Thursday, March 29, 2007

Buynothingmonth

"I'm not here for your entertainment..." - Overheard, from a song.

I'm not going to complain about how tired I am/have been because I consider myself blessed to be able to work to this state.

Just that I wish there were more hours in a day to do my stuff!

Looking forward to holidays (Next destination: Thailand/May CONFIRMED) makes me feel so much better!!! At least, it's work hard play hard!

Been spending quite a lot - or rather, not saving as much as I would have liked - depends on how you look at it - so April's going to be my BUY NOTHING MONTH. Aye, no manicure indulgences. (I just went for one) No haircuts, no expensive items I don't really need, no accessories, no FRAPPES!!!! Died... anyways I 'assembled' a very satisfying and nice wardrobe. I have practically everything I need for work, with some (for example, a beige trenchcoat I can only wear to Sweden, Japan or any of those fashionable places) I don't need. So it's a full-stop for me, apparel-wise.
And I've already bought those sundries or whatever you call it - shampoo, conditioner,soap, etc...Even recently bought bag, shoes, yadda yadda...My card just likes to be swiped.

Except for the little emergency items...where I may need to buy something that will run out (like contact lenses.)

APRIL is BUY-NOTHING month!!!
Limitations:
1. One FRAPPE (Starbucks) a week. (Sighhhh. This is going to be very difficult.)
2. Every meal to cost MAX $8.50 (Exclude drinks...another tough one)
3. Tea break to cost $3.10 max. (Which equates to one-crab mayo sandwich and one green tea/teh/milo/kopi.
4. Only take cabs for work purposes (ie rushing to meets or too dead tired to walk)
5. 1 massage/foot reflexology allowed (after my exhibition). MY monthly facial allowed too.
6. And groceries for my family. That's it!!!
7. And Emergency Fund ($50.)

If anyone wants to join me, I won't feel so broke?
Well, am compiling a list of what I want to buy in Thailand...
hee.

Monday, March 26, 2007



Kent E in China. I think this is The Great Wall. He sort of blends in with the whole photo. Photos are such strong statements and reminders of how people look - they can evoke strong memories of the happy times spent. Maybe I shall try to take photos of everyone.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Someone somewhere out there

Miserably happy?

Was having an interesting conversation/debate with Munchkin - knowing me, sometimes I like to disagree purely for discussion's sake. Were talking about self esteem and how to... find it and whether we have low, or high self esteem. Actually I thought that both low- and high- self esteem is not good but apparently the higher it is, the better. Hating yourself can be one of the signs of low self esteem. Did not tell him this, but yes, sometimes I do hate myself. I wish I was less unconventional, that I had less obscure deep thoughts, more mainstream. Maybe I won't ever be satisfied with a mediocre life - but I hope I can. I hope I can be someone who is more 'normal'.

Sometimes I feel like nothing really matters and everything is a facade. Why do we have to live up to expectations, even our own? And if we don't, does it mean we have failed ourselves? Or is there nothing to...contextualize this in the first place. Maybe I've changed in the last few short months, or maybe I haven't - I've just found a part of myself, back from the wilderness...where I belong? Never really felt at home here, that's why I like Msia so much - but almost at once they can see that I'm not a local, too... So maybe I'm just too cosmopolitan for a suburb city girl. Ideally I would like to live on a farm/ranch for a while (provided good toilet facilities are available!) I've stopped caring about how people view me - I used t get pretty upset. Not that I'm being a jerk now, I care for not hurting anyone around me intentionally. But other than that, I just don't give a shite. =) People can say anything they like and they will, as long as I know my place in God's kingdom. I hope that I get there, one day. I have so much to say to Him.

And then, later, we talked about having a soul connection.

Not sure what brought this topic up but I thought it was a really interesting time. I relish conversations like this. I realised that I can talk like this to mostly guys - maybe girls have a shorter analytical/critical brain wavelength or something but most girls can't handle such conversations for hours. Yeah guys! And so, we dissected it.

