活 该

so it has been a whirlwind of activity since coming home. so madness is not territorial. still haven't slept that much, which was a key thing i was looking forward to on monday. most things have been nice and sufficiently familiar.

flight was terrible, landed at CDG (Paris) and there was a big screw-up. they didn't announce my connecting flight (which was actually at another terminal) - i'm so glad i speak a few sentences of french, sufficient to understand that i had to take a train and get off at the first stop. legged it there only to find a long queue at security, which wasn't moving at all. it was 25 mins to my flight. found out that everyone else also had flights in 15-30 mins, and the crowd was getting increasing nervous and impatient. a lot of shoving and shouting later, all the flights were delayed. they had closed all the security counters for the night and had not enough personnel to re-open them. the flight was uneventful except that i was quite uncomfortable and couldn't really sleep. nonetheless still glad to be back on homeground in one piece, with my luggage (i guess once you buy insurance, nothing bad happens... heh)

1/2 hour after landing, arrived at adam road hawker centre. realised i left all my $20 in the car, so had to borrow money from S. He lent me $5 which I thought made me invincible in a hawker centre. WRONG. i bought prawn mee (the cheapest at the entire store, they were mostly $8!?) and spoke what i would consider fluent mandarin. and then the uncle told me it was $5.20 because i was taking it away. i told him that's all the money i had because i just landed, and he let me off. btw i was very grateful to the clowns for going all the way to the airport to pick me up! spared the fam car hassle or an mrt ride for me.

monday came and still jet-lagged, had to wake up earlier than i normally would for work. 6.45am. got myself downstairs and saw the bus. everything came back to me in the instant i started running for the bus - it was all too familiar. and then i began to dread the train journey, which proved to be terrible. but i didn't hear the dimsum dolly song like i thought i was supposed to. got to the CPA pre-admission course early, and even had time to buy kaya toast and tea-c. collected the humongous file of notes and my stomach flipped. all the pain in accounting class came back to me, and i can't believe i signed (and paid) my holidays away to wake up at the crack of dawn and subject myself to a week of torture. nonetheless, i survive 2 days so far. and now i have the prospect of a 125-qn, 90-min exam on friday to worry about.

stood on the right of the escalator and quickly realised.

also rediscovered squatting toilets and noted that the toilet bowls were much lower.

had a haircut + wash + style for $15. had to do all 3 because a cut alone would cost have $16. i don't understand them sometimes.

by tues night, have visited both grands and met the cousin who can now speak. after much difficulty he decided to be friends again. took the mrt and bus, and realised that they now charge by the distance and it actually costs $0.00 to take the feeder bus home!!! amazing, love how affordable it is to take the buses. i thought my $10 card was depleted in a day actually and got quite worried.

back home, i'm still worrying about home in ldn. i think J's really pissed with me from the unfriendly email i got this morning which was very unlike her. i wonder what happened and now i wonder what to tell her about what's about to happen. sigh, i wish i just never opened my mouth or tried to be nice. damn right, i wish i'd stop bringing worrying situations upon myself. need to remedy this asap if not i fear the next 10 months wouldn't be pleasant. and it wouldn't really have been my fault. tho by 1st principle, I was the cause of it all and i guess could technically be considered my fault.

真 的 是 活 该！！！

Star-studded week

Rafa (Nadal) yesterday, Josh (Groban) tomorrow and who knows who's next on Sat!

Had free (crappy) tickets to the ATP finals last night and it was an epic 3 hour battle between nadal and roddick. got to leave work at about 6pm, yay.

D bought us tickets to a josh groban concert tomorrow night, i hope it's good. at least i get to leave work early again tomorrow.

Lots of stuff undone in the office, and i need to tell myself that I have 2.5 more weeks and that's plenty of time, because it isn't! getting chased left right and center and my mind is swirling with all the different company names and profiles. i just hope i don't start dreaming of them, because that would be REALLY sad. i actually did a couple of WEEKENDS ago. i dreamt that i discovered a new species of insect, whose name was actually the name of one of the new companies I was looking at that weekend. ARGH. job hazard.

In other news, rumour has it that the first snowfall is due. Google says it will be -6 on Friday. Now that's insane. it's already snowing in Copenhagen - wish I was back there.

Also, William and Kate are getting married on 29 Apr! yay to a 4 day week, followed by a 3 day week, and then another 4 day week. i think I wouldnt want to go back to a full working week after that! wooo hooo!!!

better sleep now before i start seeing stars in the morning, dizzy from tiredness.

the ironies of life at 23

so many things to look forward to, but so many things to do before i get there.

too few hours to have, and yet too many wasted...

"the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing" - Josh Harris

it doesn't hurt when you've spent the last 2 years thinking you're 24, but are still barely there after 2 years.

addicted (part 2)

oh crap. boots is doing it again. another round of that crazy £12 worth of points for 2 days next week, ARGH! at least i'll be busy checking out josh groban next Wed night.... heh.

Addicted.

to online shopping. argh

I never thought i'd live to see the day... i see the merits sometimes, esp when there's free delivery and free returns. it's cheaper than going to the shop (£1.80 to get to town and another £1.80 to come home). it's faster, and 24/7.....

my massive boots order just arrived today (boots is a pharmacy btw.... heh). the box was so heavy the concierge had to help me carry it to the flat. haha... i didn't even ask, he volunteered! how nice is that. i now have a whole year's supply of shampoo, conditioner, soap and cotton wool. i think. i don't even think i need 8 bottles of soap for 1 year (half price). or 6 bottles of shampoo & conditioner (buy 1 get 1 free). but i kinda convinced myself that it's much easier to have them deliver everything so that i don't have to carry everything back. of course, there was the "spend £50, get £12 worth of points" which makes it even more attractive. to be fair, i will offload some of these stuff to D when i next see him so that he can help to use.

but then again, they just had ANOTHER round of that same offer the week before, and i also succumbed. i bought foundation 4 shades too dark for my skin and got scolded by the skin specialist at the clinique counter today when i went to get it exchanged, haha. but it was >20% off, plus another £7.50 of points.

i also think i have enough boots points for all my shopping there for the next year. heh. at least £50 worth. and i just found out that i can get boots points by shopping at asos too! HAHA, it's never ending. you can literally buy anything online in this country. i have never done more online shopping in my whole life than this year alone. tsk. i even bought a whole camera (my Canon S90) from ebay for £250 when it was $800+ in singapore.

