Food

Ever since I came back from the Ghost Tour, I have had no appetite. Not that I am hexed or possessed, but just that a sleep debt incurred. Food, which I used to relish, no longer smells or tastes interesting anymore...

What I ate for the past 3 days:

Monday

Memory is failing me. I cannot remember what I had for lunch (Guess I was too exhausted from the sleep debt) but for dinner, Fat Boy and I went to Kenny Rogers to have the Lucille Set: 1/2 chicken, 1/2 stack of pork ribs, 3 side dishes of baked beans, butter rice and coleslaw and 2 corn muffins. Usually, we would lick our platter clean, but this time round, I could not finish my ribs, butter rice and baked beans. I just felt full...

Tuesday

Went to Alexandra Village to patronise my favourite zi char stall. Ordered the usual kailan & fish rice with a sunny-up. Specifically requested the auntie to give me less rice. Didn't feel like eating at all. In the end, couldn't finish the rice and my saliva-inducing, appetite-whetting belachan. Kept sipping the ice-cold sgar juice. Just felt like sleeping away...Nothing else mattered.

Wednesday

Boy, it was lunch again. Forgot the time till Jojo reminded me. Didn't know what to eat, but since Eugene suggested duck rice, we went to our usual stall. Ordered a plate of duck rice and a can of Pokka green tea. The latter looked more appetising to me :P Managed to polish all the chunks of duck meat, but couldn't finish the rice. Proceeded to Coffee Bean after a usually-hearty-but-now-dull-lunch. The feeling of fullness was up to my throat when I browsed through the variety of ice-blended drinks. Wanted to order a small- sized Expresso Chip, but was told that they only served regular-sized. Ran through the list again and decided to go for my initial desire, but regretted immediately after I got the drink from the barista. It is a torture to throw anything down into the throat if you are very very full - I had that feeling and I stopped drinking after 50 sips - It was half-full when we headed back to the office.

As for dinner, went to Vivocity. Fat Boy had wanted to eat at Tung Lok's Signature or Crystal Jade Dining, but I simply had no appetite and I guess it would be a waste of money. I suggested having a simple dinner at Food Republic, at least it would not that expensive. Ordered claypot laksa and as usual, the spicy broth, which I used to love, tasted bland to me...

Duck Rice

My pinky wallet & Expresso Chip

Nice logo

Ade & Me

My dinner

Perhaps, it's good in a way that I can take this opportunity to lose weight. *Fingers crossed* Then again, when I tried to think of ba chor mee, I felt hungry. I miss ba chor mee.

My cure!

Eczema

He looked into my eyes and touched my face lightly. It's "eczema". Gosh! How could that be? To me, eczema is a skin condition which is hereditary and causes the affected site to be itchy...I shot questions at the doctor asking him why it happened and he said that it could be the cosmetics I used, but the thing is that I used nothing but toner and oxy cover! Have used them for years, but nothing happened and why it occurred now? Could it be the evening primrose capsule I religiously popped every night? Or the Simple facial cleanser that Fat Boy lent me? Or because I did not wash my face straight after the cycling trip?Or could it be the fine sand that I picked up from the Bintan seabed and rubbed onto my face in Bintan?

I looked into the mirror and noticed a pinkish patch on the right side of my face. Right side again! The right side of my face has always caused me problems. First, it was the 2 blemishes near the jaw. Though they were tiny, as a perfectionist, I cannot stand them and now this. What the hell. Days passed, the hope of the pinkish patch disappearing was dashed when a 2ndArghh...I nearly committed kamikaze. I tried convincing myself that it might be some rashes and they would go away in a few days' time. "Just give it sometime. Just give it sometime, it will definitely go away"...Tried to mitigate the situation by applying loads of oxy cover onto the patches. Oxy cover does help to exterminate pimples because of its anti-bacterial properties right?

A week passed and I saw no improvement. Seemed like the condition had worsened because they started to itch after I came out of the bathroom or when I was sleeping. I felt super demoralised. What should I do if they remained like that forever? Was I going to be 钟无艳? I shuddered at the mere thought of it. Well, after much self-help and the rate that the itch and patches were going, I decided to seek the help of the doctor. Even if he was going to prick a long fat needle into the patches, I would willingly let him do it.

The doctor's $41 solution consisted of eczema cream and anti-itch tablets for both morning and night. Boo....Right now, a thin layer of cream is on the pink patches and of course, as usual, the tablets are left lying around. I am not going to take the medicine because it is not good for the liver. Anyway, I know I can do without the medicine : ) I just need the damn cream!~

All I hope now is to get a clear complexion with zero blemishes...Damn! Is it so difficult to ask for?

Mozzie Attack!

After I woke up yesterday noon, I spent the whole day chatting on MSN with Vincent. We were talking about the Ghost Tour I was going at night; and no, he did not sign up because he mentioned that as a temple helper, he had seen more in-depth stuff that what SPI was going to offer. Disappointed because we were one of the most active members in the forum.

