i finally found out the difference between colleagues & friends..(previously titled 'i finally found out the difference bet tissue prata & paper prata

It's 2.15am & the truth is..i'm damn f***king tired right now..why i insist on discussing pratas on my blog at this unearthly hour, despite the fact tat my 'loyal fans' have decided to pledge allegiance to MsK's site instead..i really have no idea(maybe it was the teh halia i just had)

Forgot who was it tat asked this qn 'wat is the diff between tissue prata & paper prata?' So there i was..at the very same kopi tiam where we had one of the many CNY late nite suppers, also probably when the qn first popped up..i was with diff pple this time round though..instructor & Ms Nike..& we finally managed to solve the mystery of tissue vs paper prata..

No..it's not 'tissue prata is thinner than paper prata' as speculated by someone.. in fact, there is no difference in the 2 pratas, at least not in the taste or texture dept..the only difference is..get this..the way the prata is 'picked up' from the pan(or is it stove?) If it is 'pinched' up, therefore resulting in a conical shape..it is a tissue prata ; if it is sort of 'rolled' together like a big airy popiah..it is a paper prata..

And oh..btw, as the saboed-chairman-of-alumni, i had declared tonite's supper as the 'soft launch of the alumni club's activities'..as an indication of how sincere i am about this whole alumni thingy..i had even dao-tie the tehs & rotis pratas & johns to welcome the already-alumni Ms Nike & soon-to-be-alumni instructor into the club..

If tonite's activity is a sign of how successful the club will be..i think we're on the right track..just between 3 of us..we managed to keep ourselves entertained till 1.30am on a friday morning despite the fact tat all 3 of us needed to work the next day.. (& why on earth & heaven do i have to 'entertain' instructor huh?!?)

Well..besides pratas..we did discuss other more serious matters too..like how we pride ourselves as the SFL/HP div..other divs may seem more 'atas' (pet phrase of instructor these days)..but we simply can't think of any other div which can match us in the no of 'colourful'(pc word for strange) characters..ranging from 'life-begins-at-33' YY..to 'i-believe-i-am-lin zhiling' Mrs Chua..to 'she-who-actually-calls-me-meiren' meiren..BUT..wat a wonderful combi we make!

I can't believe it..my stomach actually just let out a gentle growl..at 2.55am..i blame it on the missed dinner..my mealtimes are getting a bit haywire these days..definitely not good..& now tat i dun have anyone to pick me up after work anymore..think i'd need to start packing my dinner ala my packed dinner days in the uk..& i promise i'll think of u everytime i eat my sandwich..

p.s. I'd moved up this entry cos of the 2 comments added..think every SFL HP member(present & ex) should get a chance to read it..

One for all, all for one

Fever - check

Flu - check

Cough - check

Sore throat - check

You name it, i've got them all..if there's an award for the most united ailments..it'll go to these 4..where 1 go, the others will also follow..(sorry, this is the after-effect of running too many teambuilding programmes)

Like wat instructor said, it's highly likely tat i got all these from staying out in the sun too much..i never got this sick when i was in uk..despite being on the move quite a lot..i was relatively hale & healthy..a minor flu yes(even then i was quite sure, i got the bug from someone in the park)..but not the kind which require me to go around with a toilet roll attached permanently to me(now, excuse me while i go blow my nose..)

In the 2 or 3 months since i'm back..i'm already down twice.. :/

Well..i'm not the only one who doesn't quite favour the tropical weather..my chief instructor was just commenting the other day 'people in tropical regions tend to be less productive than people from temperate areas cos of the weather..'

Still not convinced that the heat & humidity is a bane to day-to-day life? LKY once quoted 'Air-conditioning is the greatest invention of the century'

Hmm..i think it's gonna be approaching autumn in the southern hemisphere soon..?

Sweet sweet rice..

Having oats porridge for late nite dinner now..add the fact tat i had curry rice for brunch this morning..frens should be able to recognise tat these are rather un-zxl behaviour..

Not exactly a curry fan..but boh bian cos it's usually the only option when i do my OJTs..not eating is not an option as it is also the only meal i will have in like 6, 7 hours?! (Rem i'm a 2-hrs feed person?)

The only curry rice tat i'm actually quite 'on' about is..'tian tian curry rice'..honestly speaking, i dunno how gd their curry is..since i seldom rarely hardly eat curry(& therefore has no basis of comparison)..

