Ramblings on new things and old

Will be starting work in a different dept on a different floor tomorrow. Still remember the first few days in my first office - had to watch the video and answer questions fielded by my supervisor. The past 20 months have been interesting, filled with ups and downs. Although my portfolio was irritating at times, I guess I still enjoyed the work. =P Will miss my colleagues on the first floor...

The stress of this move seems to have taken its toll on my health. The rash on my neck is back - together with the swollen lymph nodes. Well, actually the lymph node on the right side swell b4 the rash, and I'm not exactly sure what caused this swelling. My eyesight's still a bit blur (or maybe it's the night-blindness). Wonder if the eye specialist can advise on my rash tomorrow?

I hear...

... the mrt zooming by a block away,

... the construction work on the 3G fitness area downstairs,

... the typing on my keyboard,

... the radio in my mum's room, and

... the snoring of a three-yr old sheep sleeping in my mum's room.

It's amazing how loudy a little one can snore.

ABMD

stands for "Anterior basement membrane dystrophy", which Doc #10+, surprisingly, was certain to be causing me grief. [Note: None of the docs before him had been this confident in diagnosing my condition.] Apparently, it is a corneal disorder that is characterized by recurrent erosions of the epithelium (skin like covering) of the cornea. This causes symptoms that may vary from mild irritation in the mornings to deeply painful episodes that are disabling.

Rewind to 2 saturdays ago
Was serving nursery at church. Had a pillowfight with two kids. Subsequently, eyes itched terribly.

Last tuesday
Cleaned up my cube.

Last wednesday/thursday
Eyes were super itchy. then i realised that my right eye's vision blurred.

Last friday
Called CGH to set an appt. After telling the nurse on the phone that my eye was hurting me, I was told that the next appt time was 22 FEBRUARY. -___- Nurse advised me to walk in at 3.30pm and that I would be the last patient. Which wasn't too bad, cos it was quite empty and I got to see the doc quite quickly.

Was quite pleased that the Doc who discharged me (let's call him Doc #6) wasn't around. 3-4 other docs took turns to see my eyes. Photos were taken. Discussions were held. Doc #7 (who had previously thought that eyeshadow = mascara) said I looked ridiculous (in reference to the amount of flakes/tissue fibres on my eye lids, resulting from the application of "excessive eye drops").

Conclusion: possibly viral. Unlikely bacteria or fungus. Was prescribed some lubricants to sooth my eyes and told to come back on Mon.

Monday (Today)
Saw Doc #6. -_- Had to correct him when he wrote "No CLW (contact lens wear) since Oct 06". [Note: I haven't worn contact lens since Oct 05.] Thankfully, he called for a senior doc's (Doc #10+) advice. Doc #10+ was quite confident when he diagnosed me as suffering from ABMD and a viral infection. Was quite frank too, when he said that it might take months to heal. Oh well. At least they've identified (or so they think) what the causes are.

On hearing my response to his queries on my pastimes, Doc #10+ remarked that he thought cross-stitching was dead. He was in disbelief when I described my sedentary life i.e. office, online games, stitching, occasional badminton, cos of the lack of exposure to irritants. Made me wonder if springcleaning my cube caused this recent spate of discomfort. =P

Itchy

Eyes have been extremely dry and itchy the last few days, especially at the inner corners of my eyes. And I think they've been rubbed/scratched so much that things look out of focus. Someone suggested that maybe I'm going blind.

Maybe.

Had a bad day

Was hoping to take next Friday off to go shopping with Spinky and the rest. But two hrs after I told her that should be ok, I found out that I would be involved in a meeting.

Was quite frustrated with a colleague for constantly emailing me instead of walking over to discuss the matter.

And my supervisor told me that I had no chance to take leave. He pointed out that they had requested to extend my current stint so that I could handover my work. Turns out he didn't know that the other dept had probably wanted me to go over even earlier.

Then I come home and find out that our dear little sheep has misplaced something of importance to me.

The title sums it all.

Saturdays

Last Saturday, I joined the alumni choir for their practice. Haven't sang in a choir since we graduated in 2000. Haven't read a score since 2002. Forgot how to keep count of the tau gays. =P

It felt nice to be singing in a choir again. =) Guess I really missed singing... But I don't know if I will be able to commit the time. Don't know if my workload will increase with the change of portfolio coming up. Don't want to practice with them, only to be unable to perform when the time comes. It'll be letting down the rest of the choir... And to join the choir would mean that I won't be able to serve nursery duty anymore. =/

Maybe I need to pray harder.

