Off to Wales

heading off to walked-Breacon Beacon first thing tomorrow morning, with a runny nose and sore throat. I hope that I will survive this walking trip. I am just going to follow the leaders again. I start to think that my lack of planning for trips is getting unbelievable. Sigh. No time!!!

I am not sure whether it is Netherlands, the gym or the fact that I am not well and probably dehydrated; the scales showed that I have lost 2 mighty kilograms compared to almost 1 month a go when i first joined the gym.

back to reality

I am back, after a very good time in "Holland". haha. we made so many silly jokes about "Holland", thanks to watching too many Cantonese movies. All I wanted to do today was to come home early, blog & show off my perfect tulip bloom photos. However, my plans are dashed, and my day is ruined!

Last Wed afternoon, I was told that I have to go to US for a business trip. I was like, what?? Why no one told me earlier? Then, it was a mad rush to arrange for the visa interview blah blah blah. From the sly looks and the remarks, i knew that this was not an accidental miscommunication. It would be convenient to leave me out because "I cannot go", isn't it? To my great luck, my friend has just applied for a visa, and could tell me all the procedures, strategies and saved me lots of mess.

After some hiccups here and there, spending more than £100, and almost 2 hours standing by the roadside in a queue looking like a beggar wanting a bowl of free soup, I "passed", and got my visa! I looked like a panda, after sleeping at 2am to prepare for the interview, and waking up at 6 am.

Happily, I went back to work with the good news. Then, B told me there is a "change of plan". TMD!!! Despite all my obvious hints about the cost of a visa, there was no offer to pay for it. So, afterall, I might not get to go. Keeping my fingers crossed. Bloody hell! Are they playing me? I sometimes feel like I am taking a kindergarten level office politics here, the tactics are so crude and cheap.

Is he hot? I shook hands with him.

What do you think? Do you think he is hot? Apparently, lots of girls do. Ok, found a smarter looking photo of this guy. Not too bad right? He is better looking in real life, but errr.. short. shorter than hubby.

My night was divided into 2 components:
1) the bimbo
2) the intellectual


The bimbo:
Met K Simmons at an event today, and he started talking to us, and extended his hand. Apparently, quite a few gals would trade quite a lot to me in my position, shaking his hands and chatting with him . Problem is, I had no idea he is hot, until someone tell me he is hot. To me he is just a reporter (ITV? I only know Jeremy Paxman). Next time I see him on tv, i will be able to tell hubby i shoke hands with him before, and he is cuter in real life. sure annoy the hell out of him :P

Alright, work is not too bad if I get to shake hands with guys like him more often. I am easily bought over.

The intellectual:
Alright, I had my free food and wine, and need to do some entertaining and remind boss why she pays me. Got to show some opinion and have intelligent conversation with her guests :(

Aside for being a bimbo and grinning like a silly C******cat, I also had an intellectual discussion. Would life be better if I knew what I know now when I was 16? Most people wish they did! More successful, taken better "paths". NUTS!! I think that you can only be young and silly once. I am glad that I was young, silly, naive, dare devil, stupid, whatever you call it. I enjoyed it! I had great fun! I did things that I will never be able to do again in a later part of life like.... errr dunno what. Cant give examples. But it was fun, ok?

Wouldnt want to trade the ignorance and silliness for anything in life. That gave us fun, that gave us hope. That makes us what we are today.

1 pound lighter.....my hair!

Thursday was spent spending money.

Had lunch with Bisoumoi in Chinatown, and wolf down a big plate of Japanese curry rice! It is fun meeting up with someone whose' life you always read about; there is this surprising level of familiarity with someone who you have never met before! That- is the magic of blogs.

The haircut was a disaster and a disappointment.

Firstly, hubby called the Stamford St branch to book. No one told him that he is not supposed to go there, but to go to New Oxford St. So, we happily went to the Stamford St branch, and told that we got the place wrong. What followed was a rush with a bulging tummy (it is the Japanese curry, you think what?) on foot, on Tube.