(of course, this post only shows that i am super auntie, for i neglect to talk about all the virtual shops i visit too. let's just keep it that way for now.)

the last step i have not degenerated to is grocery shopping online. and the only thing stopping me is the lack of free delivery because of the special refrigerated trucks they use to deliver the stuff. the day will come (hopefully not, fingers crossed). but for now, i shall continue to carry cartons of milk etc physically back home. Afterall, I don't think I could buy a year's supply of milk, can I? :p

i need therapy! not the retail sort....

Rainy Days and Sundays

always get me down. (badly misquoting the Carpenters)

it's so depressing when I take ages to get to church and after 2 buses and 2 trains, i'm still late. and then, repeat 4 times every sunday. the journey really stresses me out. i estimate a total of about 5 hours every sunday spent feeling sick on the public transport network, bleah.

today was especially bad, because the jubilee line was down (again) and it started pouring after church so I was entirely drenched. I guess the lack of daylight makes it worse because when i was on the DLR going to church at 5+pm, the operator was asking some people if they had far to go before getting home, and i was actually travelling AWAY from home, knowing full well that I have to come back the same way. in the night, coming home after YF, it was freezing cold too, winter's just depressing. i also forgot to tap my oyster card when i got off the DLR today, so i incurred another £4.30 penalty charge on top of my already maxed out my day's travel (£6.30 or something like that?)in the 1st half of the day.

it's remembrance Sunday today, maybe it's meant to be a sober and sad day anyways.

i also don't really like having dinner at 10pm on Sunday nights and then sleeping late and starting Monday feeling really crabby.

therefore, i REALLY need to find a solution, and i need a solution fast. this is driving me crazy. every week i feel more and more like giving up.

in other news, work has been stressful too. it's appraisal season - i meant to write my appraisal over the weekend but never got down to it. there are also a million refinancings. why do all companies decide to do the same thing all at the same time, grrr. and project por cu pine flopped, it was just announced :(

3.5 more weeks to finish up for the year. come on Carol, time to man up. :( SO MUCH WORK.

Rainy days and Mondays will get me down-er. so it better not rain tomorrow!

Windy Remembrance Day

11/11 is remembrance day in the UK and other allied forces of WW1, also known as armistice day. At 11am, there was a tannoy (what we know as a PA system) announcement that there will be a 2 minute silence marked. the entire floor fell silent, without even the sound of tapping on the keyboard. everyone had their head bowed (well, except for me because I was busy looking around), and just like that, the entire nation remembers those who gave their lives for the fallen empire, and continue to do so in various lands.

as autumn gives way to winter, the process of dying is almost complete. the walk to work today was an insane battle against the wind. it was reported that this week the winds would go up to 70mph (113 km/hr). i dont think it was that drastic here, but it was crazy enough to make me feel VERY insecure in heels walking to work. i was actually panting by the time i got there because it was super tiring. walking home today down a flight of stairs i was holding on to the railing for dear life. both ways, i couldnt decide whether it was better to have the wind with me (such i feel like i'm falling over forwards and i was literally propelled forward dangerously), or against me, where in order to move forward, a great deal of force was required. as i walked further on, i saw that nothing was spared, not the strong sturdy trees, as the wind ripped through their branches and raped them violently, resulting in their yellow leaves stripped off. those already fallen leaves were not left to rest in peace either, as they were repeatedly swept up in circular motions upwards, almost as if they were possessed by spirits.

severe gale warnings have been issued across the country, heralding the start of the weather warnings i remember from last winter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11734050

of all days, today I took an excursion out of the office in the office. a group of us were headed to a business school in the city to speak to a class of Masters students. it was a very interesting experience, though I thought i didn't do a good job answering the simple question my big boss made me answer in front of the class, sigh. the contingent comprised our overall team head, 2 other directors from the team, another director from another team, another grad and me. really strange but was a very good opportunity. for some strange reason we decided to take a 15 minute walk from the DLR station instead of taking the tube to the station 5 minutes away from the university, and when we emerged from the underground, it was pouring. That on top of the crazy hurricane like winds, we arrived in style indeed, all drenched and windswept. They certainly expected bankers to emerge from a cab or limousine, first reality check. haha. didn't quite realise how much i talked to the students during the refreshment session. at the end of 1 hour plus, I was exhausted. we went to the pub after (where i had coke (how unlike me!) in an attempt to pump caffeine into the system). the top hunchers decided to call it a day and not return to the office, which was my perfect opportunity to escape as well, but i stupidly didnt. got back to the office at about 5.30pm and found that I really couldn't function.

I wish i had a chance to work in the city, it's so charming and it's actually London as everyone knows it... maybe one day, or maybe it will always hold its charm for me because I don't work there?

this is such a pointless post, but i thought it was a day worth remembering anyway. i'm losing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 more day to the weekend, 1 more month to Singapore, and a million things to do in between.

Befriending children is a rewarding investment

especially when they learn to call your name before all the other names and can't stop saying it :p

Lucy loves saying "Hi Car-ol"! Immediately after the service ends, she'll run up to the front and shout "Hi Car-ol" and then try and climb up onto the organ seat. And then she spends the rest of the time saying that again many more times to the point that it's actually embarrassing...

today when David and I entered through the front door, she ran out and "Hi Car-ol" and then continued blabbering on. I could only make out the word "dog", I think. Or maybe it was because she was holding a doggie stuffed toy.

but she still made my day anyway :) need to teach her some other words so that maybe we can have a decent conversation in a few months :)

Carol goes walkabout!

What a weekend it has been!

