Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Singapore Idol

Eh, seldom do I catch local television programs. If I do, the contestants usually make me cringe. But today, as I was taking a break from work, a certain Jonathan Leong caught my eye.

He has got the woah factor, all right. He is not good-looking but he exudes a certain calmness and X-factor.

That, my friend, is an incentive to catch Singapore Idol. At least for us girls. Ha ha.

Oh Brother!

You know, my brother says the darnest things. When we are in the room with each other, we just spout the most nonsensical stuff, bouncing off one another, to see who gets exasperated first.

Last evening, as I was working on the dining table, I casually invited my brother to try a piece of Julius Chocolate Truffle. (I must say I like the rum one alot... mmm.)

Bro: Isn't Truffle a sort of mushroom?
Me: Yeah, an expensive one.
Bro: So, what's this chocolate truffle?
Me: Uh, chocolate lor.
Bro: What's inside?
Me: Chocolate lah!
Bro: Chocolate truffle right?
Me: Yah.
Bro: How come no mushroom inside?
Me: ...
Bro: Why call it chocolate truffle when there isn't any truffle inside?
Me: ...
Bro: I thought chocolate truffle means a chocolate-coated mushroom.
Me: Just eat the damn thing!

See. Spurious and superfluous wandering runs in my genes.

The Sharing Song Shenanigans

I am home, working my tired-ass off, to meet a sudden deadline.

The good thing about working from home is I get to blast music from my stereo. Today's playlist included the soundtrack from Curious George by Jack Johnson. Probably written for kids, the songs were very pleasant to listen to, and endorses very kid-friendly advices.

However, on listening to them carefully (something that occurs when my mind goes into spurious mode when working), I realize the lyrics are quite flawed. For instance, in The Sharing Song,

"It's always more fun
To share with everyone
It's always more fun
To share with everyone
"

Mmm, I don't think sharing is always more fun. Hello, I don't supposed I want to ever share my husband. I don't think it is more fun, thank you very much.

Oh, oh. Then you have this in the "Broken" song:

"without you i was broken
but id rather be broke-down with you by my side"

Waitaminute. Do I sense circular reasoning here? Without you = I was broken. So if you were by my side, how can I still be broke-down? You mean broke-down and broken different ah?

Wah sheesh. I think working makes me uber-sensitive to my environment. To the utterly useless aspects observations of the environment, that is.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Lunch Time Enlightenment

Blah, blah, blah....

E: Men separates Lust from Love.
Me: Gee.
E: They want to have a virtuous, principled wife waiting at home...
E: ..but yet they want to have their fun.
Me: Right. So you mean, you will do it even though it will hurt the virtuous principled wife of yours?
E: She wouldn't know, would she?
Me: What if she knows?
E: Ah, that's the risk men take. And that's the thrill.
Me: Very thrilling, meh? I won't do anything to hurt someone I love.
E: Well, it's the heat of the moment.
Me: That's kinda lame.
E: If you can accept that lust and love are separate, then it's fine.

Me: So, if you have girls falling over your feet, you will do that?
E: Mmm. I'm the one-girl-at-a-time sort of person.
Me: Girls have few guys chasing them at any one time too. They don't do that.
E: Well, you can if you want to.
Me: Why would I want to?
E: If guys are doing it, girls can do it too.

I am sure I can do that, too. I am sure some girls twirl men around their little fingers. But I "think" I have sufficient rationality to take a step back and go "What is the fucking point?"

I see ex-lovers spiting each other on Friendsters with updated photographs of new spouses. They updated profiles one after the other, as if to evidence the illusion of a better life without each other. Doesn't spite just display the fact that you are affected? Why do something just because someone else is doing it? If you don't agree with the principles, don't do it.

As the saying goes, the opposite of love is indifference.

Remember. Take a step back, breathe, and think "What's the fucking point?".

Stars, Stars Part II

Stars, stars, teach me how to shine shine
Teach me so I know what's going on in your mind
'Cause I don't understand these people
Who say the hill's too steep
Well they talk and talk forever
But they just never climb.


Eh, I don't know which song this came from. I thought it was Damien Rice but apparently Weixiang said he couldn't find it.

Anyhoo, it just keeps running in my mind for some reason. Hill where got steep? Mountain then steep right?

Spending-Compulsive Behavior

I was looking at my two flickr photograph accounts and discovered that the free account version automatically deletes my older photosgraphs, limiting up to only the 200 most recent pictures. Argh! My painstakingly resized photos! :(

Suddenly, I was very tempted to get the Pro Account.

USD2 plus a month leh. How, how?! Do you think it is worth it?

Why do I keep having avenues to spend my moolah! Sheesh.

Stars, Stars, Teach Me How to Shine

Monday afternoon, I received a call from Eugene to inquire if I was at school. Apparently, he took a week off from his hectic schedule to study for his CFA. You know what that means?! Ha, it means I have a lunch khaki for a week! How cool is that? I am sick of da-baoing food up to my lab, man. Lunch khakis are few and far between.

Anyhoo, in the evening, my supervisor was deliberately dragging the meeting way too long for me to guess that he wanted dinner khakis. Hence, we ended up having an impromptu dinner with Eugene at Holland Village. We had a good time chatting and sharing gossips, which is why I love my supervisor so! Well, except for the fact that he kept trying to convince me to stay another year in my postgraduate studies! Sheesh. Enough already, I said. I am quite sick of school, thank you very much.

Then, Eugene began waxing lyrical about shopping in JB.

Contacts lenses very cheap there leh, he gushed. Coaxed by his persuasive powers, I requested him to purchase some for me.

An hour ago, my cell rang.

Eugene: Eh, you asked me buy for you contacts right?
Me: Yah.
Eugene: Why not you go JB with me?
Me: WTF sia. I don't have to work, is it?
Eugene: Aiyar, you flexible timing one right?
Me: Who says lor.
Eugene: You also don't know what contact lenses you want. Go there and choose lah.
Me: ...
Eugene: We will be back by lunch time! I want to study, also what.
Me: ...
Eugene: I go alone very sian one leh.
Me: ...

There. I was sold. Maybe I could make new speckies too.

