On the roads in India

Biting off more than I can chew

A very hungry deer! (Miyajima, Japan)

One thing at a time now. Slowly but surely.

Nice weekend getaway

Hubs and I equipped ourselves with a GPS and drove up to Desaru, Malaysia for the weekend. The sun, the sand and the sea. It was nice. He swam while I read. And I got myself a 60 minutes aromatherapy massage *bliss*. Food was so affordable and oh, the lobsters at the nearby Sungai Rengit town were so fresh and yummy! We really should do this more often! =)


Clear roads on our way there

Our resort

The beach

Hubby building a sandcastle by the sea?! Men...they never grow up. ;P

Wit

This was our department's lunchtime movie this week in line with our oncology theme for the month. A poignant and powerful film about life, death and wit. Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson) is an uncompromising English professor battling with stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer. She engages the audience in a narrative monologue as she reflects on her life and death while undergoing rigorous treatment for her cancer. Terribly depressing but a film that I believe all health professionals should watch.

Holy Sonnet X

DEATH, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those, whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy picture[s] be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou'rt slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more, Death, thou shalt die.
- John Donne (1572-1631)

A Good Workout

(Chipmunk in India)

I have started an exercise routine and I am going to stick by it. =)
(Nevermind the aches and pains I have to endure for now!)

Nighty night

(Night Lights, Hong Kong)

I need more time...

(Mamallapuram, India)

It dawned on me last night that 7 months is approximately the time I'm left with to complete all the projects I have at hand, conduct a workshop, train my successor to take over my work and to get all my things sorted out at home. After that, it's adios and off to the land of the free! (And full time bumming!)
All of a sudden, I feel like a giddy goat with a huge weight on my shoulder...*pant.pant.breathe.*

Just do it!

Nike, Goddess of Victory (Ephesus, Turkey)

Goddess Nike shall kickstart my random travel photo series (...and my ass to start working!). No more procrastinating. I will finish my poster presentation today and clear up the mess I have created on my computer!

A digital mess

Am currently trying to re-organise my files on my hard disk in preparation for their migration to a new laptop soon. My housekeeping skills obviously do not apply to my computer. The desktop has become the default saving location for most of my documents and my digital pictures are all over and sucking my hard disk space dry. Need to learn to utilise google docs more and find an alternative storage space for the pics - photobucket sounds promising. Am also going to be posting random pics I've taken from my past travels from now on. What's the point of taking all those photos and not sharing them, right? =)

Ah, fresh air!

Suffocating past week.: Late night pole practice. Early morning talk. After work meetings. Catching up with old friends. Shopping for friend's b'day gift. Department's family day gathering. And not to forget - work, work and more work.

I'm just sooo glad it's the weekend ...and I get to sleep in today! :)

Simple pleasures

Great weather.
A satisfying long afternoon nap.
The Sopranos.
A nice hot cuppa flavoured tea .
Just hubs and me and our darling bunnies.
What more can I ask for? :)

Advancing in pole

I finally succeeded in performing one (yeah, just one) good caterpillar crawl invert yesterday. Woohoo!

Drained of happiness

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I spent 90 minutes utterly disappointed, upset and blowing my top at a staff who just could not deliver the other day. Need to work on topping up my emotional bank now. *sigh*

Me Encanta

Have you done something nice for someone today?

Losing control II

Everyone copes with stress differently. I know I'm not doing too well when I find myself waking up in the middle of the night with things nagging my mind. Usually, the only way I could get back to sleep is to pen down those thoughts on my PDA and then do a few housechores to tire myself out before trying to hit the sack again. You can sometimes find me folding my laundry or mopping the toilet floor in the wee hours of the morning. :) The other thing I tend to do is binge on junk food. Good thing I don't balloon up easily but I'm sure the arteries of my heart are all clogged up and ready to throw an emboli anytime now. Then, there is retail therapy. A spin in the malls [almost] always makes me feel better. I am generally pretty controlled with my spending but lately, I've exceeded my usual threshold. The thing is I'm not feeling particularly stressed out at this point in time. Perhaps it is subliminal stress. Or it could just be our great Singapore sale beckoning my weak [spending] heart. Whatever it is, I am determined to curb that spending habit and channel it into something healthier...like exercise. It is embarrassing but I do not practise what I preach on a daily basis "Exercise is good for you!". So yeah, I guess that's what I'll do. I will head down to the gym starting this week. Wish me luck! :)

