A Way To Network

Reaching a new decade is good. Seriously. I always thought it would be bad getting older and still bouncing around, but now I realize the most fun-loving people are those in their thirties! Fun does not mean clubbing and dancing and shaking to loud music. Fun simply means knowing how to enjoy life, instead of how to attempt suicide by doing things that make you have a shorter life. Now I find those in their twenties either too stodgy or too childish.

Reaching this new decade makes me change a lot of my perceptions. Maybe it is to do with the fact that for the past half year, I have been in the company of very interesting and fun people. One really grows up much faster being around highly intelligent and charismatic people!

Maybe because ever since I was in my late teens all the way to my late twenties, I had been in and out of relationships. And maybe because I was brought up in a very conservative and somewhat calculative family. To my family members, if they did not say it, I could not even invite my boyfriend to any gathering. My mum told me it was rude to offer to bring anyone else if the person was not specially invited.

To my friends, they would never bring anyone else to any party or gathering unless it is a boyfriend or girlfriend. That was the behaviour and practice I was so used to. Until recently. The guy friend I met opened the doors to many other friendships. He brought me to meet his friends, joining in parties and gatherings. He brought along friends to meet me.

Personally I do not mind. To me, the more the merrier. But I was so influenced by what my mum always told me that I thought it would not be nice if I am to bring along friends as well to others’ gatherings. Then I realize actually they do not mind as well! All you need to do is to ask!

Thus, for the gathering last night, it was only supposed to be three of us. Since both of them were bringing friends of their own, I thought why not bring some people along as well? It would be good if all join in the fun. Thus, I asked a few people, and only one confirmed he would be going. So it was a small group of seven – four girls and three guys. All single!

The thing is, to many people, why would anyone bring anyone else to meet friends if they are not in a relationship? But bringing others along need not necessary mean anything! Just like a guy bringing a female friend along to meet his friends or a girl bringing a male friend along to introduce to her friends do not mean anything! Going out and meeting people is a healthy social activity, and a good way to widen our social circle as well.

It does not mean the guy and girl is in a relationship just because he (or she) brought along a female (or male) friend! It can be because we feel that these friends are cool and fun-loving and they will not be a killjoy and are open to meeting more people, which is why we bring them along! Thus, I am no longer uncomfortable with this idea. Now, if I am going to have anymore gatherings or parties, I will bring my friends along as well and all can join in the fun! It is a good way to network too!

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To Bake Or Not To Bake

That was the question I was asking myself when I was sourcing for a raspberry cake. It is hard to find shops that actually sell raspberry cakes, because most sell blueberry or black forest, with the most common being strawberry. But I needed to find a raspberry cake because my friend told me before he has a weakness for raspberries. Hence the search.

The white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I ate in New Zealand was really good, thus I thought if I could find the recipe, I could produce it quite easily. Unfortunately, I have yet to equip my kitchen with the necessary baking utensils, and most of my friends do not bake, thus I am not able to use any of their kitchens.

So I started asking around and sourcing online. There are some online cake shops, but even they do not custom make cakes according to what I like, only according to their own recipes. Needless to say, most do not make raspberry cakes. Is it really that hard to make, I wonder? It is the same as making a strawberry or blueberry cake, except one uses raspberry of course. So why does none of the cake shops offer that?

After some search, I finally came across this shop that sells a Raspberry Chocolate Cake. I called them up last Wednesday and said I would like to place an order for the Raspberry Chocolate Cake, to be collected yesterday, but with fresh raspberries on top. Initially the guy who answered the phone told me okay, but the following day, he called me and said they had to turn down my order as the baking chef would be away until after the stipulated date.

He was nice enough by providing me with a list of his clients who make the cakes, but the list consists of mainly the high-class hotels, and calling them up to custom make a cake would be tantamount to breaking my bank. Besides, it is the peak New Year season so it will cost much more!

Finally, I had to settle for the White Chocolate Raspberry Cake at Coffee Bean. Personally I do not quite fancy their cakes, although I must admit their New York Cheesecake is good. Since the cheesecake is good, I thought perhaps with some raspberry filling it would not be that bad as well.

Unfortunately, the cheesecake comes with white chocolate crumbs on top, sprinkled with cocoa powder, without any raspberry fruit. I asked for fresh raspberries on top, but was told they do not custom make cakes. The only thing they do is to add in messages and supply candles. Still, the cake looks pretty good, at least from the picture!

Thus, in the end I settled for that. His birthday is not until a week later, but since we were going to a post New Year gathering at a friend’s place last night, I thought to give him a surprise party. I ordered the cake last Thursday, and went down to collect yesterday before going to my friend’s place. Luckily Coffee Bean was nice enough to send the cake to the outlet nearest to my office, so I collected it during lunch time, put it in the fridge in my office, then took it out and went to my company event.

My friend was really surprised! He did not expect that! Still, everyone said the cake looks nice and tastes good, and all of us had a slice. We made my friend took the remaining cake home since it is meant for him anyway. It really was a good party!

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Team Performance

The team performance at the company event last night was a mess, to say the least. There was hardly any time to practice with the whole group, not to mention a couple more dropped out at the last minute. The rest were all having meetings and urgent work, thus no time to meet to rehearse for the last time. Then other problems occurred, like we were not able to get the song burnt into a CD as there was some incompatibility with the programs.