Saturday: there was a church outing to Hever Castle in Kent. As usual, I left home in a hurry and accidentally dropped the passport photos I had put aside. I needed to make the young person's railcard to get 1/3 discount off the train ticket I had bought... but there was no time to take another photo in the booth or make a railcard by the time I got to London Bridge! There was a train that only runs once an hour to catch! Made it on with time to spare, met Jonathan on the way, and arrived at Hever station. The ticketman came, and I froze. As calmly as I could, i showed him my ticket, and to my amazement he didn't ask for the railcard. Relief. Hever Station was a rural, unmaned station. We arrived at 9.49am, leaving us plenty of time to walk that 1 mile to the castle. But less than 1 min after leaving the station, a lady called from a car and asked us if we wanted a lift to the castle. I suppose we looked touristy enough, and the ONLY attraction at Hever was the castle... How very kind of that lady - it was the first time I experienced such a random act of kindness!

It was a good day, albeit rainy. However I must add that it was the strangest church outing I'd ever been to! Everyone arrived on the bus at about 10.30++am, we went in together as a group, and that was about the last thing we did together as a group. We then all went our separate ways around the castle and the sprawling gardens. In little groups, and some even alone. It was so bizzare, as I had imagined some sort of a structure to the day, and I thought we'd be spending a good few hours sitting around on the grass, maybe with an exhortation, some singing, and maybe a picnic lunch. I even brought quite a lot of food to share! But there was nothing of the sort! I was fortunate to have James and Hannah and Jon (who left after lunch andleft me feeling like the gooseberry) to go around with.

Hannah and I on the man-made 38-acre lake.

When it was time to go home, everyonejust met on the bus. Of course, I was taking the train, and had to walk that 1 mile to the station. So i left, with my little hand-drawn map in hand. It was a rural walk indeed. I hadn't quite appreciated what they meant when they said that. It was really a walk on a dual-carriageway, no pedestrian footpath. The road was winding and went in between farms. I tried to be careful at every bend, with memories of the bicycle accident fresh in my mind. I thought maybe I could hitch a hike, but had no recurring fortune. The roads brought me alongside farm animals, like sheep and cows, and plants with blackberries and raspberries on them. There were hardly any road signs or road names so I just walked in the general direction according to googlemaps. My hand-drawn map proved to be utterly useless. After about 30 mins, I found the station. Deserted. Time-check: 4.30pm. The next train was at 5.05pm. There was yet another problem. I didn't know which platform to go to, and the train wouldn't stop for long enough for me to figure out when it arrives. I wasn't about to wait another hour! Chatted with Liangsi on the phone while waiting, until a train arrived from London at 4.49pm, which then allowed me to figure out it was the other platform I needed. More horror awaited me when I got onto the train. I spent most of the journey a nervous wreck, knowing that I still didn't have my railcard. Thought the worst was over, when I passed through all the stations and no conductor came to check the tickets. until, about 10 mins from London Bridge, they arrived. He charged me £20 for not havng a railcard, so I immediately when I got off the station, marched straight into the photobooth, paid £5 for 5 passport photos, and made a railcard for £26. Will write in to get a refund of the £20 fine- i'm not about to spend £46 on train tickets to Kent which actually cost all of £6.26!!!

Walked this kind of road for about 30mins to get to the station.

Checked out the Thames river Festival - the last festival in summer. Before I knew it, I had walked from London Bridge to Tower Bridge, and then I thought there was no point going back to London bridge to catch the tube 3 stops back home. So i decided to check out St Katherine's docks. On Tower Bridge, I had a better idea - I would visit my old flat! Gave Kelvin a call, and he was home, so I popped and had a short 10 min chat with him, and looked at the refurbished place of where I used to live back in Summer 2008. Then I decided to walk home. Figured that if I just followed the river, I would eventually reach home. And I did. Was really glad I did too! For one, it was good exercise. I also discovered a whole neighbourhood - Wapping. it is actually quite posh! Along the way there were also some riverside walks. Was curious what that was so I went to check it out, and it turned out to be a long flight of steps descending onto the sandy bank of the river Thames! Quite cool! It took me an hour to walk from St Katherine's docks back home, and my legs were aching towards the end, but oh what a great sense of achievement! I then proceeded to eat a BIG bowl of meepok. HAHA.

The Thames Festival at Tower Bridge

On the sandy bank of the Thames at Sunset (presumably at low-tide).

Total distance covered in 1 day = walk around the castle (a couple of miles in total maybe)+ walk to Hever Station (1 mile if I took the short-cut but I prob did more since I couldnt find the short-cut) + London bridge - Canary Wharf (5 miles along the river) = c. 7-8miles. That's pretty good!

Sunday was eventful too, but since this is getting way too long I might come back tomorrow. But work beckons :( and my horrible project which I have completed about 10% of (due end-Sept :( :( :( ) pray for plenty of wisdom, and super-efficiency this week.

Overnight Rice

So there has been rice left in the ricepot since either Saturday or Sunday night (today is Thurs).

I have been reluctant to clear it, and I didn't cook rice the first few days anyway, but apparently, neither did she.

Yesterday (Wed), we had a short exchange:
She-who-must-not-be-named: Oh you're cooking! Can you help me cook some rice?
Me (straightly): There is already rice in the ricepot.
SWMNBN: hee hee, oh mine ah? I think spoil already, I better clear.
Me: I'm not cooking rice.

Today (Thurs), 24 hours later. The rice is still in there, not forgetting the rice scoop which has a couple of grains of rice on it...

In better news, it's her last night here! Tomorrow she moves out, though her things remain for 3 more weeks.... ADIOS.

Not sure what the new girl will bring, but one can only hope for the best (though I'm actually not that hopeful based on a couple of encounters.) But nvm, it's only 1 year, I must survive.

Summer Trips 2010

With the close of August, and the windy reminder that summer is fast giving way to fall, I thought I'd do a little recap of the many trips I filled my summer with, lest I forget.

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April 2-5: The Drive up to Lake District and its tranquil vicinity-

Kendal, Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside, Coniston Grasmere, Keswick, Ullswater, Penrith. And then the drive across to Leeds, and back down to Peterborough and Cambridge.

Love travelling with Si - always pleasant, easy-going, relaxing. She drove more than half the time, and even climbed up Cat Bells fell (pictured above), with a broken knee. It wasn't exactly summer yet, nay, not even Spring actually. There was still snow on the hills and it was actually cold. This was also a trip with she-who-must-not-be-named, not pictured.

