Today was a good day because I was hardly in the office :) Went out at 10.45am to Prima Taste at One Fullerton for a press conference cum lunch. NOTE TO ALL IN PERTH: they're opening a restaurant in Perth in early 2004. Watch for it. So after lunch, I got back to the office and had to rush off again to Peninsula Plaza and Centrepoint to collect..... BABY SHOES!!! I ended up walking around with Mothercare plastic bags and all. We're doing a story on buying toddlers' shoes. It's been a heckuva challenge organising, interviewing and arranging with the relevant people.

So the Esplanade got back to me with a really sweet email thanking me for my initiative in writing to them and telling me that they'll keep my resume on file. Unfortunately, the position I applied for requires you to have at least 3 years of experience in media relations. Which means it'll be another 3 years before I can apply :) Never mind, at least I tried :)

Really should try to sleep earlier. I'm quite zonked. I think I'll go to bed now actually. Nite...

Just came back from coffee with Paul (who's just come back from Europe...). Had a good time catching up with you :) We must do this more often.

Job interview tomorrow. I was a nervous wreck earlier. Now I'm just nervous. It's an interview for the position of Marcom Exec at the InterContinental. No, you didn't read wrongly. I am making my way back to the hotel :) When I left my job earlier, I was leaving the JOB, not the ORGANISATION. It wasn't the hotel I had a problem with. I guess I just felt that I'd reached a plateau in my job. I'd learnt all that I needed to learn/could learn. My quest for experience led me to pursue other things. I do feel a little more equipped now, especially in media relations (a.k.a hobnobbing with the industry insiders). For some reason, I still have very little confidence in myself. Maybe my lack of a proper job in a related field has led me to that conclusion. See, even my grammer is starting to go wobbly. Something sounds wrong with that sentence.

Anyway, this is how I am when I'm nervous. Ok, I'll leave it to the good Lord. If this is for me, I'll get it. If not, so be it. There'll be other opportunities. In the meantime, keep me in your prayers :)

I think it's really strange that National Day's coming up. Not that it's strange but it's weird that I'm actually around for it. I haven't been home for the last 4 national days so it's really kinda weird that I'm here now. Usually what happens is the Singapore Link (which I think was pretty malfunctional) would organise some event. And it usually had to do with food. I never participated of course, perhaps because I was neither particularly patriotic nor eager to spend time with people in the Singapore Link. Maybe it was simply that I didn't miss home at all. BUT, there was this one year, it was 2001 I think, when we discovered the parade online and my flatmate and I were so excited that we actually watched the whole thing (well, almost) online. It was quite funny because the narration would lag behind the actual events. Or was it the other way round? Anyway, that was a rather interesting experience. It was also probably one of the RARE moments when I felt a leeeeeetle bit homesick. Just a little :)

It's back to work tomorrow. There's much to be done. Interviews, various arrangements, errands. If I ever run my own company, I'll make sure I pay the interns. At least $10 a day or something. Or lunch money. Ugh, am feeling the strain. I went to the ATM the other day and got a shock when I saw my account balance. Not a pretty sight I can assure you.

So the Singapore convos have come and gone. Yet another batch of fresh grads competing with me for a job. Such is life, isn't it? :) Here's me, turning my back to the academic life and there's dad, absolutely relieved he doesn't have to pay for my school fees anymore :)



Have a fantastic week people :)

I'm Still In Pain : (

Just came back from watching Alex and Emma. I really liked it :) Most romantic comedies are funny but not funny enough to make me laugh out loud. I mean, I generally just smile, nod, yeah I get the joke let's move on. But this one, I actually laughed aloud. And I think that says something for this show. It's got a very refreshing humour. Go watch it.

Limped around town today. Walking up and down stairs was an awful strain and my knee was crying out for lurve. Ended up walking kinda funny. Like I was sorta bouncing around. I think it's healing though. A hard layer is starting to form. But that's when it hurts cos when you bend it, it'll kinda crack but if you straigten it, it kinda cracks too. Mine hasn't hardened till it's crackable yet but it sure feels like it!

Had a delightful lunch at this Thai place in town. The green curry was HOT though. Even my friend, who takes spicy food, said it was (I quote) "POWERFUL". Both of us were sitting there sniffing and laughing cos it was so hot!

It's been ages since I came home so early. It feels kinda funny. I feel like I should be going out for coffee or drinks later. Or something. It just feels funny to be home on a saturday night. Not that I go out a lot but it just feels funny. I should go rest my knee though. It needs TLC.

I'm In Pain : (

I had an accident in the office today. Bright and early too, like within the first half hour of work. Good thing the office was still pretty empty. Anyway, I was on the phone interviewing this lady and when I stood up, I didn't realise that my shoe got caught in the mess of wires under the desk and I TUMBLED to the ground, hitting the chair and landing on my knee, ending up with a carpet burn. The THUD was so loud that my colleagues on the other side of the cubicle came rushing over to find out what had happened. For some reason, it was not embarrassing at all (since there were no males present!) but it was TREMENDOUSLY painful. The next half hour was spent washing and disinfecting with Dettol. When my colleagues saw that the skin was still pretty raw and bloody (sorry, I know it's a bit graphic), they got out the yellow ointment and dabbed it on my wound. SO nice of them!!

