To my sis...

01 september 2009,
22:36 journalmommy sms: "Nah, lagian lo napa shopping mlm2? I didn't ask you to, did I?"

Rewind

* * = sambil mikir

01 September 2009,
17:35: nomad-girl; *hmm, bos udah pulang, pulang juga ahh cepetan, mau belajar* (kemaren pulang malem juga abis dinner ama temen)
19:15 (masih di kantor, lagi beberes)
19:40 nomad-girl: *mampir makan dulu ah di wisma atria, ngidam hokkien mie nich; lagian makanan deket rumah pada nggak enak2*

Udah kelar makan

20:30 nomad-girl:*hm, selagi gue di sini, beli shopping voucher deh sekalian* (note: voucher buat ang-pao landlord kantor gue yg baru married)

Jalan dari wisma atria menuju Tang's
(buat yg belum tau, skg dengan dibukanya Ion Orchard, ada underground connection yg menghubungkan takashimaya ke wisma atria ke Ion orchard ke MRT orchard ke wheelock place ke Lido/Shaw centre ke Tang's ke Ion Orchard, canggih khan! Pertama kali gue muter2 di Ion jadi inget lagu Jamiroquai:Deeper Underground)

20:40 nomad-girl: *pengen ke toilet, di Ion aja deh lebih bersih, lebih baru*
keluar dari toilet
20:50 nomad-girl: *hmm, tusuk gigi portable abis nih (pas abis pas lagi cungkil2 di toilet), sekalian ke guardian deh beli dulu*
21:15 nomad-girl: mampir Muji, soalnya sebelahan

21.30 Jalan ke Tang's (udah sampe sini, hilanglah sudah harapan nyampe rumah pagian untuk belajar)

21:45 nyampe Tang's nomad-girl: "Hi, is there a sale going on?"
usher-girl at Tang's entrance "Yes, its a pre-sale for Tang's members"
nomad-girl: "Oh!" ngasih liat kartu Tang's
usher-girl: "Please come in"
(sampe sini, gue masih mempunyai cukup kegigihan iman untuk mengingat beli voucher dulu)

21.58 selesai beli voucher nomad-girl: "What time is the sale until?"
costumer service staff: "Until 11pm"
nomad-girl: *YAY! sempet shopping sejam!* langsung muter2

22:13 nomad-girl: "Can I have these shoes in size 36?"
sales-boy: "I'm sorry, we don't have anymore, would you like to put down your name and number so we can contact you when the new stocks are in?"
nomad-girl:" Yes, please" *hihihihihihi....*

22:20 nomad-girl: *hmm,..si cici khan mau nitip ayakan listrik, siapa tau ada di basement*
22:25 nomad-girl sms: "Ci, ada nich sieve nya, pake baterei, cuman $28. Mau beli?"
22:30 journal-mommy sms: "Buset sumpe? segitu doank? pasti bikinan China. Mau donk beliin"
22.31 journal-mommy sms: "Aahh..histeris..masih ada barang aneh lain nya nggak?"
22.32 nomad-girl sms: "hhh, g hunting lagi weekend. Udah gempor boo..jam10:30 nich..midnight shopping"

Which explains the sms at the beginning....
Nyampe rumah dgn sukses jam 11:30 mlm....tinggal mandi trus tidur..

Hint...

Karena kita sudah memasuki bulan september, bagi yg kesulitan mencari kado buat ultah gue ataupun christmas present; gue bantu dengan list di bawah ini:

1. Origins Dr.Andrew Weil Plantidote (TM) Mega-mushroom face serum 100ml
2. Origins Dr.Andrew Weil Plantidote (TM) Mega-mushroom face lotion 50ml
3. Origins Dr.Andrew Weil Plantidote (TM) Mega-mushroom body cream 200 ml
4. Samsung Jet Mobile phone
5. Amazon's Kindle DX latest generation
6. 1 year subscription for pilates classes

not bad khan? realistis toh? gue nggak minta BMW Z4...tapi kalo ada yg mau ngasih sih nggak gue tolak...hihihihi....

weekend kemaren...

wah,..weekend kemaren bener2 heboh,..tumben banget weekend nya bener2 full.

Start with friday night

Sejak minggu lalu, tiap jumat after work, gue ada kelas malam (lagi mau ngambil qualification buat jadi company secretary).
Pas jumat kemaren selesai kelas, emang gue, herlina sama nadia udah planning mau clubbing, unfortunately nadia nggak bisa ikut, akhirnya cuman gue sama herlina yg pergi. Kita ke St.James di Harbourfront.
Fuh! pulang kelas jam 9.30pm, gue mandi dulu tempatnya herlina, keluar lagi jam 11.30 trus pulang sekitar jam 3, her nginep ke rumah gue.
St.James agak2 sepi sebenarnya untuk kemaren itu, nggak serame ampe desek2an....tumben (bukan karena gue sering nyantronin St.James, hehe, tapi emang club nya nggak full aja)

Besoknya gue, her, nad + gogon, piknik-an ke Singapore botanic garden. hehe, ini sih kyk kebun raya bogor gitu, banyak pohon2 dan ada beberapa danau buatan gitu. Lumayan enak buat bersantai2 ria, kalo lagi pengen bermalas2, gue tinggal bawa blanket, botol minum, cemilan dan buku.
Jadi siang itu kita berbagi bekal; gue beli pizza, her bawa minuman, nad bikin salad, dan gogon bikin sandwich. Gue juga bawa tiker + blanket buat kita duduk2 di rumput.

Singapore Botanic Garden menurut gue enak banget karena bersih, tertata, dan fasilitas nya ok (WC bersih, ada fountain, ada stand yg jual minuman, ada resto kalo nggak pengen bawa makanan sendiri,
Mau tidur2an di rumput boleh, mau main2 bola bisa, ada yg datang buat jogging, buat foto2 wedding, foto graduation, bahkan gue pernah liat ada bule yg sampe bawa hammock (jaring-jaring ayunan yg sering dipasang di antara 2 pohon kelapa gitu loh) sendiri dan dia gantung aja tuh diantara 2 pohon.

Di SBG jg sering dijadikan ajang buat pemutaran film layar tancap gratis. Biasanya sih pas Singapore Sun Festival.

Setelah selesai makan dan ketawa2 sampe kembung, nad sama her pergi liat latihan nya NDP (national day parade); ini celebration nya hari kemerdekaan singapore di Marina Bay. Gogon pergi nonton sama temen2nya. Dan gue pulang ke rumah, take a nap.

bangun dari nap, gue pergi dinner dan pijet kaki, karena.....

mau pergi clubbing lagi!...hahahhaa..sama temen2 yg laen,..ada sepupu temen gue dateng, plus mereka ngerayain yg pada ultah bulan Juli.
Kali ini kita ke China One di Clarke Quay. Kalo St.James, lagu2na bervariasi dari latino, pop, mandarin, techno dan lounge; di China One band nya maen soft-rock and rock. Clubnya jadi satu dengan pool hall, jadi yg nggak mau joget atau minum, bisa maen billiard.
hueh,....pulang hampir jam 4....

Minggu, gue hybernate ,..Kagak kemana2 kecuali nyari makan

(gue baru inget, foto2 semua diambil oleh kamera orang lain,..hehehe...ada sih beberapa di fb)

Hangover

Tadi baru pergi nonton film ini sama Herlina. Udah direkomendasi sama temen2 gue yg udah nonton, kalo ini film emang lucu banget (dari cowoq2), dari ceweq2 bilang ini emang film cowoq banget.

Ya, synopsisnya memang cerita ttg 3 org cowoq merayakan Bachelor Party untuk seorg temen mereka dengan pergi ke Las Vegas. Mereka sampe di Vegas, dan siap2 untuk PARTY. Paginya mereka bangun, nggak inget apa2, suite hotel mereka hancur berantakan, ada macan di kamar mandi, ada bayi di lemari, salah satu dari mereka kehilangan gigi nya 1, salah satu kasur dan temen mereka yg mau married besok hilang!

Karena mereka nggak inget sama sekali apa yg terjadi malam sebelumnya, mereka menelusuri kembali kemana aja mereka semalam, dan apa yg sebenarnya mereka lakukan.

Mereka mulai back tracking their wild night. dan gue sama Herlina mulai ketawa ngakak nggak berhenti-berhenti.

Perlu gue bilang kalo ini film sebenarnya mild, nggak porno2 banget, tapi konyol dan swearing mulai dari awal film sampe akhir, bahkan sampe lagunya pun crude.. Pokoknya ini film menggambarkan stereotype bachelor party tapi yg bener2 ekstrimis dan out of control.

For my girl-friends who read this blog and planning your wedding before the end of the year (you know who you are), watch this and learn. This is what we are NOT going to do for your bachelorette party... hahahaha....

Farewell to Yasmin Ahmad

Tanggal 25 Juli 2009 yg lalu, Yasmin Ahmad meninggal setelah mengalami pecah pembuluh darah di otak nya.

Memang 2 hari sebelumnya gue udah denger dari linus kalau Yasmin kena stroke dan sedang dirawat di ICU.

Wah, sedih euy,..memang baru kenal lewat Linus, dan juga baru sekali ketemu sama Yasmin, waktu nonton film Muallaf tapi memang Yasmin rendah hati dan ceria banget. Habis nonton film itu, ada sesi tanya jawab plus foto2 sama Yasmin.
(Yasmin director film; org malaysia)

Dulu Linus sempet jadi supporting actor di film Yasmin juga, Sepet
makanya waktu Linus ngajakin nonton Muallaf gue ok aja.

Iklan "Family" yg di atas itu gue suka banget, walaupun banyak org yg bilang adegan iklan itu mirip2 sama film hollywood ("good will hunting" kalo nggak salah), tapi gue tetep suka.

Gue ngerasa kalo film-film dan iklan2 nya Yasmin itu dibuat dengan hati dan perhatian. Ceritanya mungkin awalnya kelihatan simple, tapi sebenarnya kompleks banget. Coba deh nonton di youtube atau beli cd nya. Waktu nonton "Muallaf" ampe nangis...hiks..

