bits & bobs

- happy friday thanks to chris in stockholm. i's too overwhelmed after a teeth-grinding month of negotiation. it all paid off in the end and im sure we'll bag a few more!! bring it on boy. o okie i sent out a super cheesy thank you email and surprisingly my boss loved it, haha!

- free make up at xmas do. i worked my magic. i mean money wise. it's good fun and im so happy to know / work with you all! but now i caught a cold...

- home doesnt feel home anymore. gosh it's just 12nm here what do i do with the rest of the day?! i mean i can certainly do some work but there aint that much work.. i needa spread it across 3 wks otherwise i'd be so bored nxt wk. friends r all working and i cant slp all day... it's so crowded and noisy in town im frightened.

- i miss you so so so so so terribly. im looking forward to all the letters. where s the postman? and ys you shocked me last night but at the same time it's happy shock. i duno if i deserve all these. it's something i've never ever thought of before.... i wish you're here next to me. now.

The Horrid Amsterdam Trip

the last for 2010 is finally done! it's such an eventful event, too much drama that i'm completely exhausted. disappointed - yes, but im glad i kept everything under control and my team's helped me so much.

just a quick recap of the chaos -

1. BA cancelled heathrow flight and agent wasnt informed. i rang BA to put us on Gatwick

2. dashed off to catch the train, got stranded for 3hrs. someone farted.

3. S was impressed with my positiveness..

4. got a new boarding pass just in time and we flew to the gate. Yes i can run (if i need to)

5. had a few drinks with J, D, K and K @ radisson blu without any dinner.

6. got woken up by Mark at 6 hving only slept for 4hrs. John was stuck at gatwick. workshop's to be rescheduled. K wasnt happy...

7. you arrived cheering me up. so good to have you there. and thanks for the gloves. they ll have a place in my handbag for the whole winter. :)

8. more chaos. 2 speakers dropped out due to flight disruptions & airport closures. john jumped in to cover 1 session.

9. thanks for picking a super duper lovely restaurant to calm me down. i hope to go back one day.

10. so now you see the stubborn side of me.. hehe

11. got up at 6, more bad news. chairman & pierre couldnt fly (after we put him on 4 diff flights in 2 diff airports). found a new chairman. rearranged everythg. it kicked off and went off well.

12. more delays at the airport. bumped into John. had some really cheeky laughs!

13. more delays, my eyes welled... thanks for comforting me though.

14. BA asked if anyone wanted the xmas souvenir gadget back - S's!

15. another 1.5 hr wait for bags at heathrow. downpoured. dropped J home before me.

16. finally i got home safe and sound at 4.30am....... a 10hr journey with only 40mins on the plane...

i just can't tell you enough how much you've done for me, and how much i appreciate. and how much i wish you're here...

the more i think about it the more i find this ridiculous or myself ridiculous. i can only recall those vivid flashbacks which are not so great. in so many ways they are my ghosts . and this's the reason why i hate birthdays.

Hallelujah

the curtains of noughties will soon be drawn. on a beautiful sunday i watch the clouds move and form, regaining my consiousness from the not too helpful pills, while Jeff Buckley sings for me. everything is so peaceful and i was absorbed in my on reflection. i've truly been a super blessed lucky bird. our lives crossed and paths intertwined. it was an adventure for me, if not us. thank you for everything, for everything we shared and learned.

now i equip myself for another journey. what the future beholds i've not a single clue. i try to enjoy everyday and i know you'll guide me all along, as destiny calls.

how much i wish you could sing with me, laze with me, and just be with me. it wont be long before you bring me warmth again.

i give thanks for always being loved and cared for. <3

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其實真係唔可以改變人0既性格同思想. 幾件事睇到好多唔同0既野.

self appraisal

i now see why you said me and her look alike. or act alike. your guess is always right. perhaps not a guess, but rather you're so good at reading me. i wish you're here to see me fly up high. yet no longer like my fave song - being carefree is a luxury.

i'm lucky that i don't have many strings attached. and this doesn't mean i have a fall-back plan.

aggressive and opportunist, you can call me a bitch at work. that's fine. i try not to part with my morale though. it's this integrity i value. but at home, i just wish to be myself. gosh it sounds i've schizophrenia. or multiple personalities syndrome. o well.