Who needs anything from JB? You've got until Friday to make your requests.

Monday, May 29, 2006

WHAT THE...

If one day, you should chanced upon a utterly-battered Acer Laptop, there is a good chance that it has been thrown out of the window in my sheer desperation. I know dear friends of mine have been listening to my empty threats towards my cranky lappie for the longest time, but ONE DAY! ONE FINE DAY, you stupid laptop, you are so gonna hit my limit regarding your ability to keep disconnecting me that you... are ... so... gonna get it! I'm gonna pluck your keys one by one. GAH!

There my friend is, trying to communicate his love problem to me over MSN and there I was, continually NOT receiving his messages and thinking he is MIA.

SHEESH.

Miss Scrunchy-Eyed

It has been a long time since I was required to construct a site. Now, hours of non-stop scanning at the lines of codes is beginning to take a toll on my eyes, which coincidently have been acting up all weird last week. They have been turning red, churning tears whilst smarting and whatsnot. Apparently, a few days of being Miss-Bespectacled ain't enough to pacify them.

Die, negative ions, die!

On other news, I got more scrunchy-eyed with shock when my good university pal, who has just so meticulously planned his proposal recently, is facing an impending break-up with his girl (who accepted the proposal, mind you) because the girl suddenly decided she doesn't love him anymore.

Aiyor. What can I say? Seemingly, everybody begins to treat this sacred thing called love like a game.

Pfffffft.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

MULF

Sometimes, one can be surrounded by throngs of friends but still feel terribly hollow. People say pleasant things to you, they do pleasant things for you. It doesn't do any help, though. Ultimately, it is still up to oneself to dictate his life.

...which is why I encourage and am happy for a girl pal to take up an overseas permanent posting to forget her past unhappiness.

MULF.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

TGIF

Boy, do I feel patriotic. I obdiently answered to the nation's call to spice up the economy with the Great Singapore Sale and woah ho ho, did I splurge once more. Ah, retail therapy does work wonders. I am currently a satisfied girl. Just avoid asking me to accompany you shopping for quite a while, girls. Thanks.

Despite feeling poorer, I still had a date with my dear Cynthia to keep up with on the Friday night. I drove my Dad's new car down to Winebar where Cynthia and her friends gathered.

"Wah, new car ah," quipped the valet as I emerged, staring at the plastic-covered sheets.

"Yah lor, you're only the third person to drive it. So drive carefully okay," I countered, looking as sombre as remotely possible.

It turned out that Cynthia's colleague and his friends were all from National Junior College and they were one year our senior. We spent time reminscing about the old NJ times, recollecting who are the reigning school beauties and other miscellaneous gossips. Oh, have I ever mentioned that I absolutely hate to reveal what I am doing for work? Whenever I meet new people, it naturally comes a stage when the new acquaintances would inquire about your career.

Usually, I would reply,"Oh, I am half-studying for my post-grad and half-working." with practised vagueness.

However, as if for the sake of shocking or entertaining people, some unsympathetic soul would add "She is doing her PhD, you know!" Before I have any time to react, there will be a supreme avalanche of mockery and jokes, not to mention the trail of teases that would last throughout the night.

"PhD! Permanent Head Damage leh!" I get this so much that I have to fight the urge to shove napkins down the offender's throat each time.

People would direct inconsequential questions at me, something along the lines of "Eh, why the Hindis have different colored paints on their foreheads?" When I replied "Like how the hell do I know?", it is the cue for them to holler "YOU ARE PHD LEH!"

Don't get me started on the whole load regarding "YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A PHD STUDENT AT ALL LAH!" shit. So, you are trying to tell me I look very stupid and dense? Sheesh.

Thankfully, I have attained a zen mode amongst these ridicule. Afterall, it is usually the people who do not know me well making all these gawd-I-am-so-funny comments. Anyway, pictures!





I was having fun, playing finger-guessing games with the gang when suddenly Alan materialized out of nowhere. We chatted for a while and he persuaded me to join his friends at Zouk.

We pondered for a while and Cynthia decided we would drive down to Loof to join her other friends. Right, for another session of PhD-bashing.





Ah well, despite that, I did have quite a jolly time. Especially when one of the guys showed me his Identity Card which displays his real name in full glory "***** SAINT DRAGON"

Now, tell me if that isn't the coolest name?

Friday, May 26, 2006

Awesome...

X-Men is awesome! I totally enjoyed it even though many of my favorite characters died or lost their powers, even though the one scene with the Golden Gate Bridge seemed jaw-breakingly impossible, even though the girl beside me was distracting with her nacho-chomping noises, even though some people groused that it is not tailoring to the actual comic.

I read somewhere pertaining to rumors circulating about a scene after the credits so I cajoled candice to stay on as the movie ended. The crowd slowly dissipated and we became the extremely odd ones left lingering gawking at the never-ending lines of credits. As the last of the credits appeared, we began to feel really foolish when suddenly, a scene materialized. So, hohoho! All was not wasted. Remember to stay till after the credits!

As we were making our way to look for dinner, we spotted m)phosis preparing its shop for a SALE tomorrow. So m)phosis shopaholics, tomorrow is the day! Don't say I didn't warn you.

When we swerved to make our way to the basement, candice abruptly blurted "SALE!" like any true-blooded Singaporean girl. Apparently, GG>5 already commenced its sale. Splurged, we did, again. Gee. Forget about abstaining already.

Anyway, after our unplanned splurge, dinner@TCC went up to smoke. Instead, we decided to budget and dine at Mac's. Unfortunately, as I was trying to balance my tray of food and my bags, I spilled the entire cup of cola on to an unfortunate ah beng. As I embarassedly apologized, he was nice sufficiently to mumble "It's okay."

As I stood there admiring the mess I created, ah beng began to talk.

Me: *Thinks* Please don't beat me up or ask me to compensate your shoes.
Ah Beng: Actually... you can go and ask for another cup of coke.
Me: Huh.
Ah Beng: You just go there and ask, they will give you one.
Me: Really meh?
Ah Beng: Trust me lah.
Me: I quite shy leh.

