Hong Kong through my lenses

So I promised to upload the Hong Kong photos... not many, cos the pics are scattered across 5 cameras and it appears that no one else has uploaded theirs.

Oh well.

Took the very painful 6.40am Jetstar flight... entered a ghostly Changi Airport.

See, everyone is still half asleep.

The only good thing about Jetstar... the view.

We touched down, dumped our bags, and headed out to score some dim sum.

Charlotte's friend Celia came to meet up and show us around.

My pitiful room which I shared with Peiwen.

Did a whole lotta praying.

Went to watch the Symphony of Lights at the HK Harbour. What a piece of crap, waste of money and utter futility. It's just a bunch of buildings lighting up and switching off in tune to some cheesy tune. A lot of tourists turned up, probably because we all read about bogus reviews in guidebooks. But really, it's a waste of time.

Only cool thing at the harbour.. the colonial clock tower.

Crap hotel, crap breakfast. Sheesh.

Sigh, when I take photos with the 2 tall ones, they have to squat. How humiliating.

Taking a cablecar to see the Giant Buddha. Or more specifically, the world's largest, OUTDOOR, BRONZE, SITTING buddha. Yes, it holds the record for having a very specific record.

I call this "ascending through heaven" to reach Buddha. A 28-minute ride from HK to Lantau Island. Crosses miles and miles of greenery. Super fly.

Walk through a tourist trap "village" to reach Buddha.

See what I mean?

Buddha demands devotion... through the climbing of a bazillion steps. We decided to do it at one go, resulting in us huffing and puffing VerY unglamourously at the top.

But our reward?

Buddha!

The whole place is overrun by tourist, FYI. Go early.

Next, it's off to Macau!

Which, sad to say, is either incredibly tacky (casinos-side), or depressingly run-down (the original town which has fallen into disarray thanks to the influx of casinos which have driven rent so high that everything is mostly closed).

The tacky Fisherman's Wharf with various hokey buildings.

We call this "Ana Guan Yin", aka the anorexic, size 0, Guan Yin. Apparantly brought in during the time of the Portugese. Hence, the slightly ang moh features.

Random pic at MGM.

The insanely crazy show which Wynn Casino puts on every half an hour. A real tree comes out from the ground, and a chandelier comes down from the ceiling. And both spin and glitter for 3 whole minutes. Insanity.

St Paul's Ruins. Only the facade is left of the once great Church, after being decimated by 3 fires over the centuries.

Largos de Senados. Was a bit apprehensive when our guide told us repeatedly to guide our belongings as the place is teeming with pickpockets. Hmm.

The most amazing thing ever!! Pork Chop bun. Sinfully mindblowing!

Rounded off with a visit to the Venetian, which is the largest, blown up, tacky impression of Venice. Not even close. Here, tourists ogle at a replica of a gondola.

We also went to the Peak, where our asses froze off. Note to self : don't wear short skirts that blow every which way!

Had to head to Lan Kwai Fong. Which was okkaayyy..... Went to Insomnia, which has live music. Some Filipino dude was hitting on these China girls, this Black dude was groping this White woman's boobs, guys were ugly...

but hey! the bar food was good and there was happy hour!

Oh yeah, how could I forget about this? Sweet steamed egg. Absolutely scrumptious! Had it almost twice a day.

So we ate...

And we shopped a lot!

Ok, off to New York tonight. Big Apple time!

Can't Complain...

My camera hasn't had time to rest and regroup, but it's off to my next va-cay!

Before you people start yelling DISGUSTING!!!, erm erm erm...

Nah, I have no defense. Yeah, I know, it's good to be me.

Hong Kong was quite the downer (asides from the fabulous food), so hopefully this place will perk me up.

Speaking of Hong Kong, I wonder if it was a killjoy because Hong Kong is well, Hong Kong, dirty, grimy, rude and all that.

Or was the holiday made grimmer due to certain wet blankets who swung from hot to cold in one shrill, unreasonable snap. Hmmmmmm.... maybe I should give HK another chance, but pick better travel companions next time. Certainly, the city has it's shortcomings. But I wonder how many of those shortcomings were magnified by the tension that often filled the air.

It's amazing what 11 years of friendship can make you turn a blind eye towards...

Anyway, where am I off next, you scream?

Here's some clues...

Bryant Park, MTV, Broadway and Museum of Modern Art! Also Times Square, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, and SATC!

