I was initially abit apprehensive on the usefulness of the beauty workshop conducted by the CC. Will it be a product marketing platform just like other beauty workshops conducted by some beauty houses? Will it be boring one-way information flow talk when we hear a lot but none specific to our skin type?
I arrived at the class 5 minutes early. Any classmates who have arrived kept to themselves and groups. There was no sight of any instructor. I started to feel unease. When the instructor had not arrived 15 minutes past the starting time, my unease grew. I wondered if the class was cancelled without my knowing. Although the number of arrivals had grown, everyone was quiet. I secretly started to hope this class would pass by quickly.
20 minutes past the starting time, the instructor finally rushed in with all her equipment and teaching kits. She was full of energy and I was instantly taken in by her exuberance and her jokes. Her anecdotes sometimes held little relevance to skin care and make-up yet they were her personal experiences which imparted other knowledge, for eg on how to deal with some beauticians’ hard selling, how to handle stress, how to handle disobedient children or how to cure our headache through pressing the acupoints.
After the long but informative and also entertaining introduction, we were ready to start our class proper. The first step was to learn how to properly cleanse our faces. There were 5 basins in the nearby toilet, so off we went in groups of 5. We were taught on how to wash, scrub and tone our face. We were chided for our mistakes of rubbing very hard with scrub which we thought we were doing a very thorough job. Yet, we did not know that we had inadvertently hurt our skin. Here are more tips:
- When we wash or scrub our face, we should always do in circular motions.
- When we want to dry our face, we would pat our face with a dry towel instead of wipe it with the towel.
- We should scrub both our face and body once a week.
- When we scrub, we should not rub it too hard and hurt our skin.
- We should always apply toner as it refines pores and helps clean away any dirt not removed by the cleanser.
- When we apply toner, we should pat them in for the skin to absorb.
- We must always apply sunblock to prevent damage of skin from the sun.
- For skin which is more prone to oil seeds near the eyes, a gel-form eye cream will be more suitable than an oil-based.
- Moisturisers are a must even for oily skin. Both moisturizers and toner help the make-up to be applied on more easily.
After washing our skin clean, it was back to class to learn how to apply eye cream as scrubs would dry our eyes and caused wrinkles. Then it was the application of tinted moisturizer as moisturizing was essential after a scrub. Well, it was the first-time I saw a tinted moisturizer as it was more popular in the West than Singapore.
Then, it was time for learning the basics of make-up. The instructor required a student to be the ‘model’ for the demonstration. Surprise, surprise, I was picked. My face then became the palette to be used for telling the class how to apply foundation, blusher, eye-shadow, eye-liner to lip gloss. I was extremely nervous with someone so close to my face and the whole class looking at me for a good half an hour. I never felt so ‘stared-at’ and scrutinized my whole life. Fortunately, the instructor was kind and jovial while my classmates were very encouraging and lavish with their compliments. Hence, my nerves were calmed soon after and I began to enjoy the process and also being the centre of attention for once in my life.
My instructor has only done the blusher and the eye-shadow on one-side of the face and I was supposed to be complete the other on my own. Hmm, I was clearly a novice for make-up. To achieve the same colour and effect of my instructor was clearly an impossible task. Moreover, my eyes were closed half the time when she was applying the eye-shadow and I could only feel and hear what she was doing. Needless to say, my attempt was far off from what the instructor had done.
I was not the only one who benefited from the magical touch of the instructor. She was patient and kind enough to do a little something for everyone in the class – from the shaping of eye-brow through trimming and drawing, to make-up on different skin tones and to eye-shadow and foundation recommendation for everyone. Not only did we learn some basics, we also had fun experimenting with the different colours that the instructor had brought along and getting personal consultation on what colours would be good for our skin tones.
With such customized teaching, the class stretched more than an hour after the official ending time, yet many still lingered around to ask the instructor more questions. The instructor also patiently addressed each question and provided more tips to us.
The workshop was certainly successful and useful. I hope the CC would conduct more such courses for the ladies so that others could benefit from this and we could pick-up new skills.
May 31, 2008
Bring Out the ‘Kampong’ Spirit in You
One of my PE teachers used to have this tagline – ‘Bring out the animal spirit in you!’ This was used at the start of friendly matches or during our physical fitness tests. Allow me to modify this tagline a little – ‘Bring out the Kampong spirit in you!’
Kampong, a Malay word, is used to describe a village. In the Malay village, the community is often cohesive, close-knitted and cooperative. When Singapore started to develop public housing, we have wanted to retain this community spirit so all the flats come with corridors. To be frank, I am not 100% certain this is the reason for having common corridors and void decks for our flats but I learnt this from the Channel 5 series ‘En-Bloc’.
For those of us growing up in HDB flats, the common corridors definitely hold fond memories. Well, my childhood was practically spent on the long-stretched corridors playing chasing games with the kids of my neighbours. We even extended our ‘territories’ to the accompanying stairway. Our play-time started immediately after breakfast and continued through to lunch. We would have skipped lunch if not for the warning canes from our mums.
Community Centres (CC) were built in each housing estates to foster friendly relationship of the community while providing workshops and recreational activities for the public. In the older days when people were poorer and not everyone owned a television, some of the neighbours would go to the CC in the evening to watch television. (If you can recall, the channels are not 24-by-7 when we were young, some channels start broadcasting only at 6 pm on weekdays.)
To be frank, I used to participate in the activities of the CC actively when I was in primary school. I will attend drawing lessons and take part in drawing competitions and lantern festivals of the CC often. Somehow as I grow up, I gradually lose interest in the activities of the CC, until recently.
When I wanted to sign up for yoga lessons at the nearby CCs, I was amazed by the array of activities that the CCs conducted these days. CCs are becoming chic and trendy with coffee outlets for those who wish to chill out after lessons or simply want to chill out at a quieter spot with a nice cup of coffee. The classes available at the CCs cater for all age groups with special classes for children, senior citizens and working adults. The types of lessons are comparable to the latest fad, such as yoga, salsa and in-line skating. For those who prefer the more traditional types of lessons, one can still find the all-time favourites, such as cooking, language, dancing and singing lessons. There are also local and overseas trips organized.
The CC I frequent are relatively quiet on Saturday morning when I attend my yoga lessons except for the fervent basket ball players who dribble away on the court. I was attending a beauty workshop on Saturday afternoon when I was being swept away by the ‘Kampong’ spirit which I thought was long-gone.
The CC was crowded with people with different interests and different age groups. There was a Malay wedding at the multipurpose hall. There were parents bringing their kids for drawing lessons. There were girls (from age about 10 to 60) attending the beauty workshops. The CC congregated the community under the same roof and rekindled the ‘Kampong’ spirit. When I talked to two of my classmates, I was informed that there was even a Women Executive Committee (WEC) which consisted of 30 odd members who met monthly to organize different activities for the ladies. Wow, I was immediately swelled with respect for my classmates. They sacrificed their personal time so that the ladies members in the CC could enjoy different classes and activities.