We managed to rectify that by asking one of the colleagues to save a MP3 version of the song into a flash disk, and we brought along a laptop and speakers, but in the end, the deejay was not able to play the song on the laptop as there was no cable to hook it up. We called the deejay before but he claimed he did not have the song we liked. However, when we were unable to hook up the laptop, the deejay said he has the song, albeit a different version.

So the version we danced to was a faster and louder version. Since everything was thrown together only at late notice and people could barely remember the steps, we were rather uncoordinated. But in the end we still went and gave our best shot! I left before the results were announced as I had to rush to another party, so hopefully our team did okay!

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Demanding Only The Best

It has been a while since I did any reading, as in real book reading, not articles over the internet or magazine or newspaper reading. I needed to refresh some books I have read in order to help me with my studies, when I came across this quote from Somerset Maugham :

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."

How true it is! That is why I never go for second best, or third best. No one and nothing is perfect, but if you demand the best for yourself and everyone else, often than not you will get it. This is tried and tested, especially for me in the last couple of years. It is all in the mind! Only by demanding and expecting the best that one can improve and get the best of what we want, be it in terms of friends, jobs, studies, even relationships!

So if you think you are satisfied with just anything mediocre, chances are that is what you will get! So it is one's choice whether they want the best or anything less!

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Leading A Team ....

My company is having the annual post-Lunar New Year gathering at our Chief’s place tomorrow. As usual, there will be a team performance, and the best-dressed team as well as the one with the best performance will win cash prizes. This year, the theme for the event is “Shanghai Night”.

For some reason, I have been “chosen” by the organizing committee to be the leader of my team. So, I called for a meeting last Friday to discuss what we will be doing. Everything was done in a rush. I only got to know about this last Wednesday, and immediately after that I had to get my team mates together for a meeting. Luckily they are rather sporty and agreed to meet on Friday. It was a pretty lively discussion, everyone had their own ideas and opinions. Finally, after various brainstorming, we decided on a “Shanghai Gangster” theme, a la Chow Yun Fatt in “The Bund”.

For the group performance, we will be lip-synching and swaying to a song that fits the theme of the team - Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" from his "Moonwalk". In fact, we will all be wearing white tops with black pants, and we rented hats for this purpose, complete with black jackets, and black ties for the men and shawls with varying shades of red and pink for the ladies.

It will be a skit, where we will start off with an introduction on the theme, then go on to the setting of the story, then the dance begins, shooting starts and the last man standing will be the one that becomes the Chief.

It is rather daring and unorthodox, but we figured that if everyone is going to come dressed like a “China doll”, it will be the same as the rest of the teams, so we thought it will stand out more to be different. Thus this week we had been staying late to practice. The dance moves are pretty smooth after trying out for two days. Tomorrow will be when we have a last dry run then the performance at the residence!

Being a team leader is not as easy as it seems. Not everyone is willing to participate. I must say I am rather lucky that most turned up for the meeting on Friday. However, as some are working in other offices and outlets, they were not able to make it for any of the sessions at our main office. But they are all willing to participate when I called them to update them on what was going on.

Furthermore, after getting all the hats today, two emailed me to say they will be dropping out as they are not able to make it to the event tomorrow after all. So I have to work with whatever manpower left! Comparatively to other groups, my team is pretty good already, as I understand some of the other groups are not even able to meet once, and some are not even willing to perform! So I think I am rather lucky!

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The Bane And Boon Of Technology

As some of you may know, I have been doing online shopping on and off, and have been pretty happy about the products, which I find less costly and much nicer in appearance and material than what I can find in stores. Most I know are not comfortable with the idea of online shopping, because after all, they feel that they must try on before they can buy anything online.

Not necessary actually. Even when I do go shopping outside the comforts of home, I will see something I like, check out the size, grab it and just go. No need to try it on. At least I do not try on most of my clothes as well, which is why most guys do not mind shopping with me because I do not spend hours trying on things which I do not buy in the end. Yet the things I buy are always a perfect fit.

This works for clothes, bags and accessories. And other things like CDs, VCDs / DVDs and books. Not shoes though. Shoes I need to try on because only few kinds of shoes fit my feet. I cannot wear anything that has pointed toes, as the shape of my toes is more medium and rounded than pointed. I will get terrible blisters if I so much as squeeze my feet into a pair of pointed pumps.

Which is why I can never wear pumps as well. If my toes are closed up, they will develop blisters, especially around the sides. So open-toe shoes and ankle straps fit me the best. My shoes have to be rounded, not pointed, and medium-sized. I never wear pumps, even to the office. Just as well I am not a practicing litigator, as I will then need to go to court in pumps! That is why I am so happy that I took a risk ordering shoes online and they fit so well!

To me, it has to be love at first side. I have my own preference, so things like clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, even gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, cameras and MP3s, I have to like them on sight, in terms of their appearance and functionality. Normally I see the appearance first, then the functionality. If the functionality covers what I want, then I will get it. Otherwise, I will just pass them over. Please bear in mind this does not apply to men though! With men, it is the other way round – functionality first before appearance. :-p

Actually, online shopping is not as hard as people think. As long as you know your own preferences, what you are looking for, and whether you look nice in them, that is all that matters. In other words, you have to know yourself very well, your figure, your colours, your style and whether what will look nice on you! What is best is that many of the stores allow returns and refunds, so if in the end you really do not like what you ordered, you can always return to them and get a refund (less the shipping charges).