Yup, I'm off to New York City with the family. Can't, can't, can't wait!! Have been to NYC once to visit Cheryl when she was studying in the US and I must say, NYC has remained one of my fondest vacation spots.

What can I say... it's energetic, English is widely spoken (sorry Tokyo!), vibrant, cultural, a shopping delight, gastronomic wonder, walkable and just OH SO AMAZING.

Vacation courtesy of lots of leave, shorter work week, and mother's largesse.

Guess I'd post the HK photos when I get the energy. Hopefully over the next few days. Have a 4 days of "off" ahead.

Yup, life is good.

I'M BACK!

Spent too much money... don't want to talk about it.

Large portion of it spent on food, transport and presents for other people.

Sadz... only can afford to buy pasam malam things for myself....

Just a short update.... haven't had time for the internet since arriving....

Legs have nearly fallen off from walking too much. We're practically walking everywhere in Kowloon. Only when close to collapse and exhuastion, do we deem to take a cab, where we end up getting fleeced anyway.

Went to Macau yesterday. A lot more depressing than expected. The hotels portion of the island are incredibly.... tacky and cheesy than expected. The older parts of Macau, where some Macanese still stay, are very run down, grey and sad-looking.

We paid for private transportation that took us around the island in a private car. Passing by plenty of shuttered shops, our guide told us that the high rent prices have driven the locals out.

Moreover, stuff is so expensive on Macau that the locals have to go to China to do their shopping. How sad is that.

Went to the casino at Venetian, but some of the crew not interested in gambling, and looked on dispassionately and with a face of death, as I played the slots machine. Talk about a killjoy. Any appetite for gambling rapidly dissipated.

Have spent quite a bit, and there's 2 more days to go. Time to break out the credit cards. Whoops, already done that. HAHAHA.

Things are pretty expensive here, the food, the stuff....

HK is pretty depressing to walk around actually. No wonder the streets are lined with shops and malls, so that people are distracted from their surroundings. Everyone is closeted inside.

Hellloooo from Hong Kong!

Finally made it here.... a lot greyer and dustier than expected, but the shopping is promising.

Perhaps not as cheap as I would like it, but yes, definitely wallet-busting potential.

Travelling with the KB gang... 5 girls, 5 decisions, madness.

Let's see how it pans out.

Haha, Pei Wen is looking over my shoulder, so I better not type anything too nasty.

:P

On a side note, our hotel is this dingy, budget hotel located in a residential area.

The room reminds me of the tiny hotel Pei Wen and I stayed in, in Taiwan.

geez, the things we do to save a couple of bucks.

Doozy Day

Man, today was a complete doozy.

I woke up all groggy, even though I clocked 8 hours.

Two cups of coffee later, I was still feeling dizzy and out of sorts.

Unable to concentrate on work, on people talking.

Went for a job, and went through the routine of listening, writing, questioning, interviewing.

But it was like a haze, because when I went back to work, even though I had all the material laid out in front of me, I couldn't for the life of me write a story.

Thank god it's embargoed until tomorrow afternoon.

Like I said, a doozy.

Lost In A Relationship Haze

How do I deal with a man who doesn't voice his displeasure, makes plans without asking me, assumes that I remember all dates, when he knows full well that I'm one of the most scattered brain people on earth?

One of our traditions for the past few years has been that we'd watch the big Reds Clash. If you don't speak football, that's Manchester United facing off Liverpool.

Unfortunately, I do not keep track of the dates, and I made plans on the same night of the big match.

When I told F, his face fell and he kept quiet. Then he put on his "oh well, moving on..." face and tried to act nonchalant.

Of course I feel bad, of course I feel like a heel for forgetting the match. But since he knows that I make plans there and then, and he didn't care to remind me, assuming that I would remember and we'd do something together, even though we haven't spoken much in the past week...

It just irks me, this assumption.

I'm not one who does things on the downlow; everything has to be spelt out clearly, in advance, with proper notification.

And when I prodded him, asking if he was mad, he gives me answers like "why must everything be spelt out? can't you tell?"

I felt like hitting him.

After 7 years, I'm still clueless. I don't know if I should just hang my head in despair.

Girls' Night Out

What makes for a great evening?

Great company, conversation that flowed easily, laughter, gossip, 2 bottles of wine, and a million photos.

For the ruckus that we caused, I think we better not go back to Harry's at Esplanade for some time....

Happy 24th Jack!

Bad vs Bad

Ah, such irony.

Today's headlines scream that SQ is cutting capacity due to the slowdown in air travel.