Chat till 5.30pm before I went for a short 1-hour nap; I needed to pump up for the tour. Woke up with a grouch and went to bathe. Had to meet Skinny Bones at 7pm and dammit, he was late. By the time I met up with him, it was 7:20pm and I was dying of hunger. Had Ebi Rice Burger, iced lemon tea and chunky fries at MOS Burger. Yummy, when one's hungry, everything tastes yummy. After a hearty dinner, we went shopping. Skinny Bones bought a business shirt from Zara. Not bad~ That guy's taste has definitely improved. *Thumbs up*

The shopping centres pulled down their shutters at 9:30pm. As it was still early, both of us went to Newton Circus to pile up on hydration. Ordered sambal stingray and 3 glasses of ice-cold sugar cane juice. Awwwwwwww......At 11:15pm, we met up with the SPI team and we left for our 1st destination at 11:45pm.

1st Destination: An isolated cemetery at Lim Chu Kang

It was an uphill journey as we had to climb up and down the tombstones before we came to a banana plant. One of the members explained that they did an experiment by tying a red string around another member's toe to the needle pricked into the flower bud. The member experienced overwhelming sorrow at that point of time and the lady spirit actually followed him home - He felt sick for a few days, but after a couple of days, the latter left and he was well again. We also came to a big tall tree. They explained that it might be the residence of countless of spirits because it was dark and contained a high level of "yin" energy.

2nd Destination: A Parsi cemetery

Came to Parsi cemetery. This religion is almost unheard of in Singapore, but it is actually one of the 10 religions. SPI explained that there are about 5000 Parsi people in the world because they can only marry people of their own kind if they want to continue with the religion. If the Parsi marries a non-Parsi, he or she is no longer one. Their funeral rites are also very interesting: There should not be any burial or cremation because they worship the fire, which they feel is very sacred. In India, the corpse is left to the vultures to dispose. In Singapore, it's different. It is placed on a cow-urine washed cement slab and I am not sure how the decomposition process works.

3rd Destination: Shell Petrol Station

After a hectic 2-hour ordeal, finally, we were given a 15-min toilet break. Bought a bottle of ice-cold Pokka green tea. The toilet queue was long though, boo. Had wanted to buy something to munch, but the thought of getting fat made me sick. Decided to stick to drinking mineral water and sugar-loaded drink. Irony.

4th Destination: Sarimbun Beach

This beach used to be a killing ground for the Japanese soldiers during WW2. SPI did an experiment before this outing- They placed offerings and had a female member, dressed in Japanese kimono, chant Japanese sutras. They mentioned that all of a sudden, there was a huge tide sweeping the offerings away. They believed it could be the souls of the Japanese soldiers that swept the offerings back into the sea. As for the female member, she claimed that she felt very depressed and started to cry after the rites.

As for us, the road was grained with pebbles and stones. Was very careful to avoid stepping onto bits and pieces of broken glasses. Felt bored at this point of time - This trip felt more like an historical tour than a spiritual one. Wanted to go back to the tour coach.

5th Destination: Bukit Brown Cemetery

This place gave me the creeps. Everybody knows that this is one of the oldest and fiercest cemeteries around. The place was midnight-dark and full of mozzies. Imagine how much repellant I loaded on my limbs when I smelled like a grapefruit : P The team began their experiments and started to ask for volunteers. Though I am outspoken and daring, I don't see the need to play with fire and invite any spirit home. After much cajoling, a middle-aged auntie came forward. She was supposed to sit in front of the offerings and white candlesm, shake the ancient abacus 7 times and look into mirror to see if there was any "passerby".

Felt pissed by their unprofessionalism though - everything was not thoroughly organized and it seemed to me that they were more concerned with their experiments than the safety of the volunteer. After 20 minutes, the experiment ended and there was no positive result.

They tried the experiment again, this time round with their own member shaking the abacus and looking into the mirror and 5 volunteers tapping porcelain bowls with chopsticks. Again, it yielded no positive results. Had the debrief and one of the members with "yin yang" eye mentioned that she saw spirits wandering about and they were curious about the experiment. They hovered for a few minutes but after seeing the simple offerings, they went away. Not too sure how true, but fatigue ate into me - I could not think properly.

They dropped us at Newton Circus, the same place which we gathered hours back. Hungry and tired, both Skinny Bones and I took a cab to Macdonald's at teahouse to have breakfast. Chomped down a Sausage Mcmuffin and orange juice. Walked Skinny Bones to Queenstown MRT before I made my way home.

Bathed and got a scolding from Gramps for staying out at night. The moment my head touched the pillow, I was knocked out....

ZzZZZzzZZzzzzzzzzZZzzZZzz

Yesterday...

My throat condition worsens and I have a hard time speaking properly. Despite this, I refused to let it hinder my social life~ :P

Yesterday was Esther's last day - Esther was a temporary admin-cum-sales consultant for the previous months because she had to pursue her university studies. She is such a sweet girl who likes to dress up to the nines and she has no airs at all. Sad to let such a sweet lil' girl leave the company..and guess what, she left me a handwritten farewell letter! So sweet yet sad : ( Oh, we also threw a farewell lunch for her at Sushi Tei. Shared half of the teriyaki chicken don with Adeline, had some sushi and a bowl of miso soup myself. The bill came to about $23. That was quite hefty for an hour's lunch, but everybody remained happy : ) All the best to your future endeavours, Esther!

