So my afternoon was spent trying to spend money in town but I had a bit of trouble with that. Left with a bunch of necessities and that was it. I really don't think I'm a good shopper. Maybe I need classes.

Oh, but I had celeb encounters today. Went back to the office for about 15 mins to get some stuff signed and then popped down to the restaurant where my boss was entertaining some SPH and MediaCorp people. There was this celeb there that I didn't know (he was quite good-looking though... reminded me of Gallen Lo) that boss wanted me to meet. Charming dude :)

And then at Orchard, I nearly walked into Chen Liping! All I have to say is that she looks exactly like she does on TV. Oh, and remember the volleyball show that she acted in eons ago with Chen Xiuhuan? Apparently, Chen Liping was a school volleyball player in my dad's school! So she really did play volleyball!

After an uneventful day in town, I met Lil at HV for drinks, dinner and drinks. We had pre-dinner drinks at Wala Wala and then proceeded to Sistina for a lovely meal of pasta and pizza. The food was acceptably good and we didn't have any trouble finishing it at all. It was also a rather pleasant night to be dining al fresco and was nice for a change. Ended up at TCC for coffee and had really funny encounters with staff dressed in Halloween gear. We were both pretty tickled by this waiter who had his entire face painted an ang ku kueh red. Come to think of it, he looked like a giant ang ku kueh. And Lil, in her slightly inebriated state told Mr Ang that she was really amused by his getup! He then sweetly asked her how her day was. Pretty funny, that :)

All in all quite an ok Monday. Except I kept getting calls from the office. That was a little annoying.

Thus begins my longish break. I'm not really sure what to do tomorrow. I do know that I need to go shopping though. Dad's been bugging me to get new clothes (I know, it's every girl's dream come true right?) cos he says my work clothes are worn out. So ok lor, since Dad wants me to go shopping... I mean, I don't feel like it lah, but since Dad wants me to go, I guess I have no choice right? Children must obey their parents you know.

Am looking forward to hitting town alone tomorrow. Been a long time since I went to town and shopped. Never really had the resources to do so but then I've never really been a shopper. That's the ungirly part of me I think. I don't really like to shop but since I've come back from Perth, I've become a little more of a shopper. I think Lil can attest to that.

Been a little happier these days. I think it's a good thing. I hope it stays that way :)

I've had the most stressful 12 hours of my life! If you know what happened, you know. But to summarise it very succinctly for everyone else, I turned down a job offer that I had initially wanted very much.

In the end, I settled for something less. But in the whole decision-making process, I learnt that money isn't everything. That relationships matter. That time for God matters. That you will never be short of opportunities if you have what it takes. And most importantly, that it is better to be in the centre of God's will than at the centre of ours. In a nutshell, I didn't dare go where God wasn't leading.

So that's what's been happening to me since last evening.

On a heartier note, I had lunch yesterday with Jaime Yeo and 2 lucky listeners from 98.7FM, who had won a free meal at our new restaurant. Jaime did a live report with the two girls and I think they had a good time and quite enjoyed the food too. After lunch, I had a chat with the girls, who told me they were from NTU. They were really friendly and sooo sweet!! Then they dropped the bombshell. They told me that when they were waiting for Jaime outside the restaurant, they saw me from the back and thought that I was her cos I was apparently "slim with long hair" (don't get too excited yet.. there's more to come) so they were trying to catch a glimpse of my face and according to them, when I turned round, they went, "chey..." LOL. I thought it was hilarious! Of course they hastily realised what they had said and tried to go "but you're still very pretty lah.. haha..." which made me laugh even more. Those girls were so funny!

Anyway, I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment, having just decided 2 hours ago that I would stay in my present job. But I know that God will be with me and that He's got me covered.

And that's enough for me.

I had a pleasant surprise this morning. Received an email from a friend in Perth telling me I have a package at the Concierge. Now how would someone in Perth know I have a package downstairs??? Obviously if she was the one who sent it!