The subsequent fallout has been that employee's pay will be cut, people have been asked to take voluntary no-pay leave, and the whole gamut of cost-cutting measures.

I was offered a job at SIA. I turned it down despite being promised 6 to 9 months of bonus. I felt the starting pay was too low and seriously, getting a job in Changi when I stay in Bukit Batok?

Anyway, now that I'm at MC, my pay has also been cut.

So, either way, life would still have stank.

Happy Anniversary

Today marks exactly one year since I stepped into MC, forever propelling me down the rabbit hole.

Have I grown a lot since a year ago? I suppose the eager-eye, optimistic newbie is more or less gone.

In her place is an eye-rolling, tongue clucking, take-no-nonsense journo who still has no idea what she's doing half the time.

HAHA!

Fadz tried to convince me that I actually like my job. I dunno whether I agree or disagree.

Part of me is happy that I went down a path I never thought about, because it appeals to my capricious nature. And I suppose I do like certain components of my job.

And yet, there's part of me that just wants to cross my arms, rest my forehead and cower in despair.

The Folly of Youth

So, after I've been suffering from an insufferable cold the whole week.... what do I do over the weekend?

Instead of acting like a sensible young lady....

.

.

.

I party till 4am on Saturday. No wonder my body gave out on me on Sunday.

Anyway, I met up with some of the volleyball peeps at The Pump Room. Let me just say, this is the right place if... YOU ARE AN OLD PERSON. Yup, Jia Ling and I looked at each other and both agreed, we'd come back in another 10 years time.

The band that was playing sang songs like Guns N Roses and Bon Jovi and songs I didn't recognise but songs that the older crowd went wild for. I'm not saying they're bad. Heck, I love a Bon Jovi song or too. When I'm chilling. Not when I'm looking for some dancy music.

And when the DJ did spin, the old crowd was just basically bobbing around in old people fashion. Gaah. I hate to sound ageist, but but but.... Jia Ling and I gave up grooving after 10 minutes cos we were moving at 100 beats per second, and the crowd was like... 50 beats per second.

And it was Ang Moh heaven, which meant all the SPGs/maids on their day offs were out in full force. If I had to watch one more dirty ugly ang moh grope a skanky foreigner, who's obviously not foreign talent/professional (trust me, there's no mistakenly the cheap clothing, cheap makeup), I might gag.

But alas, the boys mentioned "we have half a bottle of whisky and need to finish it". I couldn't ignore that now, could I?

So after finishing work at 11, I hightailed down to Clark Quay. Nothing like half a bottle of whisky to blast the cold right out of me.

And Happy Birthday again, Ms Aw!

Yes, yes, crappy photo quality. I took it with my handphone cam.

So yeah, back to the weekend. After stumbling home on Sunday morning, I woke up with a parched throat, only to find a message from Fadz asking about movie plans. Feeling thoroughly dishevelled, I mumbled something about watching Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Great movie. Only thing is, my cold started acting up, and in between the crying and the sniffling, I couldn't breathe to save my life.

We went home for dinner, and along the way, I got an eye infection. My family had company over, but at this point, I gave up all thoughts about civility. I just lay down on my mum's bed and promptly dozed off.

After they left, I went back to my room, and poor Fadz was just watching me, looking at me at my more ghastly moment. Of course I milked it for all it was worth, making him get me cold compresses for my swollen eyes. Sigh, I'm sorry baby.

Monday morning, I regain some semblance of normalcy. Decide to break out a brand new toy to play with (god bless irregular off days).

Isn't she lovely in her pristine whiteness? Yes yes, I know it's plain and white and certainly not...

But one's $699 and the other $59. Go figure out which is which.

Made banana muffins from a recipe I've been meaning to try from ChubbyHubby

Love the website.

Doesn't look like much, but I can tell you, it's moist, chewy and banana-goo great.

Sigh, if only I didn't have to work...

An Uncontrollable Rage

Seriously, I need to start controlling my crazy temper and violent nature, before someone gets hurt. Badly.

At work, I'm super high strung and can fly into an uncontrollable rage in a moment. Just like that, without warning, I literally see red and want to draw blood.

Exhibit A:

a few months back, just before I left for Japan, my boss decided to pile on the work. Coupled with the articles I had to write from my Cologne trip, I was stretched to the limit.

At my breaking point, my colleague, let's call this person Z, saw that I was doing a phone interview. So Z saunters over to my terminal, and casually says, "Wah, so serious ah?"

