I was slightly flattered when my friend asked me to go together on a shopping trip. My closest friends normally teased that I have auntie taste which I am a tad embarrassed to acknowledge that I myself concur with their evaluation. No one is born with exquisite taste like Audrey Hepburn or Mrs Obama. For most people, it is often a trial and error to find out what we are comfortable in. Sometimes, this may result in committing some fashion faux pas. For the less stylish, it may involve making not some, but many faux pases.
Fortunately, my friend was fairly fair-skinned and would look good in many colours. The job of finding the necessary clothes becomes relatively easier, even for a fashion retard like me. Failing in one's own dress sense is not as stressful as failing another's. Hence, this heightens the challenge and pressure of ensuring that I truly give my best as a friend. In fact, the trust bestows by another makes me more ashamed of myself if I fail in my task.
My friend already has some opinion on what works best and I just confirming the choices and performing my usual role quality checks on the purchases. Phew, at least the job is completed on target.
January 30, 2010
January 24, 2010
The Last Templar
I vaguely recalled that I have seen the trailer of a min-movie series on "The Last Templar". I am not certain if this book is the same as that of mini-movie series. If you enjoy reading Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, this is a book of similar genre. In fact, this may be more layman and easier to visualise and follow even if you are not familiar with the religion.
The Last Templar was about a mysterious theft at the Metropolitan Museum of New York during the opening night by a group of 4 knights dressed as Templars. There was a gruesome beheading of a security guard. The most precious stolen goods were not the jewelled artefacts but a decoder which could point to the exact position of the sunken treasures of the Templars in the Medieval Ages. The witness of this whole theft was an archaeologist who worked with the chief investigator to recover the treasures and to find the instigator for the whole crime.
As the pair continued their mystery solving, they unconvered more sinister characters and a greater hidden secret. When they eventually found the treasure, they again went through the conflict of whether they should reveal the secret behind their finds or should they keep quiet about it. The faith of human kind belied what they have retrieved from the deep ocean. They have also discovered their feelings for each other in the process.
The Last Templar interpersed current days developments with the history which was absent in the writing of Dan Brown. In Dan Brown's books, what we knew of the historical developments were narrated through the voice of Prof John Langdon. It was also not a simple good against evil where the clan of the mystery solvers were often the pure good who were at odds with the evil. In The Last Templar, within the clique of the mystery solvers, there were also internal conflicts. What was similar between the two writings that the perceived authority of goodness and moral enforcer often might not be as innocent as we believed. While trying to sustain the faith, they might need to resort to underhand measures which were often at odds with the values that they preached.
There was no perfect saint or devil in the book. All of the characters carried with them their own baggages, their values and ideals which might appear selfish. With this more ambivalent characters, the book became a more realistic read than Dan Brown's. This is definitely one of the books that I highly recommend as a good thriller and for theology enthusiasts.
The Last Templar was about a mysterious theft at the Metropolitan Museum of New York during the opening night by a group of 4 knights dressed as Templars. There was a gruesome beheading of a security guard. The most precious stolen goods were not the jewelled artefacts but a decoder which could point to the exact position of the sunken treasures of the Templars in the Medieval Ages. The witness of this whole theft was an archaeologist who worked with the chief investigator to recover the treasures and to find the instigator for the whole crime.
As the pair continued their mystery solving, they unconvered more sinister characters and a greater hidden secret. When they eventually found the treasure, they again went through the conflict of whether they should reveal the secret behind their finds or should they keep quiet about it. The faith of human kind belied what they have retrieved from the deep ocean. They have also discovered their feelings for each other in the process.
The Last Templar interpersed current days developments with the history which was absent in the writing of Dan Brown. In Dan Brown's books, what we knew of the historical developments were narrated through the voice of Prof John Langdon. It was also not a simple good against evil where the clan of the mystery solvers were often the pure good who were at odds with the evil. In The Last Templar, within the clique of the mystery solvers, there were also internal conflicts. What was similar between the two writings that the perceived authority of goodness and moral enforcer often might not be as innocent as we believed. While trying to sustain the faith, they might need to resort to underhand measures which were often at odds with the values that they preached.
