Lounge @ The Museum

I finally stepped into the newly (not so new now) renovated National History Museum last Friday. However, I was not there for an exhibition, but because there is a cosy cafe there with a pretty nice ambience. Very good for casual dates!

It is a pretty good place to drink, especially with the varieties of cocktails, mocktails and beers available, but I was not in a drinking mood, so I just settled for orange juice and coke. Yeah, what a waste! Maybe the next time I go there I will drink something, and hopefully be better dressed too, since it is a cosy lounge with live music.

From what I can see, the museum has been given a good facelift. Hopefully there will be interesting exhibits there soon so I can step in for real this time!

[Addendum : just found out that the cafe is called Novus Restaurant Bar, Cafe & Courtyard, National Museum of Singapore]

The Most Powerful Emotion

The past couple of months, there have been lots of good news. Marriage, pregnancy, birth of kids. This year seems to be a blessed year somehow. Of course, there are also people like me who got invited to weddings, baby's first month celebrations, and rejoiced in news of upcoming babies, but can only be on the outside looking in, seeing how blissful the couple and parents are.

I read an advice about visualising on what you want and it will come true. It is not as if I have not visualised. Ever since I was fifteen, when I first carried my baby niece in my arms, I visualised a perfect guy, a perfect family, yearning for my turn to have my own family. Now, my niece is already sixteen, and still nothing in sight.

Not sure if any of you read Nicholas Sparks, but he really writes very moving love stories. And guys claim men can never be as emotional as women. The reason the stories he write are so moving is because some are based on true events. He used his parents, his sister, his courtship with his wife and grandparents as inspirations.

People will think stories are just stories, books are just books, movies are just movies, but he witnessed how his dad mourned for his mum for four years. How his wife's grandparents behave like newlyweds after fifty years of marriage. How he knew he wanted to marry his wife after just spending a day with her. How his brother-in-law never thought his sister was the one for him, but could not help falling for her, and married her despite she having a terminal illness.

If these are derived from real life experiences, then yes, it is possible for someone to love someone so much. It is possible to keep the love alive after having kids and grandkids and great-grandkids. It is possible to mourn and miss someone after you lost the person and remain faithful to the love, but it is also possible to move on and find a new love after time has healed all wounds. And real love is shown not in words or gestures, but whether you still want to be with the person despite knowing the person is terminally ill and may be a burden.

Men always scoff at sappy love stories, always scoff at emotional women, but the fact is, love is the only feeling that has outlasted everything else. Because it is so real. Everyone falls in love. Whether one can help it or not, love just comes. When it comes, it becomes so uncontrollable. Even if it is with the wrong person. Love is the only emotion that makes a highly intelligent person lose all his / her senses and do insensible things.

And that is why romance books still sell, romance movies are still popular. Because in general everyone is a romantic deep down. No matter how they deny it, no matter how men think being a romantic is weak, but deep down, they like romance too. They will be romantic too when emotions are triggered. And that is why love is such a powerful emotion, if one dares to love.

Random Rantings

"There is a guy in front of me, who loves me and willing to marry me. There is a guy who can never be mine, someone I can never get, yet he, I want to give my whole heart to." ~ Dr Kate Foster (Sandra Bullock) from "The Lake House".

And such is life, is it not? Since when is life ever so perfect? Often the one you really want to be with is someone that you can never be with, yet the one who wants to be with you, you have no feelings for him. This has happened to almost everyone, even to me. At times I really wonder, why do I keep falling for the wrong person, yet the right person never comes along?

For some reason, I am feeling really moody. I should be happy actually, because in terms of career, I am going places. My supervisor is off on his honeymoon and will not be back until the end of the month. Just before he left, we were told there are going to be major transactions until the end of the year. There will be massive corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, re-branding and integration. Thus, it will be a busy time, so if we are able to achieve all these by the end of the year, we are probably going to have fat bonuses.

The thing is, I am still in the midst of adjusting. And now that he is away, it is up to me to know what to do, what is going on, how to go about doing things. It is a big challenge, and I am feeling nervous, but I just have to grit my teeth and achieve that! What is it I have not done before? In my previous company, I was running the whole department on my own for a period of time too!

But then again, much as I care about my career, it is not the number one to me. I have no qualms giving up my career for my family if need be. So why do I keep getting happier and better on something which is second place to me (not that I do not welcome it), yet the thing that is first place to me, I can never achieve?

