This week....

Festive mood is in the air...
Practically got no mood to work in office since last week.
Have been going out for slightly longer lunches
With many lunch treats this week too!
More time to work through my outstanding stuff
Coupled with the luxury to learn some stuff at my own pace
If every week is as good as these 2 weeks
How perfect that will be... *dream*

Heading off to Similans in less than 3 days' time
Got myself a new Olympus camera with underwater casing
The old one is going to be buried as it is close to its deathbed now
Luckily I realised it last Sat
Giving me enough time to quickly search for a replacement on Sun
Otherwise I would scream my heart out during my diving trip
For I wouldn't be able to imagine diving with taking photos already
$$ gone up in the air...
But what to do, diving is such an expensive leisure activity
Almost done with packing my barang
Time to dive, eat and sleep soon
And to get fatter again...
:O :)

"Believe"

Take a moment to enjoy and "feel" this soundtrack during this festive season.

Merry X'mas, folks.




Children sleeping
Snow is softly falling.
Dreams are calling
Like bells in the distance.

We were dreamers
Not so long ago.
But, one by one
We all had to grow up.

When it seems the magic slipped away,
We find it all again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing.
There's no time to waste,
There's so much to celebrate.

Believe in what you feel inside,
And give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need
If you just believe.

Trains move quickly
To their journey's end.
Destinations
Are where we begin again.

Ships go sailing
Far across the sea.
Trusting starlight
To get where they need to be.

When it seems that we have lost our way,
We find ourselves again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing.
There's no time to waste,
There's so much to celebrate.

Believe in what you feel inside,
And give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need
If you just believe.

If you just believe
If you just believe
If you just believe
Just believe
Just believe

:)

Have another trip planned… to clear my outstanding leave…
It will happen early next year,
In fact, first  week  day in Jan.
Cheap budget airtickets promo makes it too appealing to be missed.

Going to spend 8N in Phuket…
Spending the first half of the trip doing liveaboard in Similans…
Yes, finally it's time for eat, sleep, dive again after 7 long dry months.
It'll be another unforgettable interaction with the astounding underwater world.

2nd half is R&R time at Patong beach...
Sipping orange juice and savouring honey chicken while lazing on the beach chair,
Dipping in the cooling seawater when feeling hot and watching the day goes by…
Not forgetting the shopping and massages of course!

This is called Life.
Brand new year with a superb start too.

Singapore Marathon 2009

I did my Standard Chartered Marathon Run this morning. We were blessed with great weather – cloudy and cooling. Team Fat Bird was the official pacer this year, and they were easily identifiable with the balloon they tied on their back and the timing they displayed in front and behind their runner tee. I saw them training at east coast park before and I remembered vividly the tagline I saw on their poster. It was something along the line of “Birds fly. Fat birds just run”. Hah!

I completed my marathon this year with a sub-5 timing of about 4h52min. It was a pleasant shock actually for I never dreamt that I could complete a marathon in less than 5h. Dan and I were thinking that it would already be an achievement if we completed it in 5h15min, judging from the way we attempted to train for it. :P

There were a lot of factors today that contributed to our much faster than expected run. First was the cooling weather. Second were the pacers, who had played a great deal in keeping ourselves focused. Our eyes were always searching for the balloons to see how near or far we were away from the 5h pacers, and were running to catch up when we lagged behind. The power gels were powerful of course, delivering burst of energy when we run out of it. However, my stomach was intolerant to the power gel, and I ended up having 3x diarrhoeas at every 10+km, with the worst at 38km. And it was at 38km that my body gave in… The final diarrhoea drained out all the energy that I had left and I struggled very badly at the last 3+km… My speed was like a snail, yet I was breathing so quickly so much so that Dan got worried that I might hyperventilate.

The aftermath of a marathon is always a nightmare of course. I got serious abrasion, and guess where? The area around my anus! SO painful that I could hardly walk properly!!  Not to mention the overstretched leg muscles and aching shoulders… Luckily I was not alone – Dan got all the symptoms too. Wahaha…

Ok, one chapter closed for now. Finally I don’t need to do last min training anymore, and I can take a short break from running. More marathons? Let’s wait and see…Till I recover from all these pains. ;)

Only left a week!

Standard Chartered Marathon 2009 in 7 days time..
Once again, I never train enough or hard (but what’s new!?)
3 weeks without running when preparing for and in NZ…
Came back and realised I struggled to run a decent distance.
Started trying to do more intensive (means 3x a week. ha!) last-minute training for the past 3 weeks…
Cramping some runs in between weekdays after work (and I have been working much later than before ok!!)
But what difference can I make in such a short time? *shrug*
Now praying that weather will be great next Sun morning. Not hot please! Cloudy will be the best.
And hope I will not finish the run like a snail… Fingers crossed.

Recently...

A complete nightmare after two weeks of fun and enjoyment at NZ. In gist:

Mode: Busy, trying to adapt in new job role
Mood: Stressed, gloomy, uptight
Brain: Struggling hard to learn, adapt and apply
Difficulty Level: Very tough!
Patience: Trying to have it with myself
Distractions: Many, both at work and personal but generally ignore cos no time
Any Breakdown: Yes
Any Breakthrough: Still waiting
Distinctions to Stick to: 100% is possible 100% of the times?!
What’s Next: “The only way out is through”… “I choose this stretch”…

Bless me. I just need to make it.

Some NZ photos

The lake that flows through the Botonica Garden in Christchurch


The railway station @ Christchurch


Abundance of sheeps in NZ!

Reached Slope Point- the most southern point of NZ while we were driving along Catlins


Can you tell this is a seal sunbasking in a lazy afternoon?

Franz Josef Glacier! The glacier that I took a full day guided walk on my birthday!

Puzzling World @ Wanaka - the Illusion room created the most chaos in there! Amazing!

We left our footprints - this is our own stone stack that we did on this a beach on a windy evening. There are many other stacks of stones in all shapes and sizes.

The highest peak reached when we did our Quad biking in Queenstown

Sun is bright and snow is thick... nice weather that day

Lake Gunn - along the way to Milford Sound

An old weighing scale found inside a room in ShantyTown


The morning temperature is so cold that a layer of ice is formed on our car...

My NZ time...

All good things eventually came to an end and it is back to reality. Two weeks of holidaying in the south of NZ flashed by, and before we all knew it we were on a return flight back. If only time can come to a standstill… However, it was really such fun and fulfilling experience that each and every one of us enjoyed ourselves fully.

The weather there was cold with an average of 8 to 14 degree celsius, and it was totally erratic for it could be raining this moment and the sun was out brightly the next minute. But we were blessed with pretty good weather on most days we had planned activities, so lucky us. The pace of life in NZ is pretty laid back obviously that I seriously question if the Kiwis do work at all or not… Can you sense my sour grapes?

Beautiful landscape was everywhere as we self drove to explore from one town to another, and we often found ourselves exclaim in awe from the captivating scenery we saw. Nature forces are amazing, and they have been at work for millions and billions years to crave such exquisite masterpieces. I must say that the car journey from Te Anau towards Milford Sound was one of the best stretches for some fantastic photos. We also had some little amazing discoveries at some turns and corners, leaving us pleasantly surprised.

I got to realize that the kiwi population is only 4 millions in such a huge piece of land… No wonder every town seems to house that few people. Singapore is so tiny weeny but the latest population figure stands at 5 millions - where is my personal space huh? Sheep is definitely in abundance though. Guess how many are there? This Kiwi told me that there are 60 millions sheep in NZ- WOW! And I think sheep in NZ are the luckiest bunch for they have endless of green to chew on and ample space to roam around. I think a Singaporean’s dog life is nowhere compared to a NZ sheep!