Losing control

Had to skip pole class yesterday due to my sniffly nose. With this H1N1 thingy floating around, didn't think anyone would appreciate me blowing my nose in front of them. Besides it's not the smartest thing to be performing pole stunts in my lethargic state of being - particularly after my close call last week. Was in my hand stand position, facing in on the pole and was just coming back to position after doing a front split when my leg securing the pole suddenly unhooked itself. Next thing I knew, I had lost complete grip of the pole and was falling backwards (pretty much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa). Would have had a really nasty fall if not my partner's quick save, grabbing me by my ankles in mid-air and lowering me slowly to the ground. *phew!*
My friends think I should choose a less dangerous sport. But really, isn't every other sport out there just as dangerous? I could be struck by lightning simply by playing golf. And hell, I'm enjoying this too much to stop. ;P

RIP MJ

I thought you would live forever...

Look what my mummy did to the poor dog! =(

The furry thing that he was...




The bald kid that he is now...







Well, on a lighter note (literally), I'm sure he welcomes that new bounce in his walk and oh the [not so] cool air!

Avant-Garde

A new life in black and white.

My little bro is getting married!

Tomorrow. Black and white theme (To my mum's dismay). Even our dog gets to wear a black tie. I am suspecting the guys are all going to come dressed weird (most likely gothic). It is going to be an interesting wedding. :)

Where do I begin?

It's great to be home early from work today. Now I've got all these plans: work on my poster presentation, clear out my home clutter, sort out my wardrobe, do my laundry, fold my clothes, reorganise and label files on computer, find a reliable online photo storage (any recommendations?), clean my bunnies' cage, clean my shoe rack, prepare ingredients for tonight's dinner, sleep.

Hmmm...SLEEP.

Children = Suffering?

The topic of having a child was broached during dinner at my in-laws' yesterday. MIL is obviously getting impatient with hubby's refusal to sucuumb to societal norm of starting a family and living happily ever after. Hubs has his own views about parenthood. He likens having a child to taking drugs. "You get high everytime they say "mummy" & "daddy" but then it's cold turkey and suffering for the rest of the time." He also feels that it is unfair for a child to be brought into this "world of suffering" against his/her wish.

So how do I feel about all this? Well, I do think that it's selfish of hubs to be making a decision as major as this on his own. I do wonder if I would be having 3 kids by now if I were married to someone else. And what kind of mother would I make? When I am older and my ovaries shrivelled, will I look back and regret not having made my stand? And yet, another part of me secretly embraces the freedom I am having right now - the freedom to do whatever I want..whenever I want. Less commitment. Less stress. (Right, M?)

But then again, plans/views may change. We'll see when the time comes...

Lemongrass Deodorising Foot Spray

Great for smelly feet


My smelly feet.

Woe is me, the computer widow!

I cannot for the life of me fathom why anyone (read: ze husband) would want to spend all that time writing a non-existent novel or start a family with a virtual wife when he could be translating all those hours into real activities in real life?! Sigh.

Double Happiness

10 more days to bro's wedding. Woohoo!

Join the cult?

I've been asked to return hubby's company laptop that I'm using for the past few years ever since my own died on me. That means I will need to shop for a new one real soon. Hubs is currently trying to lure me into the world of Mac. He has even got plans to consummate the two computers ("your files and mine and a common hard drive")...



Hmm...Should I or should I not?

Can't. Think. Straight.

No thanks to the continual donning of mask all day long at work for the past three days! It is significantly clouding my judgement and giving me a massive headache...

Three more blooming days to go. Boohoo. =(

Life can be so unfair

I am deeply saddened by the news of a colleague who had just a few days ago been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic stomach cancer. A pleasant, unassuming guy just a year older than I am, married with a small kid and a bright future as a doctor. Prognosis is possibly a few months to a year. How does one face mortality at such a young age and at such short notice?

It all seems so surreal...

Giving the washer a rub down.

I overloaded my washing machine this morning and as if to protest it spewed brownish deposits all over my laundry. *Yes...the horror!* Upon closer inspection, I found the entire rim of the washer lined with a brownish residue. *yikes!* Did a quick search on the internet and this is what I found.

Here are the instructions on how to clean out the residue:

Step 1 Set the load size indicator on your washing machine to large. Set the water temperature to its hottest setting.

Step 2 Start a regular wash cycle. Wait for the washing machine to fill up with water.

Step 3 When the washing machine is full of hot water, pour in a full gallon of distilled vinegar. Close the lid. Wait for the entire wash cycle to conclude.

