WAS SHE JUST CHUBBY?!?!?!
WAS SHE MORE EMBARRASSED OR WAS I?!
AAAHHHHH!!!!
16 March 2008
Much Ado About Packing Part Deux
This is possibly the last post from my East side apartment before The Great Move on Tuesday.
I saw, for the first time, the finished product that is My New House, as previously I was alwaysfinding excuses too busy to go see how it was shaping up with the renovation works beforehand. And I must say, it's gorgeous. Clean, contemporary, comfortable. Love it. Now I'm looking forward to staying there, but not so much travelling to and fro it to work.
My current house is... barely liveable. The only empty space in my room is the bed so that I have somewhere to sleep at night. Boxes, plastic bags, clothes, books, more books, and Tupperware (have I belaboured the point that I'm practically living in a Tupperware warehouse enough?) are strewn EVERYWHERE. Dust is everywhere and the vacuum cleaner never worked harder before (every few hours?!).
My contribution to packing today is eating ice-cream *munch munch* cos we're going to defrost the fridge later this evening. No point letting good food go to waste, is there? Oh the sacrifices I make...
In other news, canned salmon is the best way to mutilate the taste of that yummy fish, making it absolutely vile. That was my lunch, and another reason why I had to eat ice-cream after that... to get rid of the taste, you see. Heh heh.
I saw, for the first time, the finished product that is My New House, as previously I was always
My current house is... barely liveable. The only empty space in my room is the bed so that I have somewhere to sleep at night. Boxes, plastic bags, clothes, books, more books, and Tupperware (have I belaboured the point that I'm practically living in a Tupperware warehouse enough?) are strewn EVERYWHERE. Dust is everywhere and the vacuum cleaner never worked harder before (every few hours?!).
My contribution to packing today is eating ice-cream *munch munch* cos we're going to defrost the fridge later this evening. No point letting good food go to waste, is there? Oh the sacrifices I make...
In other news, canned salmon is the best way to mutilate the taste of that yummy fish, making it absolutely vile. That was my lunch, and another reason why I had to eat ice-cream after that... to get rid of the taste, you see. Heh heh.
13 March 2008
Much Ado About Packing
1. Clothes
After giving away a whole bundle of clothes that I won't be wearing anymore, I have more than replaced the said bundle with a whole new bunch I bought during a sale. Critical mass of wardrobe = constant. Critical mum = constant, too.
When I packed my clothes into boxes, I filled up 2 cartons and still have enough in my wardrobe to last a fortnight. Even with so many clothes, it is entirely possible for the female to stand in front of her wardrobe every morning and declare "I don't know what to wear!"
2. Kitchen Confidential
My kitchen holds a tonne of dirty little secrets. Such as that packet of forgotten mushroom and preserved vegetables under the overturned wicker basket at the top shelf in the seldom-used cupboard. And that kitchen timer that was never taken out of the packaging (it's probably a collector's item by now. it looks retro enough). And the set of very sharp, very good quality kitchen knives of German make that were bought during a Robinson's sale about 10 years ago. *examines yellowed packaging and price-tag* Not forgetting the secret stash of Tupperware that my mum hid in every nook and cranny in the kitchen.
After digging through all our shelves, I have concluded that we have enough crockery to last my family 2 generations and I'm not exaggerating. We've got steamers, crockpots, pressure cookers, graters, serving sets and even a funky nut-chopping device, all never used. Hardly surprising, given that my family eats out 90% of the time. Which brings me to this question: Why so many?
3. Mysterious Ways
It's so strange that despite giving away a stack of books and CDs, throwing away old notes and scrap paper, packing away 1 big box of books, my bookshelf still looks untouched. *scratches head* Something's not right somewhere. Are my books reproducing when I sleep at night?
5 more days. I have 5 more days left in this place.
After giving away a whole bundle of clothes that I won't be wearing anymore, I have more than replaced the said bundle with a whole new bunch I bought during a sale. Critical mass of wardrobe = constant. Critical mum = constant, too.
