Mooooo

On an irreverent note; I think my propensity for farting has more than
doubled since I arrived in London. I think it's all the milk I've been
drinking. It makes my fart smell twice as bad, and increases the
volume twice as much. Sometimes I'm like farting all the way down the
street while I walk. In fact I was farting just now as I walked with
Jia Yun and May Ling, whom I met for a very pleasant dinner. I hope
they didn't notice.

My theory as to why the smell doesn't dissipate as much here is that
it's much colder here than in Singapore. You know the formula PV/T =
constant; and therefore if the pressure (of the fart and of the
atmosphere) is constant, then V (the volume of the miasma of
pestilence) must vary in direct proportion to T, the temperature of
the system. And since the temperature here is much lower (say 5-7
degrees) than in Singapore (approx 28-32 degrees), the volume of the
fart cloud must be at least 4-4.5x smaller than in Singapore while
farting outdoors. It helps that I've got my coat on and hence the
fart molecules are contained in my coat and dispersed slowly into the
atmosphere.

I also time the farts to coincide with a large diesel vehicle passing
by. It kinda masks the sound.

I feel like a right cow. Moo.

Benjamin Button

I haven't watched a good movie in ages and I thought this was a great
show. It got off to a very slow start but then became extremely
interesting after she got run over by a taxi. The death scenes struck
me emotionally what with where my thoughts have been in the recent
week - and near the end I struggled a little to keep myself composed
as the scenes were quite moving.

London cinemas are quite empty - I don't know if this is the sign of
the times. In our cinema there was a grand total of about 20 people in
the audience, i.e. about 10% filled...

If you thought season parking at Raffles Place was exhorbitant at SGD
400 per month; well, in my building were I live, its 1350 POUNDS a
month....

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Multitasking part 2

So it seems that not only am I an idiot at multitasking, I am also an
idiot in unitasking.

Having decided that 37 pounds was well worth shelling out for an extra
day in Bergen, I proceeded to make the amendment.

Except that instead of amending the return journey, I amended the
outgoing journey, thus ending up with 2 tickets back from Bergen on 2
different dates, with no ticket to Bergen.

Well that was dumb wasn't it.

So I had to pay yet another 35 pounds to make another amendment to get
it right.

And so now my ticket price has doubled due to all the amendment costs,
and I'm very annoyed with myself.

On the bright side I booked yet another ticket, this time to Latvia.
Very very exciting! I made sure I got the dates right this time.

Death

It sucks doesn't it. Why do people have to die. Is it to make new room
for people in this finite world? Its one of those lifelong questions
that can be asked and answered on so many levels.

A close friend's father passed away from cancer recently. And I sort
of feel sad and guilty plus a whole load of other emotions, and on a
number of levels.

Sad because someone I know has to go through the 5 levels of grief.

Guilty perhaps because I sort of wanted to see the father a while back
but just never got round to it.

Conscious of the mortality of the people around me. Reflective on the
purpose and meaning of this short life we have.

And then guilty again for snapping at my mom for being pesky and
calling me when I'm doing travel research. I should learn patience.

So why must people die?

Multitasking

I really SUCK at multitasking. Today I was booking my 3rd trip out of
London, this time to Bergen. Halfway through, my colleague from
Singapore called. And I said to them: I'm sure I'll get something
wrong, stop talking to me. But they insisted. And so I talked. And I
was sure I got my booking right.

Until I discovered that I cleverly booked myself back from Bergen the
day before a public holiday was about to start; hence wasting a day.

I could change my flight, but it'd cost me £35, which I'm loathe to pay.

Bugger.

Grumpy

I had an awful dream last night. I dreamt that my stint here would be
shortened to two months!!! It was such a horrible thought that I
tossed and turned and didn't sleep very well. As a result of which (I)
couldn't wake up to go to the gym; and (ii) I'm sleepy and grumpy.

Busy busy busy

The new coat is so naissssss...

Wore it to work this morning - it sure beats that bargain basement
jacket I've been wearing for the last 2 weeks. The only problem is
that the pockets are sewn shut and I don't know how to cut them
open...

Have to start planning what I'll do this weekend. I think I might
visit some museums - Tate Modern and I think there's a Picasso
exhibition somewhere which might be interesting.

And what about furniture shops? Saw a couple of nice ones in Oxford
but they were shut.

Also, a visit to the markets to search for that ever elusive leather
messenger bag might be in order. Maybe I should visit a flea market.

On Tuesday its my weekly wine course again - this week, 6 styles of
Chardonnay are up for tasting and analysis.

On Wednesday there's a one-for-one offer for movie tickets and I'm
going to watch Benjamin Button with my sister.