There was no perfect saint or devil in the book. All of the characters carried with them their own baggages, their values and ideals which might appear selfish. With this more ambivalent characters, the book became a more realistic read than Dan Brown's. This is definitely one of the books that I highly recommend as a good thriller and for theology enthusiasts.
January 23, 2010
Saturday? Again...
I have lost count of how many weekends I have worked this year from budget as I was covering another colleague which meant a pretty steep learning curve to understand the business and immediately apply for budget analysis.
Again, I worked from 9 am to 5 pm on a Saturday, sacrificing my weekly yoga class and being late for an appointment with a friend.
It was not so easy to immediately transit from work to leisure. My friend could tell that I was still pretty stressed and uptight. I hope I had not spoilt the evening for my friend being such a spoilsport.
Again, I worked from 9 am to 5 pm on a Saturday, sacrificing my weekly yoga class and being late for an appointment with a friend.
It was not so easy to immediately transit from work to leisure. My friend could tell that I was still pretty stressed and uptight. I hope I had not spoilt the evening for my friend being such a spoilsport.
Sherlock Holmes
I never expected the movie to be this funny. Moreover, the plot was interesting in that it explained in more layman's terms the clues and the analysis of Sherlock Holmes.
Most of us know that Sherlock Holmes was a great detective. Period.
I wondered how much of the story in Sherlock Holmes in the movie was true reflection of his personality. In the movie, Sherlock Holmes was featured as someone rather astute in martial arts. He was also pretty unkempt and could spend long periods of time performing scientific experiments. Some of the trivial experiments included playing music to flies which caused them to fly in a certain direction. His love-hate relationship with his girlfriend who also could outsmart him in both wits and courage were also humourously addressed.
Overall, it was a great movie.
P.S. I would have enjoyed it more if I were not sitting on the first row where I literally missed the happenings on the top one-quarter of the screen.
Most of us know that Sherlock Holmes was a great detective. Period.
I wondered how much of the story in Sherlock Holmes in the movie was true reflection of his personality. In the movie, Sherlock Holmes was featured as someone rather astute in martial arts. He was also pretty unkempt and could spend long periods of time performing scientific experiments. Some of the trivial experiments included playing music to flies which caused them to fly in a certain direction. His love-hate relationship with his girlfriend who also could outsmart him in both wits and courage were also humourously addressed.
Overall, it was a great movie.
P.S. I would have enjoyed it more if I were not sitting on the first row where I literally missed the happenings on the top one-quarter of the screen.
January 22, 2010
Blogging - for the Older People?
There was a recent survey that concluded that the younger people were moving towards twittering or tweeting while only the older people continued to blog.
Do you consider the odd comment about my status on Facebook to be tweets?
If not, I think I am still pretty much a blogger than a twitter?
Of course, the million dollar question is then am I considered part of the older generation? Hmmm...
Do you consider the odd comment about my status on Facebook to be tweets?
If not, I think I am still pretty much a blogger than a twitter?
Of course, the million dollar question is then am I considered part of the older generation? Hmmm...
January 21, 2010
Average 5-hour of Sleep Work-Week
Sometimes, my colleagues and I joked that our intense and often painful annual budget exercise was very much like labour pain. At the moment that we were going through the exercise, the pain was excruciating. However, once it was over, we soon forgot about the lack of sleep and the mad rush. When the next budget exercise arrived, we often could not remember what we had gone through the previous year(s).
This week was the most intense, or should I say peak, of the budget exercise. We were preparing for the CFO review the following week. We had to update the pack which would be shown during the review session. There were all in all more than 700 slides to be updated among the 10 of us. At this rate we were going, we would soon be able to write an encyclopedia for the budget analysis.
To get all the slides updated in time for review with bosses, we were all sacrificing sleep by working till past mid-night. Being more of a morning than night person, I chose to go home and sleep before midnight but woke up at 4 am to continue with the work.
As the days passed, I was feeling more and more zombie-like. I wondered how long this adrenaline would be able to keep me going...
This week was the most intense, or should I say peak, of the budget exercise. We were preparing for the CFO review the following week. We had to update the pack which would be shown during the review session. There were all in all more than 700 slides to be updated among the 10 of us. At this rate we were going, we would soon be able to write an encyclopedia for the budget analysis.
