C'est la vie: January 2005

The first dinner

And because my brownies were too unsightly and horrible tasting (I know because my Dad tried and he told me frankly so..), I thought it would be good to drag sweetie out to meet me at the mall before I make an appearance at his place. I didn't want to go empty-handed..

With 4 hours of sleep the night before and after a gruelling 3 hour French class, I was a nervous and tired person when sweetie came by to meet me. He took a look at me and I guessed he could tell I was all jittery and he gave me a big hug which eased me up greatly! :)

We did some mini grocery shopping and I bought some chinese pastries for his family. And when all the errands were done, I felt my nervousness raising up again! I must have looked all silly cause sweetie was trying hard not to laugh!

"Hiyo dear, why are you so nervous?"
"You think I do this all the time ah... go meet the guy's family for dinner... "

The audacity of it all! Hmpf.

To cut the story short - Dinner with his folks was fabulous! :) Guess I didn't have to be so nervous and 'kan-cheong'.. His mum is such a nice lady and a fabulous cook! We had a really good chat, amazed me how easy it was to just talk to her. For dinner, she made herbal chicken, watercress & fishball soup and fried fish & sweetie made my fave chilli crabs! We also ate some nice strawberry sorbet for desert. Yummy! I was a stuffed person at the end of it all! :)

Drats, I think my bf's a better cook than me. I think my new year resolution #3 might not be that hard to attain afterall! *grins*

Left sweetie's place yesterday a very happy and smiling person.

I got out of bed this morning at 3pm - texted sweetie and asked him if he would go with me to the mumbo jumbo flea market in Novena that was advertised in the papers. Boy it was a disappointment. I think the ones at Tanglin malls are even way better. Oh well bargain hunting no luck, we ended up in a cafe with coffee and cake. Yums.

"So.... what did your mum say anything about me??"
"I die already. My mum is totally on your side. 105 marks lah"
"Hee... so so... what else did she say.....? "
"She said you are very good, and I must treasure you... .... "

I was beaming and grinning from ear to ear, much to sweetie's amusement. Heh :D

I'm really glad to know I'm in his mum's good books. Very important if you ask me. I don't want sweetie to be caught between his mother and me. Harmony within the family is very important.

And? He's under strict intructions from his mum not to bully me.. Haha.

He bully me, he die! :D

Baking Flop

I haven't baked in the longest time. Used to bake much during my uni days, where I experimented with making almond cookies, choc chip cookies and blaklava etc. Was pretty good back then.

My attempt at baking brownies today was rather a flop. The oven was probably too hot and it didn't help that it wasn't a fan-forced oven, so the heat is not evenly spread out. Big mistake to keep taking the tray out and putting it back in. Bad bad mistake.... tsk.

End result - Unevenly baked brownies - rock hard upper crust and chewy soft centre. Blahh :(

The unsightly brownies are cooling off now. Maybe they will look better after a while??

I should just stick to baking cookies next time round, if I ever put my baking act together, again.

Hmm, I am thinking twice about bringing my unsightly and yucky brownies to dinner tonight.

That wouldn't quite make a good impression, would it? :\ Argh, why am I feeling all jittery and nervous? Its only a dinner.......... I'm going for dinner, not being served as dinner. Relax relax!

Sharon-bad-at-baking out. Super fudge brownie no more :(

Hmm I'm up early today and I don't feel as listless as yesterday. The one day's rest did me good.

I think I shall go in to work earlier today. Hope the emails and paperwork are not piling up on my table!!

Bonjour everyone! :)

Some mindless stuff

Feeling quite good at the moment. I did some good studying just now and pigged out on rocher chocolates, chilli-sugar cuttlefish and seedless grapes, all washed down with a nice glass of peach juice :D

I can't wait to see sweetie tomorrow. Missed him big time today.
He's so funny. He calls me his "weekday one-hour gf". You see, he works the normal 9-6pm hours and I work 6-3am. We tried to spend time with each other by meeting up for dinner. I could never wake up early to meet him for lunch. Hence, the one hour dinner. One hour gf.

Silly kooki :) My kooki monster :D

Oh .. found some random pictures I took a while back. I think I was bored then. Heh.