For instance, if you are 32-25-35, then be truthful about it. No use getting a dress that is 34-24-34, because that will simply never fit! Most dresses are fit to scale with a size chart, so if your figure does not deviate too much, chances are you will be able to find one that fits. For me, the dresses I get online are always between XS to S, or Sizes 2 (if the cutting is bigger) to 6 (if it is a very small cutting). Otherwise it will be size 4 for a normal cutting. (No, I am not going to reveal my exact vital statistics!) I have never been disappointed.

Even the shoes and boots I bought recently, I came across them, saw that they look nice and fit what I am looking for, and have the colour and size I want, so I just went ahead. The shoes I bought are all size 6 (boots 6.5), which will be equivalent to size 35 / 36. In local shoe stores, it is hard to find shoes of that size, most are at least 36 and half and 37, which will then be too big for me! What can I say, since I am but a little lady with small hands and feet? ;-p

Thus for clothes, what I am looking for are very simple – nice looking, nice colour which I can carry off, classy design, long-lasting and with a reasonable price. I even bought a trench coat online and it is a perfect fit! Shoes should also be nice in colour, classic and sleek, open-toe heels or ankle straps, versatile (can be worn on whatever occasions), long-lasting and with a reasonable price. Both the clothes and shoes have to be in sync to make it a perfect combination, which is why mixing and matching is really essential. All you need is just a few clothes and one or two pair of shoes and you can go anywhere already.

That is why nowadays I seldom shop in stores. The clothes I bought in some stores simply do not cut it. Some stores sell cheap clothes, but before you even wear them, you realize the zipper is spoilt or there are threads sticking out everywhere. Very poor workmanship. And after one wash, the colour fades. Which is why the clothes are so cheap! The items I bought online are cheap too, but they look much nicer and are of much better quality.

Even my gadgets and some cosmetics are bought online. Cosmetics are hard to buy online because you need to try out the colour, but for me, I know what kind of colour I like and can carry off, so even if I buy make up products online, the colours do not deviate too much. This applies only to eye shadows and lipsticks though. Foundation still cannot be bought online because you need the exact shade so have to test it out personally to get the shade.

The digicam, laptop, iPod Shuffle I have, were all sourced online. If I could buy them online, I would, but I came across them, like the look, design and colour, checked out the specifications and functions, and voila! That was it! Even for mobile phones, that is the same. I can even order mobile phones online and have it delivered to me! Even things like air tickets, overseas hotels, train bookings, etc, could be bought online! All you need is an e-ticket to exchange for the boarding pass!

Technology really opens up many doors to people. It makes things so much more convenient. Instead of spending hours going places to look for what you need, now you can do everything at home or wherever with just clicking of the mouse. But the disadvantage is that due to this, it makes people lazier. It makes people anti-social.

Before the age of technology, people would call each other and chat for hours. People would make a point to meet and go shopping together, or hang out together to chat and catch up. Now, people talk to others online. By doing so, they no longer meet up. They no longer go out into society and mix and mingle with people, rush with the crowd.

As a result, many people have lost the ability to interact and get along with others, because they spend all their times at the computer on their own, and treat every other human being as a computer. They have forgotten that human beings are emotional creatures with their own minds, whereas a computer is an electronic brain programmed to receive your instructions and thoughts, thus will do anything you ask, whereas humans will not. Which is why I still go out (as and when) instead of just facing the screen at home and losing touch with what being human is all about!

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Boots .... Finally!

The online store where I bought my shoes from, sent me an advertisement where they were having a massive discount and sale on boots – all kinds of boots, leather, knee-length, suede, ankle. The boots were going at half price, plus if you get two pairs, you get another twenty-five percent off the second pair! What a good deal!

So I took the opportunity to order boots online! Since I had been looking for boots, I figured why not, especially since I can never get this offer anywhere else! One pair of ankle boots, one pair of knee-length boots, both black leather. I wanted to order suede, but it would be too impractical in a climate like this! And they arrived a few days back, just in time for me to wear the knee-length boots out while visiting to match with my above-the-knees tube dress.

Because they are boots, I ordered half a size bigger, yet they are a perfect fit! Even for the knee-length boots, I thought they would be too long for me, but the top stopped snugly just at the base of my knees! My family members deemed me crazy for wearing footwear like that in this kind of weather, but so be it! I got the boots I wanted, and for sure I will be wearing them more often, especially when going overseas to a cooler climate!

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Another Gripe About Men!

I am so pissed with my dad and my brothers! I will never ever be with someone who is even remotely like them! It was my mum’s birthday last Thursday. Before that, I have asked those men what they intended to do. Since my dad is around this time round, he volunteered to plan for her. And my brothers said they would contribute. So be it.

Last Thursday, I was putting in overtime as I had to plan and organize the Chinese New Year gathering at our Chief’s place this Friday. My dad called me at seven, and asked if I could get a cake. I was like, erh, is it not a bit too late? But never mind, I agreed to go.