But the bad part was that I had 2 events to attend today - a Versace men's fragrance launch and a Locman launch at the Beaufort. And the really bad part was that I was wearing a SKIRT. Which proudly displayed the artistic wound on my knee (which was now a mixture of red, grey and yellow). Yay me. The Versace event was terrible for me because they didn't start on time. It was supposed to start at 4.30pm but by 5.30pm, they still weren't starting. I had to just grab a press kit and leave for the next event at Sentosa. Getting a cab was terribly difficult as well cos it was raining. I was more than half an hour late for the event but ended up being one of the earlier people there. Ended up enjoying the event a lot. The food was great, got to meet a lot of people, collected a number of namecards :) and there was also a nail bar set up and we got our nails done. The lady painted mine pink and sparkly, which I thought didn't really suit me but ah well, it was fun.

I have another food sampling to go to on Wednesday. Now these kinds of events, I like :) Am gonna miss the perks of this job hey... oh well, we'll see what the Lord has for me next. Have a good weekend, people.

Moments

I shall segment my day into "moments" to make it easy for you, my reader.

My moment of near-charity:
Today, there were many people dressed in orange, holding familiar tin cans with stickers attached to the rims. They were NTU students raising funds for those underprivileged students in financial difficulty. Alright, fair enough. I thought the cause was just. But the annoying thing was, they were standing at the top of escalators, in MRT stations and EVERYWHERE that people were. Ok, so you ought to stand in strategic locations. BUT it's peak office hour and people are RUSHING to work. It's terribly annoying to have orange people in your way when there are hundreds of us, groggy and not-yet-awake and trying to get to the office on time. So anyway, that was that. At about 3.30pm, I left the office to go run an errand in town. I walked out to the MRT station and lo and behold - Orange Guy. Seeing as I was the only one walking in that direction, Orange Guy smiled sweetly and looked at me with puppy dog eyes (I suspect they're all trained to do that). And get this, he says nothing. NOTHING. He just pushes the tin in my direction. So, being nice, I asked where the money was gonna go. And that's when I found out about the needy students. Ok, I was moved. Enough to reach into my bag for my wallet. Now inside my wallet was (among many other useless things) a 50 dollar note and 60 cents. I was moved, but not moved enough to give $50. But I also thought that giving 60 cents was bull. I mean, c'mon, these tins aren't for you to get rid of your loose change. These tins are for you to do your bit and give with a cheerful heart. So I told Orange Guy I was coming back later and if he was still around, I'd have smaller notes by then and would give him some money. He very nicely thanked me and that was that.

So I went to town, ran my errand, then went to Marks and Sparks to buy something so I would have notes to give Orange Guy. Came back to Raffles Place but Orange Guy wasn't there anymore. In his place was Orange Guy 2. Orange Guy 2 didn't do anything. He just stood there with his tin and didn't even approach anyone for donations. Look, if you're not going to put in some effort to ask people if they woud kindly donate, I'm not gonna give you anything. I mean, it's not that I'm being an awful person. I just thought that he should have been more proactive. So I just walked right past him. I guess I should've just plonked some money in his tin anyway but I just didn't feel that he was trying. To me, it was like he was just expecting people to walk up to him and put money in his tin. I may support charities and donation drives but I sure want to know where my money's gonna go. I don't just give blindly. Especially since I try not to give coins. It's not that I wouldn't give. I just want my money to be channelled to the right places and used wisely. That way, I can feel good about having helped someone. And if you don't approach me, my legs won't automatically lead me to you. Really.

My "Do you take 'no' for an answer?" moment:
While I was in town, I was approached my a young chap conducting surveys. I don't know which company hired him but the survey he was conducting was the same one I did a YEAR ago. Either this company is inefficient or they want the WHOLE of Singapore and Southeast Asia to answer their questions. So anyway, Young Chap comes up to me as I'm at the traffic lights. He goes, "ExcusemecanItakeaminuteofyourtimewhichshoppingcentredoyoulikethemost?" For a split second, I was like, "Huh?? Are you even asking me a question??" Good thing I'm Singaporean and I could make out his bullet train soliloquy. By then, the light had turned green and I was ready to cross the road. I hurriedly said, "er.... Takashimaya" and started crossing. He said, "ok, I'll cross with you." Next question:

Young Chap: Are you single, married or attached?
Me: Single.
Young Chap: Er, single?
Me: Yes.
Young Chap: You're single. Do you have a boyfriend? No boyfriend?
Me: NO. (Which part of SINGLE do you not understand, my dear 14 year-old boy? And why are you not in school and out here terrorizing people with your faster-than-a-speeding-train speech?)

Before you all start thinking that he asked the "do you have a boyfriend?" question in an interested way, I can assure you, he did not. He just didn't understand "single" very well. Probably because he didn't think anyone my age could still be single. Hahaha... :)

My unglam moments:
Um, ok, they're not really very unglam but they made me a teeny bit embarrassed (like how Young Chap's incredulous, "No boyfriend??" made me feel a bit embarrassed too). On my way to work in the morning, I was carrying my funky bottle of water (mentioned in a previous entry). If you know my routine, I try to change fingers cos the bottle's quite heavy. In the midst of changing, the bottle slipped and landed on the floor of the train with a THUD. Worse, the top flipped open and water spurted out. AND, the bottle actually landed near the foot of this lady, whose boyfriend stared (almost glared) at me. Ok, sorry I nearly amputated your girlfriend's foot with my water bottle, mister. It's not like I did it on purpose so the whole train could stare at me. Sigh, I had to bend down, close the cover and pick the bottle up as calmly as possible, all the while pretending nothing happened and this was a normal routine. Sigh.

Second unglam moment was in town, somewhere in Takashimaya (my supposedly favourite shopping centre [it's not really]) where I almost slipped. The floor was completely dry except for this glorious patch I just had to put my foot on. Whee! My foot went way forward before the rest of my body could. Thank God for arms that steady you when you attempt to slip. Didn't fall but the little dance I sorta did should have been entertainment enough for the people who saw it.