To get all the slides updated in time for review with bosses, we were all sacrificing sleep by working till past mid-night. Being more of a morning than night person, I chose to go home and sleep before midnight but woke up at 4 am to continue with the work.
As the days passed, I was feeling more and more zombie-like. I wondered how long this adrenaline would be able to keep me going...
January 16, 2010
Glory of Family (家门的荣光)
I used to hate the tear-inducing, heart-wrenching Korean dramas. Yet, recently, I have learnt to appreciate these Korean dramas more, especially those more subtle and family oriented. The Glory of Family is the show which keeps me hooked and causes me to stay on home on all weekend nights.
Glory of Family relates the tales of the family members of a traditional patriachical Korean family helmed by a wise grandfather. In preserving the Korean traditions and the company that these family has established and managed, they have gone through various conflicts especially with the modern rich family who were more focused on pursuing material gains and was aiming to take over the company.
Both families started to change when they interact more with one another. This was more so when the father of the traditional family marry a modern woman who implemented a series of changes to equalise the status of the men and women in the family, from getting the men to participate in household chores to allowing both men and women to eat together during meals. Being open minded, she was also instrumental in getting the family to accept a younger woman as wife for the eldest grandson.
Some of the storyline etched in my memory and also served as a reminder / suggestion on how I should carry myself and what sort of values I should uphold. We do not live in no man's land. Whatever decisions we make will definitely have an impact on another person. Singapore, being still pretty conventional and family oriented in nature, we sometimes end up making decisions for our family members and loved ones.
In one scene, the grandfather made a decision for his younger sister many years back. Upon noticing the dodgy character of his sister's boyfriend, the grandfather gave a sum of money to get the then young man to leave his sister. Driven by money, this young man broke the promise the younger sister and abandoned her. Being kept in the dark, the younger sister thought her life was ruined by her elder brother who drove the loved one out of her life. She led a desolate life and submerged herself in days of intoxication with alcohol. When her long-time beau appeared again to siphon more money out of her, she naively wanted to pass her wealth to him, thinking it was a form of atonement for the sins of her family. It was through chance that she realised how downright slimey her ex boyfriend was. She broke down in front of her brother and chided him for not showing her the true side of her ex-beau many years ago. If she had known, she would have suffered in pain only for the short-term, instead of ruining her whole life.
This was certainly a wake-up call. Sometimes, we make decisions and take actions on behalf of our loved ones, hoping to protect them from hurt. Yet, by concealing the truth from them, we may actually be hurting them more. Regardless of how they will react with the tragic news, they deserve to know and determine how they want to react. By selfishly thinking we are protecting them, we may end up hurting them more.
For those who love a dash of the Korean romance, you will also not be disappointed. The romance in this drama is not your very in-your-face love story. Some of the interactions between the lovers are very subtle, almost like plain water. From the quirky interaction between the second grandson and his policewoman girlfriend to the sweet but shy friendship of the first grandson and his young wife, their conversations always provide food for thought and bring a smile to your face.
The first grandson, being touted to take over the family someday, has always lived a very regimented and serious life. He hid his desires for anything and often put on his best behaviour at all times. His personality was a stark contrast to his more impertinent and outrageous twin brother. It was only after befriending the young cleaner did he slowly open up. He started to learn how to do things which he always imagined but never tried before.
Of course, just like all dramas, there had to be a pair of star-crossed lovers who would keep you hooked on whether they would eventually have a fairy-tale ending. Danya and Kangshi, both brought with them baggages from the past, decided to act as lovers to help Danya's student and Kangshi's sister. Danya slowly walked out of her past tragic marriage while Kangshi began to lose his callousness towards others.
The philosophy in each conversation also served as a guide to me on my perspectives in life. If you do have time on weekends, please watch this drama and I think you will too benefit immensely from it.
Glory of Family relates the tales of the family members of a traditional patriachical Korean family helmed by a wise grandfather. In preserving the Korean traditions and the company that these family has established and managed, they have gone through various conflicts especially with the modern rich family who were more focused on pursuing material gains and was aiming to take over the company.
