I am still gaping and wheeling from utter overtones of feelings. I guess "WOW" would best described my current reaction. When Stan told me that Song is in a band and was playing at Zouk out, I had this notion there are really good and I was floored. Little did i know it is to be this mind blowing! Awesome!
The Great Spy Experiment actually got selected to SxSW event in Austin! Oh God, canx believe what I'm missing!
more reads:
http://www.gilarock.com/interviews/interview_eco_gse.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/260576/1/.html
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40770389
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Lovely Monday
What was surprising today was the presents on my table. When i opened the card, it was from Taiwan! I was floored! I didnt even know she knew it was my bday since i never told her. It was such a sweet gesture! I called her immediately to express my thanks and first thing she asked was when i was going to shanghai and Taiwan to visit her. I laughed and told her not so soon since i prob had blown my travel budget! Guess she has to come down to Hk instead!
Then i checked my horribly flooded mailbox. So much so that it overwhelm my mail folder and it become corrupted and so i had to send it off for fixing. But there was one mail i copied out to read as it was from Taehwan. He never failed to rem my birthday regardless if he was still in Korea or in states.
He told me he is finally finishing up his PhD in Stanford and that he married his sweetheart. She finished cambridge and moved to states with him. He told me about how Hyunhee and himself are now eating mostly organic food after hearing all the horrible story. He said its a trend up in california anycase. I laughed heartily when he said how it was always a massive project to write to me seeing how much we always have to update each other! I was reading his letter and grinning away like a Cheshire cat as i progress down the mail. I still think its unbelievable that after nearing 2 decades, we would still be in touch without having to meetup!
Had too much work to clear and i didnt have a chance to reply to all the good wishes. Today, today is just absolutely a lovely day :)
Then i checked my horribly flooded mailbox. So much so that it overwhelm my mail folder and it become corrupted and so i had to send it off for fixing. But there was one mail i copied out to read as it was from Taehwan. He never failed to rem my birthday regardless if he was still in Korea or in states.
He told me he is finally finishing up his PhD in Stanford and that he married his sweetheart. She finished cambridge and moved to states with him. He told me about how Hyunhee and himself are now eating mostly organic food after hearing all the horrible story. He said its a trend up in california anycase. I laughed heartily when he said how it was always a massive project to write to me seeing how much we always have to update each other! I was reading his letter and grinning away like a Cheshire cat as i progress down the mail. I still think its unbelievable that after nearing 2 decades, we would still be in touch without having to meetup!
Had too much work to clear and i didnt have a chance to reply to all the good wishes. Today, today is just absolutely a lovely day :)
Friday, March 2, 2007
Lunch with my exboss
Friday was a good day. Big Boss brought me out to Bishan Park and this "new" restaurant Acacia. It was another long 3 lunch but since he is the boss, ha ha, i didnt have to worry for him to rush back:) And he even gave me an angpao for CNY which i felt abit bad since i didnt prepare any oranges for him. Luckily i brought back some taiwan goodies from my last trip for him and the team.
We chatted abit and he asked about work. I openly discussed the difference between him and my current big french boss. I was totally in agreement with him when he said that given the same situation in singapore, the opportunity that i had been bestowed would not have happened in Singapore. The recruiters in sg are just too fixated about domain knowledge and "relevant" experience that they will never consider anyone from a different vertical. He asked me if I felt it was wasted giving up all the experience and my auditor certification since that would have been really good career for me too. I shared with him that this current job gave me unimaginable exposure that in sg, i would never have had. I am happy with what i have and i dun think looking back, wistfully thinking about "what if" serves any purpose. Life is a journey, you just move on. I dun worry about what i am giving up, i just look forward to the new challenges and deal with it as it comes.
What i didnt tell him was that all my close frens whom i caught up with told me they have never seen me happier. The change in landscape has instilled this difference. The passion i live with in my life is rubbing off them and i suppose that is how it is in life. Ups and Downs but you canx stay down forever. At some point in time, you have to get up like a Ferris Wheel and feel like you are at the top of the pedestal.
But i told my boss he is the greatest mentor i ever had and i am truly blessed. Chris told me once: "Being a coach and mentor is different. Being a coach is easy, being a mentor is hard." I agreed. Mentor has really life changing effect in moulding you. The questions my big boss used to challenge my thinking alot and the fact he never put on airs allowed my "debates". He never spoon fed us, it is always a thought provoking session. Not many people has the ability to do that. I rem when i use to write corporate newsletter and how i flooded his inbox for his opinions and inputs. He would come walking with a cup of coffee, and dangling the article and tapped my head and joked about him being my "slave". It had been fun years.
My current success is much attributed to his lessons and advices in work and personal level . We still joke about the curt and clinical emails i use to blast really "stupid" users. He always agreed with my points but sometimes, phone is a better medium to be used he used to tell me. I think it was easier to keep my sacarsm from my voice than from my writing. Which is why my current HK phone is perpetually warm to touch. When you leave a job, you should take away good experiences, lessons and leaving behind a good legacy.
Before i left, my ex-teammate was asking some questions about some report from my old portfolio in which he wasnt sure about the process. It felt good to know that somethings that you learn, no one can take it away from you and its valuable enough to still be able to share.