I keep being asked to wait. How long more must I wait? Some may label me as desperate, but if I am really desperate, I will not still be so picky. I will have grabbed anyone off the streets. Afterall, in general, men will welcome that. But I am not like that. I am not a loose person, nor someone devoid of values. If I do not like someone, no matter how nice he is to me, I will not accept him because that is being irresponsible on my part and unfair to him.

If I am a man, I will not care so much. I can settle down and father kids even in my fifties. But I am a woman, so things are very different. A woman only has that number of years to bear children. Once past those years, she will biologically be unable to have a child anymore, no matter how much she wants to. This is something men can never understand.

It is perfectly understandable and justifiable why women want to settle down and start a family once they reach a certain age. If the man they are with are not ready, then for their own sake, they should move on and be with someone who is ready and have the same goals. Blame it on the men if they are not able to hold on to the women they love! Why always blame the girl for being fickle and unfaithful?

Just another random raving and ranting. As I said, I have been moody. I am not expecting a fairy tale whatsoever, but as the years go by, and I am not getting any younger, I do wish I can find someone I am willing to carve a future with. I am happy being single, but at the same time, it is so much happier and blissful to have someone to do things together and share my life with. Somehow I feel that there is still something missing in my life, that my life is never complete until I have someone who completes me.

PC Fair 2009

Yesterday was the opening of the PC Show. My supervisor wanted to go get a gaming laptop, so he asked me along. Since my laptop has been cranky for the past months and I do need to check up a better digicam, I went along with him.

First impression was that it is a stampede! I cannot imagine the crowd, on a Thursday night! Needless to say there were more guys than girls, most of the guys came in groups with their own buddies. Afterall, you do not really hear of girls buying all kinds of gadgets, if we are to buy we will go to the shops to buy and not squeeze with the crowd!

I checked out a few impressive laptops. I was so tempted to get one, since the deals are pretty worth it in terms of pricing for the quality. Unfortunately, I am not able to find a laptop that is just as small (ten inches or less), with everything inside - inbuilt microphone and webcam, wireless and bluetooth, and a CD / DVD player. All the small laptops I came across need an external CD player.

If I want a small laptop, it means I want it to be portable and easy to carry around, especially when I am overseas. My laptop is small enough to fit into a backpack. So if I am to carry an extra portable CD player, that defeats the entire purpose, is it not?

In any case, we did not stay there for long. The crowd was just too overwhelming, so we left when the place was about to close, and again it was a big crowd! Anyway, we only reached there around 7:30pm or thereabouts, so we could not really explore much too.

At least he got the laptop he wanted! A big bulky one, but good for gaming and heavy going software! Meanwhile, I am still sourcing for a better digicam and laptop, but that is in no hurry!

Twit Twit!

Finally, I have caved in and created a Twitter account. With technology being ever evolving, I will not be surprised if something else becomes even more popular in the next few months or years. In any case, it is good to keep up with technology as the world is always changing. Sooner or later, everyone is going to have a PDA or blackberry, or even an iPhone, which I have yet to cave in for that! But it will be no surprise if one day I ever get an iPhone, because of PDA, blackberries and iPhones, I find the third one the best, in terms of size and appearance!

How Much To Give For Weddings?

I received this from my friend K. Pretty informative! But it seems like I have "over-given" on some occasions though!

Food - One Of The Basic Guilts

I need to stop eating! My best friend just complained to me that she had been putting on weight, since she had to sample products for her company. But at least she is keeping fit by doing housework! Whereas for me, I have been eating non-stop and not being physically active at all. Once past a certain age, it is hard to go down, but very easy to keep going up!

It was quite horrifying yesterday with regards to my food intake. I have a bad habit, and that is to eat whenever I have a craving (and that is very often!). Thus, I do not eat to live, but I live to eat. That is a very big difference! In other words, I do not eat just when I am hungry, but I eat when there is food in front of me, so even if I am not hungry, I still eat for the sake of it!

Yesterday I could have just gone to my office, but I had to pass by a shop selling kaya toast, and ended up buying two pieces of kaya buttered toast and two pieces of buttered toast sprinkled with sugar for breakfast. Then for lunch when my supervisor brought me out, I could have told him I was not that hungry, but he brought me to a cosy coffeeship and the minced pork noodles were too much to resist.

