Events coming up!

Off to Bintan tomorrow! An offsite with the my whole department.

Today during Deutsch class, our of my friends-cum-classmate proposed dinner with a few of us, the closer ones, next week. It's interesting to know friends beyond the workplace, to know people whom you can put your ease in and to reveal your true self readily. Am looking forward to steamboat with the gang of 6 next week. A pity though, that most wouldn't be extending their lessons in the next semester.

This weekend wouldn't be the usual comfy weekend with WW and sometimes his family. And it won't be Sunday dinner with mama papa shoubi. Brr, starting to miss WW oreadi. Next week he'll be flying to Brunei for work while my days (nights) will be packed with activities. Dinner with Deutsch classmates on Wed, Joan's Hen Night on Thu, Joan & XY's wedding on Sat and meeting some of the S26 gers on Sunday. Life hasn't been this exciting since a while! :P

Random photos & random grumblings

Well I'm supposed to be sleeping soundly on my comfy bed, but here I am still updating the blog at 146am! Brr. Had to rush out work through VPN login as during normal working hours you will see me swamped by requests and queries and so much more stuff to clear up, especially on budget and accruals. Wonder if it's the case only coz it's nearing end of our FY.

Ok, random photos:

Breakfast with JY at Sheraton Hotel, Ho Chi Minh. My staple breakfast of bread, sometimes waffles and yogurt.

JY and me having our breakfast on the last day in HCM (8 Jun)

Construction of IR and The Sail. Sometimes when I need a break, I point my long finger close to the window and count storeys.

Rainbow in the skies. Only sky-glazers like me spot them so readily. Spot on!

A beautiful one that took up 3/4 of the hemisphere.

Time to sleep!

=P

This morning NR gave me an sms asking how I was. Seems like I was a little too quick to judge, hee hee :p

怎么我感觉不到那丝关心呢？

Worked late tonight till 9 plus, headed to Soup Spoon in anticipation of a hot bowl of pumpkin soup, only to find the place closing at 9pm. To think I was fast-pacing my footsteps towards the restaurant, pushed the door inwards and stepped my one-foot in, to hear the waitress say it was closed.

Then I gave my sis a call to check out if she has eaten her dinner, but to find out that she was da-paoing to Hen's place. So move on. To the nearby 7-11 store in search for pau, but met with disappointment to see the pau-tray empty. So I gave Nan Ren a call, told him how hungry I was while I walked on to find food. There was a foodcourt still open, but I didn't want to sit there for a meal. Dropped by another 7-11, but again no pau! Then wanted to try the SPC petrol station, only to find it closed (and kaputt)! At the same time still chatting and complaining to Nan Ren about my growling stomach.

Even my last chance of food was gone when the lady in front of me at Burger King took difficult orders and the waiter being super slow. Was it meant to be no food after all? In the end, I took a cab back to Tampines, met up with WT whom I initially was supposed to meet but cancelled then eventually un-cancelled again. Had a late meal at MacDonalds downstairs and my stomach was aching as I ate. Gastric (?) So bad for the body.

When I came back home, sis smsed to find out how I settled dinner and if I was okay. WT the friend smsed to say the oil they used to fry the Mac fries was weird; it caused him to lose his voice. Then I supposed the NR had fallen asleep or had gone off to do his own things. Sometimes I don't hear from him in a few days especially when he's busy with work. But then again, everyone's busy, be it work or non-work matters. I always say, you can be busy but cannot be uncaring or insensitive. I don't usually call for no reason, and it's in times of need or support that I seek solace. A reply sms or a short note would tell a lot, but occasionally I get this feeling I'm hoping for something that won't come.

(I have a secret fantasy this morning.)

I want a ride in a Honda Integra.

It's about that time of the year again..

.. for a self-pamper!
Last week WW bought a new mobile phone, the black version. I adore the white version.
Is it the white Sony Ericsson M600i, which offers mobile access on the Internet?

Or the multi-functional Sony Ericsson P1 which offers even 3.2 Megapixel camera?

Sometimes I think I work so hard and deserve a reward. Like today I was rushing for a piece of work for our Group Head (working with the Heads require prompt response and fast action). Sometimes it makes you tend to flair up and lose your cool. No good.

But again, I have another motivation that provides me the vision, albeit short-term. A light at the end of the tunnel!

More photos of Ho Chi Minh

From HYN's album
Looks like a backward place?
The Mongkong (spelling?) river
A form for redemption.. the place is not that backward after all!
Poison or tonic?
The guy in green reminds me of Shou Bi :p
The gang that hung out together. Haha they said I'm the third doll (see my piece of top).
(Clockwise from left) Me, HYN, Joyce and JY. So happy to have their company!

A pleasant day at work

It's a good day at work when you end up being happy. Realised I like the buzz of work, the chance to move around and to expose to new and challenging work. This afternoon I was off to Raffles City Convention Centre with my boss for his external presentation at a conference. Adhoc work and chances like that actually make work more interesting than the mundane following-up of action items and on other documents.

But still, hmm, freedom and flexibility still have a heavier weight in my heart. Hehe.

Ho Chi Minh trip - journal in photos

Before we set off for the trip, I was skeptical of what Ho Chi Minh could bring. I heard only that the air was polluted, the weather hot and humid and the place a little backward. But being there personally proved that it wasn't that bad. The Vietnamese were sincere and genuine people, their lives were simple and it seemed generally safe in the streets.

Some of my colleagues complaint about the hot weather; few steps out in the streets brought sweat to our faces. A few said they wouldn't want to go back there again, perhaps deterred by the hot weather. To me, one who could withstand hot weather, it was a place worth a second visit, a second time to check out and understand the people and their lifestyle there better.

The night view from our hotel room - the 5-star Sheraton Saigon Hotel
Comfy couch
Y and I shared the room. Yes, the entire big room!
Classy toilet

The day view from our hotel window. Some of those few tall buildings in front. This was District 1 of Ho Chi Minh, which we thought for more urbanised.



The roads below. You have to learn how to cross their roads as they came with few traffic lights but were littered with millions of motorcycles.
Restaurants of all cuisines were around in District 1.

The roadside stall selling drinks
Park Hyatt Hotel where another group of our colleagues stayed

The Parliament House
An art gallery/shop we walked past. Their paintings were aplenty and good. You could see the painters doing their work with photos or pictures in their hands.
The motor-rade gang!
A souvenir shop. There wasn't much for shopping though. Along the same street you could find all the same kinds of mechandise.
That's J and KH finding the directions
Many cable wires dangling abovehead
Motorcycles.. and more!
Doggie
Another doggie in one of the shops - a chihuahua
Cutie little thing
Road signs. We went quite a long way down Le Loi, shopping at the stalls along the street
A water fountain at a shopfront
The Opera House
Park
Those Vietnamese woman would wear their pointed hats
Church
Retro beetle car

J, Y, SS, YN and me




J, GM and Y
The Post Office
Wonder why their trees were "truncated" like that
Inside the church
Joyce leaning against the lamppost for support. Weather's too hot!
Inside the Post Office
YN
Post Office counter
Telefonzelle
Highland Cafe, where we stopped for a break (esp for our legs). They sold good coffee.
Agnes, GM and J
Idyllic
Hee, that's MF CITA. And in the foreground were our drinks.
Y at the entrance of our hotel - Sheraton Saigon
A Westie in another shop.
Precious-moments eyes!
Me at the park in front of Independence Palace

More photos to come (from my friends' albums). There's still the D&D (the main company event of the whole trip.. and a few hilarious moments to capture) and the lunches at the local restaurants. Till then!