I chose to ignore this person and continued with my work. Not satisfied with my silence, she picked up a notebook and tossed it at me, hitting my shoulder.

That's when I went into Hulk mode and turned into a raging bull. I picked up the notebook, and FLUNG IT HARD at Z, hitting Z in the stomach.

Not happy, I even yelled at her and told her off for being childish and annoying and always picking the wrong moment to irritate people.

Yeah, that's what I did. In the office. With all my colleagues in full view.

Exhibit B:

Two days ago, my boss came over because he wanted to clarify my use of "percentage point", as opposed to "percent".

Turns out, I got it wrong, and he explained it again.

Suddenly, this other colleague, whom we'd call X, chimed up and started saying very loudly, "Wah! I thought Joanne was from a business school! Like that also dunno ah!"

This came just five minutes after X was insulting me and calling me short cos X was bored, not doing any work, and annoyingly rude.

So anyway, back to the percentage point bit. My boss and I ignored X the first time. Not happy, X repeated it several times.

Really pissed off now, I snapped, "And which school did you graduate from, the BITCH school?"

Hearing this, my boss raised his hands, said he didn't want to get involved, and scooted to the other side of the room.

I know, I know, I'm very unprofessional. And there were a million other retorts, less violent, less crude, that I could have come up with. But at that very moment, I just wanted X to shut up so badly, I was REALLY annoyed with X's holier than thou attitude, that I wanted to say something equivalent to slashing X with a literary knife.

I think I've a very violent nature. Volleyball used to be my therapy for working out my anger issues. But now, I'm left with nothing.

Sigh, yoga anyone?

And as a side note, X, Z and I are usually good friends. Haha, or so I thought. Dunno lah! How friendly does one get with one's colleagues anyway?

CNY is bad for the waistline

Oh My Lordie, Lord, Lord! I think I've consumed more calories in the past 3 days than a small nation. It's disgusting how much I can eat when presented with really, really good food.

Let's see.... It was Jumbo seafood on CNY's eve, Sweet Salty Spicy on CNY day 1, Royal China on CNY day 2.

In between, we played mahjong at my mum's behest, which meant non-stop snacking.

And at night, there was Mac's and Canadian Pizza.

How like that????????

Oh, and I must say, nothing is sacred in my house. For some reason, Cheryl and I got into a word slamming contest, using each other's Zodiac sign.

It all started after lunch on the CNY second day, and for some reason, Cheryl called me a "crazy cow". (technically, I'm an Ox, but more on that later).

So that really fired me up, and in retaliation, a whole string of stuff came out from my mouth...

"Stupid sheep!" (technically, she's a goat, but oh well).

"Silly sheep!"

"Slanderous sheep!"

"Sala sheep!" , "Siao sheep!" (yes, at this point, we gave up on the English language)

Then remembering that she's actually a goat...

"Grotesque Goat!" , "Goateed goat!" (I especially liked this one)

She, whose vocabulary is strangely limited, starting yelling...

"Crazy cow!" , "corny cow!" , "crappy cow!" , "cucu cow!" (her Hokkien is so bad.. it should be kuku lah!)

So this continued until the night, and when we were having dinner, Cheryl lamented that "C" was such a tough letter to be rude about.

That's when Fadz chimed in...

"Callous cow!" , "Crude Cow!!!" (my own boyfriend leh)

And reminding all that I'm actually an Ox...

"Obscene Ox!!" (at this point, Cheryl fell off her chair in hysterical laughter)

Then my mum walks in, and being a horse, we had a go at her too.

Cheryl: hairy horse

Me: humongous horse

Fadz: hamsup horse

Geraldine: HORNY HORSE

My mum, as you can guess, did not laugh.

Beware of Danga Bay - You Might Die of Boredom!!!

I really shouldn't be so eager to try out new things. Sometimes, things end badly.

With the new train that takes one from Tanjong Pagar train station in Singapore to Danga City Mall in Johor, the supposedly new and exciting destination, I decided to make a day trip up.

Seeing how I've never taken the SIN-JB train, and wanting to see the new mall myself, I figured it'd be pretty fun.

Well, I figured wrong. Touting itself as the "Vision of the South", yeah, Danga Bay is for the blind and boring! There's freaking nothing to do!!!

In fact, I had more fun taking pictures at the Tanjong Pagar train station than I did at the so called Bay!!! What bay! It's just dead marshes and deserted buildings!!