Oh yes, we did heaps of activities there, especially in Queenstown. Quad biking, skiing, jet boating, white water rafting etc. The only regret was that we did not get to do the hand gliding due to unsuitable wind condition in two consecutive days. Expensive activities indeed, but we did have heaps of fun. I spent my birthday doing the full day Franz Josef Glacier walk… My legs and kneecaps were to give way by the time we were done, not to say that my thigh muscles were aching badly the next day that I could not walk down a flight of stairs properly! But I would love to think I was better off than my brother and his girlfriend whom fell into a slumber for 12 hours the moment they were back at the motel after food! No more glacier walk next time, they complained. Haa.

I am in the midst of trying to sort out all the photos that I had taken in NZ… hopefully I will clean up most of them soon… We have taken thousand of photos all together, okee!

Oh yes, before I end this entry, I must share this quote that I read in a shop at Hammer Spring – “Even if you do win in a rat race, you are still a RAT!”

Flying in another few hours!

Final count down... Will be at the airport in about another 3 hours time. After so many months of aniticipation and preparation, my NZ trip is finally so close on the heels!

My body did give me a stretch at last min - I was sneezing and having serious running nose for the whole day yesterday that I came home immediately after work to sleep. My eyes were all sore and red from the sneezing and I was feeling really tired... Took a flu tablet to sleep thereafter too that made me really groggy when I woke up this morning.

Luckily, it seems like I am all fine today already. Phew! A sick cat will miss out all the fun.

All ready... everything is in place... Bless me with good weather please!

New Zealand, here I come! Whew..!

NZ... I am coming soon!

In another eight days, I will be on the plane to Christchurch…

Itinerary is still being refined at this moment, but we are more or less there… accommodation should also be firmed up over the next few days …

The plan is to self drive to comb the south coastal area from Christchurch and visit key spots like Mt Cook, Milford Sound, Queenstown and Franz Josef… and try activities like paragliding, skiing, white water rafting, jet boating, quad biking and horse riding… Itinerary is as packed as anything except for the last few days which is open at this point in time. 2 weeks is not enough! Arrgh.

I bought most of my necessities over the last few months and have packed many of my things into my luggage already. Intending to pack light but due to the cold weather there, it may be a wiser choice to pack more than less… but redundant stuff ought to be thrown out… luggage can’t fit in so much stuff!

Bad thing is Kiwi dollar has appreciated so much since 3-4 months ago… from S$0.85 to S$1.03 now! More than 15% appreciation! $#&*$^%?! I should have exchanged my Kiwi dollars a few months back instead of hesitating! Lugi!

Counting down to my holidays… Am getting excited even just by thinking about it… (minus the big hole burnt in the pocket after this trip of course…) Yippee!

'Hijacked' recipes?

OMG, have you read the absurd news about Malaysia Tourism minister claiming rights for food like laksa, bak kut teh, Hainanese Chinese rice and chilli crabs?!? So we have an infringement of copyrights in this instance and all of us have been eating pirated food all along huh?!

What more can I say? What craps...
_____________________________________________________________

Malaysia crabby over right to 'hijacked' recipes
AP - Friday, September 18

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia is starting a food fight with other countries to win bragging rights for producing some of Southeast Asia's most beloved recipes, including chili crabs and coconut cream rice, a news report said Thursday.

"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food," The Star newspaper quoted Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen as saying while launching a campaign to promote the country's cuisine.

The ministry is identifying signature recipes that it will declare as Malaysian, Ng said. She did not reveal how the government might counter others who claim ownership of those dishes, but added that details of its strategy will be announced later.

"Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food," Ng said. She mentioned other favorites such as "nasi lemak," which is rice soaked with coconut cream, "laksa," a spicy noodle soup, and "bak kut teh," an ethnic Chinese pork rib stew.

Tourism ministry officials familiar with the campaign could not immediately be contacted.

Variations of the dishes Ng listed are available in several other Asian nations, particularly Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and China.

Some creations, such as chicken rice, were introduced to Malaysia and Singapore by ethnic Chinese workers who settled here after leaving China a century ago.

Chili crab -a recipe of crabs stir-fried in tomato and chili-based sauces - could become a bone of contention. It is often associated with Singapore and is considered the city-state's unofficial national dish.

Malaysia was recently embroiled in another cultural spat with a neighbor.

Indonesians held protests earlier this month accusing Malaysia of stealing a Balinese dance for a TV promotional campaign about Malaysia. It later turned out that Malaysia had nothing to do with the video, which had mistakenly described the dance as Malaysian. The video was broadcast on the Discovery Channel cable network, which apologized for the mistake.

Thots around love

Love isn’t love when it becomes suffocating, I believe.

I supposed it is the space an individual is operating from. I remembered very clearly this example given by someone about his aunt and uncle. This aunt always cooks for them and make sure that they are well fed during every meal… but no matter what, all the kids try to avoid being in her presence for she is always rattling about how much she cares and loves them, how much she make sure they are well and good. The answer is obvious in this instance – the aunt’s actions stem out from her neediness for appreciation and acknowledgement from others, and people feel stifling to be around her.

Yet, he has this uncle that is always stern and will always sit them down to question what they want in life or what’s next for them. Although it is tough to pull a quick one around the uncle, he is always well-like for others know that he does have their interests at heart… He operates from an abundance of love, always willing to give and contribute in every way he could.

See, human beings are somehow very smart. Words just don’t exactly count, for love can be felt… and it is dependent on how you give and how the other person feel about it. If you are always lamenting about your unappreciated love from friends, family or partner, it is high time you relook into the space you are operating from and how you have been giving your so-called love.

My thoughts around it:

• Love is allowing enough room for each other to grow and develop- no stickiness please. Personal space should be respected and it allows one to appreciate the time spent together with the other party.
• Love is genuinely caring and supporting the other party such that he gets to where he wants to be. It doesn’t have to look a certain way - it doesn’t have to be nice words or sweet actions… it could be challenging and provoking questions with honest and authentic feedback…
• Love is like flying a kite – one needs to know when to let loose and when to tighten the string. Holding it too tightly mean it can never fly high or it may snap off; holding it too loosely may mean one may lose it to the wind or it spins out of control. It is an art and it calls for different actions on the same issue in different situations.
• Too much of anything is bad, so no extreme expression of love too. Subtlety is indeed very much appreciated and persistency in the wrong way is repulsive.
  

Learning how to fly a kite well should be in everyone’s to-do list… Maybe one will get more enlightenment as one practices to be better at it. *raised eyebrows*

《走唱陈伟联》

陈伟联 finally got his 3rd album 《走唱陈伟联》released after 2 long years... Already 2 of his songs are a hit... How not to really? He has such a vocal that will somehow touch a corner of your heart and the lyrics of his songs will make you resonate with it...

Here is one of the songs that I like....《分手的情书》

My car accident

I got myself involved in a 5-car collision yesterday evening on the AYE... I was driving my way home at 6+pm when it all happened. I was the 4th car, so I was obviously being sandwiched… The accident happened so quickly that everything unfolded in that few seconds.

