Long and short of it

Just when i thought i am finally at peace and in serene cool ice-queen poise, i discovered that i can no longer log into my MSN Messenger in the office. UGH!!! When i couldn't log in yesterday, i thought perhaps it was MSN's problem. Then today, i found out that a number of my colleagues could log in. Aarrghh!!! It's NOT fair!! Used to be able to just buzz people if i wanted to check something at work or whatever. Now i have to pick up the phone, dial the line, ask for the extension and THEN discover he/she is not in and have to start the whole process again a few minutes later. Worst is discovering it's only myself, Jebi, Boo and Moo who's having this problem. We figured it must be some conspiracy theory of the bosses to ostracized us.. for whatever reason there may be. :P STILL... we managed to finally worked our way around it and got online with everyone again (though not through MSN). Sheesh.. it's official...i'm a geek. I am extremely dependant on IM and i can only communicate with people on cyberspace. 8P

And..... i impulsively went to 'chop' off my hair just now. I've almost ALWAYS had long hair. Now it's just short. Ok.. so maybe not Halle Berry in James Bond short or Sinead O'Connor short short. But it's definitely different from my usual style. Even my stylist seemed a little bewildered when i told him to cut. Loki said it looked good when i met him for dinner after. He said it suits me better than the draggy long hair i've always had. Awww.... *hugs* (Btw, this STILL won't get you a free meal from me. :P)

Hmmm... i'm still trying to get used to this 'new' look. Probably the full impact has not hit me yet. I might just wake up tomorrow morning and scream in horror upon realization of what i've done. It's not me!! It must be the traumatic after-effects of not having cyber communication for the last 2 days.

Oh well.... if you see someone walking by with a head that remotely resembles a bowling ball...do not fear... it's probably just me. :P

Things i forgot to remember

Foodie Queen just reminded me that Thanksgiving was last weekend. I know there were ads and what-nots on the Net about it but since it's not observed here, the day just came and went. Still, there's no reason why i should not be thankful for the things i have. It's been so easy to complain/whine about things that go wrong and to find fault in trivial things. And sometimes, being surrounded by difficult people has made it hard to stay positive.

So, for today, these are the friends i'm thankful for:
(No point listing inanimate objects right? Err...nevermind 8P)

1. Foodie Queen - for being there through all my ups & downs (since what...1994?) and still being one of my best-est friend despite being so many many many miles away. *muax*
2. Siryn - for somehow turning (metamorphosis?) into my quirky (ok..u were quirky to begin with :P) but also best-est friend here AND for always promising to love/accept me even though i sometimes (??) have the most bizarre ideas/antics. *ahem*
3. My Colleagues - who provide all the entertainment to make work bearable. *hugs* Ok.. and good bosses too. ;) *hint hint*
4. Loki - i know he's not gonna forgive me if i don't mention him. :P So here you are, Slacker! Hope you get to go to Japan soon and find 'her'. ;)
5. Glen - You've given me an excuse to go on a hunt for the best Choc Volcano Cake. ;D You sure its only at TSB??
6. Terri - for your photos that remind me to treasure life's beauty. :D
   
7. .... to infinite black-hole number - EVERY person who's passed my way and made a difference in my life. :D

Have a good week everyone! *offers choc volcano cake to all* :D

Can somebody stop the spinning please?

Wanted to write yesterday but was already zonked on the couch even before dinner. Looking at the previous post, i realized a week has passed, yet i have little recollection of what really happened

I (vaguely) remember...

• my work desk looking spacious after clearing away the mountainous stack of schedules, documents and artwork.