So I gave the Concierge a call and asked if I had a package there. I did. I was so thrilled I went downstairs in eager expectation and found a bottle of Brown Brothers Crouchen Riesling (my favourite wine) and 2 packs of my favourite gummies from Perth! So I'm gonna say this for all to hear/read - Wen rocks!!! :)

Ok, I actually have loads of other stuff to update but I need to go spend time with my Father. Will update tomorrow.

We were expecting some guests from CLEO over for lunch today, so while my boss went to get a table at the restaurant, I proceeded to the lobby to await and receive our guests. While in the lobby, I heard a bit of a commotion upstairs and turned my head up to have a look. Turns out that the entire batch of Primary 6s from CHIJ (can't remember which one) was celebrating their graduation. In our ballroom. Whoa. I mean, when I was in Primary 6, we finished our last paper and then went home or went out to play. We didn't have no fancy schmancy graduation party at a hotel. It was quite a sight, having the hotel overtaken by noisy kids. Never seen it before. Was half amused, half overwhelmed.

So I received a call this afternoon from an ex-classmate. And when I say "ex", I mean 9 years-ex. So I haven't heard from her in 9 years and she calls me up. After the niceties, I asked her, "You're getting married?", to which a very surprised voice on the other end of the line replied, "Bingo! How did you guess??" I wanted to tell her that I've been receiving wedding invitations almost every other week so it really wasn't a surprise. But of course I said something else quite perfunctory. Anyway, shortly after the call, Lil calls me. Of course by then, I knew what it was going to be about. We were both rather stunned that we'd get invited to a wedding of someone we'd lost touch with for years. It's quite amazing indeed. I'm gonna go because I think it'd be great to see ex-classmates again (I think). And Lil had better go too because we're in on this together! LIL!

I am so looking forward to the weekend.

My boss is officially back at work! Yay! Found a Piglet sitting on my desk wearing a honeybee t-shirt and an Anne Geddes card accompanying it. The picture was of a huge pile of neatly folded towels and a baby sleeping right on top. In the card, Boss thanked me for being on top of things while she was away and for staying late in the office to finish work. I was close to tears for 2 reasons. One - I was really touched. Two - I thought about all the long days and nights I worked and how tiring it was and how it will be over soon.

But I'm generally feeling a little better. Still quite hungover from the work but the situation is definitely improving.

Is anyone looking forward to Christmas yet? I certainly am. It's my favourite time of year :) But my colleague made me realise something - the Christmas decorations aren't up yet! What's up with that? Or maybe I just haven't been to town lately. But usually by this time, there's some decor outside Raffles City. It's almost November and there's nothing! I have a nagging suspicion someone's gonna steal Christmas this year :( I still remember last Christmas Eve. I was at Essential Brew at Holland Village with Peter and Nicole, after family dinner at my aunt's. It was nice and cosy. That's what I love about Christmas. The warm fuzzy cosyness.

I love Christmas.

In a totally random move, I took leave for Monday. The rest of Singapore will probably be overseas, which leaves me perfectly poised for a relaxing break. I'm relishing the thought of not having to step into the office from Saturday till Tuesday. How awesome.

You know what? I'm developing quite a good rapport with a number of people from different departments, including housekeeping, engineering, the kitchen and restaurants. Which makes it even harder to leave. It's a good feeling when you walk down corridors and are able to smile and say hi to every other person. Makes you feel like you're part of one big family.

Today, I saw the training manager leading a group of students around the back of the house (which is what we call the parts of the hotel that guests don't see - which is also where my office is) and I was thinking, they must have been pretty freaked out. For people who have never worked in hotels, they'd expect the back of the house to be just like the front of the house - marbled floors, chandeliers and spiral staircases. Or at least something close. Unfortunately, the back of the house often looks more like a wet market/warehouse/maze. It is far from glamourous, far from pleasant. But there's a certain solidarity that comes with working together in a property. It's unexplainable. I hate it but I can't see myself anywhere else. I'm attached to it. Which makes leaving hard.

And I'm such a softie. I've gone through such horrors here but the moment something heartwarming happens, or I get to know someone better, I melt. I'm such a wimp but that's just me. I can be such a bitch but most times, I'm very meltable. Haha.

