12:55 PM and still at work

In 6 months, I'll have my work from home program and i wont have to do this anymore!!! I can just do this from home. Hooray!

I was very productive today. I finished my CRM issue sheet + Process Guidelines, finished AAI for my CRM Analysis Table, did the incidence counts for Mal/Sing/Thai, did a big chunk of my BEM Analysis Plan, coordinated my FGD with Australia, launched my airport research, and wrote this Blog.

I had a productive long weekend as well. I finished two-thirds of my backlog of laundry and ironing, saw Mamma Mia on Saturday (which was pretty darn good, s.t. I have Mamma Mia + Dancing Queen LSS), I read books 1, 2, and 4 of The Sandman Series, along with that book where he collaborated with a japanese watercolor artist (I forgot the title), The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (all 5 books - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and the 3 other books after that (forgot the titles) + Young Zaphod something (I forgot the rest of the title), and Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.

I also ate a Lau Pa Sat last night (monday) with Gots and Lloyd, ate at Coca Steamboat Restaurant with Gots, Lloyd, Brian, and Wilfred (SGD 20.00 for a full steamboat buffet), and went with Gots to her jazz class.

The day before that (sunday), I went to my choir to rehearse for our concert on Dec 4 and the whole weekend of the 17th.

Saturday, I was late for Mamma Mia, but it was ok because it was just 10 lousy minutes and the cab was taking so slow to get to the esplanade because of the traffic, and when I got into the theater I couldn't make sense of anything at first, then soon got into it, and the 3 old women were just really good from a singing and acting perspective. I won't bother to deconstruct the play here as I am sleepy, but will be glad to do it in person.

After Mamma Mia, we (Me, Gots, Lloyd, Ben, Brian, Zada) went to Raffles Mall, where we met Mike Abito, who came from an interview. We ended up walking around the mall, looking at all the luxury stores and coveting the stuff. After we got bored, Mike and I went to the Starbucks near the MRT station to smoke and read, while the rest of them (except Ben, who left earlier) went to the Church across the street. When they got back, we took the train to Boat Quay to go to Jumbo, which is a Chinese lauriat place famous for the Chili Crab and the Black Pepper Crab. We met Wilfred there, who was late again (as usual) and who still kept talking about investments (because that was all his class was about). After that, we walked to the Fullerton hotel for the dessert buffet, but since we couldn't get enough seats to for our group, we ended up going to the town cafe adjacent to it, for some fudge and conversation.

We ended up going home at 3 am.

Wednesday night (thursday was Hari Raya, which was a holiday), I went to Shalini's house with Tripti and Gots to play with her dog, Leo, and have dinner. She had a nice balcony. The food was good and Leo was malikot. After that, I went to Ice Cold Beer at Emerald Hill to meet up with Rachel (Singaporean), Silke (German), Nick (Aussie), Pyush (Indian). I had 3 beers. Then we decided we had enough beers, and played some darts at the back, and some pool upstairs. Then we decided we had enough of that, and Rachel's buddy called at 2 AM to invite us to a house party at some obscure part of Singapore with "a nice view of the ocean", so we got out of Ice Cold Beer, stopped by 7/11 for 2 6-packs (since it was BYOB) and some Ruffles and Beef Jerky, then we all took a cab to that obscure part of Singapore with the "nice view of the ocean" and walked straight into a house warming party where none of us really knew anybody, except Rachel, who saw one of her friends who worked in MTV and was stoned drunk and who was making out with some ugly bald guy who seemed vaguely Filipino-ish, but with whom i didn't get to talk to. We met some DJ person, and we all had to wear nametags, but we ended up fooling around with them and sticking nametags all over the place, and mixing them up, so nick was "madie" for a while, I was "beavis", and rachel was "piyush". The guy who ended up getting Rachel's nametag was a radio producer at some Singaporean FM station, who was really gangly and Chinese-looking.

After that it was 3 am so we got bored and decided to take a cab home, and it was a pretty long walk from the condo with "a nice view of the ocean" (it really was breathtaking, to give them credit) to the main road, so we flagged down a cab despite calling for one (poor driver having to go to that obscure part of Singapore), and went home.

I had decided to go on an adventure anyhow and screw the need for sleep because the day after (thursday) was a holiday anyway, and I had never been to Sentosa, so I went, reached there at 4 am and slept on the beach. Just me and my towel, and my beach mat, and I felt so stupid for not bringing a blanket because it was freezing cold, and I was damp. The sunrise was not great, but at least I did it.

