Sinful Delight

22 Sept 2006 - My excolleagues and I had our second gathering after 2 of us left our old workplace. We had a pact to meet at least once a month.

It was always a night of indulgence, mainly in food and laughter - an all girls' outing with lots of secrets shared. It has almost become like a 'treat' which one will award oneself after being 'obedient' or ' hardworking' for an entire month.

I was the organiser for the second month's outing. Knowing that I am usually late on working days because there is always unforeseen, eleventh hour assignments to be completed within the same day, I suggested meeting in Orchard. It was also to avoid any remaining IMF crowd.

Dinner was Peranakan but the girls felt that it was merely passable. We decided to adjourn to desserts to compensate the less than satisfactory dinner. Although the desserts look appetitising, the girls again felt that it was not as good as they looked. It was somehow being made up by the above average looking manager who happened to keep clearing our table to 'signal' we should make a move after we finished our food.

Anyway, it would be another month before we meet again.

Quiet Dinner

We went to Fishermen's Village (off Elias Road) for dinner last evening for the first time. I have not been to Pasir Ris for a long time, much less to Pasir Ris Park. It was very different from what I have remembered it to be.

Pasir Ris Park used to a favourite haunt when I was young, ie primary school days. On weekends, it was usually crowded with kids of similar ages. Last evening was exceptionally quiet. There was hardly anyone at the park. Personally, I felt that the place was too quiet and abit dark. It was indeed quite a dangerous place to be at night if you are alone.

We did not stay for long after the dinner. Personally, I really felt that the place was too remote and quiet for my comfort.

Post-Mortem of Staff Satisfaction Survey

Our bosses wanted all of us to come out with some suggestions on how management can improve to bring up the scores of the staff satisfaction survey. Apparently, the senior officers were again the more 'problematic' bunch who had the most complaints, so our bosses thought our inputs should be able to cure all. The meeting to share our suggestions was scheduled early next week. Thus, we decided to have a quick huddle over lunch to brainstorm.

Everyone was very candid about what we wanted. We lauded actions like 'one-on-one' as periodic feedback sessions on our performance, department meeting, albeit 'coffee breaks' offsite, departmental lunches with junior officers and bosses, etc. We wanted such events to be permanently conducted on a regular basis. Then we kept stressing we wanted greater work-life harmony with less work, better working hours and more reasonable timelines. We heard from grapevine that some fresh recruits from other departments adored and even idolised our boss, so we suggested that our boss should continue to represent us in meetings to bring more effective and 'favourable' decisions.

Finally, our conclusion was perhaps when our bosses saw our suggestions, they would ask us to 'pack up'. Reason? We are asking for better life and less work, so no point keeping such workers around. ;-p

Staff Satisfaction Survey

We had a debrief today for the results of the staff satisfaction survey that was conducted a few months ago. Although I had not participated in the survey, I was also asked to attend the debrief and my bosses have actively sought my opinions on some of the things raised.

When I saw the results from the survey, it was of no surprise to me. The issues that were highlighted which required more management attention were similar to what I have seen in my previous work place. Often, reward and recognition and personal development were rated poorly. However, cooperation within the department was rated fairly highly.

Most employees would not be satisfied with our compensation. The reason being we often felt that when measured against our workload, we are grossly underpaid. Few would admit that they have been paid reasonably, much less overly. This is even so with the apparent trend of downsizing and re-organisation every where.

Similarly, as employees, we often feel that there is no clear communication of career plan. It is an open secret in many organisations that sometimes new recruits already have their 'fate' sealed when they enter the organisation, ie their career progression has already been pre-determined. However, often this is not transparent to the employee. This 'hiding' from the employee cuts both ways. For someone has potential to rise to management level and who is loaded with assignments to test him out, he may not 'rise to the bait' and may view the opportunities as exploitation. This can lead to a dissatisfied employee who eventually exit from the organisation. the organisation loses a valuable staff. The staff loses a great career opportunity. On the other hand, there also lies a possibility that once such information is communicated, a highly rated employee may become complacent and ruin his chances. At the same time, lowly rated employees would lose motivation to strive on.

Cooperation within the department is viewed favourably by the staffs of our unit. It is something which I agree and which my bosses kept emphasizing its importance. One of my boss has always stressed that coming to work is not just to work but also to build social network and to interact with different people. It is good to look forward to coming to work and to meet your friends. This is very apparent in our unit. For eg, my colleague will invite other colleagues and their children to the birthday parties of their kids. We will also get to hear their husband and children's names being peppered in our lunch conversations, such that we do not just know our colleagues, we know about their personal lives as well.

In fact, people who know me will realise that I like to build friendships even with colleagues. Personally, I feel that it is quite sad to know your colleagues only in the work capacity, especially when the time you spend with your colleagues is often much more than even the time you spend with your family. Knowing them in their work capacity is only the beginning and not the end. By knowing them as friends, you will enjoy working with them more and will look forward to meeting them each day. Coming to work then will be a delightful experience.

Hence, do not shy away from me if I want to know you better. This is because I want not just to know you as a colleague, I want to know you as a friend. Although when it comes to work, sometimes it is important to draw a clear line so that things are still being done without spoiling friendship. ;-p

Proud to be Rafflesian

MOE has recently come up with a new award to reward schools for developing the students well. RGS was one of the commended schools. Hurray!