Rainy day...

Princess commented that my dressing today was pretty good. =) Wore a dark brown top with brown pants and cream shoes. When she asked what colour my bag was, I could see it coming. When I said "Black", I knew that disapproving look would come. At the end of our talk, I got a cream coloured bag to match my outfit and was told to expect an umbrella too. LOL.

Waited really long at the Doc's today. Really doesn't help that I really don't like CGH much. At one point, the doc walked out of his room to call the name of the next patient - an auntie. Maybe he wanted to indicate that the door should be closed after the patient went in cos the doc didn't even wait for the auntie to go in, and semi-closed the door on the auntie. tsk tsk.

It's Tuesday

Means no WoW. Down for maintenance. -_-

Sleepy.

First post of the new year!

The year started long - first day at work and I had to work till 10+. The rotation has been more or less confirmed, meaning that I've got a little more than a month to do my filing and prepare to handover to whoever's taking over.

Sad to say, I am now a WoW addict. If time allows, I spend around 3 hrs a day on it. Which is practically all of my home online time playing rather than chatting or blogging. DD has been feeling a bit moody cos of that...

Been thinking about joining Chorale. Guess I miss singing in a choir. Probably why I hadn't mind singing with the office choir for National Day observance ceremonies the last two years. =P Chorale's short of altos this year and it's concert year... Wonder if I can commit the time though. Anyone else interested?

Thank God...

for the excellent weather in the Maldives.

It had been unusually rainy the few days before I left for the Maldives (on Tuesday night) and I had feared that the rain would put a damper on the visit. However, God's intervention ensured not the weather was not only clear, but also not too humid or too sunny. Excellent weather for outdoor activities. =)

Evaluation Forms

Been in the mood to complete evaluation forms recently. Sparked off by poor service and lousy food at Swensons, followed by poor service at Sketches and TCC and today, poor service and lousy food at Old Beijing in Plaza Singapura.

Had a craving for soup and a light dinner so we opted for Chinese food. We ordered xiao long bao, noodles, an appetiser and a plate of stir-fried seasonal greens. If I recall correctly, the menu said "Quick Seasonal Greens", which was spinach tonight. But it was anything but quick.

The noodles and the appetiser came in good time, mebbe around 10 minutes after we ordered, but the xiao long bao and veggies didn't. After finished the food in front of us, we decided that we had waited patiently enough so we asked the waitress to check what happened. She didn't get back to us. About 10 min later (half hr after we ordered), we asked the waitress again to check. She came back to say that the chef was making the xiao long bao on the spot as they had sold out. When we asked again about the veggies, she said that the spinach had also sold out. We decided to cancel the veggies and just have xiao long bao.

DD decided that it was time to fill an evaluation form. At the same time, the xiao long bao came. It was terrible. While xiao long baos are known to be soupy (you're suppose to bite the top and suck up all the soup inside before eating the bao), these were dry, with mebbe less than 3 ml of soup inside. And the meat was very salty.

We pondered if the dryness was cos the food was Beijing-styled, but that didn't make sense cos it was called "xiao long tang (soup) bao" in the menu. Ended up filling it in Chinese. =P Complained about the poor quality of the xiao long bao. The restaurant threw in two bowls of free dessert (longans with aloe vera) for making us wait so long. But even the dessert was mediocre.

We gave them the evaluation form and drank lots of tea to wash the saltiness away. When we called for the bill, they told us that they wouldn't charge for the xiao long bao since we had commented on its poor quality. They informed us that it was the chef's first day at work today so the quality was below par.

Even so, was very disappointed with the restaurant, especially since it belongs to the Tung Lok group.

If we had known that they wouldn't charge us for the xiao long bao, DD and I wouldn't have bothered to finish that salty thing which resembled unfried guotie more than xiao long bao. =P

Bad day at work...

... was saved by an angel.

Was very tempted to complain about work. Was really upset and angry. Suddenly, I remember something my colleague told me today.

My colleague Alicia is the best DSO in Singapore (and according to her, Batam too). Even though I pile last minute work on her, she always manages to do it with a smile. DD's gonna be sitting at my directorate's table for D&D in Jan. Today, Alicia came by to collect money for the D&D. As she stood at the entrance to my tsunami-stricken cubicle, I pointed out that DD didn't have any dietary restrictions. She asked why and I explained.