Then I met a friend for dinner as we were supposed to go for a Prayer Meet. She brought me to a coffeeshop with very nice fried prawn noodles, and again, I could not resist it, so I ordered one dish with extra pork lard (now that is the best part!). When we went for the Prayer Meet, the host prepared some rice cakes and cooked Aglio Olio. Again, I could not resist it and took two helpings, complete with red wine!

I do not even want to count my intake of calories for yesterday! Yet I have not learnt my lesson, I am still munching on Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates! Gosh, I will turn into a blimp in no time!

What I Want Out Of Life

Last week, my cousin's wife who is now a District Judge asked me why not go back into the practice, as in law firms or courts, and not in-house? She said now that I have practical experience it should be so much easier for me if I want to convert a barrister certificate to become an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court.

The thing is, I do not wish to start over at this age. Alright, I am not that old, but truth is, I am not that young too. I do not wish to compete with those fresh graduates who have a much longer way ahead of them. Furthermore, I have no idea if I am going to be in this line forever, or that I will even stay in this line in the next few years.

I have had enough of people telling me, why not do a course related to what I do, rather than just something irrelevant that will not help my career? The thing is, I am working so many hours a week, do I really want to do something related to my career when I want to stay away from work after office hours? Which is why I chose my passion, which to many people, is an impractical course that will not get me anywhere.

In my life time, there were only three things I have wanted to do. Law, education and arts, journalism and mass communications. The first two have been achieved, the last is still pending. Which is why I am taking something that can help me in venturing into the communications line. Even if it is not relevant to my current work, it will be relevant and useful one of these days, in whatever things I do.

In any case, it is time to think about what I want out of life. Somehow I have wasted ten years going around in circles, not achieving anything much. I used to think I can never be like my mum, but now with my newfound (not that new anymore) confidence, I believe I can achieve whatever she had achieved too! Only thing is I started ten years too late, so now I must strive even harder to achieve!

Full Utilisation Of Spare Time

I am in need of something more to do! When I was working in my previous workplace, I tried taking up some courses, but in the end they were not feasible, because the office location is out of the way from everywhere. Even if I go off on the dot, it would take an hour to get into town, traffic jam notwithstanding, so by the time I rushed down and whatnot, I would be too tired and flustered to really do anything.

So I just went home after work most of the time. Even then, by the time I reached home, it was dark. People were under the impression I worked long hours since by the time I reached home it was already dark, but actually, I knocked off around the same time, it was just the transport time and distance that was long.

Ever since I started working back in the business district, it seemed as if I suddenly have lots of time to spare. But I did not nececssary work shorter hours. In fact, I am working longer hours since I am in the office before 8:30am and do not go off until after six, whereas in the previous work place, I normally reached around nine and go off by six! But now the transport time and distance is much shorter, since a train ride back home takes only twenty minutes! So by the time I reach home, it was not yet dark!

Which gives me the impression I have more time to spare. I welcome the extra time, but I do need to adjust somewhat, since now that I have more time, it is better utilised to do other things. Hence, I am thinking of taking up those courses which I have done and wanted to do. Like retaking dance classes. I stopped at Beginners Salsa, Tap and Tango, and thinking of carrying on further.

Not to mention the knitting class I wanted to take up last year, but time was a major constraint. Plus a jewellery making class, as I like to try my hand dabbling with accessories I make by myself. The major advantage of working here is that it is central to everywhere else, so going places need not take such a long time! Hence it will be more convenient to take up lessons since the distance is so much nearer!

Of Heels And Straps

The best shoes for special occasions - ankle straps with four-inch heels! No matter what you wear, be it a long gown or a short gown, be it spaghetti straps or tube dresses, be it sleeveless or with sleeves, once you strap on a pair of heels, it is the epitome of class and elegance! I cannot profess I am that classy or elegant, because I am short, walk like a duck and have more traces of cellulite than before, but once I slipped on my four-inch heels with ankle straps, I feel on top of the world!

The right dress makes the occasion. But the right shoes make the complete ensemble. A look is not complete without the dress, hair, makeup, accessories and shoes. However, after all my life of wearing two-inch heels (flat heels at that), anything higher is a bit of a challenge, especially three-inch stilettos and above.