• going to the gym. I can’t remember when i went but only that the routines seem more aggressive these days. *HOO HAA!!*

• gobbling with Siryn (again!) before we caught a late night movie. I don’t remember much of the movie…except that i was rather disappointed with it. (Don’t ask me what i was disappointed about though)

• wasting a huge chunk of my Saturday helping my friend pick out her wedding dress and theme... only to find that at the end of it, she changed her mind. Aaaaarrrrggggghhhhhhh!! *horrors* And she wants me to be her wedding coordinator!! *bangs head on wall*

• having a crazy birthday celebration for Siryn and Cilla, accompanied by Cece and Csu... and that i would've enjoyed it much much more if i wasn't suffering from food poisoning. :(

• having a few dozen people smile and thank me for collecting their Communion cups that morning (though i've done it countless times before yet never received such response.. not that i expect it anyhow)
  

• practicing dance with adorable 3 - 8 year olds for the Christmas presentation... only to realize Full Rehearsals are in 2 weeks and 2/3 of them have not learned the steps yet. *gulps*
  

• being driven into extreme annoyance by someone who was being overly anal about a trivial thing.

What else happened? Ermm... i actually can't recall. Sheesh... have i become such a bore? Or is it the age thing? *gasp in horror*

No No No.... perhaps it is that i am suffering (of what, i don't know) and it's our body's natural reaction to erase the traumatic parts and render it void.

Otherwise, i'm just delirious and have over-exerted self... 8P

My heartsong sings "Food... Glorious Food"

Last weekend was one of the best i’ve had in weeks. No sudden heart-attack-calls from client or the office. *happy sigh* Bumming in front of the TV on Saturday with the luxury of doing nothing. Not that i don’t enjoy going out with friends, but to stay in and relax is one of the few luxuries i sorely lack. (I blame it on not being able to have my own place but THAT is another story) Yes, my fellow living beings of the human kind, S P A C E is one thing this girl needs…. the more the better! And i took full advantage of it when the house was empty last Saturday. :D *another happy sigh*

Later, went for dinner with Csu at Naili's Place, a delightful cafe that just opened nearby. (Original outlet is on the other side of town). We call it our ‘Spa Getaway Café’ coz of the palm trees and resort-like settings. The food is good, very affordable and the retro music they play is real cool. They open till late, or rather, early morn (3.30am, I think) so we just hung out there, eating & soaking in the whole atmosphere. Csu and i find it all rather therapeutic plus the weirdest/best/creative ideas usually pop up when we’re there. *happy sigh again* By time we left, it was almost 2am. Mmmm.. *dreamy sigh*

Yesterday, Siryn, Cece, Csu and i had lunch at Dragon-i Restaurant, another fantastic place we're fast becoming loyal patrons of. Am usually not a big fan of Chinese Restaurants (hate the noise levels) but the delicious Shanghainese food there is enough to make me brave the crowds and plonk myself right smack in the action. Definitely going back there again..soon. Csu had this look of utter bliss when she took the Double Boiled Apple with Pear & Lotus Seed dessert. She called it her 'Spa Food'. Hmm... me thinks this girl is in dire need of a LIFE. :P

Next thing on the agenda was to watch "Happy Feet", the latest animated feature in the cinemas. Have not enjoyed such movies since Shrek 2 but this is one REALLY tickled me. Methinks we were laughing the loudest throughout the show. Love the choreography and the choice of songs. Robin Williams' character 'Ramon' really stole the show for me. Was still laughing long after we got out of the cinema. Csu and i were on a roll as we started singing all sorts of songs in the car. Siryn and Cece thought we're really gone off the edge. Au contraire.. we've only just begun!!

The perfect ending came when we had dinner at Bakerzin. Honestly, i can die happy with the choice of food/desserts there. Was in dilemma as to which to order. Tried to make rational decision in elimination style process. IF i can cook/bake it, THEN i will not order it. But Siryn and Csu had to remind me that i can cook/bake most of the things on the menu. Aaarrrrggghhhh.... Can i have one of everything then?!?! 8D

Finally settled for the Roasted chicken thigh in teriyaki sauce with roasted sweet potatoes. For dessert - Bailey's Irish Cream Souffle with espresso & cream. *Blissful sighs* Siryn took a pix of me eating the souffle. I thought it was a nice angle till she pointed out that i have this euphoric look on my face AND that my best shots lately has been somewhat related to eating. Gahhhh!!!!

Hmm....Anybody needs a model?? Will work for food....

Mad dogs & Englishman...

Finally.. things are slowly getting back to 'normal' at work, IF there's such a thing to begin with. The exhibition has been launched, the pitch done, the catalogues sent for printing and the bulk of the ads approved.