In life, unless u put your heart and soul into every you do, you will walk away in life like an empty corpse. Rather than mocking people about being stupid not to delegate, just do whatever that is assign to you as it is a sign of faith in your capability. No one is indispensible but different people have different forte. I use to advice my staff, if you have so much time to complain about problems or push it away to others, save the energy instead and spend it trying to work on the issue at hand. It will be a better time well spent and you will learn from something from the experience. And once u start working on it, answers will come to you before u realise it.
After he dropped me off to the MRT, i message him abig thank you and it came to and fro abit. The last bit, he joked "Be good". I told him "I always am:)" He laughed.
It was a memorable and nostalgic afternoon in the cool rainy afternoon amid the theraputic greens...
We chatted abit and he asked about work. I openly discussed the difference between him and my current big french boss. I was totally in agreement with him when he said that given the same situation in singapore, the opportunity that i had been bestowed would not have happened in Singapore. The recruiters in sg are just too fixated about domain knowledge and "relevant" experience that they will never consider anyone from a different vertical. He asked me if I felt it was wasted giving up all the experience and my auditor certification since that would have been really good career for me too. I shared with him that this current job gave me unimaginable exposure that in sg, i would never have had. I am happy with what i have and i dun think looking back, wistfully thinking about "what if" serves any purpose. Life is a journey, you just move on. I dun worry about what i am giving up, i just look forward to the new challenges and deal with it as it comes.
What i didnt tell him was that all my close frens whom i caught up with told me they have never seen me happier. The change in landscape has instilled this difference. The passion i live with in my life is rubbing off them and i suppose that is how it is in life. Ups and Downs but you canx stay down forever. At some point in time, you have to get up like a Ferris Wheel and feel like you are at the top of the pedestal.
But i told my boss he is the greatest mentor i ever had and i am truly blessed. Chris told me once: "Being a coach and mentor is different. Being a coach is easy, being a mentor is hard." I agreed. Mentor has really life changing effect in moulding you. The questions my big boss used to challenge my thinking alot and the fact he never put on airs allowed my "debates". He never spoon fed us, it is always a thought provoking session. Not many people has the ability to do that. I rem when i use to write corporate newsletter and how i flooded his inbox for his opinions and inputs. He would come walking with a cup of coffee, and dangling the article and tapped my head and joked about him being my "slave". It had been fun years.
My current success is much attributed to his lessons and advices in work and personal level . We still joke about the curt and clinical emails i use to blast really "stupid" users. He always agreed with my points but sometimes, phone is a better medium to be used he used to tell me. I think it was easier to keep my sacarsm from my voice than from my writing. Which is why my current HK phone is perpetually warm to touch. When you leave a job, you should take away good experiences, lessons and leaving behind a good legacy.
Before i left, my ex-teammate was asking some questions about some report from my old portfolio in which he wasnt sure about the process. It felt good to know that somethings that you learn, no one can take it away from you and its valuable enough to still be able to share.
In life, unless u put your heart and soul into every you do, you will walk away in life like an empty corpse. Rather than mocking people about being stupid not to delegate, just do whatever that is assign to you as it is a sign of faith in your capability. No one is indispensible but different people have different forte. I use to advice my staff, if you have so much time to complain about problems or push it away to others, save the energy instead and spend it trying to work on the issue at hand. It will be a better time well spent and you will learn from something from the experience. And once u start working on it, answers will come to you before u realise it.
After he dropped me off to the MRT, i message him abig thank you and it came to and fro abit. The last bit, he joked "Be good". I told him "I always am:)" He laughed.
It was a memorable and nostalgic afternoon in the cool rainy afternoon amid the theraputic greens...
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday. A great birthday
Second night had late chitchat again and didnt crawl to bed till it was about 5am. Felt abit strange sleeping in a new environment in the dark and was afraid to wake E. Just as i was about to fall into deep slumber, the hp alarm went off and it was like ground hog day. E rushed off and i crawled out. We had agreed to meet up for lunch at Brewerks. I was craving for the fish fillet for ages before i even touch down!
Thanks to the lousy cab transportation, i was delayed by lack of cabs in singapore on a rainy afternoon. This would never happen in HK. Cabs are in utter abundance there and i forgot the pain in sg. So lunch was delayed till closer to 12.30pm of no fault of mine. It was nice catching up with E and Leo again. We took pictures and E sweetly got me the cd i really liked and Leo got me something which they brought back from australia open. Time flies when u are having a good time and next thing i knew it was like 3.30pm and i needed to rush to visit Anna, before i have to meet jen at 6.30pm. OMG.
Of coz being at Anna's place was like being at home and time became fluid. We caught up abit, joked abit and its amazing how far all of us in the group has come along. It didnt feel like 7 years but indeed it is since I was introduced to them. I am happy for her. She deserves every good thing in her life now and her son is absolutely gorgeous..i loved his hazel eyes.
i ended up late, not grossly late thankfully... Manwin and his new gf was there and i liked her. She's candid and I could see the twinkle in manwin's eyes. Jen was refreshingly changed physically after she left our excompany. It was like the "exs" reunion. haa haa. Again i was pretty touched when Jen took the trouble to get me something unexpected. i told her she really didnt have to but she insisted. She was worried i would like her present and I assured her i love it and i do. I realised now i have to seriously squeezed some space for all the things i am bringing back!