Step 4 Inspect the inside of the washing machine. It will likely be spotless or nearly spotless.

Step 5 Rub any remaining spots vigorously with a paper towel that is dabbed with vinegar. Do this while the machine is still warm for more effective buffing.

Step 6 Wait a day before continuing your regular washing routine.

There are lots of other tips on the website on how to keep your washing machine in tip top condition. Now, who would think of washing the washer, right??

Well, time to give my washing machine a thorough bath!

I felt a fleeting moment of loneliness today. It hit me while I was shopping around town. Don't know why really. Guess it could be the hormones at play. *grrr!* Then as if by telepathy, hubby called. He was transiting through Narita airport on his way home and decided to give me a ring! *My hero!* Needless to say, that feeling never came back. =)

Oh to sidetrack, I got these flats from Cotton On the other day. Wore the golden pair for the first time today and they are sooo comfortable! The shoes are currently on sale for $25 for 2 pairs. Am contemplating getting a few more now! (Hmm...but I have already purchased 5 pairs of shoes in less than 2 weeks..*sheepish grin*)

A touch of love to start off my day!

Thanks, hubs! *Muacks!* =)

Damn moody.

Hormones have taken control of me once again. Bleah.

Darn flu!

Our workplace directives currently state that all staff with family members returning from affected countries (i.e USA, Mexico, Canada, Spain, UK) will have to don a surgical mask for 7 days at all times while outside the home and at work.

Hubby returns from the States in one week and I am so not looking forward to that! So moody to have to attend meetings and eat my lunch with that stupid muzzle on! =(
Perhaps I should don my N95 mask at home or simply banish and lock hubby up in the far end of our apartment for 7 days (together with his mistress, Ms Macbook Pro of course!) Heh.Heh.

Across the globe...

I'm so proud of you, hubby! ;)
(Now, where's my present??)

Dawn of the Great Singapore Sale

I literally dragged my sis out of bed to hit the malls with me yesterday. Our first stop was to The Abyzz at Millenia Walk to collect my dress that I had left for alteration. Spent some time trying out the rest of Desmond's collection and what fun it was! In the end, I left the boutique with two more dresses to my wardrobe - the first, a unique and elegant long black dress in which he apparently drew his inspiration from the Esplanade(?). I guess the "thorns" on the dress confirms that. =) The second, a multi-transformational jersey knit dress that was recently feature in Female magazine. I must admit I was not too impressed when I first laid my eyes on it. But oh my...there is no limit to what you can transform that one piece clothing into - cardigan in more ways than one, jumpsuit, long sleeved dress, tank dress & a whole lot more simply by playing with the buttons and turning the dress around. Oh wow. Just the perfect dress to go travelling in!

So that kicked start my very fruitful day of shopping spree. Got most things that I came out for, just short of a new phone for the home and ballet flats. My feet were sore by the end of the day (no thanks to the heels I was wearing!), but nothing beats the joys of retail therapy! *purrr...*

Gah!

I've been keeping my pole dancing hobby from my in laws because I didn't think they would be too approving of a dance traditionally associated with sleaze & striptease. And then my sis had to leak out that piece of infor to my bro-in-law over lunch recently. *Argh!* Apparently my stupid BIL was grinning from ear to ear! He is so going to give me a hard time now! *dies*

Anyhoo, contrary to what most people perceive pole dancing to be, it is really more of a dance and gymnastic combined. I have never done this much flexibility and weight training (my entire weight against gravity!) in my life! While I am nowhere near sexy while performing the moves, it has certainly improved my overall posture and fitness. Most importantly, I really look forward to every single lesson which equates to compliance to exercise! For someone who hardly exercise, I think this should do me some good for now. (Well, provided I do not end up with a spinal cord or head injury!) ;P

The bug has landed.

Finally, our very first H1N1 flu case. And about time too.

Well, at least now hubs won't make headlines for being the first to bring home the virus from US! =)

Don't forget your hand hygiene, Mister!

It is all in the mind...