There was this most unhelpful dog at that branch who answers your queries with a dismissive "No". Any empty slots in other classes? No. Can we book a session the following week? No. No empty space. If not for the lady next to him who tried to help and ask him to check- there are indeed spaced next Mon-Wed (but bloody idiot did not tell us), I would have ended my queries with a "that's all".I bet the little G** would have watched the Devil Wears Prada and knew what i was doing.

So, I ended up cutting my hair in Chinatown (I have been psychoed into believing that ang mohs generally cannot cut asian hair properly, unless they are damn good-£££). Gosh. That was really risky and scary! The woman took out SO MUCH hair in the layering that I feel I have no hair left. It looks at the shop because she ironed it straight--but the next day.

Since I stupidly left the camera with hubby, I ended up going shopping. And spending £££ again. I hope my daffodils will survive the predicted cold snap next week!

tomorrow is play day!

Today was just so enjoyable at work.

peaceful
Productive.
I can work 6 days a week if everyday is like that.

Tomorrow will be my play day:
AM: walk in parks? got time to buy shoes?
PM: Ladies who lunch?
PM-T&G haircut
evening? more parks/shopping at chinatown?
doze off

Have been struggling whether to work FT or not. I can live with a sudden increase of salary by 40%. The difference would be enough to send my parents on a HK trip. ££ is damn tempting! If I work FT, they will happily go on a monthly trip!!Awwwwww.......

Therefore, I struggle, struggle, struggle.. ££ vs health and sanity.

However, I decided fully NOT to go full time, not to work 5 days a week in the office, no matter what! That will mean someone will sharpen his arrows even more (not that he is not doing it already). If I work 5 days, I think my poor health really wont be able to take it well too, taking into account the work loads and also the commuting I have to do. I still remember how bad my health was, and how a big portion of what I earned went to the doctors.

I will offer to work 4 days, and an additional day from home when we have many contracts if Boss finds it ok. I will come back to office as and when necessary.

Dont want to waste another 1/7th of my life bickering in the office.

This has to be blogged!! -"BLOODY FOREIGNERS"

What happens when you go to someone else's country and do as well as/better than them?

1) you are lucky-they actually appreciate you-wow! foreign talent, good for the economy!
2) you are not so lucky-they quietly wonder why you don't go home, behind your back, and lament that their rice bowl is threatened by people like you. What will happen to their children? Compete with yours? -- does this sound familiar? I am sure we all have been in this position before, when Mr's Brown's Ren Ren got the no 1 place (again) in school.
3) you are in a "normal"(at least you try to tell yourself) situation?- they openly hate you, after all they see you as going to their country and take away their rice bowl.
4) You are not so lucky- they do all they can to squeeze the max out of you, and get rid of you.

I am probably around 3) and 4).

What happens when you have
1) back stabbed
2) robbed people's credits, and push the blames to them
3)sabotaged in countlessways

and the person is still around, surviving?

You call them "bloody foreigners"? and you tell them "this is ... [fill in the blank with your country's name]." -

I got that today. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when i saw the email. I was stunned. Really stunned.

Being a donkey, I will take that as a compliment. Long live bloody foreigners!

Long time ago, I was a foreigner who did not do as well as the locals. I was asked, "why are you here?"

Between "bloody foreigner" and "why are you here", which one would you prefer?

Talkative day

After many days of "speechlessness" (and also many sleepless nights!), I am making my 3rd entry today. It is weird isnt it? What not going into an office environment you dislike could do for you?

Today i sent hubby to the tube station and fetch him! Hehe... that is my first time and 2nd time driving alone alone. I dropped him off, and then go shopping at the supermarket, joining those mums who had just finished their school runs. Then I went to the town centre walk here walk there and resisted going into the library to and come back with another pile of books. I need to work these few days, so I better not start reading!Life was blissful. I do my work, write my stuff, cook my lunch, and feel so relaxed and happy. This kind of like tell me DONT WORK FULL TIME!!!!

Work still surround me. I have the option of not doing anything, and risk becoming a fat piece of satay-getting skewered, put on a fire, and someone will happily fan it! I better do my homework! Sigh.

I survived

I am still surviving well.