We moved to Clarke Quay and OMG, how the place has changed! The last time when i was there was when eve was still working with Maple and we had free access to alot of places but those are gone now. We went to my fav music place and chatted even more. 3 hours plus passed in a blink when u are having a good time. Chris joined us towards later part of the night. I was so shocked when i saw him losing so much weight but i liked him better this way- skinner!! ha ha. Apparently he had dengue and was recovering still. Bless him! He joined me in the most expensive coke for the night going for bloody $6 bucks per cup and since the place was so empty, the $6 lasted us from ten to wee morning and no one hassled us in ordering anything else. So if you divide by the hours, it kinda makes it less of a rip off.
Anycase, we call it a day by 4.30am. So much to catch up since we havent see each other for more than a year. My goodness but he was always good with his train of thoughts. He constantly amazes me at his reasoning and such grace & poise. Bloody hell!!! He prob could convince a cow to come home on its own!!! haa haaaa. He gave me a quick tour of the city, pointing out what i had missed out over the year and the ongoing "singapore-eye" being built (ps: utter waste of money. London eye is kinda boring even with a grander scale and landscape view than ours..). He drove through the carpark to show me the latest haunt near sentosa and i felt bad about him going through the lot since we werent gonna step out anycase.
I couldnt believe so much changes had taken place before your eyes in a year but its good. Such progress and development is good for the city though.
By the time i hit the sack, the room was so silent that i missed the humming of the fan at home. Swissotel always has good bed and pillow and that lured me to sleep pretty much without much of a fight. Dawn was breaking. Tomorrow will be another early day. Yeah, boss is treating later on! heh heh heh.
Thanks to the lousy cab transportation, i was delayed by lack of cabs in singapore on a rainy afternoon. This would never happen in HK. Cabs are in utter abundance there and i forgot the pain in sg. So lunch was delayed till closer to 12.30pm of no fault of mine. It was nice catching up with E and Leo again. We took pictures and E sweetly got me the cd i really liked and Leo got me something which they brought back from australia open. Time flies when u are having a good time and next thing i knew it was like 3.30pm and i needed to rush to visit Anna, before i have to meet jen at 6.30pm. OMG.
Of coz being at Anna's place was like being at home and time became fluid. We caught up abit, joked abit and its amazing how far all of us in the group has come along. It didnt feel like 7 years but indeed it is since I was introduced to them. I am happy for her. She deserves every good thing in her life now and her son is absolutely gorgeous..i loved his hazel eyes.
i ended up late, not grossly late thankfully... Manwin and his new gf was there and i liked her. She's candid and I could see the twinkle in manwin's eyes. Jen was refreshingly changed physically after she left our excompany. It was like the "exs" reunion. haa haa. Again i was pretty touched when Jen took the trouble to get me something unexpected. i told her she really didnt have to but she insisted. She was worried i would like her present and I assured her i love it and i do. I realised now i have to seriously squeezed some space for all the things i am bringing back!
We moved to Clarke Quay and OMG, how the place has changed! The last time when i was there was when eve was still working with Maple and we had free access to alot of places but those are gone now. We went to my fav music place and chatted even more. 3 hours plus passed in a blink when u are having a good time. Chris joined us towards later part of the night. I was so shocked when i saw him losing so much weight but i liked him better this way- skinner!! ha ha. Apparently he had dengue and was recovering still. Bless him! He joined me in the most expensive coke for the night going for bloody $6 bucks per cup and since the place was so empty, the $6 lasted us from ten to wee morning and no one hassled us in ordering anything else. So if you divide by the hours, it kinda makes it less of a rip off.
Anycase, we call it a day by 4.30am. So much to catch up since we havent see each other for more than a year. My goodness but he was always good with his train of thoughts. He constantly amazes me at his reasoning and such grace & poise. Bloody hell!!! He prob could convince a cow to come home on its own!!! haa haaaa. He gave me a quick tour of the city, pointing out what i had missed out over the year and the ongoing "singapore-eye" being built (ps: utter waste of money. London eye is kinda boring even with a grander scale and landscape view than ours..). He drove through the carpark to show me the latest haunt near sentosa and i felt bad about him going through the lot since we werent gonna step out anycase.
I couldnt believe so much changes had taken place before your eyes in a year but its good. Such progress and development is good for the city though.
By the time i hit the sack, the room was so silent that i missed the humming of the fan at home. Swissotel always has good bed and pillow and that lured me to sleep pretty much without much of a fight. Dawn was breaking. Tomorrow will be another early day. Yeah, boss is treating later on! heh heh heh.
Friday nite with college mates
Friday dinner was spent with another friend. After the meeting, i felt kinda sad for her when i knew the tribulations she is facing. I didnt want to advise her not because i couldnt, but i just felt she needed a professional for her set of problems. She needed someone who could be impartial which i told her i will not be as she is my friend. All i could do was to hang in there for her, to let her say her peace since she told me she couldnt bring herself to confide in anyone else. When she started crying, i could only empathise with her. I told her to think but act on it. Sitting on the problem wont make it go away, it will only snowball and the angst building up will only make things worse.
After dinner, she had to rush back to work while i went off to meet my college mates@ kandi bar. The guys had put on so much weight!!! haaa haaa. We were bitching abt this guy who was such an ar*sehole and still cracking jokes when TC needed to cancel the CNY gathering as his relative passed away. when E told him off in the mass email, he remains stoically unapologetic for his callous and insensitive remarks.
The night was spent joking and remembering the old times. We went through the council list and was just catching up on everyone that we could remember. I think everyone we knew did pretty well.
KM was sharing bumped into Ivan while getting consultation and now his card says "Ivan's fren". Ivan had his own clinic now we last heard. DY returned from his Boston stint and now relocate back to sg, and now this big director is busy feeding baby and changing diapers. Someone become GRL and we gagged at the thought of such an idiot representing his community. Thank god we aint in his ward!
