Christmas

WW got me a wonderful gift set, the one I saw and fancied when shopping with WW the other day. Didn't expect WW to remember it; I guess I gushed too much about it that it made an impression. Now the lovely pieces are sitting in a corner of the tv shelf, with the green-leafed wallpaper behind it as backdrop. And WW took the effort to develop and place a photo of us in the frame, which makes up one of the four white classy pieces. Love WW the hubby!

I didn't get anything for WW, coz really didn't think there was anything he needed or liked having as a gift. I did shop around but couldn't find anything worthy for him. So it's good that he picked this Silly Putty plasticine-like thing when we were at the toy shop. That is then my Christmas gift to him! Happy seeing him play with it so merrily like a little boy. :)

This Christmas I prepared only one gift (not counting WW's Silly Putty coz it was not prepared beforehand) and it's for Wong Tian. Tomorrow will be passing it to her. Let's see then if she likes it.

Only today I got to know that Mama doesn't like Christmas, for it was this day exactly 40 years ago that she got her leg amputated :( Poor mama. I don't think I'll be happily celebrating Christmas anymore going forward.

In the holiday mood

It was a nice shopping trip with tian yesterday. We went to suntec after work, had dinner at ichiban boshi which we subsequently condemned and decided to boycott, then went on to get a dress for myself and a sweater for tian. Bought a shimmery green tube dress which puts me in a Christmas mood. Thinking of wearing it for a fren's wedding two days before Christmas. The dress didn't come cheap though, but I realized price doesn't matter that much to me now, as long as it's not exorbitantly priced. We don't get enough time to shop, so why let a
nice piece go when you don't know when you'll be able to find another good piece.

It was fun to try on the loud accessories at the big warehouse-style fashion shop (didn't catch its name). Tian tried on the feathery hairclip which those classy English ladies at those posh parties wear, and I put on those urban jungle girl's hairband. Only in front of my dear sister can I do such foolish things and we will just laugh off at each other's novelty.

I come to realise that I'm a sucker for trying new things. It may be a good thing when I'm still young, but as I age on (haha sounds old yah), it may reduce me to a jack of all trades, master of none. Or it may just consume my time such that I can't do more of what I should be doing. For example, I'm taking bread making lessons out of interest. However, the course itself takes up time, with each lesson lasting five hours as we need to allow the bread to proof and to be baked. It would require even more time if I were to bake on my own at home. It seems too late to pursue the dream of starting my own bakery, for where would I get the energy? It's true that one should start out young, or you'd lose that drive soon after, especially after learning how difficult a world out there it could be.

MFE and Grahamies

It's being a very tiring week. No regrets tho, coz there have been pleasant happy moments spent with my MFE friends.

It was Chin Yee's wedding on Monday. The poor guy had to wake up at 3am to fetch his Teochew bride, but it's surely worthwhile for him. Caught up with some of the MFE guys over the wedding banquet, and it was a great catch-up as we hadn't met for a while. It was especially precious to catch hold of Aylwin, one of my good buddies whom I've got to know over the past one year in the MFE course, as he is frequently flying to Manila for work. And there's the usual joking around and sabotaging the groom with our special concoction. I suppose it's also coz they are a very smart bunch of people who do not have the airs, which makes me like hanging around with them. Add on the fact that we've spent teeth-gritting time together struggling through the terribly-intensive course, especially back in CMU. Those were the tough yet bonding times.

Last night a few of us, the Grahamies plus the frequent-visitor Gim Aik, met for dinner and drinks at Red Dot @ Dempsey. There was quite a nice ambience with its al-fresco dining, but the service needed improvement. Perhaps can introduce WW to the restaurant one day, but hopefully the service won't suck like last night. A few of us were lamenting about the uselessness of our course and how we could have advanced if not for the one year break from work to pursue MFE. Although some part of me agreed (I now lag behind my peers 2-3 years), another part was glad I made the move that took me out of IT into something more apt for me - risk management. But then again, work is still work eventually. Back to the Grahamies. If not for the course we wouldn't have known each other and I wouldn't have these friends for keeps. Last night's dinner was a farewell for one of the guys who's moving on to greener pastures in HK. And shortly after another one of the guys will be moving to Shanghai for work posting. The other lady is looking around for a new job while the last guy in the group just started his new role in an entirely new area. I wonder where each of us will be in a few years' time.