I was on the first lane... when the car in front of me suddenly jammed brake, so I did too. In the instant moment, so much thoughts flashed through my mind. I remembered thinking to myself that heng ah, I stopped so close to the car in front of mine… then I was alarmed by the fact that my car moved again even though I was so hard on my brakes. I thought that my brake was faulty. The next moment, I heard loud bangs with me being thrown forward and then backward… my vision went black. That instance when I realised I was about to lose consciousness, I was like oh shit, am I done for.

By the time my vision came back quickly in the next few seconds, my airbags were already half deflated in front of me and I was in a state of shock… but obviously I could still think and move. Of course, being caught the first time in this situation, I was totally lost and did not know what to do...

I must say that I am so amazed by our Singaporean fellowmen in this unpleasant experience. During the whole incident, other than the on-the-road car workshop people (who happened to be on the 3rd lane then) and the driver of the car in front of me who came over to ask how I was, the rest were only busy taking out their camera to capture shots of their car’s damage and taking down each other’s contact details. I was obviously in the car for a long while, and I even squatted down when I was out of the car… but they didn’t even bother. They were more concerned about their piece of metal and trying to make sure their loss would be covered than to care for another human being. The most applauding act was that the car that knocked into me was the first car to drive off without even passing me his contact details or letting me take photos of the accident etc. How nonchalant and cool can people be huh? How disgusting.

Of course, though I failed to take any photo except eventually for my and the car in front of me, the workshop people had already taken down all the details… Needless to say, the back and front of my car was in a terrible state. My front window screen was cracked and even the plastic below where my seat belt was anchored to on the right came half off. Fortunately, the main structure and the engine of my car were not damaged, so it was not beyond repair.

Long story short, I eventually went across the road to NUH to do checkup to make sure that I was ok. I obviously have a long life for I only suffered some external bruises to my chin, lips, kneecaps and lower right side near the pelvis and the loud bangs affected my hearing so I kept having the ringing sound in my ears. So I was given painkillers and two days of medical leave to rest at home. Well, based on the great impact of the collision, I am more than lucky to suffer such light injuries… Heaven is indeed looking out for me.

There was some paperwork to be done for reporting the case to insurance etc, and eventually the cost for repairing the cars would be mostly covered by the car insurer... But this also means that the car insurance premium will go up come next renewal. Alas....

And I think I got people worried about me too. Dan dashed down to hospital from his work after receiving my call and he was more concerned about making sure I was fine than to handle anything to do with the car… Of course, I did receive some calls and smses asking how was I... I couldn’t help but think at times that I am only a troublemaker in some people’s lives- make people run all around for me only.

I am certainly feeling more effect from the collision today… As the day goes past, the back of my neck seemed to be aching all the way down to my shoulders… But I supposed this type of whiplash symptom is common for motor accident. Hopefully it would go away in the next few days like a stiff neck.

Oh ya, I was reminded that I ought to go temple and pray to thank the gods for keeping a lookout for me such that I’m so blessed to only suffer bruises… and I would…

Singapore Bay Run 2009

I did the Singapore Bay Run once again last Sunday after skipping it at 2008. Tried very hard and only managed to shave off 10mins from the last half marathon run, finishing in about 2:10… Certainly not a very fantastic timing to many people, but this is the best out of the four half marathons I had done wor...

The run itself was much better managed this year compared to past years– a lot of drinking points and the route was much better with wider roads for runners to space out. The only lacking is the absence of temporary toilets totally at any point in time except for the toilets found at East Coast Park at Fort road itself… What if I suddenly had runner’s diarrhea during the run itself?!?! I used to experienced that last time for whatsoever reason! The deep muscle sprays were not good enough too – we had to stand there to ask them to spray, and usually was not on the exact spots that we wanted! Luckily the distance wasn’t that long for anyone of us to seriously need it...

It is high time for me to get more serious with my weekly runs though I doubt it can ever really happen. Have been too lazy and complacent + full of excuses not to run more like feeling tired from work, cannot wake up the next day after a run… and committing 2x a week is already a torture. Wonder when I can ever really run better in this manner...

Did I say that we have signed up for the Standard Chartered Run again this end year… the full marathon?!?

The playground

I was on my way to collect the AHM runner pack last Sat afternoon when I stumbled across this rare playground.... The car drove past and I was like "Wheez, I didn't know there is still an existence of such playground!" So I could not help it but to swing by to reminisce the times I spent at similar playgrounds like this when I was a kid.

Nowadays, playgrounds have cushioned flooring and the play toys found are more colourful, in greater variety and supposedly to be more stimulating and safer. Needless to say, old playground like this is indeed a rare commodity. It seemed like a long while since I last feel sand onto my feet in a local playground...I must say the sand found here is soft and clean unlike those I used to play in where it was black, dirty and stink with pee!

I couldn't help but to climb up to walk around the structure and attempted to slide down with my big bum... and of course to take some photos with my hp. See the kids? They must be thinking how come this aunt is fighting with them in the playground! Haha.

So tell me, where in Spore can I find my merry-go-round now?! I want!!!!

P.S: Reminiscing the past does come with age huh... Should I sigh with that statement?!

What a nightmare!

It had been a tedious road leading up to my trip back to Hanoi over the past one month– tons of preparation to get done, so much logistics to manage and so much detail to handle… and many stretches were given to me at last minute, thinking I could wave my wand and create magic.

My four days stay at InterContinental Westlake was of no fun too. Nice hotel, great food and overall the offsite event went very well for everyone. I am glad with the result – it just showed how much we were prepared for it. On the other hand, I felt like I was a slave, at the commands and wishes of those spoilt brats, cleaning up every shit they left behind, listening to the complaints on all the little faults they could find. I seriously think I am worthless in their eyes.

I wondered if they did know how much work had been put in to ensure that every small detail was taken care of. My colleague and I practically worked non-stop from the moment our eyes were forced open by our alarm clock at about 6.30am till midnight or later every night. There wasn’t even a moment that we had the luxury to turn on the TV in our room, immerse in the splendid view of Westlake or enjoy the hotel facilities. When everyone was relaxing, we were running all around to put things in place.

Finally it was over – I was back in town by Sunday evening, but the energy expended during those few days were more than what our body could cope. So my colleague was still MIA from work after three days, and though I rested at home on Mon, I struggled at work yesterday to keep my eyes open or to think properly, so much so that I decided to work from home today. My throat is also badly inflamed since yesterday, and it seems like a flu bug is on its way unless I manage to keep it down.

Whichever, the offsite finally came to a close, thanks goodness for that! My boss is already telling me where we should consider choosing for our next year offsite… but blah, stop that. I hope I would not have a chance to organize this again ok, but to formally sit inside the offsite and be part of it.

Boys over Flowers

I have finished watching the korean version of Boys over Flowers... I like it cos it has one of my favourite korean actress, Koo Hye Sun. Not that she is that pretty, but somehow I just like her roles in many a drama series...Hah. Watching her act is a pleasure somehow.

This korean version is definitely better than the Taiwan version that I had watched a few years ago. I didn't even exactly follow the series then! But this, I think there are some humour which I practically burst out laughing... and some really heart-warming scenes. Cannot deny that cast is good too - all those young F4 are good looking, so are some of the female extended cast! haha

But what I am more in love with are the OST found in this drama series. There are heaps of songs within this drama and all are great songs I must say. There are actually two soundtrack CDs for this drama, not to mention another 3 special edition albums. They certainly have made alot of $ out of this drama... smart! (oh, I have all the songs already of course!)

Below are my 2 personal favourites from the OST albums... Perhaps one can only appreciate the songs much better after following the drama. But even not, I figure the tune or the mtv already tells a story...