For now, I'm just looking forward to my super long weekend. You'll probably find me in my couch at Starbucks, catching up on my reading. Or in the pool getting some much-needed exercise. And definitely getting a good massage at the spa. I think I deserve the break :)

So on Saturday, I was at Diana's ROM. It was the first time I've ever attended an ROM actually. All the weddings I've ever been to have been held in a church, so this was an eye-opener for me. And now, having been to one, I can safely say that I much prefer church weddings. It's a heckuva lot longer but I think it's so much more meaningful. Of course this is my personal opinion and I'm not saying that ROMs are bad in any way (have to be so careful about what I blog now... don't want any trouble..). I just like church weddings :)

Anyway, here are some photos of the day. Oh, it was held at my workplace so that was extremely convenient :)



Doris, Agnes, Me



The Bride and Me. Doris thinks the waterfall is more important. I think she should keep her day job.



The Bride and the Groom with the 3 red-eyed monsters behind. LOL.



Doris and Me. Don't we look like we're joined by our hair???

I was watching this Taiwanese drama serial earlier. It's called Mr Fighting and it stars members of 5566.

Whoa. Did I just type that???

Ok, so now that I've come clean, I just want to say that I happened to flick to the channel and thought it looked interesting (there was certainly eye candy) but my main gripe was - the subtitles were in CHINESE!!! I mean, what's up with that??? What kind of idiot producer gives Chinese subtitles to a Chinese show??? I thought the reason for having subtitles was so that people who didn't understand the language of the show could still follow by reading! So obviously, I had to keep asking my brother what was going on. And these Taiwanese, they speak super fast! Sigh. Why oh why does my Chinese suck so? I can just see all my beleaguered Chinese teachers with that I-told-you-so look on their faces. I knew skipping Chinese classes to go to the sports complex cafeteria was gonna come back and bite me in the ass one day.

I think I should give Asian drama serials another shot (especially the Korean ones with the super hunky actors!). I mean, sure, they're cheesy and there's always some terminally ill girl that two guys are fighting over, but in some way, it makes me go awww... the way the good guy protects the girl and waits for her and does ultra sweet things for her. I'm just a sucker for such things. I know it doesn't happen in real life and guys like that are few and far far far between... but sometimes, I really wonder if they could possibly exist? Are there really guys like that??? They're sweet but not to the extent of being wimps you know? They always seem to be able to maintain that manliness while being exceedingly gentlemanly. Must be tough to do that.

Oh well, the weekend's come and gone. Didn't get much rest though. Was stressing over the retreat publicity presentation. The night before, I dreamt that I got scolded for choosing music that totally did not go with the presentation. The sound guy was scolding me and Kelvin was scolding me as well. And in the same dream, I dreamt that I told my boss I had finished my work but she scolded me and asked how I could say that when there was still so much I hadn't done. And then I also dreamt that I went to a library to study (???) but there were too many people around and the only place I could find to sit down at was in front of this grubby looking man. It was a strange dream. And I am overworked.

I had an awesome time tonight at Tiff's housewarming. It's always wonderful to meet up with my fellow prefects from secondary school. Come to think of it now, it's a little shocking that I was a prefect. Then again, being the geek I was back then, it's probably not such a shock.

It was a really great evening of catching up over food and wine. And it was good wine too. I had two glasses before my head prefect reminded me that I was driving and probably shouldn't drink too much. Good call there.

I'm really happy for my friends and how they've turned out. Tonight, I was in the midst of 2 doctors, an architect, a banker, a teacher, a researcher and 2 IT people. And of course there's me in PR. I think we've done pretty well for ourselves and I'm proud of us. I think our teachers would have been proud of us too.

That aside, I was a little taken aback when I found out that almost all the girls of a particular department were taking diet pills. Having to be presentable to guests is one thing but to be taking diet pills is another. And these girls are not fat. Sure, they aren't stick-thin but they certainly do not need to be on diet pills. And even worse, they have been encouraged to take the pills to help them slim down.

