It's not as cold in Seoul as we thought it would be. Certainly not -5 degrees as reported; but I suppose that could all change.
The concert's a bigger thing than we thought. Quite apart from front page publicity (which can be bought), it's going to be shown on national TV. LIVE. And then on some websites after that. Which means if I fuck up my choreography, it'll be repeated for all and sundry to see forever and ever amen, with my face all plastered over the clip as "the one who forgot his choreo".
Sobering indeed. So much so that we cancelled the drinking session we were supposed to have last night, and spent it looking at our scores again.
Woke up at 7.40 am Korean time (6.40 am Singapore time), so that our voices would warm up sufficiently in time for sectionals later at 9.30 am. It's like a choir camp. Talk about hard work.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Fugly
It seems that in Korea we're meant to have dinner with the Singapore ambassador. As such we have to wear a suit for dinner.
That leaves me with a dilemma. Do I wear the Chorale suit to dinner? Or do I bring my other suit.
The Chorale suit is seriously fugly. It's all wrong. The buttons are hidden for some godforsaken reason. The lapels are off. There are no vents at the back and as such on a person like me it makes my bottom look gigantic.
Yenling says everyone in Chorale's going to wear the same suit anyway, so what's the diff. Well the girls aren't wearing their fugly gowns to dinner are they???
But to bring another suit means more luggage, so I'm torn between a luggage the weight of Fort Knox, and looking like a toolbag in front of an ambassador.
Also, we've hurhur resolved to seat ourselves right next to the ambassador and practice our talking skills to very important people. Except that we don't have any conversation topics on hand.
Sample line we thought up (ok, I thought up):
"Oh Your Excellency the duck confit was divine! And the wine accompanying it -- a class by itself. Your taste is impeccable as usual and you must surely be a beacon of cultural hope in this sea of barbarians!"
"I do hope you managed to take time of your very busy schedule to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Seoul is so pretty at this time of year (notwithstanding that it's fucking -5 degrees) - what better time can there be to spend it at home with the kids and your lovely wife!"
Talk about trivial.
That leaves me with a dilemma. Do I wear the Chorale suit to dinner? Or do I bring my other suit.
The Chorale suit is seriously fugly. It's all wrong. The buttons are hidden for some godforsaken reason. The lapels are off. There are no vents at the back and as such on a person like me it makes my bottom look gigantic.
Yenling says everyone in Chorale's going to wear the same suit anyway, so what's the diff. Well the girls aren't wearing their fugly gowns to dinner are they???
But to bring another suit means more luggage, so I'm torn between a luggage the weight of Fort Knox, and looking like a toolbag in front of an ambassador.
Also, we've hurhur resolved to seat ourselves right next to the ambassador and practice our talking skills to very important people. Except that we don't have any conversation topics on hand.
Sample line we thought up (ok, I thought up):
"Oh Your Excellency the duck confit was divine! And the wine accompanying it -- a class by itself. Your taste is impeccable as usual and you must surely be a beacon of cultural hope in this sea of barbarians!"
"I do hope you managed to take time of your very busy schedule to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Seoul is so pretty at this time of year (notwithstanding that it's fucking -5 degrees) - what better time can there be to spend it at home with the kids and your lovely wife!"
Talk about trivial.
Doomed
It's less than 24 hours to Korea, and about 1 week to London. Let's do a status update.
Packing for Korea: 50%
Packing for London: 0%
Preparation for Korea: 80%
Preparation for London: 10%
Readiness to face Korea: 80%
Readiness to face London: -30%
Packing for Korea: 50%
Packing for London: 0%
Preparation for Korea: 80%
Preparation for London: 10%
Readiness to face Korea: 80%
Readiness to face London: -30%
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Further education
Increasingly I've been wondering whether I should pursue a postgraduate finance-related degree. The purpose is not to get a swanky job in an investment bank - I'm pretty satisfied with my job.
I've always been interested in the world of finance. Don't ask me why - maybe I'm money faced. Money and how it drives the world fascinates me. How to make more money fascinates me even more. And that's why the Financial Times is my favourite newspaper.
It's been said that finance draws the biggest brains from the talent pool; all in pursuit of a common goal - to make more money. What's not to like about that? I'm sure I'd take to it like a fish to a pond.