Ok, I think that's enough moments for the day. If you wanna know what happened to my bottle (you probably don't but I just want to say it anyway), I brought it back without it ever having touched my lips. Yup, full bottle. What a waste of my energy!

Thoughts

Got this from D W's site. I think it makes perfect sense. In fact, it's reality speaking. It's completely matter-of-fact yet infused with poignancy.


"After a while you learn the difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning, and company doesn't mean security, that kisses aren't contracts, and you begin to accept your defeats with your head held high and your eyes wide open with the grace of a woman not the grief of a child. You learn to build your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain and futures have a way of falling down mid-flight. After a while you learn even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers and you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, and you really do have worth. And you learn and learn, with every goodbye you learn." - Veronica A Shottstall


I hope I've accepted my defeat with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child. I hope I've behaved well. It's always been my intention to be gracious in "losing" and yet, it's not "losing" to me. It's not exactly "defeat" because it isn't and wasn't a game. Victory (or defeat, for that matter) is the result of a competition, a game, a war. And I wasn't in any of these (although maybe sometimes you thought it was war *grin*). I fought hard but I also know when it's time to stop fighting. And I have. I've stopped fighting. Simply because I know I should. I believe that a gracious woman knows when it's time to stop struggling and let go. And it's not about anger, bitterness nor resentment. Because these things eat at you. They gnaw at your soul and will eventually consume you. It's about forgiveness, grace, kindness. Why? Because it was about love. It's just what Jesus would do. In fact, it's what He did.

So I leave you with these thoughts and the hope that those of you going through a rough patch in your relationships will be encouraged and uplifted in spirit. It's not about winning or losing but about trying your very best and being brave enough to leave it behind if need be.

She called me Melissa!!! The editor-in-chief called me by name!!! Ok, so I get ecstatic over little things. I can't help it, I'm easy to please ;) Yesterday, the beauty and lifestyle editor dumped a stash of nailpolish on the table and told us that they'd been opened for photo shoots and we could help ourselves to them since they can't be sold again. Perks of the job ;) Suddenly, I found myself being the sample girl. My nails were being painted and the rest would just decide which colour they wanted by looking at my nails. I ended up with my hands looking like that of a drag queen's.

Mmm... I love lazy saturday mornings. Lazy saturdays, rather. I have the entire day to myself and I can decide exactly what I want to do with it. I love 5 day work weeks :) Had dinner with my cell last night then went off to play some pool. Had quite a bit of fun :)

Managed to hand in my first draft yesterday but I do think my writer's block has had a somewhat semi-permanent effect on me. I feel like I can't really write anymore. Maybe it's because I don't have anything to say and I'm just blogging for the sake of it. I know this is something my fellow bloggers have gone through as well. After a while, blogging just loses its kick and you wonder if people really want to read about the fried rice you had for lunch and whether or not someone called you by name. I guess I love blogging because I see interesting things everyday and I want to write about it. Like the posters that have been springing up saying, "'I wish for peace', said Max the rabbit. His friends gave him drugs, now he can't kick the habit." (may not be word for word accurate), and the fact that Christmas decorations are already coming up in Orchard Road. Maybe I just haven't been seeing interesting things lately. But aren't things interesting because you make them out to be?

So maybe I'll just blog if I have something interesting to say. And if you really want to know what I had for lunch, you can flooble me. Here's yesterday's for free - I had a baked potato.

Writer's Block

The first draft of my feature is due tomorrow. Guess what? I have writer's block. Whoopdeedo. Murphy's Law's got me again. I'm trying to write here in a weak attempt to gain some momentum. I'm a good writer. I know it. I. Just. Can't. Seem. To. Get. Anything. Out.

Anyway, came home late today after dinner with a friend. Was on the train near the door. There was a couple directly in front of me, obviously very much in love. Next to them was another couple (I suspect they were younger than I am) and they were talking and kissing at the same time. And kissing really loudly too! The girl never seemed to be able to finish her sentences because the guy kept interrupting with a passionate kiss. I was in couples-make-out hell. There was no where I could turn. In front was the lovey-dovey couple, to my left was the I-need-to-make-out-with-you-right-here-right-now couple and on my right was the door with the reflection of both couples! I wanted to laugh and retch at the same time. In the end, I decided to just close my eyes and pretend to sleep. Ignorance is bliss right?

Sigh, am still not getting inspiration. Stupid Murphy. I blame you.

*grumblegrumblemumblemumble*

I had a great time this evening, catching up with Leo. I would say our relationship has evolved. Whatever animosity that was previously hanging in the air, wasn't there anymore. Suddenly, we were pals again. I'm really grateful for the way things turned out in the end. I know I was a complete idiot in the way I treated him. He certainly didn't deserve it but I'm grateful that he was big enough not to let it come in the way of a friendship.

Certain things have come to my knowledge. And I suppose in some obscure way, it's put things in perspective for me. You know how they always say God never gives you more than you can handle? I'm beginning to think my God has a lot of confidence in me. To say it's been an easy journey would severely undermine the things I've had to go through. Sometimes, you just want to run to the eye of the storm and find your peace, your shelter, your rest. Hope is sometimes the most difficult thing to hold on to but one of the most essential.

