Me, myself & I: 07/01/2005

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Flower Girl...

Lovely flowers - biggest bouquet I have ever received (sad, I know...)
Many thanks to the person who gave it to me - Much appreciated.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

A Lot of Phonecalls...

Been on the phone a lot lately...

I think the radiation - from my hp has successfully pulverized more than half of my brain cells.
Yupz, a good friend from the Philippines - someone dear whom I got to know during my stay in hall actually called me - ALL THE WAY FROM THE PHILLIPPINES!!!

How sweet of her - we talked about quite of lot of things - my work, her thesis, the government in her country, the political instability, how she'd love to have the stability here, what I think the government is doing, the much-talked about presidential elections, the pre-requisites for buying a flat, etc. In short, it was a lovely conversation - the most intellectual one I have had in eons. I totally adore her.

That lasted for about 30 minutes - I seriously have no idea how much it cost her, but I appreciate the gesture. And it was also a lovely surprise! :)

The next phonecall that followed lasted more than 2 hours. On my hp - I was expecting it to end after an hour, maximum but it didn't. Goodness, I think my hp bill this month will be totally exorbitant. Which also meant that I only got to sleep at 2 am - super late - considering that I had to be up by 6 am the next morning. And I did conk out...

More details about the phonecalls in my next blog...

Yeah, I finally reduced the size of my pictures...

Cows in Pink - So Cute!!!

Car Plate in Korea - I seriously don't know what it stands for - except for the 4 digits. 4D anyone?

Looking out of the plane on the flight from Daegu to Jeju - what a lovely shade of blue :)

Erm, okies, I got bored of changing the size of the pictures, but also mainly cos all the other photos are pics of me - totally narcissistic, I agree. But then again, when one is equipped with a -digital camera and is prone to trigger-happiness, that's the disasterous consequence.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Happy About Something - Finally...

After a long hiatus of more than 7 months - I finally managed to get some friends to go clubbing with me - real clubbing - not the kind whereby I sit with my ex-colleagues and drink and all leave before 12 midnight - cos there's work the next morning.

It was the all-out kind - stay till the music stops, the lights come on and the club close kinda night out. And guess what? I really enjoyed myself - which made me realise that I do miss clubbing. We didn't drink a lot (actually, we drank darn little) - so no one was really high, the music was not absolutely fantastic, but it was alright, it was totally crowded - not that many hunks around, but tons of gorgeous babes showing lotsa skin. Woozzz - babes paradise. Actually - I spent more time looking at the babes than guys there...

It's a bit hard to try and recollect everything that happened that night - it was just mindless gyrating (or attempts at gyrating) to the music that switched between R&B, hip hop, a little bit of retro and an agonizing amount of Indian/ Bollywood sounding tunes.

But I think my tolerance for pain has gone up - either that or the skin on my soles has grown thicker (Oh Dear!!!) I was on 2.5-3 inch heels the whole time I was there and I was standing up all the while till 3 am. Well, it didn't hurt enough then, but I sure felt the soreness the next morning.

In short - it was fun - I do look forward to doing it again - but then I am sure the enjoyment level is also dependent on the entire mood, the company and setting (which I have absolutely no control over). Of course, if one does it every other night, or every weekend, then the level of fun is not there. It's gotta be a treat - something not that routine, such that one will look forward to it. :)

Monday, July 18, 2005

Women of the World Unite?

Was reading the write up about the 6 women who gamely participated in the Dove Firm friends shoot in Singapore in the Sunday Times (quite a long time ago).

Definitely, their bodies were not waif-thin, model-like that we usually see on commercials. In fact, they reflect what majority of the ladies in Singapore would most probably look like.

Granted, we all desire to look like Jessica Alba in Fantastic 4, Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro. Men expect and wish that we look like that too.

Unfortunately, it's not just about discipline and sticking to a certain diet/ regime. True, this is very important and crucial to getting a healthier body, a more toned body. There is also the aspect of GENES.

Yup, the gene pool, which is not determined by us, or chosen at will (at least not during my era) has one of the greatest influence over how one's body reacts to various workouts (read - punishments). 2 people of similar build may have the same diet, same exercise regime for 6 months and how their bodies would turn out will vary - just cos of GENES.

This also means that no matter how hard we train, we'd never look like we have the body of Pamela Anderson and STILL be skinny. (Hey, even she went for breast implants). We (meaning Asians in general) were not genetically engineered to have the Barbie doll figure.