I recalled having this chat with 2 of my school mates recently. While reminiscing the past, we broached the subject of schools. We all agree that if we were given another chance to choose our secondary school, we would still choose RGS. Moreover, if we have daughters in future who can make it to RGS, we will also encourage them to study in RGS.

There have always been many stereotypes associated with RGS girls. Some said we are rowdy, others said we are arrogant. Yet, these remain purely as stereotypes which are untrue in many instances. Quite the contrary, be it our seniors, our teachers or even our peers, most of them condemned any high and mighty behaviour. We might cheer like guys during sports event but we were also chided for not putting an appropriate behviour for different occasions.

I remembered very vividly what our head prefect told us when we first joined the school. She told us that we should be proud of being a Rafflesian and not arrogant. We should always feel proud to be a Rafflesian and feel proud to tell anyone that we come from RGS. However, we should never think we are the elite and condescend others just because we are from RGS.

RGS has in many ways helped developed me to who I am now. The RGS environment has always encouraged us to explore new things, keep a humble attitude and be dare to dream. It has also given us exposures to the arts and community service. These are attributes which I value even to current.

Kudos to RGS for getting the award.

Law of Diminishing Returns

Too much of something too good is also bad. Once the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in, marginal utility falls. The same thing will not provide as much delight to you as before.

Nowadays, I encounter a lot of problems with food. I walk into the food alley of a shopping mall and I do not even feel enticed. More often than not, I leave the decision of what to eat to my friends. Have the choices narrowed? Have I become too picky? Or simply I am too spoilt?

There used to be a time when I first graduated, the 'highlight' of the week was often to patronise a restaurant that my friend and I liked. Then we would have our weekly complaint session over nice and warm food in a comfortable ambience. It was almost like rewarding ourselves for the whole week of hard work.

Recently, the restaurants that we liked are still around and they are still serving the same food, but somehow the delight was absent. Perhaps I have become spoilt over the years. It is undeniable that I have had chance to try better food, because of work purposes, courses which I have attended and more financial independence, ie I now earn my own keep. Thus, has the fine food spoilt me too much?

Perhaps for the time being, I should avoid restaurants to gain back the utilities? Don't know why, suddenly feel that local fare like porridge or kway chap appear more appetising... Is there something wrong with me?

Leisure Walk on a Saturday Night

My Saturday was spent rather leisurely.

Felt tired of walking from PS to Orchard, so my friend and I decided to try something new. We decided to walk from PS to Cityhall. Personally, I have never walked the road before. Initially, we were abit apprehensive, for fear of losing our way. Finally, we still managed to reach our destination safely without any detour. ;-p

There was a slight breeze last evening. Along the way, you will pass by SMU, the museums and Chijmes. I also noted that there were some hideaway and less crowded coffee outlets along the way. Hmm, perhaps I can go with my friends in future if we want to avoid the crowds.

Later, we stopped at MPH at the basement of Raffles City. I was browsing through Dan Brown's Deception Point and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The first section of Dan Brown's Deception Point was equally captivating like Da Vinci Code. Surprisingly, Lemony Snicket was rather humorous in his writing - caustic humour and I could not help smiling as I read along. This was quite different from the movie.

I guess I miss my reading. Just realised that since I started my new job, I have not had time to pick up a book... :-(

Afterthoughts of The Banquet

Went to catch the Banquet yesterday at the new Cathay PictureHouse. It was a magnificent building but was quite 'forlorn' looking, being the single building on the hill top. The inside was rather empty with barely a few shops in operation.

Felt sad watching Banquet. Ever since "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events", I have deliberately avoided sad shows to avoid feeling sad after the show. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" was supposed to be humorous and was meant for the kids. Personal thoughts after watching the show was that it sort of highlighted some of the inequities and bleakness in life.

Banquet has had the same theme. All the characters seemed not to be able to escape their destiny, from the Prince who tried to escape his emotions and death; the empress who tried to escape death of her own and her beloved; and the usurper who tried to escape from a similar fate as his brother.

When his love married his father, the late emperor, the Prince attempted to escape from reality by retreating to a faraway place to practise song and dance. Despite his move, he was still not able to escape being embroiled in the battle for power and reign when his uncle, the usurper tried in numerous, though futile, attempts to kill him. He wallowed in self-pity, thinking that his love has a change in heart and he was the most lonesome person on earth. He tried to hide his emotions behind his acting mask. His self-centric caused the disappointment of the 2 women who loved him dearly - the empress who loved him but could not show her emotions for fear of causing his life and hers; and his betrothed who never gets his love.

The empress who has attained the mastery of hiding all her emotions. Her face has become a mask which she literally wears all the time. To ensure her own and the Prince's safety, she schemed against everyone. Still, she could not escape death even after the death of the usurper.

The usurper has engaged violent and Machiavellian means to eradicate all subjects who are disloyal to his reign. Eventually, upon realising he was unable to win the heart of the only woman he loved, he chose to die at her hands.