At 6:30, i got breakfast at the 7/11 (instant noodles, spicy beef flavor), and walked all the way from palawan beach to siloso beach (that's the entire half-perimeter of Sentosa) all the way to the Shangrila Hotel at the head of Sentosa (took me about 45 minutes), with the beach becoming progressively more idyllic the closer I got to the hotel. Pretty soon, the beach was as good as the one in Shangrila Mactan (obviously fake, but the sand was powder-soft and very very white, so I didn't really mind at all). When I got to the hotel, I inquired about the rate: USD 400 for a pretty nice room, went to the entrance to flag down a cab to get to the underwater world, but ended up walking, as it was only 5 minutes away. Then I spent the morning looking at neon colored cuttlefish which would flutter spasmodically when you agitate it (by hitting the glass and making faces), pudgy sharks, a very big dugong that weighed 400 kg, a giant tilapia as big as a car, etc. Then I took the bus to the other side of the island to see the crappy pink dolphin show, where the emcee was so painfully nasal i just wanted to throw a rock at him because I couldn't understand a word he was saying.

I was dead tired after the dolphin show, so i took a cab back home and slept all the way, ended up sleeping at home and Lloyd and Gots arrived, and they went to Crystal Jade for lunch, so I followed, and had some pretty kick-ass dimsum. After that we walked to Cineleisure planning to catch the Incredibles if it was on, but it wasn't so we just walked to Takashimaya and admired all the bags from LV and Dior and Fendi and Burberry, and the luxury watches, and the diamonds and pearls at Mondial, and ended up at Kinokuniya, where we parted ways. Then I chose some books, went to eat at the basement foodcourt of Lucky Plaza, then went to a McCafe (under Isetann Scotts) to read, then I headed home. and slept.

Then I woke up and went to work on Friday.

The Peon and the Spa

Yesterday evening I went to the SK-II spa at 31 Scotts for my monthly facial. I got the Illuminating Facial, and felt really good after, as I was depressed most of the day. Sometimes its frustrating because you work and work and results aren't immediately tangible and you have no idea how everything's gonna pan out, or what it means in the larger scheme of things. Being a peon sucks sometimes.

This particular peon got on the train at 7:30 last night, took it to Somerset, and turned into a princess. So she felt better, and less slave-like.

Fish Noodles and Marlon

Went down for dinner and a cig earlier with Selina and Marlon at Food Junction (what is it about me and food anyway). Really funny. Marlon got some food from the Select Chinese Restaurant (no rice), and Selina just got fish soup with Bee Hoon at that other place whose name I can't remember. I'm so glad today! I just got SO MUCH done. I just love it when I'm being hyper-efficient. Got three documents out of the way, partly because of the work prep over the weekend, but all in all, am very satisfied. V.v. worth it.

I'm looking forward to seeing "The Incredibles", which doesn't come out until the 18th. Heard from Dale that it was hilarious and an overall excellent movie, which is high praise coming from him, given that he's usually all about criticism. So there you go!

I'm watching Mamma Mia sometime this week as well, as Brian was supposed to get tickets for me and a couple of other friends. In general I've heard mixed reviews but heard that it's worth it to splurge on the good seats (about 80 bucks a pop). The Vagina Monologues are playing as well, directed by Reg's husband (I forgot his name), who is also Monique Wilson's brother. Can't understand how it can possibly be better than the TA one though, as that rendition was about as angsty as an Ensler play could possibly get. And this is Singapore!

Am also looking forward to Thursday, which is Hari Raya (a Hindu holiday) in time for Deepavali (pronounced Divali by Indians - real ones, not the Native American sort). Although there's no work, I'll probably end up doing some on the fly. Tripti's planning to cook, so we'll all stay home, wear Indian attire, have some Indian food and light some candles and do other Deepavali-related celebratory activity. Wednesday night, Shalini's invited for dinner at her house with her dog, who supposedly likes company. I heard he's v. cute.

Am in an elated, very potent mood! Feel extremely efficient and self-fulfilled, and actually feel lighter, like am losing weight just by thinking positively! This is very good. =)

Here's to a great week and a v.v. powerful month ahead!

Past 2 Weeks

Today is a Sunday and I am at work. Since I am writing this entry, I am obviously not working. Yesterday evening I went to the supermarket downstairs and bought Tide, a pack of Marlboro Menthol Lights, 2 liters of soymilk, green tea flavored tofu, florida orange juice, 3 packs of potato chips, 2 packs of dumplings and siomai, 2 1.5 liter bottles of heaven & earth jasmine flavored green tea and a copy of The Economist.

It's rotten that George Bush won again.

I am getting fat, and am back to my median college weight, which i thought i had lost from not eating all summer during the whole Asians training season. Damn! That's 12 pounds. I need to get back in shape. The last time I did any exercise was exactly a month ago, when I ran a 10K marathon from Singapore to Johor. I finished quite respectably, under an hour, but couldn't walk for the next three days after that. Am obviously not in shape. So I had to waddle around the office (in heels, no less!) for three days, and my team kept asking me weird questions, like: "Why are you walking like that?" The only consolation was me saying that I had run to Johor and back, which makes me feel hero-like.