I think having a soul connection is very important in a relationship. Soulmate. Especially in the relationship with the man I love and want to spend my whole life with. Penelope said that it's the feeling of being so close that you can just sms him/her little stupid things but it means something to both of you...and someone that you miss, daily, you will think of him the last thing before you sleep and the first before you wake up. For me, I will feel sad and empty inside if my relationship does not have this soul connection. Being soulmates just makes you want to love the person more, and is also the basis for a long, loving, lasting relationship. No matter how it will turn out to be in the future, I know that if he is my soulmate, he will just understand the way I feel, the way I am. And love me, because he is a part of me - we are two halves of the same whole. It is a beautiful thing, to have this kind of connection. You can see it in couples, too. Some have it, others don't. But maybe - as Munchkin and I discussed - some people don't really need this at all. They are perfectly content to find a mate who meets all their criterias, their negiotiables and non-negiotables. And then they are comfortable, in this way. But not for me. Not for Munchkin, too. I hope that when I look into his eyes, I can see a part of myself in him, and know FOR SURE that this will be the last one for me. Too many mistakes make me apprehensive to fall in love again. And perhaps I like people too easily. But it takes more than that, for me.

Monday, March 19, 2007

The story of my life?

My life is NOT turning out like my story... Nooooo.

It's scary when reel life mirrors reality.
It's even more freakish when you write, and then it turns into real life. Man! Maybe this will make a formulaic win for a blockbuster hit.

Anyways I'm at the end of my short story. In my mind, at least. On the MS Word 2007 it's just about 37 pages of font size 24 calbri handwriting, scrambled up paragaphs and sentences. I can imagine the length of time it takes to write a full-length novel. Most people take about a year. I can't imagine spending a year on a story, just writing...

I didn't plan to write that much, seriously. I did attempt to start a novel (twice) once when I was 14. I sent that manuscript to Times, and some local publishers. It was sadly, rejected - which I expected anyways. The next one was some years back. It was titled "Catch a star for me when you sail away", some sappy love story which didn't seem to have enough grit to work out. I did publish a few chapters online which had nice comments from the few people who bothered to email me. One asked what the ending was like. I think the most exasperating part is that, perhaps I don't know the ending myself. But for "Sometimes we think too much", the ending came naturally for me. It's almost as if it took on a life on its own and it wrote itself. And no matter how busy I am, I want to finish writing it. Although the story might seem at times jerky, like a first time novelist who doesn't know how to blend the lines together, I hope at least people can relate to it the way I do.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Sometimes we think too much #4

(kai)

Allegra, can you hear me?
Allegra, sometimes I look at the stars in the sky -now showing up so brightly, too brightly where I am; and I wish that you can be here. It's the simple things like this that really captivates you, isn't it? Those little moments of bliss where you can sit, and stare - entralled in nature's beauty.

Where I am now is near the coast, near the frightening sea you have always disliked. But in the same way that I could never share in your sorrow, I never shared your aversion for the sea. Even at night, in the dark, the big, splashing sounds the dark waves make seem more like a lullaby to me. I wished I could help you, Allegra. I am not the kind of person you make me out to be.

Through the years, I sort of realised all of us have changed, somehow. We were no longer the carefree type of college students we used to be -without a care in the world. Somehow along the way we grew up, and then we realised that we had a choice in determining our future for ourselves. Yours was nicely mapped out, too nicely, perhaps, that you chose to do something else, something many people might have condemned you for. But not me, I wanted to see you happy above all else, to see your curved eyes light up again, like they did so often when you were with him. When time steals the precious things we love, all of a sudden it seems like nothing matters anymore. How could we, both young as we were, face this world and think of it as nothing but a means of survival?

But when all else fails, love conquers all. I think I read that from a book somewhere. I never liked reading, you know. It was Allegra who taught me to love books. She was happy in them, almost in a sexualised way. She took to completely absorbing herself in them, and then when it was finished, look up, stretch and her face showed complete contentment and bliss. It was the simple things in life that pleased her the most. I believe no one wanted to make things this complicated. I hoped to make it better, for her, for all of us. Yet perhaps my part to play in this story of life is just a bystander, watching, evaluating, seeing things happening yet not knowing when it is going to end or how.