On Thurs or Fri we are trying to get tickets to watch Oliver, starring
my favourite actor, Mr. Bean!

Oh my. Busy busy busy!!

Shopping

My first trip out of London so far - I headed to Oxford. Oh what hallowed institutions of learning you say. Oh what archaic and ancient halls of wisdom you say. Oh what it must be like to tread in the shoes of some of the greatest minds of English history you say.

Well yes, all that.

But what did we do? My sister took me to this wonderful place called Bicester Village. With the pound at an all time low, what better time is there to engage in some SHOPPING?

Bicester Village has all the top end brands sold at heavily discounted prices. So what did I do? I promptly went mad and single-handedly revived the UK economy. Within 2 hours I spent 500 pounds, and by the end of the night (6 hours of non-stop shopping), I spent 600 pounds in total.

I'm just now wondering how to get all these things back to Singapore.

Among my most costly acquisitions - WORK SHOES!!!! I am a little particular about work shoes, insisting that they must have leather soles and not rubber ones, simply because the clack sound they make as you walk on hard surfaces make me feel the part of a proper professional. The ones in Singapore however just don't cut it, unless you want to spend $800 or more on those famous brands.

My sister told me about this brand called Church's which is an institution in the world of leather shoes it seems. Each shoe is individually handsewn. And so I promptly bought 3.

At full price they cost a fortune - the ones I bought cost £420, £320 and £295 respectively. At the discounted prices they only cost £165, £145 and £125 respectively. An absolute bargain wouldn't you say? Well ok they cost more than normal, but I wear them everyday, so in terms of cost per use it's really not very much. You can't get them in Singapore.

According to the website: "Each pair of Churchs shoes takes 8-10 weeks to manufacture and are still hand made in the historic factory in Northampton and undergo hundreds of individual operations by hand to deliver the finest in hand made footwear."

Here they are, in their very classy boxes. I'm absolutely thrilled!

Affirmation & Insecurity

So the piece of work was submitted and according to the boss it was a "very good effort". Who knows what that means? In the UK everyone's so nice and PC about everything that it's impossible to know what one's thinking. Maybe that's why the British are so good at analysing speech - the words give clues. I remember when I was in school in UK I seem to recall that I was taught that even if the cake that someone baked was absolutely disgusting, you are still supposed to say nice things - whatever nice things you can say about it.

Like: "Oh, it is SO good of you to bake this. I mean, how THOUGHTFUL could you be? It's a simply just a MARVELLOUS effort I must say. I mean the icing on the cake is just ADORABLE. Just look at it! I absolutely LOVE how you've put tiny silver balls all over the icing - its like hundreds of little children on the snowfield. How DELIGHTFUL! It's just simply PERFECT, I really couldn't have done better. You're so GOOD at this.".

Yes, lots of nice words. You feel good. But note nothing said about the most important thing - how it tastes.

Back home if the cake were crap you'd say: "Wow, thanks! Hm. How's the cake? Oh yes. Hm. Okkkk lah. yeah. =D". And that is that.

So how. The document came back with hundreds of comments - it looked like a minefield. I haven't felt this much of a student in years.

Although she did say this morning that "I've told all the other [bosses] what a good job you've done." Maybe that's a better clue. I don't know.

I is desperate for a good report for that promotion I hope to get at the end of this year. I is insecure and seeking affirmation that I'm on the right track and not a total fraudster.

Why the hell do I look so bored in the concert video???

I look like I'm about to fall asleep any moment.

I also look like I barely sang since my mouth hardly moves in comparison with the two dolts in front of me.

But in reality I was really excited!!! And I really was singing!!! I swear!

Leonardo crashes

Omg our performance of Leonardo in Korea is like so shitty....confirm
the flying machine crashed to the floor. And then started digging a
hole.

So the work was submitted at 12.45 am. It's about as good as it will be and I've put quite a lot of effort into it. Let's see if it meets the boss' expectation. We'll find out tomorrow. Sigh. I hope it does.

Anyway, the cooking has sort of stopped for a while now that I actually have work - it's easier to just pop down to the canteen to eat. I have to say I've been eating quite well, the good thing about the canteen is that they have a variety of food - you can be healthy if you so choose; or you can eat junk food to your heart's desire. And it's fairly cheap - It's quite hard to spend more than £5 on a meal - though when I tried very hard I spent £7.50.

There's Ben and Jerry's ice cream, desserts, salads, a menu that changes every day, and an array of organic juices, made from pure organic fruits. That bottle of juice costs £2.76! It's not something I'd buy on my own account. I load up on all the stuff I don't see in Singapore during dinner time when I get reimbursed =). The desserts kinda sucked though.

Lunch usually costs less than £2 which is cheaper than Singapore.