As for dinner, we went to Outback Steakhouse at Millenia Walk. There was Jojo, Jacintha, Amy, Adeline, Deryx, Eugene and me : ) Ellen (Lee) was not in town - She was with her boyfriend in Bintan and as for Rightie, she was not feeling well, hence did not go for the gathering. After a hearty dinner of juicy steaks, burgers, pasta, chicken and endless flow of iced lemon tea, we left for our post-dinner drinks. Jojo did not join us because she had to go home to tend to her pet puppy. She's so responsible : P Unlike me towards Boyboy : ( Had wanted to go to Timbre because Eugene was so excited about the place, hence, we wanted to see what was so interesting about the open air live band pub. However, his spirits were dampened when the place was overcrowded and we had no choice but to go to an anonymous KTV pub in Central Mall, as recommended by Amy.

The place was indeed "chee na" - Nothing of Ministry of Sound or Barfly. All of a sudden, whenever dance music filled the smoke-filled air, there would be two bikini-top clad dancers gyrating on the pool table. Gosh. Good experience though. Played pool with Deryx and won (Yay~). I thought I was lousy...: x and sang a duet with Adeline. Both of us sound like members of a girlie girl band : P After a while, we went off because there was nothing much to make us stay. Besides, Eugene, Jacintha and Deryx had to go back to the office the next day.

Reached home at 2am. Went to bathe and popped a capsule of Evening Primrose Oil, with the hope that wrinkles would not appear on my face anytime soon. As my hair was wet, I went online to upload the candid photographs we took. Just as I was about to leave, Vincent "nudged" me in MSN and we chat. We discussed about work, ghosts and his pending trip to China. Logged off at 5am and boy, I was gone by then. Quickly hopped onto bed and I was in slumberland in no time.

Woke up at 12:30pm just now and had fried noodles, cooked by Aunt : ) How nice it is to have homecooked food once in a while : ) I am so excited about tonight's SPI Ultimate Ghost Tour! I must make sure I have enough sleep later on!

Colleague Outing - Lunch & Dinner & Drinks

Stuffy Nose, Heavy Head, Sick Feeling

I think my nose is dropping and my brain is leaking. Yesterday had a painful throat and today it morphed into a stuffy nose. Had a busy day at work especially when orders are aplenty and offers are flying around. My only consolation is "The Voice" - One of my clients, whom I liaised recently due to a particular position, has this deep, throaty and sexy voice. Everytime I hear his voice, I feel overwhelmed by electric currents. I love his voice and boy, I hope to find an excuse to call him again so that I can hear his voice :P No fantasies though because I am fully aware that people with fantastic voices are usually not good looking. God is fair. Ommm~Nevertheless, I must call him tomorrow so as to have my daily dosage of ear candy : )

Met up with Christopher for dinner after a year. We went to Coca Restaurant to have steamboat. As I was not feeling tip-top, I had not much of an appetite and it did not help that we ordered too much food. Had some pineapple rice, soup, pork balls, veggie and fish. Period. How much tasteless food can one stomach? : P The atmosphere was slightly arkward because there were a few sensitive topics which we tried hard to avoid. In the end, we spoke about work and other stuff. Rather shallow, I must say. In the end, we left with lotsa food swimming in the hot pot. The bill came up to $84. Expensive for a tasteless dinner.

Went to Watson's to buy cold pills and herbal tea, with the hope they can soothe the stuffy nose and painful throat. Took a bus home and felt like dying. Fortunately, I live nearby, if not I would just die of fatigue and the cold. Bah!

Damn. Tomorrow's only Thursday. The only consolation is that I am going to meet Sworn Sista for dinner. Yay~.

Sore Throat

Just came back from facial at Aunt Helen's. Is glad that my complexion has improved; why would it not be when I had already attended about 5 $70-per-facial sessions? Though there is a big hole in the pocket and the heart is bleeding from it, guess there is a need, especially for ladies (like me) who have just reached 25 years old. Dinner was just a takeaway double-cheese burger from MacDonald's. had no mood to eat outside; there was no company anyway.

Realized my throat is abit sore - Could it be due to the ba chor mee that I took this afternoon? Or the spicy soup at Waraku yesterday? I must drink lotsa water later on...and not to forget a capsule of evening primrose oil to decelerate my ageing process : P

Had a bad day yesterday. What's new - I hate Mondays. Boss made it worse by giving us a tonge-lashing during the sales meeting. He chided that we were not working hard enough for our sales. A thick waft of sarcasm, fear of being delayed of leaving the office, anger and boredom filled the small meeting room. Fortunately, there was something to look forward to - Dinner with Fat Boy : ) We went to Waraku for a short dinner. The last time I went to the Japanese restaurant was with Accountant and his friend-cum-my candidate, Isaac. As both of us succeeded in fighting tooth-and-nail in getting the latter into the company, we made him treat us for our efforts. As it was supposed to be his treat, Accountant ordered many dishes, which might be too much for the 3 of us. I told him to halt as I did not want to waste food and at the same time, it was not nice to kill Isaac's pocket. As a result, he got angry with me because he felt that I was helping Isaac to save money - He engaged in a cold war with me for a few days.

Aside, after the Waraku dinner, both Fat Boy and I went for 2 games of bowling. It has been a long time since I bowled. Concidentally, the last time I bowled was with Isaac and Accountant. No, it was with Isaac alone because Accountant did not like such sports. Instead, he was at the phone while the two of us bowled. Whoa, time flies - It was months since it happened.

