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. :-)

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.

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!

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)

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.

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.

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.

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*

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.

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.

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. :-(

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.

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.

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.

Up Close and Personal with Nature

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.

Sports Harden the Body

There is growing popularity as a CCA among primary school children. Many parents encourage their children to pick up the sports as it is supposed to build stamina and character. The trainings are arduous and likely to inflict injury for beginners. However, continuous training builds up poise and the stamina. The injuries are likely to lessen as the body hardens.

Actually, the same applies for yoga even though yoga is meant to be a milder sport relative to gymnastics. Yoga philosophy believes in understanding the body so that we build up our body strength without inflicting injuries. We should stretch but not overstretch. While staying in certain positions, we must ensure that we can continue our normal breathing instead of feeling uncomfortable. We should have buffer strengths so that we can protect ourselves should we lose our balance. So why do I say it hardens the body as well?

I have always had weaker knees perhaps due to my numerous falls which seem to hit my knees. Hence, kneeling positions are often uncomfortable, especially prolonged kneeling. I will end up having blue-blacks on my knee caps just by kneeling for about 15 minutes. In yoga, there are many positions which require kneeling. Initially, redness and blue-blacks of my knee caps were common after each yoga lesson. Now, I no longer see blue-blacks or redness even kneeling for a prolonged period.

It is usually tougher in the beginning especially for things which we are not used to. Yet, we need to overcome this initial difficulty, then we can build our strength. If the fear of injuries deters us from taking the first step, we will forever be restrained by this phobia and we will not acquire the necessary strength and skills. Only by falling can we learn how to break the fall the next time we trip. Only by sustaining the discomfort can our body get used to a certain position or training and we no longer feel the discomfort subsequently.

I am not saying now I have full flexibility to contort my body upside down or left to right. I am also not saying that I am injury-proof like Superman (except against Kryptonite) or have strength of Hercules. My improvement may be inches and so small that it may be barely noticeable. Yet, one day I hope that I can proudly tell you that my sit-and-reach result exceeds that of my school days. If you are not my schoolmate, I will let you on a secret. My sit-and-reach is really borderline, ie just meet the minimum mark to pass during NAFA test in the past. Hence, you can imagine how bad I was, especially for a girl.

Generation Gap with Babies

I remembered I used to be able to hang around with younger kids pretty well. Now, I am very hapless around babies.

Yes, they are adorable and charming. However, other than my looking at them and their looking back at me, I seriously do not know how to behave in front of them. Should I play with them? But play what, especially for the younger babies who are not enough to hold their own toys or to identify with different things. Should I talk to them? Say what? It is abit awkward to talk in baby language, but in the first place, what are baby languages? Moreover, language is only the tool, what about the content? I cannot possibly just start with “BB” and continue with “BB” forever.

I am more lost when they start to cry. I immediately freeze. What should I do? How can I pacify them? What are they trying to say? What do they want? Carrying them is clearly not an option. They are so small and soft while I am so clumsy. Handling them with TLC (tender loving care) is almost impossible with my rather retarded motor skills and reflexes. What if I hurt them while I carry them? Worse. What if I drop them? Nope, the best way to protect the babies is I don’t even attempt to carry them. Period.

Maybe, I am so foreign because they are others’ babies. That’s what some people may innocently choose to believe. Nah, if I am already feeling so hapless within the few minutes’ span, I cannot imagine facing a baby 24 by 7.

Is this because the older I become, the further away I am from the thinking and the wants of the babies so that I lose the ability to communicate with them or the comfort of ease with them? After all, I have been a baby before and have gone through what they are going through. Yet, now with babies, it is almost as if we come from two different planets. No wonder, there are so many fairy tales resolving around the fact that adults lose certain abilities of the children. I wonder if those tales are someone’s figment of imagination or is there hidden truth.

Coordinator

I have undertaken a number of coordinator roles since end of last year - from the coordinator for total corporate product revenue roll-up budget, to the coordinator for total Singapore Business staff cost and to the recent annual product costing exercise. I used to have much respect for the coordinators as they are often facing the tightest deadline and to stay back the latest. Typically, any delay in timeline by each team member will snowball and squeeze the remaining time for the coordinator because the ultimate deadline never moves. However, my respect for them increased exponentially since I have a real taste of what it is like.

To be frank, most people are not that stringent when it comes to disciplining themselve to meeting deadlines. We often have thousand and one reasons, or should I say excuses, on why we cannot submit on the deadline despite being informed of the deadlines many moons ago. Or worse. Sometimes, even after we submit on the deadline itself, our perfectionistic self may discover "areas of enhancements", be it genuine rectification of errors or pure improvements, such that our earlier submissions are as good as no submission.

Many often misinterpreted coordinators to be pretty high profile and simple jobs. After all, aren't coordinators supposed to set deadlines and chase people for their submissions on the deadlines? Aren't they have nothing to do except to consolidate submissions? Aren't they not just a mailbox since when there are queries, they will direct back to the team members? Well, maybe there are coordinating roles which are cushy, but some of them could involve high level of stress and mass amount of data.