I have an appointment with the gym instructor at 8 am. God. How am I going to get up.

Wine Tasting Course

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I signed up for a 6
week wine tasting course. The first session was yesterday and its
taught by this guy who's got the title MC (master of something; you
have to take lots of exams for this). It was very informative to say
the least. We got to taste 6 different styles of wines, and the guy
took us through the analysis of it and what it tells us of the wine.
Whether something is worth keeping. Whether its of a good quality.

I think I got a little high just from all the smelling of the wine -
the alcoholic fumes got to my head.

Next week its 6 type of chardonnay. I really can't wait!

I've got an awful crick in my neck. I can't turn. Its killing me.

Axe

So the axe fell on a whole bunch of people from the company yesterday.
My roommate was one of those axed, so it was a little awkward
yesterday because I didn't really know what to say. There was like a
sniffling here and there, and I wasn't sure if I should offer a hug or
something - I mean I don't really deal with tears very well I must
say. So I basically skulked around the whole day in my office keeping
quiet.

The week leading up to this was really quiet - people spoke in
conspiratorial tones throughout the corridors and the mood was
generally sombre.

I took this to be how angmohs were like generally, which is of course
untrue. Today, the staff canteen was bustling with activity. The noise
level was at least 3x what it was last week, and the tables were
packed. Many people were also meeting in the corridors with their
coats on, presumably to celebrate not getting sacked with champagne
and lunch outside I suppose.

As for me, life goes on, and I ate a sandwich at my desk reading the
Financial Times, as I do in Singapore. I've got a piece of work, and
am doing my darn best to make sure its stamped with uhm, my brilliance
(or lack thereof) all over it.

I suppose I really should go and meet new people. But I don't really
do new people very well and can sometimes come off as standoffish and
arrogant. I don't really know why that is since I'm really uhm, quite
nice. Perhaps there's a sign over my head that says "beware the stuck
up ass". Or perhaps my face says: "pompous donkey here".

Help! Pesky girl wants to meet for lunch. I saw her 10 years ago and I remember she wasn't very pleasant looking nor did she have much of a brain. Whatever are we going to talk about.

Hangover

Ow. I've never felt so ill.

Aging

The reason why women have the silky smooth hands that we love so much
(among other things...) is because presumably they spend all their
time slathering on moisturisers.

(Ooo sorry a big boss just screamed like a girl next door - I thought
it was amusing)

I hadn't thought this was very important for guys, at least in
Singapore. However, glancing at my hands today I suddenly realised
that they look the hands of an 80 year old! Plus I have a cracked
right heel which seems to get bigger as the days go by. I'm sure its
due to the dry air here.

Now its fine for my feet to be cracked since noone can see them, and
in fact I seem to errrr enjoy the pain when I walk...

But its not ok for me to have 80 year old hands!!!!

And so it seems I have to go get myself some hand moisturiser. I'm
sure I can find other uses for it...snigger....

Also, I read in some magazine yesterday that men who have regular sex
tend to age less because uhm, a lot of good hormones are released at
the end stages which help combat radicals which destroy your skin.
Whoever said that men with baby faces were saints? Hahaha

(Now the big boss it making gargoyle like snarls. I wonder what
happened. His computer must have crashed)

Expectations

It seems that I've come to this new workplace on high praises from my
former boss(es). The new bosses have been talking about this, it
seems. The expectations causes me incredible stress. What if I can't
perform to expectations? I can't bear to be "below expectation". What
if I discover that, in fact now that I'm in the big pool, those
piddlesome laps in the baby pool were nothing, and that I've been
bluffing my way around for 5 years? I'm a fraud!!!

Argh.

Productivity

I had a very productive morning.

Signed up for a 6 week professional wine tasting course starting next
Tuesday. Very exciting - we get to taste 6 wines each session. 2 hours
per session. I hope I get to sign up for the Intermediate course!

Bought a book of Amazon.com

Created a nickname for shixuan (ASS).

Gossiped to my colleagues and my boss back home.

Something's amiss. Hmm. Oh hang on, wasn't I supposed to be here working???

Its no wonder people start to lose their mental faculties after
retirement. After you wake up, have your coffee and read the papers
(or many papers) cover to cover, you're faced with the prospect of
having absolutely nothing to do. Its enough to drive anyone insane.

I'm also not used to having free evenings. Work ends at 530 and I have
no idea what to do after that. How sad. I suppose I must get started
on the gym routine. The one near my house says I can only sign up on 1
March. I have a consultation with the office gym next Thurs. Told him
my goals and let's see how that turns out. Am actively avoiding
touching the junk food in UK.