So I've been limping around work with a bruised and painful toe for the last 5 days after that nasty kick into the pole. I finally decided to go see a doc and get an x-ray done today. The verdict - There is NO fracture and my bony alignment looks just fine. *Phew!* And then miraculously, I felt my walking improve and the pain a whole lot less bothersome. Heh. :P

Dispelling the Monday blues

Decided to take half day off from work today. Was wide-eyed and tossing in bed after hubs left for the States in the wee hours of this morning. Figured I might as well take some time to sleep in this afternoon. Came back to find my sis at home which was kinda nice. Had 3 homemade dumplings for lunch (courtesy of MIL), showered, crashed in bed for slightly over two hours and woke up to have lemon cookies and champagne rose tea with sis, followed by an hour of Korean drama (The war of flower). I even managed to squeeze in some time to clear out some expired food and do one load of laundry. Very fruitful afternoon I must say! =)

Well, time for dinner now and then it's back to work! Have got a presentation due this Wednesday!

The Abyzz by Desmond Yang

I've been meaning to check out our local designer's collection at Millenia Walk for the longest time and I'm glad I finally did last Thursday. I actually had my eyes on one of the dresses that was featured on his Taipei showcase. But alas, I was told that the pieces were limited and all sold. =( Anyhoo..I stepped into the boutique with a mind to own a piece from him...& own a piece I did! (albeit a more conventional but lovely dress as compared to his other more creative designs). Wish I had more time to explore the transformational pieces though. Will be sure to do that the next time and hopefully own one too!

And oh..did I mention that the customer service was impeccable? :) Lovely staff at the boutique and I even received a thank you email from Desmond Yang that very evening. Well, can't help it if I am sucker for good service.

I am officially a FAN! =)

Sleepless in Singapore

Can't sleep. Hyperactive state of mind at the moment. What triggers? Perhaps it was the tea I had in the evening...or the excitement from retail therapy before my late night pole class...or the fact that I was singled out by my pole instructor for not performing a pole technique correctly ("Girl, have you been missing any of our classes?")...or my surprise when Kris and not Adam won the American Idol. Or perhaps my body is simply protesting from yet another beating from pole class today - I've got this massive haematoma over my little toe (I had to limp my way to the taxi stand!) and sustained a stinging skin abrasion over my left inner thigh on top of my usual bruising on my foot and hip from all the stunts we had to do.

Whatever it is, I reallly need to get back to sleep soon!
It's going to be a long day ahead... =(

Shakespeare In The Park

Looking forward to a fun evening out with the girls soon! =)
But first, I will need to do some reading up! (Oh..& get the tickets, of course!)

Tired.

The day should not have ended with me having to deal with someone else's temper, bad driving and loud sighs from doing the bare minimum.

I deserve better.

Me, cougar woman?

Just because I have a good guy friend a decade younger than me does NOT make me one, ok?! :P

¿Por qué?

Why do I feel so distracted?

What must I do to stay grounded?

My friend's little boy woke up this morning asking for "that girl". When asked if he meant the "doctor girl", he said "yes!". Well, I guess that's because we spent a good part of last evening playing doctor and "eating worms". But seriously, I am curious to find out if kids perceive me as one of them or if I actually do carry a maternal aura that draws them to me...hmmm...

Now, if only I have the ability to charm men the way I charm the little ones. Haha! ;)

So pigs can fly after all!

With the recent outbreak of swine flu, it feels like SARS de ja vu all over again.
Granted, we are more prepared this time and I am most certain we will contain it well when it comes. But the whole preparation for the inevitable (currently we have nil confirmed cases) while trying to sustain normality in our work life is just quite impossible. Does not help that the situation is so fluid - just of yesterday we were told to cancel all our leave to be on standby and the alert was raised to orange by evening. The overall morale is plunging ever so slightly and it's hard not to notice that modicum of fear in everyone. I can only reassure my juniors that the hospital is probably the safest place to be should an outbreak occur and that our institution has our best interest at heart with whatever decision it makes (be it cancellation of leave, the donning of full PPE..etc).
There is no place for complacency and only those who have gone through SARS will understand the full impact of it all.

Once

Just once...what will happen if we leave things to chance?

For all dog lovers...

I finally got to watch "Marley and Me" at the cinema today. Bawled my eyes out like I did when I first read the book. Wish I hadn't forgotten my packet of tissue paper though...*sniff*

Yoga on pole...(at least that's how I see it)

Pole instructor was awfully snappy today. Guess I would be too if my students kept on forgetting the dance routine...:P And she had me hanging on the pole with the scorpion invert and walked away leaving me to figure out how to slide down the pole from that position! Anyhoo..found a video online with the technique I learnt today (known as "The Gemini" here)...minus the letting go of the hands! I am really enjoying my new hobby...alot! :)

Winds of change

Looks like we will be moving in a new direction (yet again).

Would be interesting to see where this might lead me.

But for now, I wait.