One of the key milestones for product costing has just passed. During the day before the presentation to the head for corporate products, it was again an intense exercise of roll-up, check formula, put in presentation slides - cut and paste many excel tables. Being not exactly having a very "keen eye" on details, checking tje integrity of the numbers and aggregation can be a tad stressful especially when I am not familiar to quickly discern any irregularity. Late submissions heightens the stress level when I need to roll-up quickly to have a first-cut view.

Somehow with the experience of the previous 2 exercises, I believe I have more expectations and feel like lost and overwhelmed. I believed I can enjoy the process more because instead of being flooded in the sea of data, I can take time to think through the analysis and pick up from my boss some skills on what to look out for. Doing coordinator provides the overview which may not be visible to someone who is just supporting a segment.

Notwithstanding the stress, I hope I can benefit more from this opportunity, be it in terms of technical knowledge, working with different people and learning how to manage stress and priorities. I hope I don't make too many mistakes along the way and cause inconvenience to anyone. Yes, I will continue to work hard. Please cheer me on. :-)

Repeats

I am watching a couple of repeated programs in TV now. Some of which I have watched before while some I have missed when they were first broadcast.

Sweets for My Sweet
Jade Seah and Michelle Chong enlivened the half-an-hour program with their witty and rather upfront questions on the romances of celebrities over different desserts. Even the more reserved and low-keyed celebrities were drawn into some chatty revelation under the close scrutiny of Jade Seah and Michelle Chong.

Each week, a pair of celebrity couple would be invited on the show to introduce some of the dessert stores that they frequent. Amidst the tantalizing desserts, the hosts quizzed the couple about how they first got to know each other and interesting events surrounding their courtship.

In addition to the gourmet desserts that were constantly featured, the celebrity gossip added spice to the saccharine array cakes, pastries, ice-cream to the traditional Kuehs and Tong Shui (Chinese sweet soups, literal translation). For the “Chocoholic” and those with a sweet tooth, the program offered new suggestions on possible areas to ‘heal’ your cravings.

So Simple
I was fascinated by the D-I-Y and go-green concept. It is a different concept from the usual spate of programs which revolve around fashion and food. No doubt, food and fashion may be featured in parts of the show, but the theme was more of D-I-Y or living philosophies of the various guests who proclaimed organic food and doing things ‘healthy’ for the mind, soul, environment and body.

We do not need the most expensive gifts to show our sincerity. Making gifts using our own hands to capture the happiest memories may be the best gifts. We do not need to devour food with the most expensive ingredients, but simple vegetables and home-cooked food could be the best for our bodies.

Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (花样少年少女)
I have talked much about this serial when it was first broadcast. Hence, I would not continue my blabber here. I just wanted to reiterate once more. The show was equally good even for repeats. Few serials could compete with it.

2 words: just watch.


For the first 2 programs, there were subsequently a second series but the repeats were for the first series.

Blocked Ears

I have sometimes taken many things for granted including some of my senses. The recent flu has caused my ears to be blocked for about a week so that for that entire week, there seemed to be a filter between my ear drums and sound. I cannot hear myself very well either which accounts for the louder than the usual loudness of my voice, until one of my colleagues has to ask me to keep my voice down.

Missing my normal hearing has also caused some insecurity because hearing is also one form of tell-tale sign of potential danger. When you cannot hear very well, you miss out alot of good things as well, such as the rustling of the leaves against the wind, the melodious melody when your neighbour's child is practising on his piano...

I hope my blocked ears will go away soon.

500th Entry

This is the 500th entry in my blog.

500 - half of a thousand
500 - 500 miles, a country song which is quite popular in my primary school days
500 - covers travel, food, emotions, wishes, memories, outings, adventures, and many more.
500 - covers a period of close to 2 years
500 - thanks for listening to my grouses, my hysteria, my queer thinkings

Let's cheer to another 500, and another 500, and another 500, and another, and another... ... ... ... ...

Back to the old story. Ahem. I am still waiting for the start of your story.

Return of the Flu With Vengence

I was on MC last week. I had to take half day leave yesterday and MC today to rest. The flu has come back, albeit with a vengence this time round. Not only do I feel more exhausted and weak. The nose kept running without giving me a rest. I lost any appetite for food. My throat felt dry. My nose blocked during the night and prevented me for having a good sleep. The lack of a good night's sleep aggravated the illness.

Was this a sign of my body protesting as I did not give it a good rest the first time I was down with flu? Or was this a sign of my aging body that even the slightest virus could easily conquered my immunity and ravaged my body? Or was this an early sign of a more serious ailment brewing? Morbid thoughts started to run through my head on my apparent vulnerability to this common infection.

Even my usual doctor did not seem to be able to save me from the discomfort of the illness. TCM failed to perform miracles. Thus, I sought the help of another doctor whom my sister held high praises for in her last consultation.

The disgnosis was that I was down with an allergy that caused my nose to run incessantly. He presribed me tablets to be taken both in the morning and at night. Hopefully, with adequate rest and the medicine, I will be able to recover soon. Feeling lethargic and confining to the home are making my mind restless.

Lunch Appointment with Excolleague

I met WK online while I was working at home during my MC. When he heard that I was down with flu, he asked if he should bring chicken soup down. Being ultra-thick-skinned, I unabashedly replied in the affirmative. He might not have expected such a response from me and immediately backed off saying that he would not be able to make it. Yet, he had chivalrously suggested we meet for lunch instead the following day.