After a long hiatus of not playing with my dogs, they were a ruckus when i finally saw them last night. They jumped, licked my face & wagged their tails so furiously that i thought they were going to propel into mid-air. They were a sight as they ran circles around the garden and doing what looked like dog acrobatics to me. 8D

Hmmm.... come to think of it, LaRosa was no different in the office too. After a few weeks of dealing with our ever-fickle-ever-painful client, he was literally leaping about in the office yesterday yelling (in his weird-sounding Cockney accent) "We're done! Hurrah! We're done!". Though it sounded more like "We're Doonn! Hurrah! We're Doonn!". Rotfl...

*Sighs in relief* Am ever so glad for the cyber hugs Siryn sent me on MSN the couple of days. (would've preferred real ones but heck, better than none ;P) Had good cappucino at lunch. Bought a new novel yesterday after work, with full confidence that i have time to read it now. And this morn, got an e-card of sunflowers from Loki. *hugs Loki*

Hmm... stingy fella for not sending REAL ones AND the fact that it was classified under 'Get Well' cards but being the ever-nice-and-lovable person that i am (not to mention am already delirious from wrapping up projects), i forgive him and yeah, Slacker... i'm one of the rare few who still loves you! *spins around in glee*

Hurrah for the weekend!!! I LOVE YA ALL!!!!!!! *big hugs*

My lava lava...

I'm finally wrapping up two major projects. Before anyone can shout "let's go relax & celebrate", let me forewarn you that the upcoming pitch and subsequent projects till early next year still loom menacingly over me. And looking back at the past few projects, i have this nagging feeling that i cannot depend on anyone to make my workload any lighter. There are times (or rather, many times) that i wonder if i'm the only one who cares about not just completing a task, but ensuring that the best effort has been put into it. I thought things would get easier the longer one has been working on it. Obviously i'm sorely mistaken time and time again as we seemingly continue to regress more than progress. Sigh.... why is it so hard for some people to do a simple thing?!?!?!

I'm glad i managed to have a v. v. v. V. quick lunch with Siryn today. At least, to vent out some grouses.. though it wasn't long before we were both interrupted mid-gobble by our respective bosses, thus cutting our lunch-break short. We managed to swallow down a quick choc fix (strawberry, banana & marshmallow dipped in choc. Needed that to remind us why we bother living. :P) before we dashed off in opposite directions. Promised that we will really take time to have good desserts when this madness called work is over. Sigh.. (again)

Till then, this is a list of things that might take me out of this misery (at least temporarily):

1. Sunflowers.... loads and loads of it. Honestly! It's not easy to frown when surrounded by such happy flowers. :D
2. Hugs. Plenty of those please.. and i don't mind the Hershey's type either. :P
3. A weekend mini-break somewhere with good friends.
4. Discovering i've gone down a dress size. ( i WISH! Double sighs)
5. A walk in the park amidst the autumn leaves (obviously not the ones here).
6. STEP classes at the gym. (miss the beat/rhythm and adrenaline pumping)
7.Curling up with a good book. (IF i can find the time)
8. Playing with my dogs. (no chance lately since it's always raining and already late when i get home)
9. The smell of fresh bread baking or good coffee brewing.

AND.....the most important of all.... Choc Lava Cakes!!! warmed with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream *swoon* The liquid chocolate centre is enough to make me melt and forget everything. 8P

Siryn, shall we make a batch this weekend?!?!?! ;)

Rain on my picnic....

I would so love to be back there now. My life over the last few weeks has been a series of meetings after meetings, delays after delays, disorganisation and chaos to no end.

Add that to the daily downpour we've been getting, my life is a soggy blanket. :(

Wouldn't it be nice to have a picnic by this lake now? *sigh*

Phony Ha Ha

In my busiest moment, while i was trying to settle a crucial matter, i get this sms from SOMEONE who was standing just 3 feet away:

CONGRATS! Ur phone has been installed with a new puzzle game. 2 play, just throw ur phone against the wall & arrange d pieces back. It's fun! TRY IT!


AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! I couldn't decide if i should laugh or use dat fella as the wall to throw my phone.