She was happy for me. That DD was prepared to face his family's objections to be with me. She laughed when I told her that I haven't really told Mum about DD's background but was happy that at least I won't have to convert. She encouraged me to try to guide him along God's ways. While I tried to tell her that DD was unlikely to want to convert, she advised that no harm trying and pointed out that one of her fellow church-goer was married to a non-Christian. And shared her own experiences with people in mixed marriages.

Didn't expect Alicia to share this perspective but I'm really glad she did. Cos if there's one thing that really made my day, it was her words of encouragement.

Thank God for placing people like Alicia in my life. =)

DTO

On leave today. After much persuasion by Princess and co, decided to try and relax at home and avoid thinking about work. Suppose to recover from that persistent flu that has been preventing me from breathing properly too. Oh. And to stop me from spreading more germs. =P

I'm breathing relatively normally now. At least my nose isn't runny anymore. There's still a bit of phlegm in my throat but it doesn't irritate me that much. However, trying to relax and not think about work is really difficult. Even though I've only gone online twice to check some emails this morning, as opposed to staying glued to my email all morning.

Try as I might to not think about work, there's still much to do from home. I guess it's cos I haven't really had a covering officer on certain issues, so it's difficult to hand-over to someone else to handle. And just realised that I need to make that Jan trip. =/ Darn.

Sick

I don't recall having been this sick this year. Nose is blocked 80% of the day and cough sounds super phlegm-y. Woozy most of the day too. I think it's the pills. I need to find a doctor nearby who would give me more than a 2-minute inspection and just prescribe antibiotics and drowsiness-inducing pills WITHOUT a MC. I mean, how do they expect you to be drowsy, and still work or study?

It's a not-so-sunny-Sunday, perfect for walking around. But feel kind of tired (despite the 10-hours of sleep). Gotta do laundry once Mum's done...

The door of the toilet in the master bedroom...

... is broken. We can't close it completely and I think if we close it too tightly, it might just jam. So we close it just lightly jam in the door frame. Pretty obvious that there's someone in there when the door is close so nobody would try to open the door.

Except him:

Meet Yang Yang. This three-year old kid is my mum's student. She's been babysitting him after school every day for a few hours in the evening cos his parents have to work late.

The above-mentioned toilet is used as a changing room. I came home yesterday and was greeted by his "Cheh Cheh". I went straight to the toilet to change clothes. As I was changing, I could hear him call "Cheh Cheh, Cheh Cheh", getting louder and louder... and the next thing I knew, this cute little thing had barged into my changing space. =P Thankfully, I had just managed to finish changing. =P

We think this little monster might eat us out of house and home. As I was eating dinner at the PC yesterday and had just took up my first spoonful, he ran to me and opened his mouth widely, expecting to be fed. Sis says that earlier, he had eaten as much rice as her for dinner! Mum gave him about 1/4 to 1/2 a bowl of rice, which upon completion, he still requested for more. Growing child indeed. =P

Watch this space for more updates on Yang Yang's escapades!

One of those days...

... that I get really depressed at work. And like the last one that I remembered being this depressed, possibly also cos I was missing someone. Just that the someone is a different one now.

... that I think about whether I really am cut out for the job.

... that I wonder why I'm always clearing backlog.

... that I would feel happy to be a housewife.

... that I wish he was here.

On Leave

Took the afternoon off cos I was going to spend the whole morning at the doctor's.

My regular doctor wasn't in today The doctor that I saw today happened to be my JC senior. =) What a coincidence. At least she found me familar. Anyway, she took a look at my eyes and referred me to the registrar, who thought I was recovering well (just tiny specks now) but shouldn't get discharged yet. So I'll be going back again in two weeks.

Yesterday, took time during lunch to accompany DD to the cemetery. I think that was my first visit to a cemetery here. Didn't think he should be going alone, and wanted to be there for him. So I went. We were hoping to get fast food and ice cream for lunch on our way back but the rain was a major deterrence. Oh well. It's better to skip the ice cream anyway. Getting fat. =P

24 roses for 24 candles...