The station is quite cool in its stuck-in-the-last-century kinda way. No air-con, rusty gates, faded murals... but an experience by itself.

If you thought there was no place in Singapore where time stood still, well, this is the place to be. But then again, the train station and the land it sits on officially belongs to Malaysia. So maybe that explains why things haven't changed since 1932!

Arriving at Danga City Mall, Fadz's face became black so quickly I was alarmed. There's 7 floors of.... nothing. Zilch. Less than 50% of the shops are opened. One person described it as having Far East Plaza type of shops. I feel so offended. This is NOTHING like Far East. Think more like Lucky Plaza or People's Park. Eww. Argh. Sucks.

The only thing worth making the trip for? Cheap archery at the top level. 36 arrows for 13 ringgit. I didn't know archery was so tiring and difficult. Didn't hit a single bullseye, but Fadz did.

I started out stronger, but Fadz's competitive nature soon kicked in, while my enthusiasm kinda waned cos the bloody bow is so bloody heavy. In the end, I hit the styrofoam/completely missed the entire target by 4 bows. Sigh.

In less than an hour, we were ready to get the hell out of Danga City Mall and head to Danga Bay. It's supposed to be more entertaining.

My ASS.

The much touted 280-shop single floor Festive Mall is more like a glorified air-conditioned pasam malam.

You know what we ended up doing? Playing arcade. Cos it's so bloody cheap. 1 Ringgit for Time Crisis 3, anyone?

But I managed to convince Fadz to try out a fish spa.... I didn't know it'd be so damn ticklish!

At 15 ringgit for 15 minutes, it's like half priced compared to Singapore. And with only the 2 of us as customers, we had the whole fish pool to ourselves.

The fishes were half interested in my feet, especially the sole. Which was incredibly ticklish and I kept giggling like a stupid kid, much to the amusement of the bored attendants.

But when Fadz put his feet in....

Damn! It was like a swarm of locusts descending on crops! And they never let up! Fadz feet must be like dead.

Tada! We emerged with smoother legs.

Ended the day with a seafood dinner, which is pretty much why we entered into JB in the first place. And you know where we ended up? At the same place we ate like 3-4 years ago, when we first entered JB together. Except previously, the place overlooked the Bay, with few developments.

Fast forward to present day, and our view is now blocked by the stupid Festive Mall and other stupid developments that are mostly empty cos no one in their right mind would think of investing in this hellhole.

But yes, we ate at Senggah Selalu.

A uber chillout place with Ikea-like lighting and giant fans to cool one down.

Cereal oat prawns...

Baby octopus...

Belachan kang kong....

And chilli crab!

If it wasn't for half price Secret Recipe, half price arcade, and half price seafood, and a relatively good-natured Fadz, I would have killed myself.

Bored @ Work

Am twiddling my thumbs at work now. Can't decide whether it's a good or bad thing.

What's happening, you ask? Well, it's parliament day, which is the glorious day where reporters everywhere are busily scribbling whatever is said in parliament, summarize the key points, and publish.

For radio, we have the added joy of making sure the news is pushed out ASAP, rather than have the whole day (like print) to mull over sentences and construct poetry out of nothing.

Buttttt...... everything being discussed today is business-related.

Which brings me back to my first sentence. I'm twiddling my thumbs.

A Passion for Everything

Quite a good day at work. I think there's nothing like the adrenaline rush of making a life report, and having to deal with the elements.

So there I was again, five minutes before going live on radio, where every mistake is magnified a thousand times.

My scripts half done, and Ican't find a quiet place to file my report. So I go to the life lobby, and await my queue.

Then the lifts start going crazy, merrily "dinging" away as the life doors open and people enter and exit.

I get so distracted, I call my presenter by the wrong name (whoopsie!!!).

So there I was, balancing my notepad on my thigh as the script is written over three pages. Desperate to turn my notebook, I squat down next to the plant to make the flip.

And my interviewee walks past me, with this mildly bemused expression on his face, like, why the hell is the reporter squatting like a lian next to a plant????

Anyhoo, it's moments like these that make my day exciting. Nothing's ever the same. No matter how many times I've gone live, each time still feels like the first time, the tense butterflies in the stomach, the heightened awareness of my surroundings.

Haha, I may bitch about my work a lot, but I guess deep down, I do enjoy it to a certain extent. Except for really stupid events.

And I suppose that kinda enjoyment applies to everything in life. In relationships, and in the will to live.

When one stops enjoying life, work, love, people, what's the point of continuing?