Anyway, it turned out that you can really get your cola replaced if you spilled it. They don't really check it either! I thought such things only happen in the States. Hmm.

Okay right, go and catch X-MEN!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Wolverine!

I have got a date with the X-Men tonight!

It'd better be good. This week is way too sucky. Well, at least there is Hugh Jackman. He is quite a pull factor, right after Viggo, of course. Nobody beats Aragorn.

Anyway, so I was IM-ing Reb when she told me she just attended the Bay to Breakers event which was simply hilarious.

Sheesh! I'm so jealous. How often do you get to witness a congregation of..


..weirdly costumed people

and


naked warpdos?

San Francisco has the weirdest people! But I love it!

The Chasms Within

I came home a wee bit woozy-headed, after some drinks with my pals at Holland Village, to a little surprise by my bed. Neatly tied up on the bedside table was a pair of drumsticks I needed for my new drum classes commencing soon.

The words and chronicles that accompanied the gift were deeply moving and gouged a pang of pain I have efficiently buried. Again, as I laid on my bed, it made me wonder why people are flawed in appreciating what they have in their hands? Why do they not want to make someone they love happy? Do you really need its absence for you to realize its importance?

Prevention is better than cure, haven't you heard? Cures can remedy an ailment, only to a certain extent. Clever bacterias evolve miraculously to insulate themselves from the healing powers of antibiotics. Repetitive cures-on-demand? Uh-uh, not gonna work. You are probably be sick for a long time.

My, don't I sound jaded? Ironically, events in the past few days have shed some light to lift my disillusionment and melancholy. If someone isn't ready to give his all, you shouldn't bother even investing a shred of effort. There are probably more deserving others.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Julius Truffles

Well, seldom do I endorse any products. But today, I shall make an exception.

Why?

Remember the perk-me-up incident on Monday. I was feeling utterly shitty when a gift of chocolates materialized at my door. Well, most commercialized companies do deliveries in a rather mechanical way. Mostly, the delivery boy simply asks one to sign on a sad sheet of paper as acknowledgement before dumping the entire contents into your arms.

What I like about Julius Truffles is the very personalized delivery. The delivery boy, armed with the most charming smile, quipped with the utmost earnestness to melt away any sorrows,"Your friend, Sandy, has a gift for you!"

Anyway, the truth is, the chocolates helped. Although I haven't had the appetite to try it yet, I am sure it will taste as good as it looks.

One complaint though. I specifically instructed Julius when sending a box of chocolates back to thank her:

"Oh, and could you also ask the delivery person to quip "Someone wants to thank you for being the sweetest buddy in the whole wide world." (No need to mention my name) and plant the wettest, sloppiest kiss on her? No extra charge, right?"

But, accordingly to Sandy, he told her
"This is from your friend, Yee Lin."

Hello!? What ever happened to listening to customers' instructions har? I was supposed to be anonymous! No wet, sloppy kiss somemore.

All right, just kidding. So next time, anybody whom you know needs some perking up, do give this kid your support! Local entrepeunership spirit! Well done, boy!

Very Warped Researchers

Ah, work-related post alert. I was trawling the miniscule words in a list of references when I chanced upon the strangest dissertation titles. Believe me when I say, they are thoroughly, true-bloodedly strange.

Ten authors collaborated on the topic:
"A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Role of Foot Size in Physical Attractiveness"

WTF lah.

Superfluous imagination seeped.

Guy 1: Eh, look at the hot babe with big doe eyes and long flowing tresses.
Guy 2: Yeah, she's hot. She must be a Cup C, too.
Guy 1: Yah, look at her small waist and perky butt.
Guy 2: But wait!
Guy 1: What?
Guy 2: Look at her feet!
Guy 1: Oh, ew!
Guy 2: Size 6 feet!
Guy 1: Ew, that's a turn-off.
Guy 2: Yeah, gross.
Guy 1: Bah. Let's go.

(Size 6 is discriminated only because I wear size 6 lah, okay.)

Uh oh

As I was checking my work emails this morning, I found a meticulously written email by a certain Rao Karkala. Thinking it was probably spam (although the university's filters are so efficient I seldom get spammed), I clicked on it to reveal a full-length detailed account of how a certain professor in the faculty of engineering has committed certain misdeeds.

Uh-oh. I sensed a news storm brewing. The mail probably got sent to the entire university staff? I am not sure.

However, having been threatened myself personally (someone actually wanted to send malicious emails to colleagues, friends and family just because I declined to meet up), I am wondering the truth of the situation.

Ordinarily, I would admit my immediate distaste and bias to the professor after reading the email. Now, after my personal experience, I subscribe to the mantra - Innocent till proven Guilty.

But well, we all know how cruel the rest of the world can be.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Beware of the Double Negation

I was researching on the intricate complexities involved in drafting policies and had delved into the subject of double negations. You know, double negations like:

Such ideas are not uncommon.
She was not unkind to me.
His claim was not without merit.

Double negation ranks high in the English teachers' list of solecisms and I do believe your brain actually does a double take when you encounter a double negation. It is like "wait a minute... not.. unkind. Oh. That means... kind. Oh yes." So it takes probably an addition one second to decipher the thoughts. Leychey lah.

Interestingly, the rule holds that even-numbered negatives are affirmations, while odd-numbered negatives are still negatives. So, do note that when you are fervently trying to deny or reject something, uttering the lines of "No, no, a thousand times NO!", that actually totals up to a thousand and two No's. Oh, which means it is essentially an affirmation.

Next time you want to trick the person to say YES, just gek him until he cannot stand, and manipulate this loophole! Muahaha!

Chop-logic, they call it.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Pleasant, Pleasant Surprise

So as you can probably gauge from the avanlanche of entries, I wasn't exactly a joy to have around today. The rain dampened my plans of heading to town. Instead, I lugged my stack of papers home to work on.

With little appetite, I sat about my laptop to work.

The doorbell rang. Mister Toto barked.

Seldom are doorbells meant for me.

Suddenly, my mother called out "Girl ah, there is a delivery for you!"