If one is skinny, genetically, one is programmed to be less endowed in the bosom area. And if one is well-endowed, the probability of is being on the plump side and not model-stick thin is freaking high. Of course, there are the lucky ones who get the best of both worlds, but the percentage is not that high, and I'd say "Lucky you..."

That being said, I applaud the 6 women who were in the ad. It takes a lot of courage and guts to do such an ad, especially if you are a gal, and in a society like Singapore.

However, what struck me as totally weird was the fact that those ladies who had curvier bodies or were on the fleshier side were totally confident of their bodies and they loved it. Of course, there must have been times when they looked at themselves in the mirror and go "Darn! If only this part is smaller/ bigger/ firmer" but hey, we are WOMEN, we do such things to ourselves. But still, generally, they still loved their bodies.

Interestingly, what struck me as weird was that the skinniest / thinnest lady among them - and she is REALLY SLIM was actually the most unhappy with her body. When asked how would she feel if she looked at the ad/ at herself in the mirror - she went "Aiyah, so bony, I look better with more clothes on," - I was honestly flabbergasted.

I mean, she has a figure that alot of us would kill for - I know I would. And she is still not that happy? I mean, what on earth is WRONG with that body? It is so much easier to gain weight than to lose it - take it from me.

So, what exactly is wrong? Is it the mentality that plagues us - that we are never pretty enough, we are never thin enough, we will never have the perfect body?

Sometimes I wonder, do guys feel the same way about themselves as well? Somehow, I think not - I don't see that many guys wearing skin-tight Tees/ spaghetti tops. Heck, most of them go to town in berms, sandals and T-shirts. And strutting prettily besides them will be girls dressed to the nines, or at least looking v chic. One will probably see 6 out of every 10 guys in that attire in town on a weekend and one will think - or rather, one will not even think. The ratio for the girls is like 9 out of 10 girls and everyone will look at Number 10 and go "What was she thinking?"

Some of my guy friends don't agree - but I am sure the ladies will know exactly what I am talking about. Or am I, just that critical, unforgiving towards people of my gender, well, just cos, I am a gal as well? I have no idea...

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Pieces of ...

Now the pieces are coming together... after explaining the situation and scenario to a couple of people, I finally realised the significance of THAT particular exchange of thoughts, ideas and words.

Really, everything seems to make sense - except for the big question in my mind still - where the hell do I come in in this whole picture?

Was never, ever part of the story...

Perhaps it's just for assurance's sake.

Oh well.... I wonder how it will go...

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

21 Questions...

A colleague - A - asked today "So, how are things between you and him?"

My reaction - "Huh? What things?"

A - "You know, any chemistry?"

Moi - "Got things meh? Like that lor..."

A - "You know, you two look quite good together, quite compatible" *points to group photo*

Moi - "Erm, well, that's because he is good looking and I am selectively good-looking, meaning dependent on clothes and accessories and make up..."

A - "But no possibility of being together? "

Moi - ??!!??

Can someone please explain the significance and underlying meaning of the above conversation to me? Thanks a lot!

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Are You Local?

Just realised that my friend has been bombarded by an onslaught of such questions, much to her chagrin, I would imagine. 3 times in a row - all assuming that she was of another nationality - Taiwanese, Chinese, you name it.

And FINALLY, I have also had the dubious 'honour' of being asked the same question last night.
Which, to me, is a totally new experience - I look so common that it will be hard to locate my face in a room of 20 people. So, perhaps that is why I am deciding to treat the whole thing as a nice surprise instead.

Was at IMM (read - kids' playground - there were SO MANY of them) for dinner and my long-awaited shoe-shopping quest. Yes, after that long; had ugly unpainted toenails for the past 3 months so wasn't able to shop for open-toed sandals at ease.

A friend asked me what type of shoes I had wanted to get. I wasn't really sure but told him that "I'd know it when I see it". If only that applies to love, jobs, CDs, movies, etc as well. Had taken a glance at the range of shoes at a shoe shop and was about to leave in disappointment when my friend pointed out some shoes that met the basic requirements.

Tried them out but was unable to get the colour I wanted in my size - was offered a pair one size smaller and did contemplate getting it - was about to get it when my friend pointed out that its freaking small. Fine.. but got it in another colour and managed to get them to get the pair I wanted sent from its main office, albeit a one-week delay.

The middle-aged lady who served me then asked "Are you an Australian Chinese?" It did take me by surprise and I could only stare at her with a blank look for about 4 seconds before I denied and stated that I was local. Then she said that I don't look local, but look like someone who has migrated to Australia and has come back to visit. I was like "erm, ok, no, I am local - thanks." Was that the main reason why she did not offer to help me check if there were shoes I wanted in another branch - cos I could not wait?