Despite the daily poison arrows from that idiot, I am still alive. Yesterday, he just shot me a big big one. This guy has no moral, no ethics. Even in situations where you obviously do not want to compete with him, he will still try to kick you out, and kill you off, he wont just let you hang around and do your own thing. He really understand the meaning of cut grass, get rid of roots. Idiot.

And last Sunday, I drove into London!! I was really nervous when we had to enter A40!

DONKEY STORY:

A person who is as stubborn (and probably as stupid) as a donkey likes to listen to donkey stories.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later,the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Life's too short to moan over the + DIRT +!! SHAKE IT OFF!

Some donkey info:


Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness, but this is due to some handlers' misinterpretation of their highly-developed sense of self-preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest, as opposed to horses who are much more willing to, for example, go along a path with unsafe footing.

Although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. [Source-wikipedia]

Chillingly, the Honolulu Zoo's description of the donkeys' behaviour is more accurate compared to those zodiac signs ...

BEHAVIOR:

Donkeys are complex creatures, capable of many moods. They can be friendly, affectionate, independent, patient, and even sad, and there is no questioning their intelligence. But when a donkey would rather not do something, it can be the laziest and most stubborn creature in the world.

Like horses and ponies, donkeys are capable of biting and kicking with both hind legs. However, such behavior is unlikely from any animal accustomed to children unless there is a great deal of provocation...

... Donkeys are most active in the evening, but also move about during the day and at night. When threatened, their defense is to run or bite....

Conclusions: I got to go for kick boxing classes and the dentist- to sharpen my teeth!

Deleted.....

Unpublished some posts...

Decided those unhappy posts complaining about my life-esp work-polluted this blog's good vibe. Sometimes one whole post had been made up of nothing but my unhappiness at work. Sigh. Is there an end to this unhappiness soon?

This will be one of the most significant week in my life-career wise.

And yet, I actually cried a few times this week. Weird, isn't it? I almost cant believe I can have so many major victories this week. I should be crying tears of sweet success, not misery.

Things have just been too much. I can cope with failures, but getting into trouble because I did well is something which had happened to me many times, and yet, each time, it is still very painful. I really think that I should be celebrating, not wound up in misery.

I will find ways to cheer myself up again. 2007 will be a good year for me, no matter what!

searching for enlightenment...

Where is that halo?
Where is that Bodhi tree?
Does it help if I do some yoga, or red the Bible from back to front, front to back?

It takes a hell lot of self control to not throw a chair at certain people...
but I shall not get angry... cos
That will give you wrinkles
Wrinkles are costly--> compare the price of anti-aging vs usual stuff
Wrinkles are irreversible....
You know the chinese says that you have a lot of "air" inside when you have pent up anger? As usual, the Chinese is always right. I fart more when I am stressed.
I am not getting any pay rise-no extra ££ to go for facial, massage etc to sooth the stress...

so............................
got to find peace.. and think of all the flowers I am going to snap- with a camera. This saturday will be my shopping day for my SPRING clothes!!!

Gate gate...??



If that is too heavy going, just listen to Mc Dull's wisdom.


You see, all teh kids really want to do is really do something helpful to others...

半斤八兩

This will entertain me when work sucks...



Terribly "uncool" stuff which I am posting ... haha. Yeah, to others, I am a typical banana, but I have been a fan of these Cantonese songs ever since I was very young! Just kept it quite well under wraps cos it was so uncool, esp when I was in JC. Those uber cool and angmoh-fied classmates would have laughed their heads off.

Banana? That is why we should never judge people by appearance.

One day I will be rich...

"One day I will be rich..."

dunno WHY I think this way this morning...

I wonder where the "inspiration" came from. I think I am just too stressed up, trying to hit deadlines when I am feeling so unwell. Sigh...

Alright... maybe I should just keep the "sudden thought" there.. my since my previous "thoughts" did turn out quite correct...

rite, like real. One day I will be rich.. and I can fly here, fly there, fly everywhere to eat whatever I want to eat. I can charter planes to fly "The flying goose" and the egg tart from HK, the chef from Sg's Mandarin just to cook me Hainanese chicken rice, my favourite hawker uncles and aunties to cook me carrot cakes and chow kuey tiao... and fly my favourite "muscleman" chendol uncle to make me chendol.