In any case, why this 'tian tian curry rice' is so special to me is cos of its sentimental values to me..having gobbled down one big plate of their curry rice one afternoon many many saturdays ago when we were in this food race..we had promised to go back to the stall after tat..but for some reason or other..we never made it down..

Finally had the chance to revisit the stall sometime last month..after almost 3 years..nothing fanciful..simple, down-to-earth dishes..just the way i like it..

Hmm..i wonder when will my next visit be..?

too tired to think of a title..

Exhausted.

Sunburnt.

Sore throat.

3 days of ra ra-ing has taken its toll on me..decided to go into hibernation for the next 3 days..

Is this the end..? or is it the beginning?

2 ex-colleagues(or should i say frens?), namely 0.5 & MsK , spent their last day in office yesterday..together with OSIM(who is 'sort-of' on her last day too), they will be embarking on their SA adventures later today..

I believed there was more excitement than sadness all round..i think we've all reached the stage where we realised that we dun need the office enviroment to keep us together anymore..we're no longer colleagues..but upgraded to friends now : ) And when friends take tat first step to pursue their dreams..we'll naturally feel happy for them..

It was a bit of déjà vu for me as it didn't seem tat long ago when i went thru all these..back then, i had taken a risk..a calculated risk backed with strong faith in all my ex-colleagues.. & i doubt anyone would object if i were to declare my friendships with most of them, remained just as strong, if not, stronger today than before i left the organisation almost a year ago..

We counted at least 3 other farewells coming up in the next fortnight..& so it was decided over smelly-salted-eggs-which-tasted-of-shit tat a alumni club be formed..as the alumnis are gradually matching, & even outgrowing, the current no of colleagues..& as the sabo-ed cairman..i'm supposed to come up with the monthly/weekly activities..for a start, we shall start off with running..& the running routes will alternate between mt faber & sentosa :Þ

And for the 3 of you..the entry below is especially dedicated to you..

Risk vs regret

This was extracted from an article on eating beef(?!)..but i quite like the opening para..

'Much of life is a calculated risk or we wouldn't even venture out of our homes to cross streets, get into cars or work in high buildings, much less do things like sky dive and yes, eat US beef(see? i'm not bluffing when i said this article is about eating beef)

We all do these things in the absence of absolute guarantees because we are able to weigh the pros & cons of each situation and come to a decision on what to do. Without this ability, we'd be paralysed..' (The rest of the article is really about beef liao..)

Yes..i've known all along that life is about taking risks..but it never really hit me as hard as recently..just take the past 1 month alone..i must have taken as many risks(professional as well as personal) as i had..say, in the whole of my 2nd year of working in my ex-company..

Well, some of them are somewhat 'calculated'..meaning i can agar agar the chances of succeeding vs chances of otherwise..others are not so straightforward..where i really have only the very slightest clue whether or not 'i'll make it'..

So how do i evaluate these 'unknown' risks? Based on how much i'll regret if i don't go ahead..if i think i'm gonna regret it for the rest of my life if i dun even give it a try, then i'll pyscho myself to go for it..the probability of success doesn't matter anymore..just had to brace myself for the possibility of failure..

And so far..i'm proud to say..i haven't got much regrets..

Impulsive travelling is like making love..

The mental foreplay you engage in isn't it. The plans and devices you take to bed aren't it. The memories and stories you take away with you aren't it either. It is the unmediated piece of time that you and somebody are united in a moment of mutual experience (or, in the case of travel, you and somewhere). It is when your mind is in the present and you're not thinking of anyone or anywhere other than the one or where you're with. Having some of it when you travel is quite fulfilling and relieves a lot of tension.

Prime your impulsiveness. Leave gaps in your grand plan. Make yourself aware of alternatives, but don't select one until the moment arrives. Your true path cannot be found in a guidebook or in the recommendations of others. It can only be found by your wandering feet as they lead you down the path that just feels right. It's a path that's waiting for you, but you won't recognise it until it stretches away before your eyes.

You absolutely cannot see everything - so see your thing instead. And unless you are truly prescient, remember that you'll be discovering much about what 'your thing' is as you go.

Trust yourself, trust your impulses, and find your road to discovery..

I'm back..for now..

Realised my last entry was almost 2 weeks ago..think it was the longest gap eversince i started this blog..

Reason #1 : PC died on me : (

Reason #2 : Was out of town for most of last week..