When I packed my clothes into boxes, I filled up 2 cartons and still have enough in my wardrobe to last a fortnight. Even with so many clothes, it is entirely possible for the female to stand in front of her wardrobe every morning and declare "I don't know what to wear!"
2. Kitchen Confidential
My kitchen holds a tonne of dirty little secrets. Such as that packet of forgotten mushroom and preserved vegetables under the overturned wicker basket at the top shelf in the seldom-used cupboard. And that kitchen timer that was never taken out of the packaging (it's probably a collector's item by now. it looks retro enough). And the set of very sharp, very good quality kitchen knives of German make that were bought during a Robinson's sale about 10 years ago. *examines yellowed packaging and price-tag* Not forgetting the secret stash of Tupperware that my mum hid in every nook and cranny in the kitchen.
After digging through all our shelves, I have concluded that we have enough crockery to last my family 2 generations and I'm not exaggerating. We've got steamers, crockpots, pressure cookers, graters, serving sets and even a funky nut-chopping device, all never used. Hardly surprising, given that my family eats out 90% of the time. Which brings me to this question: Why so many?
3. Mysterious Ways
It's so strange that despite giving away a stack of books and CDs, throwing away old notes and scrap paper, packing away 1 big box of books, my bookshelf still looks untouched. *scratches head* Something's not right somewhere. Are my books reproducing when I sleep at night?
5 more days. I have 5 more days left in this place.
11 March 2008
Transitions Part Deux
Sorry I've been a little silent of late. I'm feeling a bit disorientated as I adjust my psyche to finally accept the fact that I am moving (as in, permanently. as in, not a camp) to a brand new old neighbourhood.
Even though I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going through some transitions, things at home have really been at a standstill until about, oh, just last weekend. I was happily going about my activities, ignoring the fact that I have to move away from a home I loved living in for the past 20 years into a smaller place without as much space and privacy. Sure, I talk about moving, I tell people I'm moving, it's just that I'm not so convinced that time would move so quickly that the day when I actually have to pack and move will arrive. And now it's just a week away, making it rather hard to ignore.
I lie on my bed at night, staring at the ceiling and I prop my feet against the wall, a wall that went through phases with me. It used to be covered in a pink and gray wallpaper, which I peeled when I lie awake, bored, as a pre-pubescent and an adolescent. It was then covered in yellow paint during the Asian Financial Crisis because my mum had no work to do and decided to dedicate her energy towards revamping the apartment. So we tore off the cracked and peeling wallpaper and repainted the whole house. Not too long ago, we repainted the entire house again. There wasn't any real good reason for the latest round of painting, it's barely been a year and we will be moving. Sigh.
I had some friends come over last weekend for a farewell gathering of sorts, as my home has been a gathering spot for various church and cell group activities over the years. They left with bundles of clothes and various accessories as my mum and I plied them with our clothes that we won't be bringing over. The next great erm, purge, for lack of a better word, will be our crockery. I have cupboards filled with Tupperware, and since they pretty much last forever, we never really got rid of the old ones to make space for the new. There are tonnes of quality pots and pans that never saw the light of day, and these apparently have survived the move from Malaysia to here.
Besides the spaciousness of the rooms and the memories here, I will miss the convenience of being 15min away from work and church, the various food haunts I enjoy so much, and the process of being utterly spoilt by my dad who will drive me out for breakfast before driving me to work, since it's all so nearby. I will miss the park near my home, where if I wanted to, I could just pop by for a really long jog. What I won't miss so much is... maybe the fact that it takes 1 hour to get to town, as opposed to my new place.
Night view from the living room
Fare thee well, old friend. It's been good while it lasted.
Even though I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going through some transitions, things at home have really been at a standstill until about, oh, just last weekend. I was happily going about my activities, ignoring the fact that I have to move away from a home I loved living in for the past 20 years into a smaller place without as much space and privacy. Sure, I talk about moving, I tell people I'm moving, it's just that I'm not so convinced that time would move so quickly that the day when I actually have to pack and move will arrive. And now it's just a week away, making it rather hard to ignore.