However, most of the cake shops were closed. I saw a Coffee Bean that was still open, so I went in but apparently, they only sold cakes in slices unless we custom order in advance. So finally I had to go to Secret Recipe to get a cake. Most of the cakes have been sold out, leaving only Chocolate Banana and Raspberry Cheesecake.

Some of you may know my search for a Raspberry Cheesecake. I never considered Secret Recipe because I have tried their cakes and the only one that is good is the Chocolate Banana Cake. Thus, I wanted a custom-made raspberry cake according to my options. I was sourcing all around until finally I found one (not what I was looking for though, but close enough) and placed an order, but that will be another story.

Anyway, my mum does not eat thick chocolate; neither does she take cheesecake. However, comparing cheesecake to Chocolate Banana, the rest of my family members prefer cheesecake as my brothers do not eat bananas. I know it was my mum’s birthday, but still, she will be happy whatever we got for her, whereas I know those two young men will grumble if I got something they do not fancy. So I took the Raspberry Cheesecake. Not the best choice, but there was not much choice left in the first place.

What I was angry about was that my dad said he would plan a week back, then both my brothers and he were home the whole week, just lazing and lounging around, with my mum and I both needing to work late, and they had to call me at the last minute to get a cake, and just for that I had to run around just to find one!

It is not as if I begrudge that; after all, it is for my mum, but why, if they were so free the whole day, could they not go get one for her? And after I bought the cake with my own money and did not ask them to chip in a single cent, they complained the cake was not nice, and it was something my mum did not like, et al. Can you imagine how I would feel? If I had known, I would have done all the planning in advance and probably did something nicer, instead of having to find things at the last minute!

Then when my mum finally came home and I invited her to cut the cake and blow the candles, my brothers got glued to the television, expecting my mum to prepare and light up her own candles! How can anyone be so insensitive, especially to one’s own mother?

Honestly, if I ever find a guy anything that, I will dump him straight! What a lazy bum! Bumming around while I am working my life away, and still I have to be the one doing everything when he cannot even contribute anything, and all he does is to complain and grumble!

No wonder many local men are getting so spoilt and taking things for granted! No wonder they have no qualms living off women and still shirk all responsibilities, thinking the women have to be at their beck and call and still fault her for things! With this kind of attitude the men portray, is it any wonder the women remain single? And we still get blamed for having “high expectations” when men cannot even fulfil basic responsibilities!

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Stupidity And Unprofessionalism?

Something amusing happened on Saturday. Someone called me from my landline at home. When my maid called for me, I panicked, as I thought it was the banks calling me again when I had already settled everything. If it was any of my relatives, my maid would let me know. So receiving a strange phone call at home nowadays is cause for bewilderment.

When I answered the phone, the lady on the line said she was calling from a recruitment agency. So I asked her why not call me on my mobile, since I did put down my mobile number? Then she said, “Is this not your mobile?”

I almost fainted when I heard that! In the first place, does she, as a local, not know the difference between a landline and a mobile? A landline starts with ‘6’ and a mobile starts with ‘9’! Secondly, if it is really my mobile number, I would be the one answering it, not anyone else!

So I told her, “No, this is my house number. Please kindly call my mobile number.” She insisted it was my mobile, and I told her to please look at my particulars carefully. Finally she apologized and said she would call me back. She did call back in five minutes, and described a job, but honestly speaking, I think she was just stabbing in the dark, because that job was not suitable at all! It is not even related to what I have been doing!

So I had to turn her down. She still sent me an email about the job and description. Hmmm.. how can any recruitment agent be so unprofessional? Luckily those few I have been working with are pretty good!

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Another (Routine) New Year Celebration!

This Lunar New Year we did fewer rounds as compared to the past. Maybe because some of our relatives chose to come to our place instead, so we went to fewer places. Honestly, Lunar New Year has become all too routine for me. It is no longer the excitement of young where this is the period to show off all your gold and sparkling jewellery, your new clothes and new shoes, and receive money. The festival has now become so mundane.

All the more since well-meaning people say they hope I can find someone soon (yeah, yeah! As is always the case!), and my father, has to add fuel to the fire by telling everyone to wish I can be married off soon! Now who is the one desperate for me to marry off? And they think I am the one who is desperate?!

Christmas, on the other hand, is something else altogether. Somehow Christmas time is still filled with Christmas spirit and spreading of cheer. Each time Christmas comes along, I still feel good, that there is something in the air that make me believe miracles still happen. Maybe after I have my own family, Christmas is a tradition I will keep and celebrate more on, but Lunar New Year will be just another run-of-the-mill celebration (although my parents will have a fit if they know).

Besides the usual spring cleaning, extended family gatherings, visiting, and the usual greetings, nothing much was really felt for Lunar New Year. Maybe because of my own ethnic origin, I should feel something or upkeep the tradition, but then again, I am not exactly the very traditional kind of girl as compared to the rest of my family members. So Christmas means more to me than Lunar New Year (although it is a good chance to catch up with people you will otherwise see just once a year).

And I thought finally I can wear a tube dress out together with the rest of my family members, but my mum made me wear straps as she was afraid the dress may not hold up properly. :-( Why would it be a tube dress if it is not designed to be held up without straps?! If it falls so easily, it defeats the entire purpose, is it not? Why get that for me if she never intended for me to wear it that way in the first place?

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Spring Cleaning Weekend!