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April 30 - May 4 & 5: Amsterdam, Keukenhof, Antwerp, Brussels

Amsterdam on Queen's Day, 30 April 2010, when the entire city turns ORANGE and orange people fill the streets and the canals. This was the trip I was tricked into doing all the planning when there were already bigger plans in place... We even flew in in style, via LCY instead of a budget airline - what was I thinking!

Keukenhof Bulb Fields, Lisse, Holland. Revealed: the location.

Brussels: The big fight after, the luxury chocolate stock up, and missing the eurostar back to London. And then having to walk all over brussels to find 2 beds for the night. Rushed straight to work from St Pancras the next morning. I will always check train timings properly from now.

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May 27-30: Paris & Versailles, île de France

Finally, I kept my promise from back in 2002, and brought him to Paris. One of the best trips we've been on, in a different way because we didn't rush at all but still managed to see a lot. Also checked out Versailes and the Roland Garros. Too bad Federer was on centre-court then, and the walls were slightly too thick.

It was also amazing finally being back here to one of the places I remember the most from 2002 with the same great friend I had first come here with :) Si was again a fantastic host, and I especially loved chatting away every night till 2am and not being able to wake up the next day till 11am. <3

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June 12-13: Stonehenge, Bath, Bristol, Wales

(Cardiff, Breacon Breacons National Park, Three Cliff Bay.)

Reunited with the 2 sisters, and the whole family. I nearly didn't make it for this trip because it was the 1st weekend ever I had to work - thanks to B.P. and their oil spill. Nonetheless I went anyway and it was a mad trip going to so many places in just 1 weekend! Finally visited the stones but once was probably enough...!

Stopped over in Bath for lunch and for a quick look-see around the pretty town. Most memorable thing was probably lunch at Sally Lunns, the oldest house in Bath. Also went to Bristol after and had another quick walkaround for an hour or 2.

One of the most iconic pictures of Wales, and the little massive trek we did to get to the Welsh sea, and the three cliff bay. Also had dinner in Cardiff and a drive around the Breacon Breacons National Park and stopped by a few places amongst the sheep. Not forgetting the one night super cheap stay at Hilton Newport which was an experience in itself!

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June 18 - 22: Ireland- North and South

Northern Ireland was especially green and blue, and all the colours and sounds of nature. Rope Bridge (Carrick-a-rede) above. Beautiful is an understatement. We rented a car and drove around Derry, along the northen coast to check out the amazing rock formations at the giant's causeway (pictured below), to Belfast, and down to Fermanagh to check out some marble arch caves. Oh, not forgetting a titanic boat tour - loved their caption "She was alright when she left here!" Ohoh, and we checked out Carrick Fergus castle too. Also we went to chruch where everyone was dressed so nicely, hats and all :)

And then we took a bus down south to Dublin, the capital of Eire. Leprechaun alert! We were not too enticed by the city, to be honest, but we did spent the nights watching the world cup in the wonderful hostel! In a country that ITV has honoured by calling France, Ireland in all their games, until they got knocked out anyway...

And again, just to reinforce the point about the bluest blue and the greenest green, and some people very intoxicated with the beauty of nature at its finest :)

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July 18- 25: Spain - Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla

Strolling down La Rambla, the main tourist street in Barcelona, where we had our all-you-can-eat Tapas and nearly died eating. Barcelona is also where the quirky buildings were, which we did check out but couldn't be bothered to queue to get in. Not forgetting the day trip to Montserrat which was quite nice but the ticket we bought was nowhere near value-for-money.

Arriving in Barcelona via a horrible overnight train experience, this is Puerta del Sol, the centre of Madrid and of Spain, an amazingly varied country. Temperatures were rising, and it was about 38 degrees. Sleeping in a non-airconed hostel was quite an unpleasant but it wasn't a bad place overall. We walked around the entire city in the sweltering heat, taking a few siestas too many in between. It's the only way to survive the heat. I never felt so glad to step into a supermarket.

This is Sevilla, capital of Andalucia, southern Spain. This time we arrived in style, via speedtrain, in the 1st class carriage (on 2nd class fare, heh). This is the bullfighting arena. Temperatures shot up to 45 degrees, and there was no respite even in the shade. Thank God for the overly cold aircon in the hostel. Alv also fell in love here, with Sangria. Travelling with them is quite fun - kinda reminds me of how I was like just a couple of years back, so eager to chiong everywhere. loved the Moorish architecture and the orange trees everywhere, and cheap tapas. oh yes, we saw a record number of weddings in a day too, and most of them started past 9pm at night. I think I almost qualify to become a Spaniard with my night owl sleeping habits. Eating and sleeping at all the wrong times. If only I could actually speak the language, and that would have taken more than a semester of Spanish at university. I'm definitely going back to Spain one day, but not in summer!

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Aug 14: Legoland, Windsor

Suddenly we became giants from a foreign land, even the pigeons looked bigger. It wasn't the best day weatherwise because it just kept raining all day, but that didn't stop me from being amazed in miniland, where landmarks from many european cities were built out of lego and put on display, complete with mechanisms in the pieces to make the buses and people move. The level of detail was mind-boggling, but more about that in my post on legoland, sometime soon. Also, meet my friend, Naomi, pictured here at half the height of the Canary Wharf tower. Unfortunately, my other little friend, Lucy, was in a terrible mood that day, but maybe we can go again in about 5 years. I should also add that the started with a little dinner party the night before and a stayover at P&N's. We had the most hilarious time playing UNO, and Smartass (a trivial board game), as well as comparing accents. I also had to sleep with a giant spider stuffed toy hanging over my head... who on earth buys SPIDER soft-toys!?! But I was too tired to notice Itsy Bitsy anyway.

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So there, a selection of little adventures throughout the summer of 2010. Not to say that the rest of the weekends were not fun. They were all pretty packed. We also went to Bicester, Oxford, did a London walking tour, played paintball, and a host of other things.

Ironically, also never worked so hard all year till summer, when everyone goes away on holiday and all my names starting with B refused to leave me alone.