Both families started to change when they interact more with one another. This was more so when the father of the traditional family marry a modern woman who implemented a series of changes to equalise the status of the men and women in the family, from getting the men to participate in household chores to allowing both men and women to eat together during meals. Being open minded, she was also instrumental in getting the family to accept a younger woman as wife for the eldest grandson.
Some of the storyline etched in my memory and also served as a reminder / suggestion on how I should carry myself and what sort of values I should uphold. We do not live in no man's land. Whatever decisions we make will definitely have an impact on another person. Singapore, being still pretty conventional and family oriented in nature, we sometimes end up making decisions for our family members and loved ones.
In one scene, the grandfather made a decision for his younger sister many years back. Upon noticing the dodgy character of his sister's boyfriend, the grandfather gave a sum of money to get the then young man to leave his sister. Driven by money, this young man broke the promise the younger sister and abandoned her. Being kept in the dark, the younger sister thought her life was ruined by her elder brother who drove the loved one out of her life. She led a desolate life and submerged herself in days of intoxication with alcohol. When her long-time beau appeared again to siphon more money out of her, she naively wanted to pass her wealth to him, thinking it was a form of atonement for the sins of her family. It was through chance that she realised how downright slimey her ex boyfriend was. She broke down in front of her brother and chided him for not showing her the true side of her ex-beau many years ago. If she had known, she would have suffered in pain only for the short-term, instead of ruining her whole life.
This was certainly a wake-up call. Sometimes, we make decisions and take actions on behalf of our loved ones, hoping to protect them from hurt. Yet, by concealing the truth from them, we may actually be hurting them more. Regardless of how they will react with the tragic news, they deserve to know and determine how they want to react. By selfishly thinking we are protecting them, we may end up hurting them more.
For those who love a dash of the Korean romance, you will also not be disappointed. The romance in this drama is not your very in-your-face love story. Some of the interactions between the lovers are very subtle, almost like plain water. From the quirky interaction between the second grandson and his policewoman girlfriend to the sweet but shy friendship of the first grandson and his young wife, their conversations always provide food for thought and bring a smile to your face.
The first grandson, being touted to take over the family someday, has always lived a very regimented and serious life. He hid his desires for anything and often put on his best behaviour at all times. His personality was a stark contrast to his more impertinent and outrageous twin brother. It was only after befriending the young cleaner did he slowly open up. He started to learn how to do things which he always imagined but never tried before.
Of course, just like all dramas, there had to be a pair of star-crossed lovers who would keep you hooked on whether they would eventually have a fairy-tale ending. Danya and Kangshi, both brought with them baggages from the past, decided to act as lovers to help Danya's student and Kangshi's sister. Danya slowly walked out of her past tragic marriage while Kangshi began to lose his callousness towards others.
The philosophy in each conversation also served as a guide to me on my perspectives in life. If you do have time on weekends, please watch this drama and I think you will too benefit immensely from it.
January 15, 2010
Shopping Trip
I have not gone shopping for ages. After working so hard for about a month, I decided it was time to indulge myself and to give myself a post-birthday treat. I have taken half day to go shopping with my mum. Many times, shopping with my mum would result in a fruitful trip. In fact, they were often more fruitful than I have intended and I ended up bursting my budget with more buys that I planned for.
Needless to say, this trip was again as fruitful as the past. Fortunately, this time round, I was not the only one who managed to get something. My mum also joined me in buying something for herself.
Every shopping trip is essentially a feel good and pampering trip. Wearing these new clothes to work or to play often acts as a confidence boost. With these purchases, I would have 'inventory' to draw on on those days that I need some external confidence boost.
Needless to say, this trip was again as fruitful as the past. Fortunately, this time round, I was not the only one who managed to get something. My mum also joined me in buying something for herself.
Every shopping trip is essentially a feel good and pampering trip. Wearing these new clothes to work or to play often acts as a confidence boost. With these purchases, I would have 'inventory' to draw on on those days that I need some external confidence boost.
January 09, 2010
Unlucky Streak
Maybe it is my pessimisim at work again, but sometimes I wonder if I am not just jinxed at work but that I am also passing my unlucky streaks to some of my other friends.
I met a friend for dinner and we had the same food. All was well until my friend started to develop diarrhoea. Was it the food? Perhaps chicken rice was too oily? Or maybe my friend gobbled down an unhygienic portion? Maybe it was just pure bad luck which I have unintentionally spread to my friend.