During the class, the girls also cheered each other on when we were practising our make-up. We encouraged each other for those who were shier and less experimental. We helped look-out for each other when we tried on the colours. This was when we met each other only for the first time and did not even know each other’s name. Moreover, we were also from different age groups. Yet, all barriers were broken when we washed our faces at the basins or applied our eye-shadows together in front of the mirror.
All unease I felt about signing up for a class alone was dismissed. I truly enjoyed the experience. I was also felt with warmth on the experience and the witness of the ‘Kampong’ spirit once again. I will come back for my classes to pick up new skills and
May 29, 2008
Going Back In Time
The 9pm Channel 8 drama serial was finally reaching its ending. Although it is slightly make-belief with the protagonist traveling back in time to reverse certain decisions and change the ultimate outcome, such a wish can be prevalent.
Come on, in every person’s life, regardless of how happy or optimistic a person is, there will still be instances where we wish we can go back in time. We wish to go back in time to relive certain happy memories or to minimise the regrets from a wrong decision or action. Sometimes, the wish can be immediately or shortly after the occurrence of the event. How often do we wish we can go back one-week in time to while we are still vacationing overseas? How often do we wish to go back to the minute before we utter a stupid comment which hurt our loved ones?
If you are given this ability to go back in time, which point in your time will you want to go back to? This may not be a simple question that can be answered at the blink of an eye. Sometimes there can be more than one moment, especially when we are trying to address past mistakes. Where we are today and what we are today are results of our past experiences. Each past experience or event could be a link in a chain and changing any one of these could lead to a domino effect. The outcome on the new projectile could be so different from where we were previously.
In my past 28 years, there are phases where I have gone through emotional roller coasters. I have been happy, sad, confident and inferior. I will be lying if I say there is no times where I feel like I can do better during those phases. For instance, I thought I should have made more full use of the my time in the university to more constructively use my time, eg pick up driving then, spend more time with my friends, take up more part-time or temporary jobs to gain more experience. On hindsight, I thought I have wasted time when I was in university.
Yet, if you really grant me this wish, will I really want to go back? On second thoughts, I probably will not want to go back. Would I have changed myself or my destiny in the process? I do not know. No single event or experience is isolated. When one event or experience is changed, there is a chain effect. Moreover, I do not live in a no-man’s land. When I attempt to trifle with my own destiny, I do not know who else I will be affecting in the process.
What about you? Do you want to go back to certain point in your life? If yes, what is your purpose? Do you want to change anything?
Come on, in every person’s life, regardless of how happy or optimistic a person is, there will still be instances where we wish we can go back in time. We wish to go back in time to relive certain happy memories or to minimise the regrets from a wrong decision or action. Sometimes, the wish can be immediately or shortly after the occurrence of the event. How often do we wish we can go back one-week in time to while we are still vacationing overseas? How often do we wish to go back to the minute before we utter a stupid comment which hurt our loved ones?
If you are given this ability to go back in time, which point in your time will you want to go back to? This may not be a simple question that can be answered at the blink of an eye. Sometimes there can be more than one moment, especially when we are trying to address past mistakes. Where we are today and what we are today are results of our past experiences. Each past experience or event could be a link in a chain and changing any one of these could lead to a domino effect. The outcome on the new projectile could be so different from where we were previously.
In my past 28 years, there are phases where I have gone through emotional roller coasters. I have been happy, sad, confident and inferior. I will be lying if I say there is no times where I feel like I can do better during those phases. For instance, I thought I should have made more full use of the my time in the university to more constructively use my time, eg pick up driving then, spend more time with my friends, take up more part-time or temporary jobs to gain more experience. On hindsight, I thought I have wasted time when I was in university.
Yet, if you really grant me this wish, will I really want to go back? On second thoughts, I probably will not want to go back. Would I have changed myself or my destiny in the process? I do not know. No single event or experience is isolated. When one event or experience is changed, there is a chain effect. Moreover, I do not live in a no-man’s land. When I attempt to trifle with my own destiny, I do not know who else I will be affecting in the process.
What about you? Do you want to go back to certain point in your life? If yes, what is your purpose? Do you want to change anything?
May 28, 2008
Pay-Back Time
From the one-work day week to a full five-day work week, the change was drastic. It was as if the motor had just started and suddenly it had to switch to the first-gear. Well, hiccups and lethargic ensued. Yet, rest was a luxury with so much to do and so little time. This was aggravated when my body was somehow still in the ‘recovery’ mode from the lack of sleep.
From the current project of the annual costing exercise to the evaluation of different business models, more ad hoc projects were added on to our plates. Some of these ad hoc projects were spun off from the workshop in KL. With the strategies and aspirations discussed, it was now time to translate those high-level talks into detailed operational numbers and estimated financials. Despite the financials being first-cut estimates, detailed work, review of assumptions and translating these into projections were still necessary. There ought to be integrity in the numbers.
On the other hand, the loss of the three days meant that we needed to work doubly hard to catch-up on any lag on the costing exercise. There was still a hard deadline that we had to work towards. Hence, studying of spreadsheets, piecing the numbers together, checking the links and calling the engineers pretty much summed up our main activities for the week.
Notwithstanding the longer hours, I was still not quite up-to-speed on my tasks as I liked. I really need to work harder and longer. Cheer me on.
From the current project of the annual costing exercise to the evaluation of different business models, more ad hoc projects were added on to our plates. Some of these ad hoc projects were spun off from the workshop in KL. With the strategies and aspirations discussed, it was now time to translate those high-level talks into detailed operational numbers and estimated financials. Despite the financials being first-cut estimates, detailed work, review of assumptions and translating these into projections were still necessary. There ought to be integrity in the numbers.
On the other hand, the loss of the three days meant that we needed to work doubly hard to catch-up on any lag on the costing exercise. There was still a hard deadline that we had to work towards. Hence, studying of spreadsheets, piecing the numbers together, checking the links and calling the engineers pretty much summed up our main activities for the week.
Notwithstanding the longer hours, I was still not quite up-to-speed on my tasks as I liked. I really need to work harder and longer. Cheer me on.
May 25, 2008
Catch Up on Beauty Sleep
The whirlwind KL trip was truly exhausting. However, the exhaustion was only strongly felt when I lied on my bed on the night of return. The shopping, the food, the sight and the sound and the party pumped up our adrenaline. We were kept high even with an average of about 5-hour of sleep on consecutive nights.
