Post CNY holidays.

Last week of January... everything is back to normal, well almost. Both my team leaders are reporting to work, the pastry shops, canteen, lounge & cafe is operating as usual... but my colleagues are missing in action! Most of then are on leave, as long as the entire week. The number of visitors have increased. Somehow words spread that we allow children to visit patients during CNY. Those that came were non-nominated, below 12 years old and not of immediate family relations. Sigh!

Thankfully Hari Raya Haji is just around the corner. Rose & I have decided to claim off on the 1st Feb. But on the 2nd, we will be working to reap the double pay! Heeheehee... While planning our schedules, our team leader actually made an error in Faizal's slot. Poor chap was supposed to work on Hari Raya Haji. But as soon as we informed my team leader of the mistake, he apologised and corrected it immediately. Well Faizal, don't take it to heart. That's our team leader... when he's kan cheong, he's usually forgiven. =)

Rubbish superstitions??

According to my team leader, there shouldn't be many visitors during CNY because visiting patients is considered bad luck. Well he was sssssooooo wrong! Faizal, my buddy and I could barely even take a toilet break with such a long queue. Luckily the supervisor was around. He was surprised. He ended up sitting down and taking charge of one of the counters. The other blocks had the same problem. All of us literally saw red (clothes, shoes, hair, etc) and oranges. Hahahah! =)

As if on cue, the throngs of visitors subsided exactly at 2pm... only to commence again at the next visiting hour - 5pm. The evening was worse. The number of visitors tripled, perhaps even quadrupled. But we survived. Phew!

This morning, my lady team leader reported back for work. We did work as per normal - keying in nominations & memos, updating files, etc. Out of the blue, she asked my buddy and I if we are afraid of eating chickens. Hhahahah us afraid of eating?! NO! She called in for delivery but was prompted to call again at 11am (what's that supposed to mean? Junk food after breakfast only?).

She called in for Crispy KFC and Supreme Pizza Hut half an hour later. Food came and we took turns to have our lunch break. Then she called again for a 2nd delivery. Food didn't arrived. She called in again, was told her order had been cancelled and blew her top off at the operator. Sucky service! Within 5 minutes, her 2nd order came. =D And if all that wasn't enough, one of the team leaders from another block actually prepared Briyani Rice for us!

None of us felt like going for dinner breaks even when it was past 5pm. Best of all, our lady team leader didn't stop us. She was full too. In the end, I initiated our dinner breaks. Took the Briyani Rice to 7-11, heated it up and slowly ate it. Food was delicious and I had to slowly finish it off. But I did. Felt like a penguin walking back to the counter. Eyes were heavy too but when I saw the long queue, all sleepy thought went poof.

It would be a miracle if I don't put on weight from today's lunch & dinner alone. Goodnite!

Borders tonight...

No work today. Not staying home anyway. Meeting Yusman & Minah tonight @ Orchard for yearly review of our financial status. It was only when Yusman smsed me that I realised... hmmm, almost a year since I signed up those policies. But somehow I don't feel myself saving as much as I try to pyscho myself. More like a fixed monthly expenditure. Kihkih!

This time round, I requested that we meet in Orchard. I have a Borders voucher that is untouched and expiring soon. Shouldn't be a problem finding the items I want to buy. I just hope I can make up my mind. =)

Gotta wish Mahanom a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I think Makcik is meeting her after work to celebrate... and shop? ;-) By their powers combined... they are shopping QUEENZ! Shopping - their therapy, their lifelines, their stress-relievers, their hobbies. They circle the shopping malls like bees to flowers before settling down. The last time I followed, I almost got a headache. Nowadays, when they 'tawaf' I will find a seat and watch them from afar. Nothing enriching but no harm observing the various shopping antics displayed. At times, comical. At other times, unbelievable.

Even as I am typing away on my lappy about shopping, Orchard and all, subconsciously I'm shaking my head and saying "Gosh gal, you have got a busy life!". My current shift work is robbing away my free time. But had I been given office hours, I would have used my free time to tutor students. Hahaha =P Otherwise, I will sleep.