May she rest in peace.

Bukan Michael Jackson

hehehe....agak memalukan ceritanya sebenarnya,..

Dari sejak kapan ya, gue udah gigit2 kuku..*lupa*....
memang dulu waktu maen piano kuku nggak boleh panjang, karena bakal distracted banget kalo sambil maen piano ada background sound tik-tik-tik..ngak seru banget khan....

karena udah kebiasaan ujung2 jari pas dibawah kuku yg menyentuh benda (bukan finger pads, yg biasa diambil buat finger prints gitu) jadi nya setelah nggak maen piano pun, gue tetep keep my fingernails short. Too short menurut orang2.

Pernah kerja punya bos ceweq yg lumayan pesolek, jadinya jadi ikut terpengaruh untuk panjangin kuku, tapi bos yg sekarang cowoq dan gigit kuku juga! bahkan lebih parah dari gue...(ya iya lah, dia udah "praktek" lebih lama daripada gue)

Sekali gue beli dah kutex yg bisa menguatkan sekaligus mempercepat tumbuhnya kuku.
Tapi ternyata.......kecepatan gue menggigiti kuku lebih cepat dari pada kemampuan itu kutex memperpanjang kuku gue! so..setelah kuku gue agak normal panjangnya selama seminggu, balik lagi ke ukuran semula.

Masih penasaran.

Gue coba beli kuku palsu, dengan logika, kuku asli bakal nggak gue gigitin selama aman berada di bawah lindungan si kuku palsu dan si kuku asli bisa tumbuh dengan tenang.

Harapan tinggal harapan......

masa2 cantik? yah..kira2 seminggu juga dah....abis itu gue suka gatel (dan tanpa sadar) nge-lupasin si kuku palsu..
karena fingertips gue nggak lagi bisa contact ke barang2 yg gue pegang dan selalu ke-ketok kuku palsu kalo gue pegang barang.
Dan karena gue org nya agak perfeksionis, kalo nggak semua 10 jari gue sip, gue pikir buat apa gue maintain yg 9?

Colleagues gue yg dulu2 memang udah banyak yg mencoba membantu gue stop this habit (nepok tangan gue kalo udah mendekati mulut, atau nyaranin celupin jari gue di jamu yg pahit -ogah banget nih gue sama saran yg ini-)
Memang sih ngak pernah gue telen kuku2 gue itu, jadi jamu pun nggak napa, tapi .... gue masih ogah banget...

Jadinya, setelah mikir2, akhirnya gue kemaren ke Body S**p, beli cotton gloves,...buat gue pake di kantor/rumah..biar kalo lagi bengong/ nonton TV nggak gue gigitin lagi tu kuku... We'll see se-berapa efektif nya solusi kali ini...
hihihihi,...jadi kayak Michelle Jackson (khan daku ceweq),.....hohohoh.....

(poto lagi nggak bisa di-upload, blogger nya error, nanti yak)

crab fest..

Dengan tujuan bikin yg baca pada ngiler,...silahkan dilihat foto2 dibawah ini...


Udang masak oatmeal


Kepiting Telor Asin


Kepiting Curry


Soup kepiting bihun

Temanya sepupu gue ultah kemaren, jadi kita pergi makan-makan di Melben Seafood.
Suuueeeedddaaaapppppp abbiiisss...
Harga? I don't know,..karena ditraktir...(bikin tu kepiting tambah sedap..hahaha..gara2 gratis)..

Favorit gue yg soup bihun kepiting, wwuiihh,..gurih abis!

"martinez" pembantu seksi..

Ceritanya kantor gue punya mbak2 yg bersih2 seminggu sekali,..nah, akhir bulan lalu si mbak pulang kampung (ke Sri Lanka), dan karena nggak bakal balik lagi ke sing, gue kudu nyari pengganti.

Alhasil, nanya anak2 kantor, ada ngak yg punya kenalan, colleague gue bilang ada. Dikenalin lah ke gue. Sebutlah si "angela".

Temen gue yg org singapore bilang, kalo loe berdiri di pinggir jalan dan ngelempar 5 kerikil, yg satu pasti kena "Ang-Moh" (org bule), 1 kena org india, 1 kena org indonesia, dan 2 kena org filipino...si "angela" ini org "F"...

yg gue perhatiin, beda nya PRT "F" dan PRT indo adalah mereka tuh kelihatan banget memperhatikan penampilan dan merawat badan dan muka...mmg PRT indo juga pada merawat diri, tapi biasanya gayanya lebih "kalem"...

Contohnya si "Angela" ini, nyampe kantor gue, pake baju lengan buntung dan celana pendek, trus kalo udah selesai bebersih, pake body lotion, dll. Mmg ni anak kecil dan kurus, jadi masih nggak terlalu vulgar lah...tapi tetep aja..pilihan baju nya itu loh...

kemaren ini dia bawa temen nya untuk bantuin bebersih (alasan nya karena si temen ini lagi nggak ada kerja-an), gue sih nggak napa, karena gue bayar tetep sama.
Nah, temen nya ini (si "Martinez") dateng dgn dandanan necis bgt dah (gue aja kalah)..jeans putih, platform wedge, t-shirt lengan buntung, make-up-an...
pas mau mulai bebersih, "martinez" tuker baju, pake celana pendek, tank-top, tetep dgn platform wedge nya.

Celana pendek nya itu yg bahan kaos gitu, stretch-able, tipis dan nggak sampe paha.
Gue langsung keinget sama kalender yg sering dipasang di bengkel-bengkel.....

gue dalam hati geleng-geleng....speechless bo! selain karena attire-nya itu, bos gue jg lagi ada di kantor hari itu!
kalo mikir versi org baik sih, ya, mungkin mereka lebih gampang bergerak di pakaian itu untuk beberes dan mereka nggak nyangka kalo bakal ada bos gue. Tapi tetep aja....

Untung jadwal bebersih tiap sabtu (di kala kantor gue nggak kerja); untung si "angela" nggak seperti si "martinez"...(se-nggak nggak ya agak mending lah)...

enaknya jadi org kaya?

Ceritanya kantor kita punya klien (sebut lah Mr.X)..orang Indihe dari Indihe (maksudnya bukan org Indihe sing)..
kita nge-renovasi apartment Mr.X ini di sing dan skg udah selesai.

Perlu gue bilang dulu kalo si klien ini baik and sip banget dah,..org nya santai (walaupun tajir abis)...
Buktinya dimana? setelah design disetujui, Mr.X ini ngasih duit segeplok dan kita tinggal atur sendiri belanja2 barang apartment (dari furniture sampe handuk) + ongkos2 dll..

Sekarang doi mau masuk rumah, dia bilang ke gue "eh, nancy tolong donk kamu atur-in pasang line telpon, pasang cable tv, dan coba cari org untuk bersihin apt ini setiap hari"
gue sambil senyum dan nganguk2 sambil mikir,.."buset dah, boleh nih gue charge servis sekertaris" (nggak bisa geleng-geleng, karena si bos juga ada di situ, dan bos nggak bilang apa2), gue nggak keberatan jg karena, ya itu, si Mr.X ini nggak sombong gt..

kronologis kerjaan di atas dari Mr.X ngomong ke gue sampe hari ini adalah;
1. gue kirim formulir langganan TV ke Mr.X, supaya doi bisa milih channel cable TV yg doi mau.
2. Mr.X ngirim formulir yg dia dah isi ke sekertaris nya (di Indihe); karena doi lagi ada di Dubai.
3. sekertarisnya ngirim formulir ke gue.
4. gue ngirim itu formulir ke manager perusahaan di sing (karena tu apartment belinya lewat perusahaan)
5. Nanti, itu formulir bakal balik lagi ke gue karena gue yg kudu janjian sama tukang pasang Cable TV nya.

hhh,...itu dokumen udah jalan-jalan lebih jauh daripada gue.....

Satu lagi,...

Klien indihe juga,..nelpon bos trus bilang mau buka kantor di sing,...tanya pendapat bos gue ttg lokasi,..bos gue nawarin nyariin,....siapa yg kena nyariin?? ya bukan bos gue lah,.....

Emang enak hidup kalo tinggal angkat telpon dan minta (atau nyuruh)...

ping-pong

Ini nich jadinya kalo bos pergi keluar negri selama seminggu, trus kerjaan lagi agak santai...hahaha...maen ping-pong!!

Baru beli kemaren2, kebetulan punya meja diskusi di kantor yg pppaaaasssss buat ping-pong..tinggal beli paket ping-pong (net + tiang nya + tepok-an nya (2) + bola ping-pong 3 biji) hihihihi.....ngelepas stress boo!

Breakfast anyone?

-Cinnamon French Toast with strawberries-

Northanger Abbey

Kemaren2 baru selesai dengerin Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"...

Yup, "dengerin" karena gue minjem audiobooks dari library...sbnrnya audiobooks lebih buat org-org yg nggak bisa melihat/baca..jadi ada orang yg baca-in itu buku dan di-record.
Biasanya sih yg bacain aktor/aktris, karena pronounciation nya kudu jelas supaya nggak binggung yg dengerin..dan juga (yg seru menurut gue) kalo ada dialog di bukunya, si pembaca biasanya langsung masuk karakter...
Misalnya dialog antara bapak dgn anak, si pembaca bakal menyesuaikan suaranya utk mengekspresikan nada suara si bapak dan nada suara si anak....

Lumayan juga buat ngelatih pendengaran,(kalo kadang2 bos kumur2)..haha...dan juga karena bisa gue copy ke ipod gue, jadi gampang dengerin selama naek bus atau sambil masak, dll...

"Northanger Abbey" ini merupakan novel terakhir Jane Austen (1775-1817), ceritanya ttg seorg anak ceweq, Catherine Morland, yg liburan bersama tetangganya. Selama liburan ini dia ketemu 2 cowoq yg sama-sama tertarik terhadap Catherine dan pada akhirnya Catherine married dgn salah satu cowoq tsb.