Happy Lunar New Year! I have been a little quieter lately, because I want to take the opportunity for a long weekend to catch up on a few things. Like cleaning my room, for one. And studying and catching up on my notes. I am not a neat freak, neither am I a cleanliness freak. Those who really know me know I am essentially a big mess, in every aspect. :-p

Still, I have to start cleaning up because I have long run out of space, and it comes to the stage where practicality have to take precedence over memories and sentimentality. Thus, I threw away a lot of things which I used to keep. Like the dried flowers given by someone on Christmas Eve 2007.

Movie ticket stubs, theatre ticket stubs, I used to keep all those, but in the midst of cleaning up, I threw them all away. Twelve Hershey’s wrappers from 2003. That was a memorable day, but I threw them all away. In the end, that day did not really count so much as some of my other more memorable days.

Finally, I threw away all the cute boxes that used to contain trinkets, but since I have taken out all the trinkets and moved them into a bigger box, I threw the boxes away. The only things I have not thrown away are my old diaries, and the letters to and from someone whom I still keep.

Strangely, things given by other guys I finally threw them all away, but things given by my best friend and mementoes from my most serious relationship, as well as old letters from my pen-pals and close friends, I retain them. As well as old photos. They were so much a part of me, a part of my childhood and growing up years, that I cannot bring myself to dispose of them.

Still, at least my room is somewhat cleared. No more clunks of junk all over my desk! No more bags and clothings strewn all over my floor and bed! For once in a long time, I can actually see the colour of my rosewood desk again!

Another resolution – to maintain the state of my room this way for the rest of the time when I am still using the room!

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Of Dresses And Shoes

I was looking for a new year dress when my mum happened to pass me one which she got recently. As usual, it is a nice looking one, red and white stripes and various patterns. What I am surprised about is that it is a tube, and a rather short one. The entire dress goes down to above my knees, probably around mid or three quarter down my thighs!

Hmm… why would she, of all people, get that kind of dress for me, when she was always frowning upon me being “too exposed” in my dressing? Then I realize there are detachable straps, so knowing her, she would kind of expect me to wear that together with the straps, but knowing me, I will wear it as a tube without the straps.

Luckily she had not seen the green dress which my best friend passed to me. She will have a flip when she sees just how low the back is! The dress may be a perfect fit body wise, but it is still a tad long for me, so unless I am wearing four-inch heels, otherwise the hem will keep sweeping the floor.

The ski jacket which I told my dad to get for me from China is finally here! It is a Columbia Titanium’s The Ginger Ladies’ Ski Jacket. Dark grey and white, with splashes of red. Not as nice looking as I thought from the picture I came across, but at least it is a perfect fit!

I guess on the ski slopes, functionality counts more than appearance, as after all when people are busy skiing and snowboarding and tumbling and falling, who will have the time to look at others? Now I really cannot wait to go on another ski trip!

Having said that, I needed shoes as the current pair I have is just about worn out. Thus, I needed to get new shoes for new year as well as for work. After looking through all the shoe stores, including the ones I always go to, somehow I am not able to find a pair of shoes I like, and is a comfort fit at the same time.

So I went online. I have bought clothes and jewellery online, so why not shoes? Of course, shoes are risky because the sizes may be different, and they may not be comfortable. Still, I took the risk because I managed to find two pairs of very nice shoes! One is in bronze the other is in black.

I admit, they are not that cheap as compared to normal heels from other stores. I was debating whether to get them because I want to stick to my resolutions. But it is either that or go barefoot or wear flip flops, as I have not been able to see a pair of shoes I fancy in the stores here. New Year is in a week’s time, so I need to get a pair by then!

Besides, one pair can last for quite a long while, so take it as a long term investment! They may be party shoes, but they are suitable for special occasions and work as well. The heels range from three to four and half inches, so at least I can appear “taller” when wearing them!

When they arrived, I was really pleased because the shoes look as good as they do in the pictures. And they are a perfect fit! Seems like I do know my size! The shoes are comfortable and easy to walk around in, despite being “high”. First time ordering shoes online and it is a success!

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Advance Art Appreciation

I started class again last night. As usual, the first lesson would be on how to score for assignments and what is required in the first assignment. I have looked through the first assignment, and it seems pretty easy. Just an analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 157 and an argumentative essay on euthanasia (hot topic amongst many lecturers).

Interesting! Hopefully I can ace it! I need to ace this module in order to keep my grades up! Unfortunately, last night’s lecture was on Advanced Art Appreciation, so the entire lecture was on abstract paintings and how to “see” and “interpret” them!

Now, all I know about abstract art is a whole mass of colours and patches and lines. In other words, a big messy glob! Abstract art, Picasso style, touches on feelings and what you feel when you see the picture, but other kinds of abstract art is just patterns and more patterns.

How in the world am I supposed to analyse that? As it is, I emerged from the lecture feeling more lost than before! Oh no, this is only the first lecture, thus supposed to be the easiest! If I cannot even understand the first lecture, it will be a big problem the rest of the semester!

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What Is All The Fuss?

When I came back two weeks back, I was catching up on the news I have missed. What amused me most was the episode of what a certain government official wrote on his family vacation. To me, I did not think it was that big a deal because he took a break for some family bonding, and he gave his wife and son what they wanted to do. That itself would be a pretty cosy family vacation.