So that was a month ago. But in between that and today, my mom, dad and poop came over the weekend, (and she must have really pitied my state of living, so I couldn't possibly diet in her presence, then john came over and we totally pigged out the whole time. We went to Wee Nam Kee for the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Lau Pa Sat for seafood fried rice, beef, pork and chicken satay, chinese petchay, chili stingray, and oyster omelette (with Dale), this restaurant in Emerald Hill for the mix grill (steaks of mutton, chicken & beef), spanish seafood stew, and the chicken wings - $10, but INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. I keep talking about food. I am very very hungry. The only not-so-great thing about the Emerald Hill dinner was Wilfred, who came over. Actually Wilfred isn't so bad anymore, except that he can't seem to talk about anything except "investing". It's the same old stuff I've been hearing from him since we went out the last time with RK and Marlon. Geez! I suppose I must put up with that whole pedagogical side of his personality.

While john was here I saw Wimbledon and Shark Tale. We attempted to cook some pasta, which was a complete MISERABLE FAILURE, and john ended up having to go to the bathroom with a terrible stomach ache, so he was out of commission for the rest of the afternoon.

We hit the New Asia Bar, met up with Rachel and Nick, who is a newer hire than me. The guy used to work for KPMG and works on the Australian market. He reminds me of fabian, and john agrees that he is the quintessential English gentleman, although he's Aussie. Looks a bit like Tintin (from Herge) too, except has the whole tyrolean moustache and beard, ala Swiss yodeler. We had pizza, sushi, calamari, martinis, and a couple of brazilian-sounding neon-colored drinks. At the bar there was a chubby white girl (about 25, i think) really, REALLY getting it on on the dance floor. I mean she was gyrating like crazy, and all the guys were staring at her in a weird way. The table next to us had about 6 or 7 guys in their early 20's dressed like the HK triads, and they were just staring at the gyrating girl. After a while it got boring, so we all left.

It's 12:19 PM

Remember that quote where someone said that when you die, the last thing you'd wish was that you had spent more time in the office? I suppose there's some truth in that. I seem to do that a bit more than the average, although it's been getting less and less ever since I realized that this really wasn't much of a way to live, although it is depressingly enjoyable sometimes. I like the solitude of the quiet floor, a couple of lights in a the huddle rooms, no airconditioner to speak of, and absolute silence save for the tapping of my keyboard and the soft humming of the printers on standby mode. The amount of work I get to produce at these times are pretty variable, ranging from semi-efficient productivity to cramming the next deliverable, but i like the quiet because it gives me time to think.
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I wrote Dieter 4 postcards this evening, after many emails from my mom telling me to do so. They were in Italy last October - my mom, dad, and poop came to visit me for a weekend, flying in from Malaysia, and flying to Italy for business and pleasure after. I asked my Mom for a designer bag. I wanted a really expensive one. A nice Fendi. Prada's too commercialized, and cheap. I guess she didn't have time to get me one. I don't mind though. Non-necessity. But my brother wrote me two postcards from Florence, each depicting an Old Master. He's amazing. I can't believe how articulate and literate he's become since I left.

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I was with Eileen Tupaz at Spinelli's for coffee and the oatmeal cookies that we got really hooked on since that training we had last week. They had those Zo-cards which I love. We got all of them. I decided to return the favor to Dieter since he sent me a picture which he drew to greet me happy birthday. I love snailmail. Brings back such great memories from 5th grade. So we were at Spinelli's, and Eileen decided to write Dieter a postcard too, that said "Good Neighbor's Day" with a picture in front of a really disgruntled cat. V. v. cute. I waited for about 15 minutes, writing the postcards, trying to maintain the conversation while she was finishing her coffee, because she was talking about something and I couldn't really pay attention since I was busy writing the postcards. We went to the Global SAM machine after that to get the stamps, then I dropped them in the mailbox next to my subway station at Novena. My first taste of the Singapore post. 50 cents a postcard. Not bad. I'm excited because I know Dieter will be really thrilled to get them.

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John left yesterday on a semi-bad note. I feel miserable about it. I was pretty busy for the last 2 weeks working on the asia symposium dinner. I was making the script, which was cheesy as hell (read: corny). It had to be. In a dinner with Japs, Thais and Koreans the lowest common denominator had to be lots of confidence, enthusiasm, and a whole jackload of corn. I dragged him out of bed in the morning, as it was his last day with me in Singapore, and arranged to meet him at 12:30 for our last lunch together for about a month and a half until I get back home by December. By 12, I went down for a smoke, but decided to go up again to coordinate the plans for the evening with our presenters, who were basically all part of the Asian Leadership Team. Soui, my partner, was having lunch and I had to wait for her since I didn't know any of these guys personally. We finished everything at about 1:25 PM and I rushed down and John was just there sitting at one of the al fresco metal tables at Food Junction waiting for me. I miss him already. He hadn't had lunch yet, and was waiting for me to come down. I had to leave since the next round of training was about to start, so he left as well, without lunch. Another disappointment. I just wanted to give him a huge hug, but i didn't, and he left. He flew to Manila at 5 PM that afternoon. I'm going to miss him, and I can't wait to see him once I get back.