When I was asked how I felt about the show, I told my friend it was a sad show and it was sad for all the characters. The characters could never show their true emotions to anyone and had to constantly watch over their backs to ensure safety.

I could not help but draw reference to a book which I have read previously and which I have mentioned to you before - Empress Wu. The similar messages were highlighted. In the palace, one showed no emotions to anyone and had to remember to wear their face like an expressionless mask. To survive in the palace, one had to learn to protect oneself and could not rely on anyone and protection included ridding people who might be of threats to you.

It was a very tired way of living. Perhaps it is bliss in itself to lead the life of a commoner. I laugh all I want when I am happy. I cry out loud when I am sad. I curse and swear when I am angry. This is true bliss!

One-to-one with My Boss

Just had a one-to-one with my boss yesterday. We had it over a cup of orange juice (for myself) and latte (for her).

She was sharing with me my KPIs (key performance indicators) for the year. Hmmm, sounds abit daunting. During the about 1-hour one-to-one session, we were chatting more on how I was settling down rather than the KPIs itself.

I was glad she was rather an open boss who shared openly about some of her past experiences. Her openness has helped me settled in more quickly and felt less overwhelmed by the new environment and work. Throughout the session, she was reassuring me that she could perfectly understand what I was going through.

She shared her previous experience as an auditor and how she had felt rather demoralised during her first assignment. She worked very hard for 3 full weeks and her senior actually came back with 100 pages of audit points thereafter. She felt like crying thereafter.

Uh-oh. This sounded all too familiar. I remembered vaguely that when I first started being a minute-taker in my ex-company, I have undergone a similar experience. After taking great pains to plough through my minutes draft, I circulated to the bosses and attendees for comments. One of the bosses actually practically amended the full document, ie the before and after were completely different. Moreover, it was all done with Word's "track changes" which meant I could literally view the sea of red amendments. I have also wanted to cry then. It was almost like telling you that you have done everything wrongly, including grammar!

My current boss commented that we should not feel defeated by such setbacks and should keep an open mind. We should view such experiences as great learning opportunities rather than being too occupied feeling defeated and losing confidence.

She is really positive and after talking to her, I felt that I should be like her as well. Let us work together to better ourselves, be it in the self-esteem department or the competence department. :-)

World of Acronyms

Our conversation is getting shorter and shorter these days. Why? We are replacing more words with acronyms, eg BTW = by the way, LOL - Laughing out loud, TY = Thank you, etc. It is becoming increasing difficult to keep up-to-date with the expanding dictionary of acronyms. *Sigh*

I was introduced to more aconyms by my boss recently. A colleague of mine walked into a meeting late and all the seats are taken up. Another colleague, on seeing this, went out of the room to pull in another chair. My boss commented that the first colleague was very TP. In case you are perplexed like how I reacted initially, TP is not Transfer Pricing as more commonly known in the industry. TP is short for "Toa Pai" (Big shot, VIP).

Then when we went on to talk about other things, he mentioned that if we did something wrongly, someone would KBKB. Then he went around asking if we knew what was KBKB. I shook my head. He then explained that KBKB stood for cry father cry mother (in Hokkien, please translate for yourself).

My friend was even more creative. She even came out with an acronym that carries the same meaning in more than one language. Wonder of all wonders! She was complaining that her ex-boss was LL. LL is not something crude, but something cute. LL stands for lazy and lousy in English, Chinese and dialect - (1) lazy and lousy; (2) lan3 and lan4; and (3) lao yah and lao pok. Fascinating, isn't it?

Guess we should really try to get used to the world of acronyms if you have not. Imagine...

"That XXX is really LL. She is always very TP and comes for meeting late. Then when things go wrong, she will KBKB. OMG."

Excuse me, can you pass me the latest version of the acronyms dictionary please?

Counting Down...

I am counting down to tomorrow so that I can meet up with my excolleagues. No, not the same bunch whom I met on Sat, but more of my buddies from my previous workplace.

We used to complain to each other when we meet with troubles at work. We used to lunch and go home together. We even shopped together. Hence, we made a pact to continue to see each other at least monthly after we left our old workplace.

Tomorrow will be our second outing. I really cannot wait for tomorrow to come.

See you. :-)

Stronger

Some of my friends who have known me for a couple of years will realise that recently it seems like I have packed my weekends with activities and people to meet. Many may have associated this to my recent change in job, while others may think I want a change in life. Well, they are partly right but not totally.

It is true that with this new job, for the time being allows me to have more personal time. Do not get me wrong, this does not mean that I can now knock off on time. On the contrary, my knocking off time is still similar to before, around 7 plus on average and on some days stretching to 8 or even after 9. However, once I knock off, I am really off work. I DO NOT bring work home. On weekends, it is really my own time. No longer do I need to read papers, write minutes or prepare statements over weekends. Hence, I have more time and energy to spend with my family and friends.

The main reason for having more time for my friends these days is linked to what happened last year. Many things happened at home last year which required both my time and attention.

My "go-home khakis" would share with you how I would need to go off on time. I would chide them and show my impatience if I needed to wait for them for more than 5 minutes. Time was very precious to me then. I needed to reach home early to have dinner early, so that I can wash up early and do other household chores, like wash clothes, iron clothes, etc. Then on weekends, it is running errands, like buy groceries, more household chores and prepare lunch and dinner. One of us, either my sister or I, had to be in the house at any point in time. Hence, we had to take turns. There was no energy nor time left for my friends who unfortunately had to take a back seat.