We reminisce about old college days, the feuds, the scandals, the ridiculous puppy love and all. We talked about who kissed who, who hated who, who was gay, who was beauty queen and who went for sex change - looking more womanly than any of the gals combined! TC remarked "where was I!" We laughed and said that was his price of being the "president". We realised, out of the 30 of us, more than 3/4 joined are civil servants. Who would have thought but then again i aint surprised, most of them took the scholarship and their future is mapped.
The link bridge which all councillors traditionally used to climb up and leave their name has been torn down in the name of campus expansion. While the physical aspect was gone, the memories stayed with us. We counted and omg, its the 26th council now! We have long stopped gg back to the gatherings since u are looking at a bunch of teeny bopping kids and you really have nothing much to share with them. We have come too far to be in sync.
KM complained about Raffles hotel for his wedding last year and the whole escapade which lead to him complaining and the banquet manager got sacked. Seriously, paying a premium cost and they couldnt even get matching cutlery, a sound technician who couldnt operate the sound system and PPT, some rotting moulding things in the room. That was abit too much to bear.
TC refuse to share how much bonus he got but the drinks and beverages were on him anycase. *chuckles*. Then again, pineapple and orange juice doesnt really chalk up alot lor. But we didnt want him to dig into diaper money or no more permission from wife to let him out of the cave! haa haa.
After dinner, she had to rush back to work while i went off to meet my college mates@ kandi bar. The guys had put on so much weight!!! haaa haaa. We were bitching abt this guy who was such an ar*sehole and still cracking jokes when TC needed to cancel the CNY gathering as his relative passed away. when E told him off in the mass email, he remains stoically unapologetic for his callous and insensitive remarks.
The night was spent joking and remembering the old times. We went through the council list and was just catching up on everyone that we could remember. I think everyone we knew did pretty well.
KM was sharing bumped into Ivan while getting consultation and now his card says "Ivan's fren". Ivan had his own clinic now we last heard. DY returned from his Boston stint and now relocate back to sg, and now this big director is busy feeding baby and changing diapers. Someone become GRL and we gagged at the thought of such an idiot representing his community. Thank god we aint in his ward!
We reminisce about old college days, the feuds, the scandals, the ridiculous puppy love and all. We talked about who kissed who, who hated who, who was gay, who was beauty queen and who went for sex change - looking more womanly than any of the gals combined! TC remarked "where was I!" We laughed and said that was his price of being the "president". We realised, out of the 30 of us, more than 3/4 joined are civil servants. Who would have thought but then again i aint surprised, most of them took the scholarship and their future is mapped.
The link bridge which all councillors traditionally used to climb up and leave their name has been torn down in the name of campus expansion. While the physical aspect was gone, the memories stayed with us. We counted and omg, its the 26th council now! We have long stopped gg back to the gatherings since u are looking at a bunch of teeny bopping kids and you really have nothing much to share with them. We have come too far to be in sync.
KM complained about Raffles hotel for his wedding last year and the whole escapade which lead to him complaining and the banquet manager got sacked. Seriously, paying a premium cost and they couldnt even get matching cutlery, a sound technician who couldnt operate the sound system and PPT, some rotting moulding things in the room. That was abit too much to bear.
TC refuse to share how much bonus he got but the drinks and beverages were on him anycase. *chuckles*. Then again, pineapple and orange juice doesnt really chalk up alot lor. But we didnt want him to dig into diaper money or no more permission from wife to let him out of the cave! haa haa.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Back in old office
This was a most eventful trip back to sg. It kept me so busy that I didnt have much time to rest. On average, it was only like 3-4hrs sleep per day but absolutely nothing to complain about. There were too many wonderful friends i had missed in my last trips and I had promised i would catch up with them this time round.
Landed in sg about 1am and eileen stayed up to wait for me. She was telling me how much flashbacks she had of the funny times we had when we use to stay together. And how we were chasing VCDs while i was mugging for my exams at the same time. Funny how sight and smells reminds you of the old times which sometimes lay dormant in your mind. So we chatted till 7.30am, bright and early. While i drifted off to sleep with her HP alarm snoozing and ringing till 9.30am, she went off to work while i crawled out of bed at 11am for my lunch appointment.
Went back to my excompany for lunch as the purchasing and admin gals organised a group lunch together. It was really nice and nostalgic to see all the girls. Was there at abt 11.30am but luckily lunch was delayed to 1pm instead. So i had some time to visit my ex-colleagues and boss.
It was quite funny when i went in and stood infront susan. How i miss susan! I could always depend on her to do all my time consuming admin and paper work for me, and the nitty gritty project things when i got too busy. She was the singularly dependable person u can have in the dept. Initially she looked up unsimiling and she started screaming in excitement. It was funny seeing the expression changing. We chatted for a while and we went off to prank on Bee. Bee hd the same reaction and she was jokingly saying "I was wondering why that laughter and voice is sooo familiar! Was thinking so hrd which customer but cannot be leh!" So we chatted more on Hk and life etc, not to mention no more music from my old cubi and snacks. Susan was so cute. She pouted and said "i want to complain to you! KF bully me!!!" I laughed when i heard what happen and promised to bully kf for her. Before it hit lunch time, I went off to look for my big boss. Susan was so sweet. She went ahead of me to announce the "mystery" visitor and making my boss guess who it was. Being blocked off by the cubicle, he was probably squinting his eyes at susan. I popped my head in and he laughed.