2 games of bowling made me very tired and want to go home. We walked past Anderson's Ice Cream and we shared a cone of Bailey's Scorched Almond and Rum & Raisin, because I had wanted something sweet and cold, yet I did not want to have so much of sugar and carbs. As I brought my pinkie camera along, we started our hobby of camwhoring - All sorts of poses, facial expressions, locations. You name it, we have it : )

Outing With Fat Boy 180607

Aching Legs

As mentioned previously, I was supposed to meet up with my university mates for cycling at East Coast Park. Received Skinny Bone's SMS to meet up with him earlier for shopping. I told him that I could not as I had to bathe Boyboy and wait for my Gramps to come home from the hairdresser's. As a result, after shopping, he came to my house and guess what, he was traumatised by Boyboy as he peed and pawed on him! Hahaha. Finally, Gramps came back and the both of us took Bus 196 to East Coast Park.

Reached East Coast Park after a long 45-min ride and while walking in the rain, saw Zhaoxin - She walked towards us and though she was carrying an umbrella, she did not offer to shelter us. Feeling pissed and ignoring her, Skinny Bones and I continued with our walk and chat. Met Charis at Macdonald's and as Skinny Bones was hungry, we decided to have a light lunch there. However, there was a short controversy regarding to lunch in the air-conditioned or non air-conditioned seats. To reinforce her desire to sit outside, she tried to get Charis's support. It reminded me of a similar incident in Marina Bay which both of us had a short argument whether to dine in Zhenfa Steamboat. I felt sick in the tummy and I told her that it was meaningless to debate over such a minor issue. In the end, we sat outside. Both Skinny Bones and I went to order our food and when we came back, there were only 3 seats, which 2 of them were occupied by the both of them. I carried my own chair and at that point of time, I felt sick - For group outings, why can't the members be more proactive and look out for one another, instead of being concerned about their own welfare? Getting my own chair is no big deal to me, but is helping your group member or friend get another chair so difficult? If it were me, I would definitely get those without chairs without them even asking.

I told Skinny Bones that I felt sick going to such outings and that it was irritating being thrown challenges and resistances by this particular group member most of the time. He tried his best to simmer me, but I was not convinced despite being appreciative of his effort.

Finally met up with Wai Kin, who rushed down from his work and looking burned-out, and we went for a 2-hour cycling. The 5 of us got separated; the speed demons - Skinny Bones and I were ahead of them and we sped all the way beyond Bedok Jetty. On the way to the end, we came across a boy aged 8 - 10, who had difficulties with his bicycle. Skinny Bones went off his bicycle and helped him and as a result, his hands were dirtied by the diesel. Children, nowadays, are getting bolder and bolder; after helping him, the boy asked us for $5 because he had pay for the delayed time. Shocked, I told him "We don't have. Ask from your mother". Intimidated, he mouthed a soft "Ok".

We continued riding until the 2 hours were up and we went for a good dinner at Crystal Jade in Marine Parade. By the time, both of my legs were aching so badly that I was reluctant to walk - I just wanted to sit. Had a steaming hot seafood porridge and good pu-er tea. This is life despite exruciatingly aching legs : )

Took Bus 196 home. Skinny Bones accompanied me because he wanted to take an MRT from Commonwealth. He mentioned that his sexual drive was in the peak and he had some issues with his constantly-standing member. Of course, there were times which he wanted to seek "external help" as he is single and there were times which were terribly unbearable, but ultimately, he stuck to his principles. Though I respect him for his determination, I had no solution except to ask him use his right hand.

Went home, had a hot bath and slacked in front of the gogglebox...with aching legs. I wished I could chop them off.

Cycling @ East Coast Park

Boyboy Attack

Yesterday, when I came home after a satisfying dinner of juicy steak, jacket potato and banana split, I received an SMS from Uncle Stanley:

"Having a big dog in a small flat is a pain in the ass. I cannot stand the odour of the house. It's causing great inconvenience to your grandmother and undue unhappiness amongst us with our mother. I hope you consider my stand in removing the dog"

My hand shook with anger. Who is he to tell me to remove the dog? Just because he visited our place with his daughter last week and the dog peed on his socks? Didn't he keep a dog for the past decade and it died of old age a year back? While we are all working, who accompanies Gramps during the day and constantly keeps her mind active?

No doubt, Boyboy is fussy with his food - he only eats chunky boiled pork and rice, likes to paw on visitors and pee on their feet when he's excited, disturbs us by dangling his saliva-loaded soft-toy and pillow when we are sitting on the sofa and barks and howls when we step out of the house, he brings joy (though sometimes annoyance) to us. Nothing beats having a happy face and a swinging white-flagged tail greeting you when you are back from work and when you wake up every morning.

I don't care - He is here to stay for good.

Later in the noon, I am going to meet my university pals at East Coast Park and we are going cycling. It has been ages since I cycled - Prefer jogging, because cycling requires good coordination and I lack that. What's more, we will cycle pass the 360Ski pond and it will bring back scary memories...Argggghhhhhhhhh......

Boyboy disturbing Aunt while vaccuming the house.

Trying to catch her attention by performing stunts.

He walks away as Aunt looks on.

... but comes back with a mighty roar!

She sweeps him away with her hand.

He bounces back with his springy legs...

and locks in a staring competition with Aunt.

However, he is "electrocuted" by Aunt's million watt stare.

She continues to shock him with her dagger stare.

Tired, she ignores him. He stands behind her.