I was just having a discussion with my male friends this evening and I asked if it really mattered to them if girls were skinny. Personally, I think most guys really don't care and while us girls think they're quite shallow sometimes, I do think they're more interested in personality. Because that's what's going to make it go the distance. That's what will last. I honestly believe that. The pressure to be slim comes from ourselves. We think others will like us more if we look good. It's classic. Well, my male friends responded that it's true that they like to look at girls with good figures but they wouldn't want their girlfriends to have good figures cos they're not comfortable with other guys looking at them. So basically, if someone asks me to be his girlfriend, does that mean I have a bad figure? Haha.

So that was an interesting discussion but I'm still a little disturbed about the diet pills thing. My doctor friend says there's no evidence that diet pills work. He believes they're just placebos. I don't know. I won't ever resort to pills though, unless I'm obscenely overweight and the doctor recommends it. Otherwise, I'll stick to exercise. Pilates, jogging and swimming should work out fine. D is for Discipline, not Diet.

Scatterbrained. I have been totally scatterbrained of late. It started yesterday. As usual, I was busying myself with work and as I walked past the boardroom, I noticed that the F&B people were inside with my Resident Manager. I looked at my watch. 3.30pm. Shucks, I'm late for the Christmas meeting! Again! So I hurriedly went to my desk, grabbed my minutes, organiser, notebook, stationery, knocked on the door, entered and apologised profusely for being late. 10 pairs of eyes stared at me and as I tried to get a seat, the Resident Manager said, "no, not yet". I thought they were so upset with me that they didn't want me to join the meeting. Then this terrible wave of realisation swept over me and I asked, in my best damsel-in-distress voice, "I'm at the wrong meeting, aren't I?" to which sympathetic voices replied, "we're not done with our F&B meeting yet".

Can you blame me? The Christmas meeting was supposed to be at 3.30pm and the F&B people are part of it as well. So when I walked past at 3.30pm and saw them all inside, I naturally assumed I was late. That was pretty embarrassing for me. When it was finally time for the Christmas meeting, I went in, sat down next to the Resident Manager and told him that at least it showed how enthusiastic I was about the meeting. And then we both laughed.

So that was pretty humiliating. But not half as bad as what I did today. Ok, some background information first. You know when you work at a hotel, they're pretty strict about dress code. Especially for Sales and Marketing people cos we always have to project a professional image of the hotel. And that means jacket suits and covered heels. But most of us don't like walking around in covered shoes, especially in heels, so we usually have another pair of shoes in the office. I personally leave my work shoes in the office and I always come to work in casual shoes like my weekend wedges. So today, I was working at my desk and playing with my shoes (kicking them around.. don't ask...) under the table. Then I realised I had to go down to the lobby to leave an envelope at the Concierge for someone to pick up. So I got my envelope and made my way out of the office to the lift. As I was walking, I felt a little funny... like one foot felt more airy than the other. Horror of horrors. I looked down and realised I was wearing one of each shoe!!! My left foot was in a covered shoe while my right was in an open-toed wedge!!! ARGH!!! Thank goodness I had only walked a short distance but that explained the curious looks on some of my colleagues faces.

I so need a holiday.

The weekend's coming. I can just smell it. Don't know what I'm so excited for anyway, I'm working this Saturday.

So my director's back from her trip. And she has a new mission now. She wants to introduce her godson to me. She thinks we'll be great together. In her words - "You're the sort of girl he will like!" She showed me his picture (he's not bad looking) and told me to email her my picture!! Of course I vehemently objected and she reluctantly relented. I think she's a little insulted that I don't want to be her goddaughter-in-law. Hahaha.

I'm a little stressed about the upcoming publicity this Sunday for our retreat. I've started work on it but it's far from done. And I'm admitting that I'm a teeny bit stressed. Ok, a little bit more than teeny bit. But, no fear, I will get it done. I will.

Really.

I went bowling today. It was a work thing, organised by the hotel. I've discovered that I'm terrible at it. We played three games each and my highest score was 99. My colleague says I'm very graceful when I bowl. Bah! Graceful counts for nothing when your ball hits just one pathetic pin. The amusing thing is that we get $2 for every strike and $1 for every spare. So after three games, I earned $8. Go figure the breakdown. Let's just say there weren't that many strikes.. haha..

