It's alive!

Yes, because i can't stand the fact that there's a thief in the house.

To my lost keys...

I lost my keys. Some time between Thursday night and Friday night. Don't even know how I lost it. I'm pretty sure I didn't forget to remove them from the letter box. But I don't know whether I'll ever see them again.

It's just a bunch of keys. On a key ring, which used to have a little doggy hanging on it. My sister had given me the key ring. I think she bought it on a school trip to Malaysia when she was in primary or secondary school? Or maybe older. I was quite touched. I hardly did anything for my sister when I was her age and she got me something on a trip. Maybe that's why I spoil her some times these days. By paying for her new clothes now and then or waiving her small credit card bill.

The keys. I think the oldest one in the bunch must be the Door. Or the Lock. The Door. I remember when I was in primary school, mummy gave me an old Door key so I could let myself into the house when I got home (since I got home the earliest). I would sit/lie in front of the tv and eat the dinner which mummy had prepared in the morning before she went to work. I remember that they used to show cartoons on tv at that time. 6 pm, 6.30 pm... I watched Duck Tales, Gummi Bears, Eureka's Castle (it's green btw DD... did you say it was green?) etc. My brother studied was in secondary school then, and my sister studied at a different primary school. So I had the Door key.

I think at some time, either I lost that key, or mummy just decided to make me a new one. A shiny one that wasn't grimy, and didn't become grimy even after so many years. Unlike the Lock key. I remember that daddy kept changing the locks. And eventually, we settled on the current one. And I had an old-looking key.

The newer keys on the bunch are the Letterbox keys. I can't remember when the first of the two came? It was a replacement for an old one. The kind that opens letterboxes with big flaps. Before they designed the anti-spam mail ones, which one of the Letterbox keys opened. I think I threw the first old Letterbox key away to put this one in. And a few months ago, my letterbox was changed again. I still haven't figured out why they changed it. I got a new key, a flat key unlike the other. Even with the new key, I didn't remove the old one. Maybe I should have. Maybe it was the one that was jutting out of my bag and causing the whole bunch to fall out. Maybe. But I wouldn't know.

I wish I had my keys back. I miss them. I miss opening the Letterbox too. I like opening the Letterbox and finding mail address to me. Cos nowadays, hardly anyone sends letters (not that I used to get many letters). Anyway, yes... I would like to have my keys back. I really miss them.

Yes, I'm on Facebook

Kind of lost interest in WoW now. I think it's a combination of the following:
(a) tired of my guild's rules
(b) the Singaporeans on the server I was on fell out. The ones that I was closer to left to join another server, so I started a new character. SO TOUGH TO LEVEL UP A PRIEST!
(c) got hooked onto DD's DS Lite - Rune Factory rocks! Literally... lol... But seriously, I've always been more Harvest Moon (the game which Rune Factory is built upon) than online games.

So the nights when I refuse to let DD tempt me with the DS, I have decided to come back online. My brother finally put together the new PC, complete with a 22" LCD screen. SO COOL... there's a huge expanse of empty space next to the little box that Blogger provides for people to type their entries in... Hmmm... which reminds me - wonder how my blog will look since the display is so much bigger now?

Maybe I'll find time to redesign my blog.

In the meantime, the new keyboard feels really comfortable under my fingers. Except that the insert button is right next to the backspace button, with no space in between. Keep hitting insert instead of backspace. -_-

UN Kitty 拳！

YT brought this super cool gift back from NY:

Isn't it just adorable? Kitty in a UN tee!!! My boss was aghast to note that Kitty has invaded the UN... haha...

Kitty looks quite normal in the photo... but if you see her in person, you'll note that Kitty's face is a bit flatter and longer than normal. So DD has invented the "UN Kitty 拳" - a "smack" which causes your face to "flatten". -______________-

Anyway, given that I've been kind of depressed abt my lousy quality of work recently, UN Kitty really brightened up my day. =)

Rainy, but not washed out

DD's blogged about our Phuket trip, so I'll just add some points...

We waltzed at the slippery pavillion next to the pool when we first arrived at Twinpalms, in out tees, jeans and sneakers... Attracting the smile of a caucasian lady who walked past. =)

I dozed off for much of King Kong (2005) (yes, I missed the part where he fell from the Empire State Building), but the snow scene was lovely.

I fed many a mozzie at Rockfish, while we stared at the waves crashing on the beach. (Well, actually I think I stared at the wave more? Cos DD spent more time at the DS than I did at that time. =P) [Note: The restaurant is at the far end of Kamala Beach from Surin Beach.]

I think my favourite moment of the trip was the dancing. Cos it was totally spontaneous and it happened before my obsessive nature kicked in and I started wondering and planning what our next steps would be. =P

Yes, it was a holiday to remember. =)

nertia makes me cowardly. Cowardice makes me inert.

Disrupting my Phuket trip report posts with a quote from a friend's blog.