Going Vegetarian

Boo. Adeline came back to work this morning - She did not go on MC as planned as she had important stuff to settle. Well well well..can understand what's going because it always happens to me as well. Just as I am happily going on leave the next day, important stuff like interviews or candidates' offer stages, which can determine whether I cross the minimum target for the month, usually made me either cancel the leave altogether or just come back for half a day, usually in the morning.Boo. How sickening. Anyway, good to see the beady-eyed girl again - She can be my Prozac at times : )

Went for early lunch at 11:30am because Ellen Lee had to go to her client's place at 1:30pm. Boo again. Hate early lunches because time usually crawls after that. No doubt it's a mentality thing, but...argh. Just hate it. Walked briskly to China Square Foodcourt and boy, I did not know what to eat because I had no appetite. Just wanted something light and decided on vegetarian food. Always thought that vegetarian food is inexpensive because it mainly consists of gluten and I was wrong; my lunch for today cost 6 bucks. $1.50 for a can of Pokka Green Tea and you've guessed it right: $4.50 for the damn thing! I felt like I had been electrocuted when the auntie said $4.50. Who is in the right mind to pay that kind of moolah for that! Anyway, that would be the first and the last time. Hello experience and byebye chance!

Tada! $4.50 worth of gluten, bee hoon and veggie

As an avid meat-lover, I cannot fathom why people go vegetarian. What is so interesting about gluten, greens and beans? I rather go for a juicy bloody steak anytime! Perhaps, some people go vegetarian due to religious purpose, this, I can comprehend. But other than that, no. I had an ex-classmate who was a vegetarian and at that point of time, we happened to organise an orientation exercise which meals were involved. Because he was a vegetarian, there were some inconvenience, but eventually it was resolved. Realised that it is not easy to go vegetarian in Singapore. Perhaps, our culture doesn't really include vegetarian. Don't believe? Just look around and you will know what I mean.

Gosh, the time now is 1:23am. Time to sleep...and repeat the whole vicious cycle...Damn. Waiting for Saturday to arrive.

MC

The alarm rang - The time was 7:25am. "Quick! You got to decide whether you want to continue hiding under the cosy blanket or squeeze with the population in the MRT train and counting hours and minutes at work" The answer was obvious. I "slaughtered the chicken" (My alarm tone is the rooster's cuckadoo) and closed my eyes...ZzZZzZZzZ. Life's beautiful. Awww....

Woke up at 9:20am to have fishball noodles and made a trip to the doc's. For the previous trips, I always feel stressed because I did not know what kind of illnesses I should report to him. Tried gastric pains, backaches, menstrual cramps, tender breasts and colds. Also had the guilt feeling because it seemed like I was insulting his expertise by lying through my teeth. However, this time round, I strutted into the clinic because it was for real! My back was giving me the excruciating aches last night and I must say I did not have a good night's rest. Backaches are common during my "inconvenient period" but this time round, they got worse - Makes me wonder is it due to the evening primrose capsules that I took recently, my bad posture or intensive night jogging? I don't know and I don't care. I cannot be healthy throughout. Anyway it's just for a few days. Heck. Doc gave me 2 types of painkillers - One stronger than the other; told me to try the mild one first and if it didn't work, take the stronger one. I believed this is a way of extracting more money from liars : P Went home and took the stronger painkiller. I definitely do not want to be a guinea pig to compare the level of efficiency between the painkillers. Just give me relief and fuck off!

The 2 types of painkillers - I took one.

Life's indeed beautiful when one is slacking at home; the time belongs to nobody but mine. I can do whatever I like and sleep is definitely in the itinerary : ) Then again, I know when I go back to the office tomorrow, my desk will be a warzone. It happens all the time, but the same word - heck. By the way, have uploaded the pictures taken when I was baking as mentioned in "Bake a Cookie".

Guess my dear colleagues are in the midst of having lunch right now. Wonder what they are having today. Hmm...hopefully it is not ba chor mee : ( Anyway, won't be able to know today's gossips tomorrow - Adeline's on MC : )

Candidate

Went to work with a freaking sickening feeling in my tummy, yet the moment I reached, I received a shockingly rude phone call -

Candidate: Hi Joanne, I am Bee Kuan. Thought you have forwarded the details of today's 2nd round interview to me yesterday? But I did not receive.
Me: Yes, I was supposed to forward you the details, but as HR had not got back to me on the details, I could not provide you with anything. I will call her later on and email you the details afterwards. Your second round's today at 6:30pm right?
Candidate: Right. But as you know I am working. It is not convenient for me to access my email. Me: This is common - I will sms you the details - The name of the Hiring Manager and what is to be expected of you.
Candidate: Believed that the company pays you a fee for this position right? Actually, I have had not heard from you since the first round; there was no feedback from you at all. Since I am going for the second round, it is your job to prep me well, but I don't think you are doing enough.
Me: *Super furious* Frankly speaking, after not hearing from them since your first round, I thought you were not shortlisted at all. As you know, I liaise with HR and not the Hiring Manager and the only source of information is also from HR. Besides, HR was engaged in the meeting and there was no chance for me to get hold of her for the details.
Candidate: (Repeat earlier sentence to reinforce her point)
Me: *Felt so sick and meaningless to argue with her further* Yeah, guess I have overlooked - S-o-r-r-y about it. I will call HR later and sms you the details.
Candidate: Ok. Thanks. Bye.
Me: ...