I lie on my bed at night, staring at the ceiling and I prop my feet against the wall, a wall that went through phases with me. It used to be covered in a pink and gray wallpaper, which I peeled when I lie awake, bored, as a pre-pubescent and an adolescent. It was then covered in yellow paint during the Asian Financial Crisis because my mum had no work to do and decided to dedicate her energy towards revamping the apartment. So we tore off the cracked and peeling wallpaper and repainted the whole house. Not too long ago, we repainted the entire house again. There wasn't any real good reason for the latest round of painting, it's barely been a year and we will be moving. Sigh.
I had some friends come over last weekend for a farewell gathering of sorts, as my home has been a gathering spot for various church and cell group activities over the years. They left with bundles of clothes and various accessories as my mum and I plied them with our clothes that we won't be bringing over. The next great erm, purge, for lack of a better word, will be our crockery. I have cupboards filled with Tupperware, and since they pretty much last forever, we never really got rid of the old ones to make space for the new. There are tonnes of quality pots and pans that never saw the light of day, and these apparently have survived the move from Malaysia to here.
Besides the spaciousness of the rooms and the memories here, I will miss the convenience of being 15min away from work and church, the various food haunts I enjoy so much, and the process of being utterly spoilt by my dad who will drive me out for breakfast before driving me to work, since it's all so nearby. I will miss the park near my home, where if I wanted to, I could just pop by for a really long jog. What I won't miss so much is... maybe the fact that it takes 1 hour to get to town, as opposed to my new place.
Night view from the living room
Fare thee well, old friend. It's been good while it lasted.
28 February 2008
Good deed for the week
I had 2 movie vouchers that were expiring in February but my busy week ensured that I won't have time to use them before their time was up.
So what did I do?
I passed them on to someone who needed it more than I do.
"Here, take this. Go ask *someone* out for a movie. Don't say I never contribute to your future happiness."
*looks at watch*
I think the pair are on their way to catch a movie sometime soon. Hee.
So what did I do?
I passed them on to someone who needed it more than I do.
"Here, take this. Go ask *someone* out for a movie. Don't say I never contribute to your future happiness."
*looks at watch*
I think the pair are on their way to catch a movie sometime soon. Hee.
03 February 2008
Updates and Snippets
1. Switchfoot Concert
I love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! Even though I felt like an aunty in the moshpit with the bulk of the concert goers being 10years younger than me (school bags on the floor... students in school uniform.. what gives?!), I had no regrets going for this concert =) Their stage presence is fantastic and they sound better LIVE than in the CD. Love the way they transit between the songs, love their pauses and perfectly synchronised timings, love everything about them.I want to marry the lead singer's brother.
Intuition didn't enjoy the concert as much as I did though :P wonder why... :P haha.. okay I'd better not push my luck here ; )
2. Eating in Ipoh
My family will be driving up to Ipoh this CNY to spend time with my dad's side of the family. 8-9hour car rides ain't no fun. Am currently frantically updating my mp3 player's playlist. 1000songs and counting. I do wonder how I'm going to manage for 5 whole days without internet access at my beck and call, so I'm bringing some books and a nice notebook to entertain myself. Am also looking forward to some quiet and slow living, as well as a tonne of good food. Ipoh is food paradise. Some things on my eat-list: Ipoh coffee (duh!), Ipoh horfun, Ipoh fried noodles, paos, dimsum, seafood etc.
Hope to get some good pictures too, with my lil powershot =) Will be back on Thursday, so hopefully I'll get some time to post something about my visit back there =)
3. Movies
27 Dresses: Great chick flick =) Some found it rather slow but I really enjoyed it! The hunk is totally delicious and droolworthy, but that's quite besides the point.