When I put on my new shoes, I thought I would fumble. I was worried I would trip over my dress when going down a staircase, go crashing down and land flat on my face at the bottom, in an uncompromising position. Besides, it is rather hard to walk long distance with something that high. Yes, troublesome as it is, but still, I am not about to trade my normal shoes for my ankle straps in my long gown!

Luckily nothing "interesting" or embarrassing happened. Even though when the dinner ended and the lift was full, a colleague and I had to go to the car park to find her car as she gave me a ride back, we had to walk down the stairs to the car park trying to find her car, I was finding it hard to walk properly with my heels, but still, we managed to make it to the car with nary an incident.

Definitely the shoes are for special occasions! They are too formal for office wear! When I was young and I started wearing three-inch heels for the first time, I was actually not used to them and started limping in the shoes. My ex told me off for being "impractical". But the shoes make me feel good! Thus even though they are impractical, they are tight and one can hardly walk in them, I still want to wear them! Women do extreme things for the sake of vanity!

Mascara!

I can never get used to fake eyelashes! But then again, I am never a fake person, so I can never get used to anything fake. Which is why I am still resisting Botox, no matter how tempted I am to go for it! Thus, I prefer mascara on my eyelashes instead of affixing false lashes.

Recently, maybe it is due to the kind of mascara I am using, I find that there does not seem to be a difference after applying mascara and before applying it. When I was younger, my lashes were longer and more luscious, thus just a couple of coats of mascara made a difference. Or maybe it is the new curler I am using. I used to use the electric curler before it died on me, so I switched to the traditional metal curler.

Despite curling my lashes and applying mascara, they still look the same! It is as if I did not apply any mascara at all! How can I go with "bare" eyes to a formal dinner? I have eyeshadow and liner, but without lashes, the eyes simply do not look the same! Even when I am totally dressed down, whenever I go out, there must still be at least mascara and lip gloss!

In the end, I have to use fake lashes. I am not used to fake lashes. Initially I was worried about putting them on, but it is actually not that hard to put them on. But when I put them on, they stuck to my lashes / lid, and made me uncomfortable. No doubt I got my long luscious lashes in the end, and people actually said I look stunning, but I was pretty self-conscious. I kept wondering would the lashes drop out halfway, would I be able to remove them later, would I pull out my own lashes instead?

Still, vanity takes precedence. Unused to them as I am, I realise they really make a big difference to how I look, and the effect they have on my eyes. Thus, unless I can somehow make my natural lashes longer and more luscious, fake lashes will now be part and parcel of my beauty regime, especially for special occasions. Ah.. the price of vanity!

Wedding Of A Superior

It was a good wedding last night. It was the first time I attended the wedding reception of my superior. I have attended colleagues' (ex-colleague's) weddings, but so far in all the companies I have worked in, most of my superiors were already married. Thus this was the first time I was attending an immediate superior's wedding reception.

The reception was not held at any hotels or restaurants, but at the top of a club. It is a nice ballroom, and since the bride is a dancer, the march-in was accompanied by four ballerinas dancing in. Nice and really cool!

The food was good too. It is a normal eight to nine-course dinner, as typical of a wedding banquet. Every wedding I attended, it is always a beautiful ceremony. It is the start of the journey of the rest of their lives. A marriage is not the end of freedom, it is the beginning of a beautiful journey. It is not the dinner, or a mere party, or "showing off" of the dress or gowns, or ragging, but the promise of a commitment of everlasting love and a bright future.

I have not felt like this for quite some time, but at the wedding last night, I suddenly yearn for my turn. I suddenly wonder when will it be my turn - to be joined in matrimony to someone who will venture with me in this beautiful and wonderful journey of life and make each other's lives very special. I really wish it can come soon!

Don't Pick On Weaknesses!

It was a pretty good Novena sermon just now. It came at such a good time, just when I was in sync with what was being said! The priest said the reason couples quarrel is because they keep picking on all the weaknesses. Somehow that reminds me of the commercial "Beautifully Imperfect".

It is true, is it not? If one is to keep picking on one's weaknesses, then the person will forever be an eyesore. But if one cannot tolerate the other party's flaws and shortcomings in the first place, then there is a choice, is it not? So if we choose to take the person as a whole, warts, shortcomings and whatnot, then we should accept the person wholeheartedly.

Afterall, no one is perfect. There must be a reason why we chose to settle down with someone. Instead of focusing on what he / she cannot do and has not done, why not focus on what he / she can do and have done? Which is why "beautifully imperfect" is such a beautifully perfect concept!