Felt terrible after the phone call. She has completely spoiled my morning. I was boiling mad inside. Fortunately, I got over it after a while - It is absolutely ridiculous to have any negative emotions over such a person who expects me to be fully responsible for her career. Heck, anyway, this is part and parcel of my job. There are definitely more people who appreciate my professionalism out there : )

Later in the late afternoon, received an SMS from Amanda - Her Golden Retriever is suffering from heatstroke and needs blood transfusion from other dogs asap. Hence, she is pleading for owners with big dogs (20 - 25kg) let the latter donate blood to her sick dog. As a dog owner myself, I understand how she feels. Forwarded her SMS to friends whom have big dogs, but response was bad - Nobody wanted their dogs to suffer from any repercussion. This is human nature. Anyway, just hope that her dog will get the blood that it requires and get well soon.

The time now is 12:19am. In a dilemma whether to get an MC later on. *Argh*

Job Satisfaction

Weekly sales meetings are getting more and more meaningless. They are all about number of interviews, sales for the week and projections. Getting increasingly irritated by the fact that Boss keeps holding us back; today's ended at 6:50pm. I simply don't understand why he loves to eat into our personal time, knowing that each and every one of us would definitely detest this despicable action? He also mentioned about not having duplicate ads because the Company needs to save money. My goodness, doesn't he understand the simple rule of increasing revenue is equivalent to increasing expenses? How the hell is he going to have revenue increment while keeping the expense level constant? This is very unrealistic of him. Tsk tsk.

Came across an inspirational person this morning - A Business Analyst (managerial level) with Chevron, he has been in the oil industry for many years. However, due to progression ceiling and the desire to gain exposure in the upstream aspect, he does not mind a paycut of $1000. $1000! Initially, when I received his resume, I was very excited because he has what my client is looking for, then again, I was worried about his expectations; I believed his current salary was more than my client's budget. True enough, it was. Spoke to him and realised that his priority was really not on the moolah, but on the learning aspect. I was amazed and at the same time, respectful of this person. He shared with me that his wife was his greatest inspiration; She quit her job as a $5000 per month sales engineer and became a $2000 per month teacher. All for the sake of job satisfaction...

Makes me wonder...what exactly is job satisfaction? Is it looking forward to go to work every morning or getting the monthly paycheck? I don't know, but one thing for sure, mine is the latter. I strongly believe that if it's not for the money, I cannot be bothered to work. I might as well just stay at home and sleep eh?

Tomorrow is only Tuesday...My goodness. These few days have been craving for Baileys - Bought a bottle for $55 (sales, woah woah woah!) from Jason's Market Place. Drank one glass and my craving is satisfied : ) Anyway, my head's spinning; guess it's time to go to bed and dream of all the luxury bags I can lay my hands on : )

Love (Loaf?)

After so many years of watching cartoons and pondering who is the best action hero among Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit and so on, I finally found my true love - Spiderman. Watched Spiderman 3 in JB yesterday and boy, it was worth the money. Spidey remained devoted to Mary Jane, though he enjoyed the attention of a new girl. Regardless, he will always be there for her whenever she is in trouble. Especially like the classic scene which they shared a kiss in the rain - he was hanging upside down :P How nice if I have the chance to try! Yummy! I always believe that it is important to have a partner who is always there for you, be it in good times or bad times. Otherwise, what's the point of sacrificing sacred singlehood?

This morning, my eldest Aunt came, like every other day, Whenever she comes, we cringe because we know that she is either here to make Gramps angry by spouting nonsense or ask for money. Despite the small sum of 10 bucks, we are reluctant to give her not because we are stingy; but because it will encourage her to remain unemployed. All along, Eldest Aunt was looked upon as "The Educated One" - She was versed in Chinese literature, calligraphy, history and arts. However, after a failed marriage, she gave up on herself and embarked on Buddhism. Not that the religion is bad, but when a troubled person shifts all her priorities into one aspect, it becomes addiction. This happened to Eldest Aunt. She was very into the religion and neglected everything, including her daughter. As a result, the latter hated her for not being there with her during her teenage years and it did not help when she used physical and verbal violence on Eldest Aunt. She became mentally unstable and a few months back, she was in the mental institution for depression. She managed to get out of the place, but things did not help - She didn't want to work because she mentioned that there was somebody out there trying to make her life miserable; and she spends most of her time wandering in shopping malls and beaches. Many a time, Gramps tries to knock sense into her, but to no avail...

Guess this is a sad example of a person withering away due to a failed marriage. Believed there are many people out there who are also like that, but there are also many people who became stronger after the ordeal. Sounds very scary huh? I believe it is very important to choose the Significant One carefully to lower the probability of a failed marriage. That is why the factors of money, career, values and family must be seriously considered.

Last Friday, went for a splendid seafood dinner at Jojo's uncle's stall in Newton Circus. Met up with Ellen (Lee)'s boyfriend - As usual, he is a blue-eyed guy who is working in Singapore as a designer since last November. What raises eyebrows is that he is 9 years younger than Ellen. Well, love doesn't speak about age eh? For me, as a traditional Chinese, I would always go for older and not younger guys. I would want the guy to take care of me, and not the other way round. Then again, there is a market for everyone. Anyway, they appeared to be lovey dovey. Happy for Ellen : ) All the best to you, girl!