Now that summer is over, what will Autumn bring? I know! It's not a question of what, but who... and the answer is, someone special! :)

Yummy Delights

Got some goodies from Singapore! I didn't even know it was mid-Autumn already. And can't be that it's duan wu jie also right? But I got both Ba zhang/ nonya zhang and mooncakes!!! yay

Quite sweet of Auntie C to bring these for me, Goodwood Park somemore, so atas - I never eat before! And I can't believe D knew that I didn't like any yolk in my mooncake... how on earth did he find that out? I'm suitably impressed...

Double yay to not having to cook for the next few days... plus we had dim sum this afternoon because it was Ava's 1 month celebration (though there's ANOTHER 1 month celebration in 3 weeks, haha) and there was so much leftover I also have glutinous rice in the fridge to feast on.

In case you're wondering, I did manage to complete the Salmon challenge! Cooked the claypot rice another time, and thought those were the last of them. Lo and behold, after the freezer was defrosted, 2 more fillets appeared... grrrr!!! So bo pian, had to eat Salmon for 2 more meals. This time, I pan-fried using the sambal chilli - stingray style (sauce also lost in the freezer for many months).

Health and Safety

Looks like that run wasn't such a good idea afterall. At least, it wasn't such a good idea to go running in t-shirt and shorts. The days of summer are fast fading, and we've been getting a streak of bizzare wintry weather. The winds are strong, cold and heartless, cutting the skin and sending chills not just to the spine but to every nerve in the body. It has been raining.

That night, after the run, I suddenly came down with serious runny nose that a few pieces of tissue paper couldn't solve. Took panadol flu and went to sleep, hoping that I will not be too sick the next morning. Miraculously, I was perfectly fine the next morning. My body was physically tired, not to mention the poor underused thigh muscles, but I was fine. Went to work and continued till the afternoon till I started sneezing irrationally, in a moderated temperature environment that was actually a tad too warm. Strangely enough, the runny nose disappeared when it was time to leave the office. I'm allergic to work, already.

I'm probably playing with fire a bit. 1 year on, and I still haven't signed up with the nearest clinic to me, so if I fall sick, I actually have no where to go. There is that private doctor that employees are entitled to go to, not far from work (and hence from home), but even for that you need to make an appointment 1 or 2 days in advance. It's ridiculous, by then one would probably not even be sick anymore. I will get my act together and register with the clinic opposite my house, but thank God for health - He's the great Physician. Back in Singapore, I would fall sick about 3 times a year, serious enough to see a doctor (at least by Singaporean standards of seriousness), but I have been preserved for 1 year, 4 seasons now. I'm not taking it for granted.

Finally am going to check out the BBC Proms tomorrow, can't wait, and I hope work passes quickly so I can shoot off to the Royal Albert Hall :) :) Maybe we'll stay for the late night prom too - it's Jamie Cullum!

Prom 54: BBC Symphony Orchestra

In the second of his two Proms this season David Robertson conducts two enduring works by composers who fashioned a new aesthetic out of Romantic roots.

The expansive melodies and edgy pace of centenary composer Samuel Barber are at their most powerful in the Violin Concerto, played here by Israeli-American virtuoso Gil Shaham. Sibelius's Second Symphony traces a path from terse drama to great affirmation.

For his new commission in his 50th-birthday year, jazz-inspired Mark-Anthony Turnage has resolved not to write 'an old man's piece'.

• Mark-Anthony Turnage Hammered Out
  (BBC co-commission with LA Philharmonic: world premiere) (c15 mins)
• Barber Violin Concerto (25 mins)

• interval

• Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D major (40 mins)

• Gil Shaham violin

• BBC Symphony Orchestra
• David Robertson conductor

Gone crazy; went running.

This deserves a blog entry because it was a historic deed, probably never to be repeated again.... I ran today. As in, I went for a run. Not a jog, a run. Voluntarily. The last time I did this was actually back in year 1 in uni, the 1st fateful frisbee training I went for, and promptly passed out after thanks to my lousy 7-11 mashed potato dinner.

It has been gloomy and rainy all weekend, but as I was strolling home, the sky was especially clear and blue, so I thought I'd explore the Thames path (that runs along the river Thames, duh) in my t-shirt and shorts. The concierge was especially nice and actually opened the gate for me to get out, so it was a good start. The thing is, I had no idea how fast or slow I should go, because it has been way too long. There was a small sense of familiarity, but then, I felt a lot stiffer and heavier than I used to in eons past. I felt like I couldn't really move, but I just forced myself anyway, and I think I ran too fast. Don't get me wrong, I was tired after like 5 mins, but I just kept going. The stupid Thames path actually got cut off halfway so I ended up along the road. I thought I'd run for a long long time, but when i got back, it had only been 20 mins, SIGH! but I did cover about 2 miles (3.2km), so that's pretty decent I think?

Ai yah, not that it really matters, I never have to do the much dreaded 2.4km run again. I will forever remember the time we resumed hockey training after the long december holidays and had a surprise NAPFA test sprung on us. The 5 stations are easy-enough (ok except sit and reach), but I really really hate the 2.4km run. It was the worst run I had ever done, clocking something like 16mins, yikes! There's something about running round and round that I have no affinity for; don't know how I survived all those years in track!

Anyway, I thought I'd continue the feat by going to the gym after that and trying out some of the weights machine that I had last properly touched back in RGS track days.... but when I got home, i promptly changed into swimwear and decided to go to the spa instead, HAH.

So there, a record, and a first in London. Probably last too, but who's to say another stroke of insanity will not strike again?

The Salmon Challenge

Background: When David visited in June, he went to Billingsgate market one morning and bought 7kg worth of salmon, all in fillets and vacuum-packed. While the gesture was kinda sweet because I love fish, it turned out to be TOO MUCH fish. We gave quite a lot to J&S but the entire freezer was till stuffed with fish. That is not really a problem, except that I have a frozen freezer, which makes it impossible to take things out once you put them in... and it's been a problem awaiting a fix for a long time now. The landlord and I finally managed to get our act together and finally the engineers are coming to replace the freezer door on Thursday, and in order to do that they need the entire fridge and freezer to be defrosted and switched off for a day...