The LRT station and the bus interchange - How would I get around without them? Since we moved to the new place, I hardly take the MRT any more. The LRTs served me just fine and I prefer the buses to trains anyday.

Looking out the bus windows and checking cars out there are my little daily treats. And I like the bus seats better! Because they are cushioned whilst the train seats aren't!

And trains are just too depressing for my liking, especially when they go underground. A little claustrophoic I am each time I am on a congested train. Eeks, Je deteste ca!

Only a little unwell

I took a sickie/mc off work today. Woke up feeling extremely giddy and pukey. The nose was running and the throat was ticklish & sore. I declared myself sick before going to the doctor. Ah yes I am the great Dr Shaz, who is the discipline of an infamous Dr Quack.

So I smsed my manager and told her I'm taking today off. Then I texted my sweetie and told him I was going to see the doctor.

Mum was gossiping on the phone when I dragged myself out of my room. Gave her a sad puppy look and asked her if she could take me to the doctor's. Hehe. My mum was so funny. She shot me a "Are you sure you are really sick or faking it" look and eyed me suspiciously whilst continuing to yak.

"Ahem.. *cough cough* *sniff sniff*.. I am really sick lah....... " I sulked and put on the saddest look I could muster.

Mum continues yakking with my aunt.

"Maaaaaaaa........... its almost 4pm. The clinic's going to close...... " I sulked and whined even more. I swear I could win an acting award with that look. Heh

"Alright alright.. I have to go. have to take my sick daughter to the doctor's .. talk later" I wonder why her emphasis on "sick" ..

I was really sick, what.

So we got to the clinic 5 mins before 4pm. The doctor took my blood pressure and said it was too low.. 90 or something, I can't remember.. he said the normal was about 110? Low blood pressure, hence the giddy spells. He took a look at the throat and said there was slight inflamation. Running nose and headaches are common, he said, due to the lack of rest.

I am sick!!

Another good 5 mins later, Mum and I left the clinic with a bag of medicine and a MC.

"So are you going to eat the medicine?" Mum asked.

"Erm... Hiyah I don't believe in them.. I believe in rotting at home and having a good rest... "

"See!! I knew you weren't THAT sick... "

"Heehee... Eh shall we go to the supermarket? " I flashed mumsy a sheepish grin, and smiled with content at my beautiful MC.

We came home with 4 big bags of groceries. Did I ever mention I love grocery shopping? Put my mum and I together in a supermarket, the damage is unimaginable! :D

And for dinner, Mum cooked my fave sambal chilli prawns and steamed fish. Yums :)~~

I think I am recovering already!! :)

The bag of medicine?

Eh, still lying on my table.

Un deux trois fois

Once bitten, twice shy.
Twice bitten, thrice numb?

I just discovered another good way to brush up my francaise! Its painless and its rather efficient I figured..

:D

Watch SATC with the French subtitles on... hehe!

Being Lazy

I have absolutely no energy today. Took me a long while to drag myself out of bed. I was happily all snuggled up under my blankets and kept putting the alarm clock on snooze. Feeling totally lackadaisical and listless. Contemplating whether to take sickie today from work. Should I? Probably not, tons of work to do... never-ending it seems.

Am craving for some hugs.

Got me reminiscing the days when I woke up with Jackie next to me, wagging his tail and smothering me with wet kisses. Never mind he barks incessantly at times, he's still and will always be the cutest dog I know... I miss him.. very much.

Perhaps I ought to go freshen up and start getting ready for work, instead of being all plonked in front of my laptop surfing mindlessly..

On a different note, its scary how the first month of the new year is quicking whizzing by. Is it me alone, or do you feel that time is flying by way way faster?

And what? Before we know it, its the end of 2005?! *blah

Note to self : I'm not old, I'm not old. I'm only going to turn 25 in slightly more than a month's time.. :D Being 25 is a good thing, really!!

Right.. of course..

Urgh

Aching bones. Dry throat. Throbbing headache. Feverish.

I.am.falling.sick. :(

Weekend Glutton

Yup, that's exactly how I would describe myself this weekend. Just came home from a very long chinese dinner. 6 course dinner over 2.5 hours. Totally stuffed.. again!!