I was abit apprehensive. Although he drove, his office was not quite a stone's throw away from my office. Moreover, I worked in the city area where many would frown just thinking about the jams and the ERP gantries. Hence, even 10 minutes before lunch, I was still wondering if he was pulling a joke on me. I nearly wanted to just join my colleagues for lunch until I received his SMS.

We drove. Correction. He drove us to Newton hawker where he recommended a fish soup bee hoon which was supposed to be good comfort food for someone who was recovering from illness. Although it was refreshing to venture out of Orchard for lunch, the lunch was an enjoyable one more for the company. It was good to be eating with a familiar excolleague who could probably take my bluntness in good jest (or was this too presumptuous on my part?) . It was good catching up with the happenings to this old friend (feeling slightly guilty for his kindness while I hardly take any initiative to keep more regular contact). Despite having not seen him for more than a year, there did not seem to be any awkwardness.

Nevertheless, happy times flew past. It was time to head back to office for meeting. I was glad that he still remained as cheerful and positive as ever. Keep going, WK!

New Favourite Cheesecake

The musketeers wanted to meet at a restaurant which I found at Hungrygowhere.com. When I reached the door of the restaurant did I discover that the restaurant has in fact closed down. We had no choice but to adjourn to another eatery which we could find in Plaza Singapura. The choice? Secret Recipe.

I had heard from Ah Peng previously that the cakes at Secret Recipe were delicious. Expectations were raised even before I tasted them. This started my agony over what I should have for my main course so as to leave stomach space for dessert later. In the end, I chose a soup and salad.

We decided to choose 2 cakes to share under my strong insistence of watching out for calories (definitely tipping in a northward direction). We went for rasperry cheesecake and chocolate and banana cake. To add on, we went for the frosty fruit drinks.

I simply fell in love with the raspberry cheesecake. The miky cheese with the sweet and sour raspberry were certainly a divine combination. It was one of the best cheesecake I had ever tasted. Most of the cheesecakes I have tried previously was either too heavy, too hard or too dry. This was moist and the blend of salty cheese, with sour raspberry and sweet chocolate crumps base was appetite whetting.

The chocolate-banana cake combined two of the ingredients which were supposed to make us happy. The sweetness would please anyone with a sweet tooth. However, personally I would still prefer the raspberry cheesecake with the soury tinge.

It is indeed a wonderful and satisfying meal.

Downpour. Drenched.

I waited.

I hoped the rain would subside a little.

10 minutes have gone by. 15 minutes. 20 minutes.

After 25 minutes, the skies remained overcast and there was not sign that the rain would be easing. It was already 7.55 am. I could not wait any longer.

Braving the rain with my big umbrella, I began my longer-than-usual walk to the train station with the slight floods and puddles of water.

One-fifth of my journey later, I needed to take shelter at the nearby bus-stop while I folded up my long pants to prevent the water seeping higher up my legs with the pants as the perfect conduit. Image? Who cares?

This folding of pants continued until I reached my cubicle. Despite my furious efforts to dry my pants by dapping with dry cloth, the situation is not alleviated. I quickly pour myself a hot cup of water to prevent falling sick. I dried myself (naturally in aircon?) after one hour.

When I thought all was well, I woke up this morning with a running nose which quickly took a turn for the worse.

Walk. See. Smile.

The musketeers met at Plaza Singapura this month for our monthly gathering. Since it was a stone’s throw away from my office, I decided to walk to our meeting place.

The walk was quite a happy one since the air was crisp and slightly cool after the rain in the afternoon. En-route, I passed by the Istana and the green patch opposite Meridien Singapore. The happy cows and the colourful portraits of famous artistes such as Marilyn Monroe and Joanne Peh drew smiles to my face.

I missed those happy cows. Whenever I was surprised by their sudden appearances on green patches where I least expected them to, I always welcomed their ‘greetings’. The scene was sometimes bordering hilarity. Yet, who says life should be serious all the time.

I was glad I chose to walk instead of the lazy way of taking a train ride. The walk has definitely boosted my spirits before my meeting with the musketeers.

Hey, they should thank the cows or they would be facing a gloomy face throughout the night.

Sweet Indulgence

I used to be a big fan of durian. Yet, for health reasons, I have purposely steered away from durians. Durians are top on my list of heaty food. All my closer friends can attest to the fact that I don't take to heaty food very well. Many common maladies, such as flu,cold, sore throat, fever, will welcome me open arms when I consume to much heaty food. Hence, durians are certainly a big no-no for me.

Yet, the long queue in front of the Four Seasons counter at Ang Mo Kio Hub always fascinated me. Is it really that good such that the queues never disappear even after a year since its opening when any associated novelty should have worn off? Moreover, the queues are present regardless of whether it is a week day or weekend.

Well, I finally lay my hands on the durian puffs (even though its durian pancakes seem more popular). It is almost like eating durian with the pastry almost melting together with the durian. I don't remember its more expensive and more famous competitor being as good. The smell and the taste of durian practically explodes in my mouth. The strong aroma lingers even after the puff is swallowed. This is almost tantamouth to eating the fruit itself.

Such indulgence truly makes my day. Yet, I hope I don't have to pay a high price of it through my health...