Love You by Howl... Lyrics translation

I smell a familiar fragrance in the air
The breeze that blew around you now blows across to me, oooh
In my heart, maybe it was the light you made shine upon me
That light shields me from hurtful sorrows
Love you.... thinking of you now, I close my eyes again

I love you. If I could fill your two eyes
I love you. If I could show you my smiles
I could give you all the bright stars in the sky oooh
I love you. If I could show you my love
I love you. If you could teach me you heart
Id follow whatever you do
Love you, Love you, Love you
Forever

Im walking right behind you beneath the moonlight
Look at me a little more closely
Should I ask the clouds to let the rain fall for you once again
So I could hold on to your wet heart
Love you.... thinking of you now, I close my eyes again

I love you. If I could fill your two eyes
I love you. If I could show you my smiles
I could give you all the bright stars in the sky oooh
I love you. If I could show you my love
I love you. If you could teach me you heart
Id follow whatever you do
Love you, Love you, Love you
Only you

Today!

I have not been blogging recently... Basically I have been very busy chasing my Korean drama series during my free time at home. =P Other than that, I have been slightly more than stressed over work and some issues with some people… But let’s do all these in another entry… I want to share how my Jul 14 has gone so far today…

I went back to work reluctantly as I had so much unfinished work and I had a meeting in the morning which I needed to attend… Yet I left midday… to go for lunch with Dan. We ended up at Li Bai, Sheraton hotel which Dan had reserved a table. In short, the lunch was fantastic. We ordered the set lunch for two, added the goose liver with peking duck and the spinach tofu. Thumbs up for the food- yummy!! I must also compliment the waitresses’ prompt services – I was certainly impressed by how acute they are to customers’ needs.

The next item on the agenda was a mystery, only realising that I was going for a massage just half an hour before the session. Whichever, both of us had a steam bath, a thorough body scrub and also tui na massage after recommendation by the masseurs. But the best was yet to come for we did this treatment which I forgot what it was called… It was supposed to help get rid of the toxins in your body… and to give you a preview, below are the end results of our backs after our treatment….

I don't think I need to point out whose back is whose, ya? Haha... The damages as you can see are great! All the red little dots that you see especially on Dan’s back are supposed to be evidence where toxins had been sucked out from the body.

Both of our backs are feeling pretty sore now obviously – see how red our backs look!! It was a painful treatment to start off with for Dan was practically holding tight to the legs of the bed when the masseur was doing it to him! Hah! And if my soreness scale is 5 now, then Dan’s one must be x10 of that! :P It will take a lot of courage to try this again!!

What an unforgettable wedding anniversary for both of us! All thanks to Dan! Hah!

P.S. I must thank some sweet guys who have remembered today of ours… Very blessed to have you guys in our lives! :)

寂寞光年-《双子星》主题曲

Really like this song sung by 刘力杨- such powerful voice... Most of all, I love the lyrics... Listen to it and you know what I mean.



是谁从我天空摘走了星星
一转眼 眉头聚满乌云
从来快乐悲伤都自己横行
忘了我也值得被关心

一双手一个梦
一路上不断的俯冲
痛到忘了要怎么喊痛

漫长的寂寞淹没我的难过
我的世界是零下的沙漠
其实我也想要拥抱的温柔
融化这颗坚强的泡沫

漫长的等候让人特别失落
锋锐寂寞把天空都割破
还有谁能够紧握着我的手
陪着我期待消失的彩虹

是谁将阳光都剪成了雨滴
天灰了 快乐总有限期
从来都陷在孤独的流沙里
忘了我也配被人在意
一个人一直走看着梦像做了又空
精疲力尽有没有哪里可以停泊

漫长的寂寞淹没我的难过
我的世界是零下的沙漠
其实我也想有拥抱的温柔
融化这颗坚强的泡沫

漫长的等候让人特别失落
锋锐寂寞把天空都割破
还有谁能够紧握着我的手
陪着我期待消失的彩虹
那是谁的温柔留在我的小手
微不足道却那么重

漫长的寂寞把意志都吞没
整个世界是沉默的漩涡
有谁能陪我手牵着手出走
带我离开空洞的星球

还有什么值得追求
还有什么可以拥有
把怀抱借给我是不是就不再颤抖
有谁能带走这美丽的哀愁
能让我相信被爱的理由

Hope dashed...

The test result is out – he is H1N1 negative… so it is a case closed…

And I cannot get unrecorded leave and stay home to R&R (without being infected of course!)…*snort*

H1N1!

So it is getting nearer...

My company has someone who has been tested positive for H1N1, but luckily he or she is located on another floor.

But my colleague's roommate has just been sent to hospital to test for H1N1 - he is currently running a fever after being back from Philippines last weekend.

My colleague who just sits next to me has been sent home already.

This also means if the test result in another 10 hours' time is positive, I may need to quarantine myself too. :O

Forgetting to live

Like this that I read:

"But those who forget the past, neglect the present and fear for the future have a life that is very brief and troubled; when they have reached the end of it, the poor wretches preceive too late that for such a long while they have been busied in doing nothing."

- Roman philosopher Seneca

Squandering the past:
The engrossed are so caught up in the day-to-day that they never take the time to look back. Their lives are like a bottomless well, swallowing up the past as though it never existed.

Neglecting the present:
"Present time is very brief, so brief indeed, that to some there seems to be none; for it is always in motion."

Fearing the future:
"Very wretched, therefore, and not merely short, must the life of those be who work hard to gain what they must work harder to keep." They spend their entire lives preparing to live.

Raffles Marina

Stepped back into Raffles Marina Yacht Club last Sunday after nearly two years . I love that place for its beautiful sunset and peaceful nightfall. Such coincidence - there was a couple getting married that Sunday evening, and witnessing their solemnisation at the garden lawn brought back nice memories...

The yacht club scene that evening...

Another perspective in landscape

Coconut trees! Hah! The sun started to set

The scenery became more charming as the sun set more

The Mind

The Mind
Relationship with it is a tricky affair
Can it be manipulated?
Can it be conditioned?
Such that it serves purposefully

How not to think?
How not to be bothered?
How not to be affected?

If it is overwhelmed, can it be not?
If it pins for someone, can it let go?
If it feels bitter, can it be sweetened?

To what extent can it be stretched?
So it knows more, be better and exhibits more strength
Is the sky the limit?

What's next?

My new toy

I bought a new Tokina 12-24mm f4 lens few days ago. I was deciding over the weekend what lens I should get for my Canon EOS400D - should I get a zoom len or a wide angle zoom lens. Well, it’s all in preparation for my NZ trip in Oct! :P

After doing lots of read-up, I decided that I should get myself a wide angle lens first. You see, I would love to get every len that I desire but one lens does not come cheap, esp those L lens produced by Canon! (Ok, I know I am speaking Greek now.) Whichever, bottom line there are too many different types of lens, and it is easy to let a new investment end up to be a dust collector.

There are comparables - Canon itself, which costs a bomb of over $1K, and third party lens Sigma and Tamron. In the end, I bought into the salesman recommendation and decided on a Tokina lens. At least the price is better at $840. The reviews have been pretty good for this lens, so I am looking forward to try out my new toy over the weekend. Let's see if it takes some good landscape photos.

Next holidays

Yes! I finally booked my SQ tickets yesterday to Christchurch, NZ in Oct...