Sweeney Todd: Gore, blood, gore, blood, gore. Spent half the time covering my eyes and then peeping at the cinema screen then closing my eyes, especially when the shiny, glinting, smooth razor blade hovers over pale, soft, vulnerable necks. I hate the sight of gushing / spurting / squirting blood. Completely dark and fantastic art direction, as always, Mr Tim Burton. I love your works, but this is a bit hard for me to stomach. Especially the meat pies. Ugh.
Ah Long Pte Ltd: I WANNA WATCH! MUST WATCH! Love Mark Lee's Malaysian accent =)
4. Food
Found a fantastic place to eat great Korean food at fairly reasonable prices near Tanjong Pagar. I had the best bi bim bab I've had in Singapore *smacks lips* and really authentic Korean ginseng chicken. Must go back and take some pictures as well as post the address. Rabbitsense, if you're reading this, it's worth going down to during lunch =) Pretty generous portions too.
Found a disgusting place to NOT eat at. The cafe should do us all a favour and not serve food... please stick with the too-sweet-drinks and dry-cardboard desserts. Your food should not be even called food. Soggy microwaved fries that tastes of stale oil and cold, overcooked pasta are the stuff of my nightmare. Galilee Cafe at Bedok Library, I'm looking at you.
Have a great Chinese New Year and eat some pineapple tarts on my behalf! If there are any golfball pineapple tarts available, save some for me =) Gracias!
I love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! Even though I felt like an aunty in the moshpit with the bulk of the concert goers being 10years younger than me (school bags on the floor... students in school uniform.. what gives?!), I had no regrets going for this concert =) Their stage presence is fantastic and they sound better LIVE than in the CD. Love the way they transit between the songs, love their pauses and perfectly synchronised timings, love everything about them.
Intuition didn't enjoy the concert as much as I did though :P wonder why... :P haha.. okay I'd better not push my luck here ; )
2. Eating in Ipoh
My family will be driving up to Ipoh this CNY to spend time with my dad's side of the family. 8-9hour car rides ain't no fun. Am currently frantically updating my mp3 player's playlist. 1000songs and counting. I do wonder how I'm going to manage for 5 whole days without internet access at my beck and call, so I'm bringing some books and a nice notebook to entertain myself. Am also looking forward to some quiet and slow living, as well as a tonne of good food. Ipoh is food paradise. Some things on my eat-list: Ipoh coffee (duh!), Ipoh horfun, Ipoh fried noodles, paos, dimsum, seafood etc.
Hope to get some good pictures too, with my lil powershot =) Will be back on Thursday, so hopefully I'll get some time to post something about my visit back there =)
3. Movies
27 Dresses: Great chick flick =) Some found it rather slow but I really enjoyed it! The hunk is totally delicious and droolworthy, but that's quite besides the point.
Sweeney Todd: Gore, blood, gore, blood, gore. Spent half the time covering my eyes and then peeping at the cinema screen then closing my eyes, especially when the shiny, glinting, smooth razor blade hovers over pale, soft, vulnerable necks. I hate the sight of gushing / spurting / squirting blood. Completely dark and fantastic art direction, as always, Mr Tim Burton. I love your works, but this is a bit hard for me to stomach. Especially the meat pies. Ugh.
Ah Long Pte Ltd: I WANNA WATCH! MUST WATCH! Love Mark Lee's Malaysian accent =)
4. Food
Found a fantastic place to eat great Korean food at fairly reasonable prices near Tanjong Pagar. I had the best bi bim bab I've had in Singapore *smacks lips* and really authentic Korean ginseng chicken. Must go back and take some pictures as well as post the address. Rabbitsense, if you're reading this, it's worth going down to during lunch =) Pretty generous portions too.
Found a disgusting place to NOT eat at. The cafe should do us all a favour and not serve food... please stick with the too-sweet-drinks and dry-cardboard desserts. Your food should not be even called food. Soggy microwaved fries that tastes of stale oil and cold, overcooked pasta are the stuff of my nightmare. Galilee Cafe at Bedok Library, I'm looking at you.