#1: Fish Pie

Inspired by Luyi's attempt something like 6 months ago, here are the things that went into the pie:

• 800g salmon (supposed to mix with Haddock but i didnt have any Haddock and A LOT of salmon), sliced into bite sized pieces
• 1 lemon
• c.900g mashed potato
• c.200ml single cream
• parsley (leaves only), chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot
• 4 eggs, hardboiled and sliced
• butter, for the oven tray
• single cream, 300ml, to ensure that the pie stays moist underneath the crispy potato top.

#2 Salmon Clay-Pot Rice

The other thing that I did as a quick fix for lunch today, was to make salmon clay-pot rice without the claypot. Pan fried a fillet and cooked rice in the rice cooker in the meantime. When the rice was cooked, I added sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper, chilli oil, a little bit of sambal chilli paste, small cut-up pieces of ba kwa (because they have expired and I was clearing out the kitchen cupboards today...), added in the deboned salmon in slices, and set the rice cooker to cook again.

At the end I added some chives and pork floss (also from the cupboard clear-out, this packet had no expiry date...)

This was the result, it was yummy-delicious!

There is yet more Salmon in the freezer, and I only have about 3 days left. Considering that the Fish Pie is gonna last me a good 3 days, I'm not sure what else to do!!! Help!

Echidna

Remember how in primary school we learnt that the only 2 mammals in the world that lay eggs are the platypus and the spiny anteater? Well, I learnt today that another name for the spiny anteater is Echidna.

The big acquisition was finally announced in the press today and we can finally speak about it freely without referring to it as Project Porc.up.ine and we can start calling the companies by their real names instead of silly things like Bad.ger, Ro.dent, and yes, Echidna. Looks like BH.P is not in for a easy ride given such negative press, but I do hope they get through so that all our hard work will not be in vain! To be fair we wasted most of the weekend waiting on M&A to provide a working financial model, which one would think they are paid to be competent for. We would have gotten everything done much quicker had we started on our own model, sheesh, and at least I'd know what the model's trying to say, even with my half-baked modelling skills. Already started getting teased by people today about "the failed deal that we spent so much time on"; was at a buddy lunch so I missed the action in the office today when SR first saw the news on TV and shouted across the floor to R about it so everyone knew.

I've become buddy supreme. Just added another buddy to my collection today, so now I have 4 official buddies I need to ensure integrate well into the firm, heh. Been doing so much of this peripheral stuff I haven't had a lot of time to do proper work, not that I'm really complaining. Having some sort of variance in work is always nice. Having said that, Amee and I are rather appalled with our intern buddies, who were given a Brera coffee voucher each for 2 coffees + £10 worth of anything. We set up a coffee session this evening, only to find out that they have conveniently lost the voucher, didn't apologise and didn't even volunteer to pay for our drinks! Not that we are being petty, but surely that reflects quite poorly on character, plus they are quite awkward socially and would only answer questions posed at them! One would think that going to some of the best universities in the country and world would contribute to some character-building, but no!

Am gonna film part of some new campus recruitment video tomorrow too. I suspect they were just trying to prove diversity, and I think I fit that quite nicely, being 1. Female in a male-dominated workplace 2. Asian working in a European Bank 3. Not in Front Office, and 4. having a strange accent when I speak.

One day I'll look back at the things I do at work, and laugh.

I miss Singing

Haven't used them vocal cords in ages, a huge contrast from a year and a half ago, when my entire weekends were actually filled with choir practices.

Occurred to me today that I haven't actually sung any song at all in a long long time. It's not really that I have no song to sing, but no occasion to. In church, I'm stuck at the organ every time I'm there and there's definitely no room for multitasking on that monster. At home, I don't really want she-who-must-not-be-named to hear me.

Miss the good old times back home when we would always burst into song. Someone would start humming a tune very softly, and very soon, another person would pick it up and start "stealing" the other person's song. When we got bored with work (which was quite often) we would often sit at the piano, play and sing something together. Sometimes we would go through an entire book and sing everything in it, just for fun.

Listened to the CD we cut back in 2006 on the way to church. Obviously it didnt sound very professional at all, but just hearing the blend (or lack thereof) of voices made me feel quite sad. I heard my own voice, and nearly couldnt recognise it anymore. TBH it could very well have been sharon's or karen's voice I can't tell, and I can't remember which parts I sang for each song.

I wish I could sing again, I wish I could play nice songs on the piano. I miss just sitting at the piano and trying to figure out how a song went. And this is the closest example I have: imperfect, for it was unpracticed, but therein lies the beauty of spontaneity. This was back in February when I was home for 2 weeks, and Sharon said she had bought a scorebook for duets and was waiting for me to come home and play with her (i think this is just the 1st half of the song before the complications kicked in...heh):

It is a privilege to sing, and a greater privilege when there are people to sing with. Why do people not want to sing in church, or at YF? I can't understand.

Home in December

In better news, i finally plucked up the courage to speak to my boss, P, about going back to Singapore for 3 weeks in December. I offered to work from the Singapore office for a week to provide cover when people take holidays at year-end, and also as an opportunity for me to meet the team there...

He agreed! I was so relieved, and also found out in the process that in this country, you don't "lose" your public holidays when they fall on Saturdays. So I actually get 27 and 28 Dec off for Christmas and Boxing Day, and 3 Jan off for New Year's Day! Wow, that's the most awesome news to my Singaporean ears since National Day yesterday.

Not sure how many days of holidays that would mean, might only be 8, how cool is that!

Next tasks: book those exorbitantly priced air tickets for 10 dec - 2 Jan; and sign up for that 5-day course at ICPAS, though it costs a flipping $525!

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,

The darkness falls at Thy behest;

To Thee our morning hymns ascended,

Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,

While earth rolls onward into light,

Through all the world her watch is keeping,

And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island

The dawn leads on another day,

The voice of prayer is never silent,

Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking

Our brethren ’neath the western sky,

And hour by hour fresh lips are making

Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,

Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:

Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,

Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

(John Ellerton)

Fun Facts: Queen Victoria chose this hymn to be sung at the 60th anniversary of her reign in 1897; it was also sung at the ceremony when Britain returned control of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

*********************************************

Went to work on both Saturday and Sunday :( I hope I never have to do it ever again. It wasn't like we did that much work anyway. How sad for those who work day in and day out, where the boundaries of day and night are so blurred the days fuse into one, completely oblivious to life and the Giver of it.