Checked out a couple of gyms last night and they look decrepit. Had my
(second) dinner with 3 Singaporeans. That was comforting. Like hot
soup on a cold day. We all like to be in our little comfort zones;
among the familiar. I find it difficult to push beyond this zone, but
I know I must for my own good.

Judged

The entry on English and Jianhao's response set me thinking. One of
the great things about Chorale is that I never feel judged there. I
can be completely at ease with who I am. Be childish if I feel like
it. Flirt with everyone and anyone without abandon. Take silly
photographs. Drink (and smoke-not that I want to) myself to oblivion
if I so choose, and nobody'd give a damn.

At work the dynamics are quite different. People and clients judge you
by your actions. How you speak. How you dress, and whether you walk
the talk. You have to be constantly on guard. Anything you say might
be used against you. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Yada yada yada. Its no wonder it makes you age prematurely, especially
with my long hours and stresses you out to no end.

So Saturdays, and to a larger extent the Korea trip, is like an utter
breath of fresh air. Transported to another world, you have nothing to
care about except making sweet beautiful music. No calls. No
irritation, except when the tenor, bass or (less often) alto next to
you sings wrong notes or is flat.

Nobody to judge you. Except the sniggers and knowing looks you
sometimes attract when you crack on a relatively low note. Which
happens all too often...

It seems the roommate is Bosnian, not Russian!

Shopping

With the pound at an all time low and UK in the middle of a recession, there's no time better than to shop in London at this moment. There's just so much available out there, and all at very reasonable prices. The prices are reasonable even without the sales. For example, I bought a Hugo Boss tie for £15. There was a very nice Hugo Boss jacket that was being cut from £299 to £69, but the fit wasn't great.

If I were a girl I think I'd just be spending every day in the shops - there's so much to see and it's all so much more interesting than the usual run-of-the-mill one gets in Singapore.

Junk food everywhere!

There seems to be junk food everywhere I go. In the supermarket there are endless shelves dedicated to chocolate and other sweets. I've never seen so many chocolates in my life.

Starting Over

So Day 1 came and went, and I realise how comfortable I've grown over the last couple of years at my job. It's hard to start all over again in a new place with a new environ. Hard hard hard. To be a newbie all over again. To have to prove yourself at the job all over again. It's tough.

I get intimidated by how everyone speaks English with that perfect clipped London accent, and I find myself stuttering at times. I have to speak slower, and feel self conscious making personal calls in the office whereas in Singapore I'd gossip to all my friends without abandon and without fear of being judged on how I speak.

The roommate is this Russian lady who speaks perfect English. I actually thought she was British until she started speaking Russian to someone on the phone ("Da, da, da").

Work's kinda slow at the office - I didn't have anything to do the entire day and pretty much spent it surfing Facebook. Time passes terribly slowly when you've got nothing to do and I was basically counting the minutes to 5.30 pm whereupon I trudged through the miserable London weather (it's been raining the whole day) to the shopping district.

At 5.30 I dashed off to Oxford Circus to buy my wool coat which I'd been eyeing since last weekend. At 240 pounds it was hardly cheap, but it was the only thing that didn't make me look like a bak zang (dumpling). It was however reduced from 399 pounds so that's quite a good deal. The 100% cashmere coat was even better (699 pounds to 399 with another 20% off), but didn't come in my size (i'm an S at this shop!).

We went home at 7.30 where I cooked pork loin chops with buttered rice for dinner. It tasted good (maybe I can cook as a second career if I ever get retrenched!) but I fear it's not doing me any good on my quest to come back from the UK slimmer than when I left. But not to worry - I'm gonna sign up for a gym opposite my apartment either tomorrow or the day after, and resolve to go daily before work.

The Apartment Part 2

Second bedroom



Hall bathroom



Living room



Kitchen

The Apartment

Upon popular request, here are some pics of the apartment!

The entrance















Master Bedroom




















Main Bathroom

It's 8.45 am. Looking outside though, it looks as if it's 6.30 am, and therefore I am feeling very very lazy, though I know I shouldn't squander my time indoors. It's depressing just looking out and seeing all the gloom.

It's 9 pm. Jet lag has finally hit. I feel like I'm going to crash to bed any moment.

Walking around London is so refreshing. Wholly English, yet multicultural at the same time. Marks and Spencer tells people that they are closing in at least 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, some strange european language, and some other unknown arabic like language.

Ok crashing time.

Packing

It's 7 pm. I've got to leave the house at 9 pm. I'm not done packing. I hate packing. This is what I think of packing:

I'm back!

Boy Korea must be the most exhausting "holiday" ever. It didn't feel like a holiday at all.

Shall blog about it later. Need to hang up the laundry.

Toy Museum in Seoul

Yummy

I love Korean rice!