Is it too early to book for a trip, especially when no one knows how Swine flu will develop over the next few months? I really don't know, but I am not leaving it to chance again for I have been saying this for the past 2 years, but still have never made it happen. Two years ago, we got play out by our friends, and last year we hesitated on the dates and in a week's time, the airticket prices skyrocketed.

So I figured we all can lock in the dates and the attractive flight fares first -cancellation of the tickets costs S$75 each versus the huge difference in airfares come close to travel dates. All may change come closer to date, but well, at least there is a date for each of us to work towards to. The best part is each of us bought a piece of winter jacket at a sale last week for this NZ trip before we even booked the airtickets! Hah.

Four is a great number to go travelling, so I am indeed excited. We will be spending 2 weeks in NZ, and I'll be spending my birthday there. ;) The broad plan is to comb south of NZ, from Christchurch to Queenstown and back to Christchurch via self drive...

There will be much planning to be done and heaps of stuff to buy for this trip... but I am glad that at least there is a long break that I can look forward to even though it is many months down the road.. :)

Finally a post!

I have been really busy since I was back from Layang Layang two Sunday ago. Work has been never ending that I hardly have time to breathe! I was working from home till past 12mn yesterday!

So no photos, no updates…nor anything else for the past two weeks… (But I ought to say that I had great fun diving at Layang Layang during my 8 days there, not to mention that Dan and I were the few lucky ones to see a school of hammerhead sharks in the deep blue at 40m!)

But finally got a breather and thought to share somethig on a book that I am currently reading -“Listening below the noise” written by Anne D.LeClaire. I must admit it's pretty addictive food for the brain.

I’m not quite done with it, but here is a paragraph that stuck a cord in me:

Within each of us there resides our own muddy, messy space, our inner garbage heap where we toss scarps too painful to consider or confront, the loss, pain, grief, and disappointment that are all too real. In the hollow of our hearts resides the fault lines of our lives, the lies we tell ourselves to get by, and the space where narcissistic aspects of personality can arise. When we weed out extraneous stimulation and let go of the reins of control, these things claim our attention…… “In silence, all the deformed children that dwell inside come forward and say ‘Love me.’” And this is what we flee. Kathleen Norris writes of this…..”Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces us to know as we are.”

Do you resonate with it?

Interesting book, I must say…. More to be read and explored…

Over the long weekend

The long weekend flashed past in a blink, and I wished I had more time. Fun times always seemed to pass the fastest…

Fri, May 1
Dan and I went to explore Marang Trail of the Southern Ridges in the late afternoon, walked through Mount Faber and onto Henderson Bridge once again... I ended up all sweaty in two hours, but still it was a new area to discover and experience. Went for early Mother’s day dinner celebration at a vegetarian restaurant that evening too… It is such a nostalgic restaurant for me as I used to frequent it when I was in secondary school.. Those were the times...

Sat, May 2
I tried beginner rock climbing at SAFRA Yishun at noon time with Dan and another 10+ people. Gosh, what an experience indeed.

See how high the wall is…?

Another angle of the wall.... this is an easy wall... There are other walls behind exhibiting greater challenges!

An attempt up got me panting and sweating- it requires so much strength and effort from me! I know it must be an easy feat for many people who had tried climbing on much tougher walls. Yet, I am proud of my own accomplishment - it was my first try after living for some decades, and I scaled the wall 3x and succeeded on reaching the top each time. But I must admit that I really struggled to stay on the wall on my 3rd attempt, as my energy was already low, and arms were giving way at one crunch point on the wall.

However, I soon forgot the pain that evening as I was eating my frog legs porridge at Geylang ( I had sudden craving for it, you see! Ha!) On top of that, I demanded for durians for snacks that night too! Triple wows for me!! :))

Sun, May 3
As usual, I did my run at East Coast Park with Dan in the morning… It was more than stretchy that morning, as our triceps, biceps and thighs were all aching from the rock climbing the day before. Luckily, the weather started cooling as it was raining before that… but obviously the happiness did not last long as the sun was out to play in no time. Nevertheless, we did about 16km before we cleaned up and made our way to Tampopo for ramen and my favourite tasty eggs! Yummy!

Yet, the best was yet to be! We had a scheduled massage and body scrub to pamper ourselves at 1pm. Shiok is the word after coming out of the room – whole body felt so much more relaxed, smoother, and better before we stepped into the beauty salon. Such sinful indulgence and addiction really…

The day was still young after my massage and we did a whole heap of things and errands thereafter before retiring in bed at 12 midnight…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a busy long weekend, yet I felt glad and happy to have such fruitful three days. I had discovered new places, tried new things and enjoyed spending time together, eating good food and doing some activities that I like.

Life is more than just work, stress, getting grumpy about yesterday, and all worried about tomorrow that has yet to come… It is about discovering, experiencing and living the moment. It may not be a simple or easy journey, but the greatest joy can come from simplicity and counting my blessings.

Quote

Someone taught me this last night, and I cannot help but to write about this.

Quote of the day:

"If you know, it is common sense.
If you don't know, it doesn't make sense...."

It does make some sense. *roll eyes*

Swine Flu

The latest is in the air - Swine flu... The virus has very quickly gained much attention worldwide, and has already killed up to 149 people in Mexico.

This new strain of virus spreads from person-to-person and seems to be highly infectious... Adding on to the worries, it seems to kill the young and strong between age 25 to 45 too, and will spread faster than SARS. The WHO has already raised the alert level from phase 3 to 4, indicating a significantly increased risk of a pandemic globally.

So what's next? Will there be an outbreak and and cause chaos like SARS a few years back? It seems too early to tell, but all countries have stepped up their precautionary measures to ward off the outbreak, such as screening all air passengers and quarantining anyone that shows symptoms of the deadly virus.

Obviously, this flu outbreak dampened the already weakened economy even further, as investors feared that it could force the countries further into recession...

Bad news... Many eyes will be focused on the development of swine flu for the next few weeks for sure...

Such powerful individuals

Did a few sms exchanges with my advance sg members who are currently doing LP
Just wanted to see where they are and how they are now
And wow, some are so inspiring and powerful
Some are still trying, but determined and resilient...
They may not know, but they touch me deep from within
Happy to know they are creating results out there
Proud to hear they are not giving up
Delighted to see them playing team for win-win
My contribution to them may be so microscopic,
But being able to witness them grow and soar from a distance is such a privilege
Such inspiring individuals...
This is what life is about – living spectacularly and being in contribution
I am glad that I did make a stand for them...

"Funeral" Commerical ad

The latest commercial commissioned by MCYS... Spend a little while to watch it if you have yet to see it on TV...

"Little imperfections that make them perfect for you..."

Cherish it.

Over last two weeks...

I went missing for awhile without any updates… Simple – I was totally overwhelmed by work awhile back then that I totally had no time or strength to blog.

Long story short, I was so caught up with an offsite event that I was preparing in Hanoi for this weekend. There had been many issues to tackle and areas to look at. Yet, the best is yet to be, for I received a call late last Thu evening from my boss to say that it needs to be postponed… Oh well, what else can I say?

Logically, it’s a blessing for the fact that I have time to breathe this week when it is supposedly to be topsy turvy, and I would need to spend my weekend in Vietnam working. But then again, the whole cycle of nightmare will soon start again once the new dates are out.

I did make a trip to Hanoi over 4 days two weeks ago, and spent some time getting myself familiar there. It was pretty fun overall – it was a whole new experience seeing Vietnamese’s ways of life, tasting their food, walking their streets… The food was pretty yummy ok! We did a day trip to Halong bay too, which supposedly is one of the must-go places in Hanoi. Yet, I think I remembered the torturous 3 and ½h road journey to and fro better than Halong itself!