Am I now complaining? Nope.

Although I do not wish for the same incident which happened last year to happen again, I am actually glad for having the opportunity to learn how to take care of myself and my family. It made me a stronger and more independent person. I can now do most of the household chores, including cooking, though I have to admit that period was a stressful and dark period.

The 'side-effect' is that I be become more 'auntie' now as I can easily shop at NTUC and tell you which brands you should buy for some household appliances. ;-p

Composure

Whenever crisis or emergency happens, I always end up in a frenzy mood which slows down the resolution process. Despite knowing the importance of keeping cool, I cannot help but end up very anxious and at a loss of what to do.

I must really learn to be composed. Only when you keep a cool head can you think more effectively and work more efficiently. I must keep reminding myself to do this, especially when my job requires me being very merticulous.

Sweet and Touching

I have just heard something rather sweet and touching during a trailer of a new program for Channel U which basically helps guys propose to their girlfriends. Thought I will share it here. I did a direct translation, so pardon me if it has not sounded as romantic. It is probably due to my poor translation.Guys, please don't use it too many times or it will lose its magical touch.

" You may be able to find someone whom you will like more but you will definitely not be able to find someone who love you more than I do."

I think I will melt if someone tells me this. :-)

Comparisons

I read an interesting article yesterday in Straits Times and it set off some thinking in me. The article was on a research done on teenagers aged between 17 to 19. It was found that the males have higher intelligence (measured by IQ) than the females.

Since time immemorial, it seems like the comparisons between males and females never stop. Once in a while, we will get reminded that males and females are different through newer studies commissioned. I am not a philosoper, neither am I a scientist. I have never ceased to be both amazed and amused by the latest findings, ie they make very interesting readings indeed.

Difference exists between 2 individuals, much less 2 groups of individuals - males and females. Personally, I felt that some of these studies could be too generic and could be one faceted. Take for instance the study above. I may not be an empirical research expert, but looking at their samples, it seems strange that only individuals of certain age groups are selected. Given that each individual progresses differently, results may differ when the study is conducted on a different age group? Secondly, depending on how you define intelligence, especially with current emphasis towards soft skills, like EQ, IQ test alone may not be conclusive.

I am definitely not a strong advocate for female power. Neither am I being defensive of or infuriated by the results of the study.

It is good to identify some common traits and differences, so that each of us is aware of our strengths and weaknesses. Comparisons can be constructive. Similarly, it can also be destructive. How it helps to improve the society generally depends on how we treat the results of such studies. Rather than both the male group and the female group trying to outdo each other with more studies with results more favourable to each group, we should capitalise on such studies to better ourselves. We should be aware that the results may represent majority of the group, exceptions will still occur. When we use such studies to understand each other, then perhaps we can enjoy a more harmonious society?

Old Colleagues' Gathering

I met up with 3 of my colleagues last night. It was the first time we met after I left my ex-company. Just as I expected, it was another night full of laughter and stupid bickering and bantering. And just as I expected, the driver for the night was at least 15 min late.

Although the 3 of them were my excolleagues, I knew them for different lengths of time and in different manners.

I knew Mich since I first joined. She was in the adjacent cubicle. We started to get to know each other better about half a year after I joined when we would have our morning “chi chat” at my cubicle with 2 other colleagues – my neighbour in the same cubicle and another neighbour from the other adjacent cubicle. Later, we hit it off better when we shared the same views for work and even switched to another unit together.

I knew WK when I first joined as well. At that time, we were mere acquaintances. We have only got on better when I was the finance support for a project which he was leading. Thereafter, we had more opportunities to work together when he became the House Chairperson for the Club. Since I knew him, his average “lateness” would be 15 min. Whenever I called him and if he said he was already on his way, this translated to another 15 to 30 min wait. Sigh!

I knew PH when I first helped out at a charity stall selling bears. He was then a newcomer to the company and was with another colleague whom I knew. I was approaching them to buy a bear for charity and he bought it. We knew each other better when he dropped by our department quite often subsequently for his job assignment.

We went to Robertson Quay for Japanese food for the night. Fortunately, it was not buffet (I was quite worried initially that it would be another buffet as I think WK has a penchant for buffets). It was a big bento set for each of us with a kaminabe (paper steamboat) and agedashi tofu to share. The salmon sashimi was cut in very thick and fatty slices. However, thought the maguro on the bento set was better.

As usual, we passed over the food which we cannot finish to WK as he is well-known for his very healthy appetite. He had previously finished off 2 packets of noodles which he initially bought for us when we had to go to office to work on a Saturday. When he first offered the noodles, we were being Asian polite and told him we already had our meals. Then we became busy with something else. By the time, we were back, he had already finished the noodles. Isn’t that very healthy appetite indeed?