Except I did not expect his article would illicit so many responses. True, the country is facing bad times, true, many people have been retrenched, etc, but the gist of the matter was that he is a government official, thus his salary comes from tax payers, thus everyone is making a big hoo ha that they are using their hard-earned tax money to finance a government official’s family vacation!

People spend at least five thousand per head on family vacations. My family just spent twenty thousand in New Zealand. Of course it is not as compared to the forty-five thousand spent by the civil servant, but one does not go on a long family vacation and not spend at least a five figure sum in all.

The thing is, why do people bother so much what he does in his free time? Is he not entitled to vacation leave? So if he goes on leave, why can he not go on a vacation like everyone else? Why kick up such a big fuss?

Maybe if he is not a government official but a top man in a company, nobody bothers because his salary does not come from the people. It is only when he is using the public’s money that is why everyone bothers. But people have to distinguish that a job is a job. He works as a government official, but he is also a husband and father, and has every right to have his own free time with his family, notwithstanding what he does.

Maybe if he did not disclose the amount spent, people would not be so agitated. Honestly, if he is a top man in a company, his salary will probably be more, so just a mere forty-five thousand is nothing to him. I am not saying the figure is nothing; it is a lot to a lot of people, but for anyone of the same rank and status, that sum is really nothing to them.

I am not trying to be insensitive here. I know forty-five thousand is equivalent to many people’s yearly income. And there are also many who do not even earn forty-five thousand a year. Thus, they have every right to have an uproar over how their money is being spent.

The thing is, if people can afford a lavish vacation, so be it. If you yourself cannot afford, why fault others if they can afford? I also like to have a big car to drive around, stay in a big house of my own, go for exotic holidays a few times a year, indulge in high-class hotels and spas, buy designer goods all the time, take expensive airlines.

But I know myself, and I know my limit. Whatever I want to do, I save up to do it, and if I am not able to do it, I just have to let go. There are so many people around me who can do so many things, own so many more things than me. That does not mean I go around griping and kicking up a big fuss on how come they are spending so much money on this and that. It is their lives and if they have the priviledge, no one can fault them.

Maybe the big issue is that he is spending taxpayer’s hard-earned money, and everyone is now “suffering” for whatever reason. In that case, how come I still see people splurging on shopping sprees, going for high class meals and driving big cars? If people are really as poor as they claim they are, should these all not be cut down?

So we can spend our own money in our own lavish ways, yet fault someone for spending his money in his own lavish way? Is that not a double standard? Just because his lavish way is far too lavish for some? We work for companies who pay us salaries, but our employers never question how we spend their money.

So why must we then turn around and point our fingers at someone who can afford and has every right to a good life? Or is it because being a government official, he has to set an example and scrimp and save and live the most frugal way in order for people to look up and be happy with him? So does that mean being government officials, one cannot live comfortably in times like these?

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Sudden Demise!

An old university mate called me earlier on and asked a favour. Then he updated me with news of what happened to some of our mutual friends. Apparently, one of our friends is now a widow, as her husband died a few years back.

I am acquainted with the couple in question, so I was shocked upon hearing the news. They were only married for a year when he passed away while exercising one day. Before that, they were together for many years, as both attended and grew up together in the same church. I can only imagine how devastated she must have felt, as according to my friend, she even attempted suicide.

I always know life is fragile, but when people you know have a sudden demise, it makes you rethink just how fragile life really is. Birth and death are inter-linked. Some may never make it into this world, and some may live just a very short life. Some may live a very long life but not achieving anything. Some may have a short yet fulfilling life.

Come to think of it, based on genealogy, I probably have at least another fifty years more to go. Hmmm…. seems like a long time to plan what I intend to do with my life! At least I am in the midst of planning for my own future, so whatever extra that comes is just a bonus!

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Atonement

Finally I have finished watching this show. And it has become one of my favourite shows of all time! It is hard to describe what genre the show is, because it is about love, lies, deception, war and a sad yet happy ending at the same time. I have not cried while watching a movie for the longest time, but I actually cried while watching this show!

"Atonement" is about how a lie changes the lives of two people who are in love with each other, and put a budding romance to an end. The lie was started by a thirteen year old girl who accused her housekeeper's son of raping her cousin, because she had a crush on him yet he was in love with her elder sister. He was imprisoned for four years then went into the army when World War II broke out.

The war scene is the highlight of the show. It showed the soldiers having a carnival on the beach, and before they went to battle they had to close down the carnival and sing a song of peace. That scene triggered off all kinds of emotions in me and I just sniffled with my tears dropping while watching that scene! It showed the extent of humanity, that even though trained soldiers had to go the battlefront and fight each other, deep down they were still human and kids (since most were in their late teens and early twenties).

The last part was on how the thirteen year old girl became a seventy year old woman, and she was being interviewed for her last novel "Atonement", in which she finally righted the wrong done to her sister and the guy. In the novel, she gave a happy ending, like how the eighteen year old her went to her sister's apartment and apologised for her wrong accusation, how the guy almost wanted to break her neck and how she wrote a letter to her parents to tell the truth.