The Twilight Insanity

So it's my first day of enforced leave... just chilling at home. It's not too bad. At least I'm not spending money. HAHA

Anyhoo, caught up on my Gossip Girl (love love love!) and Grey's Anatomy (is it me or is the show going downhill?)

With more time to kill, I decided to watch Twilight once and for all to see what the hype is all about.

My verdict? Dang, but the acting is bad! Like, 90210 the remake bad! Like over the top, I don't know how to look scared so I just open my mouth like a gaping gold fish, BAD.

But I would get why girls, and women wanting romance, can get so caught up into the show. Certain parts, I was like, just get it on already!!!

Hmm, and Rob Pattinson? He's not THAT hot what. Acting, sub-par, too pale, too skinny. God, give me Brad Pitt any day, wrinkles, eye bags and all!!

I mean, I guess I do sometimes like the pretty boy type, and Rob has certain good angles, but come on, I just want to run a comb through his hair!!!

Now Chace is great looking, a pretty boy, and has great hair! So for all the young ladies who are fantasizing that they will meet their prince charming and hence would like someone closer their age to make the fantasy work, at least pick a right target.

But please... who can beat...

My darling David...

OR...

Brad?

Oh god, give me a MAN any day....

Oh What A Gloomy Day

Can I just say how much my day sucked yesterday?

On a scale of 1 to 10, it definitely received at least an 8.

So there I was, going about my day, doing my job, attending press conferences and what not.

And since what I was doing was quite significant, the normal SOP is to file a live report over the phone.

And when I mean live, I do mean live, as in I'm standing by on my handphone, waiting for the DJ to cue me in and me rattling off my news piece.

So anyway, this DJ evidently doesn't know how to work all the buttons. So 5 minutes before airtime, she calls, puts me on hold, and there I am, standing with my handphone stuck to my ear, waiting for my cue.

My cue comes, I take a deep breath, and start talking. Two seconds later, I hear the DJ going on air, moving on to the next story.

You know why? You know why? Cos she didn't know which button to press to unhold me and patch me through.

RAGE!

So I had to call back and was put on air after the break. But the venue I was at was in the process of being cleaned up. And even though I asked for the vacuum cleaner to be switched off while I filed my report, they just carried on cos they couldn't wait anymore.

And they started moving furniture!

So if you were tuning in to my live report at that moment, you could hear the vacuum cleaner, a chair being plonked down next to me, and lots of people talking in the background. All of which wouldn't have happened if the DJ had just patched me in properly the first time.

Dead air for 5 seconds is a criminal offence in my world! OH MY GOD!

So I stomped back to my office, and my editor requested that I do my report again in the studio, because it was simply too noisy. So I stepped in, see the DJ, and she's like "blah blah blah, I'm so sorry for blah blah blah. Do you forgive me?"

Bleah. I stomped to my boss' office to complain and immediately she called the DJ's supervisor. I hate to be a bitch but come on, you put me on hold for so long, evidently I was on hold, I could hear you, and you didn't know how to patch me through? You've been doing the same job for the past 1 year!!!!

And after that, I had to cut the soundbites and put together a story properly. 10 minutes before airtime, my sound files and system go berserk on me. I can't save any edits, my soundfile is a flat line waveform. MASSIVE PANIC ATTACK.

And it was just my computer! When I reloaded it on another computer, it worked fine!!!

Adding to my woes, I'm sure some of you must have read by now, my company is implementing shorter work weeks and enforcing 2 days of unpaid leave a month.

Translation: My annual pay package is essentially cut by a full month. How to live like that? I don't know how to live within my means. I don't what it means to shop less, or eat at less expensive places, or socialise less.

And you don't need to remind me about the hardships that other people are facing. Yeah yeah, I got no mortgage, no family to support, blah blah blah. If you're one of those people, I'm genuinely sorry for your difficulties.

But that doesn't mean I appreciate having to make changes to my lifestyle. What a killjoy. What's there to look forward to in life anymore?

Anyway, the evening capped off with my colleagues going on and on about her ex-lover. Cos I know him as well, she was like "XX this" "XX that". I was so pek chek that as we were waiting for cabs after work (around 11.30pm), I practically ran onto the expressway in desperation to get a cab and get away from her.

Now I know the torture Kristin and Sylvia went through went I broke up with the Fadz-man. Worse still, I'm the leaky tap that just won't stop flowing. My apologies for the hysterics and whatnot.