Sweating Over Financial Planning

Let's face it. Financial planning scares or intimidates everyone of us. Although I am trained as an accountant, I am abashed to say the thought of financial management overwhelmes me. Risk vs return? Long-term investment vs short-term speculation? Equities vs fixed income? If the mere terminologies already put you off, wait till you need to drill further into their relationship.

Is it a female thing? Somehow, when I was sitting through my financial management tutorials, I had to struggle with the computation of IRR (internal rate of return), NPV (net present value), Black Scholes' model. On the other hand, my male course mates were simply thrilled with the financial concepts. Many of them literally breezed through the course. Needless to say, financial management earned me my only C for my whole undergraduate study.

Now, I have to deal with IRR, NPV and ROIC (return on invested capital) computation on a day-to-day basis as part of my work. Financial management terms are no longer black holes to me. However, translating financial management to my own assets management (though I often retort to those who advises on asset management that I hardly have any assets), the phobia continues. Hence, everytime I have to talk to my financial consultant, a.k.a insurance agent, I have to brave myself for full concentration or I will start losing the content of our conversation. Even with superficial finance knowledge, it still takes alot of brain cells to process what he is conveying, I cannot imagine those who are new to financial fundamentals.

Kudos to the finance professionals who make things more laymen and less complex for financial idiots like me. Given that financial management is an important part of everyone's life, it is essential for us to have adequate understanding to plan for our retirement, our health and our dependents. Every cent counts towards the building of our nests. Hence, we cannot afford to take too many chances with our investments and risk management. With a knowledgeable and sincere financial planner, it can definitely help financial idiots, like me, to overcome our phobia and sweat less over the complicated issues.

Streetdirectory.com

I was appalled and disappointed to find out that Virtual Maps on Streetdirectory.com would be removing the maps. Streetdirectory.com has been a good directional source for me to find out how to get to somewhere and the time taken for each alternative. It is a shame that this service is no longer available. Hmm, hopefully I can find a replacement soon to help directional idiot like me.

Up, Up, Up... ...

I am not referring to the inflation rate of Singapore. Neither am I referring to the stock exchange. I am referring to the temperature in Singapore.

In some of the temperate countries, they will be enjoying the warmth of the spring with the cool breeze blowing. In Singapore, we seem to be right smack in the middle of summer. This is the time when I long to get into office. Why? For the free aircon of course.

Heat affects appetites. Not only do I feel hungry less often, I also start to shun anything that is soupy and boiling. I long for cool and crunchy food. Hmmm...now salad is certainly on my radar screen, especially those dress in balsamic vinegar. Yum yum, cool, refreshing and slightly sour... ... Best way to cool down in the white hot heat. =p

Sudden Fascination with Documentaries

Documentaries were certainly not my cup of tea. I have often associated documentaries with boring, serious, complex programs which are not a very interesting way of spending my time. Yet, the documentaries that are featured on CNA and Arts Central and are contrary to my preconception.

Some of the documentaries to-date combine life-style and information so that information is conveyed in a more interesting manner and on topics which are less abstract to us. On Arts Central, 9pm, Mosaic Monday features some of the more extraordinary people in everyday life. On this Monday, Mosaic Monday features “Size Does Matter”. If you think this is about weight issue, you will be surprised. “Size Does Matter” looks into the life of a dwarf who lives on an island and her meeting with other dwarfs. On Friday, it will feature the struggle of a man who has to be on his own with broken legs after his plane crashed in the wild of South Africa. On other days, the programs are more life-style oriented with peeks into coffee, fashion and travels.

CNA too brings about different documentaries – the latest being about professional mourners at funerals. Not only do we get to hear about the life-stories of these professionals, we also understand more about the job itself as well as the funeral proceedings in other countries. Death is no longer a taboo for these people but a form of livelihood. Prior to these, there were a series of food science programs to generate greater awareness of the boons and banes of the different food and eating habits.

The good thing about catching these programs is that they are information conveyed in a more interactive manner than reading. It combines entertainment and learning.

Sea View

Can you guess which sea side I am at?

Belated Birthday Celebration

The Annual Staff Function Committee 2007 have not met for a long time. On this Friday evening, we gathered once more at the last year ASF site for my belated birthday (every belated indeed) celebration cum ASF2007 anniversary celebration.

We arrived at the Legends café. The café was deserted except for us. We practically have the whole restaurant to ourselves. To tell the truth, the food was mediocre but the evening was enjoyable because of the company, especially when I have not met some of them for a long time. A few of them have found greener pasture and since left the company.

Our Chairman was still as humorous as before. Jess still maintained his hearty appetite. FBI remained a strong contender for the most humorous position against our Chairman despite his newly marital status. Yen still maintained a tight control over quality. The rest of us continued to make blunders under the close scrutiny of Yen and being outtalked by FBI and Chairman.

What a nice way to gather around friends and have a good laugh with one another. Hmm… I really should join in their gathering more often, or else I am certainly marked by Chairman. Uh-oh.

Interviewing and Recruiting

We are trying to recruit contract junior executives recently to cope with the increased workload as well as to cover for one of the executives who is currently on maternity leave. During the interview, other than the direct supervising officer, another officer will sit on the panel as an independent officer, in addition to the HR officer.

Although I do not have direct reports, I would still need to work with these executives on a portfolio / project basis. Hence, sometimes I will sit in as the independent officer for the interview. Prior to this job, I hardly have the chance to interview or recruit anyone. Hence, acting as an independent interviewer is indeed an eye-opener for me.