Have a great Chinese New Year and eat some pineapple tarts on my behalf! If there are any golfball pineapple tarts available, save some for me =) Gracias!
08 January 2008
Transitions...
... are by necessity,
MESSY.
There is first the getting rid of the old to make space for the new. When you are actually IN the old state or IN the new state, things have settled, the dust have cleared and you kind of know your way around it. It's the in-between that is problematic. You have parts of the old, parts of the new, misplaced parts and parts that you have no idea what it's for and how on earth did it end up here. Then there's the issue of dust and finding space for yourself to function, besides all the stuff.
I am in the midst of transiting from one office to another (and then back to the old one again), and will also be moving house from one end of Singapore to somewhere in the middle in the space of 1.5months. Somehow, these things have a way of finding a common time in my calendar and colliding, to great effect.
Now, every Saturday morning, I wake up and the first thought that hits my mind (after "what's for breakfast?") is "what can I throw today?" even if it's one book, a scrap of paper or a blouse that I no longer wear. Small victories in the battle against The Clutter. The Battle of The Bulge is the other war that I'm fighting right now, but enough of that for now--it's too depressing to blog about.
The Home Front is still manageable. Decluttering haven't started in earnest as my parents are still busy with the renovations of our new, smaller home, a 4-room flat that is so far removed from the neighbourhood my brother and I are so used to that we fully expect to have culture shock when we move there. Still, my mum have been telling me whenever she gets a chance to "start throwing your things away! Your new room is smaller and won't have space for all your junk!"
The trouble with having a penchant for drawing, reading and writing is that your shelves get filled with notebooks and scraps of yellowing paper with a particular drawing / writing that you did in a time of angst / frivolity / anger / happiness. When I pull out these to sort through, I get sucked into a time warp and will reminisce about that moment. Not productive, to say the least. The other trouble is of course, dust and more clutter.
Now my brother, on the other hand, have no such problems. He throws things away with a mechanical efficiency. I will always remember the last time we had a spring-cleaning at home--he cleared his room within half a day, while after a full day, I was standing in the middle of my room, surrounded by piles of books, soft toys and stationary, looking totally helpless as "all these things I dowan to throw!" and my mum and brother just burst out laughing at me. Touche.
My office space is just as bad. As I type this post, my desk cannot be seen and it looks like someone just ransacked through my little cubicle--overturned document holders, document spillage from the document holder surrounded by dusty stacks of CDs and folders. It didn't always look like that. The Karang Guni man is coming this morning and because we are all so busy doing actual work, I only had time to get out the things that needs to be thrown away. Of course, rather than typing this post, I could actually be tidying things up, but when inspiration strikes, you just go with the flow, ya dig?
The good thing is that in the office, I am surrounded by like-minded hoarders and packrats, so the mess is rather universal. It doesn't help that the renovations are happening right by our side as we try to function normally, but it's getting hard to ignore the pounding that is right beside us and the incessant drilling noise.
Okay, gotta go tidy up now. Blog to you again, when I find my way through the clutter to my computer.
MESSY.
There is first the getting rid of the old to make space for the new. When you are actually IN the old state or IN the new state, things have settled, the dust have cleared and you kind of know your way around it. It's the in-between that is problematic. You have parts of the old, parts of the new, misplaced parts and parts that you have no idea what it's for and how on earth did it end up here. Then there's the issue of dust and finding space for yourself to function, besides all the stuff.
I am in the midst of transiting from one office to another (and then back to the old one again), and will also be moving house from one end of Singapore to somewhere in the middle in the space of 1.5months. Somehow, these things have a way of finding a common time in my calendar and colliding, to great effect.
Now, every Saturday morning, I wake up and the first thought that hits my mind (after "what's for breakfast?") is "what can I throw today?" even if it's one book, a scrap of paper or a blouse that I no longer wear. Small victories in the battle against The Clutter. The Battle of The Bulge is the other war that I'm fighting right now, but enough of that for now--it's too depressing to blog about.