Lumayan seru, tapi kalo yg nggak suka, dibacain cerita gitu, bisa bikin ..zzzzz.....

Lamb Vindaloo

Hihihihh,..namanya exotic yaa??

Ini masakan gue 2 hari yg lalu; sebenarnya udah pernah masak ini juga 2 bulan yg lalu tapi nggak di-blog (skg secara nggak mau kalah sama elsiey
Ini ngikutin resep asli dari jamie oliver
di websitenya mungkin belum tentu ada karena gue beli bukunya "The Ministry of Food"



Anyway, masakan nya ini ala india, alias curry.
Bahan:
- 2 bawang bombay, iris halus
- 4 bawang putih, iris halus
- jahe sebesar jempol dikupas & iris halus
- 2 cabe (atau seberani mungkin) iris halus
- 4 tomat (masing2 dibelah 4)
- segenggam peterseli, pisahkan daun dan batang; batang diiris halus
- 1/2 botol merk Patak's Vindaloo curry paste (ini mungkin yg agak susah nyarinya di indo; mungkin di SOGO ada)
-800gr lamb / pork / chicken (enakan bagian yg banyak lemak & urat karena bakal lama masaknya)
- 6 sdk makan Balsamic Vinegar (ini cuka ala italy)
- 400ml air
- 1 sdk makan madu
- 200 ml yoghurt
- 1 lemon

Cara:
Tumis bwg bombay+ bwg putih+ jahe+ cabe+ batang peterseli di campuran minyak+mentega (kira2 sama lah quantity nya), masukin daging, dan curry paste, balur daging sehingga tersalut penuh sama curry paste; masukan tomat, balsamic vinegar dan madu.
Tuang air sampe semua daging terendam.
Besarkan api untuk mendidihkan air, terus kecilin dan tutup panci. Masak selama 45 menit.
Jadi deh!!
Pas mau makan, peras sedikit lemon, garnish dgn daun peterseli dan sesendok yoghurt. Nyuam nyuam...

Weekend...

Kemaren sama temen2 pergi nonton "Angels and Demons" Tom Hanks. Keren juga tuch, lumayan kombinasi drama dan action nya,..balance gitu..
tapi kudu konsentrasi abis nonton nya, soalnya ngomong nya pada cepet banget, rada kumur2 plus dalam beberapa bahasa (inggris, italian, latin) dan emang ceritanya "dalem" bgt!

Ringkas ceritanya si Tom Hanks di minta tolong oleh Vatican untuk menyelidiki penculikan 4 org kardinal yg merupakan kandidat favorit untuk menggantikan Paus yg baru saja meninggal. Penculik nya meninggalkan calling card illuminati (musuhnya gereja dari jaman bahela)

Seperti film dari adaptasi novel Dan Brown sebelum nya (Da Vinci Code) yg perlu diingat waktu nonton film ini adalah kalo film ini adalah fiksi. Dasarnya mungkin ada unsur2 kebenaran tapi tetep saja hasil akhirnya bukan dokumentasi ataupun reconstruction of truth events

Sebelum pergi nonton, kita dinner dl di Din Tai Fung, -makan xiao long pao-; wadoh, ini restoran emang nggak ada matinya! di saat resto lain mungkin agak2 berkurang pengunjung dan kudu bikin promosi, resto yg satu ini hampir selalu harus ngantri 20-30 menit (tiap kali gue pergi ke situ sih ngantri)...
Biasanya gue selalu ogah kalo musti ngantri (kalo di singapore, ngantri itu -hampir selalu- menandakan tu resto enak), tapi kalo Din Tai Fung service nya super efisien, dan super cepet. Hampir bisa dijamin meja bakal siap dalam 30 menit. Makanan nya sederhana tapi enak dan tergolong "worth the dollar" dan keluar dari dapur dalam 5 menit begitu loe pesen.
Turnover meja dalam 1 malem aja bisa 3 kali, kali tuh; the big question is "Berapa profit nya sebulan ya?"
Gue rasa salah satu rahasia nya karena staff nya orang2 China; bukan nya ngejelekin, tapi yg namanya ngerantau pasti org yg kerja lebih keras dari org lokal, dan karena mereka Chinese ........ perlu gue jelaskan?

Udah kelar makan + nonton, on the way pulang ke rumah, gue dengerin Diana Krall - Quiet Nights. Wah, emang cocok bgt judulnya dgn isi CD nya...
Sambil jalan balik ke apt, tengah malem, aransemen lagu nya soothing dan calming ; favorit gue "I grow accustomed to his face" dan "I hang my tears out to dry"..
Nice..

Zap..Zap..

haaahh...2 minggu belakangan ini capek banget,..

Capek #1
Awalnya pas dapet "bulanan", biasanya dari sejak teenager, gue nggak pernah ngerasa sakit/pegel2 pas lagi dapet, tapi belakangan ini (1 tahunan) koq jadi berasa pegel2 ya? terus kemaren ini yg paling parah, sampe sakit bgt perutnya,..light headed dan pinggang pegel bukan main!! gue ampe research di internet,...soalnya biasanya kalo cuman pegel2 doank, gue tempelin botol isi air hangat di perut/pinggang udah mendingan...tapi kali ini gue ampe minum susu, makan yoghurt dan panadol (migrain juga dikit)..

Udah pengen ijin sakit and nggak masuk kerja,..tapi liat2 sikon kantor + mood bos yg lagi agak2 "berkabut", akhirnya masuk juga deh,......setelah tersiksa selama 8 jam, ini pertama kalinya dalam berbulan2 gue pulang jam 6.15!
untung "dapet"nya pas hari kamis, jadi tinggal tahan hari jumat, weekend deh...

Capek #2
Pas udah nggak sakit perut lagi, bangun kesiangan mulu, akhirnya kudu naek tangga deh ke kantor...(liat "what motivates you (2)")

Capek #3
Selama minggu2 itu, gue tetep coba ber-pilates ria soalnya menurut saran2 (di internet), selama 'dapet' pun harus tetep berolah raga, which will helps utk ngurangin pegel2..

Capek #4
Kemaren, sepupu gue bawa pulang osim u-zap (punya ceweq nya); yg bergeter2 buat ngecilin perut itu. Nah, gue cobain lah karena penasaran dan emang dulu pernah mikir2 pengen beli..
Ternyata.....
capek juga pake itu,..karena perut otot gue serasa ditarik2, didorong, ditabok2, dll...10 menit aja udah cukup buat bikin perut gue merah kayak kepiting rebus! dan rasanya abis sit-up..

After so much sweat, gue deserve a little reward doonnkk,....A slice of truffle chocolate cake yg gue beli buat ultah sepupu gue....hhhmmmm,.....nyuam nyuam...

The curse of Facebook

Minggu kemaren baru nambah bbrp temen dan sepupu di facebook.

Dengan nambah temen, more often than not, berarti nambah pula foto2 yg seringkali udah terlupakan kalo pernah diambil sama si temen itu, jadinya keluarlah foto2 yg kadang2 bikin seneng, bikin nostalgia, mengingatkan akan sesuatu atau (yg lebih sering terjadi ke gue) memalukan!
Bukan apa2 sih, foto2nya bukan tipe "tabloid hot" gitu, tapi lebih ke "ihh, jelek amat gue di foto ini" soalnya terus terang aja, gue orgnya cuek bgt, jarang pake make-up; kalo pake pun nggak kelihatan saking tipisnya, dan sering udah kehapus..sehingga...kelihatan lah semua jerawat yg selalu menghiasi muka gue...

Dilema gue mungkin nggak ada apa2 nya kali ya,..soalnya gue jg bertanya2 kalo utk org2 yg ganti pacar misalnya, tapi gerombolan temen ttp sama, pasti ada beberapa foto yg include si-ex...
mending kalo misalnya putusnya baik2 sama si ex, kalo putusnya penuh drama dan juicy gossip??? waddoohh,..bisa merusak pasaran selanjutnya....*sambil berharap2 cemas ini nggak akan terjadi ke g*...hehe...

mumbles..

hmm,..sbnrnya nggak tau mau posting apa nich,..tapi karena udah lama, hmm,..mau cerita apa ya??

Cici + Cihu dateng 2 minggu kemaren; mereka org "melarikan diri" dari rumah for a long weekend sekalian istirahat in singapore (cici lg batuk pilek)..haha..detail nya liat aja di aja yach..

Yg seru dari trip ini buat gue (selain ketemu my dear sis, off course) cihu gue beli tangan HellBoy yg gue temukan di mall sebelah kantor. Liat nich poto ku..


KEREN KHAAANNN!!!!
Ini skala 1:1 prop tangan nya HellBoy! hihihih....
Udah dibawa pulang sich ama Cihu, gue cuman numpang foto keren nya doank! hahahhaha...

Yg tadinya dateng ke singapore cuman masing2 bawa hand luggage 1, pulang nya beranak pinak, nambah kardus setinggi pinggang 2!
Dan lagi cici + cihu gue makan nya kuat bo! cici gue sih badan seukuran gue, tapi tembolok saingan tuch ama laki nya! (gue curiga tembolok loe sbnrnya bentuknya memanjang ci, dari perut sampe lutut balik lagi ke perut..hahaha..) Jadwal makan bisa 5 kali (brunch + lunch + tea time + snacks + dinner)..
kalo gue nggak berasa kenyang tanpa dessert/kue/pastries, cihu gue nggak berasa kenyang tanpa nasi+ba**....sedangkan cici gue selalu nemenin gue dan cihu gue makan...kebayang doonkk!!! *hehe..Peace ci*

Tapi asik dan seru banged...dan banyak kenang2an nya;
1. Dapat bakwa (ba** panggang ala bee cheng hiang) ketinggalan.. :)
2. Weekend berikutnya setelah cici gue udah pulang, sandal jepit gue nyerah (lem-an udah kgk kuat) saking kebanyakan jalan weekend sebelum nya..
3. gue mulai batuk :(

The Girl in the Green Scarf

Yesterday night, me and my friend went for the movie "Confessions of a shopaholic"; which I approach with caution as earlier in the day, I read the newspaper about the movie and found so many unfavourable reviews.
Most of the reviews slammed the movie as

shallow, weak and man-crazy

..you might guess that these reviewers are mostly men! Who have no understanding whatsoever of the sometimes-weak-slightly-neurotic dark side of Venus(es).