My weekend after the return was spent mostly on my bed catching on my much deprived sleep. I needed as much sleep as possible to rest my body and my mind in preparation of the long week ahead.
I will say no more. It’s my bedtime again. Yawn.
My weekend after the return was spent mostly on my bed catching on my much deprived sleep. I needed as much sleep as possible to rest my body and my mind in preparation of the long week ahead.
I will say no more. It’s my bedtime again. Yawn.
May 23, 2008
KL - Home Sweet Home
3 days passed in a whirlwind. It was time to say bye-bye to KL.
Before lunch, L and I decided to head down to Times Square for a last minute shopping. She wanted to get some T-shirts which she had seen another colleague buying the day before. Too bad, the shop was not opened. We had to head back to the convention hall for an early lunch and a closing message before we departed.
Finally, I bought a necklace while L bought a necklace and a bangle at the same place. At least, my trip to KL was not entirely empty-handed.
After a quick and light lunch, we were on the road again back to Singapore. We slept all the way as all of us were simply deadbeat. Yet, it was still a good trip. A break-away from work and quality time spent with my colleagues. It was almost like an excursion but instead of with classmates, it was with colleagues. :-)
Before lunch, L and I decided to head down to Times Square for a last minute shopping. She wanted to get some T-shirts which she had seen another colleague buying the day before. Too bad, the shop was not opened. We had to head back to the convention hall for an early lunch and a closing message before we departed.
Finally, I bought a necklace while L bought a necklace and a bangle at the same place. At least, my trip to KL was not entirely empty-handed.
After a quick and light lunch, we were on the road again back to Singapore. We slept all the way as all of us were simply deadbeat. Yet, it was still a good trip. A break-away from work and quality time spent with my colleagues. It was almost like an excursion but instead of with classmates, it was with colleagues. :-)
May 22, 2008
KL - More Shopping on the 2nd Day
We reached the breakfast area about 15 minutes before the start of the morning seminar at 8am. After a quick gobble down of the food, we headed to the seminar to talks and more talks when our minds were clearly in day-dreams from the lack of sleep and the planning of where to go for more shopping after lunch. One of my colleagues were arrowed for some presentation after lunch. Poor girl, she would not be able to join us for shopping.
After lunch, we decided to just shop around Berjaya Times Square since we only had a couple of hours before the start of the D&D. My room-mate decided to head off by herself to Sungei Wang again to get things that she had not gotten yesterday. The rest of us were simply too tired to brave the walk to and back from Sungei Wang and decided to just hang around Times Square. Afte two hours of aimless walking, we decided that we had enough and wanted to find a cafe to sit down and talk. It was the Old Town Coffee Shop. Old Town was a famous brand of white coffee in Malaysia. For fear of losing sleep for the night, I skipped the coffee and opted for the silk hose tea (Sit Mut Milk Tea) instead.
After the 'tea-break', we felt better and decided to walk around some more. With a stomach filled, we seemed to be recharged and had a better shopping mood. Hence, the shopping was more successful for some of my colleagues. Again, I came back empty handed except for the almond flake cookies which my sister asked me to get. According to my sister, this cookie could only be found in the KL's Famous Amos. Well, she better not lied to me, because it was not exactly cheap and I had to hand-carry it lightly for fear of crushing the biscuits into crumps.
Soon, it was time to head back to our rooms to prepare for D&D. Well, as this year's theme was cartoon theme, we were just going to dress in black tops to avoid being too outstanding as we were only the invited guests for this trip.
The night started off already on a high mood with excellence awards being given to deserving individuals who had gone the extra mile. The high ambience was maintained with the numerous lucky draws and bingo numbers announcement. The emcee for the night was also extremely witty with his comments and jokes. The performances by the business units competing for the best performing business unit awards also kept us entertained - with enactment of star wars, drag queens and cheerleading stuns. The highlight was when the different business unit heads danced to the crowd under the game of "Deal or No Deal".
The climax is certainly not over. The next part of the program was the business unit heads dressed as the cartoon characters in the games - with Sun Wu Kong from Dragonball, Zhu Ge Liang from Romance of the three Kingdoms, Chun Li from Street Fighter, Super Mario from Super Mario, Hitman and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. We were bowled over by the spontaniety of the leaders and their make-overs. The leaders I know in the past are not as sporting to don such costumes and to act out the characters. However, the leaders here truly led by examples by going all out in whatever that they were doing. This drew greater respect from the team.
Amidst all the laugher, we forgot about the time. It was close to 1 am when the event finally came to a close. Despite the ending of the event, our mood was still bouyant and high. It would be difficult to fall asleep immediately. Again, when we retired to our room, my room-mate and I continued chatting about the event and about other things. I went to sleep at about 2 am while she slept at around 3am. For this entire trip, we were sleeping at an average of about 5 hour a day.
After lunch, we decided to just shop around Berjaya Times Square since we only had a couple of hours before the start of the D&D. My room-mate decided to head off by herself to Sungei Wang again to get things that she had not gotten yesterday. The rest of us were simply too tired to brave the walk to and back from Sungei Wang and decided to just hang around Times Square. Afte two hours of aimless walking, we decided that we had enough and wanted to find a cafe to sit down and talk. It was the Old Town Coffee Shop. Old Town was a famous brand of white coffee in Malaysia. For fear of losing sleep for the night, I skipped the coffee and opted for the silk hose tea (Sit Mut Milk Tea) instead.
After the 'tea-break', we felt better and decided to walk around some more. With a stomach filled, we seemed to be recharged and had a better shopping mood. Hence, the shopping was more successful for some of my colleagues. Again, I came back empty handed except for the almond flake cookies which my sister asked me to get. According to my sister, this cookie could only be found in the KL's Famous Amos. Well, she better not lied to me, because it was not exactly cheap and I had to hand-carry it lightly for fear of crushing the biscuits into crumps.
Soon, it was time to head back to our rooms to prepare for D&D. Well, as this year's theme was cartoon theme, we were just going to dress in black tops to avoid being too outstanding as we were only the invited guests for this trip.
The night started off already on a high mood with excellence awards being given to deserving individuals who had gone the extra mile. The high ambience was maintained with the numerous lucky draws and bingo numbers announcement. The emcee for the night was also extremely witty with his comments and jokes. The performances by the business units competing for the best performing business unit awards also kept us entertained - with enactment of star wars, drag queens and cheerleading stuns. The highlight was when the different business unit heads danced to the crowd under the game of "Deal or No Deal".
The climax is certainly not over. The next part of the program was the business unit heads dressed as the cartoon characters in the games - with Sun Wu Kong from Dragonball, Zhu Ge Liang from Romance of the three Kingdoms, Chun Li from Street Fighter, Super Mario from Super Mario, Hitman and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. We were bowled over by the spontaniety of the leaders and their make-overs. The leaders I know in the past are not as sporting to don such costumes and to act out the characters. However, the leaders here truly led by examples by going all out in whatever that they were doing. This drew greater respect from the team.