Have you ever felt like you know someone so well and then find out that you don't know him/her at all? Tonight, I've just realised that perhaps I don't know anything about someone I thought I knew inside out. I wasn't disappointed, just a little intrigued. And maybe I'll lose the possibility of a friendship with this person. In any case, I do think that if a friendship (or any relationship for that matter) is worth anything, all involved parties will do their best to ensure that it is not lost. If it is, it probably wasn't much to start off with anyway. Granted, people change over time, dynamics change, people are in your lives for different seasons. But I also believe that there will be those who will make the decision to journey on in life with you. Whatever the season. And yes, like all relationships, it takes effort (at this point, I would like to let Lil know that she isn't the protagonist of my ramble here so don't worry girl).

Life is going well for me at the moment. I think my head's a lot clearer now and I'm thinking straight more than I was before. I realised that I haven't been living. I'm ready now. I'm ready to go live life :)

Hold on tight!

Food Sampling

It's not even mid-week and I'm so tired hey... probably because I've been running around doing errands. Been at Orchard quite a bit, returning clothes that were borrowed for photo shoots, doing this that and the other. I'm now in the awful process of cataloging heaps of photos. And when I say heaps, I actually mean files and files and files. The BIG ring type files. There's an entire cupboard of these files. And the photos are actually the negatives so when I file them, I have to look at them against the light or put them on the light box. Every time I look at the cupboard, I want to collapse and cry. And it's taking me so long to do the stuff too... I started yesterday and I'm nowhere near done.

On a lighter note, I went for a food sampling thing today at the Suntec Convention Centre. It was organised for the press as a prelude to the food festival that's coming up. Being the first-class idiot that I was, I had a full lunch before going for the sampling. Anyway, when I went there, there were lots of good food cooking, funny drinks, unheard of brands and established restaurants all showing their stuff for us eager beavers to sample. Listened to a guy telling me about oxygenated water, listened to another talk about apple cider vinegar and chatted with the Billy Bomber's guy about the restaurant and the closing of its branch at Holland V. Here's some publicity for them - their milkshakes are really good! Also walked over to the Spanish restaurant booth and was invited to eat a pickled garlic (!) I was like, "you sure my breath isn't gonna stink after this???" They went, "Nonono... it's very nice.. trust us" *big toothy grins* I was reeeally apprehensive about that one but nevertheless, being the gungho fake reporter, I popped one into my mouth and crunched away. MAN! It was so sour! And the guy very happily told me that the sourness takes away the stink of the garlic. YOU DON'T SAY?? Believe me, I tried very hard to keep a straight face but it was so sour I had to quickly take some of my Billy Bomber's milkshake. The texture was quite nice though, not unlike chewing a macadamia nut. It's just a lot sour-er.

Finished off the day by returning a huge bag of maternity clothes to a shop at the Meritus Mandarin. Couldn't resist shopping in town after that but the crowd and my aching feet soon led me to the bus stop. How people can have the energy to go party the night away after work is totally beyond me. I'm all for a relaxing cuppa with good friends after a long day though. And I need that foot spa membership. Heck, I need a total spa membership.

You know what? I wonder if I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I found myself going to bed last night, dreading the thought of waking up and going to work. I don't want to dread going to work. Work has to be something I enjoy. At least I have nice colleagues, although I take offense at being called the "work placement girl" and the "intern" by the editor-in-chief. Surely you can remember my NAME?? It's not like you have 200 staff there. There's only 9, including me. Even if she called me Michelle or Vanessa, it's at least giving me some dignity. Don't you think names are so important? If they weren't, why do we have them? We could just go identified by serial numbers. Names are what give you a human touch. Why do you think it's rude to call someone "eh!". Sigh. I could go on but I'm tired and hungry. This argument will have to wait another time.

I hear my dinner calling.

Walk On By

My feet are so sore. I thought those days were over when I left my previous job. Apparently not. I was sent to go buy jellybeans, liquorice allsorts and triangular wafers (the kind you stick in your ice cream) for a photo shoot. The last time I saw liquorice allsorts, they were in Marks and Spencers. So first place that came to mind was Marks and Sparks at Wheelock. Got there and found out they don't sell liquorice allsorts anymore. Uh oh. I couldn't think of any other place that sold those sweets. I needed a supermarket like Cold Storage at Guthrie House. You know, the more "ang moh" type supermarkets that sell these "ang moh" sweets? The only place I could think of was Tanglin Mall. So, not wanting to spend more money and time on transport (picture this - my office is in Raffles Place and I am in Orchard Rd. Didn't want anyone to think I was skiving. Wanted to get the stuff ASAP), I decided to WALK from Wheelock Place to Tanglin Mall. In the blazing sun. In heels. I sometimes marvel at how I managed to get a university degree.

Anyway, upon reaching Tanglin Mall (I was ready to collapse at the able hands of a foot spa therapist), I made a beeline for the Marketplace (a.k.a the supermarket). And lo and behold, the mind that got me a university degree led me to the pack of liquorice allsorts. Mission part one accomplished. I had to go get the wafers. The Marketplace didn't have them. 7-11 didn't have them. Cold Storage didn't have them. The Isetan Supermarket didn't have them (are you starting to get an idea of how far I walked?). Then, my genius struck again. I remembered having ice cream with the wafer at Haagen Daaz. So I plucked up my courage and was totally prepared to go grovel and flash my winning smile, since I didn't think they'd sell their wafers like that. I put on my most innocent face and boldly walked up to the guy at the counter and asked if they had any of those wafers. They did. Then I asked if I could please-have-one-or-two-or-maybe-three-and-I'd-be-happy-to-pay-them-for-the-stuff. Guess what? They do sell them after all. As an extra topping. So I paid 70cents for 3 wafers in a funky aluminium foil-lined Haagen Daaz bag. Groovy :)

Then at about 5.30pm, the boss asked me to go deliver something to an office in Shenton Way. Which meant more walking. And it didn't help that I got lost. Now I know where the Singapore Exchange is. I also know where the major banks are and I know where Lau Pa Sat is in relation to my office. Once again, the humidity and the not-made-for-walking shoes prompted some grumbling on my part. But I was glad for the exercise :) I've walked so much today, it's probably a week's worth of exercise!