I also bought a pair of Coleman trekking shoes last week finally, and tried them at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve last Sun. I felt like I was walking in elephants’ feet as the shoes felt so heavy after awhile. Wonder how am I going to climb Kinabalu with the lousy physical state I am in… and we have yet to set any concert date to that climb too… Still trying to find a suitable date - I want to do other holidays too leh! Limited time, unlimited wants!!

Time… always seems to be in scarcity nowadays…*shrug*

Hanoi Highlights

I swinged by to Hanoi for a few days for a business trip two weeks ago, but I did extend another day to explore the area. Such perfect chance, so how to give that up? Some photos below...


View of Hotel Intercontinental Westake from my room. It was a rainy day that day, thus the dark sky. It was only 18 degree outside! Yet, the view was a treat!


The seducing view at nightfall... The serenity is so different from the busy main Hanoi city.


The busy traffic at the intersection of Old Quarter. Traffic is a real nightmare there, not to mention the air and noise pollution!


The entrance to Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake. You need to pay to get in - VND10k, i.e. S$1.


Oh well, the incense urn outside the temple. Just feel it's a piece of art by itself.


One scenery taken while we were touring the famous Halong Bay.


Isn't this pic arty farty? Taken at Intercontinental again.

Happiness

I like what I read in MyPaper today:

Deaf-blind Amercian author Helen Keller wrote: " Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow, and then for ourselves." ...

Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday. And today was such a lovely day. That I wondered why I worried about today yesterday. So today I am not going to worry about tomorrow. There may not be a tomorrow anyway. So today I am going to live as if there is no tomorrow. And I am going to forget about yesterday...

Happines does not necessarily have to come from striving for something we don't have. It can come from recognising and appreciating what we do.

Layang Layang

Finally, my first diving trip for the year – Palau Layang Layang from 8 to 15 May! Dubbed "The Jewel of the Borneo Banks", it is supposed to offer an amazing scuba diving experience. Flipping through an old edition of the dive magazine “Australasia ScubaDiver” that reviewed about Layang Layang, I already got all excited simply by just looking at the photos! About 12 world-class sites, each site is as prolific as the next…

April and May is the best time to see schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks – their mating season! Other than that, I may get to see megafauna such as sharks, whales and schools of fish to the coolest macro like pygmy seahorses, leaf scorpionfish and pearly anthias. I must pray very hard that I would get to see all of these and more!

Of course, I’m ready to take heaps of pictures during this trip… n have armed myself with ammunition too – additional 2 camera batteries (on top of the 2 batteries that I already have) and bringing along my laptop to upload all the photos taken daily!

Wow, I cannot wait! Woohooo!

《一切完美2 》主题曲 — 放了爱

你指向远方 爱情很晴朗
笑问不如今后就我们俩
怕泪会反光 钻进你的胸膛
但那不是感动 是 泪无法储藏

把美梦锁上 以为是天堂
羽翼折起在你身边静静躺
却只能用目光在空中翱翔
还得乔装安份 靠在你肩膀

放了爱 为了爱
这不是我 该怎么生活
放了爱

你说你喜欢 我笑得开朗
你越温柔 我越不想撒谎
我已办不到你想要的那样
客气地配合你 我感觉更勉强

别人的幸福 何必要模仿
心不在何苦 留躯壳在身旁
加满自由 我要无重量飞翔
就算以分离收场

放了爱 为了爱
这不是我 该怎么生活
放了爱 会明白
有种拥有 叫做放手

我的心 为爱流离失所
紧握最后回家的线索
等到寻获真正的我
证明我决定没有错

放了爱 为了爱
这不是我 想要的生活
放了爱 你会明白
有种拥有 叫做放手
放了爱

《一切完美2》

Have you been watching Perfect Cut 2 on Channel U at 10pm? I have… When the drama serial “Perfect Cut” was aired in July last year, it broke viewership records, received good critics and won accolades. So Perfect Cut 2 was a sequel to that, featuring the original cast, Thomas Ong, Michelle Chia and Julian Hee, with new blood Edmund Chen and Phyllis Quek.

Personally, I think Perfect Cut 2 is indeed another well done drama serial… The surgeries were so real, making me squeak and hair raised… The storyline of each case was so touching that it drove tears rolling down the cheeks… It brought up controversies of individuals going for cosmetic surgeries and presented different points of views to a same issue, stimulating thoughts and feelings... it is also educational as it sheds lights to some facts and figures that a man-on-the-street may never have known.

On top of that, I love this drama serial for the fact that it has incorporated much life learnings into each episode. Some stuff that I learnt or was reminded again:

• If you can give words of encouragement, why give words of attack? At times, all it takes from you is some words of encouragement to let another person have confidence and go forth in life
• Committing suicide is the greatest humilation to a human being's life
• Relationships are meant to be managed, not tested
• Have the courage to pursue happiness in your life
• Start on a clean slate and make the choice all over again
• Give the key to your heart and see who lives in it
• Every moment spent with loved ones is treasured memory; there is no purpose to time spent into earning money only, sacrificing the time spent with loved ones…

It is the final episode tonight… No prize for guessing that I will be glued to my tv…

My new laptop

Dan and I made up the 768,000 visitors at the IT Show 2009. We were there on Sunday after our weekly morning run, gosh, our jaws dropped when we saw the massive crowd at Suntec Convention Ground Floor waiting to go up the escalators. It was only about 12+pm in the afternoon then and the doors to the IT show were just opened, but it was already packed! It took us more than ten minutes just to go up the escalators lor! Needless to say, we were sardines inside the exhibition hall by 2pm!

Like all others, we were combing for a good bargain there... The purpose was to get a pretty reasonable laptop at an attractive price (read: cheap!). Thus we were wandering around the various PC booths, trying to compare the specifications and prices... Long story short, we stumbled across this HP promotion and we both agreed that this was the ONE! ... HP Pavilion dv4-1301tx Entertainment Notebook PC @ $1,299 (student offer price) with 2nd and 3rd year pick up and return local warranty... Ya ya, of course I am no longer a student, but my younger brother still is... So there we have it! Cheap, good and still got 3 years warranty! I like HP anyway.

Now waiting for it to be delivered in a few weeks time...


• Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology featuring Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
• NVIDIA GeForce with 512MB of dedicated video memory
• 14.1” Diagonal WXGA HP BrightView Widescreen Display
•4GB RAM
• 320GB HDD with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support
• 802.11a/g/n WLAN with Bluetooth
• ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• Integrated 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
• HP Pavilion Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphones

The days...

This is one of those days that:
I feel blue and out of sorts
I question my own worth
I doubt my value in others' eyes

There are other days that:
I feel feeble
I want to act wilful and throw tantrums
I feel like running away (or stop running for that matter)

If the journey in life is akin to running, then being disciplined is about completing a run even though I don't feel like it or don't feel like I am up to it...

It's my dream job too!

I am sure you have heard about it - The Best Job in the World, to be Hamilton island caretaker for half a year and get a salary of AUD$150K.

So what do you do in these 6 months? Explore, dive, snorkel, bushwalking, feed the fish, upload photos, videos and blog about your experiences and encounters! All for a handsome salary of $150K! Gosh, how good can that get?!! No wonder people just swamped to try their luck.