Like I said, yesterday, really, really stank.

And yeah, I'm in a bad

Where Oh Where?

Every once in a while, I get hit by thoughts of self-questioning about where life seems to be taking me.

To some extent, I feel like I'm lagging behind my peers (the really high flyer, stylo type), contented to languish in blissful ignominy and mediocrity.

And yet, there's a part of me that can't believe this is all my life has to offer. To remain as a nobody, to watch as people my age, my school mates, my friends, race ahead and achieve things that matter to them.

But therein lies the problem - I'm not sure what I want from life.

Everything tends to go a little fuzzy when I'm lazing about, watching tv, reading a book, lounging about and doing nothing in particular.

There seems to be no drive to say, hey, I should be doing SOMETHING, something meaningful, or something that's going to move me forward, be it in career, in relationships, or in getting noticed by the world.

And usually I'm perfectly contented to let things just be, never having to try any harder. Should things happen, I'd let it happen. If things don't happen the way I want them to, so be it. Move on.

You might say, hang on a moment, don't you go for like a bazillion holidays a year, and have a boyfriend?

Sure, that's nice. I definitely do appreciate having a great relationship with my family and lead a relatively cushy life, something that not everyone can lay claim to.

And I'm definitely thankful for Fadzli, cos I'm not sure there's anyone else who can put up with my brand of craziness (trust me, there's plenty of that).

But is that it? How about personal accomplishments?

Yeah, the career seems to be coming along. But you see, I never thought about becoming a journo. It just happened. I didn't apply for the position. THEY called me. So I've never really thought about what lies ahead, or what I should be working towards, because I never really gave it careful consideration.

My thought process really was - there's a job, it seems fun, nothing else around that really excites me, need money, accept job.

And I've been lucky that they've sent me for to Germany, recognised my work, been published occasionally in print... but again, is that enough?

Is it? IS IT?

Or am I just being greedy and wanting everything?

My Family, the Jokers

At dinner tonight, for some strange reason, we starting talking about weddings and all the idiosyncracies, craziness that goes with it.

And for some strange reason, it turned towards the traditional custom of getting the newly wed couple to eating something sweet and sticky, to symbolize a 甜甜蜜蜜marriage.

Not that any of us are getting married anytime soon, of course.

Mum: In my days, I was made to eat sweet mee sua. For you, I'd be kinder. Can eat 汤圆.

Cheryl: (continuing her Westernized, Chinese-eschewing ways) Told you my wedding will be free from anything cheena.

Me: A Krispy Kreme donut, I'd eat a Krispy Kreme donut!

(Cheryl and I start waxing lyrical about the beauty of a Krispy Kreme)

Mum: (after a long pregnant pause) Cannot. Got hole in the middle.

Cheryl: I can't believe we're having a serious conversation about this.

(after another long pause)

Me: Mochi! Japanese mochi!

(Cheryl and I continue oohing and ahhing about mochi)

Mum: (after careful consideration) Ok, mochi can. I'd fly to Japan and get for you.

Yes, my family is VERY into food. Definitely live to eat, not eat to live.

Why waste calories on something non-tasty?

Was just flipping through some of my older entries.

Damn, but I used to say a lot now, didn't I?

Looking at my newer entries, they seem to be written without much thought, containing very little information and flippantly short.

I wonder if this minimalist style comes from being a radio journo, and hence, trained to write very little.

Or if with age, and the stagnant working lifestyle that I now lead, I just have less to say?

Fewer opinions, fewer views, just going about my work and nothing much else.

I suppose it is reflective of my daily activities. You would think that being a journo means that I'm more connected to what's happening on the ground and around the world.

You would be right. But after spending a whole day immersed in the news, I simply refuse to talk about it after that. I don't want to think about it, I don't want to mull over it, I want to have nothing to do with it.

It's like every other job, right? Who wants to bring work - finance, HR, research, science - home and into personal life?

And so, I eschew all things news-related. Or remotely serious.

All I want to do is be this giggling idiot, fluffy, air-headed, bimbotic, which nary a care in the world.

Not caring that Singaporeans are dying around the world. Not caring that the economy is tanking, jobs are cut, wages are cut, people are destitute. Not caring that depressions rates are up, not caring that the world is crumbling around us.

I just want to watch E Entertainment Channel, pretend that life really is shiny and happy, and top it off with a little Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver.

New Year, New Blog Skin

Hmmm, guess I've been neglecting this blog now, haven't I?

Just haven't had much time to do much else, I suppose.