"i was just about to text you or email this morning when i was driving" he said. "Really? Why?" i asked. He smiled knowingly and said "What else happy girl?" heh heh heh. I was very touched. I told my boss he was so niccccccceeee! After 8 years he still rems. So we bantered and chatted and kinda updated him on HK and stuff. He asked me when i was going to come back and i laughed how much he wanted to recruit me back. he tapped my head and said i was too expensive. I guess he must have been under alot of stress with new projects after i left. he lost so much weight. I couldnt resist joking that "Boss! U went to Marie France!" Everyone laughed. Boss hit my head as usual with his airticket.
One of the software team colleague had a face sunburnt and he was begging me to stop making him laugh coz his face was hurting from pain. I told to "stop blushing" first. It only made us laugh harder at his self inflicted "agony". Next thing i knew it was 1pm and was running late. So we had to cut short the chatting session, not before i commented my boss and colleagues, the place is now strangely quiet like an the exam hall. Susan told me it has been so since myself and a few others have left. Sad. I guess change is the only constant factor.
Lunch was so so but the company was good. of coz yusheng was splattered more over the table than eaten. It was raining and i had to rush off to the next appointment for the noon and nite, but not before promising my boss i will come back on friday for lunch with him. It was really nice and warm in seeing everyone again. I canx wait to see them again on friday!
Landed in sg about 1am and eileen stayed up to wait for me. She was telling me how much flashbacks she had of the funny times we had when we use to stay together. And how we were chasing VCDs while i was mugging for my exams at the same time. Funny how sight and smells reminds you of the old times which sometimes lay dormant in your mind. So we chatted till 7.30am, bright and early. While i drifted off to sleep with her HP alarm snoozing and ringing till 9.30am, she went off to work while i crawled out of bed at 11am for my lunch appointment.
Went back to my excompany for lunch as the purchasing and admin gals organised a group lunch together. It was really nice and nostalgic to see all the girls. Was there at abt 11.30am but luckily lunch was delayed to 1pm instead. So i had some time to visit my ex-colleagues and boss.
It was quite funny when i went in and stood infront susan. How i miss susan! I could always depend on her to do all my time consuming admin and paper work for me, and the nitty gritty project things when i got too busy. She was the singularly dependable person u can have in the dept. Initially she looked up unsimiling and she started screaming in excitement. It was funny seeing the expression changing. We chatted for a while and we went off to prank on Bee. Bee hd the same reaction and she was jokingly saying "I was wondering why that laughter and voice is sooo familiar! Was thinking so hrd which customer but cannot be leh!" So we chatted more on Hk and life etc, not to mention no more music from my old cubi and snacks. Susan was so cute. She pouted and said "i want to complain to you! KF bully me!!!" I laughed when i heard what happen and promised to bully kf for her. Before it hit lunch time, I went off to look for my big boss. Susan was so sweet. She went ahead of me to announce the "mystery" visitor and making my boss guess who it was. Being blocked off by the cubicle, he was probably squinting his eyes at susan. I popped my head in and he laughed.
"i was just about to text you or email this morning when i was driving" he said. "Really? Why?" i asked. He smiled knowingly and said "What else happy girl?" heh heh heh. I was very touched. I told my boss he was so niccccccceeee! After 8 years he still rems. So we bantered and chatted and kinda updated him on HK and stuff. He asked me when i was going to come back and i laughed how much he wanted to recruit me back. he tapped my head and said i was too expensive. I guess he must have been under alot of stress with new projects after i left. he lost so much weight. I couldnt resist joking that "Boss! U went to Marie France!" Everyone laughed. Boss hit my head as usual with his airticket.
One of the software team colleague had a face sunburnt and he was begging me to stop making him laugh coz his face was hurting from pain. I told to "stop blushing" first. It only made us laugh harder at his self inflicted "agony". Next thing i knew it was 1pm and was running late. So we had to cut short the chatting session, not before i commented my boss and colleagues, the place is now strangely quiet like an the exam hall. Susan told me it has been so since myself and a few others have left. Sad. I guess change is the only constant factor.
Lunch was so so but the company was good. of coz yusheng was splattered more over the table than eaten. It was raining and i had to rush off to the next appointment for the noon and nite, but not before promising my boss i will come back on friday for lunch with him. It was really nice and warm in seeing everyone again. I canx wait to see them again on friday!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
starbucks starbucks, I love starbucks
Starbucks
I think i am drinking too much starbucks. Well, i have a stack of voucher for free drinks anyway so why not?
When u start seeing familiar faces every morning, its just hard not to start a conversation. I wanted my hot choc with extra milk, no cream. That has become such a standard that Faye didnt even need the guy to write my order on the cup.
I was cajoling Faye to tell her boss to start the operation time earlier from 11 to 10am. So it save me the hassle of changing lift and going down to 3rd floor. I mean 11am is really too late for office crowd like us. And how many of us wants to detour on way to office lift to the other starbucks? She seemed pretty convinced by the logic of it all that she almost convinced me i have succeeded! haa haaa.
I dunno how starbucks pick their staff but i like them all. I think they have the best attitude service staff. Amicable and friendly, leaving you feel like you have been served, not that you are in the line for firing squad. Pacific coffee in the same building staff just have that surly face that simply is so off putting that i rather stick my 50bucks somewhere else.