Ok, maybe not ;)

Today is the last day of the Great Singapore Sale 2003

Had an eventful day today, tiring but eventful. Went to Plaza Singapura for lunch after church and then spent the day shopping with Hannah. Both of us bought a ring that's really gorgeous :) It's a silver ring with 7 circles of coloured glass/plastic dangling from it. And because they dangle, they're sort of in all different directions so it looks like you have a flower on your finger. Ok, I'm not really good at describing it but it's really pretty :) She bought the pink and mauve one while I got the olive green and ochre one. Here's a little secret: I'm actually looking at my finger as I type and after every sentence, I pause to admire the ring. Heehee :) I also realised that I'm the only one in my cell who wears her rings on the index finger. Even the lady at the store remarked that I automatically put the rings on that finger. But she also said it's fsahionable to do that nowadays. Hah! I'm fashionable ;) Ok, here's another secret: a good ring looks better on the index finger when you're strumming the guitar ;)

Ok, so that was the ring part. Then we went to Orchard Rd and made our presence felt at various must-go boutiques. We went to Mango, which is having a great sale, and ohmygoodness was it packed or what?! The whole store was in a mess! But the most annoying part was yet to come. I had selected the top I wanted to try and was in the fitting room area. Now those of you who've been to Mango will know that the fitting room isn't really a room and the cubicles aren't solid cubicles. They're actually pieces of canvas (is it canvas?) held together by metal poles. I've never been comfortable with the Mango cubicles because I always think that people can see through the slits in between the canvas. There's no lock and nothing to tie the "curtain" down. So anyway, I was desperately trying to get into this top (I kinda underestimated my size...) and because it was a halter top, it was kinda skimpy so I was trying to change as fast as possible. Then this lady pulled back the "door" of my cubicle a little bit and said she had got the medium size for me. I was shocked but more annoyed. I mean, here I am, changing with my arms through various straps of clothing everywhere, and here's this lady thinking she's talking to her friend. And she didn't even bother to ask if her friend was inside! Ok, so I thought it was a one off thing and continued to struggle with my top. Then she did it again!! And suddenly, I had to move to the other side of the cubicle and try to cover as much of myself as possible. I don't think she looked at me but I was super annoyed. She realised it wasn't her friend in the end because I wasn't responding. Then she walked up and down calling out her friend's name frantically. It was soooo annoying! Not to mention rude! And I have a low tolerance for rude people.

When I finally got out of the cubicle (and the top), I told Hannah about it and she said she'd also heard the woman yelling and she got annoyed too. Sigh, some people do things without thinking. Good thing she didn't pull the whole door back though. I would have roared in her face. Like ROARED. I was that annoyed. It probably didn't help that I'm pmsing. So I get annoyed easily :)

Took a bus home from town and because it was crowded, I had to stand. It was a Super Bus without seats in the front of one side, where they have an empty section for people to stand. And because I was wearing a relatively short skirt, I didn't want to go up the stairs to the second level. So there I was, standing and minding my own business, when the bus driver decides to be funny and jerk the bus. That caused me to tumble forward INTO a guy. I was totally embarrassed but what do you do in situations like these? I did the only thing I could do. Laugh. And apologise with a really sweet smile. The poor guy kept looking back after that. I think he was afraid I'd bulldoze into him again. This reminds me of the very first time I attempted skiing in the Alps and I skiied right into this guy (whom I kinda had a thing for ;)) but that's another story.

Oh, you know the groovy guy who plays music and sings Christian songs in the Orchard underpass? Well, the other day when I was in town for the product launch, I walked through the underpass and he was singing "Just The Way You Are"!!! I was totally taken by surprise. I wanted to run up to him and give him a hug for playing my favourite Billy Joel song :)

Little things make my day :)

Today has been a non-stop day. The minute I stepped into the office, I was working until I had to leave for the Casio digital camera official launch. If any of you were at Isetan Scotts and saw that group of people with the photographers, Japanese men in suits and Fiona Xie, I was somewhere there too. After that, it was back to the office to finish up some work (but not before doing some perfume shopping in town!).

Let's take a break and talk about my perfume shopping. I've been wanting to get perfume ever since my beloved Ferragamo reached the end of its lifespan in Perth. Clinique has a new frangrance called Heart. It's actually Clinique Happy. Heart. But the smell was kinda weird. Lancome's "Miracle" smelled alright but it wasn't calling out to me. You know, I think fragrance is extremely personal and sensitive. It defines you in a way. If the scent is not calling out to you, it's not the right one. So anyway, after sampling various scents, I turned and saw a Salvatore Ferragamo boutique. Old habits die hard. I went in and got myself a bottle. I knew I was home :)

Ok, so back to my busy day. Left the office close to 7pm and rushed off to church. Now I was trying to figure out how to get to Malan Rd from Raffles Place. Thought of taking a train to Commonwealth and taking bus 61 but when I called my travel consultant (a.k.a Dad), he had a better plan. Take the train to Harbourfront (NEL) and then catch one of the many buses there to church. Fantastic. Got there at 7.30pm. Sharp. But I hadn't had dinner :( I almost didn't have time for lunch either. Bought a box of beef hor fun and brought it back to the office to eat.