Someday perhaps I will have my own life story, where I play a central role, where I am the author of my life. Sweet. For now, I must help them, change their minds, let them know how important it is not to hurt anyone, least of all themselves.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Sometimes we think too much #3

(allegra)

Life is fair – I’ve always believed in that. Some things just come easier to you, some, not. Like how ugly people get really sincere, nice friends.

I guess I’ve always had an easy life. Born in a well-bred family, though only Dad was there for me, I had no lack of anything at all. Blame it on my grandfather, he opened a bank and then died of a heart attack. Guess banking is quite stressful especially when you are a womanizer like Grandpa. So I never really got to know him, mostly only through articles about how visionary a person he was. The Royal Port Bank in New Melalunia is still one of the top banks in mutual funds so, I get a decent monthly income from the estate, though I seldom touch it.

Being born rich doesn’t mean things come easy for me. I still had to study hard like everyone else. After we graduated, a few friends and I pooled together what resources we had to start a small café on the East Side of Harly.

The concept was good, we met and discussed about it for ages. There were six of us. And that was how it all started.

Mark was one of the guys who started the café with me. At first, I hardly noticed him. I never even had an impression of him. To me, he was there, just there. No one talked about him much, as he was actually a friend of Jeff, so we just left it as that. It was only much later, after the café had disbanded, that we got a little closer, then a little more.

So that was how it started. When a chapter closes, another one begins. And although life was good to me, relationships were never easy. I was happy enough to play a supporting role in any man’s life, to be a nice wife with beautiful kids. That was every girl’s dream: of a white garden wedding, and a happy family. Coming from an unusual family background however, did not bode well for me. At the very least, it made things difficult for all my previous lovers. Coming from a close knit community, I had no chance to fit into their average, white suburban middle class circle. For one, I was not purely white nor was I middle class. Thought I could pass for one on first sight. Unfortunately I used to fancy nice collegiate boys with a penchant for running under the sun playing hockey. So there goes. It’s nice to believe in love. Love is supposed to be unrealistic, where two people meet and realize that their lives are not complete without the other. But Life is not like that. In this essence Life has been unfair to me. For my privilege has brought me down in this area. Where money is concerned, most men would not choose someone from the upper class. I know things are changing now, and probably in a few years no one would care. But in my early dating days, everyone did.

The café had problems from the start. It was a great, simple concept, nice hot soups, and the usual scones, donuts, cakes and pies. With fantastic premium blends of coffee and tea. However, we had many issues with the staff and the location was simply too quiet. Well, all of us still made a bit of profit in the end.

Mark helped out the most, at the end. It turned out that he was fresh out from selling off his computer parts biz, and we were the ones left to close the café down. At that point in time, Emily was getting married, Jeff was buried in his banking job, and the rest just drifted away. I don’t even keep in touch with the rest now, only Kai. Kai was always there to help me. After all, we’ve been bosom buddies for years now. I remember that I’ve always cried on his shoulder for some tea and sympathy which he always gave freely, after my horrid turbulent relationships. After each one I vowed to stay away from guys, and I was doing quite a good job of it, till Mark came. And I was not looking for him, either. He was unconventionally nice looking, with a pouty mouth, almost too big but just alright for his slightly above average frame. His hair jutted out in strange angles, and he always had to put tons of hair products to keep it looking sane. I’ve always had thick, flyaway dark hair, thanks to Dad, so I knew what it was like to have hair with a life of its own. Even now I have to put at least three different types of products before setting out.

If I could live life over again, I wouldn’t have chosen this to happen to me. Not like this. Not a love like this. While the love and the emotions were pure, the context in which it was found was not. Call me idealistic, but I had always believed in love. True enough, it was a decision to continue on in the relationship. Was this decision made by me, or him? Sometimes in life when you make decisions, it is not in your control to choose how they turn out to be. Knowing the context, I should have closed the chapter. But knowing me, I just let myself go.