In dilemma

To get or not to get?

*Update: I am now a proud owner of my first Samsung phone ever! Am loving it but I must say Windows Mobile does take a bit of getting used to. Oh well, I'll learn soon enuff...or not. :P)

Boo boo health for the moo moo year...

This is the second day in the week that I have to leave work early feeling like crap.
It started on wednesday with the scratchy throat, chills & lethargy - I came back home, popped the panadols and slept the day away. Went back to work the next day feeling much better only to have it hit me again last night..this time with a clogged nose and painful throat! Moody. And I am hosting 2 lunch gatherings at my place this weekend! I am so dead if I don't get better! Thank goodness for catering but who is going to clean up the mess for me?! :(

Jason Mraz is coming to town! Woohoo!

Was first introduced to his music when travelling in India with my colleague last September (yeah..I am kinda slow in the music scene these days). Love his music and I heard he is great performing live. Can't wait to watch him at the indoor stadium!Makes me feel like a teenager all over again. Hehe.

Fossil on my bedroom door

For months, I left this poor lizzie stuck on my bedroom door sill hoping that someone would be nice enough to help me remove it...BUT...

Hubby claimed he never saw it..

The cleaner lady pretended not to see it..

And my sister was too freaked out to go near it..

So guess who had to remove it in the end?! *Sigh* Damn gross but it was so dried up by the time i got to it [toilet paper in one hand and screwdriver in the other], it simply fell off with minimal effort on my part. Heh.:P

Goodbye 2008

A quick post to wrap up the year. It has certainly been an interesting time for me. Somewhere towards the second half...things kinda got exciting. I decided to come out of my comfort zone and simply let go and have fun. No more harping about baby making or fretting over little things in life that used to bother me. I went for flute lessons, took up pole dancing (which is actually more athletic than sexy!) and I performed a dance for our department's year end party (barring the fact that I've got two left feet!). I even went for zoukout.(Don't think I will be able to repeat this next year though!). Well, all in good fun!
The year has also ended with my boss announcing my promotion to yet another level of responsibilities. All has been good and I look forward to the challenges of the new year. 2009...I'm ready!:)

Distracted

Sorry for the lack of posts.
Blame it on facebook. Heh.

Situational awareness

It is so glaring. It hurts.

Muy, muy triste...

Attended two wakes within a span of few days. Both were fathers of my colleagues - one lost to chronic illness while the other suffered a sudden heart attack.
It has been a terribly depressing week.

Mad World- Gary Jules

First heard this song on the movie "Donnie Darko" a few years back and I fell in love with it.

*Warning: It puts you in a pensive mood and is extremely addictive (almost like how depression sucks you in).

Well, what can I say...it is a mad world....

Japanese Golden Curry

As you can see, I am on the roll with Jap food. Picked up a packet of curry roux from Cold Storage and cooked it with some chopped onions, potatoes, carrots and pork. It was soooo easy to make and the verdict - hubby loved it!

On National Day

The girls gathered at my place today and we had DIY sushi party! Guess which roll was made by me! Okay, yes...mine is the not so aesthetic looking one but it was still edible...*Yums* ;P

It's a mad house

A personality test Hubs and I took recently has confirmed my worst fear. We are more alike than we think we are! Both extroverted nutcases - with me scoring slightly higher on the neurotic side *laughs dizzily*. That explains why we are driving each other insane all the time! *tsk.tsk!*

On a separate test, I am supposed to be the persuader, convincer, one who influences. *VOTE FOR ME!* Apparently Arnold Schwarzeneggar share similar traits too! Heh.

Cheese fondue, anyone?

What better way to spend Friday evening than to bond with friends over a hot pot of melted cheese...

Bosses Restaurant (黑社会)

Aromatic crispy duck in shreds - perfect for a lazy bum like me! :)

I've always given Bosses restaurant at Vivocity a miss because I thought it would cost me a limb to dine there (esp. with a name like that!). But since it was mum's birthday this week, I decided to splurge a little. As it turned out, the food was surprisingly very reasonably priced and very good! Love the black themed decor & ambience...very chic and unique! Mum and granny apparently had some difficuly locating the very mirrored up loo *hehe*.I'll definitely be returning for their dim sum very soon (hubby in tow of course!)

Bosses Restaurant
Vivo City #02-156/157
1 Harbourfront Walk

Leave my comfy nest?