One brave men writer even wrote

have women gone nuts?

with reference to movies like Sex and the City movie

There is a joke about the Sex and the City movie that says that of the few men who watched it, half were gay and the other half were straight men who had done something really bad

(read=watching the movie is like punishment for these straight guys)
I don't disagree because Hey, that movie is celebrating women POWER (I would like to include underline, but there is none)
If you don't like it, then don't watch it,...same as I wouldn't watch 300 or saving private ryan, cause I don't fancy blood and gore with my popcorn.

so for guys who don't understand it - give it up, don't try, as we don't understand some of your guy-cry movies either.

-------------------------------spoilers ahead!!--------------------------------------

Back to the movie, a basic requirement is you will have to love shopping even a teeny tiny bit to understand the sentiment.
Secondly, you got to like a teeny tiny bit of Ally Mcbeal, as Becky (Isla Fisher) is the shopping version of Ally.

The movie is simply about addiction. In this case, addiction to shopping. As in general cases of addiction, the victim has to get "hit" at regular intervals to soothe their craving and "make the world better".

The verdict? I love it; I mean who hasn't experience trouble with money once in their life? Its the kind of movie that you rent for a girls' slumber party.
Light, refreshing and struck a chord with me in a few aspects; and as a romantic comedy, the fantasy does really hit the spots with over the top bills, SA (Shopaholic Anonymous); and the absolutely-DELICIOUS-Hugh Dancy-with British lilt *sigh* (Shallow Mode ON)
In the first scene where Hugh met Isla, I can almost literaly feel my toes (and the toes of all women in the cinema) just curl with delight!
The tousled brown hair, the pointed chin, the annoyed yet amused gaze, the expressive mouth and the accent just melt me like a warm butter on a hot toast! *sigh again*

Wake Up, Nancy!! *slap slap and tissue to wipe my drool*

Iron Man Vs Frankenstein

Hari ini di kantor LUAR BIASA sibukk...

Cerita nya berawal dari seminggu yg lalu, kita dapet invitation to tender (kantor gue konsultan arsitek)..pendek kata ada client mau bangun gedung dan minta kita untuk ngasih harga (berapa duit kalo mau design+bangun dll)

Hari ini merupakan deadline submission tender itu...dan juga hari terakhir bos gue di kantor minggu ini (besok doi mau keluar negri sampe jumat)..makanya selain deadline ini, anak2 pada ngejar bos juga buat diskusi projek..

Sebelum makan siang, si client tender nanya, "jadi nggak nich ikutan tender?" (lewat email)
Terus bos gue nanya ke gue "Itu minggu kemaren kita udah ngirim email konfirmasi kalo kita mau ikutan khan?"
"iya, bos" gue jawab "Ada nich emailnya masih I simpen"
Begitu dibales ama bos gue kalo kita masih ON utk ikut tender, si client balesin "Tapi saya baru terima konfirmasi untuk project yg satunya lagi"
DUEENNNGGG......gue kayak kena geledek! (bos gue kyk kebakaran jenggot) Matilah, pikir gue, salah gue, apa yak?
Langsung bos gue minta gue nelusurin email yg kita terima dan kita kirim...

Selama 15 menit itu gue keringat dingin, tangan ampe rasanya beku, muka gue saking stress nya kayak di-botox; karena kita (3 arsitek + gue ngerjain kontrak) udah ngerjain selama seminggu utk deadline hari ini, udah tinggal 5 jam lagi! Worst case scenario adalah kalo misalnya kita ngerjain denah project yg satu dengan deskripsi project yg lain,..seperti, maunya bikin Iron Man tapi jadinya malah Franskenstein,.....waaaa...ttiiiddaaakkkkk!!!!.......
Konsekuensi nya ya nggak dapat projek atau semua org bakal mesti ngulang kerjaan (either options gives a phantom heart attack to me)
BBRRUUKKK...*background gabrukan pintu toilet sama bos*
makin spaneng gue....Bakalan langsung dipancung di tempat nich..

Tapi ternyata liat punya liat, si bos juga nggak nyadar kalo ternyata si client ngirim 2 projek...(buktinya dia masih nanya gue, walaupun tetep nggak mengurangi pelototan mata doi ke gue)......
pas ngirim projek#1, kita udah diskusi; pas bbrp hari kemudian si client ngirim projek#2, gue ama bos mengira client ngirim projek yg sama secara resmi *abis mirip siicchh* (karena mereka minta receipt resmi)...jadilah kita ngirim receipt utk projek#2, tapi receipt projek#1 tetep aja nggak dikirim.

Akhirnya setelah klarifikasi, baru deh kita bales ke client; sorry, bla bla bla, kita tetep ikutan koq buat 2-2nya..

Fiuh! makanya gue nggak usah nonton film horror lagi,...kerja aja udah cukup buat sport-jantung.....

to the Spa..to the Spa..

Kemaren pas ke Bali itu, sempet gue mention kalo gue ke spa, khan?
Well, emang kalo gue ke Bali itu, kyknya kurang afdol kalo blm ke spa. Nah, sebelum berangkat, gue sempet browsing spas di Bali. Kalo di Jkt, favorit gue emang Four Seasons (gara2 dulu pernah kerja di four seasons, hihi), kebetulan di Bali ada 2; Four Season Jimbaran sama Four Seasons Sayan.
Akhirnya gue save no telp dua2nya, just in case.

Pas kebetulan selesai resepsi dan jalan2 di Ubud itu sore + kebetulan Four Seasons Sayan itu di Ubud + kebetulan bisa bikin appointment malam itu = jadi deh ke Four Seasons Sayan Spa!!*victory sign*

Dari Ubud, dianterin sama bus pariwisata ke entrance road nya;
dari situ gue jalan kaki masuk ke kompleks resort nya...

setelah lewat jalanan mobil, nyampe lah gue di Drop-off area. Ini baru pintu gerbang "resmi" nya si resort; biasanya di sini pengunjung nya turun trus jalan kaki masuk ke resort, sedangkan bagasi dll dibawa ke lobby oleh buggy (mobil golf itu loh).

Sampe sini, gue masih santai2 aja, cuman pikir,"oh, bagus ya,..banyak pohon, hijau2, teduh, udaranya lebih dingin (pas cuaca abis hujan)…

Di sini ada concierge nya, trus gue nanya “Mau ke Spa, lewat mana ya mas?”
Si mas nya bilang “oh, lewat jembatan ini trus turun, mba; spa nya ada di bawah restoran”
Huh? Jembatan?

Ternyata ngelewatin gate itu, ada jembatan kayu selebar 1,8m-an yg menghubungkan gate dengan lily pond yg gede banget di ujung nya…

WAH! Lutut gue sampe agak lemes gitu saking pemandangan nya keren abis!
Lily pond nya itu di-design seperti infinity pool (yg nggak ada pinggirnya, jadi air seakan2 meluap keluar) dan pemandangan sekitar nya pohon-pohon. Jadi seakan2 melayang di tengah2 jurang gitu!



Di ujung lily pond yg menghubungkan ke jembatan ada buka-an yg ternyata tangga turun ke bangunan utama resort nya. Dari sini ada tangga setengah elips di sebelah kiri yg menuju ke lobby dan open air bar. Turun lagi 1 level ke open air restaurant. Turun 1 level lagi, spa.

Gue check-in dulu ke spa, trus abis itu pengen jalan2 liat-liat kompleks nya. Pas nanya ke concierge, dibilang boleh, terus dipanggilin buggy sama 1 staff (namanya Jantik) buat nganter gue muter2 kompleks.

Dari lobby, gue dianterin ke salah satu River Side Villa.

Dari level jalanan, yg kelihatan Cuma pendopo yg dikelilingin lily pond. Ternyata jalan masuk ke villa nya turun tangga. Menurut Mas Jantik, banyak tamu yg bilang kayak masuk bunker!..haha…Buat gue yg setengah hermit, gue sih seneng2 aja.
Masuk ke villa, bangunan nya dibagi 2, outdoor dan indoor. Di outdoor, ada tempat duduk2, mini bar, patio dengan umbrella, plunge pool dan sun-deck.
Pemandangan nya bener2 keren! Karena view nya sungai Ayung yg berlawanan arus. Nggak kelihatan orang2 lain ataupun gedung hotel ataupun jalanan. Privacy abis!

Indoor, ada kamar tidur, kamar mandi dan walk-in closet. Indoor nya ber-AC.
Dari kamar tidur ada French sliding door yg terbuka ke sun-deck. Sedangkan di kamar mandi ada pintu yg menhubungkan ke outdoor shower dan ke sun-deck juga. Jadi kalo dari plunge pool, bisa langsung ke kamar mandi tanpa melewati kamar tidur.

Keluar dari villa, gue dianterin ke swimming pool yg letaknya di level paling rendah kompleks; pas sebelah-an sama sungai yg mengalir dengan seru; dgn shape yg mengikuti lekuk sungai. Sun-deck utk swimming pool juga dialokasi di pinggir sungai dengan akses batu2 kali untuk yg pengen turun ke bibir sungai.



Ngeliat ke belakang atas (dari swimming pool), kelihatan lah block hotel yg sekitar 3-4 tingkat dan seakan2 nancap di pinggir tebing.


Setelah puas muter-muter dan foto2, gue dianter balik ke lobby, dimana gue pesen sandwich di bar, (dinner dan sambil nunggu waktu buat spa).


Pas udah waktu nya spa, gue dianter lagi pake buggy ke Spa Villa.
Menurut therapist nya, spa villas utk treatment di atas 2 jam. Tapi karena lagi sepi (kyknya) dan gue tamu special (ehem ehem…) massage gue yg kurang dari 2 jam pun di kasih di spa villa.