How to tell if an interviewee has oversold himself/herself? How to tell if an interviewee is really keen of the job? How to tell if an interviewee will fit into the job or the company culture? These are important questions which we would need to ascertain in the 30-minute to an hour interview process.

Technical skill is not the most important aspect as on-the-job training can help bridge the gap. Soft skills and attitude are more important, especially in our job as we need to work with various parties. Moreover, with the right attitude, the candidate can quickly pick up the relevant skills and smoothly transit into the job.

Of course, sitting on the interviewing panel is less stressful than sitting on the interviewee chair. Some interviewees say too much. Some say too little. Regardless of who we are recruiting, offering and accepting the offer will be both a risk for the interviewer and the interviewee. If both the recruiter and the recruitee only discover that there is no job fit after commencement of the employment, it will be both disruptive for the employer and the employee.

Relaxation and Strength Building

Depending on the different poses, Yogic exercise can promote either relaxation or strength building. Some apparently simple stretches can command a lot of strength and concentration especially to maintain in the same position while continuing normal breathing.

For those having insomnia, perhaps you can try the following exercises the next time you have difficulty sleeping.

This is a Table pose. It is supposed to promote relaxation through the tensing and subsequent release of tension.

The Tension Releaser exercise will release built-up tension.

For building of strength, one can do the Sun Salutation. Doing 21 cycles (one-time of right leg first and one-time of left leg first combined is considered one cycle) is believed to have the same effect as jogging for 10 km.

Before you try these exercises, please seek your doctor’s advice. Moreover, please practice in the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher and get your breathing and position right before attempting to practise on your own.

The Truth About Food

Ladies, ladies, hear ye! How often we fret about the food we eat and their effect on the waist line. We follow blindly and faithfully some of the fad diets or myths of food. How effective are these in helping us maintain our BMI is anyone's guess.

For those with a more inquisitive mind (or perhaps cynic attitude) and would like to understand more thoroughly the effect of the fad diets or eating habits, the recent series of documentaries on Channel NewsAsia offer answers to some of our questions. It aims to tell us the truth about food, including how to be slim. "The Truth About Food" is a documentary that airs every Sunday evening on CNA. Each week, the documentary features different topics relating to food.

Colourful food is not only pleasing to sight and whets your appetite; colourful food is also more beneficial to your body. For example, red wine taken in moderation, strengthens your heart. Spinach helps to improve eye-sight. Tomatoes improves our skin's resistance towards sun burnt.
How does food play a part in maintaining our weight or in slimming down? Is how big or small we are determined by our metabolism? Is a high protein diet effective? Well, answers are revealed in the different experiments conducted.

1) Our sizes are not determined by our metabolic rate but our food intake.

2) A person who consumes a high protein diet has a more satiating meal than a person who consumes a high carbohydrate or high fat meal. Hence, this reduces the food intake of the person who consumes a high-protein meal.

3) A person who consumes a high-calcium meal passes out more fats than one who does not because calcium will bind the fat together and prevents it from being absorbed by the body.

4) A detox diet does not result in more toxins being passed out.

5) When water and solid food are taken separately compared to if they were made into soup, the latter can sustain us from hunger for a longer period of time. This is because the soup can expand our gastric for a longer period of time than water and solid food. Hence, this sends signal to our brains that we are full.

6) We tend to overeat by being served a larger portion of the food. In addition, we tend to overeat if we do not see what we have eaten.

Knowing the truth and denouncing the myth surrounding food, we can better manage our diet and work towards greater health.

Factory Outlet in Singapore

The concept of factory outlet is not new to Singapore, from the Espirit factory outlet at Yishun to the Adidas outlet at Novena. Factory outlets are definitely not unfamiliar to many Singaporeans, especially for those who travel more widely. We have often heard of woman flocking to Coach factory outlets in US to HarbourTown in Australia and Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

When I hear that Anchorpoint on Alexandra Road is to be positioned as the factory outlet wiht many well-known brands congregating under the same roof, I am both exhilarated. On a lazy afternoon, Ah Peng and I decide to travel to Anchorpoint.

Anchorpoint gathers Charles & Keith, Giodano, G2000, Citychain and Pedro factory outlets. The stores mainly retail merchandises from previous seasons. The stocks mostly have limited colours and sizes options. In addition to the factory outlet stores, there are also foodcourts and cafes. The most unique cafe is a Disney cafe near the entrance of the mall.

To tell the truth, Anchorpoint is slightly disappointing especially relative to HarbourTown and Lantau Island. Firstly, the number of brands are fewer and the size of the stores are also smaller than the Hong Kong or Australia's counterparts. Moreover, Anchorpoint is only a two-level mall with few other selections to spend time on.

Needless to say, it is another fruitless trip for me.

Hong Kong Food

Hong Kong cafes are increasingly common and popular in Singapore. The Chinese-infused Western food, the yuan yang and the toast are well-known items are the menu. Perhaps you have already tried Central Hong Kong Cafe or you have grown sick of Xing Wang Cafe?


As I was in Vivocity, I chanced upon the Kim Gary Restaurant offering the familiar Hong Kong Cafe food.