Amidst all the laugher, we forgot about the time. It was close to 1 am when the event finally came to a close. Despite the ending of the event, our mood was still bouyant and high. It would be difficult to fall asleep immediately. Again, when we retired to our room, my room-mate and I continued chatting about the event and about other things. I went to sleep at about 2 am while she slept at around 3am. For this entire trip, we were sleeping at an average of about 5 hour a day.
May 21, 2008
KL - First Day Itinerary
After we checked in to the hotel, the first day was free and easy for everyone. The real work would only start the next day with seminars in the morning and D & D from the evening onwards.
Sungei Wang
Our first stop at KL was to head off to Sungei Wang. Apparently, Sungei Wang was famous for the cheap shoes. My room-mate was dying to get shoes since she has not bought any spare pairs for D & D the following night except for her Birkenstock slippers.
There were about 8 of us who headed off to Sungei Wang. However, at the first store, we have already split out and decided to meet later for dinner together since it would be difficult to shop in a large crowd. In the end, 6 of us still shopped together for the entire trip.
Sungei Wang was similar to what I remembered from 6 years ago - my last trip to KL. The mall was filled with boutiques selling clothes and shoes. The shoes and clothes were at affordable prices and young looking. Some of the brands could be found in Singapore, such as Factory Outlet Store (FOS) and Vincci. We used to be able to find one of the most famous clothes chain in Singapore - Seed. However, it seemed that it had already moved out of Singapore about 2 years ago.
My room-mate was already very well-known for her shopping proweress even before the trip. She really lived up to her name by emerging as the person who has bought the most items among the few of us. All of them bought at least one pair of shoes - with some of them buying as many as 3 pairs. I was the failure among the group with no conquests at all in this shopping trip.
Pavillion
Time flew during happy times. Soon, it was time for dinner. We headed to Pavillion - the newest shopping mall along Bukit Bintan for food. The bright lights and the glass panels resembled any high-end shopping mall along Orchard Road. The variety of shops were familiar names in Singapore - from the branded Ferragamo to the famous food chain - Food Republic. We settled our dinner at Food Republic. The price was almost as expensive as Singapore foodcourt when your converted to Sing dollar equivalent. However, in ringgits, it would definitely be too expensive for the locals.
Bintang Walk
After dinner, we started our long walk back to the hotel. Although it was close to 10 pm, there were still many people crowding the streets, with the partying and drinking crowd in front of Hard Rock Cafe and other pubs around it. Across the road, outside Sungei Wang, youngsters were doing street dance to the passerbys. The night was certainly still young for the Malaysians.
A&W & Baskin Robbins
A&W was a familiar fastfood chains alongside McDonald's and KFC during our primary school days before newer chains such as Mos Burger and Carl's Junior wowed the Singaporeans with their Japanese and American burgers. A&W could no longer be found in Singapore.
Hence, when we spotted an A & W outlet, we needed to relive those fond memories and decided to buy our burgers there for our lunch in the bus. I had the Marina Fish sandwich. It was sweeter than the McDonald's version.
We had Baskin Robbins ice-cream after our dinner. Each of us ordered a scoop and share. I chose the "Very Berry Strawberry" flavour. Each scoop came with two pieces of small cookies. After trying Strawberry cheesecake, tiramisu, and a few others (which I could not recall what), I still preferred the tiramisu.
We all sounded like we were old people trying to relive our past by eating foods which reminded us of the past and which could no longer be found in Singapore. By the time, we headed back to the hotel to retire for the night, it was around 1030 pm. It was time to sleep early for a full-day of activity the following night. However, just like young kids going on holidays, we were too excited to sleep early. My room-mate and I chatted for a while before going to bed at close to midnight.
Yawn. The next day would be a longer day. We had to wake up at 6 am for a 8am seminar. Sigh!
Sungei Wang
Our first stop at KL was to head off to Sungei Wang. Apparently, Sungei Wang was famous for the cheap shoes. My room-mate was dying to get shoes since she has not bought any spare pairs for D & D the following night except for her Birkenstock slippers.
There were about 8 of us who headed off to Sungei Wang. However, at the first store, we have already split out and decided to meet later for dinner together since it would be difficult to shop in a large crowd. In the end, 6 of us still shopped together for the entire trip.
Sungei Wang was similar to what I remembered from 6 years ago - my last trip to KL. The mall was filled with boutiques selling clothes and shoes. The shoes and clothes were at affordable prices and young looking. Some of the brands could be found in Singapore, such as Factory Outlet Store (FOS) and Vincci. We used to be able to find one of the most famous clothes chain in Singapore - Seed. However, it seemed that it had already moved out of Singapore about 2 years ago.
My room-mate was already very well-known for her shopping proweress even before the trip. She really lived up to her name by emerging as the person who has bought the most items among the few of us. All of them bought at least one pair of shoes - with some of them buying as many as 3 pairs. I was the failure among the group with no conquests at all in this shopping trip.
Pavillion
Time flew during happy times. Soon, it was time for dinner. We headed to Pavillion - the newest shopping mall along Bukit Bintan for food. The bright lights and the glass panels resembled any high-end shopping mall along Orchard Road. The variety of shops were familiar names in Singapore - from the branded Ferragamo to the famous food chain - Food Republic. We settled our dinner at Food Republic. The price was almost as expensive as Singapore foodcourt when your converted to Sing dollar equivalent. However, in ringgits, it would definitely be too expensive for the locals.
Bintang Walk
After dinner, we started our long walk back to the hotel. Although it was close to 10 pm, there were still many people crowding the streets, with the partying and drinking crowd in front of Hard Rock Cafe and other pubs around it. Across the road, outside Sungei Wang, youngsters were doing street dance to the passerbys. The night was certainly still young for the Malaysians.
A&W & Baskin Robbins
A&W was a familiar fastfood chains alongside McDonald's and KFC during our primary school days before newer chains such as Mos Burger and Carl's Junior wowed the Singaporeans with their Japanese and American burgers. A&W could no longer be found in Singapore.
Hence, when we spotted an A & W outlet, we needed to relive those fond memories and decided to buy our burgers there for our lunch in the bus. I had the Marina Fish sandwich. It was sweeter than the McDonald's version.
We had Baskin Robbins ice-cream after our dinner. Each of us ordered a scoop and share. I chose the "Very Berry Strawberry" flavour. Each scoop came with two pieces of small cookies. After trying Strawberry cheesecake, tiramisu, and a few others (which I could not recall what), I still preferred the tiramisu.