Turun tangga dari jalan, sampe lah gue di arrival pendopo. Design Spa Villa ini merupakan cluster 3 treatment villas dan 1 Back-of-House building cum pendopo. Clusternya dibangun di atas Lily pond.


Setiap Spa Villa, bisa utk treatment 2 org bersamaan, ada bay window with seating, shower,toilet, bath tub, walk-in closet dan outdoor shower. 2 sisi bangunan merupakan folding glass door yg bisa dibuka.

Begitu gue ditinggal-in buat ganti baju, langsung gue cobain outdoor shower nya! Hihihi,…out door area nya tertutup sama tanaman2, dan karena letaknya lebih rendah dari jalanan, jadi bener2 nggak bakal kelihatan dari luar.
Fuh! Karena udah seharian (dari resepsi) pake baju pesta, langsung seger pas mandi.

Abis mandi, therapist nya dateng buat massage. Dan abis massage, gue mandi lagi (nggak mau rugi). Kali ini di shower yg ada Rain Shower nya. Dinamain rain shower karena shower head nya gede (sekitar diameter 30cm) dan dipasang di langit2 kamar mandi; jadi seakan2 mandi di guyuran hujan; tapi ada air panas tentunya…hehe….

Di Vanity table nya, hampir semua disediakan, hairdryer, sisir, kapas, cotton-buds, moisturiser, face moisturiser, talc-powder, deodorant,dll. Tinggal make-up aja nich yg kurang,.hohoho…

Abis dari villa, gue diantar buggy ke main building buat bayaran, trus gue minta dipanggilin taxi buat pulang.

Fuhhh! Sip dah!

Photos courtesy of Four Seasons Sayan; and the author would like to thank all Four Seasons Sayan staff for their wonderful hospitality which render an unforgettable experience.

suprised visit..

Weekend kemaren ini, ada undangan temen kantor yg orang Bali. Doi married sama temen sekolah yg juga anak Bali.

Sebenarnya sih nggak ada rencana mau ke Bali lagi (mahal bo! semua dihitung pake USD!) soalnya desember kemaren baru juga pulang dari bali, waktu itu beneran liburan untuk santai-santai; tapi ini pengecualian. Kali ini mikirnya pergi sekaligus sebagai representative kantor, soalnya nggak ada lagi yg pergi selain gue.

Sebelum pergi, gue nelpon paman dulu yg kebetulan tinggal di Bali, ijin mau nginep, abis tiket pesawat udah mahal, jadi udah nggak ada budget buat nginep di hotel lagi dah..:(

Nyampe di Bali jumat malem, terus besok paginya jam 7-an udah dijemput ama mobil utk naek bus ke tempat resepsi. Temen gue nyiapin bus, karena selain gue, ada lagi 15-an org temen dari pihak si ceweq yg juga terbang ke Bali utk acara ini.
Akhirnya kita sama2 jalan ke tempat resepsi jam 9-an, dan nyampe jam 11. Memang tempatnya lumayan jauh dari denpasar.
Tadinya gue pikir, resepsinya di gedung serba guna gitu, ternyata rumah keluarga si cowoq, dan karena keluarga si cowoq cukup terpandang di daerah itu, kompleks rumah nya cukup besar dan menurut temen gue ada 7 keluarga yg tinggal di satu kompleks itu.

Pas kita sampe, di ajak masuk ke courtyard yg udah dipasangi tenda putih. Wuih, untung banget ada tendanya, kalo nggak pulang2 bakal hangus, soalnya panas banget hari itu, matahari nya super terik!
Di pintu masuk courtyard ada meja tempat buku tamu dan tempayan buat amplop, terus ada buffet makanan kecil (kue2 manis) dan minuman botol manis.
Dari situ, baru deh kita salam2an sama pengantin dan keluarga nya.

Bajunya si pengantin bagus banget! dekoratif, elaborate dan detail. Kita yg pada pake baju cuman selapis langsung komentar "Wah! nggak kepanasan loe pake baju gitu?" soalnya yg cowoq pake jas lengan panjang dan sarung semata kaki + kaos kaki sedangkan si ceweq pake kebaya lengan panjang dan sarung semata kaki juga. Setelah sarung, mereka berdua masih pake kain dekoratif hitam putih. Make up lengkap dengan rambut palsu (buat si ceweq).

Setelah ngobrol2 akhirnya kita foto2 bareng pengantin nya. Abis foto2, makan siang prasmanan.

Acara hari itu memang resepsi tok, sedangkan "adat nikahnya" udah sehari sebelumnya. Memang lebih seru pas adat nikahnya (yg sama temen gue di puter di TV samping pelaminan). Seperti adat jawa atau sunda, adat nikah Bali pun penuh dgn ritual-ritual yg melambangkan bermacam2 pesan2/nasehat dari tetua, dsb. Seperti misalnya, saling suap2an nasi; pengantin pria berjalan mengelilingi courtyard dengan guci tanah liat di bahu, dll.

Sekitar jam 2, akhirnya kita pamit pulang. Bus yg tadi dateng, bakal nganter kita ke Ubud utk jalan2 bbrp jam, baru terus diantar ke tempat nginap masing2.
Karena group temen2 kerja si ceweq udah ada acara sendiri, gue bikin appointment buat spa di Four Seasons Sayan (bakal gue ceritain di blog selanjutnya), baru pulang ke rumah paman.

Besoknya, hari minggu, kita ke gereja pagi, terus pergi makan siang dan pulang deh.

Pada bilang sayang sih, ke Bali bentar banget, tapi apa boleh buat, lagi nggak niat liburan, ini pergi karena ada acara aja. (setia kawan banget ya gue....hahahaha)
abis gue pikir, kalo ini resepsi gue dan nggak ada org dari kantor yg dtg, gue bakal miserable banget dah. Acara sekali seumur hidup nich! ya nggak?..

What motivates you (2)?

Almost everyday of this week, I've been waking up early in the morning and arrive in the office a few minutes before 9am. Which is quite out of the norm as usually my schedule will follow a loose pattern of:
Monday; arrive at 8.35
Tuesday; arrive at 8:55
Wednesday; arrive at 9:02
Thursday; arrive at 9:10
Friday; arrive at 9:17
or it coulb be; arrive at after 9 for the whole week. (FYI, office hours start at 9am)

Wonder what motivates me? the answer is two-word (as Danny De Vito said in "Hercules") Mini-Bus

Well, I did mentioned in my blog previously that our office has moved to a new location right? Well, that new location is on one of the highest points in Singapore; not that much different how Mt.Everest summit is to Nepal (shrunk 208times; give and take a few hundred meters).

Ever since we moved to this office, I've been climbing a set of staircase every morning (and sometimes at lunch time) to/fro the main road. As the location is in a designated residential area, no convinience store and no cafes around. A quick trip for a stick of ice cream is out of the question. I've learned to be smart with my time, if I have to go on errands, I make sure that its around lunch time and I came back by taxi.

So you can imagine our delight when the landlord of our bulding said that a mini-bus has been provided to carry us in the morning, departing every 8:50am from the main road.
Since then, there is no turning back for me, I've been waking up with renewed spirit every morning, eager to catch the bus!

to the dentist...to the dentist

Last weekend, I finally decided to go to the dentist to have my teeth examined. Been having problems of food stuck to various spots between the teeth and also it is about time to do some scaling and polishing.

I have alwasy hated going to the dentist since one of my tooth got pulled out due to ill-placed growth, but mostly I dreaded the visit because they have nasty equipments that emits high pitched skin-crawling-nerve-wrecking sound that have to be operated inside your mouth!

However, I convinced myself that I am an adult and more mature and should be able to bear this. So, I made the necessary appointments.

On the day, I went in to the Doc's chamber with my empty stomach (since I don't intend to insult the doc with my breakfast bits) tied in 100 knots. The Doctor was Korean, very kind; almost fatherly; still in his 30s (I think).
But when he asked when was my last examination, if I floss, etc etc; I was feeling like I'm in one of those room with a two-way mirror. After that, the Doc asked me to get in the Xray room to take a pic of my teeth.
Turns out, the cause of that food stuck is because my wisdom teeth are not nicely developed. The good doc's advice is to remove all of my wisdom teeth! All! That's like 3 tooth!Dang!

I was quite shocked, to be honest! But I guess its necessary.
So,...let's see what's next...

Rainbow Connection

Isn't it amazing how one song can be sung in so many different style, across different genre and it will evoke different feelings.

I've just came across "Rainbow Connection" (Kenneth Ascher - Paul Williams) arranged by Gil Goldstein, sung by Jane Monheit, with Peter Bernstein at the guitar and Gil Goldstein playing piano and accordion.

It was mellow, fluid, romantic, with the accordion lent Parisian air of the city of lovers. The song easily suggests me the image of couples waltzing under the moonlight (which wouldn't supprise me if the song features as a movie soundtrack someday).

If I didn't search youtube for the music video of that song, I wouldn't know that it was originally sung by Kermit the Frog. And I also found different variations of the song by Jason Mraz, Sarah MacLahlan,etc.

But, I really do prefer Jane/Gil's arrangement. Check it out..

"Behind every story is a great Journey"

It was 13.15 in the afternoon, the sky was a big blue bowl, the sun was shining bright enough for me to wish I've had my hat, the air pleasantly warm and dry and stirred into comforting breeze. As I nibbled on parma ham,mozzarela and fresh tomatoes foccacia sandwich (with a side salad and just fried potato chips) I could see as far as the sky meets the sea. The sea which calm, sparkling blue and totally unmarred by ships/sail boats or people doing water sports.

That was not my imagination by the way, that was how it was as I lunched at the Bulgari Hotels and Resorts Bali. It was part of my holiday trip, but the experience deserved its own column.

The resort was perfect for tourist looking for a bit of peace and quiet, away from hot spots such as Kuta, Legian or other destinations.
Bali is dotted with such development, with big brand names catering to the wealthy and privileged. But what separates them are the level of services provided; which also reflected in their villas rate.

