I spied a cat's picture on my boss's laptop.

Me: Is that your cat?
Boss: Ya.
Me: Nice ... I miss my friend's cat.
Boss: Go get yourself one lor.
Me: No lah, I not at home all the time.
Boss: That's the beauty about cats. They don't smell, they are clean and you don't come home and have them begging you to take them for walks.
Me: hahaha. true. But I never liked cats till I saw my friend's. I am still a dog person.
Boss: What do you mean?
Me: I am personable and friendly. I like to be taken on long romantic strolls. I like affection.
Boss: So you also like to be leashed lah? Does your boyfriend know that?

win liao lor.

I soaked my dress overnight and found to my horror that, the colour in the brown portion had ran and stained the beige portion. I bought this dress only three days ago, so tui!!! I embarked on "Operation Dress Rescue" and dunked the beige portion in a pail of bleach leaving the brown portion in another pail. Before going for work, I left my parents a note explaning what happened.

When I came home, I saw this. My parents had tied up my dress to the water pipe so no need to use pails and clutter the bathroom. Ingenious. This also means my dress is still not saved. *cry*

There were Ivy Lee, Phyllis Quek and Huang Shinan. I expected the actresses to be super thin but they looked like they do eat. Also, expected them to have thick makeup but I never imagined thiiiiiis thick! If foundation was flour, Ivy Lee and Phyllis Quek had one roti prata plastered to their faces. Guys are not spared, Huang Shinan had thick eyeliner too!

Huang Shinan

Ivy Lee and Phyllis Quek kept mostly to themselves. Huang Shinan was gregarious. As they were filming early in the morning, the air-conditioning wasn't turned on so he just walked up and down fanning himself and commenting how hot it was to us.

When one of the crew injured herself, Shinan came up to my colleague and I for medicine. He asked for some ointment that we never heard of so we just shook our heads and stared blankly at him. After repeating the word a few times, he then asked us "Are you Singaporeans?" "Japanese ah?" My colleague and I looked at each other and laughed. I replied him, "No lah, we Singaporeans. But don't know what is the jam-something you want." Colleague even smarter, "Let me go see what we can use in the first aid box."

Ivy Lee

I brought my camera but decided it was too crass to ask for pictures. So I did the papparazzi thing. And there you have it, my brush with local stardom.

yes i know you want to celebrate your friend's birthday but do you have to let the whole neighbourhood know?

happpee berday to yew
happpee berday to yew
happpee berday to monnika
happpee berday to yeeeew!

Arena is a live band bar with free admission on a Saturday!! That made us very very happy... =)

There were many groups of expats there - ang mohs, indians and chinese. This ang moh couple decided to give us some live entertainment of their own. The girl was touching her huge boobs and at one point, her hands strayed to the guy's thigh. i didn't want to see if it went anywhere else. of cos the guy reciprocated by stroking her chest. all these while the band was rocking damn loudly on stage. how is that a turn-on??!

Band was good but we were right next to the stage so it was a relief when they ended. I met up with Hongs who was there to celebrate a colleague's birthday and we yakked away till the next set. this time, it was a different band. the lady in the picture below started stretching away. stretching is good but shouldn't you do it off stage? more pro right? anyway.

it was good they stretched. the lead singers were very high energy - leaping, sliding, dancing and pointing their fingers at the audience to connect. at one point, the lady's dance moves look like our great singapore workout. hmm. they were so inspiring the indians started to clap and dance along as well which is very fun of them! can you imagine how the live band feels with a crowd of stony singaporeans who just sit there to listen ma jiam like symphony orchestra? i also just bopped about in my seat. *hangs head in shame*


after Arena, we headed for Selegie K-Box. On our way there, we began scaring each other talking about horror shows. talk until we decide to go watch Alone instead. Heng, the showtime at 2am and we were one hour early. I damn scaredy cat ok? We ended up watching Paprika, Japanese Anime. It was very fantasy, me likes the story and graphics. Then Win sent all of us home, arigato! Poor guy didn't have a bit the whole evening, i feel sorry for him.