Sometimes I also miss the intellectual rigour of studying - the thrill of applying all your brain power to solve a intellectual challenge, and successfully beating it.
So I've been dipping my toes looking around at different programmes. The thought of doing an MBA in some remote corner of the world - US, France, Barcelona, Oxford or Cambridge is quite attractive, but I then think about the opportunity cost. The promotion I hope to get at the end of this year. The hopefully short rise to profit sharing. And even if not, the plain salary and bonus I'd miss. All that makes that choice all the more expensive. It's like US$150,000 + all the missed earnings and opportunities, and that really puts things in perspective.
Then I think about doing it somewhere local so that I can do it part time and work at the same time - after all, NTU did rank 25th globally in FT's 2009 MBA survey (though I have some doubts...). But it's *NTU*...(i) it's in the middle of nowhere; (ii) I don't really want to spend my time in drab grey-ish laboratory-like environs; and (iii) it's *NTU*.
There's NUS as well, but I don't really want to spend another 2 years there having already spent 4 years there as an undergraduate - it's time for a change.
And then there's SMU, which being in the middle of town is fairly convenient if I want to do a part time degree.
But the cost isn't cheap either. Fees for SMU are S$56,000 for a part time degree. Since I'm not really in it to advance my career, is it worth all that money for what might be a passing fancy? I'm not sure. There's also all the lost weekends and additional stress I'd put on myself.
Choices choices.
Korea in 3 days. I haven't packed, or *gulp* memorised all my songs. I'm going to be lynched.
UK in 1.5 weeks. I haven't selected my accommodation and I'm not prepared. I'm doomed.
I've always been interested in the world of finance. Don't ask me why - maybe I'm money faced. Money and how it drives the world fascinates me. How to make more money fascinates me even more. And that's why the Financial Times is my favourite newspaper.
It's been said that finance draws the biggest brains from the talent pool; all in pursuit of a common goal - to make more money. What's not to like about that? I'm sure I'd take to it like a fish to a pond.
Sometimes I also miss the intellectual rigour of studying - the thrill of applying all your brain power to solve a intellectual challenge, and successfully beating it.
So I've been dipping my toes looking around at different programmes. The thought of doing an MBA in some remote corner of the world - US, France, Barcelona, Oxford or Cambridge is quite attractive, but I then think about the opportunity cost. The promotion I hope to get at the end of this year. The hopefully short rise to profit sharing. And even if not, the plain salary and bonus I'd miss. All that makes that choice all the more expensive. It's like US$150,000 + all the missed earnings and opportunities, and that really puts things in perspective.
Then I think about doing it somewhere local so that I can do it part time and work at the same time - after all, NTU did rank 25th globally in FT's 2009 MBA survey (though I have some doubts...). But it's *NTU*...(i) it's in the middle of nowhere; (ii) I don't really want to spend my time in drab grey-ish laboratory-like environs; and (iii) it's *NTU*.
There's NUS as well, but I don't really want to spend another 2 years there having already spent 4 years there as an undergraduate - it's time for a change.
And then there's SMU, which being in the middle of town is fairly convenient if I want to do a part time degree.
But the cost isn't cheap either. Fees for SMU are S$56,000 for a part time degree. Since I'm not really in it to advance my career, is it worth all that money for what might be a passing fancy? I'm not sure. There's also all the lost weekends and additional stress I'd put on myself.
Choices choices.
Korea in 3 days. I haven't packed, or *gulp* memorised all my songs. I'm going to be lynched.
UK in 1.5 weeks. I haven't selected my accommodation and I'm not prepared. I'm doomed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Peals
Reading Marie's comment here sets me off on peals of unintentional, very unbecoming and very childish fits of mild giggles.
We seniors recently coined a term for this. It's called "Star-gazing". You know, how you look up into the sky and marvel cross-eyed at the infinite-ness and depth of the universe.
Or how the same look appears on the faces of girls when they see Leon Lai (yes, I'm old) in the airport. Or maybe Rain is more relevant nowadays.
Heh. In our case, how these "nubile young VC sopranos" look up cross-eyed at Mr. T.T. while he regales them with the tales of yore.
We observed them once at dinner. It's so amusing.
I can't wait for Saturday. This time, I will catch them stargazing on my camera. Heh.
We seniors recently coined a term for this. It's called "Star-gazing". You know, how you look up into the sky and marvel cross-eyed at the infinite-ness and depth of the universe.