This is such an ingenious idea, for the focus is not about hiring a caretaker, but to promote Hamilton as a first-class holiday escapade to the world. It has certainly achieved its purpose! Just looking at the number of applicants, news coverage and the stir it has caused tell more than a thousand words.

The 50 short-listed applicants have just been recently announced, and I was really curious to view their 1-minute videos. I must say, after watching many of them, some of them are really creative, out of the box and well done. My personal favourites are videos from Julia (Russia), Greg (Singapore) and some others which I cannot quite recall now (watched too many, could not recall who is who!).

Take a look at some of the videos: http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/shortlisted-applicants

Dun you wish that you are at Great Barrier reef now, lazing and enjoying what it has to offer? Ahh...

The Card and My thots

When I thought I have rationalised everything
Concluding that it is alright and ok
Only to realise that a card had evoked the obscured feelings
This is one of those times where I overestimate myself
I am sometimes weaker and more vulnerable than I thought

Then again feelings, evaluations, assessments not that I do not have
In fact my conversations may be much louder than many people
But focus on the bigger picture and be rational is what I choose and kept telling myself
Such choices may not make life easier for me
Yet I should do what's best... (or so I hope)
All things happen for a reason - it's a journey for me to accept, learn, shift and grow

... ... ...

Adv: After thots

The five full days were stretchy - I needed to call forth so much focus and energy, not to mention the daily late nights and early mornings. Yet, I simply lost track of time when each day seemed to zoom past in a flash.

It had been a different yet wonderful and fulfilling experience to step back into the Advance training room since my last staffing four years ago. I had grown and shifted over these years, thus the ways I was in the room with my people were completely different. It was a precious growth experience for me, learning that if I am at ease with creating results, my people will be too. I learnt to trust myself in who I need to be for them to win. All the conversations of whether I was doing it right disappeared when I focused out there, on something bigger than myself.

On top of that, I was very inspired by the big people in the room and their willingness to work with themselves. I am proud of the stand they make for themselves and for someone's life. It was of no easy feat, so seeing them shift, let go, grow and create breakthrough make me want to go for more in my life, knowing that I can.

You can never know how an apple tastes like until you get your teeth into it. Similarly, no word can fully describe the experience and learning that you can get in Advance. But I do know it's an experience that no one will regret if they make the decision to walk in. I never did, and I am sure my adv buddy, LP captain, Dan and many people around me can attest to that too... :)

Happy V'day

Today is the day – Feb 14. Where lovers overtly express their love by lavish dinners, gifts and flowers…

What did I do on this day? Spent the first few moments with 2 other friends – it was early celebration of his birthday that falls next Friday… As I am not free next week, we brought it forward to yesterday. We were having a drink together when the clock ticked to 12 midnight.

Today - I ended up at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for trail walking… I was there for more than an hour in late afternoon, sweating it out from all the climbing and descending… The irony is both Dan and I were tired from that little while of shopping after lunch, but were wide awake when walking around the trails! And we had Mac for dinner cos we wanted to catch the last episode of the 730pm show on Channel U. Oops.. boring day?! Ha…

Do not know when it starts, but I never exactly fancy Feb 14. It is overly commercialized. Maybe it is about age catching up huh. I prefer my way of celebrating V’day, by doing things that I enjoy doing… Simplicity is beauty. Haaa…

Still, Happy Valentine Day, everyone!

I hate next week!

It is going to be super hectic time for me comes next week. Real early mornings plus super late nights for every consecutive day in the week… I wonder how I am supposed to survive the week. * shrug*

It is undoubtedly busy time on Mon and Tue at work… Yet, I am on leave on Wed to Fri… It is seriously a bad time for me to go on leave, as I have much unfinished work and this also means I am delaying some answers that I need from my boss – irritatingly, he is only back in office from Wed. *#Y@*#&! I would need to bear the prices for my actions when I am back at work the week after.

And am I going some place for holidays from next Wed onwards? Nope, it is no fun time. I am in for serious tough work with some people… it will certainly be more intense and tiring than work itself…

Stretchy, stretchy, stretchy… So many prices to pay… It is like I am already in Advance before I step back in again.

I chose this stretch... Arggh....

I hate Mondays, especially today!

It is a 'horrible, horrible' way to start a Monday morning!
Having to crawl out of bed at 5.30am was ultimate torture
Sitting around at 6.45am at hawker centre was a pain
Discussing serious matters at such early hour strained my pea brain
And I am sitting in office now feeling so zombified and tired
That I feel I ought to be shot - death seems to be a better way out for now
Arrgh... it is going to spoil my day... n maybe week...
A tired me is an irritated bitch lor...
All thanks to my captain! 3 cheers for him. Duh.

My first work day in Ox year

Off went the Rat, here comes the Ox… In a blink of an eye, CNY is already on its 3rd day… The preparation for CNY always seems to be mountainous, but the festive season will be over before one realized it.

The indulging super long weekend ended so fast that I was feeling blue going to work today. I regretted not taking another day off – the roads were empty and trains had no crowd. However, most people in my office, being non-locals, were already running at full steam, dampening my CNY mood certainly. Of course, I know very clearly the main reason why I resisted so much about getting into office – the person sitting next to me…

And I did lose my cool with some people in office today. :O I always have little tolerance for nonsensical stuff especially at work, but I have managed (or so I thought) to mellow that down quite a fair bit nowadays. Yet, my mood was biting me so much today that I almost blew off my top! Obviously, my low tolerance could not be hidden nor my irritated tone could go unnoticed. But well, what was done cannot be undone. I just hope I did not start myself on the wrong foot. :(

I would re ground myself of course, me attempting to be the sensible me… So tomorrow will be a better day. *fingers crossed*

“My vision, commitments dictate my actions, not my feelings, assessments or evaluations…”

BUT I should seriously consider if I should take a day off this Friday…

My last clearing in the Year of Rat

When a friend can walk out of you because of that little bit of money, I think it is a little hard to swallow.

Objectively, it is a fair transaction – I pay you the right price, you come and work for me. Some other people pay you a higher price, you move on. There is nothing that I can do or stop it from happening. But the line gets blur when I am talking about a friend here, not to say I am talking only a mere three months here.

When you asked for that price which can compensate you well for your move, I got it for you. When you are in for these few months, you are obviously not as busy as I am, for I think I should give you time to adapt. When you are late or do not come to work, I close one eye...

Yet, after a short stint of three months, you said you want to move back to your ex-company. You said they are going to retain the operation in Singapore instead of the initial plan to shift the team to Bangalore eventually, thus they wanted to hire back people like you who need no training. They have come up with a pay package to match your existing pay, and with that come the $1k London shift allowance, which you think make a huge difference to your income … You have also found a whole string of all other reasons to justify your decision.

I have told myself to draw a clear line between work and friendship. Thus I had not wanted to make you wrong nor want to exploit on feelings… cos I know there will be no end to that. There is also no point getting someone to stay and be unhappy about that. So I had a chat with you very objectively, minus all feelings and assessments, and let you get to where you want to.

But really, it is indeed upsetting if I let all my feelings get to me. As a friend, you had never considered the difficult spot (and the possible shit hole) that you had landed me into by your actions and decision. You have also not appreciated much of the many things that I have done for you here. All you think of is you, yourself and money. So I really wonder what am I to you- a tool that you can make use of and to leverage on?

I do know our vision and thoughts are different, so it is each to his own – there is nothing wrong with your decision. There should be no hard feelings at all, and I don’t think I will have. The issue itself is not a big deal, but it is just tougher to swallow the tints of disappointment in your characters and our friendship...