The Home Front is still manageable. Decluttering haven't started in earnest as my parents are still busy with the renovations of our new, smaller home, a 4-room flat that is so far removed from the neighbourhood my brother and I are so used to that we fully expect to have culture shock when we move there. Still, my mum have been telling me whenever she gets a chance to "start throwing your things away! Your new room is smaller and won't have space for all your junk!"
The trouble with having a penchant for drawing, reading and writing is that your shelves get filled with notebooks and scraps of yellowing paper with a particular drawing / writing that you did in a time of angst / frivolity / anger / happiness. When I pull out these to sort through, I get sucked into a time warp and will reminisce about that moment. Not productive, to say the least. The other trouble is of course, dust and more clutter.
Now my brother, on the other hand, have no such problems. He throws things away with a mechanical efficiency. I will always remember the last time we had a spring-cleaning at home--he cleared his room within half a day, while after a full day, I was standing in the middle of my room, surrounded by piles of books, soft toys and stationary, looking totally helpless as "all these things I dowan to throw!" and my mum and brother just burst out laughing at me. Touche.
My office space is just as bad. As I type this post, my desk cannot be seen and it looks like someone just ransacked through my little cubicle--overturned document holders, document spillage from the document holder surrounded by dusty stacks of CDs and folders. It didn't always look like that. The Karang Guni man is coming this morning and because we are all so busy doing actual work, I only had time to get out the things that needs to be thrown away. Of course, rather than typing this post, I could actually be tidying things up, but when inspiration strikes, you just go with the flow, ya dig?
The good thing is that in the office, I am surrounded by like-minded hoarders and packrats, so the mess is rather universal. It doesn't help that the renovations are happening right by our side as we try to function normally, but it's getting hard to ignore the pounding that is right beside us and the incessant drilling noise.
Okay, gotta go tidy up now. Blog to you again, when I find my way through the clutter to my computer.
08 December 2007
Christmas Wishlist :D
Dear Friends Who Read My Blog,
Thank you for being interested in what I want for my birthday and Christmas. Thank you also for being interested in making the distinction, that I get a birthday gift AND a christmas gift. You are truly the best.
Before I launch into a greed-fest of what I want, let me begin by telling you what I don't want. This is important because I am The Queen of Clutter, and I'm in the midst of de-cluttering my personal labyrinth, as I'll be moving soon.
Please don't buy me these, because I have enough to last me two life-times:
- Bags
- Make-up
- Perfume
- Books
- Earrings
- Wallets
- Coloured pens & notebooks (I like these, but having received loads of these the past 2 years means that I've still got a few to go through =)
- Figurines, photoframes, soft toys.
Ilust after would really like a macbook and a Canon EOS 400D, but it's highly unlikely that these will appear under my christmas tree anytime soon. *wistful sigh*
iWant:
- Intuos 3 ^^
- Inner-earphones
- Rechargeable AA batteries, as I've lost all of mine =( Please don't get Sanyo, those don't last. GP is fine, and at least 2300mh. :P
- U2 album: All That You Can't Leave Behind
- Scrabble set
- "Stardust" or "American Gods", by Neil Gaimond
- Sunglasses
- 2GB thumbdrive (mine died)
- Casio digital alarm clock
- those colourful t-shirts / tank-tops at Dorothy Perkins. Size 8, please =) No black though, that's just not my colour. Bright colours are fine ^^
- Shoes :D Bring me shopping for shoes! There is no such thing as too many shoes!
- Vouchers (Isetan, Robinsons, NTUC are all favourably looked upon.)
When in doubt, give me the gift of your time and good food =) Bring me out for a nice meal, and I'll be a happy girl =) Please do not bring me to the following Overpriced Yuckyfood Establishments otherwise it will severely test our friendship:
- Cafe Cartel. I won't even speak to you.
- Pasta Mania. Pure ebil.
- KFC / MacDonald's / Burger King / Pizza Hut.