Sigh, i so hate working Sats. It feels like Fridays when I get off work. Then when Sunday comes around, I realise I have to go back to work tomorrow. I feel shortchanged!

complaining to my boss about my job, well almost did.

boss: so your first week is over. how do you feel about the job?
me (without a thought): good and bad.
boss: what do you mean?
me: well, i like the job and the bosses are nice.
boss: *chuckles appreciatively* So what are the bad things?
me (more thought this time): erm. SO....... What does your wife do for work har?

Moral of the story: i need sleep or i start spewing nonsense.

SDU means something else locally. something that induces extreme likes or sniggers and certainly nothing to do with scrapbooking. By the way, do I really get a certificate after completing my 'university' course at SDU? Certificate would state B.L.O.G - Bachelor of Love Ordered by Gahmen.

me am busy reading harry potter.

first time ktv with them since i came back. it's only been a month but i have been to ktv 3 times!

1) Kelly's visit!

2) passing my probation

3) learning driving

4) training for the Standard Chartered race. jogging twice a week will be a good start.

I know I have been whiny. Thanks for hearing me through the MSN and phone. It's awful but I am such that I need to spit out my feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, I want to say more but at the risk of alienating all my friends, I rather just blog. Since it's the month end buzz, I don't expect anyone here. But you have been checking in everyday. Because of that, you get the brunt of my frustrations. Ultimately yes, I have to learn to deal with my own emotions. Unfortunately this blog becomes my means of dealing with it. The dump for my garbage.

Sorry. I promise to write more positive things.

the day started great then dipped. just when my mood was upbeat again, i got a mail from you. now i am ... no words to describe. it's not the work that i fear. it's the lack of comradeship.

one conclusion: 萬事起頭難， 只要一步一步來。

i am happy for you. really i am. but do you realise what i am unhappy about is the very thing that makes you happy? i am happy for you but the sense of unworthiness in me is growing too. i wonder when you will realise that.

I have come to realise that recruitment consultants are the best marketers. Because they can tell half-truths without missing a beat. I was pretty sure I would get to choose between 2 offers because the interviewers felt good about me and made very good comments. Hence, my consultant felt I would get the job and demonstrated it too. She failed to mention another candidate (not from her agency) was in the running too.

So, me being super confident was getting a headache over which offer to accept. I already had one which gave me the experience I want but the terms wasn't satisfactory. This one that I was waiting on had better pay and hours but not the experience I need. After agonizing over it, I decided pay should triumph. I would tell them yes tomorrow when the offer came.

Tomorrow came and the company decided on the other candidate. Even though I knew deep inside that this wasn't the job for me, I still felt the pangs of disappointment. Rejection is never pleasant. But sour grapes saved the day. "Humpfh. At least I can call myself a marketing exec instead of marketing admin!"

In the end, I got what I asked for. I prayed God would open and close the doors as he deem fit and he did. 我甘心了。Hey God, maybe I should be a recruitment consultant since they are such good marketers?

After every outing, we always promise to meet up more often but somehow 'more often' translates into once a year. I hate to say this again but "we must really meet up more often lah!"

While waiting in line at Esplanade's Ichiban Boshi with Ade, Su, Ting and Yun, Ade jio me to run 10km Standard Chartered race!!! I always wanted to do it but doubt I can make it. Still, I took up her challenge. Time to train up! I should start with my diet but annual gathering mah, so I start tomorrow. *cue evil laughter*

On hindsight, should start today. One set of cha soba with 4 pieces of tempura costs $26! And it was blah. At that price, I rather eat at Waraku. Cheaper and oh-so-yummy cha soba! Ichiban Boshi's conveyor belt sushi sucks as well. Not fresh and didn't taste good. We didn't even want to finish the plates we took.

Since we all so unsatisfied with our meal, a dessert treat was in order. Ting left to meet her darling so the rest of us trooped down to Max Brenner. Fondue with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate ... *slurp* Should have tabao the unfinished chocolate sauces!