When I arrived at the drop off, I was immediately welcomed with a smile and the assurance that the buggy will arrive in a few minutes to take me to the Bar.
The drop off was a huge traditional Bali Pavillion influenced with a contemporary Italian style. The drop off pavillion was cleverly designed to reveal the view with a flourish!

After a 5 minutes ride circling the compound, I was dropped off at the Bar area to enjoy the view and nicely prepared lunch. Over to the right is the infinity pool with a few covered cabanas of weave rattan and cotton scattered by the pool. To my left are the restaurants. The Bar itself is a big open-air pavillion perched right at the edge of the cliff.

The villas are spread out over the compound in a terraced manner to give maximum view of the Indian Ocean for each villa.
Although I didn't have the chance to tour the whole place or any of the villas, I am quite impressed with what I've seen.

As the buggy drive me back to the drop off, the driver alerted the drop off attendant to summon my ride. I really need not to request it. They anticipated your needs and most of the times provide it before you ask!

Next trip, I am going to try the spa.

flying fox and babysitting

As mentioned before, I really wanted to get away for sometime now and last weekend I was flying off to Bali to spend 3 days there. It was quite an improptu thing, since a friend of mine will be there for the weekend as well on a business trip.

The first 2 days, I spent with my uncle's family (they reside there) and my sister (she works there), we went for local delicacies, day trips (flying fox), spa and dinners together.

And then the last night I went to stay at a hotel (selfishly I wanted some time alone to regroup and enjoy lazy days). It proved to be quite a good decision, as I managed to catch that magnificent sunset at Kuta Beach with Fency, do some sightseeing and shopping at Legian (found the cutest bathing suit! exactly what I had in mind)
I was regreting (a bit) of not staying in the hotel earlier, as I met this guy who is the hotel's photographer. I think he was quite cute (can't see clearly without my glasses as I was swimming). Wonder what might ensue from that meeting if I were not due for check out in 2 hours....

From Bali, I fly back home and stayed at my sis' place for the rest of my holidays, babysitting.
She recently moved from the centre of town to the suburbs (way WAY out in the suburbs), where a decent mall is 30 minutes away. Whereas my parent's house is 10 minutes away from one of the poshest malls in town.

Knowing I'll be at my sis, I brought my little munchkins some snacks and chocolate bites. Imagine my horror when my sis said that they are ALERGIC TO CHOCOLATES!!! OH NO! my poor bambini...I hope they outgrow it though..
So for 5 days, I coddled them, soothe them, break their fights, change their wet pants,etc etc..But I have to say when the rewards are big hugs, toothy grins, and sloppy kisses, its well worth it.
They are in their first week of school and I just got this cutest picture of them in their uniforms.
Luna and Jovann remember me still as I was there during their early days (from birth to 1-ish), but little sebastian still wary of me up to the day I left. He is one tough nut to crack.

Anyhow, it was one of the nicest holiday I've had in long time.....with nothing to do but what I want to...Isn't that what great holidays are?

Z4

You know, relative is a funny thing,...you never saw someone in your life, but blood are thicker than water.

My aunt's (from my mother's side) brother-in-law's great uncle just left me his BMW Z4, along with a trust fund for the upkeep of the car. Petrol, maintenance, taxes, insurance, I just have to present the receipts to the trustee and all will be taken care of. Nice eh...

Unfortunately off course, it was all just in my head......(sigh)


PS: I don't have an aunt from my mother's side..:P

Finally...(part 1)

These last few weeks have been really hectic. Our office move to a new location and that requires almost all my energy and concentration. I honestly think that I didn't do much else except taking care of all that's related to the moving process.

I really do not wish to repeat the process anytime soon, say another 10 years. Not that I will stay in this particular office that long. But twice in the span of 3 years is enough! three times, if we extend the period to cover the last 5 years!

This is only part 1 of the process, because although we have occupied the new premises, not all the furniture are installed yet.

Gonna need a loooonngg holiday once the dust settles.....

PS:..coincidentally, my sis is also moving house this month..

My first F1

hohohohoho,......

Last saturday, me,Mal,Rudy and Tong went to see the Singapore F1 GP, from the sidelines. I confess I was taking too long to think whether I should buy the ticket to the GP or not, as not many of my friends going. Anyhow, couldn't get the ticket as they are sold out.

So, we were walking around Suntec City to see if we can catch a glimpse of the track from somewhere around there. As I mentioned in my previous post, the noise that the cars made, while we were in Diana Krall's concert is really got me curious and excited to see what it's all about.
So on that qualifying night, we walk around the track to see if there are some free-view spot.

We ended up on top of a multilevel carpark, a block from Suntec, and can see 2 corners; the turn in front of the meritus mandarin and the turn to the supreme court. And it was just AWESOME!!!
Altough we can only see about 1/20th of the original car size, even from that distance you can feel the adrenalin, the heat and hear the roar of those powerful engines.
We were not the only ones on top of that car park. Even people who has tickets to the race would like to get a better (bigger) view of the street track.

Finally, just a few minutes before 10pm (the qualifying race) we moved and managed to get a spot on one of the external staircases of Marina Square that faces the coming cars from raffles boulevard.
I think one of the advantages of not having a ticket is you can pretty much walk around the circuit to see from different point of view rather than rooted to your assigned seat.Off course you'd have to search and climb to the surrounding buildings to see the track, but it was worth it.

Wanting to see from the different point of view (and also to see the parked Pagani Zonda in front of the Meritus Mandarin) we went down to the lobby of Meritus, where a lot of people also gathered to see right from the edge of the track! and it was faboulous! Up close, you can smell the rubber burning and the noise was even more deafening! and like nothing I've heard before! Luckily I already equipped myself with ear plugs.

The tricky thing after the race is getting out of the track area. With more than 50,000 people, walking is reduced to crawling at the speed of a snail. Once we reach the streets, we walk to reach mrt or bus and I ended up walking the distance from Suntec city to Sommerset MRT! If it wasn't adrenaline, I wouldn't last that far!

Still, I think we are going to get the tickets for next year F1!!

Wohoo!!

PS: I gotta say that I am impressed with the staff at Meritus Mandarin; as a lot of people whom are not guests at the hotel, passers-by like us who wanted to see the track, were walking in and out of the hotel, trampling the grass, taking pictures, use the hotel as the access between the track and the Marina Square; and the staff of the hotel are pretty much leave us be. No body harrassed us or anything. It might be because we are pretty well mannered around the hotel or maybe the hotel are just so full of people that they don't have the resources to manage the mob.

Diana Krall

Last weekend me and nadia went to see Diana Krall concert in Fort Canning Park.

There are a few unfortunate elements in play over this concert;
1. The concert was held in the same night as the F1 practice session and in open air where the demonic roar (not that I hate it) of the cars can still be heard.
If the concert was to be held in its original venue at keppel bay, the noise might not travel that far.
2. The concert started late as I think the organisers (or indeed Diana herself) wanted to maximize the break period of F1 practice session. Even so, the first 2 songs and the last 2 songs were still competing with the exhaust noise from the cars and the whup whup of the circling helicopter.
3. Diana was having a flu and the event was peppered with her cough.
4. My backside was flatten a bit due to sitting at the hard brick steps of Fort Canning Centre.
But, other than a few complaints above, I have to say that the experience was not all bad. In spite of having cold, listening to Diana's voice live was an extraordinary experience. Her voice is so smooth! my favourite combination is her voice and the piano. Amazing!

PS: my list above is shorter than somebody else's whom got published in the monday paper. However, I do feel that his feelings are justified as the complaints that he put forward are genuinely unacceptable for a world class concert.
Sorry i can't remember all of the list's items but it involves muddy track of the venue; refreshment booth that are unsatisfactory and untrained ushers on top of the things I've mentioned.

Engaged!

hmm,..kali ini postnya pake indo aja deh,..

weekend kemaren, sepupu gue tunangan ama pacarnya. Mereka udah jalan selama kira2 5 tahun-an, dan kemaren itu keluarga si cowoq dateng ke singapore untuk lamaran. Pergi makan lah kita ke No Sign Board seafood di Esplanade.

Dari pihak keluarga cowoq, yg dateng bokap nyokap nya, ie-ie ama ie-chong, cici ama ci-chong + beberapa temen si Bram. Dari pihak ceweq, yg dateng, bokap nyokap novi, kuku ku-chong (bokap nyokap gue), suk-suk (adek bokap novi), gue, adek gue, kokonya novi + pacarnya, Catherine (anak suk-suk) dan anak suk-suk A-Yung, Felix.
Kebetulan emang ini malam terakhir bokap nyokap dan suk suk gue di singapore.

Sebelum makan ada acara kalung dulu, istilahnya "diiket" nopi-nya..(hehe). kebayang nggak sih di tengah2 resto rame (full house) gitu, kita pada berdiri 2 meja, maminya Bram ngalungin kalung ke novi, cipika-cipiki, terus pada foto2 keluarga. haha..rada diliatin orang2 meja sebelah sih, mana pada bule2 gitu pula.

Makanan yg dipesen bener2 banyak banget! 12 macem. Emang si bokap nya Bram doyan makan enak.
Menu: Hisit (sirip ikan hiu); chilli crab; crispy cereal crayfish, garlic steamed bamboo clam; hokkien style steamed fish; black pepper deer meat; abalone with asparagus; saute bull frog with dried chilli; garlic fried vegetable; Deep fried baby squid; steamed japanese beancurd with dice seafood and deep fried seasonal fish.
Dessert buah potong.

waalah,..begitu udah keluar 10 macem aja, gue udah kenyang,.padahal nggak makan pake nasi. Terus akhirnya yg pada nggak abis dibungkus, bawa pulang.

abis udah pada selesai makan, pada mulai ngomong2 mau lanjut kemana lagi nih. Akhirnya yg muda2 pada mau lanjut ke St.James Powerstation, sementara yg senior2 pada pulang.
Akhirnya head count yg pada ikutan ke St.James cuman dari keluarga ceweq doank, alias gue and sepupu2 gue. Dan ternyata dari 7 yg pergi (gue, novi, adi,felix, catherine,khai ling dan Imelda) cuman gue, adi sama khai ling yg pernah clubbing,sisanya novice semua! wah! ahahaha...
Memang gue, adi sama khai ling seumur, sedangkan novi,felix,catherine dan imelda lebih kecil.
Haha,...akhirnya kita joget joget bakar lemak, dan pulang jam 3.