Anycase, one cup of hot choc and plenty of more slides to go. Canx wait to smell the fresh clean air back home.
I think i am drinking too much starbucks. Well, i have a stack of voucher for free drinks anyway so why not?
When u start seeing familiar faces every morning, its just hard not to start a conversation. I wanted my hot choc with extra milk, no cream. That has become such a standard that Faye didnt even need the guy to write my order on the cup.
I was cajoling Faye to tell her boss to start the operation time earlier from 11 to 10am. So it save me the hassle of changing lift and going down to 3rd floor. I mean 11am is really too late for office crowd like us. And how many of us wants to detour on way to office lift to the other starbucks? She seemed pretty convinced by the logic of it all that she almost convinced me i have succeeded! haa haaa.
I dunno how starbucks pick their staff but i like them all. I think they have the best attitude service staff. Amicable and friendly, leaving you feel like you have been served, not that you are in the line for firing squad. Pacific coffee in the same building staff just have that surly face that simply is so off putting that i rather stick my 50bucks somewhere else.
Anycase, one cup of hot choc and plenty of more slides to go. Canx wait to smell the fresh clean air back home.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Anna Sui Website launch!
Finally!!! Finally the nitemare excercise of launching the website is over!!! No more late nights, no more TV dinner pack, no more stressing over looming datelines, no more wee morning content cross checking, no more insomnia!
The Anna Sui website is finally launched for all the 4 countries! Yahooooooooooooooo!!!!
The experience has been completely way off the scale. Of course my vendor has been working just as hard and sometimes i feel terrible to push them so hard but I guess we all didnt have a choice. It wasnt that i had a say anycase. Luckily for me, all my country teams have been very supportive in helping me to check the local bits that I had missed out, but gratitude especially to Alice who came back with me over the weekend and staying the late nights to help me check through the web errors. I think I would have wept in utter waterfall...
So now, while ongoing changes are still being updated, at least the core is completed and i am so dead tired i couldnt even really rejoice. This is positively harder work launching for all 4 countries simultenously, than previously just launching the intranet and helping with the corporate internet in my old job. This is truly madness and i think it was the product range and shades that did us in. I still recount for nail colour shades alone for HK alone, I think Alice, YuKi and I could have gone crazy over the number of colours. How many revisions was that? 10? No matter, all is good now!!!
So while i internally celebrate on my success and end of my anti social life for the past month, here's a toast and sincere thank you to all those who has chipped in, and the "finger" to all those lazy people who only live to make snide remarks on this collective effort. (Ha!)
Welcome to our new Anna Sui Cosmetics website!
Http://www.anna-sui-cosmetics.com
The Anna Sui website is finally launched for all the 4 countries! Yahooooooooooooooo!!!!
The experience has been completely way off the scale. Of course my vendor has been working just as hard and sometimes i feel terrible to push them so hard but I guess we all didnt have a choice. It wasnt that i had a say anycase. Luckily for me, all my country teams have been very supportive in helping me to check the local bits that I had missed out, but gratitude especially to Alice who came back with me over the weekend and staying the late nights to help me check through the web errors. I think I would have wept in utter waterfall...
So now, while ongoing changes are still being updated, at least the core is completed and i am so dead tired i couldnt even really rejoice. This is positively harder work launching for all 4 countries simultenously, than previously just launching the intranet and helping with the corporate internet in my old job. This is truly madness and i think it was the product range and shades that did us in. I still recount for nail colour shades alone for HK alone, I think Alice, YuKi and I could have gone crazy over the number of colours. How many revisions was that? 10? No matter, all is good now!!!
So while i internally celebrate on my success and end of my anti social life for the past month, here's a toast and sincere thank you to all those who has chipped in, and the "finger" to all those lazy people who only live to make snide remarks on this collective effort. (Ha!)
Welcome to our new Anna Sui Cosmetics website!
Http://www.anna-sui-cosmetics.com
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Endless Story Lyrics
Missed listening to the song "Endless Story" from NaNA soundtrack.
Always wanted to translate it but didnt found time to it, plus i think my Japanese is getting so crap (sliding downhill like falling from gravity)... sigh. But today, couldnt sleep, so here goes nothing...Green is my weak or "brave" attempt in trying to remember my rusty Japanese..
Endless Story (sung by: Yuna Ito)
If you haven't changed your mind
そばにいてほしいよ Tonight (I hope you could stay by my side tonight)
強がることに 疲れたの (I am tired from trying to be strong)
幼すぎたの (I was immature in the past )
Every time I think about you baby
今なら言える I miss you (Now I can say I miss you)
It's so hard to say I'm sorry
たとえば 誰かのためじゃなく (If, it is not for anyone else)
あなたのために (But its only for you)
歌いたいこの歌を 終わらないstory (I want to sing this song, a never ending story)
続くこの輝きに (A never ending brightness)
Always伝えたい ずっと永遠に ( Always, I want to tell you , For ever and ever)
Memories of our time together
消さないでこのまま don't go away ( Be this way and do not fade, dont go away)
あたたかく溶けだして 確かめるの ( A warm melting as it is once reconfirmed)
優しさのしずく この胸にひろがってく (Pieces of warm memories Spreads from my heart)
切ないほどに ( The sadder I am)
I'm missin' you
重ねた手 離さないで (Dont let go of the hands held together)
たとえば叶うなら (If i can fulfil my dreams)
もう一度 あなたのために (I would like to once again for you)
歌いたいこの歌を (to sing this song)
終わらないstory (a never ending story)
絶え間ない愛しさで ( a never ending love)
tell me why 教えてよずっと永遠に (tell me why , please tell me, forever and ever)
たとえば 誰かのためじゃなく あなたのために (If, it is not for anyone else, But its only for you)
歌いたいこの歌を 終わらないstory (I want to sing this song, a never ending story)
続くこの輝きに (A never ending brightness)
Always 伝えたい ずっと永遠に ( Always, I want to tell you For ever and ever)
Always wanted to translate it but didnt found time to it, plus i think my Japanese is getting so crap (sliding downhill like falling from gravity)... sigh. But today, couldnt sleep, so here goes nothing...Green is my weak or "brave" attempt in trying to remember my rusty Japanese..