in other words i understand better what i want what i need and what i should hope for - maybe a pair of christian louboutin? or a Preen dress? or... just a cosy home that holds all my fave furniture and lil' decorations with a fire place to keep me going at night...

sounds like this entry is dedicated to myself and you, even though you would never read this. i know you'll know in 2 months' time. i hope you'll see the changes, but i'm still the mini me 5 years ago - who'd scream on the street, bullshit after a drink, and care for your family.

now i really ought to get back to workkkk... while i can't take that comment off my mind - am i really a controller?

p.s. my new fave parfum!! i'll get that! :D

ROAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

piss/ peace off.

bunni is currently branded explosive, hazardous, with severe mood swing.

don't jump on to her nerves!

all i want is peace and sleeeeep. why can't i sleeeeeeeeeep?!?!?!?!?!

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

woohooo i'm back!

after the refreshing yet short summer, the season starts again and 3 trips in a month is almost unbearable when you so need the phone. cant be happier that i'm back!

and yes it's been a fruitful month, at least for me? both shale gas and ancillary - my own babies - went really well. not perfect (i really want a perfect one - excellent topic with excellent line-up with excellent hotel/ hostess/ AV/ presentations/ discussion... is it realistic?) but good enough i guess. when i got in this morning, the new girl told me she spoke to a delegate in shale and that person loved me! i suppose it's these little things that get you going. and i love the Amst team! they're so cool to work with! ancillary was a crowd puller too!

the last one to prague.. i was super worried. first it's not my proj so i knew nothing about process safety (i was put to sleep after researching for 30mins) and let alone those people.. the number was a new low but with 4 sponsors onboard.. on the day the workshop leader threatened to pull out if ABB/ Ryder Marsh would sit in. nonetheless i heard a lot of positive feedback so it's all cool now! and i joined the sponsor/spker for a night out. don't ask why we're having Argentina steak in prague. thats how it's. and never did i realise the beauty of the city at night! it's like the grounds of Hogwarts!

so these few nights i finally have the luxury to slow down a bit and recollect myself. when i asked myself what i've achieved in the past 7months, obviously nothing major but it's a great step to understand myself better? i know my strengths and weaknesses. now it's a phase to work on these and am glad people are kind enough to give me pointers. and then i'll see the bigger picture in life. fingers crossed. :)

i'd have loved to write more but feeling abit sluggish now. shall come up with something juicy. before that happens, nighty!

blah

it's just hard to play a duet. solo is the way...

-----------------------------------

how can ppl be soooo stupid and lazy!?!?

it's simply unbelievable!!!

and they're all driving me mad!!!!!

grrrrrrrrrr*

...

when everyone carries selfish genes, you gotta...

learn to be tough

learn to love yourself and yourself only

thank you all for being so sensible and ruthless to me.

some nonsense

i always make sure i arrive 15mins early for interview, and then put my fone on silent.

so this morning, as usual, i got there at 9.45am (after being squashed in bus and tube).

sat there and the clock ticked to 10.05am...

lucky i checked my fone n saw a missed call from Ajay (the HR)...

me: hello? did you ring me?

Ajay: yeah! where're u?

me: i've been at the reception for 20mins....

Ajay: ohhh! im so so sorry.. nobody buzzed me

and he came to collect me straight away...

Ajay: i'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting.. (turning to the receptionist) why didnt u call me?

receptionist: this's not my responsibility as my phone's taken away

and at this point, i heard the phone next to her ringing -_-

Ajay: today's scheduled u'll been interviewed by Luc, David, Rachael and Andrew separately, followed by another two tests.

and so... i repeated myself for the same question 4 times for each of them -

Can you talk me through your CV?

Why do you wanna work for us?

How do you see your contribution for the role?

and so on............. WHY DON'T THEY JUST COME IN TOGETHER?!

and like any other times, i was encouraged to ask some *sensible* questions.

me: how do you see yourself differentiate from your competitors?

Andrew (head of dept): honestly, nothing. if we disappear tomorrow, none of our customers would realise. and i never click on those paid search ads in case they're spams

me: oh.. ok.. thats very interesting. so how're you working on this to improve the situation?