K..shan't spend too much on time here..need to backup some stuff..since my pc is still on a life-supporting system..may give up on me anytime..

P.S. Anyway..as a clue to my movements for the past 2 weeks, u can check out my first cover page(!) at www.focusadventure.com

This entry is adult-theme..

literally).

Was catching up with ex classmates over the CNY..& once again, we were reminiscing about the good ole days..& complaining how CNY can turn otherwise pleasant aunties into pesky, nose-poking female beings..'So when's ur turn to give ang paos? Where're u working at now? Wah..getting prettier by the year' Okok, i confess..i've never been on the receiving end of the third remark before..sincere or not..but tat's besides the point..the point is..they make the same comments year after year after year after........

I'm digressing..i wanted to blog about being an adult..not about when i'm getting married(tat's already been discussed over the many late nite suppers with ex-colleagues recently)..

As the class monitor remarked, rather nonchalantly i must add, she's been telling people she's..gasp, 30 already(more convenient to round up wor) It's quite unexpected as i thought most pple would understate, & not overstate their age..i admit, 30 is still an alien figure to me..it seems not too long ago tat i was still in the early 20s..& starting from this year, i cant even 'round down' to 25 anymore..

A quick count over yet-another-supper last nite revealed tat there're no less than 5 people in the ssc clique hitting 30 this year..but seriously, i would never have looked at them as '30 years old adult'..Looks-wise? definitely way younger(twink has single-handledly brought down the average appearance of the ssc folks by at least 5 years) Behaviour-wise? just see them go wild during..err..actually, they dun even need an occasion to go wild..^o^

I remembered when i was still a student(as opposed to an adult now), i used to think people in the 20s & 30s seem so..well, 'adult'..& now tat i'm well into the 20s and approaching 30s..dun think i'm even anywhere near the 'matured adult' stage..there were certain thinkings tat i had thought would change when i 'grow up' but as one cosy chitchat session somewhere up in the mountains recently revealed..there're not many things in the past i would have done differently today..tat's not to say i'm (still) a childish geena..but i cannnot imagine myself proclaiming to be a 'full adult' without having my hair stand on end..*wo bu xiang wo bu xiang wo bu xiang zhang da..*

I'll end off with extracts from an article in Life! today :

'I am who i am - the collection of my experiences mixed in with the woman i want to be in the future. I know that i might not be able to change or fix the things i don't like about me, but i've lived long enough to know i find ways to deal with them, eventually. I've come to accept that i don't have to fight to get to where i want to be, that i'm already on my way there, warts and all. And there's a kind of grace in knowing that, i think. Maybe that's what being a grown-up is all about - accepting who and what you are, and then moving on with you life from there..'

I have a Phobia..

..been talking to some people recently..& i realised i really do have a phobia of commitment..& a serious case at tat..

As mentioned in my previous blog..being 20something is a period of uncertainty..where decisions u make today might shape your life for the next ? years..and being the commitment phobic i am, i usually cannot foresee anything beyond 1 year..to me, short term means weeks..and months, long term..my favourite unit of time? 'when the time comes'

I think one main reason why i kept procrastinating about making important decisions is cos of this phobia ..some of u might already know this..in fact, i think it's rather apparent from the fact tat i shy away from anything tat requires on-going commitment(insurance) or contracts of any kind(my mobile line has been contract-free for the past 6 years)

While i dare not say i have my future all mapped out..i do have some agar plans for..well..'the next few mths..'

Thanks to all my dear frens who have been supporting me all this while..i foresee tough times ahead & i hope you'll be there for me as u'd always been..

Me & My Yu yuan mian

Previous few blogs border on the more somber tone..shall talk about something more light-hearted in this blog..

One of my fave things-to-do is to go eat my fave yu yuan mian at my fave stall at bt merah..been eating at this stall for the past 12, 13 years? Couldn't rem exactly when i started patronising this particular stall..but i know for sure, by the time i was in sec 4, the lady chef already knew my usual order liao..so i reckoned i must have started eating there around sec 3..? Do the maths..& u can figure out my age..?! *.*

The reason why i call the main cook lady chef is cos she didn't seem older than mid-20s when i was first a customer still in my pimply teens..& her parents are usually around to help serve the noodles so it didn't seem so right to call her 'auntie'..since i'd usually say 'xie xie auntie' when her mother brings my yu yuan mian to me..