So after cell, we went to ABC food centre for supper where I satisfied my hunger with carrot cake and iced tea. And now I'm home. And I'm pooped. But it was an eventful day :) Goodnight everyone!

So I was walking through the Arcade to go to the MRT station today, when a man emerged from the loo with his fingers still on his zip, obviously still in the process of zipping up or checking if he was zipped up. Well he was probably not checking his zipper cos his eyes were lost elsewhere and he wasn't very focused on the task at hand. It was almost like an afterthought kind of thing, oh-I've-just-finished-my-little-business-I-need-to-go-to-that-shop-that-sells-tissue-paper-now-where's-that-shop-let's-zip-up.... In any case, I thought it was really unsightly, not to mention rude. If I wasn't so amused, I'd be offended.

Left work later today so that I wouldn't have to mesh with the after-work crowd. Got on the train by 7pm and there was a marked decrease in the number of commuters. But fewer travellers doesn't necessarily equate pleasant journey. Why? Kids. Kids kids kids. Screaming kids. Ok, I'll be fair, it was just one kid. Apparently, her sister was depriving her of something. BIG mistake, sister. The Screaming Girl was so upset she let out a tremendously high-pitched "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" which then evolved into "aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!". I could have sworn she was speaking Whale (watch Finding Nemo) but in a very high-pitched voice. It was typical of the kind of scream that shatters glass. And ear drums.

So anyway, I turned my attention to something else. The extremely tall ang moh guy next to me. What do I mean by "extremely" tall? Let's just say that if I turned to face him, I would've been staring straight into his arm. His elbow was at my shoulder level and his head was just about 3cm shy of the roof of the train. He was EXTREMELY tall.

I got tired standing on the train. And I was holding my latest purchase - the funky designer evian bottle with a hole in the cover that you can hook something through? Anyway, the bottle was still relatively full since I had hardly touched it contents. I don't drink water remember? The bottle's a fashion statement. No, I'm kidding :) I bought it to inspire me to drink water. Isn't that terrible? I have to be inspired to drink water! Anyways, I had my middle finger through the cover and my finger was getting tired so I decided to change fingers. And the next finger to have the honour was to be my fourth finger. I figured that since I'm going to get proposed to with a 20 carat diamond ring, I might as well start training my fourth finger now for the weight it''ll have to bear in future ;) Tiffany's, no less :p

Coming home on the bus (I take the train, then the bus), I looked out the window and saw a baby in a child seat in the back of a car. The tiny thing was obviously throwing a tantrum cos its face was wrinkled up, its mouth was open and its tiny mittened hands were flailing about. It was really really interesting watching a baby cry. But without sound. :) How cool is that? It's like watching TV with the mute button pressed. Totally cool :)

Will update more soon. I gotta go watch Ally McBeal now. Such is my social life ;)

I knew it was going to be a bad day when I couldn't get on the train. Note - I couldn't get on the train, as opposed to - I missed the train. It was so very packed that by the time I got to the front of the giant crowd pushing its way into the belly of the fish, the huge jaws closed in my face. No worries, just take the next train. I ended up being 15 minutes early anyway.

The office is on the 18th floor. It is the only office on the 18th floor. When I arrived at 8.45am, the front door was locked. Great. To my left was the door leading to the staircase. To my right was a security access door. Behind me were the lifts. I would've looked like the world's greatest idiot if I took the lift all the way down to the first level again. There's nothing on the first level but the security guards at the counter. Seeing as I didn't want to be the world's second-greatest idiot standing around and waiting for the entire office to come in, I decided to hide myself in the stairwell. So I opened the door and started walking down the flights of stairs. I got to the 14th level when my feet started to hurt. Look, I'm not a wuss. I could've run all the way down if I were in trainers but I was in prissy heels that look good but scream DISCOMFORT. Oh, and why was I walking downstairs? Firstly, there are only 19 floors in the building and I was on the 18th. Secondly, I was hoping that by the time I walked to, say, the 10th storey, I could start walking up again and the office would be open. Is it obvious yet that I'm an idiot? To cut a painfully tedious story short, I finally managed to get in. The trick is to blend with a group of people who actually have security access and walk in with them.

So I was shown around the office and introduced to people. And then the boredom started. Let's just say that for 3/4 of the day, I was reading magazines. And drinking water (when you're bored, you drink water 'cos there really isn't much else to do). And going to the loo (when you're drinking that much water, you don't really have a choice). Now the loo is very interesting. There are 2 doors side by side. Both say "Ladies". Which is perfectly logical because this is a women's magazine office. And besides, when I was being shown around, I was told that these 2 loos are Ladies loos. So someone please explain to me what the row of urinals was doing in the "Ladies"??? When I first entered the loo, the sparkling urinals greeted me in unison and I did a double take. Uh-oh, I had done the classic foul-up, performed the ultimate blooper, made the top ten list of "Dumb Things To Do In An Office". I ENTERED THE WRONG LOO. Or did I? I did what I had to do as quickly as possible (apply lipgloss, that is) and calmly, albeit briskly, walked out to look at the sign on the door. No mistake. It said "Ladies". I'm fine with guys using the same loo if they stay in the cubicles. But if I were to walk in on a guy in midstream at the urinal, the following scenarios would be possible:

I'd:

1) Start laughing
2) Run out screaming
3) Stare
4) Giggle
5) Start a conversation

Any of the above, I'm sure, would render the poor guy terribly uncomfortable.