The food was so good. We had some double boiled sharkfin ginseng abalone soup, foie gras, pan fried cod fish, grilled venison, lobster, crab meat fried rice, pumpkin, greens etc ... and a very lovely avocado walnut ice cream desert! Totally awesome :)~

Its not your typical chinese style dinner. The usual chinese way of eating is where everyone tuck in to the same common dish placed strategically at the centre of a very big round table. At this Cherry Garden, they serve you the individual portion, ala western style. The portions of your fish, abalone, prawns etc were pre-determined at the kitchen and not divided at the dining table. Minus the chopsticks fighting and lunging forward to take your food, this dining style is certainly a whole lot more enjoyable! :)

SATC saga begins!

I finally caught SATC last night, whilst fiddling with haron. Season 2, disc 1 .. heh :D Lots more to go.. but we'll get there eventually!

Oh and my chef/gourmet/tax expert of a dear friend r3alm knows me pretty well eh? I went to try the quiz and true enough, I'm a purple passion??

I like to think I am a balanced woman, and not somewhat of an unbalanced one! :)

Your Passion is Purple!

You've got a ton of passion, but you don't always wear it on your sleeve.
If something truly excites you, you let your inner intensity shine through.
But otherwise, your passion tends to morph into energy ... which you never lack.
You're a balanced woman, knowing when to turn on the fire in your heart.

What Color is Your Passion? Take This Quiz

Green green, yellow yellow?

French class was a blast today. I was so tired from lack of sleep but the teacher kept me on my toes and I actually didn't doze off! Heh, then again with half the class absent today (only 8 of us turned up) it would be a bit too obvious to sleep.

Anyway I am really glad I did my homework the night before. This teacher, unlike the previous one, checked each and every single workbook! Sounds stressful? Nah, I kinda think its an excellent way. How else to improve if one does not practise and have one's mistakes corrected?

Trotted off to town after class. Wanted to buy myself a new toy. Heh. I've been eyeing it for quite some time already but could never justify buying it. Oh well, I thought I could buy myself a little early birthday present and also to reward myself for the hard work in 2004! :D

So look at my new ultra cool sleek looking baby. I shall call it haron . Say hello to haron, all! Oh.. I overheard haron talking to himself.. I complete Sharon!

(Corny?? you bet cha! ;D And to think i hate corn! LOL)

haron bows and is all smiles... :)

A late dinner at East Coast was scrumptious and totally satsifying! BBQ chicken wings, fried carrot cake, popiah and rojak all washed down with sugar cane juice! What more can I ask for? I think I ate more than sweetie.. heh. I'm such a glutton.. well well, am keeping to the new year resolution to put on more weight, so its all justified! :)

We took a stroll at East Coast Park after that to ease our bloated stomachs. And it was nice to just hold hands, walk and talk. Beats shopping and jostling with the crowds in town anytime.

And I saw the orion's belt again tonight! So pretty. Its nice to gaze into the dark skies and stars. Totally captivating and mesmerising. I like :)

New toy

Finally met up with Fang today. I think I've been pestering her to meet up for the longest time cause I wanted to pass her the Christmas presents. I could tell she was pretty bemused by it. Being the fengshui student she is, I got her a fengshui calender and a pair of rose quartz love stones.. heh :D ... to activate her romance sector!

And look what she got me from Switzerland?! It is so so darn cool I tell you. Its not much bigger than a credit card and fits easily into my fat long wallet.

Just look at what this compact swiss card lite has! Letter opener, stainless steel pin, scissors, ballpoint pen, tweezers, magnifying glass, screwdrivers, LED and ruler. All that in a slim card size gadget! Can you believe it?!

Heh, well you never know when you may need the tweezer for an emergency. You know, like when there's a stray eyebrow hair to pluck off. Haha!

A very happy Sharon

Dear Sharon,

Congratulations on your promotion to Officer, EMEA ISC ... with effect from February 1, 2005...

This promotion recognises your achievements at the firm, as well as your continued development as a team player within Global Private Client.

We truly appreciate your hard work and commitment ....

:) Heh, can I say how much I appreciate the pay raise?! More pay means more money to go into my savings plan!