(to be continued)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

It's what you do AFTER that counts.

It's what you do AFTER that counts.

Cool, huh.
I coined this phrase.
Well maybe it's been coined before but to me, it seems original?
I realised somethings I should have realised sometime ago.
Well maybe I did but I did not want to think about it. After all, always have trusted in my woman's intuition. My base instinct.

I think if you have made a mistake unintentionally, the best way is to think about how this will shape your character. Don't let the mistake continue on. Try not to hurt anyone by your actions. And most importantly, decide what to do when Life throws you curve balls.

I know it's easier said than done.

But curve balls do show me the shallowness of my character.

I wonder if I keep giving and giving, do I lose a part of myself in the end?
All I can say is that the way things are turning out, it looks like, it's only good for the short story I'm writing. After all, Allegra is in essence a part of me.

But this is like scary, because writing about it and then making it real is worse than the other way round. It's almost as though I am writing about my future, my destiny.

I'd rather have it the other way round.

I shall repeat my new mantra to myself!
Meanwhile I'm happier and more focused in work then ever.
So cheers to myself.

Monday, March 12, 2007

In my heart

Quite tired out by work lately. But the short story is still on my mind, posting new stuff soon.

Aye.
I'm the type of girl that has many guy friends, who seem to love to go out with them, talk animatedly and have no qualms about sharing with the opposite gender life tales and more. In fact, I get awkward around girls, I don't really know how to talk to them (because each of them are so different and sensitive presumably) so around girls I clam up, it's hard for me to talk about my life because if I keep talking - about guys, maybe they think that's all I ever think about. But no, there's more to life.

Just that I like to talk about the boys because it's so much more interesting trying how to figure them out.

And the funny little things I remember gives me my daily dose of laughter. Guys, a little clue to make her fall head over heels for you. Make her laugh. Little giggles and bursts of laughter. Well at least for me it works. I love the guys who can make me laugh.

Now that I have this 'new vibe' - elaborately pondered upon, unintentionally having it though - I think it's quite scary. The number of people who somehow pick it up and ...interesting things happen. I must say that it beats the vibe that I'm out to find a possible life partner and analyse every male specimen I meet. Nope, not for me. In fact now I think that my life goals are becoming clearer, it puts any romantic notions to sleep. Zzz! Because I have many guy friends, I am clearer about the type that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and hopefully help him out in his biz. I am really willing to play the part of the support role, just waiting for the time I can do it! Meanwhile, I'm not really looking. Ogling maybe! =P But often, eye candy gives you a toothache and sometimes heartache as well. Sometimes they are gay too (so sad.) So it's fun for now to behave like the guys I know, and ogle guys for once. It's fun!

Sometimes I wonder what the women really see in Kie, because I know too many women who have fallen for his impish charms, and too many who have kindly but insensibly advised me 'to consider him'.

And sometimes I like to lapse into my own world, just imagining that the body of air beside me is actually an interesting, funny guy who cares for me and loves me like no one else does.

Being idealistic and unconventional rules in a world where rudimentary fragments compartmentalise reality.

=)

So here's a deep thought for the day:
Ask yourself,
Who occupies a little place in your heart... hee hee
Is there a place for God in your heart?

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Happynings at The Office

It's now cool to spell words with a Y.

One of the downsides of working in The Office is my little spot at The Worker's Quarters. It was nice but now, almost everyday there is a whole array of loser guys situated in various spots that it makes working there almost like playing landmine - even when you're doing paperwork. Ever felt like your phone conversation is being eavesdropped on, for no reason? It's like that now, all the time, especially when our Quarters became even smaller after upgrading the paperwork worker's area.

And when loser guys get together, they get bitchy. Lots of comments, on each other's clothes, eavesdropped conversations, etc. Lots of well-meant but often nonsense advice dished out to each other. Lots of coffee and smoke breaks, too. It's true that the environment affects a person to a degree. Me, I get really irritated at all the humming done by Loser Guy Workers that I often escape to Manager's area, in fact most of my most productive work is done there. Manager's area is peaceful, spirited, and calm. At least there will not be anyone eavesdropping on your conversation and (you think) taking down notes and discussing about it later during smoke break. Sometimes I like to provide the poor sods with some useful information, like what is the next launch of work to do, more often than not, they are clueless. Lately it does get to me so I tend to pour out my sorrows to Manager. Rich Dad's advice was good, he always told me to be focused and never talk to any of the Workers.