I feel the same way too. Especially when it comes to work. I feel like I'm not doing enough sometimes, yet I don't want to do more, for fear of losing the little "free" time that I have.

I guess it doesn't just apply to work. I find that I worry a lot about all sorts of things or want to do certain things, and yet I'm not doing anything to improve the situation.

Sometimes, I think I'm just tired.

Phuket - Pre-trip woes

Pre-trip woes:

• We only applied for our leave and got it approved about two weeks before the trip.
• We had initially planned to go Redang, but couldn't cos of the Malaysia school hols. =P
• We couldn't decide at first where to stay, and the one that our friend recommended, Burasari Resort, was fully booked. Finally decided on Twinpalms, on a HSBC promo on wotif.com.
• Had indigestion the night before (heavy dinner at Ember in celebration of OSC's move to greener pastures) and I couldn't sleep. Got up at 3 am, waking half the family in the process, and started doing some reading online on Phuket. DD bought me some po chai pills when he came over to pick me up and I felt a lot better after that.

Most fascinating lesson learnt this week...

... is the Adobe Photoshop smudge tool. It's so much easier to mask imperfections (---> pimples) now! ^^

I wake up every weekday morning looking forward to a 40 min nap on the train.

Something must be wrong.

Karaoke

Directorate karaoke session today, with some others joining us midway. As usual, we ended off with Dancing Queen. Even though I had announced that this was the Directorate theme song, a non-directorate person joined in. It was our song... not for her to join in. Anyway, the others weren't drunk and it was 2+ to 4+ am so I guess the mood wasn't really the same also.

There is something wrong w the organisation. People keep quitting - because they are unhappy with the management (or the lack of it), because there are little prospects, or because they simply realise that there is something out there they that would really like to do. Some days I wonder if how long more I will stay. I wonder what happens when DD goes away. I guess I want to tell myself that I'm doing well in the job but more often than not, I get reminded that I've still got a LOOOOOOOOONG way to go. Will I be able to make up for my lack of skills?

HARRY POTTER!!!

Down to the last 6 or 7 chapters of HP 7... So exciting! I was reading it on the mrt yesterday and before I knew it, I had passed the station where I was supposed to get off. =P So glad I was early...

Been a busy week - I've only eaten at home on Monday. =P

Tuesday - had dinner w Spinky, Urnice, Aki and DD. Waited in vain for our fried salmon skin and gushed over pretty paper at MWL.

Wednesday - met with some of my sec 2 classmates. Haven't seen some of them (actually it's just one of them) since we graduated from secondary school. We tried to remember how many people there were in our class, talked about how other schoolmates have changed, and about things we didn't know had happened back when we were in school.

Thursday - Sherry Hour at work. Went on for some impromptu karaoke at the newly renovated k-box-like karaoke room at the office. =) Some of the bosses can really sing!

Dreamt of work last night and woke really early this morning. -__- Hope to have a relaxing weekend...

Bringing my parents out for dinner for the first time

Yes... and it's not like it's anyone's birthday or anything. Although I told mum that she can take it as a early birthday celebration (her birthday in 1.5 mths time).

I think it's a combination of reasons:

1. I've been perpetuating a lot of negative energy in/around me so I figured I shall do something nice for my parents.
2. I guess also I've been feeling guilty that I go out and eat yummy stuff all the time while mum racks her brain over what to cook.
3. Mid year bonus has been credited so spend also won't feel that big a pinch. =P
4. BROTHER AND SIS ARE NOT HOME!!! Two less people to treat... hehe... (yes, cheapskate of me) Well, tried to contact my sis but she didn't respond. So too bad for her! hehe...

My mood felt infinitely better after mum agreed to go out. =)

First time in 16 yrs...

Up close with The Son later this afternoon.

15 days, 17 hrs, 53 min, 6s

The amount of playing time that I took over 6 months to get my mage up from level 1 to 70 in WoW.

'klEk, 'klik

I registered my unhappiness about colleague A with colleague B the other day... well, maybe more than just colleague B. I think colleague C and D were around re-registered my unhappiness with colleague B in the corridor.

What upset me was that we had just been talking about watching a movie together the week before and next thing I knew, they were all gonna watch it, without having at least just asking if I was still interested.

Maybe this is simply a case of me not being a part of the clique.

It's not the first time I've felt lousy about being "played out" in some way or another. Sometimes I think I have too much faith in people and therefore such things happen.

But you know, when colleague B first told me that he was going to watch that movie, I had a feeling that he would be watching with that clique. But I told myself, "nah... A would have asked if I was interested" or "nah... maybe A wasn't watching with B". Maybe I should trust my gut instincts more.

ICE CREAM!!!

Was hungry enough to wanna try ice cream from Orange Julius outside Wheelock Place. Princess had recommended that I try the Oreo one (I think) about two years ago (I think).

However...

THE STALL WAS OUT OF ICE CREAM!