Had an interesting conversation with myself (yes, myself) after a conversation with my colleague. He commented that I'm a typical girl-next-door (Lil, why do people keep labelling us that?) and asked why I'm still single. In case you're wondering, it wasn't a pick-up line. He's married. So anyhow, I said the first thing that came to my mind, "aiyah, nobody wants me lah.. haha..". And then I wondered why I said that. It's not that I think heaps of people want me (quite obviously that doesn't seem to be the case) but I could have said something like, "I'm not ready to get involved with someone". Instead, my knee-jerk reaction was so say that nobody wanted me. Is that how I really see myself? As someone who isn't good enough for someone else to love? That made me sad. How could I even think that? I felt like I was insulting God, since He's the One who made me. And that's not right is it?

I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. And the most Perfect Guy in the world already loves me to bits, so I'm certainly good enough for any other person. So next time, if someone asks me why I'm still single, I'll think up something cleverer to say ;) I haven't thought of it yet but it'll certainly not be "because nobody wants me".

I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. And very much wanted by Daddy God.

I did not like the way the interview went. I hope it's not a sign of things to come. Not having a very good feeling about this one. But it's out of my hands now and I guess I'll just have to sit and wait. And pray that the right door opens and the wrong one shuts.

Of course, things aren't always that simple. If every wrong door was shut, I'd have no problem walking through the right one because it'd be the only one I could get through. A friend gave me some very insightful views on going through doors. She said that sometimes, God gives you two open doors. Neither one is better than the other. Neither is the wrong door. Both are acceptable in His will and He will be with you whichever door you choose. The only thing is - you have to choose. You have to learn to make decisions and then live with the consequences of that decision, whether they are good or bad.

Maybe I'm at another fork in the road of my life. I could go this way or that. Frankly, I haven't got a clue. Three years ago, I might have told you that in 10 years' time, I want to be a Director of Marketing Communications. Now, I'm just grateful if I can get through the next day. Family has become so much more important to me than it was in the past. I think that's a sign that I'm getting older. I can just hear the insurance agents beating a path down to my door, trying to get me to sign on some retirement plan.

At the end of the day, I don't think I want to sweat the small stuff. There just isn't time for that. On the other hand, I wouldn't have lived my life if I didn't stop, every now and then, to gasp in wonder at the leaves falling off the trees in a willowy dance, or get my face smeared with the most sinful chocolate ice cream, or play with bubbles in the bath (I know it's strange but I love bubbles and I get all giggly and happy when I blow them off my hand and watch them float away).

You know what? I love life's little pleasures. I absolutely do.

So I survived the weekend. And now I'm completely exhausted. Worked till 11.15pm on Friday before I got too scared to stay in the quiet office (my desk is all the way at the other end and you can't see it from the door) and finished up my work then packed up and left. Was back about 9 hours later and went full steam with the restaurant opening. The 98.7FM people were there to help and we had Daniel Ong and Carrie Chong as our emcees and roving reporters, so those of you who were tuning in to Perfect 10 on Saturday morning would have heard about our opening.

After that was done, it was on to the wedding show in the ballroom. Immediately. No break in between. Wedding show went alright and finally left the office at about 5.15pm. On a Saturday. Which was to have been my day off. Oh well. Dad asked if we get paid O.T. Haha. That's funny.

Woke up today with a splitting headache and sore eyes (I knew I shouldn't have ogled at the dishy male models at the wedding show...) and literally had to drag myself to church. Was telling a friend that since the day I asked Christ into my life (at 7 years old... heehee..), I have never had this much difficulty getting out of bed on a Sunday morning to go to church. I have to admit that I went today because I had to return a book to Pastor and because I had a ministry meeting after service. My headache was so bad I didn't even make it through worship. Had to go hunting for painkillers and popped two before returning to my seat in utter discomfort. The swollen eyes didn't help matters and I could hardly open them when I stepped out into the sun. It was really really uncomfortable for me. But I'm glad I went to church in the end anyway. Otherwise, I would just have slept the day away and felt sorry for myself at home.