Was thinking it would be nice if I have a friend (not a loser guy) in the Worker's Quarter.

And then, Carpe diem! Je ne sais quoi! Voila! Eureka!

I met BonkY! =)
He was my 'partner' in a game our Departments were hosting for guests, I guess that night was one of the best ones I had in The Office - I did enjoy myself, lots. Found out we had some same ideas, like: 1. We hate to be at the Worker's Quarter. 2. We like seats near the photocopier. 3. We like to drink xx happy juice, and blah blah.

I was quite happy I had a partner that night because I was really tired (lack of snoozing) so when our Managers told me, hey, we got a partner for you, from the Other Department, I was like, "Who? (BonkY - but I didn't know who he is) ..., " and, "Handsome anot!"

The Managers (mostly single beautiful ladies in their 30s) all agreed YES!

One even drooled about his sideburns... (Have, meh?)

Like sometimes you see familiar faces - your colleagues. And perhaps you hope to get to know the pretty face in the other department a little better, or the cool chick in the other other department, you want to find out where she shops and whether she's just all style but no substance or someone with a really nice personality. And then somehow you bump into them and the world's a better place?

Well it wasn't like that for me and BonkY. Me, I did vaguely recollect this nondescript guy - put them in shirt, tie and pants and they all look like copies of each other, handsome or not, I guess I was really focused in work. Or maybe I don't look at colleagues in THAT way, hahaha. So I really did not notice this nice colleague, only that he was constantly surrounded by female Managers (I later found out from him they were friends before.)

So in a way, that aloofness worked for me - think he was intrigued as well. In fact I was grinning most of the time from his expressions and his highly irritating way of saying things. Like in the I-want-to-clobber you way. And yes, he is kind of cute. Aloof-looking too, like me when I'm working, but really funny when the occasion calls for it.

Now, we jibe each other - he makes me laugh, being irritated and happy at the same time. For two days now, he is the first one I see when I come into The Office - a coincidence? Since I've never noticed him before... Or maybe when you are looking for someone, you will find him/her. =) It's nice anyways to have/give such attention. It sharpens my mind and soul and the warm comradeship feeling (and maybe other warmer feelings) just makes me... more motivated in my work! Yes! I'm going to excel! And beat him...yessss!

Work aside, I've always wished that I have someone to talk to/hug/scream at during a Bad Day, so now there's bonkY!

Earlier in the afternoon, we 'saw' each other in the main corridor - I was coming back from a meeting, and he was going to one. So cute, he saw me first, grinned till his mini eyes almost disappeared, cocked his head to one side and waved at me till I was nearer. I waved back. Asked him for his email add. He said, Oh, I thought you have it? Really irritating. (But fun to have someone to scream at)I said, Of course I don't have, if I had it, do you think I will ask you for it? He wanted to mark my hand with it as we had no paper but in the end we asked one from the Receptionist.
Then later he said something slightly naughty and I grabbed the paper and ran away, shrieking.

I hope this one Worker friend I have will be a boon to my biz. bonkY! I really like him, man.

And he made me wonder...When a guy comments on your shoes/sandals, is he REALLY looking at your legs?


Hee...

Monday, March 05, 2007

Sometimes we think too much #2

(allegra)

I had always believed that Love was a decision, not a feeling. I thought I could control my destiny, choose my fate, believe in my dreams and decide on a blissful future.

Faces. Look all around you. Don’t the faces all seem so nonchalant, so absorbed in their self interests, so bored with life, just walking pass you aimlessly, towards a destination that is not theirs? I used to watch these faces pass me by when I could still afford the luxury of a designer coffee. I need my mocha fix sometimes. It intrigued me how these faces reflect who they really are. If you are scheming, somehow there is that glint of the eye, or a mean streak that can be glimpsed, if you bother to look hard enough. I like people with poise. Not those hurried, scattered personalities who just walk quick paces without noticing their surroundings. Perhaps they hurry through life with eyes opened, yet seeing nothing at all.