My concentration broken, I sauntered down the steps to meet a spunky, tanned boy. He is probably younger than me, dressed in home clothes, but nevertheless cute.

"Hi!" He chirped. "Your friend has a delivery of chocolate truffles for you!"

I thanked him and opened the nice green box. A little tray of happy-looking truffles met my eyes.



Oh, my sweetest little buddy! Even if the box contained just ONE truffle, I would give you my wettest, sloppiest kiss if you were there right there and then. So thank your lucky stars you weren't here!

Corridor-Speak

Colin was my tutor when I was doing my first-year undergraduate. Now, he is a lecturer in the university and always conjures small talk when we pass each other along the corridor. Just a moment ago...

Colin: Heyy...
Me: Hello. How are you?
Colin: You are graduating already, right?
Me: Huh. No!
Colin: This year, July!
Me: No, I have one more year to go!
Colin: No, I want to see you at the convocation this July!
Me: Do I look that old?! I still have one more year!
Colin: Ah, I don't care. This July.
Me: ...
Colin: By the way, to graduate this July, the thesis is due...

He eyed his watch meaningfully.

Colin:... tomorrow!
Me: Right... I will try my best.
Colin: Ha Ha Ha! Good luck!

Ah, always the funny guy. You know, sometimes when life gets fucked up, you become acutely aware of tiny little details that can brighten your day. As I was fretting over my work and some complications in supervisor matters after various meetings today, one of my favorite professors passed me along the corridor.

Prof: Helloo!
Me: Hi...
Prof: How are things?
Me: Not good.
Prof: How can things be not good! You just came back from America!
Me: That's why. Now I miss America.
Prof: Ha Ha Ha. Okay I will ask your supervisor send you back again lah.

Yes, corridor-speak. Suddenly, it became conversations that seemingly brighten up the gloomy-looking Monday.

Monday Blues Part Two

I have been contemplating on enrolling in the Jazz Piano Course at Yamaha for some time since I have been listening to loads of Bossa Nova recently. I could comfortably qualify for its requirements of a minimum of ABRSM Performance Grade 3 or its equivalent, and the presence of the under-utilized piano at home provide further motivations.

After a very draggy and inefficient email exchange with the person-in-charge, Shirley, I finally decided to call her instead.

Shirley: Jazz piano, group classes, nobody sign up leh.
Me: Huh, nobody at all?
Shirley: Yes.

Obviously, Jazz isn't very popular among the Singaporeans, eh?
Otherwise, they are probably deterred by the minimum requirement. Probably people with the minimum requirement won't even bother attending these courses already.

Me: You mean, not even in future?
Shirley: Well, at least not in June. I am not sure about July.
Me: Sigh. What about the pop piano courses?
Shirley: But those are for the beginners who have no fundamentals in piano.
Me: Hmm.
Shirley: If you have, it is going to be too easy for you.
Me: Sigh. Do you all have violin courses?
Shirley: Uh no. Vocals?
Me: Huh.. No thanks.
Shirley: Drums?
Me: Mmm. Okay, transfer me to that department then.

So, the drums department girl was persuasive sufficiently to have me signed up within two minutes.

What a strange twist of fate. I very much prefer the classical sounds of violin and jazz piano but somehow I got signed up for drums?! This is like so WTF?

Ah well, I guess I can learn to play drums the jazz way too.

Sunday Dim Sum

Ah, darn the Monday Blues. I woke up abruptly, stricken by an acute bout of Monday blues, more than I ever did this year. Do not attribute it to PMS, because it is not.

But then I thought - Hey, there are million gazillions people in the world who are probably facing worse situations than me, eh? So, I stomped my feet and set my heart in straightening out the root of my blues. Cliche as it sounds, what can't kill me will probably make me stronger.

So, unhappiness aside, there are always little silver linings in clouds to make me smile. For instance, dishes of cold jellyfish during yesterday's delectable Dim Sum Lunch with Grandma and Aunties.



Or, even my nosey Aunties who kept probing "Eh, are you seeing anybody now?" and gasping in disappointment and feigned anxiety when I replied negatively.

Auntie 1: Aiyor , why you so fussy...I introduce my colleague lah.
Me: ...
Auntie 2: Go USA find Ang Moh lah.
Me: ...

Right. Then, there is my perpetually inquisitive cousin, Rachel who insisted on sitting next to me. Although I am not one who goes cooing and ahhing over the sight of kids, somehow kids find it within them to bother me. I have this magnetic power to attract kids leh. (But not hunks. Why ah?)

Rachel kept asking questions and persisting on handling my precious camera. I had no choice but to lie. White lies lah, okay.

Rachel: What is this button for? *Points at camera*
Me: You press it and it will explode.
Rachel: *Shriek!*

Oh yes, the joy of going deaf having people shrieking into my ears.


Rachel says 'ahhh'.


Rachel and Yeelin Jiejie says 'Cheese!'

Rachel started sneaking around with rabbit hands for pictures, including my grandmother who gamely played along.





Funny eh, my ah ma?

The wonders of pictures. One day, I will look back at these pictures with my heart filled with warmth and nostalgia.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Inherent Goodness of People

I believe in the inherent goodness of people. I stubbornly hold on to my own beliefs.

Somehow, I can't help but feel that I am just being plain stupid.
Blind faith, I'd call it.

That is not healthy. I should snap out of it.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Useless Observations

As I have mentioned this morning, we were hanging out in the coffeeshop last night when Eugene suddenly decided to probe my MSN nickname.

Eugene: So, have you found out why Yakult contain 100ml?

A discussion ensued within the group of us, reaching a subsequent concensus that it is regarding the limited dosage of bacteria our vulnerable stomach can handle.

Eugene: So Coke why 330 ml?
Me: Eh, some smart aleck commented on my blog, saying 330ml is half pint.
Eugene: Is it!? I thought pint is in some sort of weird numbers, not that round.

(Psst, I did some research. Apparently, 1 US pint = 0.473176475 ml. 1 UK pint = 0.568261485 liters. Either way, smart aleck, you're wrong!!!!!)

Minghua: Eh you mean all canned drinks 330ml meh?
Me: Not meh?