If only I am damn rich, my face would work like a credit card without limits, and without a need for signatures or PINS.

"Mrs C, anything you fancy? Why dont you try our latest designs from XYZ..... Ohhh that is so nice, shall we wrap it up for you?"

"Errr... Sorry, i just happened to walk in, did not even bring my wallet and my cards"

"Uh, no problems at all. Dont worry about it. Pick as many as you want. We can deliver it to you immediately and send the bills to Mr C's office at a later date".....

Depending on my mood, and since I am usually fickle, I would buy the whole collections of everything so that other tai tais "got nothing to wear".. woah hahah

...............still dreaming................

One day when I am rich, I can high tea everyday, and do 3 liposuctions a year, and I will not longer be fat.

RIte... day dreaming time over... back to that stupid draft.

Why am I doing everything, and someone else just go to "look through and think about it to shape it up" to put his bloody name down? That is my blood and sweat. He is not even my boss or superior or have more knowledge or experience than me. Just a bloody boot licker.

When I came out with the idea, thought out everything, bloody idiot just need to say "ohhh that sounds good, can i participate in that?" "Participate" what? !!!! Well, he "participates" because he cant handle it on his own. Things that he could handle, he would talk to boss, and that would have been his! Bloody biased. Damn it.

His participation will waste me another 1-2 weeks(if lucky), with no beneficial outcomes, or additional improvements...

One day when I am rich, I will tell people like him to get lost and send him 10 pair of boots, and some butter. Butter up, lick the boots and get out of my way.

feverish, cherry blossoms

fever fever go away
chubby me wants to go out and play
the cherry blossoms are on display
bright pinks and whites, they look so gay(cant find another word...)!

Damn it, i cant even download my cherry blossom photo properly from my phone! I must get well soon!!!!!

Lost & FOUND- they keys to a sports car

I found something very valuable on Sunday.

They keys to brand new MAZDA sports car.

Yeah, another car.

Instead of handing to those people who direct cars in the car park, I brought it to the management office, insist on handing to someone in the security dept. It suprised me why my friend was suprised that I did that, even after I explained that I know too well many of these weekend staff are part timers, sometimes contracted from other agencies to deal with additional work loads, and you will never know their background, whether they are cleared for "security" work.

How many people would do what I did, she asked.

I don't know. I really don't know.

I only know that people often laugh at my silliness. I only know that if that is my own car's key, I will not just pass it to the guys in ill fitting florescent coats who directed the car park traffic. Would you? The temptations for others to take it for a spin is just too high, and you will have no proof that you have just dropped the keys into his hands. If I cant do it for my own car, how could I do so for others'?

Hmmm... I don't know what am I going to find next. I found quite a number of things. Things just rain in front of me. I have found mobile phones, keys, and also a thick wallet (when I was damn broke) before too! I know someone up there is having some fun with me, I get mobile phone in those days i was dying to have one, and thick wallet when i was totally broke. And on Sunday, I was actually thinking about whether I will every have a chance to drive a sports car. Hmm it is funny how someone UP there tried to answer my wishes. It is like having really good fun with me. sigh........

I am careless and lose things all the time. But many times, these are found again. Is there a pay it forward thing operating among the careless people like me?

Decided to put up the photo here, cos there are not many people who will kick up the keys to their dream sports car in their life while walking mindlessly in a carpark.

BTW, it may not belong to a gal. That carpark is frequently visited by happy gentlemen who prefers pink. *wink*

Aging...II

Had a rather long conversation with ma. My mum gives me heart attacks these days.

I am sure my sister did tell her that the gingko and ginseng is meant for her, and ah pa should not be taking it. I called her to remind her again. After a long conversation explaining to her that she should be taking it cos it improves her memory, but ah pa should not take it because ah pa has high blood pressure, she complained to me it is difficult to make sure ah pa take the tablets because he is so lazy. Gosh. I got a heart attack. i really hope that she is not getting what my grandma had-senile dementia. Popo's symptoms started around the same age of ah ma now.

Another price of "roaming"-only roamers will understand what it is like. Stop envying me.