I am like that at times.

When I am absorbed in a beautiful song, or when someone has occupied a place in my heart. Love – I had believed in it, yet it had let me down.

And with searching eyes, I was looking through the crowd for someone like me. Who saw things the way I do. A soulmate perhaps? It seems so contrived, but I do believe that one exists –or more than one, though from the way things seem to be, even one would be difficult to find.

It is always a surprise to me to find someone who could listen to my nonsense, or even bother to know me better. Yes, I fit the stereotype of a misfit – albeit with an angelic face. Apart from my long locks of raven hair framing my face, betraying my femininity, the rest of me is rather tomboyish, except for the figure, of course. I mean, if I had bothered to dress up, maybe show more skin, those lounge lizards and paperbag guys – men with the personality of a paperbag would come and offer to buy me more coffee, maybe. But anyways, being thin and almost hairless everywhere else, I am always freaking cold, so I am always decked out in sporty style, leggings paired with a thick blouse and over it, a parka. Comfort style for me. Nice too, most of the times.

So when we fell in love, idealistically, it was meant to last. But it started with an end.

I thought that if you do things knowing what the ending would be like, it would not be so painful. Like you had already anticipated it not to last, so that when it doesn’t, you can be nonchalant about it, and move on in a flash, or at least just savor the happy times and not the ones that tear you apart.

My favorite place to daydream, besides sitting by the creek with that designer coffee, is on the beaten path, along the further way to my house. There I can imagine that there are cute fluffy bunnies greeting me at every wooded shrub corner.

There I can imagine I am walking hand in hand with the man I love.

There I can imagine that Mark is there, listening to me and offering me comfort like no one else could.

Comfort is so hard to find nowadays, isn’t it?

(to be continued...)

Sometimes we think too much #1

In the midst of writing a short story. Writing is therapeutic for me.
Based on own experiences, though some parts exaggerated and fictional ideas thrown in for good measure. For those who are looking for love... find it, and be happy.



#Chapter 1#
(kai)
My friend liked her. And that was how I got to know her. Allegra. Back then, she would look me up, each time her soul needed comforting.
Sure, most girls cry easily. But she wouldn’t cry over spilt milk. Or her own hurt. Most of the times she would cry over others. How she wished she could turn back time and be a little nicer. She was independent enough but I guess in that way she was vulnerable – she could not see it coming. You know, when guys hurt her. Saying insensitive things, or just treating her like dirt.

In some ways I felt that she was not meant to be here. She always felt that way too.
What could I do? She always told me that our friendship would end soon. I never believed her – perhaps inwardly, I did. She had an uncanny knack for predicting stuff that would happen. I was too slow, maybe I did not realize that some months later, we had grown apart so quickly in our different ways that our friendship was no longer what it was used to be.

And how I long for those times, extended times of sitting together on the wooden bench with cast iron curlicue motifs, enjoying just sitting in silence, for she was not those kind who would just blurt out everything she felt. So we would sit there, me just wanting to squeeze her hand or shoulders, looking at her pitiful forlorn face, but never really having the guts to. I thought she would mind, but looking back, I felt that maybe some physical comfort would bring more peace to her stormy feelings within.

Sometimes we still bump into each other now, being neighbors. It was quite a miracle both of us lived in the same district for so long. She is almost too friendly, waving at me furiously and exclaiming that it was so good to see me again after all this time. But we never did initiate another session. Maybe we both knew that then, and now, we were like totally different people.

And what happened to my friend who liked her? I guess they both liked each other at one point in time, just that he never told her about it, and knowing Allegra, she just moved on from guy to guy, trying to escape the pain – although each brought her more hurts and sadness. I think she just lived – simply lived for the happy times, knowing that those times would carry her through the pain.