Or how the same look appears on the faces of girls when they see Leon Lai (yes, I'm old) in the airport. Or maybe Rain is more relevant nowadays.
Heh. In our case, how these "nubile young VC sopranos" look up cross-eyed at Mr. T.T. while he regales them with the tales of yore.
We observed them once at dinner. It's so amusing.
I can't wait for Saturday. This time, I will catch them stargazing on my camera. Heh.
CNY
As I get older Chinese New Year becomes less and less meaningful. It's the 4th or 5th year (I forget) since my grandpa passed away, and I can see that the traditions that we once held onto slowly slipping away.
Almost gone is the gathering of all the siblings on CNY eve, where each family would take the opportunity to cook a dish to show off their culinary skills (my mother could kill with her 3-layer-pork and yam dish - a perennial delight of the relatives). In the later years some families would take shortcuts and buy *KFC* or roast chicken of some sort. God what a travesty.
Also gone is the giving of angpows (not that the amount is much, but it's a symbolism).
The only visiting on the father's side is now just the reunion dinner. It used to comprise 2-3 days of merriment where we'd play with fireworks and gamble. Well that's gone. In what must be a sign of the times, we had our reunion dinner at a STEAMBOAT RESTAURANT. Y.u.c.k.s. And it STILL cost RM 50 a head.
A lot of people complain that CNY is superficial (like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day and the like). But I think it's whatever you make of it. It's a time of the year where everyone sets aside time to renew family ties. Because family is important.
I'd do it myself, except that the little that's left of my Chinese linguistic skills seem to be fading as the years pass, and I can't for the life of me hold any decent conversation with any of my relatives. As a result, I just sit in one corner, and watch House on my laptop. It must seem incredibly anti-social and they must think that I'm some stuck-up out-of-towner who thinks his oh so great "English-education" makes him better than the rest of them Chinese-educated country bumpkins.* I don't! Really! Unfortunately my face seems to be stuck on "stuck-up" mode. I swear it stems from insecurity with my lack of facility with the Chinese language.
Footnotes:
1. I feel like a bloated Michelin man after all that bakkwa and pineapple tarts.
2. The sister seems to be pleased with the Macbook Pro. Now she wants a bluetooth mouse. There's just no satisfying some people.
* PS I've been told that some people actually think it's "country pumpkins". It's NOT. It's "bumpkins"
Almost gone is the gathering of all the siblings on CNY eve, where each family would take the opportunity to cook a dish to show off their culinary skills (my mother could kill with her 3-layer-pork and yam dish - a perennial delight of the relatives). In the later years some families would take shortcuts and buy *KFC* or roast chicken of some sort. God what a travesty.
Also gone is the giving of angpows (not that the amount is much, but it's a symbolism).
The only visiting on the father's side is now just the reunion dinner. It used to comprise 2-3 days of merriment where we'd play with fireworks and gamble. Well that's gone. In what must be a sign of the times, we had our reunion dinner at a STEAMBOAT RESTAURANT. Y.u.c.k.s. And it STILL cost RM 50 a head.
A lot of people complain that CNY is superficial (like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day and the like). But I think it's whatever you make of it. It's a time of the year where everyone sets aside time to renew family ties. Because family is important.
I'd do it myself, except that the little that's left of my Chinese linguistic skills seem to be fading as the years pass, and I can't for the life of me hold any decent conversation with any of my relatives. As a result, I just sit in one corner, and watch House on my laptop. It must seem incredibly anti-social and they must think that I'm some stuck-up out-of-towner who thinks his oh so great "English-education" makes him better than the rest of them Chinese-educated country bumpkins.* I don't! Really! Unfortunately my face seems to be stuck on "stuck-up" mode. I swear it stems from insecurity with my lack of facility with the Chinese language.
Footnotes:
1. I feel like a bloated Michelin man after all that bakkwa and pineapple tarts.
2. The sister seems to be pleased with the Macbook Pro. Now she wants a bluetooth mouse. There's just no satisfying some people.
* PS I've been told that some people actually think it's "country pumpkins". It's NOT. It's "bumpkins"
Facebook politics
I must have written this before somewhere. But what does one do when an undesirable person tries to add you on facebook? On the one hand I'm tempted to ignore the request and pretend that I don't really access facebook very often. On the other hand it's a bit obvious that I do if I keep posting comments on other people's facebook profile.