One of these days, I will have to go out and just do nothing. Yep definitely. Gotta do some soul-searching before I go crazy. Anyway I browse thru and found this quiz on soul thingy...


You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be
poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and
creativity, and usually are highly intelligent.
Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet
also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.


What Type of Soul Do You Have ?
brought to you by Quizilla

Off Days again...

Off days last Thursday and Friday... and having off days again today & tomorrow. With the upcoming Chinese New Year, my team leader has decided to give the Muslim staffs (3 of us) off days early this week. The 3 of us will be working during Chinese New Year from early morning till night so he wants to ensure that we have enough rest! Kihkihkih...

Anyway I came across this test and decided to just do it. Got myself a funny result actually... is there such a thing as perfect galfren? Kinda subjective dun you think? =)


-Perfect- You're the perfect girlfriend. Which
means you're rare or that you cheated :P You're
the kind of chick that can hang out with your
boyfriend's friends and be silly. You don't
care about presents or about going to fancy
placed. Hell, just hang out. You're just happy
being around your boyfriend.


What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wedding bells going DING DONG!

Dearie forgot to tell her dad that she was going to Little India. Her dad bought her dinner so last minute she called to postpone our appointment to next Monday. =P

Called Makcik to tell her that I wasn't going Little India. She told me to meet her over @ her place. This is what happens when one stays near each other... =D

Left the house @ 5.30pm. Waited for bus 963. It arrived, reached for my wallet and... aaargghh it's not there! I hurried back, took my wallet and reached the bus stop @ 6pm. I had thought that Makcik would be home by then. Nope, not yet. But hansem boy wasn't home too! =(

We left to meet Mahanom @ Causeway Point around 8pm. Met her at Metro, headed to McDonald's and stayed there till 11pm. My besh fren is getting MARRIED! I'm pretty excited about it. My besh fren however is a mixed of emotions. The things she has to do - booked mak andam, caterers, hotel reception, hire photographers, music DJs, diet, spa, massage, exercise, etc. Hahahahhaha! Nah, I'm only exaggerating. But her hands are full no doubt.

Well Makcik... AAP KO SHAADI MUBARAK!

MY off day!

I can't believe that my Friday off is in so much demand by my colleagues! Sorry fellas, Dearie & I wanna go Little India tomorrow =)

Initially my buddy called requesting for the off day. I declined and told her of my plans. Some time later, one guy called. Either my mind was muddled or I wasn't paying attention... I absent-mindedly agreed to give him my off day in lieu of OT and double pay.

I told my Dearie about it and we decided to postpone it to next week. But my buddy called again soon after that. Hahahaha she fired me so many questions that I was dumbstruck. Only then did I realised - both of them have the same work shift! So so so sowwie.

Claimed back MY off day, apologised to both of them and changed plans with Dearie again. Nutty me! Ssigh...

Relief work...

I had hoped that I could use my weekends to give tuitions but my request for a fixed time work schedule was turned down. Instead, they allow me to have a permanent weekday off. How am I supposed to squeeze all my tuitions in a day? God knows...

Anyway, a learning centre called and requested that I did some relief work for today. Reception duties from 1pm - 3pm and relief tutor from 3pm - 5pm. The centre is walking distance from my house so I didn't mind much.

For the first 2 hours, I was almost bored to death. Had to tell those who came to come on weekdays as I wasn't allowed to collect cash payments. Next 2 hours was better since I was teaching primary 3 students. Talkative bunch but still manageable.

Once tuition ended, helped to lock up the centre then headed home. Gonna rest all the way at home. Morning shift tomorrow. Good night.

The Taurus Woman - Me!

Ah finally! Weekends off and I'm at home. Bliss! =) My Palm went bonkers weeks back but could only set it right this week. Reset the Palm and it's as good as new - useless. Gonna configure and install all the programmes again.