We all sounded like we were old people trying to relive our past by eating foods which reminded us of the past and which could no longer be found in Singapore. By the time, we headed back to the hotel to retire for the night, it was around 1030 pm. It was time to sleep early for a full-day of activity the following night. However, just like young kids going on holidays, we were too excited to sleep early. My room-mate and I chatted for a while before going to bed at close to midnight.
Yawn. The next day would be a longer day. We had to wake up at 6 am for a 8am seminar. Sigh!
KL - Checking In to Berjaya Times Square
Yawns and more yawns. It has been ages since I woke up so this early.
At 545am, I was in the showers.
At 645am, I was out of the house.
At 720am, I was in the office lobby, signing myself in, getting my dinner allowance for the day and all my passes for the next 3 days.
At 800am, our bus finally departed from the office building towards the Tuas checkpoint. The wait was necessary as there are 20 odd buses leaving for KL, fetching a total of about 700 people at one shot.
Hopefully, I would be able to catch a nap in the 5 hour bus journey to KL.
Hmmm. The bus seats were wide and comfortable. At least, there would be enough leg room for our legs to be stretched out for a nice snooze.
The committee was well-prepared in keeping us comfortable during the journey with green tea packet drink, bottled mineral water, twistie packet and other crackers being distributed to prevent us from feeling hungry. Mid-way through the journey, Sudoku and Anagrams were also played on the bus. Sudoku was certainly tough. My 'neighbour' and I gave up when we were not able to undo the wrong numbers we have put in and decided to continue our nap.
By 145 pm, we finally arrived at Berjaya Times Square. We helped ourselves to the light snack while we waited for our room keys. By 330pm, all my colleagues have gotten their keys to their rooms except for my room-mate and me. We decided to give up and bunk in our luggages in another colleague's room and headed to the malls for shopping first.
We decided to try our luck one more time before we left for shopping. Alas, we finally obtained our keys, but we could only go to our room after we came back from our shopping trip as the rest of the gang were still waiting for us.
When we retired to our room for the night, we were surprised by the spaciousness of the room. There was a living room section while the sleeping bed was separated from the living area. The bathroom was also split into 2 - with an adjourning door that could be closed and separate the toilet from the shower area. What a brilliant idea! When my room-mate was showering, I could still use the toilet and vice versa. The King-sized bed was more than enough for the two of us since we were both quite 'stationary' when we slept. Hence, we would not end up kicking each other.
(Our bedroom with the King-sized bed)
(Living room which we have used for put our things and luggage)
(View from our room)
May 20, 2008
All Set to Go!
We are counting down weekly and then daily. Last year, we were supposed to be going to Malacca but we were pulled out before the trip to help in one of the new system UAT. One year later, we are now going to KL. Until the day we set off, I still prepare myself mentally that we may not get to go because of work.
Nevertheless, going to KL continues to be one of the topics most discussed among the team - what is the latest exchange rate, what should we wear for the D & D, are we bringing an overnight bag or cabin trolley? Despite numerous discussions, we are never tired of talking about it again and again.
We have selected our room-mates at least a month before the trip. I am bunking with L. Although we have worked and talked before, but we were after all in two separate teams. She was more supporting segments reporting while I was more of a product analyst. When she first asked me to bunk in together, I was certainly surprised by this suggestion. I was already felt with trepidation of sharing a room for 2 nights with a colleague and this feeling was strengthened when I was to share room with someone not directly in my team (ie we report to different bosses). Anyway, we were both Capricorns, so I thought we should be able to get along fine with each other.
KL, here we come.
Nevertheless, going to KL continues to be one of the topics most discussed among the team - what is the latest exchange rate, what should we wear for the D & D, are we bringing an overnight bag or cabin trolley? Despite numerous discussions, we are never tired of talking about it again and again.
We have selected our room-mates at least a month before the trip. I am bunking with L. Although we have worked and talked before, but we were after all in two separate teams. She was more supporting segments reporting while I was more of a product analyst. When she first asked me to bunk in together, I was certainly surprised by this suggestion. I was already felt with trepidation of sharing a room for 2 nights with a colleague and this feeling was strengthened when I was to share room with someone not directly in my team (ie we report to different bosses). Anyway, we were both Capricorns, so I thought we should be able to get along fine with each other.
KL, here we come.
May 18, 2008
Small Face
I guess within each person's innermost self, there lurks some sort of discontentment with oneself regardless of how confident one person is. From the more superficial discontentment with one's appearance to the deeper inferiority complex surrounding one's personality, skills or even destiny. In addition, this discontentment evolve or may add on in different phases of one's life. It can even extend to the loved ones around one, such as one's husband or kids, in the rat's race to always surpass the Jones.
My current discontentment is with my small face. Well, it is not general a hatred or dislike, it is more of sometimes wishing my face can be slightly bigger to meet my not-so-petite frame. I always think my small face always give the illusion of a 'fatter' figure than I really am, especially in photos. It also results in my seemingly serious look than I really am, with all my features being concentrated together.
When it comes to buying specs, I can really appreciate the seriousness of the problem when it is difficult to select a frame that will not overwhelm my face. With the current trend of more exaggerated frames, this problem is exacerbated.
Using sheet masks is also a form of wastage. Sheet masks are cut out nicely in a face form with opening for the nose, mouth and eyes. They often come in standard sizes which are far too big for my face, so the eyes, mouth and nose openings often do fit my face well. I have to crumple up parts of the sheet to reduce non-breathing problem. Wastage at the edges occur when the edges often extend to a good part above my hairline.
I often thought a bigger face will be 'easier' to look at by others and for 'balanced' reasons. Perhaps if I am only 1.5 meters tall, my face will be more than adequate, but with a height of 1.65 meters and a not-so-thin frame, my face is way too small on my body.
My current discontentment is with my small face. Well, it is not general a hatred or dislike, it is more of sometimes wishing my face can be slightly bigger to meet my not-so-petite frame. I always think my small face always give the illusion of a 'fatter' figure than I really am, especially in photos. It also results in my seemingly serious look than I really am, with all my features being concentrated together.
When it comes to buying specs, I can really appreciate the seriousness of the problem when it is difficult to select a frame that will not overwhelm my face. With the current trend of more exaggerated frames, this problem is exacerbated.
Using sheet masks is also a form of wastage. Sheet masks are cut out nicely in a face form with opening for the nose, mouth and eyes. They often come in standard sizes which are far too big for my face, so the eyes, mouth and nose openings often do fit my face well. I have to crumple up parts of the sheet to reduce non-breathing problem. Wastage at the edges occur when the edges often extend to a good part above my hairline.
I often thought a bigger face will be 'easier' to look at by others and for 'balanced' reasons. Perhaps if I am only 1.5 meters tall, my face will be more than adequate, but with a height of 1.65 meters and a not-so-thin frame, my face is way too small on my body.