We next adjourned to TCC for coffee. They have initially wanted Coffee Club, but I vehemently object as I just came from Coffee Club in the afternoon. Glad that we went TCC, because we got to try the “cane swings” (look to the photo, you will see the cane swings they are sitting in). Although it looked fun to sit in, it was quite difficult to drink anything in, because you would need to keep exerting force to move towards the table. Fortunately, they found a table for 4 soon after and we could have our coffee in a more normal sitting arrangement.

I had the chamomile tea again. I guess at the rate I am going, I probably would have tried many different chamomile teas – Andersen’s (I had a cough then and could not take the ice-cream), PS Café, Tea loft (or something, the antique shop where you can have tea in Plaza Singapura) and now TCC. My personal preference is still the PS Café, because it was the most fragrant.

It was meant to be a night of catch-up, but we did not really achieve the aim. As usual, much of the time was spent on suaning each other.

All the best to Mich, WK and PH! Perhaps we should have such gatherings occasionally, maybe once in every quarter or something? ;-p

Old Friends' Gathering

I have met my JC mates this afternoon for tea. We met at coffee club and had tea and enjoyed the promotion which was going on, ie enjoy 1 free cake with 1 cake ordered with a beverage.

I was grossly late because I underestimated the time taken to queue, report and handover my sister's phone to the company for servicing. It took me 2 hours. Unbelievable!

My JC mate, Mr Lau seemed to be in higher spirits than before. Good for him. Very long time ago, when we were still in school and even till when I first started work, he was always the more positive one. He would be the one who tried to keep the spirits high for my friend and I, especially when we were complaining about our work and MJJJ (nickname for someone).

I cannot recall since when he started to be the one who became less positive. Anyhow, since he has 'recovered' from his 'negative spell', good for him. How did I know he has recovered? Well, he now has the energy to talk back at me, it shows things are definitely back to normal. Hee hee.

Keep it up, Mr Lau. :-) By the way, forgot to take photos with you, Mr Lau. We should do it the next time we meet up?

Conversation-Stopping Moment

Have you ever felt out of league amidst senior management or foreign expatriates? Well, I have and many times.

In fact, for a long while, I was even too embarassed to share this with anyone. It was only recently when my best friend and I were having a very open talk that we realised both of us share the same plight. Please do not misunderstand this to be a sign of inferior complex or low-self-esteem. We are still confident of ourselves. It is more of having a "topic mismatch" during small talks.

Let me share a few of my awkward, or perhaps even hilarious moments of my "conversation-stopper" encounters.

Episode 1
I was having lunch with my ex-CEO with a couple of colleagues. CEO was asking about our travel experiences, especially when a few of the colleagues were overseas scholars. All of them had interesting tales to share, with backpacking to whole of US and volunteering in remote China etc.

Then it is my turn. I told him I travelled mainly Southeast Asia and Australia. Then I told him I have only been to the tourist area in Australia, ie Gold Coast and with a tour group. Conversation stopped and switched.

Episode 2
We were having small talks with a foreign real estate consultant who was an Australian based in Hong Kong. He was sharing about the difference between Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. When the group turned to me on my views, my reply was I have never been to Hong Kong and Shanghai. "Oh, perhaps you can visit them next time" was one of their responses and the topic was changed again.

It is definitely not just about travelling. It is more of not able to appreciate some of the finer things in life and not having varied experiences.

First of all, I have perhaps already felt slightly daunted by these senior management and did not feel relaxed enough. Secondly, not sharing some of their experiences and not "worldly" enough, being very much a heartlander at heart, there is always a gap. Moreover, I do not have much humour with me to lighten those awkward moments.

My best friend and I thought we should really cultivate ourselves more and broaden our horizons to avoid such conversation-stopping moments, to save ourselves and the people we are talking to the predicament of always thinking of ways of getting out of those awkwardness. :-p

Initiation

Scene 1
My friend shared that there were previously 2 guys who were hot on her heels. The reason why she has chosen her current boyfriend was because her boyfriend was a decisive guy. He took actions almost immediately after discovering that he had competition.

Scene 2
Channel 8's current drama - Weilun was the one always in the background and who was always supportive, sweet and understanding. However, he never had the courage to make things clear to Shuyang, assuming that she would know. Gao Ming took initiative immediately after finding out that Shuyang and Weilun were not an item. Shuyang chose Gao Ming.

No matter how the society changes, most girls will still take a more reserved and passive approach on matters of the heart. Most girls will not dare make their thinkings known unless they are certain of the guys' intentions. Many girls will still be attracted to guys who are decisive and take initiatives. A girl cannot possibly just sit around waiting for someone who cannot make up his mind on what he wants or who cannot tell her what he wants.

At least I do also prefer someone who is decisive and who takes loads of initiatives.
Don't you?

And I guess I will not sit too long waiting for someone to make up his mind.
Will you?

Hair Raising Experience

I did not meet with any paranormal beings.
Neither did I go on any scary rides.
It is merely my hair.
I have just gone for another hair cut. And it is really short, short, short.

I have asked the person to trim it short and keep the style the same. Perhaps the hairdresser felt that my description was too vague or perhaps she felt that the current style did not suit me. Or maybe she was merely trying to "cover up" for her mistakes by cutting it off. In the end, I have a really short cut. Not that I really mind, since it is now easier to wash my hair and less hot. It is just that my head now look ridiculously small.