Ade had to go but KW joined us. We had loads of fun devising plans to ensnare guys into signing pre-nups and proposing the way we want. this is a sure sign we have reached marriageable age hor. It is also now that I remember I brought my camera! *slaps forehead* it is a sure sign that we are nearly middle age ya?


This is what guys get up to when wives are not around. For some, even when wives ARE around.


we nice people, dun wan him kena pull ear. hence the nice innocent pic.


yun and me attempt the kawaii pose. we still young!


Su showed me this really cool function on my camera. See, yun's blouse is green above but my camera can capture it as red! or any colour i want. cool ...


souvenir for today. such a waste. why didn't it occur to me to tabao?

Once again, I realised why people who come back from overseas tend to want to live apart from their family. Before you give me a tongue lashing on how un-filial I am and how ang moh pai I have become, I must have you know that I do love my parents and I am aware of how much they do for me. But it is exactly all that they do that makes it stifling. I can do housework but I like to do it when I want it. I can eat at home but sometimes I want other stuff. I can cook but I also can pop downstairs to buy more economical food. I can a lot of things too but now all I can do is to keep quiet. Because as we all know, if you are the lowest rung in the economy, you have the least right. Ok, it's not that I can't make noise but you guys plugged me up with love. So what else can I say? =)

I used to turn to you when I have problems be they at work, at home or with people. Even now when we are so many miles apart, I think of you when I have an issue. But all this time, I haven't gotten round to calling you. Because you being away makes me realise that I have to face my own issues and make my own decisions. Because you have your own problems and I don't want to add to them. Because you can't be here which is what I really need after all.

Today I decided to call. And I realise that I have been right all along. I have to face my own demons, you have your own to deal with and you can't be here anymore. But that's alright. It was good just talking with you. A no-gripes, no-whines, no-frills precious 50 minutes conversation. =)

I saw a guy trying to dash across the road right before the red lights turned green. He made it to the bus-stop on the other side but dropped his slipper on the road. Eyes darting to the oncoming bus, stupid asshole made a split second decision to run out and retrieve his slipper. thank goodness he was fast enough cos the bus missed him just by a hair length.

still in disbelief, i saw that he was holding a cheap rubber slipper with broken straps most likely spoilt by him running across the road. what on earth was he thinking?!! the bus driver could have been in jail for injuring him badly or worse, do life cos some no-brain ass decides to retrieve his rubber slipper and kena ran down. *shakes head at the sheer madness*

i have been thinking about an offer for 3 days. if need to think for 3 days, obviously i have a lot of reservations about it. i shall not elaborate because i have downloaded to too many peeps.

today i stumbled upon a friend's account of her interview. she made me remember that doors are opened and closed for a reason. i am praying that come tomorrow, i will have peace of mind whether my answer is yes or no.

meanwhile, thanks to those who patiently heard me out and gave advice. thanks min, reading your blog helped me. thanks k, for being supportive when you are the one who is directly affected by all my decisions.

Fri
run errands, buy presents. met up with kaylor and cab down for patrick's birthday celebration at Seafood Paradise. food was so-so and we found a fly in the fried rice. eeks.

birthday boy making a wish! he took only 2 seconds but Simon managed to capture it. Expert is expert.


THE cake for the 80s kid. Didn't we all grow up with Xiao Ding Dang? Thanks to Kaylor for getting it.


All of us! It's my first time out with Simon and Peiling. Hehe, we all had a good time sitting around and chatting. In fact, we chatted until they close!

At midnight, i went down to Suntec Guild House for CK's birthday party. it was good seeing all my kor kors and dai ka jie again! they like to do extreme ktv which involves lots of alcohol, loud singalongs, dancing, dirrrty dancing and striptease. Ha. I am looking forward to the pics and videos. Reached home at 4am but couldn't sleep. If I don't drink enough to conk out, the alcohol keeps me awake.


Sat
After much tossing and turning, I decide to just get out of bed. Run errands again before meeting Laura for badminton. It was a much needed exercise. After 1 hour, we were sweating buckets and shacked out. Doesn't help that you can't switch on the fans in a badminton court.