TV

There goes my 188 bucks an hour ago. Used the money which I can buy many Zara and Forever 21 tops on a Philips 21 inch TV. It's not for myself, but for my Gramps. The TV set in her room is spoilt from the dripping water from the air-conditioner 3 days back. As a result, she cannot watch her drama serials in the comfort of air con. Yesterday, I went to Suntec City to have a look at the TV sets and of course to compare prices of various brands. Decided on Philips after much browsing and went back again to confirm the purchase. Yay~ The TV set wil be here tomorrow.

Today is another busy at work. I felt like dying with so much activities - Arranging interviews, interviewing candidates, searching for candidates, persuading candidates, managing clients and so on. The moment I stepped out the office, I felt so exhausted, but happy; at least I had done something and not swatting flies. In a way or so, there is a minor sense of achievement...Awww...

Nothing much to say today because I am brain-dead. Going for a jog later on at 10pm...*Sigh* How nice today's Friday, at least I can sleep in. I am seriously sleep-deprived. I need sleep.

Ageing

I nearly dropped dead today. It has been a hectic and busy day for me and perhaps for all. People from all walks of life called in for the foodtaster position and like a recorder, I had to repeat the same stuff "This is a 2-year contract, you have to taste all kinds of food like pork, beef, mutton, seafood. Location is at Woodlands; you cannot have any health or dental problems. Paying $12 per hour..." for countless of times. Gosh. Came across some people who couldn't commit to the contract, but insisted in finding out what the job was all about. Out of goodwill, shared the information with the first few number of people..Gradually, the replies got shorter and shorter and finally, just shut them out by saying that the positions were filled.

In addition, there were numerous interviews to be arranged. Didn't know where those candidates popped out from, but so long as their edited resumes have my name in it, who cares the hard work? So long I have the numbers to report during the sales meeting, I don't care about anything. What could be worst than being bombarded and cornered by Boss regarding the interview numbers and sales projection during the damn weekly rountine?

Ran out of the office with Adeline at 6:20pm. The feeling was fantastic. We went to C.O.A.X to shop for some clothing which we glanced during the last few minutes of the lunch-hour. Bought two dresses on impulse. Guess that's one way of relieving the tremendous work stress and to reward myself for surviving the hectic day. At least I did not die. Yay~

Had fish slice & kailan rice for dinner. Satisfying, but not as satisfying as what I had for lunch - Chicken rice with a braised egg, topped with yummy chilli sauce. Double whammy sinful, but I loved it! Went to Watson's to see what I could lay my hands on from the closing-down sale. Bought a double-pack 180 Evening Primrose Oil capsules for $36! What a steal! Didn't want to buy actually, but the thought of me being 25 years old and the fact that the ageing process in women acelerates at the crucial age, made my pocket bigger by another hole. Now I have royal jelly in the morning and evening primrose oil in the night. Hopefully the ageing process within me slows down with the combination of the supplements. *Keep fingers crossed*

Bake A Cookie

Felt so tired today - Perhaps because of the usual Monday blues and my habit of sleeping late on Sunday nights. Work was rather hectic today; maybe because I had to call each foodtaster to confirm their interest as well as tell them the client's address. There were about 8 of them, so imagine, I have to repeat the damn information 7 times. Argh!

Was angry with Boss because he knew I was in a rush to leave; I kept dogging him to start the weekly sales meeting, but he dragged the duration of it on purpose by discussing the details of some positions. What the fucking hell. What did I do to have such a childish boss who loves to eat into his staff's personal time? Despite angry, I cannot be bothered with him. For my sake of my ricebowl, I just have to close one eye. Let him torture me as much as he wants - I will try my best not to retaliate :P

Came home with an extremely tired soul. However, my spirits were lifted when Bro wanted to try his hands on baking. He bought a packet of cookie batter mix that cost 5 bucks. My god! Isn't it expensive. Imagine how much flour, eggs and sugar I can buy with 5 bucks! This Bro of mine is getting more and more extravagant. He doesn't know how difficult it is to earn money and how much suffering from humiliation and ridicule under a childish boss. Argh. Anyway, based on my secondary-school-home-economics hands-on knowledge, I helped him mix the cookie batter and mould them on the metal plate. As we own a toaster oven (not the real oven), it is not easier to bake crispy cookies due to the temperature difference. There is a chance that the cookies may turn out to be burnt on the outside, uncooked in the inside. So, it is important to keep adjusting the temperature.

Baking used to be my favourite after attending Home Economics lessons in Secondary School. It is therapeutic to crack the egg, add butter to the flour and mixing the batter. All steps are crucial in coming up with a nice and fragrant cookie or cake, any wrong step and all efforts are gone. I used to hone my baking skills by using my ex-boyfriends and sworn sister as guinea pigs. I tried chocolate chip muffins (My toaster over can never come up with a crispy cookie anyway) and substandard egg tarts. Those are in the past...Wonder how they could stand the burnt cookie (or better known as muffin) and substandard egg tart...: ) I no longer bake - It's too much work washing the oily plates, forks, spoons and bowls.

Then again, I don't mind baking if there is somebody who is willing to wash the oily cutlery : P

Baking Time! - May 2007

Rice

Took the calendar and counted how many days were there left before my "inconvenient week" because I realised I have been craving for neither chocolate nor chips, but rice! Have been finishing rice on my platter on every meal. My goodness! Can you imagine the amount of carbohydrates that has been piling on my tummy, face, arms and thighs? I am beginning to freak out... X (

Decided to put on my running shoes and jog along the usual route - Not too sure whether it helped to burn the excess carbohydrates of my packet dinner of rice (again!), pan-fried fish, cabbage and kailan, but it definitely beat than staying home and be a counch potato eh? Decided not to bring Boyboy along because the day before, he puked undigested chunks of banana (Daddy cajoled him to eat because he felt bananas provided him with Vitamin C. Argh). Sneaked out of the house and cursed myself for not wearing the knee guard. Heck. Proceeded to jog anyway - Deceived myself that not wearing them for only one session won't cause my kneecaps to shatter and drop.