On one hand, I am trying to look more sophisticated with my well-dressed colleagues. On the other hand, with my new hair cut, I look practically like a school girl. Those who have known me for a long time will definitely not be surprised when they see my new hair cut as I have used to look like this which is REALLY some time back.

When I stepped into the office on Monday, everyone was asking me if I have had a hair cut. My boss even commented that it looked really different. I hope she meant "different", as in the trendier and more refreshed way rather than "different", as an euphemism for ugly looking.

I hope I will not have to undergo another bout of sarcasm when I meet my excolleague tomorrow.

Mysterious and beautiful OL

The weather is getting hotter and you must be wondering how the weather will be linked to my topic for the day. Be patient and the mystery will be revealed in a short while. Ok, I am starting to test your patience...

I always need to take a 15 to 20 minute walk from my home to the nearest train station. Even though it is early morning with a slight breeze blowing by and the sun is not quite shining on my face, I will be in sweats by the time I reach the MRT station. My hair will be terribly windswept. Beads of sweat will flood my forehead and are threatening to slide down my nose and face. This is despite my wearing short, or even no sleeve top with skirts, no stockings and heeled slippers. And, I am not even wearing makeup! I cannot imagine how my face will be if I have had a make-up and sweat concoction on it. *Shiver*

It's pure bliss when I get into the train with aircon blowing... Aaaaaa...

When I turn around, every OL around me looks the complete opposite. They are composed, immacurately dressed, with their make-up intact, and not a strand of their rebonded or soft-permed hair out of place. The "armour" is complete with matching suit and spiky pumps and sometimes LV bag,

How do they achieve that? Don't you just wonder why the wind and the heat seem not to have affected them a single bit? Oh dear, I really feel like a slob beside them. Do they have something which I don't? Do I sweat too much? Maybe it is because I have more fats in me that cause me to sweat more?

THIS is the real mystery.

P.S. In case you cannot understand my acronyms, OL = office ladies.

Moments of Solitude

I like the 15 to 20 minutes of self-reflection and day dreaming that I can enjoy while commuting to work each morning. I have always been a morning person and I am the most awake and productive during morning.

In a crowded train, it is good to let your mind wonder and do some self-reflection.

Perhaps you should try it sometimes too.

Take Time to Admire the Sceneries

Just noticed a beautiful scene near AMK MRT station about 1 week ago. The trees were starting to flower and it was pure white which gave the trees a very poetic touch.

Please pardon the blurred picture as I took the scene with my mobile's camera which does not have any zooming feature or high resolution. If you can view it personally, I am sure you would have enjoyed it as much as I do.

Sometimes, walk at a slower pace and take some time to look around you. Who knows? You will be discovering your own picturesque scene.

Ironing and Folding Clothes

Have just finished folding (for those which do not require ironing) and ironing my clothes. Felt sweaty and fustrated. I really hate the ironing board!!! Urgh!!!

I used to do my ironing on the floor over several layers of cloth (you need the cloth to prevent the iron from burning a hole in your floor). It was much easier because I could spread the entire pair of pants or the shirt on the floor for ironing, unlike using the ironing board, where I need to continously shift and turn the pants or shirt to iron different parts. Every time I shift, new creases will develop over the areas I just finished ironing. Then I have to re-iron those parts again. In the end, I took ages to finish my ironing, feeling hotter and wasting more electricity. Much to my chagrin, the clothes are still not as crisp and straight as I would like them to be. Sigh!

Folding clothes is another art. You will need to fold the clothes well so that the next time you take them out to wear, they will not look crumpled. For clothes which you are not ironing immediately, folding them properly means it will ease your subsequent ironing.

To avoid folding clothes, one of my colleagues has thought of an ingenious solution. After she washes all the clothes, she will hang them on hangers immediately before drying them in the sun. When the clothes are dried, she will just need to transfer them to the wardrobe and task completed. Wow, it's a good idea. The only pitfall is that you will need to have a huge wardrobe to allow all your clothes be hung. Her way of getting around this shortcoming? She throws away old clothes periodically to clear for space in the wardrobe. ;-p

A Decadent Saturday

It has been ages since I really have so much laughter and really indulging myself by acting childishly.

I have another girls' day outing yesterday. This time, it was with a different group of girls - my buddies from secondary school days. We have known each other for more than 10 years. Oh gosh, we are really getting old!!!

KTV
We went Kbox for its K-lunch. The food is really just barely edible, but we went there more for the singing. Anyway, we were told we were given student rates. That really threw us off in a series of laughing and teasing. We = students? We must have either look very young or our dressing must be pretty juvenile. ;-p

Although my singing was pretty bad, my friends still gave me a lot of encouragement. I still cannot sing Stefanie's songs very well. I sounded very out of tune and rhythm while singing one of her faster-paced songs. Too bad, my friends (including the husband of one of them) have to tolerate and suppress their laughter.

Hey, I really have improved! Previously, you would barely hear me even if the mic was on to the highest volume. Perhaps it is really hard for those who know me to imagine. Afterall, I speak quite loudly, especially when I am feeling agitated and talking on the phone. Well, so you can imagine how bad I was.