Update: I've decided to add the offender to my ignore list. Political correctness be damned.
Update: I've decided to add the offender to my ignore list. Political correctness be damned.
Lapsap
Lapsap. Cantonese. Noun. Translation: Trash.
Sample usage:
1. "Oh which lapsap bar did you go to this time? Was it filled with lapsap women?"
2. "Throw it into the lapsap tong"
3. "You piece of lapsap"
4. "Your moral values are like lapsap"
It's mid-afternoon on CNY2. And where am I? Eating my fill in Melaka? Stuffing my face in PJ? Going to a friend's house to have my fill of pineapple tarts and bakkwa? Renewing acquaintances with relatives and friends?
No. I'm at home, on my dining table, reviewing work that two of my colleagues have passed me. The piece of work is SO LOUSY that I feel like tearing it up, and throwing it back at them and screaming at the top of my lungs: "THIS IS LAPSAP WORK!!!!" (i.e. this is a piece of trash). Which it is. My dog could probably write better. I've already sent two emails voicing my extreme displeasure. One's in New York and the other's back in some remote jungle of Malaysia that's called Batu Pahat. I've half a mind to call up each of them on their mobile phones and giving them a piece of my mind.
I'm sure I'll make a terrible boss in future. I tell myself to relax, it's only a piece of work. Shitty as it may be. Still, I'm embarrassed to say that it's gone through my hands.
Bah. If you want something done well, do it yourself.
People tell me I terrorize the juniors at work. I wonder why. Har har har.
Sample usage:
1. "Oh which lapsap bar did you go to this time? Was it filled with lapsap women?"
2. "Throw it into the lapsap tong"
3. "You piece of lapsap"
4. "Your moral values are like lapsap"
It's mid-afternoon on CNY2. And where am I? Eating my fill in Melaka? Stuffing my face in PJ? Going to a friend's house to have my fill of pineapple tarts and bakkwa? Renewing acquaintances with relatives and friends?
No. I'm at home, on my dining table, reviewing work that two of my colleagues have passed me. The piece of work is SO LOUSY that I feel like tearing it up, and throwing it back at them and screaming at the top of my lungs: "THIS IS LAPSAP WORK!!!!" (i.e. this is a piece of trash). Which it is. My dog could probably write better. I've already sent two emails voicing my extreme displeasure. One's in New York and the other's back in some remote jungle of Malaysia that's called Batu Pahat. I've half a mind to call up each of them on their mobile phones and giving them a piece of my mind.
I'm sure I'll make a terrible boss in future. I tell myself to relax, it's only a piece of work. Shitty as it may be. Still, I'm embarrassed to say that it's gone through my hands.
Bah. If you want something done well, do it yourself.
People tell me I terrorize the juniors at work. I wonder why. Har har har.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Heh
The online store was stocked with new refurbished models yesterday, and I grabbed a refurbished Macbook Pro for what I thought was a steal. It's a slightly older model, but has Multitouch and the same 1 year warranty.
This one's going to the sister, who's currently got a 6 year old iBook with a G4 800 Mhz processor. A belated graduation present of sorts I suppose.
I'm taking over the old iBook to use while I'm in the UK.
I must be turning into a Mac freak (though to be honest I don't use it for anything but internet surfing...).
I've also been proselytizing (ooo I learnt new word for the day) the virtues of a Mac to everyone I meet, and have persuaded a colleague to buy a 17" Macbook Pro for video and photo editing. It's a pretty piece of "furniture" which would look rather good as a fixture on her coffee table.
Mine's just arrived! I think hers is arriving tomorrow.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tenor Dinner
was, I thought, rather fun. We went to Persimmon for dinner, followed by a great evening at Novus. There was a duo there whose harmony were an inspiration to us all. I'm hoping that the guys had a pleasant and enjoyable evening, with enough food to eat, including yonder veggieboy.
(PS If anyone's free on a Friday, looking for a quiet place to hang out and have a drink and listen to old-ish live music (80s and 90s), Novus would be a good choice.)
My colleague says I'm an idiot for spending money on a bunch of guys instead of a bunch of girls. I thought it rather missed the point - I'm not in it hoping to get something in return. I've been singing with this bunch of guys since October and it's given me great pleasure to be part of them. I thought I should return the favour, since I am fortunate enough to be in a position to do so.