May 17, 2008
Accuracy of Death
I have always enjoyed Japanese movie or drama more than Taiwanese or Korean. Japanese movies or drama often do not just tell a story, but rather also to highlight certain philosophy. Given the rave reviews that surround the latest Japanese movie starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, I am dying to feel the inspiration again.
Takeshi Kaneshiro was a grim reaper who liked music and was slightly rusty with the latest lingo of the world. For instance, he had amazed some of his targets with his incomprehension of phases such as "pick up girls" and "running noses". He defied all the common images of a grim reaper of someone with a hood and a scythe. Instead, he looked like ordinary you and me on the streets but with a pair of white gloves.
The movie had a poignant start. The grim reaper attended the wake of a ten-year old girl. At the wake, he chatted with a young girl at the wake when she immediately identified him as the grim reaper. The girl was actually the one who had passed on.
The first target was a 27-year-old office lady who lived life in a monotony. She had attempted suicide many times because she felt that she has jinxed when all her loved ones had passed away in succession. She felt that she was always embraced in bad luck whenever she tossed coin to make decisions or attempted to predict the outcome. The grim reaper was to spend the last few days with her and made the final decision on whether she should be given a second chance to live. The grim reaper decided to give her a second chance when she was accidentally discovered as a singer.
The second target was a Yakuza member whose purpose in life was to seek revenge for his leader. He died of a traffic accident instead of at the confrontation with another team. The grim reaper decided that he should still die because this target had already achieved his purpose in life. The last target was a 70-year-old hairdresser who felt that she had already achieved the purpose in life and was ready to go.
The movie adopted a funnier outlook of death which we often shied away from. The three targets appeared to be distinct from one another yet they were linked in their destinies one way or another. The grim reaper always asked the targets what they felt about death. Only the last target asked the grim reaper himself what he felt about death.
- There might be nothing special about death but death was important.
- One should live today like there is no tomorrow.
- Everyone will die. It is a matter of time.
This may not be as romantic as "Meet Joe Black". This may not be as witty as Death Note. Yet, I still feel that it sets one thinking about death and life. Many little details in the movie which might seem distinct but they were not superfluous as they were there to tell us something. The habit of the first target of tossing the coin highlighted that there were two sides of everything, eg good versus bad and life versus death. This habit which was also observed for the young Yakuza member hinted some linking between the first target and this member.
Different viewers might have different interpretations of the statements and events. It was truly an enjoyable show.
Takeshi Kaneshiro was a grim reaper who liked music and was slightly rusty with the latest lingo of the world. For instance, he had amazed some of his targets with his incomprehension of phases such as "pick up girls" and "running noses". He defied all the common images of a grim reaper of someone with a hood and a scythe. Instead, he looked like ordinary you and me on the streets but with a pair of white gloves.
The movie had a poignant start. The grim reaper attended the wake of a ten-year old girl. At the wake, he chatted with a young girl at the wake when she immediately identified him as the grim reaper. The girl was actually the one who had passed on.
The first target was a 27-year-old office lady who lived life in a monotony. She had attempted suicide many times because she felt that she has jinxed when all her loved ones had passed away in succession. She felt that she was always embraced in bad luck whenever she tossed coin to make decisions or attempted to predict the outcome. The grim reaper was to spend the last few days with her and made the final decision on whether she should be given a second chance to live. The grim reaper decided to give her a second chance when she was accidentally discovered as a singer.
The second target was a Yakuza member whose purpose in life was to seek revenge for his leader. He died of a traffic accident instead of at the confrontation with another team. The grim reaper decided that he should still die because this target had already achieved his purpose in life. The last target was a 70-year-old hairdresser who felt that she had already achieved the purpose in life and was ready to go.
The movie adopted a funnier outlook of death which we often shied away from. The three targets appeared to be distinct from one another yet they were linked in their destinies one way or another. The grim reaper always asked the targets what they felt about death. Only the last target asked the grim reaper himself what he felt about death.
- There might be nothing special about death but death was important.
- One should live today like there is no tomorrow.
- Everyone will die. It is a matter of time.
This may not be as romantic as "Meet Joe Black". This may not be as witty as Death Note. Yet, I still feel that it sets one thinking about death and life. Many little details in the movie which might seem distinct but they were not superfluous as they were there to tell us something. The habit of the first target of tossing the coin highlighted that there were two sides of everything, eg good versus bad and life versus death. This habit which was also observed for the young Yakuza member hinted some linking between the first target and this member.
Different viewers might have different interpretations of the statements and events. It was truly an enjoyable show.
May 15, 2008
Romance
How often do we take a superficial view of romance and associate it with roses, candlelight dinner and seaside view? Yet, true romance should stem from the heart rather than be adorned with these materialistic gestures. I saw this scene in the last episode of the Channel U's 7 pm drama which left a last impression of what romance should be.
The father and mother had spent their entire life taking care of their family and solving problems for their children. When they were young, they were poor and had no spare cash to have any elaborate wedding ceremony. It was only when the father reached 60 years old that they decided to hold a wedding cum birthday celebration.
On the night before their wedding ceremony, they sat side-by-side watching the snow. While the mother was complaining about how young and naive she was when she first married the father, they ended up observing the wrinkles on each other's face. The mother could pin-point when each wrinkle appear on the father's face. The time the wrinkle appeared coincided with each problem that they needed to resolve for their family, eg when their adopted daughter's father passed away, when the youngest daughted got pregnant out of wedlock, when their eldest daughted got divorced, etc.
The father commented that wrinkles were badges of life to signify the honours and achievements from life. He jokingly added that the mother should not ask for face-lift anymore to remove these 'badges'. The mother thanked the father for sacrificing for the family and concluded that she has not regretted marrying him. With this, they continued watching the snow in harmonious silence.
This is what I call true romance. Despite there being disagreements over lifestyles and perspectives, or quarrels and complaints, they still knew they could rely on each other to overcome life challenges. They might not constantly whisper sweet nothings to each other. Nor did they expend elaborate efforts to show-off their affection at every possible occasion, Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthdays, etc. Yet, both of them knew that they had not regretted spending a great part of their lives in each other's companions.
P.S. Although romance stems from the heart, the occasional gift and flower and romantic setting will be equally treasured by the ladies. Such gestures are definitely a welcome reminders of the romance. *Wink*
The father and mother had spent their entire life taking care of their family and solving problems for their children. When they were young, they were poor and had no spare cash to have any elaborate wedding ceremony. It was only when the father reached 60 years old that they decided to hold a wedding cum birthday celebration.