At this point of time, all of us looked at the cans on our table, comprising primarily of Lemon Tea, Liang Cha and a Coke. Apparently, the non-fizzy drinks contained only 300ml of liquid. The fizzy ones like Coke have 330 ml! Isn't that amazing?! 30ml more of gas?!

What useless observations do sharp people like us bring you.

Next time go on date nothing to say, remember this okay.

Zombie

Look! Look!

The earliest post that can ever be. It's an ungodly 6.11am. I am waiting for my Dad to come back from his morning jog so we can bring Mister Toto for his swim at Sentosa. *Yawn*

I am not quite awake from my 3-hour snooze. Somehow, everything doesn't turn out to what it was supposed to be. Aiyer. Last night's meeting with Isabelle turned out to be an impromptu shopping trip that should not materialize at the first place. I am supposed to abstain. Abstain! After all that shopping spree in USA and HK, I should not be spending anymore!

Feeling poorer than ever, I was somehow persuaded by the guys who called up to ask me to join them for some drinks (Weak spirit, weak flesh! Bad girl, me). I accompanied Eugene for his dinner at the coffeeshop, requesting "Eh, hang out here can a not ah?"

Much to my chagrin, the rest of them appeared and turned up their noses at hanging out in the coffeeshop. We ended up at Walas, where I split most of my drinks on Lewis and played silly games where I was forfeited into picking a guy up.

Aiyer, next time just hang out at coffee shop can?! Save money and save face.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Instant Dose of Relief for the Morose

It is within Mister Toto's herding instinct to ensure everybody in the house is intact. He would come to my room, linger for a moment, then to the study room where my parents usually hang out after dinner, then to the living room and the cycle goes on.

Sometimes, when I am feeling melancholy in the comforts of my room, he trods in amidst his inspection. He would then comfortably nest himself right beside my bed, nudge my hands with his snout and give this quizzical look -



It is as if he is saying

"An chua ani (Why so) unhappy? Come, tell Uncle Toto your problem. I lend you my raw hide bone, okay?"

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Sigh

A guy pal confided in me that his girlfriend is breaking up with him because "he isn't what she imagined him to be."

Very often, when we are falling in love, we choose to see what we want to see - the positive attributes, bursts of sunshine and shades of rainbow gleaming from pots of gold. As the relationship progresses, the gloom descends. Nitty gritty details that didn't use to matter suddenly amplifies.

Sigh.

Many times, I have heard my friends describe the characteristics they want in their partners, only to see them ended up with people who are rather dissimilar to their requirements. Why?

Do I know what I want? Of course, I do. But does it matter?

It probably doesn't.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Have You Ever Wondered?

On a seeming innocuous Wednesday evening, I was typing out a review for work. As you all know, my brain goes into a superfluous wandering drive when I am trying to think for work.

So, as I sipped on my bottle of Yakult (I am a Yakult purist, yes I am!), I became very unsatisfied with the insufficient 100ml limit the silly bottle held. Whoever decides on the capacity of the Yakult bottle? Did they ever conduct any pretest to examine the consumers' satisfaction in consuming only 100ml of Yakult? Did they go from 10ml, 20ml... then finally 100ml before they shouted "Eureka! We've got the right formula!" by studying MRI scans of consumers' brains as they usurped the various amounts of Yakult?

Who decides Cola cans should contain 330ml (The number looks strangely auspicious)? Who decides handy bottled drinks should contain 500ml?

Whoever you are! Can you please tell the Yakult conspirators that 100ml in a bottle is NOT ENOUGH?

Thanks.

On a More Morbid Note...

Yesterday, I caught up with a friend very briefly over Gmail Chat. I knew he was really busy with his new girlfriend and job, so I harshly admonished him. Much to my chagrin, I realized my reproach was undeserving because he confided that his mother was suddenly diagnosed with suspected lung cancer.

I did not know what to articulate as words of comfort. Sometimes, words are needless and very often, pointless. But I did note one thing - that humans, in realization that something is going to vanish from their lives, frequently desperately perform last-ditch attempts to grasp hold of it. One is often susceptible to the human flaw of appreciating someone/something only when it is almost gone.

Of course, I am not denying the fact that I am guilty of such oversight. But strangely, since I was young, I have been stricken by a fear of losing my loved ones everyday. Because of that view, I made it a point to spend adequate time conversing with my parents, to give tummy-rubs and coo sweet nothings at my beloved dog every morning, to attempt to bring my grandma out at least once in a while...

If it were to be my last day on earth, I wouldn't want to do anything differently.

So, on the bus to school today, I saw a girl with her grandmother at the bus stop. Apparently, her mother was on the same bus as me. The girl looked up, her eyes alit with happiness, blew her mother a kiss and squealed "I LOVE YOU!!!"

It was such a spontaneous heartwarming moment that made me wish I had a camera to capture it. I wondered if she would do the same thing to express her love a decade down the road.

Don't you hate those inhibitions that come with age?

It makes me want to go home and give my mum a big, big hug. Never mind if she is going to quip,"Eh siao ah? Hug so tight for what?"

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

To Buy or Not To Buy

The heavens are mocking me.

How else can I explicate the unbelieveable travesty that is to take place this Friday - Sale of Coldplay in Singapore tickets for the 10th July??!

Argh! Of all times... they choose to sell the tickets at the period when I am feeling a tad churchmousy.

Sandy! To go or not to go?!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Steamed Uncle Lapan on Mother's Day

One of my principles in eating is "Once you name it, you shouldn't eat it." Well, that is simply because when I have already exerted some sort of brain effort to name the entity affectionately, the last thing I want to do is to harm it. Like "Hey, mum, look. We can have Bobby for dinner tonight."

It sounds almost as innocent as having Bobby over for dinner when we are actually having Bobby as a palatable delicacy. How wrong is that?!

So, imagine my horror when I realized the Mother's Day Menu at our dinner last night included a dish called "Steamed Uncle Lapan". Uncle Lapan happens to be a sort of fish with very silky and tasty meat. My brother and dad were viciously poking and prying at the fish dish once it arrived.

"More meat here, more over here," quipped my brother as he manipulated his chopsticks to flip poor Uncle Lapan.