I suppose maybe I should've invited the few other ppl from other sections that I've enjoyed hanging out with. However the problem with that is then it feels rather weird to be inviting one person (I don't really know all of them) and not another - it's overinclusive and underinclusive at the same time.
I could suppose have invited the entire choir, but then the dynamics would be so completely different and the group number so difficult to handle that it would just be completely without purpose.
(PS If anyone's free on a Friday, looking for a quiet place to hang out and have a drink and listen to old-ish live music (80s and 90s), Novus would be a good choice.)
My colleague says I'm an idiot for spending money on a bunch of guys instead of a bunch of girls. I thought it rather missed the point - I'm not in it hoping to get something in return. I've been singing with this bunch of guys since October and it's given me great pleasure to be part of them. I thought I should return the favour, since I am fortunate enough to be in a position to do so.
I suppose maybe I should've invited the few other ppl from other sections that I've enjoyed hanging out with. However the problem with that is then it feels rather weird to be inviting one person (I don't really know all of them) and not another - it's overinclusive and underinclusive at the same time.
I could suppose have invited the entire choir, but then the dynamics would be so completely different and the group number so difficult to handle that it would just be completely without purpose.
Fart etiquette
This picture really cracks me up and reminds me of a story. Nobody ever told me when I was young that it wasn't fine to let a fart rip in public. I suspect this is why you see kopitiam uncles drinking beer and farting in kopitiams without even a hint of embarrassment. The no-gasses-in-public rule is most likely a western concept. The thinking goes, if it's fine for my dad to fart away at home, then it must surely be fine for me to similarly fart everywhere else.
When I was in primary school, it was perfectly acceptable and funny for us to be farting, since (1) I sat near the door; (2) it was open air and therefore the wind would soon blow it away.
So when I continued primary school in the UK, it's something I did as well. The problem was that (1) it was an enclosed area, and (2) there was no air circulation (just central heating). So the fart particles would sort of just linger around like a permanent miasma of pestilence, and they'd all suffocate to death.
My poor fellow suffering students had to put up with my farts for at least 2 weeks. I think it was then that when the teacher was halfway teaching French conjugation or was it days in the week that I let out a loud fart while she was talking.
I seem to recall gently being told that I should only fart in toilets.
And that was that.
Oh the barbarism of these Chinks.
Friday, January 16, 2009
I've been a bad, bad boy. And chastising myself for it.
I was invited to a dinner last night, where very very fine champagnes and red wines were served. It was like being at a wine buffet. I stuffed my face on the wines more than the food. In fact, I hardly ate.
The dinner ended, and by then I was obviously inebriated. I don't know what possessed me to then follow some angmohs from the group to a pub where I drank even more. There I smoked at least 3 cigarettes when they were offered to me. I also went to the toilet and puked my guts out. Like, all over the toilet bowl. It's amazing I didn't get any puke on myself. I remember puking out some stringy thing. And it was all brown. I tried to mop up the puke with toilet paper. I don't even know how I found the toilet.
I couldn't finish the beer (I think we had 3) nor hold a conversation, being really high. I think the cigarettes really did me in.
Looking back, I must have looked terribly idiotic. I mean, it's obvious I can't hold my drinks. At least, not at the level I was drinking. These are not my friends (in fact 4 competitors and 1 client). I was the only asian there. WHAT was I doing there???
I've got a terrible hangover, and my breath tastes of cigarettes, and generally I feel like shit.
I have to control the drinking at these events.
But I can't help myself!!!!
HELP.
I was invited to a dinner last night, where very very fine champagnes and red wines were served. It was like being at a wine buffet. I stuffed my face on the wines more than the food. In fact, I hardly ate.
The dinner ended, and by then I was obviously inebriated. I don't know what possessed me to then follow some angmohs from the group to a pub where I drank even more. There I smoked at least 3 cigarettes when they were offered to me. I also went to the toilet and puked my guts out. Like, all over the toilet bowl. It's amazing I didn't get any puke on myself. I remember puking out some stringy thing. And it was all brown. I tried to mop up the puke with toilet paper. I don't even know how I found the toilet.
I couldn't finish the beer (I think we had 3) nor hold a conversation, being really high. I think the cigarettes really did me in.