On my way home, I was once again treated to a delightful journey on the train with a billion other people. Only this time, the train was more packed than Centro on Ladies' Night. The stench of perspiration mixed with body odour filled the air and threatened to kill my senses. Everywhere I turned, some body part would be in my face. Then the Awful Guy boarded. We shall call him AG for short. AG was very big. I shall not call him fat (let's just say he was of a substantial size). My fingers were wrapped loosely around a metal bar - the one that has a glass panel attached to it. You know that glass panel next to the door that people always lean on? Well, AG decided to lean on that panel. And because AG was huge (let's not mince our words anymore), his body didn't just fit on the glass panel. It nicely landed on my fingers with a thud. And, get this, he DIDN'T care. Oh no. In fact, maybe he was uncomfortable. Uh-huh, so uncomfortable that he had to shift his body and thud down against my fingers again. No "sorry", no "excuse me", no nothing. Oh, woe was me....

At the end of it all, I have to say the train ride was far more interesting than my day at the office. I noticed a guy with a ear piercing. Ok, nothing unusual about that. But this guy's ear lobe had a hole that could fit a McDonald's straw through it. And guess what he was wearing in the hole? That's right. 3 cm of a McDonald's straw. Just think - if you got him to bend down real low and put his ear near the top of the drink, you could suck liquid up his ear piercing! I was pretty grossed out, not just by the size of the hole but by the choice of accessory.


Eeep. I'm nodding off at the computer. Better go take my shower now.

Sojourner

Yet another jam-packed day. Went to church in the morning, followed by a farewell lunch for Peter, who's going off to Brisbane on exchange for a semester. A bunch of us then trooped over to the old cinema in Clementi (which has now been converted into a pool parlour) and played pool for about 3 hours. Went home for a bowl of soup and was off again to the airport to say byebye to Peter. Have just come home. Phew!

Being at the airport certainly brought back memories and I realised, for the first time, the anxiety a parent must feel when his/her child goes overseas to study. There I was, watching Peter walk through the departure gates and imagining what his parents (who weren't present) must be feeling. It was the wow-my-boy's-alone-in-the-big-bad-world-I-hope-nothing-bad-happens-to-him as well as the sigh-my-boy's-all-grown-up-now feeling. Naturally, old memories of me flying off also came pouring back. I remember the first time I left for Perth. My friends said their goodbyes and I walked through the gates towards the immigration counter. When I turned around, they were gone! My heart totally sank. Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw them walking back. Silly melons... :)

I love the excitement of getting on a plane to go somewhere but I hate getting on a plane to go home. The only time I was relieved to get on a plane to go back was after my Melbourne/Sydney trip (which was rather nightmarish but turned out ok in the end). I was so relieved to get on the plane and go home to Perth. Perth gives me a comforting feeling. I've always wondered why I never pushed harder to get a PR, why I never tried, especially since I love the city so much. I've come to realise that while I do love the place that will always be my second home, it's not where God has called me to. And much as I dislike living in Singapore, I feel a pull towards it and it's definitely not a voluntary pull. There's a reason that I'm in Singapore and there's work to be done, both in me and through me. And you don't argue with the Big Guy :)

So, as I watched yet another fortunate soul cross the line into utopia, I smiled fondly at the opportunity I had and the incredible experiences that have shaped me and contributed a part to the Melissa that is today. Australia will never really be home but neither will Singapore. Never has it been more clear that I'm just a sojourner.

And boy, am I glad for that.

One Moment In Time

I feel like I've been sucked into a vortex of whirlwind activities these past 2 weeks. It's like, my life has been do, do, do, move, move, move, work, work, work, play, play, play. I've hardly had time to myself. So today, I took an entire day off and spent it resting in the best possible form - sleep. I was meant to clean out my room today and do laundry but I just didn't have the heart to :) Right... :)

For some reason, I've also been eating like a mad woman. I'm definitely gonna pile on the pounds. But it's alright, I need to put on weight anyway. I don't wanna be Ally Mcbeal. I think Liv Tyler's size is much sexier :) At least she looks healthy.

Gosh, I'm so nervous about starting work on Monday. I have zilch idea of what to expect. And I have a limited amount of money in my bank account to last me till I find my next paying job. Sigh, reality really hits you when you get out of school. Suddenly, you are accountable for your actions and decisions. Suddenly, you have to pay bills with YOUR own money. And you have to start saving so it will be less of a burden when you start a family. And you realise that you can't act like a teenager anymore because now, you have to bear the consequences.

Life is a paradox isn't it? Now that you're earning your own bucks, you can afford to travel and see the world and you should do it while you're young. But at the same time, there are all these responsibilities mounting and you shouldn't really spend so much because you should be saving for the future cos you can't depend on your parents or your spouse to support you forever. And I know you have to trust and depend on God but you should also be working at it right? Otherwise, it'll just be like asking God to give you straight As without you having to study. Doesn't work that way.

So I guess I'm discovering life. And I feel like I'm discovering it alone. I'm finding all the complexities and wonders of life and I turn around in enthusiasm to blurt it out. But there's no one there. It's like seeing an amazingly beautiful rainbow when you're alone in the middle of nowhere. And you wish you could share it with someone, some people, but you can't. And even if you had a camera with you, a picture will never be able to capture the essence of the moment. It will only be a second-hand experience.

And maybe some things in life do have to be experienced in solitude. But when it comes celebration time, I'll be bringing out the champagne flutes and popping the bubbly and I hope that when I turn around, I'll see familiar faces indulging in that moment with me.