P.S. Do not exploit me of my trust, love and sincerity... for I can be very vulnerable when it comes to all these.

It's all grim news

World economy now is going downhill, we are in a worst recession after the longest time. What can poor employees like me expect? No job security, no bargaining power... Life is going to be tougher... Better tighten wallet and save more, for I am not as rich as Tan Yong Soon...

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Reuters - Wednesday, January 21

By Neil Chatterjee and Jan Dahinten

SINGAPORE, Jan 21 - Singapore's economy shrank the most on record in the last quarter of 2008 and the government forecast a 5 percent contraction this year and a possible fall in consumer prices, which may prompt a one-off currency devaluation.

A government declaration that the economy was suffering its worst ever recession and official forecasts of a continued slump suggested to analysts the central bank could push down the centre of the trading band for the Singapore dollar, effectively devaluing it to help the key export sector.

The grim figures, largely a reflection of Singapore's exposure to the slump in global trade, also pave the way for an expansionary budget on Thursday as the government scrambles to shelter the economy from the worst global financial crisis in decades.

"The Singapore economy is going through its sharpest, deepest and most protracted recession," the Trade Ministry's Second Permanent Secretary Ravi Menon told journalists.

Government data showed gross domestic product shrank in the fourth quarter at a deeper-than-expected and seasonally adjusted rate of 16.9 percent, the biggest fall on record and the third consecutive quarterly contraction. Provisional figures had reported a 12.5 percent slump.From a year earlier, gross domestic product fell 3.7 percent.

That left 2008 growth at just 1.2 percent, an abrupt turnaround from a 7.7 percent expansion in 2007 when the stock market <.FTSTI>, financial services and property prices were booming.

The government downgraded its view of the economy for the second time in just three weeks, reflecting the rapid deterioration in the global economy that has seen much of the developed world slip into recession.

Singapore now sees GDP falling between 2 percent and 5 percent this year, which would be the worst performance on record, with consumer prices flat to down 1 percent.

"The official acknowledgement of deflation risks keeps alive a strong possibility that an eventual downward band re-centring could be on the cards in April," said Kit Wei Zheng at Citigroup, adding it could also restore some cost competitiveness.

However, the central bank said on Wednesday its monetary policy stance was intact after it moved to zero appreciation for the currency in October to counter the global financial crisis. It said it had no plans to review policy before a scheduled meeting in April.

Singapore manages monetary policy by adjusting the value of its currency in a secret trade-weighted band.

梁文音【最幸福的事】

How to resist falling in love with this song? I really do not know. Btw, the highlight of this MV is at the end, so be a little patient.

歌詞:

你撐著雨傘 接我那次
已經足夠我 記得一輩子
我懂後來你 不是不堅持
愛情本來就 沒萬無一失
淚水離開了 你的手指
那不如讓它 留在這信紙
我想女孩子 最貼心的是
讓愛的人選 結束的方式

我最幸福的事 當過你的天使
趁鼻酸能掩飾 讓我們像當時擁抱最後一次
最幸福的事 吹蠟燭時你總為我許願的手勢
為摯愛的人 在左邊心口保留位是最幸福的事

可惜愛不是 童話故事
不能夠永遠 依賴著王子
再難過其實 隻剩兩個字
我怎麼忍心 為難你解釋

我最幸福的事 當過你的天使
趁鼻酸能掩飾 讓我們像當時 擁抱最後一次
最幸福的事 吹蠟燭時你總為我許願的手勢
為摯愛的人 在左邊心口保留位置 是最幸福的事

那一陣子有你 美得不像現實
多高興每一幕 都微笑著靜止

我最幸福的事 牽著你的日子一段愛
從開始 即使分開我們 都對彼此誠實
最幸福的事 對那片海用力大喊永遠的樣子
想得起那時 那天和你傻笑著認識 是最幸福的事

Mary Jane!

This is my newly bought pair of Mary Jane Crocs... after a failed attempt to buy my running shoes (yet again!) at Queensway.

There is a 30% discount, so I think it is a great buy to replace my green Athens Crocs.

I'm easily satisfied, so am happy with this great buy! I got the cutie studs too (at a discount too, of course!)... Haaa...

I must say Crocs are really comfy walking shoes! Never judge slippers/shoes by their appearances...

Oh Women...!

We have more and more women joining our team in our office in these recent weeks
And one of my colleagues shares the same sentiments as I do -
It's worrying cos we know how some women can complicate things, not to say they cat fight
There are thousand and one things women compare amongst themselves
Looks, figure, age, status, dressing, make-up, bags, shoes... the list can go on and on
Some women obviously can be very threatened by younger, prettier and more energetic newbies
Some others resist that there is another woman more powerful, more assertive in the same room as they are
Some just cannot stand the fact that they are no longer the centre of attention
So they resort to stunts of all sorts to get to where they want to be...
Conversations such as "she is a bitch", "she did this, she did that” and “like and dun like" blah blah blah start to storm the grapevine...
Women can be worst creatures on earth when they start to get insecure
These undercurrents are worse than chemical warfare itself

At the end of it all, I think it eventually boils down to self confidence - knowing who you are, where you stand in terms of your own beauty and capabilities
We all are unique individuals with different personalities, looks and strengths, appealing to different people and excelling in different areas
Embracing fully who we are will make us shine brightly amongst the crowds...
Yes, it's easier said than done...
And ... I am also a woman...

My 2009 Declarations

Decide to do these few in 2009:
A marathon, a climb and a few dive trips;
Staff an advance, aim for greater heights at work, and spend more times with loved ones...

To be:
Be open, loving, passionate, focused and determined...

Simple? Yes??? (You sure?!)

Period.

What a first week

Last week was only the first week officially into the New Year at work, but it had already presented a fair share of challenges to me, driving me almost nuts…

I wonder how all can develop over the months and where I will be by then. Some things, there aren't instant solutions; for others, the situations do not seem to happen in my favour.

Is it a bad omen for the year? Or maybe I am over worrying, for things will all fall in place eventually…

Whichever, I definitely will not sit around and wait for the sky to drop or the hare to run and bang its head in front of me. At times like these, it is always wise to be constantly on my toes.

Let's wait and see… Bless me.

My 2008

A late post, but I did do my review and reflection of 2008. On hindsight, the year did not seem bad afterall - it is always a blessing to have all things to work out eventually, isn't it?

Work had been very challenging as I struggled my way through… There were countless moments when I sat at my desk and pondered hard over what was the appropriate next step. And my bonus sucked big time as compared to others when I got my adjustment letter in Nov. But it was all rectified when my boss gave a pretty good pay increment thereafter.

Relationships with family hasn't been easy - heaps of effort to get them handled, and they drove me nuts very often. Fortunately, there wasn't any big issue that could not be resolved, and together with the support from Dan, so I should not be complaining.

I did 2 marathons in 2008, which is the first time…and after 3 years from my first full marathon attempt in 2005. There were improvements in each run, which was something for me to celebrate about. Running - it is about ability and determination to finish a run even though I am not built for it and I am less than half past six at it. My learning and results from running are used to support all other areas in my life when I face crunch times.

I did 3 a-week long diving trips in the year too. Diving opens up a different world and experience… It is awesome to see so many remarkable living things in the sea. Besides, it is amazing how one's mind will never be on anything else (like work or dinner!) underwater…

All being said, I wish for a better and smoother year in 2009…