In disappointment, we decided to just have our regular Venezia ice cream at Taka. As we walked to the nearby lift, WE PASSED ANOTHER ORANGE JULIUS OUTLET.

NOOOOOOOO...

Guess just not fated with their ice cream. =P

I'm lazy, there I redirect...

Please find Part I(i) of the Japan post-trip report (written by Spinky) at Spinky's blog.

It's only 1/4 of the complete text!

And yes, I will eventually put up the trip photos. (keyword here is "eventually") Or maybe I should just redirect you guys to Urnice's photos... Hmmm...

Do you have to ask for service?

One of my favourite Japanese restaurants here is Izakaya, which is located in Centrestage at Marina Square. The food is really good, they boast to have no msg, no artificial flavouring etc...

Today was my second time there, with DD for a late lunch. We probably reached the place at abt 3.15 pm. When we got to the restaurant, we waited to be seated (as instructed by the sign outside the restaurant). One of the staff was standing behind the cashier in front of us, but it took her a while to beckon her colleagues to come bring us in.

Now usually, the waiteress would pick up the menu as she brings u in. But this one brought us to our seats before bringing over the menus. We beckoned another waiter to come and ordered set meals. The waiter took our orders but didn't remove the menus.

We finished our salad and main courses, stacked everything nicely on the trays and pushed the trays to the edge of the table. At the same moment, we noticed two waitresses went down the aisle right next to us to restock the chopsticks and tissue. Wondering if they would take the initiative to clear the table, we didn't beckon to them. They walk straight pass us. Twice. At the same time, 3 other staff members were sitting at the table behind us chatting. One of them later got up, and asked her colleague if he/she needed anything since she was going out for a walk. [Note: Our table still had not been cleared.]

The third time the waiteress (the one restocking the chopsticks/tissue) walked past us, we stopped her and asked her to clear the table and serve the dessert. After we finished dessert, we realised that we still hadn't been serve coffee/tea.

In the meantime, we built a castle with the menus and observe how the staff brought the customers to their seats. One couple just walked right in and sat themselves down. For another couple, the waiter looked lost/not keen to lead them to their seats.

During the approximately 1.5 hrs we were there, they probably only refilled out tea three times.

Seriously. Does one have to call for service to get some? I really thought the staff were absymal. At the very least, they should have asked if they could serve the dessert when they came toclear the table. If they were too lazy to ask, they could at least just bring the dessert over? If we hadn't asked them about our dessert and coffee/tea, they probably would have forgotten about it.

We left the feedback form with the credit card when we decided to leave. From where we were sitting, I could see the two staff at the cashier counter looking displeased when they saw the contents. As we walked out of the restaurant, we walked past the dessert chef. He thanked us for coming. I thanked him in return. Don't know if he noticed my slight smile. I was expecting the two cashier counter staff to at least mutter thank you. According to DD, they had this look on their faces that said "these are the people who graded our service as very poor."

I feel so put off from going back to the restaurant again... Even if the food is good... Would you pay for such (non-) service? Or were we asking too much as customers for the service staff to have some initiative?

Told DD that after this experience, Old Beijing's ratings have gone higher than Izakaya's. At least Old Beijing's staff were apologetic for lapses in their service.

15 days, 17 hrs, 53 min, 6s is equivalent to...

about 378 hrs, or
about 22673 mins, or
1360386s.

which means abt 2.1 hr/day on WoW to rise from lvl 1 to lvl 70.

wow.

two year mark...

Exactly a fortnight away to the two-year mark on my first job since graduation. Sometimes I think that maybe, just maybe, I can make a career out of this. Other times, I think of what I would like to do if I quit tomorrow - study occupational therapy, play therapy, follow DD to Abu Dhabi and be a housewife and get to do all the stuff I've always wanted to do.

Last option sounds really good, especially with my new hobby. I can imagine myself staying at home, actually learning to exploit the full powers of Photoshop, cross stitching, scrapbooking all my old photos according to various themes, learning to cook properly etc. Yet I can't help but think about what some people have said of me before. That I won't be a housewife. Because I am ambitious.

I remember telling my JC/uni friend during my uni days that I wanted to be a housewife. She laughed at me. The idea of staying at home and bringing up my kids personally really does sound enticing. But they are right. I won't be able to just sit still at home.

Anyway, just some random rambling. Haven't really blogged my thoughts in a while and a random thought wasn't what inspired me to blog. Two years... two years since I joined what some call "the Death Star" with 5 young men in the same position. Within the first year, three fell. Another one will officially join their ranks in a month's time but actually leave earlier. It'll just be me, and the scholar... What am I looking for in this job? A career? Really?

I digress. I blogged because as I was clearing my photos folder, I came across these. I think I may have posted this before, with the other one taken at the same time, but let's just post it again.

Putting up this photo inspired me to do this:

To cookie monster... may post-Death Star life bring new adventures in your life. =)

Wonder if he reads my blog?