And to sweeten the things up SO much, I also received a FAT bonus... its more than what I was expecting to get! Mum will be happy when I tell her tomorrow cause I promised her a 10% of the bonus irregardless of what amount it may be. And to reward myself, I shall go buy a new Nokia handphone. The main bulk of the bonus will of course go into my savings account. So there, am not squandering my money away foolishly!

Had dinner with the sweetie today and we were both pleasantly surprised with our bonus payout. I shamelessly commented that he could use his bonus and buy me a huge birthday present :D Haha!

And he handed me the SATC dvds today :) He was so sweet, he even got me a CD pouch and packed the dvds nicely for me. I'm starting to feel a little too pampered.

Eh I've been so occupied with the photos that I've decided to skip a round of SATCing tonight. Took these in the afternoon before going to work. I think I was a little too snappy happy, ok.. and a bit vain! :D

Like the new hair colour??

All geared up

*takes a deep breath*

Tomorrow is the much anticipated day. Its been a long wait for all at work.

Its what I call the "L- day" .. the letter day where you find out how much variable bonus you would be getting..

Hee.

And of course, the confirmation of the big "P" word.. Promotion.

I got an early congratulation from a manager today who is not my direct boss. Hmm, I don't want to sound all complacent but I am feeling rather excited about it, that I think I am going to lose sleep tonight!!

How?

I would know... in 16 hours time.

Eeks.

I am so famished now, I think I shall go make myself a tuna cheese sandwich!

On a side note, KK's been really sweet.. :)

Darn, do I sound like some teenager who is all head over heels in love? eeps! :D

Prettiness Galore

My parents are getting all festive over Chinese New Year! We are just missing those huge pineapples and tangerines now! :D

I have a stinky feeling that there will an additional pot of flowers when my mum comes home from the floral market. After nagging at me to eat my lunch, she trotted off with my aunt to go flower shopping!

The fake sunflowers look pretty real, if you ask me. Unlike some girls I know, I was never fascinated with flowers. I am happy not receiving flowers and I certainly will not kick a big fuss over them. Fake flowers suit me just fine, they last longer and look pretty longer.

That's how I like my flowers.. to preserve their beauty and glam.

Oooh that being said, the contradictory me don't mind dried flowers. I have a pretty bouquet of dried roses from last year and it sits prettily on my workstation alongside my piggies! Will snap photos of the workstation soon.. :D

New look

Piglet and stars needed a break - so here's a new look :) How does it show up on your browser?

*Yawns* I am dead sleepy. Be back. Soon.

Hope everyone is well and happy :)

Feeling (un)settled

Isn't it funny how a sad song can sound surprisingly chirpy and happy, no matter how hard you try to sprinkle and pepper it with lots of blue soul?

Went to the karaoke with the mates yesterday and nevermind that we couldn't really hit the notes half the time and we had some misunderstanding with the staff there. There were lots of laughter and bantering, as usual. What to expect with my two brothers L & J around.. ah those two jokers! And it was fun and nice to see Jac enjoying herself too! All clean and good fun :)

But half the time, I was beaming from ear to ear and I made the sad sappy songs sound like some hilarious tunes :D Even the guys noticed I had a spring in my step and I was all smiley and cheesy! And they said the hair is nice!! Ok photos soon, I promise!!

Hmm.. I have something to confess..

I am going out with KK officially.
So, I guess it means I am now attached.

Day number 2, today!

He makes me smile and he warms my heart, and that's more important to me than what any materialistic goods would bring. I feel settled and loved when I am with him. And no the whole world does not sink into oblivion when we are together, but the world does feel like a better place with him around!

Actually I didn't really plan to get a boyfriend. I was almost starting to forget what it meant to like (love) and be liked (loved), in a romantic relationship. I was happy on my own, being single and doing my own things. I was devoted to my career - on a one-track mind.

And now? No, I won't give up doing my own thing now that I am in a relationship. I figured it is very important that couples don't revolve the entire universe around each other. Sometimes time out from each other is very essential and important. Guess I am very thankful despite working in the same bank, we aren't in the same department. Just imagine how sick we would be of each other, if that was the case! :)

That being said, it is still at the early stage of the relationship, we'll just take one baby step at a time! My last relationship left me pretty shaken up and I am honestly scared... Yet, I am also feeling excited about this relationship with KK..