After all these years, she still doesn't really look old enuf to be called an 'auntie'..so i'd just call her 'xiao jie'..not tat i had to address her much..these days i can stroll towards the stall & simply signal to her with one finger(index lah..did u really think i was going to say the middle finger?)..meaning '1 bowl of the usual' & she'd simply nod to acknowledge my order..no words exchanged at all..

The amazing thing is i dun exactly eat there tat often nowadays..it was sort of on the way home when i was still in sec sch & jc..add a couple of frens staying in bt merah..u would find me there at least once every week or so back in those days..when i started life in uni & then work..my visits became less regular but i still made efforts to eat there whenever i can..

Over the years, i've brought frens to eat at the stall..reviews were mixed..from 'so-so lor' to 'ok lah' to 'not bad leh'..i rem mentioning to someone before..it's ok if u dun think it's as nice as i feel..'cong xiao chi dao da de dong xi shi bu yi yang de' In fact, i'm more than happy going to the hawker centre on my own..cos then i wouldn't have to 'compromise' on where to sit..

Despite having been to the hawker centre N times in my life..i still find it a challenge to recommend good stalls to frens..simply cos of the fact tat i seldom eat at any other stalls..i vaguely knew wat other stalls exist & i think there are at least 2 other yu yuan mian stalls in the hawker centre & 2 other similar stalls within a 400m radius..but i really have no idea wat they taste like..i remember vividly i had gone there on one afternoon many saturdays ago when i was feeling down..& to my sorrow(yes, it was tat catastrophic to me at tat time), it was not opened! i was so upset i left the place without eating anything & went hungry for the rest of the afternoon..

And now, as a quarter-lifer..this yu yuan mian serves as a comfort food for me..in fact, it was one of the first place i went when i came back from uk..the lady chef could still recognise me despite my no-show for half a year & my new found status as xiao pang..if this is not customer service, i dunno wat is!

Had gone there again this afternoon..& despite watever gastric pains and headache i was battling..i managed to scoff the whole bowl of yu yuan mian..& feeling so good after tat :)

You see..some of the best things in life are really free..or at least they dun have to cost more than a bowl of yu yuan mian : )

P.S. Just to share a little secret..there was a period of time when she used to serve mushrooms together with the mian..& surprise surprise, i'd just eat them up all ^o^

K O

I CMI liao..falling ill..there's no mistaking it..all the telltale signs are here :

I have no appetite (coming from someone who's on a 2hrs-feed)
I shivered during a hot shower (it's a well-known fact tat i'm cold-blooded)
I thought i saw the floor spin a couple of times (no, i wasn't trying to lance)
I am typing away on my pc despite nursing a temp (one tends to be more irrational when sick)

I should really go catch up with my ah gong tonight..haven seen much of him over the past week or so..

Till i've recovered..happy new year!

¼ life crisis

It's CNY..happy times for many..

..which also means the dateline i set for myself is approaching..

I had been telling pple ever since i came back from UK tat i'll decide by CNY if i'm going back at all.. in the past 2 weeks or so..i did make some decisions..professional life..personal life..many many thoughts have ran thru my mind recently..need somemore time to sort them out..& it just so happened tat there was an article about quarterlife crisis in the papers yest..shall take the lazy way out again..

Help, I'm 25 going on 13 (ok, so i'm not 25..but hey, it's just the article title)

'..According to Wikipedia, the term 'quarterlife crisis' was first coined around 1998 and it usually occurs shortly after a young person begins his or her professional life. Symptoms include insecurity about the near future and present accomplishments, a confusion about one's identity, and a nostalgia for the not-so-distant past..this period in one's life is a significant and often traumatic transition to adulthood..it also feels like a period when all the protective buffers tat the guardian angels in your life put up to protect you start to crumble..'

On the brighter side, it was also mentioned in the article tat '..In any case, those afflicted by the quarterlife crisis should probably enjoy it while it lasts. Afterall, being a 20something doesn't last forever, and there are certain advantages to this particular age-specific predicament..While the uncertainty of this phase of life can be bewildering, this unmapped terrain of life still in flux can also be exhilarating, with all manners of dreams still seemingly possible, if only because they remain, for the time being, not yet attempted..'

My fave line in the article? 'Happiness is about the fight for ideals, not about getting what you want'

And as for me, I'm glad i fought for mine..