After lunch, we met up with her hubby for pool! Haha, we conspired to beat him by taking 2 turns for every 1 he makes. It worked. *sniggers* Then I had to rush home to change for Harry Potter movie which sucks by the way. Afterwards, more drinks at Clarke Quat. I was so tired I passed on the alcohol. This time I slept like a baby when I got home.

*****

I last woke up at 12.30pm on thurs. I finally slept at 3am on Sunday. That means I went without sleep for 63 hours. Any minute more and I will start hallucinating my friends are beds and pillows.

it's 3am. i am back to being an insomniac. or maybe it never left me. the times i actually slept early, k was home and he turns in early. the plus is we wake up early to do our fav thing. lazing about and surfing the net. ha. i miss him a lot.

a lot of thoughts running through my head these days.
1. was i too impulsive to quit, run off to US for 3 months and come back to ... nothing?
ya. otherwise you would never have confirmed that k is a really great guy. plus you guys have grown to love each other more. that makes it all worthwhile.

2. why did i choose to stay away (from kelly) for a year just to gain some experience in marketing here which might not even be useful in LA? is it worth it?
cos you can't gain experience without a work permit in US. and you can't stand doing nothing for another 3 months either. as for whether 1 year is enough headstart for LA, cross the bridge when you come to it.

3. am i too narrow-minded about looking for a marketing job when my last related experience was more than 3 years ago?
no. what would have been the alternative? continue to be bored out of your mind? it has only been 2 weeks. stop whining.

4. what if i can't find a job and my savings run out?
well. you could look for a temp job and persevere or decide that being bored out of your mind might not be such a bad thing after all. if all else fails, seeing k for 3 more months can only be a good thing.

decisions. decisions.

amidst all her jetsetting, eileen found time to stop by for a meal with us at waraku.

eileen's fav food is Japanese. so when she ordered chopped tuna sushi topped with raw quivering quail yolks, being the nice friends we are, we let her have it all to herself. the rest of us had more normal stuff like cha soba, cream udon, tonkatsu ramen, okonomiyaki ...

everyone was uber excited when dessert time came. we had macha ice cream cake, macha ice cream with red beans, vanilla ice cream with red beans and some weird chew kway teow-like thing that adventurous Lea chose. there it is on the extreme left.


ain't them pweety? irene was all dressed up for this occasion. i wonder how much time she spent teasing her fringe and getting it to stay up? it was a really pro job.


thanks to laura for getting us a private room, the restaurant's patrons were not subjected to our opinions on work, future plans, husband management, guy behaviour, how much we would earn selling our ahem, talents and yada yada. good times.

The one medicine I love to take is 枇杷膏. I would gladly down a whole bottle but I dunno what side effects that would have.

One hot evening at Potong Pasir MRT station, I went into the convenience store to grab a cold drink and spotted ......枇杷密! Of course I was curious and bought it. Verdict: It tastes exactly like the real deal diluted with water, complete with minty aftertaste. If you find 枇杷膏 too sweet, you might prefer this drink. As for me, give me thick sweet syrupy 枇杷膏 anytime!

I miss Hunter. I miss waiting for him to come by.

Yay! I am back online. I might need to forego all worldly desires in my job hunt but I cannot give up internet. Friend of mine said she spent 6 months looking for a Marketing job. Those 6 months, she didn't go out, didn't buy anything and slept a lot. And the most tokkong part is she didn't have internet. Gasp! (dun ask me how one is in job looking mode without the internet. she did it anyway) I very 佩服 her, dunno how she can tahan. Me is a social butterfly. This kind of hermit life not for me. which means i need to get a job soon. very soon. me must start praying hard hard.

Going out to meet the Verigy gals later! Can't wait!

dammit. dammit. dammit. my laptop's adaptor spoil. new parts will take 5 - 10 days to arrive from Toshiba.

blogging this from laura's house now. i miss being able to get online. nowadays my mood is dependant on how my job prospects look for the day. no job is no fun.

My dad brought this home today.