"Yes, here too," my dad responded by stabbing his chopstick into Uncle Lapan's eyeballs.

I cringed and wonder what dignity is left of Uncle Lapan to have every part of his body mercilessly torn apart for food, including his eyeballs and cheeks. Poor Uncle Lapan. He was so completely delectable and boneless, there was nothing left of him except for a spine. What is going to happen to the poor orphaned nephews and nieces??

Henceforth, if any of you are to think about opening an eatery or a restaurant, kindly refrain from naming your dish is any way that endears the entity to your customers. I mean, how would you feel to be eating an Uncle for dinner!? Pretty darn horrid, I bet.

Nevertheless, we proceeded with some dessert tapas at a very very remote Bakerzin. If only my dad would stop spouting "This is very sinful" with every bite of the dessert...



Happy Mother's Day, everyone. ('tis a little belated. :P)

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Feeling Poor?

Both Sandy and I were feeling like paupers after our trip overseas. So, we racked our tiny brains for costless, or, at least the possibly lowest-costing activities we can do in Singapore. "Eh", she offered an unsavory solution, "Let's just go your house and hang out lah. Watch DVDs..."

Blah. I need something outdoors! Outdoors! We could trek the Treetop Trail (We've done that.), Kent Ridge Park (Every bloody Sunday for me and my dog)... We could do sports - cycling (mmm..?), tennis (mmmm!)... We could .... We could go laze around on the beaches of the little overhyped touristy island known as Sentosa!

And so we did, on an overcast Saturday morning, with nary a ray of sunlight in sight. Nevertheless, the bright optimistic sparks in us soldiered on (probably because we are too poor to do anything else, ha ha). We took a bus from the Harborfront Interchange, paid SGD3 for our admission and ta dah... got ourselves very comfortable among the palm trees on a spot near Siloso Beach indeed.





We dug out our treasure trove of food which consisted of packets of beehoon, tuna and cheese sandwiches, chips, biscuits, apples and drinks. The assortment of magazines we brought was amazing, ranging from serious business reads of Fortune to healthy reads of Shape to entertainment magazines like 8 days. We could stay there for days!

Instead, we spent hours yakking about our lives, mildly disturbed by a bout of rain. We shifted into the Emerald Pavilion where Sandy plugged into her iPod and duly fell asleep. I started on my new book - Tuesdays with Morrie.

After the rain ceased, we moved back onto the sandy beach, lounging around for about an hour or two, until we decided to try the new Sentosa attraction - skylifts and luge. SGD8 will pay for the skylift up to the top where you can race your luge down.

I must say the guy who ushered us to the chairlifts isn't someone whom you described as an epitome of calm. This is especially a tut-tut for placating people like Sandy, who even before going up the chairlifts, revealed "Eh, I got fear of heights one leh." Strange, isn't it? For someone who is that tall, I imagined that would be the least of her fears. *Snigger*

Anyhoo, the guy was tremendously gan chiong, because the chairlifts simply do not wait for your to slowly climb onto them. Instead, I would say the chairlifts simply SWEEP you off your feet by scooping you up. It can be extremely chaotic when I am half-wondering at the insolence of the chairlifts, half trying to concentrate on the chairlift guy who is continuously spouting "Standonthedottednumbers!Standonthedottednumbers!Sitwithyourlegsseparate!SEPARATEYOURLEGS!SEPARATE....!!!" Hello, you have to give people some time to figure out what the fark the dotted numbers are?

I swore he bearly had the time to push the safety bar down and I didn't have my chance to show him my finger. Ha ha. But ah, what a sight to behold, as the chairlift swiftly took off. And soon, it began to dawn on me how high it really was. Look! I'm on the top of the world. Look at those teeny-weeny people below at my mercy! MUHAHAHA!



Me: Eh, Sandy! Very HIGH hor! Very HIGH hor! *excited*

I turned to look at a mildly green-colored Sandy.

Sandy: Don't tell me it's very high lor! Don't tell me! I'm already not looking down. *Faint*
Me: If I don't tell you, can't you see that it's very high? (Funny hor, this Sandy.)
Sandy: Don't say already! My hands sweating!
Me: Ooo! Ooo! I feel as if my slippers're gonna drop leh!
Sandy: Ahhh, my feet are sweating too!

Being the evil menace that I am, I took advantage of the situation to snap many photographs of her looking like a shade of chlorophyll.



Subsequently, we reached the top and we were to go back down by the luge. We donned on our ill-fitting helmets, looking more ridiculous than snugly protected.



When it was our turn, an assigned instructor was to inform us on how to operate the luge. It was a no-brainer, really. All you need to do is to pull the handle-lever forward to slow down, and let it go a little to go forward. Still, for some reason I fail to comprehend, after a quick spouting of intructions, the instructor found it necessary to stamp a "PASSED" on your hand.



Oh great! Now I have a little blue "PASSED" unwashable stamp on my hand where I can flaunt to everyone proudly, exclaiming "Look! Look! I passed my luge. I would like to thank my father, my mother, my dog..."

Right.

So, the luge was pretty fun. But the fun was pretty short-lived. I wished the track could go on a little longer, though.

After the luge and laughing at our own silly photographs, we hopped on the beach tram which is utterly free. Free! That is a sweet word to us paupers, yes, it is.



We watched people frolick at the beach as the tram trotted by, finally alighting again at where we originally laid our mats. The New Zealand Natural Ice Cream store beckoned. Did I mention we were paupers? What strange inexplicable power the creamy invention has over us women. We dug into our already-impoverished wallets and I got myself a yummy cup of Mango Fruit-Flo.

Finally, we decided to board the bus back for home. The allue of free home-cooked dinner! Muhaha.

So all in all, my expenses include: SGD3 (Admission) + SGD8 (Chairlift and Luge) + SGD5 (Optional Yoghurt).

Not bad, eh. You know where to go where you are feeling poor now, don't you?

Well, the penny-pinching Saturday wasn't ended at that, there was still Shuling's Birthday Countdown that night to narrate...