Seru loh, soalnya pas yg ikutan pada asik2 semua..hmm,..kita ngomong2 mesti ngadain lagi nih yg kyk gini buat "Hen night" nya nopi tahun depan....hihihi...

the guy in black latex and a cape...

Not that it doesn't look good on him,..au contraire..Mr.Bale looks ravishing in the costume coupled with the smoker's rasp...
True, you can't see much most of the time; the shy guy keeps to the shadows; but he compensated with his muscle cars, very big motorcycle, cool gadgets and his lamborghini! (I think my heart squeeze a little when the bull smashed in a car crash)

Fashion aside, I think the movie really packs a hellofapunch..the story line is very neat, the action is not overwhelming, and it has more "moral of the story" than a simple good against evil..

And if the Joker is any indication of Heath's acting abilities, we sure have lost a great actor and I can certainly understand why they are considering awarding an Oscar post-humously. He was terrifyingly believable as the Joker.

This is one of the must watch movie of the year and a classic in the making...

Penelope

well,its been a while since I last posted my ramblings, here's about another movie I recently watched with some friends.

Penelope is a young lady of 25 years old, graceful, speaks french fluently, comes from a prominent blue blood family, an only child and....has a pig snout for a nose.
It all happens because Penelope's great great great grandfather impregnate a young maid in his employ but will not stand up to marry her. The maid ended up over a cliff and the maid's mother cast a spell onto the family that the first daughter of the family will be different until "her own kind" will accept her as "one of them".
So, penelope was born with piggish features (snout, ear and tail).

Her mother keep Penelope a secret at home (never allowed anyone who is not a family to see her, or let her out of the house either) and concentrated her efforts to groom Penelope to become the perfect bride and wife to marry another blue blooded in order to lift the curse.

Christina Ricci played Penelope brilliantly and James MacAvoy was just (..let me sigh for a moment here..) to die for. James played Max Campion a.k.a Johnny, a chronic gambler, whom being paid by a reporter and one of Penelope's ex suitor, to take a picture of Penelope.

The movie skips the "where" part; it didn't says a place and also skips "when"; didn't mention the year/century/millenium it happens. Its keeping the fairy tale charm firmly in place with a mixture of reality and fantasy.
And it works. Fairy tales doesn't need to be a cartoon, or men in tights (though it certainly can't hurt, haha, just kidding...)

An Affair to Remember...

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories,...we've already missed the spring"

Ever since Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell repeat those lines in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle", I've been curious about it. But not until lately, when I found the video of Josh Groban singing the theme song of the movie at Youtube and I caught myself humming a few bars when I thought of a certain someone,I got hooked.

It was really a good movie, funny, with amazing on-screen chemistry between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. I like the wittiness of Deborah Kerr and the way their conversation has an almost Shakespear-an quality in the subtle meaning and undercurrents.

Anybody who likes "Sleepless in Seattle" (like you, sis) should watch this Affair to Remember...Classic..

SATC....what else?

Well, the shoes are out of the box! these past 2 weeks movie fans are abuzz with releases after releases; Indiana Jones, Narnia - Prince Caspian, and off course the long awaited Sex and The City movie!

Ever since I heard the news that they are filming the silver screen version, I was keeping an ear to the ground for the release date; and finally yesterday I went with my girlfriends to the cinema.

To keep long story (almost 3 hrs) short, lets just say, the movie captured all about women and their relationship. Probably because it revolves around 4 characters, each with their own set of challenges, it manages to "colour a captivating image using nearly every crayon in the box" (find out about this in the movie!)

Love, hate, betrayal, fidelity, motherhood, marriage, friendship, career, fame, sex and fashion.

What I also like about the movie, is the pace. It doesn't feel hurried (compressing about one and a half year's worth of the characters' life), neither did it feel dragged on (145 minutes). I felt I just watched a whole seasons' episodes.
At the end of the movie, there is a sense of closing, but also continuity, with the girls keep on with their dinner and drinks celebrating samantha's birthday.

I think this movie will become one of a classic must watch movie......speaking of which,..please see my next blog..

you are what you eat....

If we go by that sage saying, I would be one hot and saucy chick, because I eat those 'extra crispy with secret recipe'.
Or sweet and berrylicious last week from my 7-layer pancake,nature goer from my sashimi and Threesome lover of BLT sandwich..

How about you?

My world gourmet summit

Last weekend was one of the laziest and most fullfilling (in terms of stomach content) I've had so far..

Lets start with Friday night (weekend almost always start with friday night);
well,..due to a hard day on friday (foul ups at work, etc) we decided we need alcohol, so we planned to head to Harry's (at boat quay) for some nourishing food and drinks.
unfortunately, when we arrived there, its the peak of Happy hour at Harry's and not a single chair or table or a ledge-big-enough-to-hold-a-beer-bottle is available. So with a heavy heart, we decided to go on down the river to Iguana.

In Iguana, as usual, the crowd is loud, music is in the background and not fighting with conversation, the food is good and the margarita is cold!

So, there we were, 2 girls, with a jug of raspberry margarita, fajitas and buritos. Not a half hour later, mal, novi and jovin joined us. Another round of margarita and food being served. We went home full and relaxed.

the next day, we went to watch "Definitely, maybe", the lighter-than-air romantic comedy, so light I can't even remember what's the story about...
Its like sniffing glue; cheap (the ticket price), momentarily captivating, and easily forgotten.

After the movie, me and mal went to try this new 'food bazaar' with a Japanese theme.
Basically, you went in the restaurant, and they gave you a card to record your purchases and a round 'reserved' wood disk to be placed on your table, so you can roam the restaurant freely without losing your table to other hungry birds. The resturant itself has islands and designed to immitate market stalls, so you can hop from one stall to the next and see what they are cooking.
Since i didn't have my lunch, I went a bit mad with all that food on display. They have cold selections; seasoned jelly fish, vinegared baby octopus, salads, sashimi, etc.
They also have assorted tempura, deep fried food and donburi (rice with deep fried meat in omellete);rotabayaki (grill food on stick); Omu rice (tomato ketchup fried rice topped with omelette with a side fried meat),Japanese hot pot; cold soba ;assorted ramen & udon; Japanese style spaghetti & pizza; bamboo rice;Japanese omellette; japanese dessert of red bean with mochi (I am starting to drool just by listing all these food...)
To make long story short, I ordered all my favourite food (and believe me, there are a lot), and go home as stuffed as a thanksgiving turkey.

On sunday, dawn clear and hot, I went for my massage appointment and spent 60 minutes pummeled by a minute Chinese girl no bigger than me with hot rocks. Limber and loose, I then went downstairs to their cafe, where I enjoyed 7 layer (yes, that's right; SEVEN) pancake.
The fluffy and sweet tower is slathered with honey and maple syrup, with a scattered of juicy berries (strawberries, blueberries,raspberries) and nuts (macadamia,almonds,and some I don't recognize). In between them, nutela and dried cherries (I think they were) add some volume and height.

Hungry yet?

Got some pictures, but I just can't get them uploaded just yet....in the meantime use your imagination! haha

a babe in a ranch? a gold fish in the sea?

Last weekend, I went to a colleague's place for his birthday BBQ and arrived there with birthday present in hand.

For background information, this colleague of mine is a Brit, married with 2 kids and celebrating his 45th.
So, when I arrived there, the crowd consist of really mature grown ups and really young (and tiny) people..

Not to be discourage, I decided this is a good opportunity to brush up my social skills..and to eat, off course,..
Food are good and aplenty,..seafood, roast lamb,fried rice,cheese platter with assorted fruits, potato salad, green salad etc,...
Drinks covers all the bases, from bottled water, fizzy drinks, wine, and beer.
and later I discovered, 2 sheets of brownies baking in the oven. yum..
Kids running around in their bathing suits ;or soaked shirt if the parents aren't fast enough; to/fro the pool

As the day progressed, more and more guests arrive and suddenly I realized that I was the only one who is an asian; single with no partner/children/dogs; over 21 and didn't drink alcohol (at that time).
And on top of that, I only knew the host, since no other people from the office came.

I did chat to a few of the guests, but looks like my social skills need more than brushing; I was not exactly lost, but neither was I found.

But, it was fun and I managed to make friend with Shakey; my host's labrador.

.......in Death

Brilliant...brilliant....brilliant!

That's three cheers for Nora Roberts for the latest books that she published.
The ones that I read are "Blood Brothers" book 1; "Creation in Death" and "Strangers in Death".

On the "In Death" series (which Nora wrote under the pseudonym J.D.Robb), I was hooked ever since I read the first of the series "Naked in Death". There, she introduced us to Eve Dallas, a cop with no-nonsense-ass-kicking attitude as the tough lieutenant of the NYPSD in the year 2058.
Ever since, I've been reading the next and the next on the book list, and all I can tell you that like wine, its getting better and better.

In "Creation in Death", I experienced something new. As the story approaching climax, I had a moment where I stopped reading and simply couldn't bring my self to read the next page (for almost like 15 minutes) because I was too scared to find out what will happen to Eve!!.
You see, Eve had just encountered the psycho-lunatic-all-around-mad bad guy and she is unaware that her back up team somewhat hampered and delayed. Meanwhile, Nora had no mercy in twisting our guts with the continues stream of play-by-play.

In "Stangers in Death" that I've just finished, it once again struck me on how creatively the twist and turns of the story completely spellbind you and make you sit up and pay attention to what's next.