Baked Rice


Beef Noodles



French Toast




Almond Tea

Yum yum. Let's tuck in.

Annual Staff Function 2008

It has been a year. Last year, I was on the Annual Staff Function, aka, Dinner & Dance Committee. Now, the new committee has taken the baton from us and the current year event is here again.

This year, with increased budget, both the venue and the food is 'upgraded' to a hotel and with a sit=down -course dinner. The theme is to glam up. Yet, we are busy at work even way past the registration time. We barely make it to the dinner in time much less dress up to the theme. By the way, my most glamourous clothes is already my working attire. *Sheepish*

To be frank, both the food and venue are better than previous year. In terms of entertainment, it gets abit stale as some of the jokes told and the games played are similar to last year. Moreover, the jokes told are slightly more "R-rated" than last year which may be funny with some slight distaste.

Well, I am slightly disappointed when I have not won anything in the lucky draw. Well, I attend the Annual Staff Function for both the food and the lucky draw only. The food has somewhat meet my expectations but not the lucky draw though. Sigh! Let's hope for better luck next time.

Cheap Thrill

It is a girl's dream to be pampered like a queen. This contributes to the growing spa business in Singapore. However, with just an 'executive' salary, coveting after 'management' lifestyle will only spells trouble for my wallet.

Well, what can you do when you wish to seek an avenue to relax your mind and body after a tiring day or week? Hmm, since I cannot have the luxury of professional treatment, I shall opt for D-I-Y.

I have a Body Shop toilettries set from my colleague as a Christmas gift. Now, it's time for me to test out its efficacy. Passionfruit - one of the nicest smelling fruit I like - subtle yet distinctive, long lasting without intrusive. Once I open the scrub, the entire bathroom is filled with the sweet scent of passionfruit. The scrub is grainy and definitely working its wonders to remove the dead skin. After washing, the skin is smooth and well-scented.

The passionfruit scrub washes away the weariness of the week and keeps me happy throughout the weekend. For someone who is sceptic of aromatherapy, I now believe the healing power of scents. At least, the passionfruit scent has lifted my mood during the weekend.

Hmm, I cannot wait to start using the accompanying passionfruit shower gel and body butter.

Trio Playing at iShop

5050, KW and I have not met for lunch for many weeks. Recently, one of us will have one thing or another on Friday such that we cannot meet. Finally, we have to rescheduled our weekly meeting to a Thursday in order to finally meet. Sick of canteen food, we have decided to go to Cineplex for some variety.

After lunch, we loitter around Cineplex and chance upon iShop. There are many gadgets on display. We try the iBook and are captivated by the vivid colours and the friendly interfaces. Personally, I am simply swept off by the 'intelligence' of the iPod Touch. In addition to the bright and clear pictures on the small screen, the pictures can be easily viewed using the length or the width of the screen simply by rotating the screen. Moreover, to enlarge or reduce the size of the picture, you just need to use your fingers to pull and drag.

For once, I feel so much like a 'mountain tortoise' in a large and white techie playground.

Branding of Banks

Singaporeans are super savers. We have always been known as a country with the highest saving rates. From the POSB account that our parents open for us when we are born to the CPF account that we monthly contribute after we get our first job, there are other supplementary savings we may build up as we move into different phases in lives.

Hence, many Singaporeans are not unfamiliar to the banks. From the big 3 local banks to the offshore banks, we are spoilt for choices regardless of whether we are saving, investing, borrowing, or mortgaging. With increased competition from the offshore banks, our local banks are also gearing up in response.

I have always been watching closely the various promotions introduced by the local banks out of both curiosity and hope of reaping benefits as end-consumer. I have recently been rather attracted by the series of advertising campaigns that OCBC has implemented.

From my recollection, OCBC has not utilized the television advertisements as frequently. It has used more of print media – in newspaper. Currently, it has expanded to the use of more personal touch, turning its bank branches more into a mini showroom of different themes. This removes the daunting aura associated with the professionalism emphasized by various banks. In addition, the little touches that the banks put in place also warm the consumers’ hearts.

I was impressed when I saw several benches placed along the queue to the counters providing rest to the tired legs while customers wait along the queues. So far, I have only seen OCBC branches but not other banks. Such little thoughts go a long way as it helps alleviate the frustration associated with long queue at the banks. Along the queues, colourful brochures are placed for consumers to be informed of the latest promotions / programs. This is a very effective way of promoting their latest products. Most consumers prefer to buy-in to a new investment idea themselves rather than being ‘pushed’ by the bank.

The thoughtfulness of the bank can also be seen in the extended operating hours that it introduces in selected branches. Previously, many of the working adults will need to apply leave to run errands at the bank especially for those who need to work on Saturday or for those who wish to avoid the bank crowd during peak hours like lunch hour or Saturday. With the extended operating hour on weekdays and even Sundays, we can get our things done without having to waste our leave.

Depending on the ‘flavour’ of the month, the OCBC banks has also decorated or introduced different gimmicks. For instance, when it first introduces its mighty savers programs for the children, it has set up popcorn counters and given out free popcorn to customers. Magicians also graced the branch and entertained the young customers. Recently, it has targeted the ladies. On International Women’s Day, pink roses were given out to ladies. Ladies’ nights are introduced on every Wednesday with express queue at selected counters solely devoted to ladies. For those queues, pink carpets lined the floor to the counter. Cocktails are also served to ladies customers.