And here is the list of QuirkieKai Approved Eating Places For Her Birthday Treat. If you dunno these places, nevermind, just choose one and I'll bring you :D
- Pregos
- The French Stall along Serangoon Road
- The Tuckshop
- Kuishin Bo
- Olive Tree
- Carl's Junior
- Werner's Oven
- Waraku
- Tomton
- Victor's Kitchen (cheap and good!)
Note: I realise that my wish-list is rather geeky! I is Geeky Gal 8)
Thank you for being interested in what I want for my birthday and Christmas. Thank you also for being interested in making the distinction, that I get a birthday gift AND a christmas gift. You are truly the best.
Before I launch into a greed-fest of what I want, let me begin by telling you what I don't want. This is important because I am The Queen of Clutter, and I'm in the midst of de-cluttering my personal labyrinth, as I'll be moving soon.
Please don't buy me these, because I have enough to last me two life-times:
- Bags
- Make-up
- Perfume
- Books
- Earrings
- Wallets
- Coloured pens & notebooks (I like these, but having received loads of these the past 2 years means that I've still got a few to go through =)
- Figurines, photoframes, soft toys.
I
iWant:
- Intuos 3 ^^
- Inner-earphones
- Rechargeable AA batteries, as I've lost all of mine =( Please don't get Sanyo, those don't last. GP is fine, and at least 2300mh. :P
- U2 album: All That You Can't Leave Behind
- Scrabble set
- "Stardust" or "American Gods", by Neil Gaimond
- Sunglasses
- 2GB thumbdrive (mine died)
- Casio digital alarm clock
- those colourful t-shirts / tank-tops at Dorothy Perkins. Size 8, please =) No black though, that's just not my colour. Bright colours are fine ^^
- Shoes :D Bring me shopping for shoes! There is no such thing as too many shoes!
- Vouchers (Isetan, Robinsons, NTUC are all favourably looked upon.)
When in doubt, give me the gift of your time and good food =) Bring me out for a nice meal, and I'll be a happy girl =) Please do not bring me to the following Overpriced Yuckyfood Establishments otherwise it will severely test our friendship:
- Cafe Cartel. I won't even speak to you.
- Pasta Mania. Pure ebil.
- KFC / MacDonald's / Burger King / Pizza Hut.
And here is the list of QuirkieKai Approved Eating Places For Her Birthday Treat. If you dunno these places, nevermind, just choose one and I'll bring you :D
- Pregos
- The French Stall along Serangoon Road
- The Tuckshop
- Kuishin Bo
- Olive Tree
- Carl's Junior
- Werner's Oven
- Waraku
- Tomton
- Victor's Kitchen (cheap and good!)
Note: I realise that my wish-list is rather geeky! I is Geeky Gal 8)
03 December 2007
Ten Kliks Part Deux
The morning started at an unholy hour of 4:50am. I slept at 11pm the night before, with vague anxieties like "Will I run halfway and need to use the toilet??" haunting my mind before blessed sleep took over. My brother left a bit of a sweet potato in the fridge for my high-energy slow-release (something lidat) breakfast and I had a mug of glucose water to perk me up. My veteran runner friends told me that coffee is a Bad Idea as that will dehydrate me further, hence the glucose.
In the car, my colleague and I were lamenting...
Me: Why are we doing this?
She: I don't know! Why are we paying $40 to torture ourselves?
Me: I don't know! I just know I want to sleep!
She: Yah me too!
We: *Wail!*
When we reached there, however, we were singing a different tune. The atmosphere was charged with energy as the DJ blasted fast songs into the air and thousands of people stretched and did their warming up. All sorts of people were there: the old and saggy, the young and lithe, the pale and pasty, the tanned and toned. The sky was a clear blue and the cool breeze invigorated our senses as we stretched every discernible muscle group. Believe it or not, we were SO PUMPED to start running.