DD had been planning to surprise me for a while... And surprised I was. He had contemplated blindfolding me and leading me onto the taxi so that he could tell the driver where to bring us w/o me hearing it. But he didn't have to - all he needed to do was to tell the driver where to go b4 I boarded the taxi. =)

Had to keep my eyes closed near the end of the taxi ride. When we arrived at our destination, he helped me out of the taxi, and led me to a waiting point. It was so scary to walk with my eyes closed, even though he was leading me along. I guess it was the uncertainty of walking blind. I held onto something while he went off for a short while.

I couldn't help taking a glance and saw DD queueing to buy tickets. Thought we were at Singapore River and that he was going to bring me on a bum boat ride. I confessed to have opened my eyes for a sec and guessed where we were. DD didn't realised that I had guessed wrongly and let me open my eyes. And I saw a huge balloon in front of me. =P

DD had brought me to the DHL hot air balloon... Decided to be sporting and kept my eyes closed as he led me from the pavement into the balloon. The view was pretty good; too bad the day was a bit hazy...

After that, dinner. DD had thought to flag down a taxi but we were on the wrong side of the road. =P So we took a leisurely walk... and ended up at Curry Favor at Capitol Building. We didn't really know where the main entrance was so stumbled into Moon River next door, which was apparently a sister outlet.

We had curry for dinner. Don't usually eat Jap curry cos I prefer sushi but it was pretty good. =) DD called for the bill and went to the front of the restaurant to check out their credit card promos. Next thing I knew, the waitress came with a Robinsons plastic bag and the biggest bouquet I'd ever gotten. Pretty much guessed that the present was a Barbie doll when I felt the box. =P

After dinner, we walked around the area:
Capitol -> Raffles City -> Citylink -> Esplanade -> Merlion Park -> Old Merlion Park -> Along Singapore River (Boat Quay?) -> past Parliament House -> past Funan the IT Mall -> stopover at Peninsula to buy green tea -> back to Capitol!

By the time we got back to Capitol, it was only 1015 or so. Felt like it was too early to go home. Asked DD if I could go to his place to play playstation games but he wasn't too keen and suggested that we could just take a bus ride to his place and from his place back to mine. Felt a bit let down... and DD caved in and brought me home. =P

While DD set up his playstation, I logged into my msn account on his PC. Chatted with CTC who is currently on course in India. We played a few games of Solitaire Showdown too. After that, we played a few Neopets games (Yes, I'm still playing Neopets games). Then we moved onto playstation and played a few rounds of Dynasty Warriors 3.

By the time we were tired, it was around 3+. The same thought crossed our minds - hit the swings. =) [Note: My favourite part of a playground is the swing.] As I sat on the swing, briefly reflected on the year that had passed... all the ups and downs and pondered if I had actually grown up over the last year. At 0354 hrs, DD brought me to the bench and sang me the birthday song... and popped out the final surprise of the day. =)

For my birthday, treated DD to lunch at T-mall. We had thought to go blading after that but the sky looked threatening and I didn't think I should be carrying blades on his bike. =P So at my suggestion, we went to Escape Theme Park. Only to find that it's only open on weekends! Sheesh... Since Wild Wild Wet was open and home was nearby, we rode home again to pick up my swimsuit. Spent an afternoon at Wild Wild Wet before dinner at Lemongrass to satisfy my craving for pineapple rice. =P

Thank you, DD for spending time with me to remember my 24th birthday...

24 roses for 24 candles

As Princess Di puts it, here's the list of people who love me:

• DD
• Bee
• CTC
• Eunice
• Vic
• Tan Kin Lian (apparently NTUC Income is now heading paperless with their birthday greetings - no egreeting card either; just a standard sms and a standard email telling you to go check their birthday treats links. Talk about being personal. sheesh.)
• Vin
• Di
• Xinyi
• Alicia
• Kon
• Edwin
• Poh Ling
• Denise
• Vim
• YT
• Kim
• Peo
• WJ
• Ivy
• XY
• Qin
• KJ
• and many more I'm sure, who might take a while to remember whether they love me or not. [Note: At the time stamped on this post, you still have 4 h 43 min before you need to add the word "belated". =P]

Well anyway, thanks to everyone for their well wishes! Praying for a better year ahead, less blur, more efficient. =) Will blog about my two-day celebrations soon...

One day more...

Sis just showed me the new tee and shorts that she bought for exercise. Looks too small for me. She says that that just means that I'ld have to lose weight before I can fit.

-_______-