Well I've crossed 2 hurdles over the weekend. I have plenty more to cross with Christmas and New Year preparations at the hotel, LEAP, retreat planning, Adhesive.... but I'm just going to take it one step at a time. I'm just grateful that God was there to see me through this weekend. It's been a tumultous journey and I'm positively exhausted.

That said, the second round interview is tomorrow. I don't feel up to it at all.

2 days to go till the restaurant opening and the wedding show. I'm positively pooped. You know, I can honestly say that this is the most stressed I've ever been in my life. Ever. I mean, it's taken such a toll on my health that I've fallen sick and my (umm.. how shall we say this so that we don't offend my legions of avid male readers) female cycle is terribly terribly late!!! Which is a real bummer cos it screws up my plans (ok, like you know, if you're going for camp, it will be inconvenient... you have to plan another weekend to go to the beach... that sort of thing...).

So anyway, I thought I'd go for Pilates this evening to destress. My usual instructor wasn't around so we had this substitute. And man did she get to me. She made us do 100 reps and managed to keep her smile and talk to us while doing the reps with us. She was totally Ms Energizer Bunny!! By the end of it, I was ready to collapse in a heap and beg for a massage. I am so not fit. Maybe one day, if I ever get rich, I'll hire a personal trainer. Hah!

In totally bimbotic and random news, the mole on my cheek is getting lighter. I'm quite upset about that. Call me crazy but I like my mole and I think it gives my face character. I'm hearing a lot of sniggers at this point but I shall attribute it to my over-active imagination.

Enough for the day. I need my rest.

Ok, so I'll just give you one more anecdote for the day. I couldn't resist this one:

Today, my colleague and I were queueing in Subway at Raffles City to get some cookies. Suddenly, she tapped me and nodded to the right. There, seated at one of the tables, with an unwrapped Sub and no one with her, was a bespectacled girl, eyes shut tightly, fists clenched and mouthing her grace. Or at least that's what it appeared to be. And she went on and on and on for a good half a minute. Like she was full on praying. And not just praying but praying very emphatically, complete with furrowed brow. Ok, I know this is really mean but my colleague (who's Catholic) and I were seriously amused. We were half amused at the sight and half impressed with how seriously she took her grace. Then, out of nowhere, I just blurted out, "she must have had a really bad experience in the past with food poisoning" and that got my colleague laughing in fits. Which wasn't the best thing cos she's heavily pregnant. And then I felt really really bad cos I was making fun of her. I'm not proud of myself for that but I must say that it's taught me a lesson. Grace should be more than just a perfunctory ritual. It should be a wholehearted communion with our Father Who's blessed us with food to eat and water to drink. And we all take that for granted sometimes don't we? I think I was humbled today.

Alright, that's really it from me for now. Keep me in your prayers. I'll need all the divine help I can get to last through the week.

Oh dear. I think I'm leaning towards this Japanese drama serial called The Oku. It's about the jealousy between concubines who live in the palace and serve the Shogun. It's sort of a Japanese version of Days Of Our Lives. I'm a closet soap addict. Haha..

Anyway, I've been thinking about going to Bali. I really do need the break. And I suppose now's a good time to go right? Dad says I'll be treated like a queen there. I feel really bad for the Balinese. I can only imagine their plight now. You really see the extreme sides of human character with the sick cruelty of the terrorists and the stoic resilience of the Balinese. It's too tragic. Maybe we should all be going to Bali and help them pick up the pieces again. Bring in those tourist dollars.

So how? Who wants to go to Bali with me?

Last night, I was full of fear and discouragement. As I lay in bed, I asked God to give me strength for the week ahead. Great strength and energy to sustain me in the new week. I was weary, worn out, stressed and completely knackered. I didn't want to go to work at all. I felt the burden of the world on my shoulders. I know I'm exaggerating but I certainly had a very heavy heart and spirit. And I prayed so earnestly for the strength to go on. I was at the point of not making it.

Today, things went relatively well. I cleared some stuff, settled outstanding issues and managed to successfully negotiate a deal. It wasn't my best day ever but it was certainly the best I've had in a month. And I'm thankful for that. I'm so thankful that I have a God who hears and who comes to the rescue. Every time.

Thank You.