I guess that's normal?

Update - striking the SATC off the checklist. KK bought them for me today :) Can't wait to start SATC-ing! :D

Aint no old fart!

What Age Do You Act?

You Are 26 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

Hehee! Its not that bad, considering I am turning 25 in March.. :D

Ren, I'm a year YOUNGER than you ;P

Ok, time to hit the sack before I turn up zombified for French class. Night night!!

Happy Jeudi! :)

I did an unsharony thing today...

I coloured my hair! The messy bush of it all!!

Erm, I have no freaking idea what colour its called but the colleagues at work said it was nice cause it brightens up my face... so so.. I am quite happy with it! Its a little copper-reddish-brownish shade... :D

But methinks it still look a little lian-ish. Then again, I am a closet ah lian.. so there! An ah lian pretending to work in a bank.. tsk tsk.

And..... I am in a really JOLLY BEANNY YUMMY MOOD today :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

My french textbook and notes are all spread open in front of me, homework beckons but the lazy bones in me yearn for some good forty winks!

zzzzZzzzzzzZZZzzzzz

An afFAIR

Anyone interested? Or know anyone who may be?

> event: an afFAIR!
> venue: 12B King Albert Park (at junction of Clementi Road and Bukit Timah > Road. Just behind Cold Storage and opposite Ngee Ann Polytechnic)
> dates and time:
21 Jan (9:30 am to 7pm)
22 Jan (9:30 am to 5pm)

Am helping a friend out - her company is organising this fair and is seeking vendors and helpers. It will cost about $180 to set up a stall for the said 2 days.

To help tend a stall from Friday (9am to 7pm) and/or Saturday (9am to 5pm): 5% commission. Selling mainly children's toys (ranging from $20 to $300), and furniture and/or furniture accessories etc... Conduct children activities (50% commission) but need to bring own materials e.g. Paper lantern making, cookie decoration, card making etc.

If you are keen to find out more information or sign up, visit her website www.an-affair.com

Yay

Mumsy is back, with lots of yummy goodies from KL!!! wahahhaha :D

No more dirty laundry, no more Daddy's cooking. Heh

Shoot- I overslept again. Did a "I dragged my lazy arse out of bed at 3pm" stunt again.

Pukey

I don't feel too well. The head's spinning, the tummy's churning and I am feeling vomity.

I miss my mum... :(

My affair with books

I just finished my first book of the year!! Tony Parson's "One for my baby". Intricately written and emotionally gripping - a splendid read.

The thing about reading that fascinates me is how often I find myself being transported to a whole new different world, albeit surreal world. I read "One for my baby" which is set in London and Hong Kong - the sights, smells and people. And for moments, I find myself immersed in deep thoughts as I picture that scene in my head. How did it feel to be in Hongkong in 1997 as a Londoner working there? Is Tsingtao really that delicious a drink? What does it mean to be back in London and missing your life and lost love in Hong Kong? What does it mean to grapple with the fact that your parents are going through a divorce when you are dealing with the loss of a loved one through death?

Or I could be reading books by Catherine Lim, often set in the early Malayan days.. mansions with huge courtyards, bondmaids, lecherous greying men with this opium pipes, westerners termed by locals as gweilos, colonialism, chinese traditions.. and I take myself back in time and try to fathom what it would have felt like. How does it feel to be subjugated by the men who deemed themselves as superior because of the bulge between their limbs? How dire and demeaning it must have felt to be bestowed to an older man in marriage, where love and passion know no destination and shelter?

Chris Manby. I read her chick flick books for light-hearted romantic comedy dosage. I laugh at the antics of the protagonist as she sought for love in all the wrong places, yet how often it was an acute reflection of my own life! I giggled as I read about how one chuckles and laments over new/lost love in the most exaggerated fashion. I teared as I read how one berates oneself for deeds of yesterday which caused one's love.

Far fetched imagination.

Transportation back in time.

Whizzing myself out of my current reality.

Hallucinating a life I never had or will possibly not have.

All those - books - reading - they intrigued me constantly. I feel, with the books. I don't just read them. Most times, I feel that I am reading a figment of my life, be it present or past or possibly the future.

Do you feel the same?