Fortunately, the diarrhoea went away the next day or I would have felt extremely guilty.
I met a friend for dinner and we had the same food. All was well until my friend started to develop diarrhoea. Was it the food? Perhaps chicken rice was too oily? Or maybe my friend gobbled down an unhygienic portion? Maybe it was just pure bad luck which I have unintentionally spread to my friend.
Fortunately, the diarrhoea went away the next day or I would have felt extremely guilty.
Getting Caught!
It was never intentional. It was definitely purely accidental. My friend and I were having such a great time chatting that we were continuing our chat while walking out of the cafe. We forgot totally about the most important task that we were supposed to do as we walked out - pay for our drinks.
Oblivious to the wide-eyed crew who were trying to catch our attention, we continued walking until they came forward and thrust a black folder containing the bill straight to our faces did we realise. We stood rooted to the ground embarrassed. We quickly reached for our wallets to fish out our credit cards for payment. We apologised profusely to the crew and assured them that it was not intentional.
Oops, this was the first time we walked out without paying and fortunately, the crew knew that we were truly sincere and did not take any further action.
Oblivious to the wide-eyed crew who were trying to catch our attention, we continued walking until they came forward and thrust a black folder containing the bill straight to our faces did we realise. We stood rooted to the ground embarrassed. We quickly reached for our wallets to fish out our credit cards for payment. We apologised profusely to the crew and assured them that it was not intentional.
Oops, this was the first time we walked out without paying and fortunately, the crew knew that we were truly sincere and did not take any further action.
January 08, 2010
Surprise Gift
This is the first time I have ever received a bouquet of flowers. It came as such a surprise that I was at a loss on how to deal with it, especially the attention it drew. Everyone suddenly crowded around me and was very curious who was the sender of such a huge and adorable bouquet of flowers.Initially, I had wanted to put in on my workstation for about a week to cheer myself up and to also bring some joy to my colleagues. However, when everyone started to come to me even after my birthday was over, I had decided that it was time to bring my flowers home to avoid further misunderstanding.
January 06, 2010
Last Day in My Twenties
Today is the last day for me to label myself as a twenties. From tomorrow onwards, I will move towards a new decade of my life. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed by mixed emotions.
Twenties mark the start of an age of independence especially financially where I begin to learn my own keep. Twenties also mark the age where I think I live life more adventurously than my teens - perhaps I am a late bloomer. Twenties is the time where I first enter a pub. Twenties is the time where I first went on a vacation with friends and unsupervised by my family.
I do not know yet what thirties will await and how I will change in the new decade.
What I do know is that I will certainly enter thirties with more self-assurance and confidence. I am a person who is more at ease and comfortable with myself than I was at the start of twenties where I have yet to find my own identity. I will continue to welcome challenges and adventures. At least, I am also more aware that I will be able to accept these challenges more confidently than I was in my twenties.
Hopefully, my thirties will be a more exciting decade than my twenties.
Twenties mark the start of an age of independence especially financially where I begin to learn my own keep. Twenties also mark the age where I think I live life more adventurously than my teens - perhaps I am a late bloomer. Twenties is the time where I first enter a pub. Twenties is the time where I first went on a vacation with friends and unsupervised by my family.
I do not know yet what thirties will await and how I will change in the new decade.
What I do know is that I will certainly enter thirties with more self-assurance and confidence. I am a person who is more at ease and comfortable with myself than I was at the start of twenties where I have yet to find my own identity. I will continue to welcome challenges and adventures. At least, I am also more aware that I will be able to accept these challenges more confidently than I was in my twenties.
Hopefully, my thirties will be a more exciting decade than my twenties.
Surprised Birthday Celebration
We knew about the invitation to the lunch but initially we were clueless about the occasion. One of my colleagues who knew that my birthday was coming soon asked if it was meant to be a birthday celebration. I nonchalantly dismissed this speculation as no one in office had ever celebrated my birthday for the past 3 years. Moreover, we typically only celebrated the birthday of our bosses only so far and for those who were coincidentally who were born on the same month as any of our bosses. Hence, it was unlikely that there would be any celebration of my birthday.