Looking back, I must have looked terribly idiotic. I mean, it's obvious I can't hold my drinks. At least, not at the level I was drinking. These are not my friends (in fact 4 competitors and 1 client). I was the only asian there. WHAT was I doing there???
I've got a terrible hangover, and my breath tastes of cigarettes, and generally I feel like shit.
I have to control the drinking at these events.
But I can't help myself!!!!
HELP.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Modesty
I went for dinner last week with 2 friends and these 2 other girls, one of whom I suspect is interested in one of my friends. Either the dentist or the doctor. I'm not sure which. I'm sure either would be a great pick.
The doctor's rather funny. When asked what he did for a living, he seemed somewhat embarrassed, and replied: "oh, I work in a hospital" instead of outright saying that he was a doctor.
I have the same problem at times. People ask me what I do, and I'm a little embarrassed to tell them. So I say things like "I work in the finance industry", "I'm doing banking" etc. You get the drift. I never actually say the dreaded L-word, unless the person asking is being a pompous ass when he has no reason to be, and I want to put him in his place.
I'm not really sure why this is. After all, what's so embarrassing about being a doctor?
I figure it must be one of the following:
(1) to avoid pre-conceived notions about how a doctor should behave and a typical doctor-profile (too much money, too little time to spend it, KERCHING)
(2) afraid that you might not be good enough to live up to the ideals of a doctor
(3) afraid that it might embarrass the other person because of the vast difference in societal standing. Questionable.
I don't really know.
What I do know, and this is completely unrelated to the topic at hand, is that....
oh my god this bottle of wine in front of me is NEVER ENDING. I can't drink anymore and there's still like a bundle left. I'm already half drunk.
The doctor's rather funny. When asked what he did for a living, he seemed somewhat embarrassed, and replied: "oh, I work in a hospital" instead of outright saying that he was a doctor.
I have the same problem at times. People ask me what I do, and I'm a little embarrassed to tell them. So I say things like "I work in the finance industry", "I'm doing banking" etc. You get the drift. I never actually say the dreaded L-word, unless the person asking is being a pompous ass when he has no reason to be, and I want to put him in his place.
I'm not really sure why this is. After all, what's so embarrassing about being a doctor?
I figure it must be one of the following:
(1) to avoid pre-conceived notions about how a doctor should behave and a typical doctor-profile (too much money, too little time to spend it, KERCHING)
(2) afraid that you might not be good enough to live up to the ideals of a doctor
(3) afraid that it might embarrass the other person because of the vast difference in societal standing. Questionable.
I don't really know.
What I do know, and this is completely unrelated to the topic at hand, is that....
oh my god this bottle of wine in front of me is NEVER ENDING. I can't drink anymore and there's still like a bundle left. I'm already half drunk.
Boring cars. The way to go.
My car costs less than 1/3 my neighbour's. It's an offpeak car. I hardly drive it. My neighbour drives his everyday. The cars are about the same age.
His car's a continental car. Mine's a beat up Korean model.
We bought it at the same time.
Yet on insurance renewal, the same insurance company quotes him a LOWER premium than mine. I was so incensed and got to the bottom of it. Apparently the claims history on my model of the car is much higher than his.
His car looks boring. Boring cars attract boring drivers, who tend to be safer drivers (but he's damn aggressive). My car must be a "damn exciting" car.
I'm so pissed. I swear I'm going to get a boring car as my next car.
In the 10 year lifespan of my car, I would've paid insurance premiums equivalent to half the cost of the car. How ridiculous is that.
His car's a continental car. Mine's a beat up Korean model.
We bought it at the same time.
Yet on insurance renewal, the same insurance company quotes him a LOWER premium than mine. I was so incensed and got to the bottom of it. Apparently the claims history on my model of the car is much higher than his.
His car looks boring. Boring cars attract boring drivers, who tend to be safer drivers (but he's damn aggressive). My car must be a "damn exciting" car.
I'm so pissed. I swear I'm going to get a boring car as my next car.
In the 10 year lifespan of my car, I would've paid insurance premiums equivalent to half the cost of the car. How ridiculous is that.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Exhausted
I really am. I slept 10 hours last night and still felt like a truck ran over me. Maybe I've got AIDS.
On top of that about 5 gazillion people are chasing me for work which I had planned to do over the weekend but just did not get around to doing it. It's Sunday night and I just decided: f*** it I'm going to bed.