Sunday gloom

The sky's a hue of grey at the moment, and it makes one feel extremely lazy and lerthagic. I dragged myself out of bed at 3.30pm and plonked my lazy arse in front of my computer.

Turned on my ICQ and MSN. Checked my emails and read my friends' blogs. Did some finger exercises by sms-ing on the cellphone. After much slugging, I finally decided to go wash up at 4.30pm. I am that sluggish.

Then, Dad started nagging at me to have lunch/dinner. Mum's away on holiday again and Dad cooked. It wasn't that bad but I think Mum's cooking is better :D Then again, Dad's deep fried chicken wings today were rather yummy :)~ Well not complaining cause anything home-cooked beats instant mee.

The layer of dust collecting on my shelves and tables were becoming a menance to my sensitive nose. So armed with a wet rag, I wiped it all off and felt an instant boost of freshness to the room! Me and dust never can cohabit together. I am the dust-exterminator!!!

Gotta start a strict French revision regime...eh on sunday? I think my spoken French is getting better but more practice is always good! Discipline discipline!!

Shall go get myself another glass of icy ribena first :) I love that stuff!!

I want a holiday!!

Sydney / Melbourne anyone?! :D

It was back to school today for me. Gruelling 3 hours of class, and thank God the break wasn't all that long, so I haven't returned all my French back to the teacher. Heh! Oh, and we have a new teacher for this term. His name is Gilles and he's a wanky funny Frenchman who is totally bald except for a little pig tail at the back of his head. He looks comical, can't help snigger each time I look at him. ;)

We did a lot of "J'aime ... " and "Je deteste ... " today and it was hilarious as we came up with the things we love and hate. Hahah. Stupid things we said. Erm, ok not that stupid but amusing :P

Oh something nice to share... in the last French exam I took, I found out that I am among the top 3 of the class!! The papers would be released in two weeks time and we will get our cert soon. I am so happy and excited!! Praise God :D Now I am even more motivated to brush up my French!! Heh.

Watched The Phantom of the Opera with KK just now. Love the show but I think I would prefer it on stage as a theatrical production. Wonder if they will produce it again.

On a different note, my ankles are hurting badly from the cold weather. Thanks for old sports injury (actually clumsiness more like it..) my ankles get all wobbly and achy when the weather turns cold. Rheumatism, mum calls it. Old people sympton, KK calls it. Whatever it is, its not nice and I am in pain... bleah.

Woof

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

You Are a Chihuahua Puppy

Small, high strung, and loyal.
You do best in the city with a adults - young kids could crush you!

I miss Jacky, this dog is not even half as cute as him :(

Urgh to the max

GREAT! Now I got coke stains on my lovely pants........ :(

Never again will I trust coke for anything other than drink it!

I woke up hungrier than I was before I slept. The hunger must now be satisfied!

Note to self - get some new pants this weekend.

I don't believe this

!! I got another stain on my shirt today. Tea stains.

Thank God its not that bad and can be washed off quite easily.

What am I? A stain magnet? Bleh!

Nah, I figured I have butter fingers.. *frowns*

Update on butter-soiled fave pants - some staining has come off, but there is still a noticeable patch. Urgh. Tried the coke treatment just now, now soaking it in detergent.

Wish me luck!!

I'm tired and hungry. I think I'll go sleep my hunger off.

Wahh

Urgh. I have a butter stain on my favourite pair of pants from yesterday's careless kaya-toast eating. Stupidly rubbed some water in and now the stain is all set into the fabric.

How to get rid of the stain?? :((( Will these suggestions work? Anyone heard of Dawn Dish Soap?

I sprinkled talc powder on it last night for a while but this morning when I checked the pants, the same stains remained!!!

How how?? Does Laundromat does stain removals?

Boo Hoo!

After some good thinking

I spent the good bulk of the day thinking about my consideration re my career move

... and I decided I was overeacting ...

The move to a new team to take up the team leader role.

Well, where I work we manage 3 mailboxes which service the different offices in the European and Middle East regions. 10 of us manage these 3 mailboxes, actually its 9 with one Asst Manager.