Friday, May 12, 2006

Vesak's Day Eve

After my little cousin left me for her date, I decided to give Sandy a beep to sound out how she was spending the public holiday eve. "Come and join me and Kevin. We're just gonna chill," she said.

Sounds good. I trudged over from Wheelock to Paragon where Sandy rang me again to inquire my whereabouts. "I'm reaching!" I assured her.

As I approached the destination, I suddenly saw Sandy holding a huge bouquet of flowers. Uh oh, I thought, this is not right.

Me: EH, how come got flowers one?!
Sandy: *Looks perplexed*
Kevin: Er, do you want flowers? I can get you some too.
Me: Er..
Sandy: ....
Me: I'm going to the toilet.
Sandy: Me too.

Awkwardly, we made our way to the loo. The Ladies is the perfect place for us females to bitch about males, hatch plans to kill men and oh, to discuss about how cute certain members of the opposite gender are. HA HA, yeah right. I am only kidding. But hey, it is a good place to spill secrets that should be kept from the men.

Sandy, flustered as she is, was at a loss of what to say. Well, I could only say I felt like the biggest gooseberry in the whole wide world right there and then. The right thing to do is to skip right out of the picture.

"Don't worry about me!" I patted Sandy on her back. "Go enjoy your date!"

With that, I scooted off into the crowds of Orchard road. Admittedly, I do feel a mix of bittersweetness. On one hand, I felt excited for my friend. On the other, I felt a little lost because of the throngs of people in town, yet I haven't the slightest idea what to do. Sigh. What's more, it is the antsy time of the month and I was really feeling rather under the weather. No flowers to cheer me up some more. Sucky, sucky.

So, I plugged in iPod, my other trusty companion and shopped around Orchard. You know, shopping is really out of my agenda because I am kinda broke from all the USA-HK trips. I was fighting the hell with the inner demons, trying to rationalize NOT purchasing any unneccessary items.

Just when I thought I was losing the battle, my handphone rang. It was Eugene and it turned out they were at Wisma Indochine! Woohoo!

So, I joined them for some drinks and we caught up with one another at the company of pleasant live-band music. As MH was deciding on his second drink, I trawled the menu for some chocolatey concoction and decided he should have a "Buttery Nipple".

I was daring him to say "Can I have your Buttery Nipple" to the waitress but in the end, a waiter turned up instead and I had to order it. Bleah.

I think I have a discriminating picture of him licking the butterscotch-soaked cherry. Hmm.

'Tis a stormy Vesak's Day. I've just finished the Life of Pi. It is pretty good.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Fusion

Living in a multi-cultural society always bring surprises and thrill to one's monotonous existence. We get to sample a huge variety of food, being comfortable using our hands for delectable coconut rice to expertly manipulating chopsticks for our Chinese cuisines. Creative businessmen astutely utilized this advantage of multi-culture by amalgamating the various divisions.

Sometimes, this fusion thingamajig goes a little too far. As I was taking a bus to school this morning, I noticed a banner outside a Community Center that screamed "Kebayaerobics".

It was a true WTF? moment.

I imagine a group of aunties draped in kebayas, shaking their booties to the thumping beats of aerobics music. What is next? Saritaiji? Cheongsamyoga?

So ridiculous. Want to fuse, also fuse properly lah.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Sorry? Come again?

My mum has decided to retire from her retirement because she was bored beyond tears at home. If you do remember, she has a knack for making the strangest phone calls when she was bored at home. So, I thanked the heavens when she got herself a temporary job to while time away.

However, I think her new job as an accounts assistant is kinda boring too. She logged on to Gmail Chat incessantly and sent me countless emails, inquiring "Where are you?"

Today, she sent me a SMS, going:

"I just went to the bank 3 times today! It's very fun!!"

Huh! What the...

Minor Grousing & HK Anecdotes

I dabao-ed (read: packed) lunch back to my lab just a while ago. Since many students have completed their examinations, I was delighted to see NO QUEUE at the Western Food stall. I promptly went up to the-funky-red-haired-auntie-who-takes-orders who possesses this most amazing ability to forget your orders.

Anyway, she proceeded to shortchange me by a dollar. Upon arriving in my lab and opening my boxed lunch, I realized my order of sambal dory has no sambal. So, as I nibbled on my 50%-incorrect lunch, I wondered about auntie's performance on a busy day. If it is so dismal on a slow-business day, it must be alot worse on a busy day. Be forewarned - Science Canteen, Western Food. Remember to emphasize the SAMBAL if you order Sambal Dory.

Right, so I supposed I should write about my last days in California and the pathetic dreary days in Hong Kong.

The last days in California were mostly spent eating. In fact, I think I am so obsessed with food that Sat, one of the new Canadian friend I met, mentioned my photographs were all of food. Guilty as charged. The last Sunday was spent nursing hangovers (for dear Shuling), last-minute hurried shopping, before meeting Nigel and Sat for one last dinner and drinks (coffee, of course. No more alcohol for Shuling, hahaha).

I went back to Berkeley on Monday, enjoying a very delightful French lunch at Gregoire. You know, what I miss about Berkeley is those really small, quaint cafes by the street. I can so sit in one of those little benches, with my takeout, armed with a good book and bask the day away in the cool breeze and warm sun rays. Although I did enjoy my lunch, I do think my initial preference of calamari still seem like a better option. However, ZH dissuaded me from ordering that, only to see someone else seemingly enjoying that very dish! Grr! Now I will never know how it tastes like! Sigh.

Dinner was again, at a quaint little district. It is one of those neighborhood with pleasant little shops, cosy bistros, pretty street lamps, right out of a storybook. I think my Vongole Linguini at this Italian eatery was absolutely fantabulous.



Next day, it was a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong. On board the flight, I was at an aisle seat, one seat away from an ang moh guy named Marshall. Marshall, a very knowledgeable man, proceeded to keep me entertained (and awake) for like 80% of the entire flight, by showing me pictures of his travels to talking about technology. At the end of the flight, he was surprisingly energetic, excitedly urging me to keep in contact. I, on the other hand, was one very jet-lagged and spent girl with zilch amount of sleep.