I have to mentioned another title which completely floored me is "Innocent in Death" and "Origin in Death". They have so much detail in them and makes the story more than just a story. To sum it, Nora always manages to suprised her reader, shock them, tickle them, make them weep, scared them good, make them laugh, give them something to think about and at the same time, teaches them values in a darn good story.

Go read it, start from the first of the series, and work your way, as the characters developed, you would enjoy your reading more if you understand the nuances and undercurrents of the story.

(Probably)Not everyone will like Nora Roberts, but that person sure isn't me!

Hotel hopping...

I've just discovered a new ambition; Hotel Hopping.

Reading the book about Asian Style Hotels really gets your itchy feet itchy; and I've only got to the Indonesia part.

The thing about the hotels, they are beautifully designed, decorated, offers head-to-toe-body-and-soul-personalized-butler service. And they are expensive (offcourse).

But somehow, I can't imagine taking my parents to one of these hotels, as they are targetted to foreigners. I can just imagined the comment that will spring forth; "Its so expensive" "Its so dusun (old/backwater)" "there is nothing in here" (because most of the hotel's main commodities is privacy and tranquility)
haha...Not to say that they are not appreciative to the finer things in life, but they just have a different concept to it.

Nevertheless, I'd like to at least try each of the hotel once.....ooommmm.....

What a weekend....

Last weekend, we (me and the girls) had the most fun weekend...
We started off on friday night, with dinner at Vivo city, the four of us all dressed up and dolled up (I wore my new dress!); not so much for sel and me though. Sel because she doesn't do make up and me because I was in a hurry. I was late getting back from the office and in making up time, I didn't spend so much time in front of the mirror.

After dinner, we cross the road to St.James Power Station, where we fumble around a bit deciding which entrance to go to (since none of us ever been there)
We decided to go to "Broiler Room" and asked around. Apparently for $15, you gain free access to all of the clubs in the compound, but where you buy your ticket, that's where you can exhange it for the drink. Off course you can buy another drink in the other rooms should you wish to.
So, there we were, entrance fee at the Broiler Room, after we see the interior and get a feel for the songs played there, we moved to "Bellini" and then to "Movida" and on to "Power House". We avoided "Dragonfly" because all of us knew that that particular room is playing chinese songs and crowded with teenagers.

All the rooms are having live performance, with a slight difference in songs; "broiler room" is for pop songs; "Bellini" is more on the jazzy side; "Movida" is for world music (latin, samba,etc) and "Power House" is house music.
All in all, we decided "Movida" is more to our taste, and the crowd is the best of the lot, but as our drink stamp is from the "Broiler Room", we trotted back to the first club we enter to get our drinks. As we enjoyed the live performance and our drinks (its a really ticklish one, with a gay-blond-afro-haired performer on stage), we decided to move to "Movida" to check it out.
The live performance is going full swing and we quickly jumped to join the crowd on the over-packed dance floor to boogie-away.
Me and Sel were burning away our fat, with Astrid and Mery followed in a more sedate pace. We were having one h*** of a good time.

Feeling a bit parched, we moved to "Bellini" to search for some seats to rest our feet and get some drinks.

After the 15 mins break, we slipped back to "Movida", however we didn't stay long this time, coz Astrid, Mery and Sel had to go to the office on Saturday morning for some extra working time. Me? I slept till noon.

On Saturday noon, I was awaken by wake up call from Astrid. We decided to get a late light lunch, followed by dinner at Tony Roma's (got a discount voucher).
So, after shower etc, I met her and Sel at the library (I was picking up reserved book), off we go to Dempsey Hill . I suggested it, because it was such a nice day to be outside, and I was kinda tired of shopping malls.

When we arrive there, it was so good to be away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road ; although it only 10 mins taxi ride from Orchard. With lots of greenery and breeze, it doesn;t feel as though you are in Singapore. We agreed that it looks like Kemang area in Jakarta. Lots of expats and antique furniture shops, but also scattered here and there, cafes and wine bars.
The main thoroughfare (if you can call it that) is lined on both sides with cafes, grocery shop (definitely gonna be my favourite shop as they stocked almost all of my favourite food-stuff, they even have an air-conditioned-cheese-room with the most amazing variety of cheeses and wagyu beef on the meat section!), pubs, restaurants and activity centres for kids.
We chose to eat in one of the small cafes which serves sandwiches and next to Ben&Jerry's.
After that, we walked around the compound and found House the spa cum cafe cum yoga place. I wanted to find out about it, as I've received lots of funky and fun newsletter from the organizer. It was gonna be another one of my favourite spot, as the cafe and the spa sits at the edge of the cliff, and as far as you can see, its trees and peace and quiet.
We sit there a while to enjoy a cheese plater, some wine and juice and the view off course.

Around dinner time, we trudge back to this Korean restaurant that we've ear marked for dinner as Sel and Astrid had a craving for Korean. The three of us enjoyed a dinner of Korean bbq in an authentic setting of Korean restaurant. I have to say, the food is not as good as what I had in Jakarta, but all in all, it was allright.

With full belly, we decided to head back home. I suggested to continue on to "Hacienda", a watering hole that only open at night, to get some night cap, but Sel and Astrid had had enough.

Hhh,....what a weekend...

Year of the Rat

To all who celebrate it; Wishing you a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year; hope it will bring you good luck, good fortune and love.

being environment concious is hard on the image..

As I was sorting through the used paper in the paper bin to reuse, suddenly an image flashed in my mind of the bag lady that yesterday morning I saw in front of my office entrance, sorting through the office waste bin for recyclables.

At another time, I was cutting used A3 papers (the ones with clean sheet on the other side) to be reused as A4 printing paper for my printer, and my colleague remarked that, when he worked in India, there will be a person with a task specifically to rub off the pencil marks on tracing papers, for the papers to be reused!

Oh dear!....

Where's my coffee prince....

I just finished watching the Korean drama miniseries, titled "Coffee Prince"; it tells the story of a girl, desperate for work, disguise herself as a boy. Along the way, she falls for her boss, and let it be known that she likes him. But off course, the boss is straight and while he might be amused (and slightly wary) at first to be the object of affection of his staff, in the end, he too feels the same way (even not yet understood that actually he is a she).

Well, as it is a sort of "chick flick", in the end, they live happily ever after. But along the way, its a funny production, full of laughter, innocence and some heart wrenching moments. They didn't exactly paint a rosy glow to the whole movie, but it definitely written by someone with a fuschia tinted glasses.
I am sure 95% of the girls after watching this series will emit a sigh followed with a question "wouldn't it be nice to be able to love and be loved like that?" hhmm....

But after a while, we will put that question on the shelve and get back to dealing with the males of our reality life. As my sister by marriage (and my numerous friend, families, aunties,uncles) once put it "the prefect man that you wish for doesn't exist" or a variation of those sentence. (I am pretty sure if you are an asian girl, born and bred in the asian country, over the age of 23 with no steady boyfriend at your side, you'll have heard this from your relatives at least once every year).
Which I will counter by saying "he doesn't have to be perfect for everyone, just me" but the answer to that statement remains the same. "He doesn't exist".

Oh well...back to my beloved chick flick then...

And on to,.....what will I be doing this valentine's day?...hmm...

"Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned"

The complete Quote from Congreve "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/ Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned" seemed apt for the current condition afflicted my colleague.

He is in the middle of a tiger and mouse chase with a woman whom I assumed his very girlfriend.

Now for the sake of clarification, I have to mentioned firstly that I have not the faintest idea of what is the root of the problem which causes this girl to develop such a case of twisted knickers.
But, I do know that she has left a half dozen slanderous messages, in our office answering machine no less, where the contents are not suitable for this blog!

This is the first time I encountered such an occasion and truth be told, I am stupendous that my colleague and this girl behaving in such a way.

Later in the day after the voicemail incident, the girl kept on calling to the office and I lied. Yes, my colleague has asked me to lie of his whereabouts to this girl. I have no compunction whatsoever to carry out the favor as by that time, I had no respect for someone who has no manners, personal and professionally, to leave such messages in my office voicemail.

She apparently soldier on, by arriving at our office doorstep and requested to use the office phone to call my colleague. I was dumbfounded, that she is desperate enough (and creative enough) to ask. My colleague couldn't take it anymore, and he requested police assistance to our office. The arrival of the officers drove her away, but phone calls kept pouring in. My colleague dared not answer the phone, and after lunch he went on to the Court to file a restraining order against her. Unfortunately, there are no law against stalker as yet and there is nothing the law enforcement can do.

In the end, my colleague had to stay at his relative's house and dared not return to his parents' because she was there too after office hours.

Today is the 2nd day of the saga, and again I lied to her. I do not regret it at all, because if I had said that my colleague is in the office, she would come in with both guns drawn heedless of the audience and the sanctity of our office hours. I have an obligation to keep my office running smoothly, so I feel no guilt whatsoever to this unknown seed of troublemaker.

However, if in the end, the truth is out of the problem and my colleague is the troublemaker, I will skewer him alive myself and have him roasted over slow fire!

what motivates you?

I have to say, there is nothing like a gorgeous dress to motivate a girl to re-start the rigorous tummy-flattening-ass-tightening exercises.
You just have to buy a new dress every month or week in the same size (or smaller) to make sure that your body does not hiding extra chips or cream cheese near the region of your backside.

Just like last week; I was walking around the mall waiting for my friend to arrive to have dinner together and just happened to browse this shop. I wasn't intending to buy anything (no wedding invitation or party in plan) but, this dress just caught my eyes and next thing I know, I was queueing for the fitting room.

I am not going to describe much abt the dress as the whole impact is good only if I'm in it; suffice to say that it's a body-hugging-skin-exposing kinda dress....hehhehehe

It took another 2 trips to the shop; once with my girlfriends to cast our vote and 2nd after 2hrs 'thinking time' over dinner and deliberate with the ladies.

Regret to say I did bought that dress against a rather pasionate objection from my dear sis; sorry sis, if you see the dress, you'll understand why I was compelled to buy it....heheheh