Hubby highlighted me to an opening for a healthcare senior management post in the classified ads today.
"At least consider it, will you?"
Well, the thought of making a jump to pure managerial/ administrative work is pretty daunting but perhaps I should seriously give it a thought. I seem to match most of their requirements and I guess I'll never know till I try....(if I do try)
*which reminds me - it's time I tidied up my CV!

*Update: Did some asking around about the institution and decided against applying. Well, till the next best opportunity...

Toyota Mark X

We bought it. *Huge Grin*
I know, I know... I said we wouldn't but the devil wouldn't let it rest. He tempted us with a drop in COE by $1000 and a much, much better deal. Who could resist? ;P

Getting into the mooves...

I've finally signed up for some contemporary dance action (after a year of contemplation!). The first lesson was pure torture - the amount of stretching we had to do and the aches and pain that came with it! It has since gotten a lot more bearable and I'm enjoying every bit of our weekly 90 minutes class. There's always this sense of better posture, greater poise and well-being after each session (as temporary as it may be). We've not attempted anything too gravity defying as yet but I am sure we'll get there. Someday. :)

Mass Mail

Haha..how very true! :P

9 words and phrases women use

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end
an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.
Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing : This is the calm before the storm.
This means something, and you should be on your toes.
Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead : This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word,but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men.
A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6. That's Okay : This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks : A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a women's way of sayin F@#K YOU!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it :
Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself.
This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?"
For the woman's response refer to #3.

About the car

After much deliberation & plenty of test driving, we have decided not to get a new car. It was tough making that decision but I guess we could do with a little more savings at this point in time.
Anyway, here's the car we both fell in love with:


Toyota Mark X

She is gorgeous, isn't she? *sigh*
Oh well, maybe next time....

My first branded bag

A gift from my sister from her recent trip to the States.

Wonder if hubby will get me a matching wallet with his huge performance bonus this month? *wink.wink.nudge.* ;)

Encounter with a long lost friend

First, he showed me the huge scar on his forearm.
"I had an accident about nine years ago." he said.

"Now if you think this is bad..."
He lifted his pants to reveal a prosthetic limb.

I was shocked and deeply saddened.
He was a good boy...why has life taken such an awful turn for him?

Pressie from my patient :)

Well, at least one person out there appreciates what I do!

5 year itch

Ok, I am clueless about the whole car business thingy but what I do know is that after the first 5 years, the value of a car plunges significantly. So here we are at the juncture of having to decide on whether to stick to our trusted 4 year plus Toyota Corolla (which we have already paid off) or find ourselves suckered into the excitement of getting a new car and spending a lot more money than is necessary. The thing is, our car has not been behaving lately. We had to fork out a good $900 just not too long ago to replace an oxygen sensor that had conked and this morning I was told at the service centre that we might have to replace the whole air-con cooling system which will cost us an estimated $2000!
So fix it and move on or should we succumb to temptation? *decisions, decisions, decisions... *

"B.o.s.s!"

I don't quite remember who started it but my team members have been calling me that for the longest time. It is driving me absolutely crazy and I can't get them to stop! Hey...I'm not the one issuing paychecks and big boss is sitting in a cubicle right next to us! So, I was told today that it is meant to stand for "Bachelor Of Social Service". For the fact that I should be available to them at work and long after office hours. (Read: I've got no life...*sobs*) Cute interpretation but sad for me, eh?

I did what I had to do.

No more sleepless nights. And the tummy ache that had plagued me since last wednesday miraculously stopped the day after the termination.

Losing my sanity

I've not been sleeping well lately. I feel like absolute crap after work each day and then I go to bed early only to find myself waking up in the middle of my sleep thinking of more work. Had to deal with a series of unfortunate events concerning a few of my staff lately (one after another!) and all that fire fighting has seriously taken a toll on my mental health. That on top of me having to orientate two newly joined fresh grads. And worse of all, I have been tasked to sit in with big boss and HR on Monday to do something that will probably haunt me for quite a while - we are letting someone go and the person does not even know it yet. It is not a pleasant thing to do but sadly, the person has no more saving grace.

I am losing my sanity over work and I am not sure it is even worth it.

Virtual cat fight

With the younger generation at work calling me "Ah Ma", "Aunty", "Mum" etc..., it is rather refreshing to be branded "slutty" for a change. This coming from hubby's ex of course (on her blog!)...and after all these years *sigh*.

Bitterness is a slow acting poison...
my heart truly goes out to her.

*In case you are wondering...no, I had nothing to do with their break-up. I guess I just happened to be in the wrong place (or right place) at the wrong time.:P