Work is tough when you don't have the energy to tackle it. Good thing the work week is coming to an end soon. I need my rest this weekend! Also need to mug for FRM exams next weekend, after which I'll be free!

It's a thursday

Thursday, the day before Friday. Where the happier days of the week are within sight and you can smell a little of the weekends freedom. What's the big deal about Fridays then? It's when people at work are more relaxed, where you get considerably fewer emails and consequentially less firefighting. See, being forward-looking can make your life happier.

On another note, weekends always are too short and are gone before you realise it. When is the next holiday? This weekend WW and I are going to check out a condo development. Not going to buy though, for prices are so exorbitantly high now. Singaporeans are pathetic little creatures, we pay so much for our living and slog like cows for work. It's no wonder we see straight faces void of life everywhere. Is there a way to break out of that?

Living in the moment

Heard this phase "living in the moment" from a friend a few days ago. He was describing a dog's life, saying that a dog doesn't bear any vengence and enjoys the moment coz they live in the moment. Shouldn't we humans do the same too? We don't have to worry about the future, and not carry over the burdens from the past.

Monday was my off day. I took the day off to catch up on my studying (for FRM). In the end I spent 5 hours in total on mugging, 1.5 hours in a morning nap (coz I slept late the night before and woke up early), and another half an hour in a good cooling run at ECP. It was productive, when I just had a cup of hot tea and some music to accompany me in Dome cafe. Before that I was at Marine Parade library, an even more conducive place for studying. It was like those days not so far back when I was taking MFE, where the day is free for myself till the evenings when classes start. And it was so enjoyable to do a run in ECP. Sea breeze in your face, greenery by your sides and sometimes a hunk or a lovely dog running past (heh).

I also fulfilled my good wife duties by fetching WW to and from work, heh coz I drove around in his car. It was quite a nice day spent. Next
time will get WW to take day off together, especially after the FRM exams in late
nov where then I'll be free from studying!

Lots of negative people around

Negative people spread their negativities around, and it'll take some efforts for a person striving to be positive not to be affected by it. Sometimes I laugh at the stupidity of those spreading the negative vibes, then remind myself never to be like them.

Take the neighbour who scolds her maid every morning. From our bathroom window, we could hear her thunderous words raining on the maid. This morning it was even more ridiculous. "Tell me, is making breakfast not part of your job? I am paying you salary to do your job and now has making breakfast become my job?" She went on in her demeaning and authoritative tone, as if it was a court scene and the maid was charged (the neighbour is a lawyer). We speculated the maid would poison or stab her to death someday.

In the office, there's this cleaning lady who slams the toilet cubicle doors very heavily every time she does her washing. It's so loud that people can hear her from the lift lobby, so one can imagine how scary it is to be in one of the cubicles when she does that. Then there's the dirty water she splatters from the neighbouring cubicle. Eeks.

Good that there are some positive people around. Last sat WW and I were invited into another of our neighbour's house, where we were treated with mooncakes and coffee at their little garden with the couple and their two girls. The couple shared with us the little lessons from their career lives and the wife was partcularly enthusiastic about the business - sale of negative ion garments - she is in now. I guess it's just personality that affects one's life and path ahead.

Wish there could be more such positive people around. There are increasingly more rude Singaporeans who make lives terrible for the rest. The world would be a better place if everyone was more pleasant.

Sea gazing

It is the time of the year when the sun sets early and the sky gets dark at slightly after 7pm. Tho singapore is a tropical country without seasonal weather, slight differences in daylight hours could be seen and felt. Feels kinda sad that the day ends earlier and the lovely sunset goes away this fast. But then gotta be thankful we're not in Europe where the sun could set like at 5pm.

I'm having the luxury to sit by the sea, to gaze out into the vastness and listen to the waves. We should take such breaks more often, to get in touch with our soul and unclutter our mind. I was at NUS for a symposium earlier today, and took the chance to come west coast park, the place WW and I used to come by while he was staying at west coast road. Reminiscent of uni days, just that I don't miss those days as much as before coz it has been quite a while (5 years) afterall.

Perhaps I should go venture to some seaside on my leave day two weeks later :)