Team 1 comprises of 4 people and it manages the busiest offices in UK - that's my current team. Team 2 has 3 people and it manages the offices in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Amsterdam. All other offices ie Dubai, Bahrain, Paris, Luxembourg, Geneva etc are under the care of Team 3 which is only made up of 2 people (because despite having more offices, work vol is relatively lower)

Well, I am being asked to move from Team 1 to Team 3. And person number 2 in Team 3 is going on a 3 months maternity leave starting end Jan. I was a little hesitant about leaving Team 1 because of the rapport I built up with the UK folks. Work is a lot easier when you have a good rapport, I figured and learnt..

Anyways, being the helpful and over-zealous worker I am, I often volunteer to handle work requests by picking up emails from Team 2 and 3 after ensuring that my mailbox is taken care of. Call me a workaholic or what, but I believe in team work and I will not hesitate to help out in the other 2 mailboxes when needed. So I guess moving to team 3 doesn't really make much of a difference since I am already doing work there. Only difference I reckon is I would have the additional responsibilities to ensure work gets done in a timely fashion.

So now I feel a lot better about moving to a new team. Afterall, work is going to be the same. Anyways guess working with the folks in Paris will help me brush up my French :D

Lots on my mind

... pertaining to work ...

Career options. Career opportunities. Career advancement. Career development

Found out today from the horse's mouth that they have planned for me to take up a team leader role in a new team.

Now that sounds like a good news, but wait till you find out that you will be the only one managing the darn workload whilst your team-mate goes on a 3mth maternity leave. And sure they are going to get in a temp for that period. And guess what, you are expected to train and work at the same time. Its like I'm become the unofficial trainer in my section!

I don't know why I am feeling so pissed off. I am happily settled in my current team and I am doing well. Next I know, before even checking with me if I'm willing to switch, they decided that its for my career development that I move out of my current team.

And then, there's the boss' pet who gets all and what she wants. She hates day shift, she gets put on permanent shift. She just got married and need flexible arrangement, she gets it too. Its like the rest of us have to accomodate to her whims and fancies.

Very annoying.

I never thought I will do the following..

1) Email HR enquiring about a possible internal transfer to another department
2) Revisit my resume and thinking perhaps its time to update it
3) Look at job websites

Next I know, I will start dropping my CV at recruitment companies.

I better bloody get a pay raise during the pay adjustment end Jan! I feel overworked and overthrown with a lot of shit that nobody wants to take. And under the pretext that I am good, I get shoved into the pits.

What's happening?! Argh... Frustrated I am.

Any job lobangs, anyone? :(

Clubbing away

Its day one of Club Merrill tonight for me. Nevermind that its a UK holiday today, there were lots to do and I'm one tired lyncher now.

Insert: I tell gullible people that I work at Club Merrill when they ask me why my working hours are so weird (ie 6pm to 3am).. :D

Photos of yesterday's rendezvous with Kitty are below. She's left this morning for Sydney and I don't know when I will see her next. Its always nice to meet up with old friends. Reminiscing and recollecting good old fond memories never fail to crack and cheer me up! Esp when we laughed at each other's misdeeds and silly acts in our days of folly :D

Kitty insisted I took a mugshot.

With Kitty. She's cute! You can't see it from this pic, but she went all red after just ONE beer! So much for being an Aussie. heh.

We also took photos of our pretty cakes - Oreo Ice-cream cake and NY cheesecake but somehow the photos didn't turn out well on her camera. Oh well, I remembered they were yummilicious! :)~

Rainy Sunday makes me tired

.. but hanging out with people today energise me, in a sorta uncommon way..

Its a tiring tiring day for me with all the mad traffic rush. Sure didn't help a single bit that it was pouring all day and roads were slippery & wet!

Argh.

I left the house early so I won't be late for my appointment and was ~~a little~~ majorly peeved that the bus didn't come despite an agonising 45 mins wait. And when the cab came, my feet were soaking wet from the rain. And going to town on a Sunday and on a raining one really sucks. The traffic jam was nasty.

I got fed up of waiting in the jam and paying unneccesary cab fare, so I alighted and walked a good 5 mins in the pouring rain! Was shivering cold while walking.