Today, I upped my culture quotient a little and took a foray into the Asian Civilisations Museum to view the Journey of Faith exhibition of artifacts from the Vatican. Was slightly disappointed because it was a rather small exhibition and not really worth the one hour queueing time. For me, the most interesting piece was not even from the Vatican itself. It was this huge dresser/sideboard/altar-like piece of furniture that had shelves on two sides, drawers in the middle, a painted backboard and a row of light bulbs at the top, exactly like those light bulbs that border old dressing tables of movie stars, except this one just had one row at the top. What was interesting about this piece (it was from old Singapore) was that the shelves had sort of pillars running top down and they were adorned with dragons and taoist symbols. Not the most Catholic decor. BUT, the surprising thing was that the backboard was a huge painting of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Turns out the Peranakan owners used to be Taoist then became Catholics and got the back board painted. How cool is that?!?

Anyway, my other disappointment with the museum came in the form of this female security guard (I won't mention her race in case I get jailed for making racist comments on my blog. Must be a responsible blogger you know... cannot anyhow anyhow say things). So anyway, this security guard was really horrid. We were in the queue for the Journey of Faith exhibition but the queue stretched across many galleries and other exhibits. There was this particular exhibit that I found really interesting and so I took a few steps (less than 3) out of the long and winding queue to read the text on the signage. This security guard promptly told me to get back in queue and didn't allow me to read or look in detail at the display. I was positively miffed. I mean, it's a museum. I'm there to look at the displays. How can you tell me I'm not allowed to and ask me to get back in line? And it's not like I was twenty feet away. I was 2 steps out of line. The display was practically next to us. I was so upset. It ruined my visit to the museum. For about 5 minutes. Then I was over it. Hahaha. But on a serious note, how can you expect Singaporeans to take a stronger interest in the arts when you're discouraging them so blatantly? Can we only appreciate art if we follow the rules? If we stay within OB markers? If we stand behind the yellow line lest a train runs us over? We seem to need so many rules to govern us that we appear incapable of making rational decisions for ourselves.

But that is not something I can or want to control. It's out of my hands so I'll simply say my piece and leave it to run its course.

On a lighter note, I was watching Oprah and for her book club, they're doing a 3-book set by William Faulker! How awesome! I badly want to get my hands on a Faulkner classic - The Sound and the Fury but I still have my book review and a Kazuo Ishiguro to get through. And I'm STILL in the middle of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Ok, I'll be done with that, then my book review, then Ishiguro and then, *drum roll*, Faulker, here I come!

Eeeek. I sound like such a geek.

I think the apple strudel has become somewhat of a sacred object. No one's touched it yet. I'm certainly going to do something about that tomorrow. Heck, diet plans just have to be put on hold for the moment. For a very long moment.

Took a nap this afternoon cos I was so tired from work and Dad knocked on my door at about 5.45pm to tell me that dinner was ready. According to him, he knocked twice and heard a very groggy mumble that sounded something like, "mmmfffghh... urrr.. I'm not having deeener..." and so the rest of the family proceeded to eat without me. When I finally woke up half an hour later, I asked if Dad had cooked and he said yes but never mind if I'm not eating. WHAT??? Since when did I say I wasn't eating??? Er... you said that when I asked just now. Nooo... I was sleeping! You should never trust what I say when I'm sleeping! And we both started laughing. Thankfully, there was enough food left over for me.

Therefore, lesson learnt today - do not trust what I say when I am deep in slumber. That includes sporadic fits of expletives sometimes (but it's unconscious you know...). When I was younger, Mum told me that she heard me laughing in my sleep and talking about playing with my friends. I think I enjoyed running all over the place when I was little. Couldn't stop running. Even in my sleep. Of course when I was a little girl, I had my fair share of weird dreams like WWII and Japanese soldiers and being lost in a maze. But I think the most bizarre by far was the dream I had (not too long ago... I think it was last year) about Prince William proposing to me! LOL! So not shy right? Haha..

Alrighty now, it's time for me to go dream up new stuff... goodnighty night.