Was supposed to meet Vincent at 12noon today. Woke up at 12noon. Note: Vincent in Perth is known to me as Vinny, while Vincent in Singapore is, well, simply Vincent :) We met up with Peter and Nicole for a buffet lunch at this Japanese place where we stuffed ourselves silly with sashimi, soft shell crab, gyoza and other yummy, unhealthy food :) For about an hour, I was in food heaven :) I was quite surprised at the amount I was actually able to wolf down. It was kinda like eating non-stop. I'm not a pig, I was just hungry :) And Peter was grossing me out with his pregnant fish. Eww... I don't think I could stomach pregnant fish (no pun intended).

After cell tonight, we went to Crystal Jade at Holland V and actually stood outside for more than half an hour, waiting for a table. When we finally got seated, it was just after midnight. Had a plate of beef brisket noodles which I promptly finished and wished for more. I don't know why, I was just having a hungry day. Oh, and we also had cheesecake at cell, to celebrate Vincent's and Sarah's birthdays.

It is 2am. I am still hungry. I feel like eating char kway teow. Mmmm... I think I'll go sleep though, and kill my hunger. Goodnight, food.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

"Sars is the virus that we want to minus" - The SAR-vivor rap

It is true. I kid you not. The Sar-vivor rap is out on CD. Complete with a cover picture of PCK in his yellow boots and all his glory. I worry for the state and future of our country's aesthetic intellect. I am concerned. We seem to be digging our grave deeper with each foul-up. It's not even funny anymore. It's painfully embarrassing and just so... wrong. You know how some CDs come with one or two bonus tracks? The SAR-vivor CD comes with 14. FOUR-TEEN. It includes tracks by Destiny's Child, Anastacia, A1, Jessica Simpson, Las Ketchup and other artistes. My heart bleeds.

In other news, Paul left for Amsterdam today. Lucky you. I'd love to be there now, even if it's on official business. I hope your time is well-spent and that you're having a blast. Nothing wrong with enjoying what you're doing right? Darn. I'd trade places with you in a split second :)

Warmsocks: Not keeping up to your end of the deal huh. Not a single peep from you, much less a daily report ;) And yes, this is a scolding.

Can't Sars me baby. And I don't mean maybe.

Yes, my heart bleeds indeed.

Had a good time last night hanging out with Lil and her friends and then meeting my colleagues. Clubbing on crowded nights teaches you to somehow dance with a 1mm space between you and the next person. Or people. It was totally packed last night, which made it fun cos there were more people to watch and a higher probability of catching some eye candy ;) Unfortunately, I was partially inebriated towards the end but it was really strange cos I found myself conversing with the taxi driver in perfect Singaporean mandarin! I was like, "whoa, where did that come from?!". My dad says the champagne probably released the locked-up mandarin I've always had inside me. HA!

So today, I left the hotel with mixed feelings. I am so gonna miss working with the people there. I guess as corny as it sounds, they've come to be a part of my life. Today, saying goodbye to people in accounts, housekeeping, banquet, engineering, front desk, really broke my heart. I will miss them so much.

I got an email today from the magazine asking me if I'm still interested in the internship because they thought I was supposed to start this week. I got the shock of my life cos I thought I'd quit my job for nothing. I'm positive they told me to start on the first monday of July but there may have been a miscommunication somewhere. Anyway, I've replied the email. I hope nothing goes wrong hey.

Ugh, I badly need sleep now. I still can't believe I came back at 2am and left for work 4 1/2 hours later!

My Mushroom Fetish

Ok, I've had a relatively nice afternoon so far. Went out for tea with Lil and had a Devonshire cream tea at Fosters. Their scones were nice, as were their field mushrooms. Really nice marinade which I must try to replicate. And I also think I've switched allegiance to Dilmah instead of Twinings. Oh Twinings, we had a good time while it lasted but I think Dilmah's better for me now. Incidentally, Dilmah's also the brand McDonald's uses in Perth. Ugh, I'm still feeling the excesses of scones with cream, jam and butter... but oooh, those were lovely field mushrooms... I'm a lover of mushrooms. They're the best vegetable (are they vegetables?) God ever made. Esther was just reminding me the other day that I used to cook mushrooms in abundance. I would use an entire box (punnet size) of mushrooms with one bowl of noodles. It was more of mushrooms with noodles than noodles with mushrooms. But I'm particular about my mushrooms though. I don't like chinese mushrooms and I'm not too fond of shitake either. I love white button mushrooms (not the canned champignons), field mushrooms, portabellos, oyster mushrooms and golden showers. And I love cooking with mushrooms. They're so easy to cook and so hard to mess up. You can't go wrong with mushrooms in garlic butter and herbs.

So I've decided. I'm going out later. I promise I'll be in bed by 2.30am. Latest. Heehee.. I am so gonna be zonked out at work tomorrow :)

Lilian is a bad, bad girl. After her attempts to lure me to Centro tonight (which worked, may I add), I realise that I can't swap shifts with anyone and I have to go to work tomorrow at 7am. Lilian is a bad, bad girl : ( She's going to have fun without me *pout*.

'tis the penultimate day. I love that word - PENULTIMATE. Makes me look forward to the ultimate. And the ultimate for me in this case would be my last day at work *and the crowd roars*. My boss did something yesterday that I thought wasn't very nice. It got me rather angry with him and I thought it was very childish behaviour. Nevertheless, I shall go out later and get him a thank you card, as originally planned. I've still got a bitter taste in my mouth though. Oh heck, one day of bad treatment and uncalled for behaviour from him shouldn't overshadow all the other days of not-too-bad treatment from him right? I'll let it go..

Alright, it's time to get off my lazy bum and go buy some thank you cards. Still thinking about whether I should go out tonight.... 7am... darn.