Perhaps my mood is uplifted by the wedding I will be attending later, but that sermon is one of the most inspiring and touching I have ever heard! I do not really remember sermons much, but this will definitely strike a chord in my heart!

Interesting Bus Stops

A friend sent me this. Hmmm.. wonder if these are real or just superimposed? If these are real, why can we not have bus stops like these?

One side

Other side

This is a bus stop?!

The outside

The inside

Reminds me of the Flyer capsule

Are the people real?

Must be popular with kids!

How Many Can You Name?

I find this a rather interesting portrait. Amazing how someone manages to capture just about every outstanding character in history in one portrait! Last count, I was able to name about fifty. Some I can recognise the faces but not the names, and I am pretty sure there are many I can name but cannot recognise the faces!

[Addendum : The answer key is here. So how many did you get right? ;-p]

After The Pain, Comes The Pleasure

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think there is a song with the title "Pain Comes Before The Pleasure". Or is it the "Pleasure Before Pain"? I may be mistaken in any case, but pain coming before the pleasure makes more sense to me. After all, is it not what life is? Full of pain and bitterness, with pleasure and sweetness to come later, except for some people, the pleasure and sweetness may never come.

I know for sure what I am talking about. My life had been painful for a long time. Bad relationships with family, cheated and heart broken by men, struggling with school and work, wondering if my job is secure to meet another month's survival or will I be out of job again. For a long period I was insecure, paranoid, thinking the worst of everything.

But it is true indeed that after the pain comes the pleasure. Now I have job security. My relationship with my family is now pretty good. I have not been cheated by anyone for a long time, or rather, I should say I have not let myself be cheated by anyone for a long time. So the only pain is that because of that, I have also not been loved and in love with anyone for a long time.

But I still do believe that pain comes before the pleasure. I believe all these waiting is worth it for the man who will eventually be mine. The wait is all the more pleasurable if the end product is sweeter than anything else. Hence I just have to continue being patient, even if it drives me crazy and to my wit's end at times. I truly hope the end product is worth savouring!

Movie Clearance Sale!

I have no idea what possessed me to buy ten movie discs yesterday, when I already have too many movies to watch at home! I was passing by a CD shop, and it was having a clearance sale with movie discs going at incredible prices. So I just grabbed whatever show I have always wanted to watch and re-watch, and before I knew it, I have gotten twenty. But I need to discipline myself, so in the end I removed ten and bought only ten.

Come to think of it, I have lots to catch up on in terms of reading and movies. From my own collection, I still have "Frequency", "King Arthur", "Capote" and "Schindler's List" yet to watch. From the list I bought yesterday, I have "No Country For Old Men", "Nights In Rodanthe", "Elizabeth The Golden Age", "Pay It Forward", "The Assassinaion Of Jesse James" and "Charlie Wilson's War" to watch, as well as "Music And Lyrics", "The Lake House", and "Dead Poets Society" to re-watch. Not to mention "The English Patient" as well.

I have yet to find "Twilight", "The Other Boleyn Girl" "Michael Clayton" and "American Gangster". Having said that, I just ordered the entire "Twilight" series, four in one, with the original covers at an incredible price! Just a pity I missed out on the Bourne trilogy again! As well as Nicholas Sparks movies like "Message In A Bottle" and "A Walk To Remember".

In any case, I ended up watching "No Country For Old Men" and "Music And Lyrics". "No Country For Old Men" is really deserving of the Best Picture. It seems as if late 2007 to early 2008 is a very good year for good movies, but just a pity I missed out on a lot! "Music And Lyrics" is another show which I watched, or re-watched. The first time I watched it was due to Hugh Grant (with his tight pants and hip swaying), but this time round I paid attention to the storyline. "Music" without "Lyrics" really do not work!

In Search For A Song

There is this song that is running through my head. I first heard it at a karaoke session with friends, and it had a special meaning to someone. Then I heard it in a car ride. I asked for the song title and singer, and was told by a friend, but after that it totally slipped my mind.

Recently, due to the downtime I had, I start to think of a few issues I have in my life. I was wondering where to proceed on certain things, when suddenly I heard the song again, or rather, part of the song.

I heard it on Monday night when a group of us are sitting down in a cafe having a meeting for the CHOICE Asian Conference next year. My expression froze for a while after hearing the song. Since then, I have been trying to look for the song.