Anyway, we have discovered our group's signature song - Jay Chou's "Qi1 Li3 Xiang1".

*Signature song means the song which we can all sing very well to.*

PS Cafe
We heard that PS cafe was one of the most "in" place to be seen in (at least among the yuppie lawyers) and they served mouthwatering brownie, so we decided to it out at the nearest outlet - Paragon. By the way, PS cafe = ProjectShop Cafe.

We were really disappointed when we realised that there was no brownie available. In the end, we settled for the double chocolate cake. I also had the camomile tea which smelt really nice and soothing. We sat there for about 2.5 hours reminiscing the past, sharing some of secret fears, recent happenings etc. Bascially, we talked about everything under the sky and openly, including complaints against each other.

Phototaking
Perhaps phototaking is not unusual, but just imagine 3 quarter-century-old professional females (1 accountant, 1 auditor, 1 lawyer) trying to take pictures of each other along a very crowded Orchard Road on a Saturday night. We were not doing it quietly. We were laughing loudly at some of our failed attempts, disregarding how 'mad' or juvenile we must have looked to the passerbys.

We were trying to take pictures of us using our handphones, so that we can set out pictures as the wallpapers of our phones. My phone was one of the most unfriendly, ie I have to go through several trials and errors to determine how I should hold the camera so that I can "squeeze" the 3 of us in.

Although we tried very hard to capture the "pokerdots" on the tree trunks into the background, we failed. Also, I discovered that I really cannot multi-task - when I was the "photographer", I forgot to smile. In the end, the picture showed that I was pursing my lips.

It is really relaxing to let go and do stupid things or childish things, things that you do only when you are teenagers. ;-p

Another Team Bonding Session

We had another 'skiving' session yesterday again.

At 4.30pm, my boss suddenly called for a meeting. We were thinking it would be another meeting to go through some numbers for the mid-year review and wondered if it could end on time. Immediately, I have to reschedule another meeting which I have originally arranged.

Then he suddenly brought us to Coffee Club to have coffee. In one of the previous meetings, he had jokingly mentioned that we should have a Fri coffee session as a gathering. We did not expect him to realise and, to realise so soon, his promise.

I had the strawberry garden (hot tea) which was pretty fragrant. There was a promotion for giving a free slice of cake for a cake and beverage order. There were 10 of us with 10 drinks, so we ordered another 5 slices of cakes and got another 5 free. The cakes were made of a huge variety ranging from rum and raisin to strawberry shortcake to chocolate fudge. During the session, my bosses shared of their destressing experiences and their overseas encounters.

Sitting in the middle of Orchard Road at late afternoon of a weekday sipping tea and eating cake was pretty idyllic. Although we still have loads to do and meetings to attend, the short break helped to rejunvenated us for a "second shift".

Hmm... this is getting better and better. ;-p

P.S. We still worked very hard. I ended work on a Fri night at 8 plus. I guess the culture here is you work hard and we play hard as well.

Nostalgia

Just have another milestone yesterday, my 'nameplate' in front of my cubicle has been done. It is a small metallic piece with my name and designation on it. What is lacking now is my laptop which should come in end of this month, I hope....

Despite feeling more and more entrenched, I can't help feeling a sudden sense of nostalgia recently especially when I just received smses from one of my excolleagues - someone whom I used to banter with. Perhaps the withdrawal syndrome is starting to set in. Felt lost without the sense of familiarity, the knowing who you can rely on and who you should avoid, what are the things to look out for, how you should plan your time against your peak etc...

Hopefully, this sudden sense of nostalgia can be swept off quickly. Meeting some of my colleagues next week, perhaps this can help reduce some of it. Looking forward to next weekend...

Another Hectic Day

Today was filled with meetings after meetings, from 9 am to 2pm (2 meetings), then from 3.30 pm all the way to 6.30pm (3 meetings).

This is the first time I have a lunch meeting. Lunch meeting here and in my old workplace is totally different. In the past, lunch meeting means meeting over lunch hour. Period. Now lunch meeting here means meeting over lunch hour with free food thrown in. Wow. Fantastic. My boss ordered western food - chicken chop for all of us.

Have a very full lunch, nearly fell asleep. Fortunately, after the lunch meeting, I have to run around a fair bit. I had to visit 2 other departments. There was an unsaid rule in the company - as long as the number of floors you need to travel is less than 3, you should try to take the staircase. I ran around the staircase 4 times (1 up, 1 down, x 2). I guessed the exercise helped abit.

Too tired at the end of the day to continue with my unfinished tasks. I just packed and went despite having some backlogs. Guess I will need to go to the office earlier tomorrow. ;-p

Factfile (September 2006)

Thought I will make a short note about some of my likes and dislikes currently.

1) TV programs I like
a) What Women Want Really
It interviewed some of the women which epitomised some of the themes like "sporty", "supermums" etc. Recalled one episode on the theme of glam and the interviewee was a successful banker. She was very candid when she was asked if she felt that there had been sacrifices made to obtain her current achievements. She frankly revealed that it was her marriage. However, for those who wish to catch the program, I am afraid you will have to be disappointed as it has just ended its latest run.

b) Lyrical Nanoha
I used to like Cardcaptor Sakura very much. Lyrical Nanoha revolves around a young girl who catches jewel seeds to prevent havoc caused by these jewel seeds.