Andrew: we're working on it. slowly. but there's not much we can do.

me: hm....... interesting.......

diu

You work but you don't work

i'm living an oriental working life.
monday to sunday, with occasional fri and sat evenings off.
although i don't officially start at 7, i do work through midnights.
i entertain every stakeholder, i blab and i bluff.
i feel like a prick but i can't play pranks.
i thank wiki and google, for feeding me digestible indigestible knowledge (without the time to process).
i sound enthused but i can barely hold my eye lids open.
i'm sick, a leave is outta my mind.
so i shall recompose and continue on my journey, until i hear the true calling...

Dream House?

Queens Park Residence in the inner city of Sydney
Designed by CplusC Design Construct Pty Ltd. (Australia):

''This project involved an uninhibited renovation of an existing traditional three bedroom house located on a corner site in the inner city Sydney suburb of Queens Park. The client brief called for a custom designed home that catered to their specific living and entertaining lifestyle. Generous kitchen, dining and living spaces connect through large operable doors to private outdoor spaces which integrate a swimming pool and outdoor living, dining and entertaining spaces.''

Looking at this picture reminds me of many honkers' life-long ambition, or more correctly, dream, to buy and build their own (dingy) home. even though the size is nothing more than a cramming shoebox, you can still decorate it as a cosy home. it's now a luxury to gather everyone for a night-in, to eat together at the table, to converse face-to-face, to have a few clinks of drinks, and to enjoy the nighty breeze with a home-baked cake.

of course, everyone has different taste. the islington old townhouse, featured in Jan's UK Vogue, now owned by the artistry couple , shall never be my 'dream home'. actually, it is my worst nightmare. i can't stand rough/ scruffy wood panels, shaved and peeled walls, freezing attic, and *art* scattered in and around the house. it's more like a bachelor pad.

on the other hand, neither are those *celeb cribs* displayed on hk interior mags well-executed, despite the owners having all the cash to spare. today's minimalism has become tooooo cliche that home lacks a sense of home. it's merely a purpose-built and integrated pod. i wonder how often the owners would actually cook in the kitchen and host a dinner party. how do they find time to detox and entertain family and friends?

when you get too worked up, all you need is a home, not a beautiful showroom.

Back to Basic

the temp is finally revving up a bit, after a long bitter sleety/slushy winter. thanks goodness.
but designers 've decided to keep the white going for '10 s/s lines, altho some of them (in particular the young brits) are trying a different path to maintain the playfulness.

whilst much praise goes to christopher kane (once again he's just not my thing), we see similar fabrics in peter jensen's collection - which's much more wearable.

Christopher Kane S/S 2010

Peter Jensen 2010 S/S

The rabbit neck tie dress's purely CUTE! and that quirky oversize pearl necklace's irresistible!
okay, i know it might not be a good idea to wear this strolling down oxford st as u'll receive all the odd attention from other weekend shoppers. hmmm

Proenza Schouler 2010 SS

I can't be happier to see proenza return to the glamorous stage! the pieces are simple yet chic, detailed but transforming. worth investing a bit to give your wardrobe an update =)

Anglomania Printed Leggings

Never am i a fans of anglomania, however, this pair of leggings are not bad, right? you can easily pair them up with a tennis polo, a white ruffled top, a black chiffon dress-shirt, almost anything!

Oh! Besides, i'd like to have that new decanter from Selfridges. It's a piece of ART!

all of a sudden i'm craving for sea urchin. very random.

hm, also, to conclude the noughties, monocle did a pretty nice jan issue. a good read. it, too, reminds me of the golden quote - if only i got the money to splash. sigh.

in the meantime, all my sympathy goes to people in haiti.

Randoms

just as we the baby-boom-generation has the tendency to pass the buck to the cold-blooded society... let me do an honest personal evaluation:

1. constant reflection - checked
2. desire to learn - checked
3. punctuality - checked
4. responsibility - checked
5. generosity - yet to be...
6. innovative thinking - yet to be...
7. analytical skills - half way through...
8. self discipline - most of the time...
9. general knowledge - hmmm...
10. interpersonal skills - need polishing

i guess i'm lucky being an optimist. despite months' frustration, i haven't been defeated (ok, despirited from time to time but it doesn't last longer than 5mins). it's not that i'm not hungry, it's more to do with 'have i got something outta it?' and 'what went wrong?'.

i believe nobody should ever be kind enough to grant you chances.
chances are for you to seize to prove yourself.

be stimulated and stimulating.