On the night before their wedding ceremony, they sat side-by-side watching the snow. While the mother was complaining about how young and naive she was when she first married the father, they ended up observing the wrinkles on each other's face. The mother could pin-point when each wrinkle appear on the father's face. The time the wrinkle appeared coincided with each problem that they needed to resolve for their family, eg when their adopted daughter's father passed away, when the youngest daughted got pregnant out of wedlock, when their eldest daughted got divorced, etc.
The father commented that wrinkles were badges of life to signify the honours and achievements from life. He jokingly added that the mother should not ask for face-lift anymore to remove these 'badges'. The mother thanked the father for sacrificing for the family and concluded that she has not regretted marrying him. With this, they continued watching the snow in harmonious silence.
This is what I call true romance. Despite there being disagreements over lifestyles and perspectives, or quarrels and complaints, they still knew they could rely on each other to overcome life challenges. They might not constantly whisper sweet nothings to each other. Nor did they expend elaborate efforts to show-off their affection at every possible occasion, Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthdays, etc. Yet, both of them knew that they had not regretted spending a great part of their lives in each other's companions.
P.S. Although romance stems from the heart, the occasional gift and flower and romantic setting will be equally treasured by the ladies. Such gestures are definitely a welcome reminders of the romance. *Wink*
May 12, 2008
Cherish
While China was busy with its final touch of preparation for the imminent Olympic Games, and Chinese worldwide were basking in pride for China being the host country this year, disaster stuck. The earthquake caused many schools and houses to collapse and killing many students and residents in Sichuan province. Many children became ophans overnight. Many parents weeped over the bodies of their children buried under the rubble of the collapsed schools. No matter how many soldiers and trained professionals participated in saving any survivals who are buried under the bricks and mortar, we seem to be on a losing end against this battle for time.
Suddenly, my discontentment with the rising heat of Singapore or my complaints about the crowdedness in Singapore appear trivial, whinny and even childish. It is this moment that jerks me out of my narrow-mindedness and keep my perspectives in check. It is at this moment that I cherish the peacefulness of Singapore. Crowdedness and heat are small prices to pay for our blessed geographical location. It is at this moment that I cherish my loved ones being around me. My mum's nagginess and my sister's hot temper are proofs of them living healthily around me to be able to breathe down my neck constantly. (Shh... don't tell them that).
I hope the taskforce will be able to save as many of the victims as possible. Let us pray for the safety of the victims as well as the taskforce working hard at the frontline.
Suddenly, my discontentment with the rising heat of Singapore or my complaints about the crowdedness in Singapore appear trivial, whinny and even childish. It is this moment that jerks me out of my narrow-mindedness and keep my perspectives in check. It is at this moment that I cherish the peacefulness of Singapore. Crowdedness and heat are small prices to pay for our blessed geographical location. It is at this moment that I cherish my loved ones being around me. My mum's nagginess and my sister's hot temper are proofs of them living healthily around me to be able to breathe down my neck constantly. (Shh... don't tell them that).
I hope the taskforce will be able to save as many of the victims as possible. Let us pray for the safety of the victims as well as the taskforce working hard at the frontline.
May 09, 2008
Last Day of a Colleague
When I first started working, I was often saddened when colleagues left the company. It was like seeing your comrade - someone who 'fought through the battles' with you and someone who spent more time hearing you laugh and complain than your family, left. It often took me a while to get used to the replacement.
After 6 years in the corporate world, I became increasingly jaded towards departures of colleagues. Colleagues' last days are no longer tear-jerking moments. I learn to be happy for those who have found a greener pasture. I learn that the transitional moments for both myself and the replacement are often trying but it is a matter of time when both of us will get used to the each other's working style. Departures of colleagues become a matter of life that we need to live with, especially in a prosperous economy where opportunities are many. In the past, we face with departures every 2 to 3 years but in today's economy, colleagues come and go within months.
This latest 'casualty' has been with the company only for 7 months before he decides to seek greener pasture. 7 months, to me, seem to be an extremely short time for himself to understand if the job and the culture is for him and for the company to recognise his talent. Nevertheless, there is never a standard time or period to decide if one should continue staying or should make a move soon. Moreover, everyone has a different yardstick on whether they should continue staying in a company.
Well, best wishes to the departing colleague.
After 6 years in the corporate world, I became increasingly jaded towards departures of colleagues. Colleagues' last days are no longer tear-jerking moments. I learn to be happy for those who have found a greener pasture. I learn that the transitional moments for both myself and the replacement are often trying but it is a matter of time when both of us will get used to the each other's working style. Departures of colleagues become a matter of life that we need to live with, especially in a prosperous economy where opportunities are many. In the past, we face with departures every 2 to 3 years but in today's economy, colleagues come and go within months.
This latest 'casualty' has been with the company only for 7 months before he decides to seek greener pasture. 7 months, to me, seem to be an extremely short time for himself to understand if the job and the culture is for him and for the company to recognise his talent. Nevertheless, there is never a standard time or period to decide if one should continue staying or should make a move soon. Moreover, everyone has a different yardstick on whether they should continue staying in a company.
Well, best wishes to the departing colleague.
May 08, 2008
Forgive me, Mother Earth
The heat was really intolerable. It makes me lose appetite and sleep. It seems like by simply breathing, I will be sweating from the activity. To resolve the problem, I have to switch on the aircon for about half an hour before I sleep at night to cool down my room. I will also switch on the aircon when I am at home on weekends.
I know the CFC released by the aircon depletes the ozone layer. I know the high energy consumed by aircon will reduce the world's energy supplies. However, please forgive me, Mother Earth. I have already tried to keep the time I switch on the aircon to the minimum.
The more oppressive is the heat, the more 'short-sighted' I become where considerations for my posterity and green world are temporarily cast aside. In the battle of short-term comfort versus long-term sustainability, short-term comfort seems to triumph almost every time. :-(
I know the CFC released by the aircon depletes the ozone layer. I know the high energy consumed by aircon will reduce the world's energy supplies. However, please forgive me, Mother Earth. I have already tried to keep the time I switch on the aircon to the minimum.
The more oppressive is the heat, the more 'short-sighted' I become where considerations for my posterity and green world are temporarily cast aside. In the battle of short-term comfort versus long-term sustainability, short-term comfort seems to triumph almost every time. :-(
May 04, 2008
New Hong Kong Cafe in AMK Hub
There is a new Hong Kong cafe in AMK Hub which replaces a noodle restaurant. I have passed by the restaurant several times, each time looking into the restaurant and the patrons with interest and apprehension. There is risk involved in trying out a restaurant. Will the food be nice? Will the food be expensive?
No risk, no gain.