Felt bad that KK had to wait for me and I wasn't exactly in the best mood, being cold and hungry. But I energised up after eating and we had a really good conversation. Its just amazing how much we can talk.. :)

After that, I ran off to Clarke Quay to meet my uni mates. One of them is visiting from Sydney and it was lovely to see her after two years. We had drinks and cakes and caught up with each other's lives. Just chilling out. Nice.

On a totally different note, I bought a new CD by Nouvelle Vague and I love it! Very chill out kinda music, I like :)

A new year!

How was everyone's last day of 2004?

Mine was a whirlwind of activities! :) Exhausting battling through the crowds and fighting the z monster to keep the energy levels up, but it was all so so worth it!

Met up with Pam and Ren for lunch at Thai Express in J8 (gosh, we seem to go nowhere but Thai Express all the time) and yeah, we did it again. Over-ordered and totally over-stuffed ourselves :) We exchanged our belated X'mas pressies and Ren got me a Piggy stuffed toy which we have named Spam! And funny thing is Pam gave me a pig for Christmas too. Haha, those two... how not to love them!

Then I ran off to meet my friend Jackie who is back for holidays from Sydney. She is 4 months pregnant already and will be giving birth in June! Met her husband too. He seemed nice, caring and attentive to her. Good for her! Now I can't wait to see her pretty baby!

And because Jackie and hubby had to go for a family dinner, we bade goodbyes and I was tired of walking round the shops. And I thought it would be a good idea to get a haircut for 2005! So 25 minutes and $35 later, I walked out of the hair salon with a new hair cut and I felt great! Its nothing drastic, just some layering to get rid of the bulk of my thick hair. I am comtemplating some colours now! ;)

I had some time to kill before meeting up with Jac in town so I went to seek refuge in office. My colleagues were all jokingly cursing me for coming back to office on my day off, and chided me for not going out to paint the town red. Hehe. I lingered in the office for a good one hour before I ran off to meet Jac and mum. Was good to see Aunty and she commented that I've lost weight again. Eeks. Ought to make it a resolution of put on some weight for this new year! Then again, I resolve to do that every year and its not working!!

Jac and I bumped into some friends at Alley Bar and we trotted our way to Rouge. The crowds were not crazy and I was thankful that it was not jammed packed with party-goers. It was R n B music the whole night and we drank champagne. It was a night for fun and laughter. Funny how I was asking Jac if she remembers exactly one year ago, we were also counting down and we laughed just recollecting the misdeeds of a certain Mr W. Heh.

We partied all night till 4am and I was so totally zonked by the time I reached home. Was a little bit too high after guzzling all the champagne and all, but KK was really sweet to keep getting water for me and I sobered up pretty fast. From talking incoherently and falling down on my butt, I regained my usual nagging self and checked if everyone was ok. In the words of Jac, its the mother instinct in me. Haha.

Highlight of the night - KK and Jac fighting over about who was going to send me home. Its very animated the way they were arguing. Totally hilarious! In the end - I took a cab home by myself and promised those two I will call/sms when I reach home safely. hah!

Dear you, it was great transiting from 2004 to 2005 with you too! ;)

C'est la vie

Monday, January 31, 2005

The first dinner

Saturday, January 29, 2005

Baking Flop

Friday, January 28, 2005

Some mindless stuff

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Only a little unwell

Un deux trois fois

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Being Lazy

Monday, January 24, 2005

Urgh

Weekend Glutton

Sunday, January 23, 2005

SATC saga begins!

Your Passion is Purple!

Green green, yellow yellow?

Friday, January 21, 2005

New toy

Thursday, January 20, 2005

A very happy Sharon

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

All geared up

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Prettiness Galore

New look

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Feeling (un)settled

Saturday, January 15, 2005

Aint no old fart!

Friday, January 14, 2005

Happy Jeudi! :)

Thursday, January 13, 2005

An afFAIR

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Yay

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Pukey

Monday, January 10, 2005

My affair with books

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Sunday gloom

I want a holiday!!

Friday, January 07, 2005

Woof

Urgh to the max

I don't believe this

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Wahh

After some good thinking

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Lots on my mind

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Clubbing away

Monday, January 03, 2005

Rainy Sunday makes me tired

Saturday, January 01, 2005

A new year!

Snap Snap

2007 resolutions

French

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