Basic Manners and The Lack Thereof

There are incredibly rude people in my home.

1. They do not make an effort to say hi or introduce themselves.

2. When I say hi in the morning, she looks at me like I'm mad and then ignores me. When I say hi a 2nd time in the night, she completely ignores me.

3. I proceed to offer her a mattress considering how she has been in my home for 3 nights now and will be for 2 more, though not my guest; and her host has only offered the sofa when there's a mattress sitting in the storeroom. She just says "no it's ok" without looking at me, and does not offer a word of thanks.

I know that Singaporeans are not the most polite people on the planet, and maybe my standards have been raised after months of being in a country where gentlemen actually exist (to some degree, definitely greater than SG) and it's actually basic courtesy to greet people, even strangers with "Hi, how are you?"...

But seriously, if you went to stay at someone's place, for FREE, could you not muster some basic manners, even obligatorily?

I must say I'm greatly appalled, but not surprised. As they say, birds of the same feather flock together.

Those things I thinks.

Those Housing Agents from a very reputable firm called Knight Frank, they can't seem to get my surname or address right even after a whole year, and they want to charge me to renew my contract! Blatant daylight robbery and sheer incompetency, I say. Makes my blood boil every time I get an email from them.

Those Singaporean gatherings I used to go for, I can't really bring myself to go for them anymore and be all fake. I don't know if they are friends or not. Helps that they now love putting things on Sundays and I can't go anyway.

Those countless packets of frozen salmon, lost in the ice in in my frozen freezer, what shall I do with them? They need me to defrost the freezer before they can repair it. Maybe I'll make lots and lots of fish pie this weekend.

Those time slots I try to set aside, be they for exercise, sleep or quiet time, where do they go? I think I do set them aside, but only in my head; and a cobweb now covers that recess in my brain.

Those tickets I bought for Paintball this Saturday. I need 3 more people. Either I have no friends such that I can't think of anyone to ask, or I'm being way too choosy.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Looks like it's not enough to just think those things.

Happy Birth-day, Ava!

I was her first visitor!!! :) :) :)

Took some photos but I shall not put it up because it's the privilege of the parents to showcase such a beautiful baby to the world, their baby. 2 days old, and an angel.

Was so excited on Saturday that I went to buy some flowers, which is really un-me by the way. Still didn't know at that time whether it was going to be a girl or a boy because Ava was too big to come out and she loved keeping everyone in suspense (and pain), so I bought sunflowers! I really love how cheery they looked I think I might go back and buy some more for myself, when my bank account allows me to :)

One Dinner Too Many

Another blessed and inspiring day.

Did not start out too well because the jubilee line was down again and the D7 refused to come, which caused my hopes of arriving early to evaporate into thin air. Wanted to get to church early to practice as I have no touched the organ in 2 weeks, and figured that someone must have messed up the buttons again and i'd have to spend time figuring out how to re-configure.

So there I was practicing, and playing the prelude. 2 mins before the service started, James goes up to the hymnnumber board and takes it down entirely - turns out that the hymns I was given were all from last week! I didn't even get to see the new hymns before the service started and the worst thing was that I had no idea how 2 of them went. Now being on the piano is easy, you can hide behind the organ and kinda sightread. But on the monster of the organ, I had to play the introduction and then figure out the tune and how to play it organ-style: was a semi-disaster but quite a funny incident anyway!

The afternoon was great. Had dinner at P&N's. Still can't get over how they call lunch, dinner, but only on Sundays. I haven't been over in quite a few months, and it's always nice to be there. Was slightly less tiring today because Lucy was in a sleepy mood and wasn't trying to play all her toys at once (and get me to play along)... but she can walk now, and boy is she good at it! She's done really well and a longlong way, I hope she catches up with everyone her age soon. Quick background: Lucy was born pre-mature, with 2 others in a triplet. She was the sole survivor and has mild Cerebral Palsy, so her muscles are stiff and loose at some wrong places. She never did manage to crawl, only shuffle, but she has found strength in her legs to walk perfectly normally now, at 2 years and 3 months! She's really intelligent too, and I'm sure in no time all the babbling will turn into words and sentences...

Because we were not busy playing with Lucy today, and because P was on holiday, we managed to have some good conversations. It's so inspirational talking to them because they always have all their priorities right despite the simple life they lead. They're not much older than me, but about a million times more mature and capable in life itself, and their secret is an open one - they really love God and walk in His will. Guess I can relate to N in a lot of ways - her Christian upbringing, values, sense of humour and her intellect (ok she far surpasses me in that faculty with her superior PhD). I really respect how she's given up a promising career after working so hard at university, to stay home and bring up Lucy and Zachary in the most remarkable way. She understands their every expression and reaction, and interacts with them in such a loving yet professional way. She balances control without being over-possessive; care without over-fussing. Her creativity and energy level ensures that the children are always entertained even with the simplest toys, and her humility really makes everything she does very very understated. I am never failed to be amazed just sitting there and observing.

Anyway, back to the title. So I came home after the evening service, and had my 2nd dinner. There was some leftover food from yesterday, and a Waitrose "reduced" chocolate trifle that expired yesterday, making it my 2nd full meal cum dessert for the day. Seriously bloated now, which is a bad thing to be when you're meant to be sleeping. Another week of challenges lies ahead, and I can't wait for the next weekend already!!!

And, we're going to Legoland in 2 weeks, wheeeee!!!! :) :)

The Garden of Life

There are no flowers in the "garden", just some shrubs that form the natural wall that surrounds my flat and separates it from the public pathway.

Amazingly, we have not stepped out all too often, much less rendered any care to anything on it. Yet somehow, I noticed that weeds started to grow through the gaps in the concrete slabs, and I conveniently ignored it.

Winter came, they were quite resilient, event with the snow and frostbite temperatures.