Hong Kong was quite a terrible trip for me because I had a deadline for 2 papers and I spent most nights awake trying to meet the deadlines. The only touristy thing I completed was to go up to The Peak and viewing nothing but endless fog.

The other Hong-Kongy stuff I did was to consume loads of dimsum. I ate dimsum every day I was in Hong Kong.







If that isn't dim-sum overkill, I don't know what is.

Right, so that marks the end of my working vacation. I so need a next vacation to motivate me! Ugh.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Now, Look Through Your MSN List

I am sure everyone of us has a staggered sort of social circle. Of course, we will have the closest friends in the tightest core, the ones we hang out and meet the most often. The next layer probably describes close friends whom we don't hang out as much, but still dear to the heart nevertheless. The layers peel like an onion and then, gradually, we get those whom we hardly meet up, hardly communicate at all.

For the closest friends, it is natural for us to go out of the way to complete favors. However, it is beyond me why certain people at the outermost layer actually has the cheek to expect me to do certain favors. I am generally nice and if the favors are simple and convenient, I would try my best. If I said "No.", it means NO. Respect my decision and do not try to argue how simple the favor really is. Especially if I haven't seen a hint of you in a year. Especially if you contact me only when you need a favor, like 'Oh, I heard you are good at Photoshop?". Do not blame me if I choose to ignore such messages. I reiterate that I am generally nice, but only to a certain extent. Ignoring you is a good thing because it prevents me from snapping the daylights out of you.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

'Twas a Touristy Saturday Afternoon

Since it was Shuling's first time in San Francisco, I was tasked as the tour guide to bring her around. Not that I know loads about the city, but there aren't many typical touristy attractions to visit anyway. San Francisco is better explored and its allure lies in its quirky, off-the-road surprises you stumble upon.

Together with Thomas from Stanford, and her colleague Nigel, we began the Saturday at Mel's Diner for an absolutely scrummalicious breakfast. Shuling has been complaining about the lack of delectable HOT breakfast food, prompting me to recall the nearest breakfast joint we could hop in.



With our tummies nicely filled up with eggs, potatoes and bacons, we flagged a cab down to the most charactertistic San Francisco feature - the Golden Gate Bridge. Now, I just adore walking across huge bridges. There is something mildly therapeutic about walking across these connections in the cold. I enjoyed my stroll tremendously across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, and even it must have been the countless time I have been on the Golden Gate Bridge, I still relished the experience. We stopped to admire the skylines, spot dolphins in the waters and posed for thousands of photographs. It was really cool.



After an hour-plus of sauntering to Marin County and back, we hopped up a bus to head to Fisherman Wharf. After a strings of missed-stops and random bus rides, we fortunately ended up where we wanted to go. We strolled along the touristy lines of shops, stopping to admire the stinking gathering of sealions at Pier 39. A pleasant break for some clam chowder and sour dough bread ensued.

We basked in the pleasant sunlight for a while, Nigel feeding the pigeons tirelessly. The next top was Ghiradelli Square, which was nothing much, really. Shuling bought some of the famed chocolates home and all of us shared an extremely heavy chocolate-fudge sundae.



Next up, the overhyped San Francisco Cable Car ride. If you ever want to hitch a cable car ride, do not EVER aboard one at Fisherman Wharf. You would probably get all squashed up in the ever crowded Cable Car because for some reason, most tourists seemingly board the Cable Cars at Fisherman Wharf. Take the Cable Car from somewhere which allows you to get a good proper seat, facing the outside, in the open, so you can totally soak in the atmosphere. Our cable car ride was a complete flop, with the most of us trying to stay balanced and avoid steppings on strangers' toes.



Dinner was at a little quaint Italian Bistro near the hotel. I had scallops with green peas mashed and bacon. It was extremely delectable. The good food was making me so.. so ... sleepy.

But the night was still young, they claimed. So, it was off to partying in the city. The night started out hilarious, with Jaret, another of Shuling's colleague, trying to get me to marry him. Apparently, according to Jaret, caucasians over at that side of the world have a huge fetish with Asians.



Nigel and I began playing finger games where I totally kicked his ass. He switched his game partner to Shuling and I began playing with Sat. Well, I kicked Sat's ass too, but I guess he wanted it that way because he wanted his drinks. Ha.





Soon, most of them were on a high, with Nigel and Jared doing silly things like sticking gummy bears on their faces.



As I was laughing at their antics, my dear girl friend was lying on the sofa with great luxury. After attempting to wake her up countless times, Nigel took over. Thank goodness for that, because he subsequently saved me from the mess that she puked out. Ha ha.

Anyway, it was downhill from then on, although retrospectively, it was a freaking hilarious experience. Despite having down 5 drinks all mixed up from shots to cocktails, I willed myself to stay sober as the rest were intoxicated. We even had to risk getting shot as Nigel wound down the windows in the cab and hollered at two rather plump girls to "COVER UP YOU PORK CHOPS, YOU ARE MAKING ME SICK!"

Even as I tried to push his head down, he came coming up to scream more insults. I was so glad when the cab driver began to drive from the junction.

Finally, we made it back to the room, but not without a mess. We were all in a mess, really. I cleaned up, showered, ensured everything was all right, switched on my laptop, and guess what?

I did my work.

Miracle.

And then it's bed time, at almost 5 a.m.

Sunday is another story to tell.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

whoops!

Howdy, folks. My apologies in not replying to emails just yet, I have been really really busy handling my last-minute work stuff. Yes, working while on "holiday" in the dreary city of Hong Kong. How wonderful, eh?

I haven't been able to set up my new blog, too. However, since I have left U.S.A, I am less intimidated by my personal reasons to move at the first place. So yeah, keep looking at this space for now...

Monday, May 01, 2006

Mooooving!

hey, my fellow nice and friendly readers, I am moving my blog once again.

Really apologetic. I have my personal reasons. But hoho, do email me if ya wanna know, all right.

If not, here are some photos to er... take away your boredom. It was one of the best weekends in San Francisco. I have never laughed that much 3 days in a row. Sigh. Now I am sad I am leaving tomorrow. I am so gonna miss it.

Till the next time.