Got my package!

i got my small package from my sister! The good gal sent me Xenical and also a book to record my food intake vs exercise!! Damn. She is really making it obvious that I am damn fat fat now. I get heart attack knowing how expensive the postage is. It is crazy! SGD 30 for that small pack of stuff! Singpost is definitely charging too much! It is even much more expensive than UK's delivery fees. No wonder people tell me it is impossible to do international e-bay business there. £10 for that small packet is nuts.

The past few days have been busy. This nu cai just try to be a good nu cai as possible. Do my work, that is it. Pretty heck care about every other thing. I left early on Monday because we were rewarded for the extra hours of work we put in, but have been working late in the past few days. I am trying hard to work smart here. Sigh. sigh.

I will be meeting ET this Friday but still no idea of where to take here! Totally have not time to research about where to play. Lets hope that the car would behave itself.

Today we talked about the 5p bridge, and we had so much fun talking about it. It cost a car 5 p to cross this beautiful bridge, but the queue is so long that people sometimes are tempted to tell them to take a pound and spare the next 20 cars. http://www.eynsham.org/tollbridge.html
It is supposedly a beautiful place.

Got to call home tomorrow, cos on saturday and sunday I will be out.. playing.

Aging

Nope, i did not go for the kill today. Plans shelved. Too tired/lazy to get up.

Thrills
Even when hubby said "horse!! There are horses going pass!", I only managed a "really??". It took some excitement of his part to get me stir from my cozy bed and decide to grab the camera and take some photos-but it as too late. The horses went pass already.

My sister is gonna send me some foundation!! Woo hooo. After 2 months of appearing orang-y or brownish faced, I now can look normal again. Thank goodness that IPSA is created. Thank goodness that I wished for a sister (my mum thinks that it was my fault that the baby in a tummy turn out to be a gal, when she wanted a son!! I was chanting I want a sister, i want a sister. She must have thought I am a Harry Porter or something). My brother will never understand why I can only use THAT foundation, and wont be convinced by my orange-ed face story to pity me and fork out SGD30 to post me those stuff.

Worries
Just found out that my dad was admitted to the hospital again. I wish I am nearer, so that I could play around with my diary and head home.

It is "dizziness" again. Mum still doesn't understand that it means a possible/LIKELY TIA-transient Ischaemic Attack - a jargon that is used to prevent the patient from going into further shock hearing doctors talking about his stroke. She still treat it as the usual dizziness that we gals have, and almost get used to dad's hospital episodes. Worries me like hell.

His blood pressure was 150mmHg during admission, but mum chose to focus on the fact that it became 120mmHg again the following morning. :P This worries me. It really worries me.

I feel like flying home now and play the role of the irritating all knowing control freak daughter/ta jie role. Count his tablets, query his medication taking habits, check the booklet where he is suppose to record his bp levels, ie essentially threaten to place him under "close surveillance" blah blah blah.

That is my unique role at home. He will not answer my mum's naggings, but with his daughters, he softens. My sister would play the reconciliatory role, pleading him, or joking with him so that he takes his medicine on time-she can't be irritating like me. I am the hard one, she is the soft one. When we attack together, my dad is quite defenseless. Heheheheh

So, when will I go home again? I am aging. My parents are aging.

My blueberry muffins...

...are damn good.

I will never buy from Starbucks and company again. For less than £2, I got really yummy muffins!! Hubby took 2 photos of them, and I shall upload it later.

Pork ribs in cold day...

Today I made BBQ pork ribs.

Yummy. Finished portions meant for 2 days in 1 day.

Standard?? Still not up to standard like my aunt's, but I think I will soon overtake many takeaway restaurants :) I still lack 1 orange, 2 spring onions and some aniseed to make mine perfect. Anyway, BBQ ribs in a cold winter day is super super comfort food.

Hubby aka as the joker will depend on me for happiness..... I shall not be trifled with. Nasi lemak, BBQ ribs, curry, BBQ chicken wings... etc etc..

Today is damn cold but no snow. Walking 30-40 minutes in subfreezing temperature cause your blood flow to get haywire and I get giddy when I walk into a warm building. No joke. I forgot the science and explanation of it, but I can confirm that i am a wimp.