2) Therapeutic Activities I like

a) Cut Hair

Everytime I cannot figure something out and my hair is due for a hair cut, I will rush down to the hairdresser for yet another hair cut. Strangely, I like to associate a hair cut with a decision. The last time I had a hair cut, I decided to change my job. ;-p

b) Retail Therapy

I guess retail therapy will top the list for many girls as when we are happy or sad, we like to buy something for ourselves to commemorate the feeling or the event. I am not a shopaholic. Retail therapy can be simply going down to NTUC and buy 2 pints of Haagen Daz ice cream. It is the buying of something, big or small, that will cheer you up.

If you wonder why I never mention about spas, it is because I still feel very ticklish when I am being massaged, so it causes more stress than relaxation because I will be trying to suppress my laughter therought the session.

3) Ideal Way of Spending a Weekend

I like to stay at home after a very hectic week with a nice book in hand while listening to music. It's pure heavens. Although hanging out with friends is nice, sometimes you just long for some solitude. That is when you really feel that it is your personal time.

First Movie Date

It has been ages since I went to a movie with my family. Decided to give my mum and sister a treat since I have just gotten my leave commutation pay, so we went to watch 'The Devil Wears Prada" this morning.

There are many firsts.
1) This is the first time I try to book tickets online. Shamefully, every time I watch a movie, the tickets are always booked by my friends. Felt very lost initially on the procedures. Anyway, I still managed to book the tickets successfully but not before getting an earful from my mum for being too reliant.

2) This is the first time my mum has watched a movie in the newer cineplexes. The last time she watched a movie was still at those standalone cinema with only 1 theater in the building. Shamefully, I have not done much on my part as a daughter. I must remember to bring her to the movies more often. ;-p

3) This is the first time in ages that I watch a movie in the morning. We caught the show at 11 am to avoid the crowd.

4) This is the first time I have seen such an empty theater.

Generally, the show was hilarious and heartwarming. If you wish for a light-hearted show, this movie is not bad a choice.

"Do you like me?"

Ok, I know this is abit cliche, BUT the story goes like this......

Some time ago, I was talking to a friend. I could not recall why and how, he starting asking me if I liked him. Thinking that he was teasing me, my reply adopted a very ambiguous stance. I told him I like all my friends and quickly changed topics.

I would have thought nothing about this until my friend mentioned something yesterday. She was relating to us about how she and her boyfriend eventually became an item. She would never have guessed her boyfriend was interested in her until he smsed her asking her whether she liked him.

This sounded eerily familiar. I suddenly recalled the above incident. Several questions ran through my blur mind.

1) Would guys pose the question of "Do you like me?" easily, even for the normal joker kind of guys?
2) If he were serious then, would my replies have caused alot of unintentional hurt? Was I too brusque?

Oh gosh, I only hope he was really joking when we were talking and this was nothing but a mere paranoia. :-(

Celebration of Girls' Birthdays

It was another celebration of birthday gathering. Guess the months of June to September are often the 'peak' period for the celebration of my friends' birthdays, I have alot of Leos and Virgoes as friends. ;-p

We went to the TeaHouse at China Square to have ala carte buffet yesterday. The spread and the taste are quite good. This is the second time I have been to TeaHouse and have not been disappointed so far. Their herbal prawns, deep fried Soon Hock and their mango and prawn springrolls are among the best. We all complained of being too full at the end of the dinner.

This time round, other than the 7 of us, 2 of my friends's husbands also joined us. Although they were the minority, they have dominated most of the conversations during the night, being more forthcoming, humorous and gossipy than all of us girls combined. In the end, we laughed throughout the night. Hopefully, we did not cause too much inconvenience to the other diners with our rowdiness. It was almost like back to school days as all of us were from NTU (including the husbands).

It was really a heartwarming night. I was really glad that my friends' husbands clicked as well with each other (although there are only 2 of them now) and with us. They were even secretly planning to have a husbands' club, so that the next time we girls have our gatherings, they would tag along and have their own husbands' gatherings. Hopefully, they would be able to find more companions and increase their memberships as more of my friends get married. :-)

Hit-and-Run Accident

Was involved in a hit-and-run accident yesterday. Was quite shock initially but later felt angry at some of the irresponsible behavious of some reckless drivers.

Don't worry, I was not hurt or injured in any way, but my friend unfortunately suffered a dent at the car's side door. We were just circling around in the carpark looking for free lots when a young and probably very inexperienced motorcyclist rammed into the car's right side when we were making a turn. Before we have time to react, the motorcyclist sped away. We did not have time to take down the carplate number. What I have only managed to notice was that he just got his licence, as he had the famous triangle sign on. The motorcyclist was so irresponsible!

What touched me most was that my friend's first reaction was whether I was ok rather than the car itself. Whereas if it was my dad who was placed in the same shoes, his first reaction would have been whether his car was ok rather than me. ;-p

Anyhow, do not worry. The car was strong enough to withstand the impact and still protect its passengers, though I wonder how much the repair cost will be. Let's hope it is not too expensive. :-(