This comes at such a time! I wonder if it is a mere coincidence, or is it a sign that things are not at an end yet? Whatever it is, I must find the song! I have let it slip once, now I must get it back again, no matter what happens!

A pity I cannot remember what the whole song sounds like. Neither can I remember the title and singer. All I can remember is the repetitive chorus, with the same phrase over and over again. The song now means a lot to me, so I really hope I can find it soon!

The Central Business District

In my younger years, I could hardly wait to get out to work. Which was why I took an accelerated course in the university so I could start working and earning my keep fast. A stupid idea, now come to think of it. I should have just taken my time and enjoyed myself more. What possessed me to want to get out into the working world so fast, now that I wish I can go back to be a full-time student?

I guess I was captivated by corporate warriors in their corporate suits, fighting fire during board meetings, making themselves seem so important. I yearned to be like that. Why, I have no idea! I just thought it will be a sense of achievement to be one of those suited executives making boardroom decisions.

My first job was not a suited executive, and I did not make boardroom decisions. In fact, I was often thumbed down whenever I had ideas but they were not in line with policies and rules and procedures. I went in with the basis that I had a passion for the job, but after a few years, I could stand it no longer and decided to leave.

Hence I started fulfilling my childhood dream of being a suited executive in the business district. But reality is not the same as fantasy. I realise there is no need to wear any suits in the office. Even the men do not wear suits! I do not even need to wear the frumpy blouse and A-line skirt combination! And unless you are a director of the company, otherwise you never have to make any boardroom decisions.

I learnt that very early and was a tad disappointed. What really disappointed me further was I never even had to make any decisions, just had to follow instructions. After being able to make some decisions and having autonomy in my first job, it was quite a big change from being a sort of a leader to a mere follower. But work is work, unless I can live on air, otherwise I just have to do it.

Through the years, my career has been bouncy. I tried working in various places, but either I do not have the appropriate qualifications nor the experience. Until my big break came three years back. At that moment, I wanted so much to get out of the business district, and my wish came true, as I found a job that not only helped my career, but made me learn a lot and it was out of the business district as well!

I would not have left save for the unhealthy working environment which got worse through the years. Furthermore, I started to feel stagnated after two years. I have learnt whatever I could there and it was time to move on. Hence, a better job offer came at the right time, and now I am back to being a corporate lady (not a suited one though) in the business district.

I have forgotten how expensive things are in the Central Business District. I took for granted in my previous company, there is a convenience stall next to the building, so I could always go down for a tea break, buy some snacks and candy, and have my daily dose of chocolate. Then I cut down since I thought the things there are expensive.

Until I went back to the business district. Now, there is a convenience stall next to my office building too, so I go there sometimes to buy snacks and candy. However, the same items cost almost twice as much here as compared to my previous place! Five dollars could buy me quite a few things in the past, whereas now I can get only two items at the most!

The advantage is that because it is the business district with a very big lunch crowd, there is no lack of eating places here. Even though the place can get very crowded at times, at least the food is nice and cheap. There are no lack of eating places at my previous work place too (although not as much variety), and much less crowded, but the price of the food there is a killer! Now I can take the same food and quantity at just half the price! So I guess that kind of balances out!

Luckily my office is at the end of the business district, so the crowd is not that bad, as compared to the beginning and middle part. I used to work around that area, so I could hardly wait to get out of there as I felt so claustrophobic and uncomfortable due to the lunch crowd. Now that I am a bit further down, things seem better - for now that is!

End Of The Second Quarter

Is it June already? Goodness me, how did half the year go by so fast? What have I done for the first half of the year? The first quarter was without a hitch, the second quarter had more changes, namely in terms of religious activities and a job change.

I got my name cards last week. I am surprised I actually have name cards, since I am no big wig. What really surprises me is that my name cards were made for me before I even needed to request for them! Furthermore, I could choose the kind of work to do, so I will no longer need to draft and amend any long boring agreements, and concentrate solely on corporate work like board meetings, resolutions, mergers and acquisitions, liquidating and dissolution of companies, regional corporate finance.

Although now I wonder if that is a good or bad thing? The contracts work which I turned down concentrate on regions, whereas the corporate work which I am taking on is on all regions, no concentration area! Hmmmm... oh well... I just take it as a challenge!