Endless Story (sung by: Yuna Ito)
If you haven't changed your mind
そばにいてほしいよ Tonight (I hope you could stay by my side tonight)
強がることに 疲れたの (I am tired from trying to be strong)
幼すぎたの (I was immature in the past )
Every time I think about you baby
今なら言える I miss you (Now I can say I miss you)
It's so hard to say I'm sorry
たとえば 誰かのためじゃなく (If, it is not for anyone else)
あなたのために (But its only for you)
歌いたいこの歌を 終わらないstory (I want to sing this song, a never ending story)
続くこの輝きに (A never ending brightness)
Always伝えたい ずっと永遠に ( Always, I want to tell you , For ever and ever)
Memories of our time together
消さないでこのまま don't go away ( Be this way and do not fade, dont go away)
あたたかく溶けだして 確かめるの ( A warm melting as it is once reconfirmed)
優しさのしずく この胸にひろがってく (Pieces of warm memories Spreads from my heart)
切ないほどに ( The sadder I am)
I'm missin' you
重ねた手 離さないで (Dont let go of the hands held together)
たとえば叶うなら (If i can fulfil my dreams)
もう一度 あなたのために (I would like to once again for you)
歌いたいこの歌を (to sing this song)
終わらないstory (a never ending story)
絶え間ない愛しさで ( a never ending love)
tell me why 教えてよずっと永遠に (tell me why , please tell me, forever and ever)
たとえば 誰かのためじゃなく あなたのために (If, it is not for anyone else, But its only for you)
歌いたいこの歌を 終わらないstory (I want to sing this song, a never ending story)
続くこの輝きに (A never ending brightness)
Always 伝えたい ずっと永遠に ( Always, I want to tell you For ever and ever)
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Sleepless in HK
Cannot believe it. Another night working till midnite!! Was laughing at Lppl's comment that i am worse than he is...Ok, enough frustration released... time to eat dinner (or supper???) and shower and sleep.
Luckily told my boss i may be "later" tomorrow morning... think will be another "Sleepless in HK" tonight from all the high stress!!!
Luckily told my boss i may be "later" tomorrow morning... think will be another "Sleepless in HK" tonight from all the high stress!!!
Krispy Creme
Was reading cynthia's blog on Krispy Kreme and i didnt think it was anything fantastic either. Its OK.
My colleague Brendan was raving about it and saying its the best.
I gave it a try - clear glazed(hot from oven) and honestly, i thought it was too sweet after one bite. Am i getting old?
My colleague Brendan was raving about it and saying its the best.
I gave it a try - clear glazed(hot from oven) and honestly, i thought it was too sweet after one bite. Am i getting old?
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Long Monday Nite
Monday:
Dead beat! I canx believe the whole day went past in a flash with meeting from 10 - 5pm!
Luckily i went back to work the whole Sunday to catch up the backlog or i will be so stressed today!
Still was nice to have all markets flown in today, esp Mel was so sweet.
She asked me if i missed anything from sg that she needs to bring for me (seeing how i complained i missed sg food few months back on her last trip...)
Funnily, the nail swatch drove me and Alice and our vendor crazy.
We worked on sooooooo many revisions (at least 10!!!) to finally get it right!
Vickie was laughing that I must be dreaming about the website and all our product catalogue and i said YEeeesssS!!
Ok its 9.30pm, simply have to head home for dinner! Prob buy congee from causeway bay(again!)..
Dead beat! I canx believe the whole day went past in a flash with meeting from 10 - 5pm!
Luckily i went back to work the whole Sunday to catch up the backlog or i will be so stressed today!
Still was nice to have all markets flown in today, esp Mel was so sweet.
She asked me if i missed anything from sg that she needs to bring for me (seeing how i complained i missed sg food few months back on her last trip...)
Funnily, the nail swatch drove me and Alice and our vendor crazy.
We worked on sooooooo many revisions (at least 10!!!) to finally get it right!
Vickie was laughing that I must be dreaming about the website and all our product catalogue and i said YEeeesssS!!
Ok its 9.30pm, simply have to head home for dinner! Prob buy congee from causeway bay(again!)..
Boring? Boring my ar*se
I am getting tired of "defending" singapore as a "Boring" city.
Granted SG doesnt have wonderful scenic views, rich history and culture, vast museums etc, still I wont go and make a sweeping statement about a country like that. Luckily I had a Taiwan lady who came to Sg's rescue and said she disagreed with the "boring" statement, though we all agree the weather is not a great thing.
I didnt have my good friends here to share my life and that makes a huge difference. To be fair, if you are alone in a new city, and all one does is keep to yourself and stick to a few places, then yes, life is boring in that country. But its not the country's problem, its you.