As we waited in the holding pen for our run to start, the DJ and the camera man flirted with the thousands of ladies, getting us to smile and wave for the camera or to do the "YMCA". At one point, the DJ dedicated this song "to all you sexy ladies out there!" and blasted my perennial favourite: "I Got It From My Mama" *rolls eyes while brain cells commit kamikaze*
Finally, the run begins! I started with a slow jog since I didn't want to tire myself out too early. The side of my stomach started to cramp up and I was like, Darn it! Am I gonna walk all 10km?? but I soldiered on and thankfully, the pain subsided before long. As I maintained my comfortably slow pace, I can't help but notice (and be a tad demoralised) that a lot of people who... who look decidedly less fit than me are over-taking me. With ease. My ego took a bruising, but I decided that I will not be foolhardy for once and just keep at my pace.
The route was a pleasant one, going from the Esplanade to Marina South before doing a U-turn back into Shenton way and finishing at the Padang. As I approached the half-way mark at Marina South, I kept thinking to myself: Hit the 5km mark before walking! 5KM MARK! DO NOT STOP! and when I got there, I realised I could still go on for a bit, so I did some self-pep-talking. "Hit the next lamp-post. Hit the next bush. The next water-station. Go on, go on, go on."
Beyond the 6km point, I started to walk and realised that once you start walking, it's so hard to get back into the jogging mode. I just walked, then jogged for about 50m, then walked, and this continued until I reached the 9km mark. When you feel like walking, only a few things can keep you jogging. One was whenever the route was on a down-slope. Jogging then becomes a breeze. Another was whenever you spy a camera pointed in your direction. The thought of a picture of me WALKING being taken spurs me on like nothing else can. *Jog, pant, jog, look cool for the camera, pant pant*
At the last 500m of the run, you can hear the loud music and the cheering (jeering?) in the distance. The leaden legs pick themselves up reluctantly and start to jog again. When you reach the Padang, hear the crowd cheering, the music blasting and see a big sign "FINISH", the adrenaline starts to pump and you jog ("don't walk, don't walk. go on."). 200m. 150m. 100m. 12 seconds before the next minute. My vision tunneled and all I saw was the ticking seconds and I sprinted to the finishing line, just as the timing registered "1:15:00".
01 December 2007
Ten kliks
UPDATE: I DEEED EEET! My timing is a respectable 1hr 15min *beams* RAWR!
Yup.
I've not done anything more than 5km so far, and tomorrow, I'll be stretching my muscles and my limits to 10km.
My preparation thus far:
- Buy shoes. (check)
- Buy jogging shorts. (check)
- Get the goodie bag. (check)
- Try on the t-shirt to see if it fits**. (check)
- Carbo-loading. (oooh yeah, check ^^)
- Training. (umm... hmmm...*rubs neck*)
Still, it's something I've been wanting to do since last year. It got written down in last year's list of "Things To Do This Year" but it didn't happen, so this year I try to make it happen so that I can feel better about myself =D So come this time tomorrow, I, QuirkieKai, can say I've experienced going through 10km! Even if I walk to some extent!
** : YES I'm doing this so that I can get the cool t-shirt can?? So that next time when I go jog my measly 2.4km rounds, I can wear that and everyone will look at me with respect, CAN?? Happy? There, I've said it.
Yup.
I've not done anything more than 5km so far, and tomorrow, I'll be stretching my muscles and my limits to 10km.
My preparation thus far:
- Buy shoes. (check)
- Buy jogging shorts. (check)
- Get the goodie bag. (check)
- Try on the t-shirt to see if it fits**. (check)
- Carbo-loading. (oooh yeah, check ^^)
- Training. (umm... hmmm...*rubs neck*)
Still, it's something I've been wanting to do since last year. It got written down in last year's list of "Things To Do This Year" but it didn't happen, so this year I try to make it happen so that I can feel better about myself =D So come this time tomorrow, I, QuirkieKai, can say I've experienced going through 10km! Even if I walk to some extent!
** : YES I'm doing this so that I can get the cool t-shirt can?? So that next time when I go jog my measly 2.4km rounds, I can wear that and everyone will look at me with respect, CAN?? Happy? There, I've said it.
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