There are daily set meals for 2 person, home-cooked dishes, the all-familiar Chinese-Western food (eg chicken chop rice, baked rice), traditional Cantonese food (eg lean-meat century egg porridge, or wanton noodles) and Chinese stir-fried (seafood horfun, egg fried rice). There is not shortage of choices. Well, we have to start somewhere. We go for the claypot tofu with egg (mild spicy) and braised chicken with basil (three-cups chicken).
Well, what is the verdict? It is passable for a Hong Kong cafe but certainly not the best yet. The portions served are quire small which reduce its value-for-money.
May 03, 2008
Claustrophobia Attack
I used to read about claustrophobia and thought to myself that it could simply be just panic attack. I thought it was just the medical professionals coining another term. This was until I seemed to suffer my first bout of claustrophobia that all doubts about the existence of this condition was swept away.
Friends who knew me would know I was not one who openly celebrated crowds. Only once in a blue moon would I feel excited about squeezing with people to feel the festive ambience. Most of the time I would prefer space and I stressed again I meant adequate and comfortable space for myself.
The journey to-and-fro work was often an ordeal as we were packed like sardines within the train cabin. Morbid thoughts, along the line of mass stampede if something dangerous were to happen, were often generated during that short span of 15 minutes. This discomfort was certainly increasing in intensity and no matter how early or late I could push my going to office or home time, the train was constantly packed to the brim.
More often than not, you would see me spending the eve of public holidays at home, instead of partying in clubs or Orchard Road for countdown or mass dance. Again, crowd was a strangely huge deterrent for me to want to celebrate with the whole of Singapore.
Perhaps it was because my recent recovery of flu and the weakening of my body, when I stepped into the lift or train cabin during peak hours, I felt a sudden lack of air, increasing rate of heart pumping and breathlessness. A 5 minute life ride or a 15 minute train ride felt like an eternity. The closed-up feeling was increasingly difficult to bear. As soon as I stepped into open space, the pent-up feeling dissipated as quickly as it appeared when I stepped into the lift or cabin. This happened a couple of times and I knew this was what claustrophobic people felt. I knew then that I had 'endeared' myself to claustrophobia.
Some people emigrated out of Singapore because of better opportunities and living environment. Some did that because of language - there was a time when parents were emigrating to Australia to lighten the study load of their children as passing of Chinese was a prerequisite for advancement into tertiary institutions. If I were to leave Singapore, I believed the reason would be none other than the increasing crowd of Singapore.
Friends who knew me would know I was not one who openly celebrated crowds. Only once in a blue moon would I feel excited about squeezing with people to feel the festive ambience. Most of the time I would prefer space and I stressed again I meant adequate and comfortable space for myself.
The journey to-and-fro work was often an ordeal as we were packed like sardines within the train cabin. Morbid thoughts, along the line of mass stampede if something dangerous were to happen, were often generated during that short span of 15 minutes. This discomfort was certainly increasing in intensity and no matter how early or late I could push my going to office or home time, the train was constantly packed to the brim.
More often than not, you would see me spending the eve of public holidays at home, instead of partying in clubs or Orchard Road for countdown or mass dance. Again, crowd was a strangely huge deterrent for me to want to celebrate with the whole of Singapore.
Perhaps it was because my recent recovery of flu and the weakening of my body, when I stepped into the lift or train cabin during peak hours, I felt a sudden lack of air, increasing rate of heart pumping and breathlessness. A 5 minute life ride or a 15 minute train ride felt like an eternity. The closed-up feeling was increasingly difficult to bear. As soon as I stepped into open space, the pent-up feeling dissipated as quickly as it appeared when I stepped into the lift or cabin. This happened a couple of times and I knew this was what claustrophobic people felt. I knew then that I had 'endeared' myself to claustrophobia.
Some people emigrated out of Singapore because of better opportunities and living environment. Some did that because of language - there was a time when parents were emigrating to Australia to lighten the study load of their children as passing of Chinese was a prerequisite for advancement into tertiary institutions. If I were to leave Singapore, I believed the reason would be none other than the increasing crowd of Singapore.
May 02, 2008
No Mood to Work
It was the day after a public holiday. It was a day from weekend. The office was strangely empty with many people taking leave to enjoy a super long weekend. For those few who remained in office staring at our spreadsheets, we were certainly in no mood for work, especially when we looked at our costing files, our monthly reporting files, etc. The numbers in the spreadsheet swam in front of us.
Sigh! Guess we would need to work harder with the start of the new week to catch up on the slower productivity.
Sigh! Guess we would need to work harder with the start of the new week to catch up on the slower productivity.
May 01, 2008
Up Close and Personal with Nature
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So often do we get caught up in work that we fail to notice or even deliberately ignore sceneries which we have bypassed.
So often that we sink into a rut or a routine that we think to-and-fro work and home form the entire world.
So often do we immerse ourselves in the concrete jungle that we forget the warmth, the rejuvenation and peacefulness of back in nature.
Although we are constantly being exposed to newer and newer forms of entertainment that has innudated the digital media and sprouting along the city, nothing beats the excitement of up close and personal with nature. Seeing how the little flowers which uphold itself in resplendent beauty against the strong gust of wind or the harsh heat and seeing how fallen leaves still contributing to the earth with its decomposition, I am simply overwhelmed with respect and admiration. This is the time when I can really treasure being alive and able to witness such finery of nature.
P.S. This sudden 'inspiration' came about when I was trudging over the hill in search of hawker food. There is always a silver lining to every cloud. Although I missed my hawker food, my spirits were lifted with this observation.
Upgrading of Another Market
There is a market which we like to go for breakfast because it offers a great variety of local fare (eg wanton mee, mincepork noodles, fried bee hoon) which are good and affordable. However, to reach the market, we need to climb over a hill. Although it is good exercise, sometimes we will opt for the nearer market for sheer convenience.
On this public holiday, we thought we have ample time to enjoy our breakfast leisurely (including the climb over the hill to-and-fro). After much sweat and panting, we reached the market. Much to our dismay, the market was closed for renovation. Argghh! What a huge disappointment!
Fortunately, there were some nearby coffeeshops. Left without any choice (short of travelling to another place for food), we settled for the coffeeshops. Needless to say, the variety and quality were nowhere comparable to the market.
I wondered when the upgrading would be completed. I wonder more if the good stalls would have disappeared together with the upgrading.
On this public holiday, we thought we have ample time to enjoy our breakfast leisurely (including the climb over the hill to-and-fro). After much sweat and panting, we reached the market. Much to our dismay, the market was closed for renovation. Argghh! What a huge disappointment!
Fortunately, there were some nearby coffeeshops. Left without any choice (short of travelling to another place for food), we settled for the coffeeshops. Needless to say, the variety and quality were nowhere comparable to the market.
I wondered when the upgrading would be completed. I wonder more if the good stalls would have disappeared together with the upgrading.
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