Ok fine, we all have our prejudices and I will be the first to admit that if someone thought that I was Chinese - I would have been sorely insulted. Don't go off ranting on how racist/ nationalist/ whatever term you use for people who are prejudiced agst others cos of their nationality, etc.

Excuse me, I have encountered several Chinese tourists on my trip to Korea and I dare say, the behaviour of some of them really leaves much to be desired. I was this close to scolding one guy in public - the jerk actually cut into the queue for one of the rides after EVERYONE in the line has been waiting/ queueing up for more than 1 hour - and had the audacity to look nonchalant. If I weren't in a foreign land and didn't want to invite unwanted attention to myself - I would have blasted his head off - not that I think he'd understand all the four-letter words I'd be saying, incorporated with snobbish, derogatory English terms.

Anyway, I mentioned it to my friend and he went "huh?" Yeap, it has always been established that the male gender has thicker skin and I would therefore assume, a thicker skull too. Then he prepositioned the idea that the reason this occured was because I spoke really lousy Mandarin to her. Hey, moi from Chinese schools can?? 2 Chinese schools somemore - how to beat that?!

But upon hindsight, I probably think my Chinese is NOT that bad and also, I cannot fake an accent to save my life - except for the deeply ingrained Singaporean accent. (Actually, I can speak with an accent - fake, and from god-knows-where, but you gotta put me in a room/ on the phone with someone with a strong accent and in the midst of our conversation - I'll just adopt his accent, or something like it - amazing huh?) I don't have sharp features also - no deep-set eyes, etc - and no one has ever 'accused' me of not being local before - so I shall just attribute it to what I was wearing (rather than my pathetic grasp of Mandarin).

To put it bluntly, I was wearing what normal Singaporeans won't be caught dead wearing - shades on my head (at night after 7 pm in an indoor mall), bright blue & pink plastic balls on a necklace. Yeah, sounds like a lethal combination - too gruesome to even imagine - but it's not THAT bad...

Oh well, nevertheless, I shall just be thankful that even though people assume that I am not local and that I am from somewhere else - it's Australia - I am sure there are worse places. (in constant self-denial about pathetic grasp of Mandarin).

Emotionally Unavailable

This thought popped into my mind last night; but somehow, sleep (or rather, the lack of adequate sleep) seems to have made it vanish...darn, what exactly was it?

I remember vaguely that it comprises of the words: -

1. emotionally
2. unavailable..

Oh yeah, I think it goes something like this: -

"To avoid disappointment, always be emotionally unavailable."

I am not that sure about the first half of this statement, but the 2nd part sounds about right to me. Had to cram something in cos it just looks and sounds weird if I go "emotionally unavailable".

Olympic 2012

Watched the IOC announcement of the host city of the Olympic Games 2012 last night.

(Ok, this is post-dated)

It went to London; I did not manage to catch most of the presentations earlier that day, so I really did not know how the competition was like. In fact, I only saw New York's presentation in the morning - the preliminary round. It seemed really marketing focused - I suppose all New Yorkers really know how to sell and market things - the people were constantly chanting that the Big Apple is the greatest city in the world, etc etc etc. Now I know why they are not well-liked. Arrogance maybe.

It was by chance that I watched the live telecast of the announcement of the results. But since that moment, I have been HOOKED (big time) on the whole affair.

Yeah, Seb Coe won, or more accurately, Lord Sebastian Coe won. The winner of 2 gold and 2 silver medals in the 1980 & 1984 Olympics for GB, he was often elected as a Member of Parliament, and is now in the House of Lords. Goodness, what a pedigree. Not just Sir, but a LORD at that!! Totally brings me back to medieval times - think Judith McNaught novels; Hehehehe...

My colleagues could not understand my euphoria, perhaps work has bogged them down - I am sure glad that its just another 2 more weeks and I am off (temporarily).

What drew me to Seb Coe (as he is affectionately/ commonly known) was his confidence in his reply. CNA actually asked him a couple of questions prior to the whole showdown - how he felt abt the bid, how confident was him of his team and lastly - if he was nervous.

If I don't remember wrongly, it went something like this :-

CNA: Were you nervous?
Coe: No, I was not.
CNA: Will you be nervous (...)
Coe: No, I don't get nervous.

JUST HOW COOL & SUAVE WAS THAT???