I used to wonder how anyone could live like this but now I know, that to her, having an interesting life is better than dying from boredom. My wife hates her, I guess most women do, but I think deep down inside they admire her for going against convention, always speaking her mind, and most of all following her heart. I myself would never have the guts to admit liking someone like Mark. I think that is why after all these years, Mark is still in love with her. Even Damien has stayed single for so long – maybe he cannot forget her, or could not find any girl who was like her – the girl of his youth, the one he wanted to marry.

Allegra, Allegra. Sometimes I wonder who you really are?



(To be continued...)

Sunday, March 04, 2007

3 girls

 


Outing on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, with the rest of the cell folks.
Posted by Picasa

Me and MMLee

 


Hello! Don't I just look like my relative here?
We do have a facial similarity, maybe I will grow up to be as influential as him.
This was taken in HongKong, Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
Posted by Picasa

Beach guitar

 


At Sentosa, January. Cell outing.
Wish I could play guitar better but looks like my standard is capped to 'G key'.
Not really sure who took this photo of me but I really like it! I was taking photos most of the time,
so hardly had a candid shot like this. Want to go to the beach more often.
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Morning Rush

"Happy people make others happy."
-Anne Frank

Was caught in today's morning rush-hour for once. Oh my...Everyone seemed to be dashing about frantically, not even waiting for the escalator to bring them up safely to their destinations. They hurry up the steps by walking in such rapid pace, that I thought their shoes must be made of a superior material to withstand such pounding, heavy actions. I guess they have got used to it. Me, I am amazed, at not being able to even move my arms around in the MRT, as everyone going to work packed in, literally like a 'tube' of sardines, herrings, tuna...

After meeting my client at 9am (collected another cheque, yay!)...I reached Raffles Place at 9:10...And I had nothing to do. Basically since my office only opens at 9:30, sometimes 9:45, depending on how fast the receptionist can walk in the rain. Not daring to risk it, I found a nice sheltered spot below Caltex House, and ordered a cup of tea. Takeaway? No, I'm having it here, I said to the auntie.

It seems such a luxury to just sip tea without having to look at the time, and watching busy executives take the lift to their offices. Having the insight that I might be hungry I also brought along with me a Japanese curry donut and milk bun from Sun Moulin, bought yesterday.

Having finished that I still had time to kill (Now I know why I don't bother waking up till 8!) and thus started on some paperwork. I'm sure the guy at the next table eating his beehoon breakfast wondered why on earth I did not bring it back to the office to do it... But it was a nice place actually, sort of reminded me of schooldays when I used to do homework at McDs and sometimes, CoffeeBean or sometimes not doing it at all. So the next morning, I would copy faster than a photocopy machine from my classmates. Needless to say, I failed those subjects every time!

So I think the base instinct from those rapid-copying days kicked in, today. I was doing my other paperwork (I haven't sorted it out since last year - not a paperwork person...) in such a 'hurry' that I actually got out of breath, and finished 1 year plus of filing in record time. Yeah! Even have time to shop at the 70% off GG5 sale (Bought work clothes!)

Thought of coming to work early tomorrow too... If I can wake up. It does seem so much more productive than working late. I do enjoy the morning dew smell, but not the tuna train ride. When boarding the train, my leg hair almost got burnt off by someone's hot soup/porridge (I didn't look, so I had no idea what was it) breakfast. Every little jerk the train took, the packet of hot soup would inevitably bump into my leg. Singe. I tried to look discreetly at the lady, but in my mind I wanted to say loudly, Hey...your breakfast is boiling my leg hair off. Haha! In the end, I guess she realised and held it on the other side, to burn some other passenger's trousers.

I guess every other day is the same; morning-rush like this. I'm glad I don't have to face it everyday. =)

====

Am putting starting touches to a short romance story. I write not because I feel like it, or I have/want to, but rather because I have a story in me. The hardest part is actually thinking of the character's names and changing the details from it being a personal account. Reading and hearing so many stories recently I can't help but want to write something that almost everyone who have fallen in love before, can relate to. Here goes... ...