In between coming back from Japan (which I loved, loved, loved to bits), and today, I:

1. Got out of my holiday stupor (took 2 weeks)
2. Went to work (unwillingly, I might add)
3. Met up with friends (but still so many whom I haven't seen forever!!)
4. Celebrated Shawn's birthday
5. Went to Haji Lane
6. Celebrated X'mas Eve with Fadz
7. Celebrated Xmas with the family
8. Played mahjong for days and nights
9. Am in the midst of planning a holiday to Hong Kong with KB Gang in March!
10. Worked on New Year's Eve. Reporting about a countdown party. At Nee Soon South. Yes, Nee Soon South. I'm so bloody cool.

All my photos are up on Facebook. It's such a drag to upload both on Facebook and here...

But oh gosh, it simply doesn't feel like a new year!

Yay, I'm off to Tokyo people!

Yeah, yeah, I just came back from Cologne like 2 weeks ago.

But that was for WORK.

This, is for a family vacation.

Whhheeee!!!! Ramen and sashimi, here I come!

Save me some parties!

xoxo

Sigh, I failed to blog about something really important and devastating that happened to me....

I LOST MY GUCCI WALLET UPON RETURNING FROM COLOGNE.

Yup, my darling wallet survived through a foreign land, through numerous purchases, through museum trips and all.

But I came back to Singapore, went for dinner with Fadz at the Changi Airport Terminal 3 Foodcourt, set my wallet on the chair next to me, and left without it. Just left.

I was so tired that I slept all the way home in the taxi. When I wanted to pay, that's when I realised that my wallet was GONE.

Frantic calls to Changi Airport and the foodcourt ensued. But to no avail.

Sigh, I guess I'd buy a Burberry wallet in Japan.

Fadz offered to buy me a wallet, something nice from Elle or Pierre Cardin.

Oh darling, don't you know once you go luxury, there's no turning back?

Well, my little escapade in Cologne has come to an end.

And you know what? I AM ready to come home. The charm of roaming the streets alone wore thin after awhile. Having people not understand me, either because they don't speak English or can't understand my accent, did mar the experience a little. Some call it an adventure, I call it an inconvenience.

At least when I went to Paris with the girls, I understood a little bit of French. But you know what? Europeans really are quite helpful. I had random people coming up to me to ask if I needed help, especially when I was staring at my map and looking like a hopelessly lost person.

And today marks one year since Fadz and I got back together! Sad that I'm not there with him... but we've agreed to celebrate when I touch down tomorrow, cos 11/11 mah, more cool. Haha!

But I wonder... what would have happened if we didn't get back together? Sure, the 2 months apart hurt like hell, but I'm sure I'd have survived it and moved on. Don't we all?

And would my German experience have been any different if I was single? Would I have flirted a little more, tried my feminine wiles a little harder, been as charming as possible, had a quickie romance on the fly?

Oh well, I can only speculate. But I fly home now with the knowledge that my Fadz is waiting for me at the airport, ready to welcome me with open arms. Knowing that there's someone waiting and looking forward to seeing me... that feels pretty good too.

I used to wonder if I still "have it", if I still desirable to the opposite sex if I was to trawl the singles market again. I used to think that being in a relationship for so long made me dowdy, predictable and unattractive. I'm glad to report that feeling is gone. And I'm DEFINITELY glad that I'm still desirable to some men. I'd leave it at that.

Haha, dunno who's reading this blog mah! But I didn't do anything inappropriate in Cologne, lah! At least nothing outrageously inappropriate. Teehehehehe...

Yay, coming home!

Whoever's reading this and cares, lets meet up soon!

wow, there's nothing to do in Cologne on Sunday at all.

All the shops are closed, and only the eating places are opened.

Again, poor planning on my part, the museums were opened but I'd already visited them on Friday and Saturday.

So there I was, carefully saving my money to blow on Sunday, and there's nowhere to spend it!

So I sat by the river, read a book, ate, but there's only so much you can do of that, before it gets boring, you know?

So I took a walk around town, walked for hours, walked through all the side streets, walked through deserted residential areas, but eventually wound up at my hotel.

And the worst thing is, I found out that there's a huge carnival on Tuesday, but I'm leaving tomorrow! It's supposed to be this huge parade where everyone comes out, drinks, party and go a little crazy. But there's just no way for me to extend my stay any longer. I think my boss would fire me!

Sigh, hopefully I get to do a little more shopping tomorrow....