But I *am* going (or so I hope) to work at 7.30 am tomorrow as I did on Friday.
Shall fight my battles another day.
I can't decide what youngsters might like to eat for this Friday. Had thought of this wonderful steak house called Les Bouchons; but am not sure if they have non-meat stuff.
On that note, I wonder if anyone's ever come up with a "mock steak" before.
I haven't had much good vegetarian food in Singapore. I'm not even sure if you can get decent vegetarian food in restaurants. I wonder what it's like to live without meat. Not sure if I'd survive. It's supposed to be quite healthy though. But oh my god some days you just feel like a yummy. juicy. bloody. steak.
On top of that about 5 gazillion people are chasing me for work which I had planned to do over the weekend but just did not get around to doing it. It's Sunday night and I just decided: f*** it I'm going to bed.
But I *am* going (or so I hope) to work at 7.30 am tomorrow as I did on Friday.
Shall fight my battles another day.
I can't decide what youngsters might like to eat for this Friday. Had thought of this wonderful steak house called Les Bouchons; but am not sure if they have non-meat stuff.
On that note, I wonder if anyone's ever come up with a "mock steak" before.
I haven't had much good vegetarian food in Singapore. I'm not even sure if you can get decent vegetarian food in restaurants. I wonder what it's like to live without meat. Not sure if I'd survive. It's supposed to be quite healthy though. But oh my god some days you just feel like a yummy. juicy. bloody. steak.
So many things to do, so little time to do it in.
What a nightmare this month is going to be. Choir has effectively destroyed free time in the weekends. A colleague's on honeymoon for 3 weeks in US. Another's stuck in reservist for a week in some remote area of Singapore which means double the amount of work this week. I'm already being chased left right centre from a whole bunch of ppl for overdue work. Sigh.
On top of that, it's now been confirmed that I'm heading off to the UK on 6 Feb and with that comes a whole load of OTHER tasks that I need to do before I go. Pack. Buy winter clothes. Make arrangements for my car. Do up my folder of personal documents for the opening of bank accounts. Pay my bills. Ensure sufficient money in my bank account before I go. Change money. The list is endless.
I've just got one weekend left to do all of them. The next weekend that follows is CNY. The next weekend is the Korea trip. After that that I'm flying off on the Friday.
I really need to take some leave to sort out my affairs.
What a nightmare this month is going to be. Choir has effectively destroyed free time in the weekends. A colleague's on honeymoon for 3 weeks in US. Another's stuck in reservist for a week in some remote area of Singapore which means double the amount of work this week. I'm already being chased left right centre from a whole bunch of ppl for overdue work. Sigh.
On top of that, it's now been confirmed that I'm heading off to the UK on 6 Feb and with that comes a whole load of OTHER tasks that I need to do before I go. Pack. Buy winter clothes. Make arrangements for my car. Do up my folder of personal documents for the opening of bank accounts. Pay my bills. Ensure sufficient money in my bank account before I go. Change money. The list is endless.
I've just got one weekend left to do all of them. The next weekend that follows is CNY. The next weekend is the Korea trip. After that that I'm flying off on the Friday.
I really need to take some leave to sort out my affairs.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Trashy Earwigs
I have the weirdest earwigs. Today it was set off by a posting on someone's blog with the word Milkshake. And of course now I can't get this trashy song out of my head. The lyrics are retarded and trashy. But sticks in your head like glue:
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge
(repeat ad infinitum)
I have no idea who it's by.
Urgh wat a trashy post.
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge
(repeat ad infinitum)
I have no idea who it's by.
Urgh wat a trashy post.
Withdrawal
The choir's showing some improvement, and it's a great pleasure for me each week to be singing in an ever improving group. I *try* to give it my all every week but sometimes the mind is weak and I find my performance and dedication lacking.
The feeling of a whole group singing in tune and together as one must surely be one of life's greatest joys.
I have singing withdrawal each Saturday and Sunday, which explains why I sort of hang around for dinner and stuff with the choir people - it's a futile attempt of sorts to lengthen the day, hoping that the day will never end, and tomorrow will never come. On Sunday evenings I can barely wait for the week to pass so that it would be Saturday all over again where we can sing for another 6 hours or so.