To me, being happy or bored really boils down to your company/friends, and your own iniative to make your own plans. I have never felt bored in singapore. I always had things to do, (if i can get my lazy butt off the bed on some weekend... ). I get to hang out with friends at cafe and spend glorious days catching up, I missed watching local and overseas english plays, I missed blading or cycling at east coast, I missed my simple pleasures in life like taking a stroll in the gardens, having picnics and watching concerts at Botantic Gardens, exploring new hangouts, spontaenously packing all in a car or two heading for the "famous" food for dinner, or catching up on late supper, and occasional drinking...Then, there is always malaysia next day to offer us a different change in scenery. So what if Malaysia is a different country but the fact we are linked together and makes it easy access, you cannot discount that as part of your life while living in singapore. Just like Europe, its fun and their beauty are that they are also interconnected like we are! While it bothers me to keep hearing negative comments, I cannot stop people from feeling the way they do as they are entitled to.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side and people like to think there is better options out there. While to some degree it is true for some, nothing will ever makes you feel like home where your family and friends are. No delusion about it. At the end of the day, when the novelty of newness wears off, people you meet come and go, coming HOME to your old place is the best feeling in the world.
Like beloved things or people you have lost and found again, you dont notice how much you had missed it until it finds its way back to you... and then of course, along the way, you probably had gotten used to the "loss" that it may never feel the same as before.
C'est La Vie!
Granted SG doesnt have wonderful scenic views, rich history and culture, vast museums etc, still I wont go and make a sweeping statement about a country like that. Luckily I had a Taiwan lady who came to Sg's rescue and said she disagreed with the "boring" statement, though we all agree the weather is not a great thing.
I didnt have my good friends here to share my life and that makes a huge difference. To be fair, if you are alone in a new city, and all one does is keep to yourself and stick to a few places, then yes, life is boring in that country. But its not the country's problem, its you.
To me, being happy or bored really boils down to your company/friends, and your own iniative to make your own plans. I have never felt bored in singapore. I always had things to do, (if i can get my lazy butt off the bed on some weekend... ). I get to hang out with friends at cafe and spend glorious days catching up, I missed watching local and overseas english plays, I missed blading or cycling at east coast, I missed my simple pleasures in life like taking a stroll in the gardens, having picnics and watching concerts at Botantic Gardens, exploring new hangouts, spontaenously packing all in a car or two heading for the "famous" food for dinner, or catching up on late supper, and occasional drinking...Then, there is always malaysia next day to offer us a different change in scenery. So what if Malaysia is a different country but the fact we are linked together and makes it easy access, you cannot discount that as part of your life while living in singapore. Just like Europe, its fun and their beauty are that they are also interconnected like we are! While it bothers me to keep hearing negative comments, I cannot stop people from feeling the way they do as they are entitled to.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side and people like to think there is better options out there. While to some degree it is true for some, nothing will ever makes you feel like home where your family and friends are. No delusion about it. At the end of the day, when the novelty of newness wears off, people you meet come and go, coming HOME to your old place is the best feeling in the world.
Like beloved things or people you have lost and found again, you dont notice how much you had missed it until it finds its way back to you... and then of course, along the way, you probably had gotten used to the "loss" that it may never feel the same as before.
C'est La Vie!
...
..挨了一礼拜的cinderalla, 加上周末也回来， 今天有点受不了，所以七点前就走人了。走了一圈，还是没有乐趣。。也不饿，索性就吃徐留山甜品去。那天和秦伟聊了一下，他笑我几时变成中国妹，msn都在打中文。我说我懒得换字母。说实在的，语言久而不用，会超级退步！！要死，那天还忘了一个很简单的字怎么拼音！丢脸！常忘了几时加 "h", "g"...还要trial and error....哎哟天啊！还亏以前 中文班差点就读中文第一语言！真对不起老师的一番教导及期望！所以还好现在可好了，超级大把机会重新用回中文！对了，到现在，还是很不习惯香港叫cantonese伪"Chinese". 经常以为他们所谓的chinese 是Mandarin..咳。。。
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Day Trip to Lama Island
Woke up about 2pm and returned Josephine's call. Decided to head to Lamma Island for a quick day trip.
While waiting at IFC, i bought a chicken leg and stood infront of the movie TV screen munching away. I realise with much amusement that everyone must have thought i was weird, eating in the middle of the shopping mall in front of the cinema. Honestly, their stares didnt bug me and i didnt even know what the fuss was about? I suppose...munching on a chicken leg is significantly less visually appealing than ice cream cone:) ha!
Anycase, i met Josephine in time and caught the departing boat just in time. Was about 45mins and the weather was so sunny and cool at the same time so it was a nice walk up the hills. It was about an hour walk to 榕树村 but i guess we were chatting and so it didnt seem that long. By the time we near the other village it was dark. I didnt realise there are so many expats living on one side of the island. There are many seafood restaurants but i didnt feel like it. Somehow, i just feel i will get ripped off. It felt like a cross between a malaysia village and a thai street ambience.
Again we were in time to catch the leaving boat at 7pm. Hk has alot of chinese new years lightings now! Took one just for fun. We headed to abedeern for dinner. The Mynmar restaurant i wanted to bring her was so packed and so we headed to another bangkok restuarant instead. Afterwhich, it was beancurd with my fav sesame dumpling! Yipppeee! It is indeed a nice saturday.
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