Jogged faster because Boyboy was not around. There was no tug-of-war involved. Just when I was coming to my last 200m, I saw three women strolling towards me. I shifted to the extreme left so that they would have sufficient space. Continued to jog towards them till an arm's length; foresaw that they were not going to give me my space and I was going to crash into one of them at this rate. Banged hard into one of the women, who nearly fell backwards and in retaliation, mouthed "Rude" at me. I continued to jog, with a smirk on my face. Haha, served her right! Since she wanted to be crashed by me, I would fulfil her wish! Had wanted to laugh out loud, scream "Bitch" and drew my potent middle finger, but did not. Guess there was sufficient - She must had been startled by my action; guess she thought I would stop and let them pass before continuing my pace. I guess she must be dreaming, or well, she didn't know who I was. Hahaha, revenge is always sweet eh? Wish I could bang harder into her, so that next time she knows the meaning of being considerate : ) *feeling evil*

Well, stayed at home for dinner once again. Actually had wanted to fulfil the dinner appointment I made with Accountant last week, but felt disgusted with him regarding last week's issues. Decided not to go. Anyway, it didn't make sense if I had to pull a long face with grievances dripping from my mouth. Guess afterall, we did not meet each other's expectations. It would be better if things remain just as platonic and business-like as before.

Saw him online - Actually he is not in a very good state; despite being confirmed, he did not get his desired increment. Besides that, his friend, whom he helped to get into the same company, is repaying kindness with malice. My goodness, that's the worst that can happened to one. I think I would die of shock and anger. May the force be with him.

Anniversary

Anniversaries are supposed to be fun and filled with joy. Today is BGC's 2nd year in the recruitment field. As its members, we bought a Bengawan Solo chocolate cake for Boss. He was very happy and made a brief speech of appreciation. I have also been with the company for coming to 2 years, but I am not at all excited about the whole thing. What's the point of rejoicing when all your good friends are gone? What's the point of cheering when you see with your own eyes how they were treated before they officially left the organization? It all started with Ben, then Roy, Zen, Cheryl, Ellen and Amy...These are people who once left a positive impact on me and left. They are greatly missed.

I love to organize outings and events. To me, taking the trouble to come up with a list of restaurants, call to make reservations and make sure everything falls into place is of no issue, and no challenge, to me. This time round, I don't want to do the job - No point in going through all the trouble, I feel. Anyway, all my good friends, with the exception of Adeline, Eugene, Esther and Jojo, had left. All I do right now is to go with the flow...I don't want to stick my pudgy finger in whatever that is not related to me.

Went straight home after work because there was nobody to accompany me to dinner. Bought veggie rice home and ate in front of the gogglebox and Boyboy. Just as well, staying at home can be quite relaxing sometimes : ) Guess it's better than having to haggle of who should pay for the bill this time round and facing all sorts of rubbish - I am sick of that. I just want a simple no-brainer life. Anyway, he (Accountant) couldn't make it as well. Oh well, just as well.

Forgot to mention that Fat Boy gave me a belated birthday treat at Oosh last Tuesday. The place was beautiful, the atmosphere, cosy, but the food was average and expensive. The bill amounted to 80 bucks, yet we did not feel satisfied from the meal. Afterwards, we went to Swenson's for ice cream - That was a killer, to my waistline. Arghhhh...But guess once in a while, should be fine? Heck! Anyway, we had great fun being camwhores at Oosh & Swenson's - I picked up the tab for the ice-cream.

Dinner @ Oosh 290507

Vesak Day

The day before yesterday, I had the runs. Not too sure what caused it though I strongly suspect it might be the prawn noodles that we had for lunch. We were actually discussing that the prawns were not fresh and the customer service sucked. It would be the last time we patronised it. Period.

Yesterday, the runs continued. Immediately after lunch, I rushed to the ladies. Felt weak as I continued to run to the ladies for consecutive 3 times afterwards. I was worried that I couldn't make it for the outing - I couldn't possibly control the loose stools from rushing out all the time - My ass muscles have its limits : P However, it was all written in the book; I went for the outing and nothing happened. Guess the diarrhoea had ended its run.

Had a super late dinner at Bakerzinn. The food wasn't fantastic. Ordered teriyaki chicken with rice. Gobbled everything up in no time as I was hungry from that afternoon's ordeal. Afraid that I might be dehydrated, I ordered an Evian after a minty Lychee blended. After that we proceeded to Paulaner to chill out. The atmosphere was not bad...Had a craving for Bailey's, hence, ordered it instead of the homemade beer. We chat for quite sometime and left. Promised to meet up soon...: )

As for Vesak Day, I was awakened by Daddy, who came over in the early morning. We were supposed to pray because it was Grandpa's death anniversary. It was good to see everybody again : ) After everything had ended, I went to bathe and drift to deep sleep....

Woke up at 7pm - Had slept for a good 5 hours. Wonderful. I love this life.

Colleague Gathering 300507