The difference this time as compared to past years is that the K-God bothers! And what a big difference it is. I haven't enjoyed practices for so many years, starved have I been of musical direction. Like a cloud of rain in a desert, He passeth over and pours down His torrential talent to quench my musical thirst that has been parched and ignored for at least the last 5 years. How satisfying and fulfilling it is.
The feeling of a whole group singing in tune and together as one must surely be one of life's greatest joys.
I have singing withdrawal each Saturday and Sunday, which explains why I sort of hang around for dinner and stuff with the choir people - it's a futile attempt of sorts to lengthen the day, hoping that the day will never end, and tomorrow will never come. On Sunday evenings I can barely wait for the week to pass so that it would be Saturday all over again where we can sing for another 6 hours or so.
The difference this time as compared to past years is that the K-God bothers! And what a big difference it is. I haven't enjoyed practices for so many years, starved have I been of musical direction. Like a cloud of rain in a desert, He passeth over and pours down His torrential talent to quench my musical thirst that has been parched and ignored for at least the last 5 years. How satisfying and fulfilling it is.
Woof!
Barely a day after a few of the guys set a bet that these 2 ppl in the choir would get together after the upcoming Korea trip, I find out that today they celebrate their 3-day-versary!
I wish them the best of luck.
It's always so fascinating for me to observe ppl in the initial stages of courtship. In this case it was more obvious publicly with the guy than with the girl - he'd turn bashful and awkward around the girl. The body language obviously showed keen interest, and I found it my weekly source of amusement how he'd sort of dance and flit around the girl with an adorable sad puppy face, or at times like a peacock showing his feathers. It's very very cute, and I'm very glad they got together after such a long time.
I wish them the best of luck.
It's always so fascinating for me to observe ppl in the initial stages of courtship. In this case it was more obvious publicly with the guy than with the girl - he'd turn bashful and awkward around the girl. The body language obviously showed keen interest, and I found it my weekly source of amusement how he'd sort of dance and flit around the girl with an adorable sad puppy face, or at times like a peacock showing his feathers. It's very very cute, and I'm very glad they got together after such a long time.
New Year!
Happy New Year fellow loyal readers.
A New Year starts with New Year resolutions that will, notwithstanding the best of intentions, be broken by February.
Yet, I feel that this year will be different from past years. This year will be the year of change. In the words of the great Barack Obama, "Yes, we can!".
In no particular order, my new year resolutions are as follows:
1. Lose 10 kg. Fat chance.
2. Up my cool factor and introduce change into life, by:
(a) taking tennis lessons - check.
(b) joining the gym - check.
(c) taking drum lessons - when I come back from the UK
(d) taking martial arts classes - still debating about this one
(e) going offroad biking - weekends currently too busy for this, but fully intend to start this soon. I need to find some ppl to go with on Sat mornings.
3. Improving singing - hrm....it seems I have no back muscles and diaphragm. So this is gonna be hard.
4. Grow proper facial stubble - the art of artful dishevelment. Have failed with this so far. I've tried not shaving from Fridays. It looks fine until Saturday night. On Sunday I look like a vagrant. I need to learn the art of partial shaving. Not sure from whom though. All the Chorale guys are too young to shave *snigger*.
I think tt'll keep me busy for a while.
A New Year starts with New Year resolutions that will, notwithstanding the best of intentions, be broken by February.
Yet, I feel that this year will be different from past years. This year will be the year of change. In the words of the great Barack Obama, "Yes, we can!".
In no particular order, my new year resolutions are as follows:
1. Lose 10 kg. Fat chance.
2. Up my cool factor and introduce change into life, by:
(a) taking tennis lessons - check.
(b) joining the gym - check.
(c) taking drum lessons - when I come back from the UK
(d) taking martial arts classes - still debating about this one
(e) going offroad biking - weekends currently too busy for this, but fully intend to start this soon. I need to find some ppl to go with on Sat mornings.
3. Improving singing - hrm....it seems I have no back muscles and diaphragm. So this is gonna be hard.
4. Grow proper facial stubble - the art of artful dishevelment. Have failed with this so far. I've tried not shaving from Fridays. It looks fine until Saturday night. On Sunday I look like a vagrant. I need to learn the art of partial shaving. Not sure from whom though. All the Chorale guys are too young to shave *snigger*.
I think tt'll keep me busy for a while.