But during the interview, she said she had always felt guilty about what really happened, because she never did have a chance to meet her sister, and her sister and the guy never did get together because he died in France during the war, whilst her sister followed a few months later during the bombing of the London Tube. Thus, in her novel, she wanted to right the wrong and give them the ending they deserved.

The end of the show showed the sister and the guy running around happily on a beach side cottage, looking so happy. The beach side cottage happened to be the scene on a postcard whom she sent to him during the war, where she said they would be together and retire to the place. So in a way, they did get together, even if not on Earth, but somewhere else. And only in paradise can one be truly happy.

I believe this is not the kind of show for those who prefer slapstick or comedy. This is not a romantic comedy, neither is it a war documentary on its own. Yet for those who can actually appreciate this show, it goes beyond all these genres and have a much deeper theme and meaning all on its own.

The dress which Keira Knightley wore, despite being elegant in appearance, actually holds the whole show together, because green is the colour of peace, and intense green represents peace, deception, passion. Everything from the scenes to the clothes to the settings just fit in so well together! That is why I love it!

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Dumb Or Dumber?

Should these people win the prize for stupidity?

1. Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.'

It seems that Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing 'the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.'

After being introduced to the show's host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was:

'Which of the following is the largest?'

A) A Peanut
B) An Elephant
C) The Moon
D) Hey, who you calling large?

Immediately Mrs. Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she realized that this was a question to which she did not readily know the answer.

'Hmm, oh boy, that's a toughie,' said Evans, as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief and disgust. 'I mean, I'm sure I've heard of some of these things before, but I have no idea how large they would be.'

Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50. Answers A and D were removed, leaving her to decide which was bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly easy question, Evans still remained unsure.

'Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!' exclaimed Evans. 'Darn. I think I better phone a friend.'

Using the second of her two lifelines on the first question, Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend Betsy, who is an office assistant.

'Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I'm on TV!' said Evans, wasting the first seven seconds of her call. 'Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest? B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.'

Betsy quickly replied that the answer was C, the moon. Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds.

'Come on Betsy, are you sure?' said Evans. 'How sure are you? Puh, that can't be it.'

To everyone's astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend's advice and pick 'The Moon.'

'I just don't know if I can trust Betsy.. She's not all that bright. So I think I'd like to ask the audience,' said Evans.

Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of answer C, 'The Moon.' Having used up all her lifelines, Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life.

'Wow, seems like everybody is against what I'm thinking,' said the too-stupid-to-live Evans. 'But you know, sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So, let's see. For which is larger, an elephant or the moon, I'm going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.'

Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon.'

2. Another contestant on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” was asked the question : What is George W Bush’s first name?

A) Peter

B) Edmund

C) Torben

D) George

She looked stumped at the question and decided to use the 50-50 lifeline. Options A and C were taken away, leaving B) Edmund and D) George. She was still stumped, thus asked for audience participation. 55% chose D) George. After thinking for a while, she chose B) Edmund.

3. Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: 'Free to good home. You want it, you take it.' For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were too un-trusting of this deal. It looked to good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: 'Fridge for sale $50.' The next day someone stole it.

4. One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and said...'where???'

5. While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff.'

6. My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.

7. I told the girl at the steakhouse register that I wanted the half kilogram sirloin. She informed me they only had an 500g sirloin. Not wanting to make a scene, I told her I would take the 500g steak instead of the half-kgr.

8. My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the boot...

9. My friends and I were shopping for beer and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount....

10. I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned...

11. I got off the plane but I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, 'Has our plane arrived yet?'...

12. While working at a pizza parlour I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding.. 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.

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Footprints In The Heart Of Others

Is there a reason why people come into your life? I used to fret that I only meet bad people, but now come to think of it, without these colourful characters, perhaps I may not be the way I am now.

Some people come into your lives at the time in your life when you really need. For instance, last year I was depressed for a while in the beginning of the year. I was so affected by things that happened that I wanted to just give up and not live life the way I wanted. At that point in time, I thought it was no use doing whatever I have been doing when I could never achieve anything. It was a rather low period for me.

Then I managed to pick up a bit, started socializing again, started trying my best and focusing on things again, when all of a sudden, I met someone by chance whom we have since become friends. He came into my life just when I was trying to get myself in order. He exposed me to things I would otherwise not be exposed to, helped change my perspectives a bit, made me see things from different angles. In short, he seems to have come into my life to make me a better person.

And through him, I got to know a few others who are equally intelligent, mature, good company and with a positive outlook in life, that hanging around them really have a positive influence on me, my outlook and my life in general. Maybe some people are meant to leave their footprints in your life so that you can better yourself through them.

So we should just pay it forward. If there is a chance for anyone to enter another person’s life by chance, we should make the person’s life better instead of being an irritant. Let us leave footprints in another person’s life so his / her life will be all the more better by your presence.

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Dressed For Formality

The gala dinner could not have come at a better time! At least I have a few gowns in mind to wear, so it will not be so much of a headache sourcing for the appropriate evening gown and shoes. Plus, I have the appropriate jewellery and evening bag as well, so all the combination looks set and ready to go! I was actually deciding between two gowns.

If you remember, I bought a replica of the yellow satin gown which Kate Hudson wore in “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days”. I even got a set of citrine necklace and earrings set to match with this, as well as a pair of heels. This was supposed to be worn for my cousin’s wedding last year, but then her wedding became a lunch reception, so I need not wear anything that formal.