Towards the end of the lunch, the chef and the crew of the Straits Kitchen appeared with a lit birthday cake and the cake was miraculously steered towards me. I was shocked, albeit the pleasantly surprised manner, by by the gestures. So shock, actually more appalled at my grand old age, that I was instantaneously speechless. I had even forgotten to make a wish and say my thanks before I blew the candles. I was flushed with embarrassment on how to handle the situation.
I was touched beyond words. I really wanted to bury myself in a hole then as I did not know how to thank my bosses and colleagues properly. Other than my birthday at 15 where a group of close friends actually congregated at my Japanese class and suddenly armed with a birthday cake and a huge lion, sang me a birthday son, this would definitely be one of the most memorable celebrations I ever had.
January 02, 2010
Are Looks That Important?
Maybe I have been living in a world of denial or maybe the thinking of males and females are truly like Mars and Venus? I have heard this more than once but I am never a believer that any relationship should be based on the compatibility of looks. Moreover, when you share a connection with the person, be it platonic friends or a more exclusive relationship, the person will blossom in your eyes. Or so I believe and which I have experienced to-date.
More than once, I have heard from mostly male friends who have hinted to me that looks are important in their selection of soul mates. This, I find ironical since the search of soulmates should literally be based on the souls rather than looks. A male friend once told me straight in the face that when he was looking for the One, one of the criteria was whether his wife will be presentable as he needed someone who could attend social events with him.
On another occasion when I tried to bring together a male and female friend together and both parties appeared to have lukewarm response, I sought the advice of a male friend. Hopefully, with a more objective perspective, he could help me analyse if there was something that I had done wrong. His first reply was whether the couple was compatible in terms of looks. I was taken aback as he never appeared so superficial to me.
Are looks truly so important? Am I too much of a romanticist? I always think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Rather than being fixated on the face of a person, I was more inclined to appreciate a person's beauty holistically. A person's exterior can be observed more apparently but time will reveal the true beauty of the person which are often hidden under his or her facade. For those who write-off another person based on the exterior, I will think that he or she will never be a true appreciator of beauty.
More than once, I have heard from mostly male friends who have hinted to me that looks are important in their selection of soul mates. This, I find ironical since the search of soulmates should literally be based on the souls rather than looks. A male friend once told me straight in the face that when he was looking for the One, one of the criteria was whether his wife will be presentable as he needed someone who could attend social events with him.
On another occasion when I tried to bring together a male and female friend together and both parties appeared to have lukewarm response, I sought the advice of a male friend. Hopefully, with a more objective perspective, he could help me analyse if there was something that I had done wrong. His first reply was whether the couple was compatible in terms of looks. I was taken aback as he never appeared so superficial to me.
Are looks truly so important? Am I too much of a romanticist? I always think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Rather than being fixated on the face of a person, I was more inclined to appreciate a person's beauty holistically. A person's exterior can be observed more apparently but time will reveal the true beauty of the person which are often hidden under his or her facade. For those who write-off another person based on the exterior, I will think that he or she will never be a true appreciator of beauty.
January 01, 2010
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I used to be a lover of animated films and often enchanted by the fairy-tale stories and the catchy tunes. I was mesmerised by the chirpy Beauty in Beauty and the Beast and the dreamy Ariel in The Little Mermaid. I have never watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After being innundated with 3D animation, watching 2D animation was truly nostalgia and a luxury. No longer was our attention diverted by the 3D effects but we truly focused on the plot and the character development.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was another inspirational story about living life and not to judge only by the appearances of a person. The hunchback of Notre Dame only observed life from his towers as he felt inferior due to his ugly appearance. He was encouraged to not to be just a spectator in life and to partake in his own life. This was especially when he was befriended and encouraged by a beautiful gypsy girl.
Watching such inspirational and predicted film was still moving. Ah, how I miss the good old days.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was another inspirational story about living life and not to judge only by the appearances of a person. The hunchback of Notre Dame only observed life from his towers as he felt inferior due to his ugly appearance. He was encouraged to not to be just a spectator in life and to partake in his own life. This was especially when he was befriended and encouraged by a beautiful gypsy girl.
Watching such inspirational and predicted film was still moving. Ah, how I miss the good old days.
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