Such small gestures show the thoughtfulness branded by the banks. After all, we have to visit the banks often and often for important milestones in our lives, eg when we are getting our first house, when we get our first pay check, etc. Hence, a long-lasting relationship with the customers will go a long way.

Singaporeans are Getting Ruder?

Recently, I noticed Singaporeans seemed to getting more and more inconsiderate, such that going out becomes almost like a battle regardless of whether it is a working or non-working day. Many times I have witnessed inconsiderate acts on the road. This morning, another accident added to my list of inconsiderate acts.

A van was parked on a one-car street along the entrance to a housing estate carpark. The driver was absent from the van. Hence, for cars behind this van waiting to get into the car park, they had to wait. When my mum honked for the driver, the driver reluctantly came to fetch his vehicle. However, he came back without explicitly expressing his displeasure and signalling to my mum that she could have overtaken his van and illegally used the outcoming way to enter the carpark.

For one, he was not the only user of the road. If he needed to offload his goods, he could have gone into the carpark instead of illegally parking at the entrance of the carpark. Secondly, instead of being apologetic for his inconsiderate and illegal act, he made it seem as though we were the inconsiderate ones. If he wished to endanger himself and his vehicle by parking illegally, he could go ahead. He should not expect everyone else to endanger our lives as well by condoning his dangerous acts.

If we have to be constantly battling such rude acts , it is hard to remain courteous and calm. Soon, we will evolve into rude and impatient beings in order to survive such ordeals. I wonder how this will adversely affect the homeland we live in.

Look Up... ... Surprise

When we walk, we often look straight or look down. We do not usually look up while we are walking. Looking up when you are walking can be dangerous as you can miss any stumbling block in your path and trip.


As I was on the escalator up from the basement to the Borders Book Store at Wheelock Place, I was attracted by the bright light filtering down and looked up. I was suddenly blinded by the light and the intricacies of the metal frame of the roof. I might not be an architectural enthusiast. Yet, at that moment, I was filled with respect and admiration for this architect.



To think I have missed something beautiful for such a long time and for so many times that I pass by the place.

Palate Disappointment

Singaporeans are exposed to different kinds of food each day - Western or Asian, fried or steam, liquid or dry, good or bad. Other than shopping, eating is almost like another National Hobby.

If you switch on the TV, the more popular programs in Singapore can be categorised in three main themes - travel, shopping and food. We have different kinds of food programs - programs associated with gourmet writers, eg Makansutra Raw, programs introducing stalls with long queues, programs introducing eateries along certain bus routes and even programs on good food on campus. Of course, we are not forgetting the more conventional food programs which centre around certain types of food or certain areas of eating places each episode.

Inevitably, our tongues have been pampered with the myriad selection. Just as we feel heavenly after a satisfying good meal. The reverse is also true, especially when we expect to perk ourselves up with good food.

I was in Novena on a weekend evening and was looking for my dinner destination. After walking around, I decided to eat at a Thai restaurant. After having so much good Thai food for the past 2 weeks, my expectations had been raised. This was especially when I had never been disappointed by Thai food before. To our disappointment, the food was purely spicy without accompanying aroma from the spices used. For the fried rice with dried shrimps and chicken, the rice was too bland and the chicken too sweet. For the Phad Thai, it was too sweet but only generous in the rice noodle. For the seafood stir fried rice noodle, it was too spicy which overwhelmed any sweetness from the seafood. In addition, the meal was not cheap which led to double disappointment.

Strangely, after eating such disappointing food, it sort of set a disappointing tone for the remaining evening. I felt fustrated and slighted peeved at being treated to such insincere cuisine. Just as good food cheers us up, bad food casts a cloud.

Long Awaited Square 2

There was alot of publicity of the place when it first opened. Since it was only a few MRT stations away, my sister and I had talked about going to Square 2 for a long time.

Finally, we were there. The tenant mix was indeed unique from other shopping centres. It reminded me faintly of Far East's Level One or Clarke Quay's Central with quaint little boutiques distributed in a maze-like layout. The shops could not be totally seen from the centre of the mall as many could be hidden behind the other shops. The walking space between these shops was narrow.

The fourth level was entirely level devoted to Korean merchandise and F & B for Korean fans - with 2 Korean restaurants and a Korean minimart selling Korean snacks and sundries. On the last level, there was the familiar NTUC Fairprice anchoring half of the level. The rest of the shops were mainly made up of DVD shops and food-related shops such as Mmmm which sold marinated meats.

Unfortunately, the shops closed around 8pm which made the place rather quiet after 8. It was indeed a pity and again reinforced the phenomenon of a lack of night life in Singapore.

To all the Ladies, Let's Celebrate Life

Happy International Women's Day to all Ladies!

Let us continue to celebrate life with continued enthusiasm, positivism, confidence and beauty.

Shoe Shopping

The musketeers have not gone shopping for ages. The theme of the day was shoes. We practically tried from shoe boutique to boutique.

To our disappointment, none of us bought anything at the end of the day. Yet, sometimes the fun of things was not in the outcome but in the process, especially a process where exercise (restricted to only walking from shop to shop and bending down to pick up the shoes) was minimal and laughter (from the faux pas selections) was maximum.