Then I thought of wearing it to my best friend’s wedding, but she had a certain colour code so I wore my plum-coloured long dress instead. Hence, I have yet to wear that yellow dress. Then my best friend gave me a dress prior to her wedding. It is an emerald green dress, which looks suspiciously like the one Keira Knightley wore in “Atonement”.

My best friend got that dress because she thought of wearing it as one of her wedding gowns, but then the gown became too long for her so she gave it to me instead, and it fits me like a glove! She even gave me a set of emerald necklace and earrings to match it!

Thus, I was deciding between these two dresses, but since it will be a glittering gold gala dinner, I thought perhaps it would be a better idea to wear the yellow one instead, complete with all the bling bling! I just received the tickets to the dinner, and the dress code states “formal” and “with a tinge of gold”. So it seems that I do know how to dress for occasions!

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Micro-Management ....

I was only away for two weeks, and already so many changes have occurred on the work front. First, my company has finally tightened up on web usage and started blocking websites! Thus, no more checking general (personal) emails, no more social networking and no more participating in forums or online discussions!

At least messenging is not blocked, but that is only because we have to talk to our overseas associates, and that is a much more convenient and interactive way than just bouncing emails and waiting for replies, and a more cost-effective way than overseas calls and teleconferences!

Needless to say, many are now demoralized. Things are at a standstill, projects have been halted, headcount has been frozen, so there is hardly anything much to do in the office lately. Definitely there is not much to occupy us every second from nine to six. Even then, do people really expect us to work throughout with no break in between?

Already there is no bonus and increment, salaries will be cut, and now the only form of “entertainment” has been restricted. Can anyone blame anyone else for being demoralized? But when times are bad, everyone holds on to their jobs, no matter how the company treats them and how low-paying they are. When times are good, everyone starts leaving, even forfeiting their bonuses and increments. What a difference!

Secondly, we are now standardizing our emails. In the past, I used to send out emails with my own signatures. Not my personal signature, but my own version of a standard email signature with my name, designation, company particulars, together with my own stationery. But now, we have been requested to use the standard format for email signatures, and no more stationery. Even font and colour has been standardized!

Honestly, does it matter which font or colour we use, how we sign off, as long as the emails have content? Does the appearance matter so much than the content? In any case, I think my personalized signatures and stationery looks better than the current one I am being asked to use!

Even now when requesting for stationery, I cannot request the kind or colour I want anymore. I used to take post-it pads of different colours, but now no one is allowed to choose their colours, everything have to be standardized. I never expect that will come a time when even my company will start micro-managing! What an environment it is turning into!

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Girl Talk!

I met up with two of my close secondary school classmates for dinner on Wednesday night. One I had not seen since five years back, the other I had not seen since we left school. Very long already! Come to think of it, age is really catching up if all of us look different!

One was overweight back in school, but due to a heartache once, she lost more than ten kilograms, and have now slimmed down to a reasonably good figure. The other one was rather slim back in school, but has since bulked up a bit. As for me, well, I still have not gotten back my twenty-three inch waist back in school!

Catching up with them and listening to their experiences made me realize I am not the only one who has been cheated and got my heart broken more than once. One was dating a guy for five years. I had met him twice, and my impression was he was rather decent and honest. Yet he cheated on her with a married woman. She called my other friend at four in the morning when she heard the news, so I can only imagine just how devastated she must be then.

The other friend was dating a guy, but because both have the same temperament, they quarreled quite often. He wanted his way all the time, so when they decided to have a cooling off period, he claimed she dumped him and went with another girl. Then he said she was still the best, so wanted to get back with her, but at the same time not willing to break up with his girlfriend so he could assess who would be better in the end.

Why do guys always think they can have the best of both worlds? Do they think it is fun stringing two girls along, making the girl’s life so miserable as a result? So they are not satisfied with the one they are with, thus find someone else hoping to get lucky, but at the same time not willing to give up the original one in case the second one does not work out? Ridiculous!

Anyway, the two girls were saying that they have a common friend whom they think may be a good match for me. So I said I do not want someone too quiet, and they said he is rather outspoken. But then after that, they said maybe we may end up quarrelling all the time since both of us are so outspoken and opinionated! :-p Seems like my temperament has not changed all these years!

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And The Fairytale Lives On!

“Cinderella” as a musical did not live up to expectations. My expectations, but then again, if my expectations mean the standard of “Phantom of the Opera”, then it will be rather biased. Still, it is not one of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s better works. I prefer their earlier works like “The King & I”, “State Fair”, “Oklahoma!” and of course, “The Sound of Music”. Compared to those, “Cinderella” is just mediocre.

Still, the singing was good, since Lea Salonga is playing the titular role. The stage musical has been “upgraded” to a modern version incorporating modern issues and affairs. For instance, when the King knows the Prince is having a ball, he was livid and talks about how times are bad, one should not be too lavish!

And the Prince himself wants to be with someone whom he can talk to, whom he can love, and not just any mere person. Cinderella herself was fretting and dreaming and in the end her godmother helped make her dream come true.

Towards the end, the message of the show is that “Nothing is impossible because impossible things happen everyday”. Well said! At least a good perk up in these gloomy times! Now I wish “Cats” will live up to the hype!

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