Of course, it helps that he is good-looking, charming and totally irresistible - hahaha; fine, I admit, I am swooning & I haven't met anyone who can make me do that for a long while. *Sighz* *heart flutters*

Alright, before you think that I have totally gone off the deep end and bonkers over him - hey, I admit he's not totally perfect. Was watching him at the press conference shortly after the results were announced - his front teeth look weird. Either they were dentures (which shouldn't really be the case - cos they would be perfect then), or he really has teeth that somehow are not like those on posters found in an orthodontist's clinic.

Actually went online to find out more about London's bid - everyone kept saying that the edge they had over Paris was that they touched on the key issues - the legacy of the Olympic Games, the children and the spirit. Heck, they even brought 30 kids from the East London area - of different ethnicities, speaking different languages, with different backgrounds and cultures. It really seemed different from the bid of New York, who claimed that they had the best marketing people in the city, ready to work for free - ERM...

CNA also broadcasted an excerpt of part of the London's team video in their presentation. Despite not having Luc Besson (as Paris did), or Steven Spielberg (as NY did), it still touched the hearts of many - one thing I believe that differentiated London's bid from the rest was the fact that they appealed to the emotion of people.

It showed 3 black kids sitting idly by the side of the road - flinging stones at a wall made up of tires. A police car cruised by, the cop gave them a warning look and the kids paused momentarily. When the police car left, they resumed the senseless activity - a blank look of boredom on their faces. Then, the boy in the middle hears the commentary from a television set - he turns and sees the live broadcast of the 2012 Olympics and he sees the champion win.

The next scene shows a Chinese girl who has earphones in while doing her homework. She turns to the TV and takes them off - she sees a gymnast flipping and doing somersaults at the 2012 Olympics.

The 3rd one shows a Hispanic boy who is eating a pancake of sorts and watching the cycling competition of the 2012 Olympics from a TV on the street.

The next one shows a white girl who is glued to the TV - her parents all puzzled what has gotten her so interested. Her eyes never leave the screen for a moment.

Then we go back to the first black boy - his gaze shifts to a pair of trainers not far away. Then you see him, several years older, running across the land, then again, seeing him at the Olympics, preparing to run in the competition.

The Chinese girl turns and gazes at her trophy - we see her as a gymnast - as she runs and flips, we see her through different ages whereby she finally lands as an adult gymnast completing a routine at the Olympics.

The Hispanic boy grins at his bicycle and helmut and goes cycling across the street market - he eventually evolves and grows and we see him competiting at the Olympics.

The white girl steals a glance at her googles and we see her jumping off into the pool - a tiny bit awkward, no doubt. As she swims, she grows older and finally we see her competiting in the pool as an adult.

The Brits were right; it's not just about what a city can offer, but rather, what the legacy of the Olympics is about. I am glad they won the bid; I would say they deserved it.

Unfortunately, that's all marred by the London bombings...

Monday, July 04, 2005

Love Story with Japanese Boy in Korea (I)

The setting was perfect, romantic even.

The wind was in our faces, whipping my hair across my face at times.
Just looking out from the ferry, the clear blue sea seemed to stretch forever.
Flocks of white seagulls soared just beside us.

There and then, I met him. On the deck.
There seemed to be some kind of chemistry between us.
Somehow, I just could not take my eyes off him.
That cheeky grin, that mischievious look in his eyes...
I just could not resist it; he was totally adorable...

In my mind, I conjured up images of our future home together...

Tadah... Lotte World...

*as they always use in the drama serials I am totally addicted to*..

To be continued...

Odd One Out

I realised one thing - ok, it sounds totally weird and warped and maybe a trite offensive, but I realised one thing about myself that is not really nice or desirable.

I like to be the only girl in the group when I go out.

Haha, there, I said it.

*withstands blows from all sides* - yup, I have tons of gal friends.

And unfortunately, from the tender young age of 10, all the classes I have been in always have the most unbalanced ratio of guys to gals. It was worse in JC - the ratio was like 1 guy to 3 gals. It deteriorated in varsity - probably 1 guy to 6 gals. Life cannot get worse, but it did, now it is like 1 guy to 15 gals. How totally fantastic! *faintz*

Not that I have anything agst gal friends; I adore them totally. They are always there for you - they don't mind when you drag them inside the 10th shoe shop, they understand what it's like to have to queue to get into the washroom.

It's just that when you are the ONLY person of that gender, among MORe people of the opposite sex - somehow, you tend to get more attention and care and concern. (Yup, the only time when one need not break one's legs to get some attention).

And people give in to you. Haha, that's the main reason - people give in to your requests, preferences and likes. Hehe, I like that! So, should such an occasion ever arise in the future, pls indulge me, pamper me, and treat me real nicely. Heard that?

Much Appreciated...Hehehe :)

Me, myself & I