Dearest Mei En is back in Singapore to terrorise the nation with her infectious laugh. There's one more thing to be careful of now, what with all the dengue and flu stuff going round. If you do meet her, stand out of earshot so you won't contract her high-pitched cackle. Then again, if you're out of earshot, you probably can't see her, so there's no problem then. Haha.

Ok, that was a crappy paragraph. Only because I'm so worn out from work but so happy to see a familiar friendly face. Especially one bearing scrupmtious apple strudel. Hehe. Thank you soooo much dear, BIG hug for you :) Can't wait to catch up proper!

Wow. I can't imagine I have apple strudel in my house. From Perth leh. Northbridge leh. Not any imitation wannabe strudel hor. The real deal made by Uncle Giuseppe himself leh. I meeeese Perfff!!!! *sob* Shucks, I miss the whole pastry shop. And Red Rooster and Chicken Treat. And Nando's. And Fast Ed's. And Cicerello's. And Bertini's. And Indiana's. And Matsuri. And King's Street Cafe. And breakfast at Blue Duck Cafe. And evening coffee at Boatshed Cafe. OH MAN, I even miss Foo Wah!!! Hahahaha.. It's this place opposite church which, although being a rather tacky Cheenapok restaurant, serves the most delicious honey chilli chicken.

But never mind. I have strudel in my house. And that is enough. Until I run out of it, that is.

Oh, and thanks for asking about my interview. It went ok. I was running a fever when I went for it so I don't think I did great. It's out of my hands now anyway. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Thanks for all your concern!

Love lots,
Me

Hmm. How shall I explain my absence from the glorious cyberworld? I think I can sum it up well enough by saying that I've been so busy I haven't even had time to pee or poo. And that is not the best thing for my bladder or bowel system is it?

What's happened is that, essentially, my boss has fractured her foot. I'm left to run the department alone. We are opening a new restaurant. On the same day as the wedding show. We were also the official hotel for Nana Mouskouri's great farewell tour. If you're not too sure about how much work goes into these, let me put it this way: any one of the above events would require a team to handle the advertising, designing, collating, collaborating and coordinating of any and everything to do with the public relations and marketing of the event itself. Now, if you skimmed through what I wrote earlier, you might have missed that I said I was "alone" in the department. Which means I am handling ALL these things ALONE. Hence the 11-hour days and infrequent trips to the loo (not because I don't need to but because I don't have the time to).

Oh, of course I have to mention that I also fell sick and had to stay home on Tuesday. Which left me much more work on Wednesday and today and definitely tomorrow. And in the near future. My heart sinks now when I get the "You have new mail" popup on my screen. Each time my mobile rings, I jump. I can't sit through a meal without checking my mobile phone to see if anyone from work's called. I'm a mess.

BUT, as always, Supergirl here will pull through solely by the grace of God. And it's His grace that puts the Super in Supergirl. Without Him, I'm just - girl. Heh.

And here's a big blog hug to Desmond for sending me that gorgeous bouquet of roses to cheer me up at work :) I've never received flowers at the office so that was a really awesome surprise. For your info, the roses are still doing fine. Must be the arctic office aircon. Sometimes, I wear a cardigan over my top and under my jacket suit and it's still cold! I bet ice cream wouldn't melt in my office. It's amazing that the water in my mug doesn't freeze.

Oh I wish some tall dark handsome stranger would whisk me off in his private jet to a looong vacation in the Bahamas. God knows I need the break.

Because some annoying people have been spamming my comments box, I have now amended the settings such that only registered users can comment. If you really have something to say and you need to get it off your chest or you will turn a nasty shade of blue, the flooble chatterbox is on the right.

Cheers and be well.

It's been a physically exhausting week. Actually, let's add 'mentally' to the list as well. This is probably (oh man, you wouldn't believe the trouble I had spelling 'probably') the most tiring week, no, weekS of my life as yet. I'm a walking zombie at work but at the same time I can't afford to be because of everything that needs to be done. And it doesn't help that the work doesn't end there but continues when I have to rush off to church for more stuff.

MEL IS TIRED

tiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtiredtired.

So I will be going for a job interview on Monday. Fingers crossed. Heart palpitating.

Is respite round the corner? I certainly hope so.