Spring followed, and they continued growing, but I still wasn't too bothered - I figured that one day I'd go pull them all out at one go. I then promptly got caught up with the rest of life, and neglected to even look out of the window.

And then one day last week, i noticed that the weeds have now grown to a height that reached my waist, then i got worried that they would be too tough to pull out now.

Today, i decided to do a big clean-up. The weeds looked intimidating, and i protected my hands while yanking them out, yet i felt the slash across my palms as i pulled them out, roots et all (mostly, I suspect I didn't get some of them and they will regrow...). After that I spent a good 45mins trying to clear all the long-dead, dried orange leaves that have accumulated underneath the shrubs. Amongst the whole trash-bag full of dried leaves I also found at least 100 cigarrette butts, along with all sorts of trash like kitchen towels, plastic bags, containers, a Sony Bravia TV box (which I always knew was there because the wind kept playing with it and scared me with great noises in my sleep). No doubt the previous tenants had used the patio a lot more, and left a lot more behind. Who knows what went on in that "garden"?

I also found a host of creatures at the corner just outside my room, but that was just disgusting and I refuse to document what I saw.

I've never been a keen gardener. I only lasted an hour out there and didn't even manage to clear out all the leaves. I told myself that I'd come back out another day to finish the job. The big question is: when?

What an analogy of life -

who are the flowers in your garden of life?

who's the sun who even gives life to all creatures?

and what are the weeds you need to pull out today?

Happy 1 year anniversary to me!

today marks exactly 1 year in this country not as a tourist but a tax-paying resident.

my 1st week here was probably the best. i distinctly landing at heathrow at 5am on a Monday morning, and was surprised at how smoothly the baggage clearance went. hopped into the pre-booked cab, and i distinctly remember the strange of feeling of familiarity as the cab across the whole of central london, from west to east.

i remember the 1 day. arriving at sarah's and james' at about 7.30 in the morning. it was just another monday morning for them, and it wasnt time to wake up yet, but they dragged themselves out of bed and helped me to lug my heavy bags in, all 46kg. they then left me to sleep, which i did for a few hours. why not more, i don't know. i remember waking up thinking it was so surreal, and i didnt know what was ahead of me, or what i would do on the 1st day of a new life. but time went on, as it always does, and i found myself trying to take in the whole scene. i lazed around at home, still kinda jetlagged. i took a walk to the nearby roman road market, found an atm, and keyed in the 4 numbers making the pin i used to know quite well. thankfully it went through.

i remember the 1st night, when sarah and james got home, we had dinner and they said, "let's take a walk in the park after dinner". i couldnt believe my eyes - it was still bright as day at 9pm. the experience of the previous year seems quite a distant memory. within a year, sarah got mugged in the same park, and the length of day was shortened drastically.

people here are obsessed with the weather. the default weather is gloomy and bad. some days, it is good. and people REALLY cherish each day of sunshine in a way i've not quite appreciated. no ray of sunshine is spared and no inch of green grass uncovered when the sun was out. my days here have been like the weather - by default, quite dreary, lonely and mediocre. some days, i really think my dream of having an abundant life is going to come true. these are days when work goes well, and only takes place between the hours of 9am and 6pm. there is some time for shopping, cooking, exercising, and then relaxing - maybe reading a book or something. and i'd never be tired in the mornings because i'll go to bed early and have a full 8 hours. every night. but it was not to be, the independent life has also brought a whole wave of issues i always classed too "grown up" for me.

in the space of a year, i learnt about putting a roof over my head, and making sure it's functional all the time.

i also learnt that if you don't think about what you're going to put on the table, there's just going to be nothing there. period.

i learnt that dealing with people is the trickiest of skills to master, and that i should never expect people to treat me the same way i treat them, or i'll be disappointed. it is a lot easier to have a generous and "forgetful" heart, and never expect anything in return, then i might be pleasantly surprised once or twice. but i've also learnt that not every one you speak to on a daily basis automatically become friends. in fact, there is a time and place to be selective and to keep a distance.

i learnt that there is no room for falling ill in this country, and no one to fuss over me when i am, and it would be horrible. so i learnt to listen to my body and know when i'm coming down with something - and tackle it then. thank God there has been nothing full-blown yet.

i learnt that money has an unimaginable grip on people and can turn them into beasts. i re-learned that there is no profit for man to give anything in exchange for his soul. i learnt that the wager on the soul is so great, and the financial industry is a terrible industry to be in this respect. too much interaction with billions of dollars is not a good gauge of the real world. i need to stop adding letter abbreviations after a string of numbers.

i have learnt that self-pity doesn't get me anywhere. some things does not require any emotions, just get up and get on with it. it is an unfeeling world out there, and the other 6.999m other people in this city probably doesnt even know i exist.

i learnt that no one is going to tell me what I did wrong or right. only i am accountable to God and God alone. there's no point leading the superficial life and meaningless "eat, drink and be merry" life, like so many people do.

in so many ways i'm still the same old me, still can't stand inefficiency, still wanting to do way too many things, and still getting myself into situations i can't get out of.

but in a myriad of other ways i'm a new me, learning something new everyday, not just about me, but about life.

what a difference a year makes, and i survived!

Thank You God!

searching for The One

Today marks the start of the search for the perfect One. Hopefully it's not too long and tiring a search, but given my sheer indecisiveness i suspect i'm a long way off.

Sarah very kindly brought me to the 1st shop and it was quite fun! stepping in and out of countless (ok, more like 10) different ones only made them all fuse into one and at the end of it, i was still quite confused, though i did manage to pick 2 out.

the budget? no idea. but i hope i can get a VAT refund, lol!

the silliest thing was, we forgot to get the model numbers at the end so now i cant even look it up online. and no photography allowed!

blatant convenience

love the way you conveniently hide in the room when i'm trying to clean up, and then coincidentally wander out when it's all done.

also, love the way you never clean the house, or even after yourself.

(sounds like something my mummy would say to me too, actually.)

but,

i love the way this whole experience has shown me the pathetic human condition. people are generally quite good at hiding the evil within, but it's so blatantly manifested in you.