The fun from shopping lied more in the company, especially when all of us knew what each other would like. We could also be open in our judgment towards the choices one another made. No formalities or niceties reserved. I welcomed such frank opinions. It would be better to embarrassed myself in front of the Musketeer with my often auntie-ish-selection than to make a wrong purchase and embarrass myself time and again in front of strangers.

Shopping, catching-up with friends and lots of laugher are the best ingredients for a recipe of a good evening to unwind.

Musketeers' Gathering at Shokudo Pasta

The Musketeers have not met since Christmas last year. Somehow or rather, due to work and other social commitments, we have not been able to find a common time to meet. We are really lapsing in our initial promise to meet monthly.

Nonetheless, since we are not able to meet as frequently, we should all the more treasure the time that we can meet. For this meeting, we have decided to find a cosy dining place to while our time away over delicious meal. Well, since work has slowed down a little recently, I have decided to search for new places for our get-together.

From my shortlist, we decide to head for Shokudo Pasta at Citylink. It is a newly opened Fusion (Japanese & Western) eatery. The reviews online are above average. According to Ah Peng, there is usually a queue outside the restaurant. I believe Singaporean's taste buds are pretty sharp. If there is crowd and good review, the food cannot be too inedible. The best litmus test is still one's taste bud.

Ms Chan and I order the soupy pasta while Ah Peng choose the wafu sauce pasta. Personally, I have tried Waraku Pasta which also offers Japanese pasta. Therefore, this time, the menu does not attract as much excitement as the first time I have seen Japanese pasta selection. Moreover, my fettucine in soup is quite difficult to eat with both fork and spoon. How I wish I have a pair of chopsticks to prevent the splashing of the soup when the slightly mashy fettucine falls apart from the fork.

Although the main course has not truly satisfied me, the ice-cream makes up for it. Perhaps I have a sweet tooth, I like all the flavours of the ice-cream which we order - macha (green tea), gome (black sesame) and yuzu (grapefuit). I am big on sorbet, especially after a heavy meal. The sweet sour ice always helps to lighten the palate after the richness of salt or spices. Needless to say, my favourite is the yuzu sorbet.

The musketeers want to make our gathering a food expedition. Perhaps the next time round, we can go and patron other eateries which are among my shortlist. *Wink*

Second Visit to Carousel at Royal Plaza @ Scotts

The first visit was for the farewell lunch of a colleague last year. This second visit was for our quarterly lunch with our boss. The last experience was fantastic especially the cold cut session.

This time round we made the reservation slightly late so we could not secure a single table to sit everyone. Hence, we were split into 3 tables.

We were again wowed by the sashimi and the cold cut session. The mussels, crayfish, prawns and scallops whetted our appetite. The freshly cut salmon, tuna and yellowtail fish made our mouths watered. Their succulence exploded in our mouths. We could not stop heaping our plates with more and more of the sashimi and cold cuts.

The cooked food session consisted of both Western and Asian delights. For seafood lovers, there was the Asian black pepper stir-fried prawn or the Western cream-based mussels. For soup selection, there was the Western crab cream soup or the Asian herbal mutton clear soup. My favourite was the Thai-styled steamed black grouper.

To the ladies, there must still be space in your stomachs for the dessert section – from ice-cream to pies to chocolate fondue to the exotic fruits. We are simply spoilt for choices. Admiring the colourful spread of various desserts is enough to cause a sugar rush. Sigh, how I wish I have unlimited space in our stomach.

Again, I overate and felt full the entire afternoon and decided to skip dinner.

Sticky Rice

Good things come together. I have not had Thai cuisines for a long time. Within the span of one week, I had the fortune of having my fill of Thai cuisines twice.



Sticky Rice has been in operations for about a year since the opening of AMK Hub. Although it is within walking distance from my home, I have not had the chance to eat at this restaurant. This Saturday, we decided to wait no more.


Eating food I like often gives me a sense of bliss. I shall say no more and let the pictures tell the rest of the story.


We start off with Thai fish cake,


next is Tom Yam soup

followed by stir-fried Kai Lan

then stuffed chicken wings




and finally red ruby.






My calories scale is certainly off-balance.

Doing Stupid Things Again

We were chatting during lunch.

One of us suddenly commented that she had no music sense, so she could not sing very well.

Another added that she was the same. She further elaborated that she could not dance very well too.

The third colleague asked if that meant that she would move her left arm with her left leg and her right arm with her right leg.

The second colleague replied that even moving left arm with left leg and right arm with right was not an easy task. She had tried that the night before on her way home. She was very bored, so when she noticed that there was no one behind her, she tried to walk in that manner. To her amusement, it was harder to coordinate walking that way than the usual alternate swing of the limbs, ie left arm with right leg and right arm with left leg.

We burst out laughing and agreed wholeheartedly that she was indeed very bored.

Well, the same night, I tried walking with my right arm swinging with my right leg forward and my left arm with my left leg. Despite concentrated and deliberate efforts, I could not achieve it in more than one cycle. It was truly more difficult than to do it with the alternate limbs. I nearly wanted to burst out laughing at my efforts but had to stifle it for fear of causing stunned stares from anyone who happened to see me.

Well, I was indeed very bored as well.

Hey, maybe you should also try it when you are bored.