Since i'm 'free' at work now..i managed to tidy up some blog rantings..so here goes..

I had asked a friend out the other day..with the intention of 'cheering' her up..given that she confided in me recently that she's quite troubled over some family matters..

Of cos, during this period i have whined to the entire world that i'm not feeling 'good'(too stressed, too busy, too tired, blah blah) and this friend thought that i needed to unwind and destress a bit.and so was nice enough to accept my jio-ing..

So in the end, i thought i was cheering her..and she thought she was cheering me..while i brought her one CD to try cheer her up, she brought me THREE CDs to cheer me up..

I guess this is wat happens when 2 people with similar traits cross paths..

Working away from work..

Been doing a bit of moonlighting these days..so-called moonlighting cos it's not my 'regular' job(though my regular job is sometimes not that regular..)

So why do i do it? Several reasons:
1. Interest. I've always been kaypoh in sports-stuff. Front-end, back-end, competitive, non-competitive..u name it, i'd most probably have done it before.

2. Staying updated with the industry..latest developments, technologies, who's who..

3. It actually allows me a break..physically..technically it's not a deskbound job but it's definitely not as strenuous as running after children-gone-wild

4. It pays. Tat goes without saying, for most people. But money usually isn't the biggest motivator for me..but well-meaning friends have been advising/nagging at me to take $$ a bit more seriously..So yes, it pays reasonable(ie. not fantastic, but cannot complain to MOM yet)

ZXL blogging-while-on-the-job

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..

After quite a few 'the world is really small hor' moments during last Sat's dinner, this newspaper article struck really close to heart..And the last 2 paragraphs echoed exactly how i felt during my vagabond days in UK..

..While Singaporeans moan constantly about overcrowding and a city that seems to be bursting at the seams, a population of 5 millions is still tiny. The consequence is that the denizens of our little island don't just live by the poverbial 6 degrees of separation, but by 5, 4, or even 3.

The upside of playing the 6 degrees of separation game is that in 2 minutes, you've struck up something - or someone - in common with the other person. She can't be that bad if she knows a friend of mine, you tell yourself.

The downside is that it can all go the other way. In an ideal world, everyone should get to begin on a clean slate. But on a few occasions, after going through the rigmarole of who-knows-whom and from-where, i've often made snap judgments about what 'type' the other party is.

"Oh, she's part of 'that' crowd'," i've caught myself thinking. "Not really my cup of tea then."

And what if you have a few skeletons in your closet?

The dozens of associations that link Singaporeans together in some way give us away too freely. Even thousands of miles away from home, you can't escape who you are, who you used to date or the mistakes when you were a freewheeling teenager.

Eventually, at a house party of chicken rice and Tiger beer, someone will catch your eye and say 'Hey, weren't you the one who..' before launching into an embarassing tell-all about the time you lost your bikini top at Zoukout.

Suddenly you realise: Yah man, Singapore is really that small. No doubt, having an intricate network of social relations is a boon. Perhaps that is why we feel a great sense of community towards fellow Singaporeans when we meet them on our travels. But the grapevine that comes with it? I'm not so sure.

People often ask me why I love London. In this respect, I love the anonymity of being in a big city, where i can lunch alone in a park without bumping into someone i know. I love that human interaction is more unpredictable, that i get to meet people outside my usual circle of friends.

I love that because many people here have come far and wide and from varying backgrounds, no one has a clue - or gives a damn - about who you once were..

(Edited by ZXL; Source: Sunday Lifestyle, 12th July, by a Singaporean journalist based in London)

Cheers..

..to 20 years of friendship with my pals Wei and TPH..

Wasn't exactly that successful at my hibernation attempt..with someone's birthday and quite a few work obligations..and of cos meeting up with good ole pals..

Wei, TPH and i had met for dinner..at a somewhat-quite-appropriate venue..not far from our alma mater and stone's throw from our first 'restaurant date' eons ago..

Besides quality catching up on each other's lives..it was yet another dinner with lotsa revelations(had one some weeks back)..and my, were they revelations on the other side of the court..Yes, drinks were involved again(dinner is never complete without drinks with TPH around..) But i'm sure it wasn't the drinks..All i can say is, i'm glad for pals like them..

Wei has no qualms telling me that she was tempted to take a cab down to my place(since she doesn't drive) and give me one tight slap when she found out that i was slacking in my life(okok, i'll stand in a corner and pull my ear >.<)

And as for TPH..despite not meeting her as much, she is not shy to exclaim 'how can u do tat..? we've been friends for sooo many years..!'

Yes yes..i never doubted our 20 years of friendship..

French Open

Just finished watching the match..still feeling a bit of the 'haiz...' Oh well, at least i totally lost myself in the game during tat few hours i was glued to WeWe's 42-inch screen(thanks WeWe!)

I must have asked the half the world who is watching the game where(and unabashedly inviting myself over) I had spent the past 2 nites trying to catch the matches online but staring at a 13.3 inch screen with a 5-sec lag is certainly not motivating to stay up till 2am. We even walked into a pub on Fri, asking if they could switch channels(oh c'mon, they were showing CNA!)

I probably used up half my month's sms quota msging updates and comments to everyone and anyone who happened to just msg me, whether or not it was related to the game..i even replied fish's sms on her exam stress with 'i'm feeling very stressed for federer too' :p

Anyway..like i mentioned in my previous entry..and just like the results of the match..it's 'Roger Out' for now..

Hibernation..

Again..i think i have had too much human contact lately..too much with people-not-so-important and too little with people whom i'd much prefer to spend time with..

I knew i reached the tipping point when i had a run-in with a random stranger(of cos i thought he was super guai lan and unreasonable), and i totally lost it and argued with him until my colleagues had to pull us apart(think they were worried that it might escalate into a fight) Thank goodness, a cat and a fish helped to calm me down after that..

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The rain today did me some good..all 4 lessons got washed out..hurts the pocket(but heck, never really motivated by $ anyway) Oh well, at least it also gave me the opportunity to spend time with me and me alone..

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This is it..i'm going into hibernation...right after i finish the French Open..Wei> U're with me on this ya?

My emotional chart for the past 1 week..fluctuations between highs and lows..

Oh well, there's always French Open to look forward to..it's like the most exciting Semis ever lah!