Anyway, my fren emailed me this months back. Not that I believe in horoscope but astrology is knowledge too. I have extracted what is supposedly a description of me. You be the judge if you know me ok?

TAURUS WOMAN
A slim moderately tall woman. Taurus woman is funny and a jolly person. Square facial bone structure, high cheek bone. Her round big eyes sparkle with wit and curiosity. You will not see many round faces Taurus women, and mainly she will have a strong jaw line.

She is a constantly changing person. If she is upset, she will not show it and will keep it to herself for a long time, and will remember them so well. If she gets really mad at you, you will suddenly become a totally and completely stranger to her. She is a patient person, but always need new excitement. She hates long talk meeting, long and endless conversation. She can be in love with you today, and one day she could act as if she has never loved you before. She has patience with what she wants to do and will never give up until she gets there. She will be very persistent in what she is doing till she has reasons for stopping her project, then she will quit.

Money for Taurus woman is not the most important factor in life. She thinks of money as an instrument for assuring of a good living. She has more satisfaction in achieving her goals more than satisfaction in fine cloths and luxuries. If you like a woman who always thinks of love and romance, then you are dating the wrong girl. You cannot tell her to stay at home, she likes to work and prefers not working at home.

She loves animals and likes to surround by animals. Love is in her head, but Freedom is in her soul. She has her own idea about love yet afraid to show her true feeling for fear of rejection. She is not the type to talk about love, but she sure has a strange way to show it. She is not good in showing when she is in love, but if she loves you she will be honest to you than any other women.

She will be honest to her love one, but at the same time seems distant. You will have a good relationship with her, if you allow her freedom. Do not force her to be with you in a poker game which she hates, but let her go out swinging with her friends if she wants to. She will be different than other girls, and she thinks being different is one of her unique quality. She is a public figure but belongs to no one. She will not stay with you if she thinks you are not sincere. She likes you to have personality, but better not to compete with her. Loves her, but not too much for she is afraid it will limit her freedom.

She always stand out of the crowd for something she dares to do. You could see her dress like a poor farmer dinning in the fancy restaurant, or dress like a nun in an a cocktail dress party. If you are a politician who are looking for a wife, she will make a good one because she is cleverly smart and she could get along socially with any type of crowds.

She is not a jealous type because she has to know you thoroughly before accepting you in her life. She has more curiosity in life than wondering if right now you are flirting with someone else. If you keep a distant from her, or go away for a few days, she will miss you more. Even when she is dating you, she is able to be fond of someone else, if you do not have something she is looking for. She will never disappoint you or hide behind your back to make you lose face, but she is the type who is just going to tell you to your face that " We're better off breaking up". She always remember her first love. Taurus woman holds the best record for divorce for she does not care about how people think of her, but every things should be done for "Happiness".

She has lots of friends and sure of herself, so you will hardly see she delays any of her thoughts before her action. If she thinks of something, she will go ahead and does it. She has many men wanting her for her constant changes is the challenge. She can be cute and funny, but suddenly cool and tough. She has her own style of dressing up, so you can see her dress like an old mate today, and tomorrow she may dress like she comes from Mars. She will have that interesting hair, dress and a look unique from anyone else.

She likes to learn about your dreams and your thought. She has fun teasing you and making jokes. If she did something wrong, she won't hide it from you, but do not ask when she is not in the mood to talk about it. She hates to owe people money and takes promises seriously. If you promise to pay her back, you'd better paid up.

If you want to make it with Taurus woman, then do not be jealous or possessive, do not be narrow minded, do not criticize about nonsense or small and insignificant matters. Try to like her friends and allow her privacy, then she can be very sweet to you.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My comments on it: I'm not moderately tall, I'm tall. Have an oval face but yep high cheekbones, fairly big round eyes and strong jawline. I used to keep much to myself. Thanx to my besh fren who threathened my life if I don't speak up! Hahaha =) She did such a great job that now I can't stop talking. Now, I'm friendly. But still reticent.

Money may be not the most important factor in my life, but definitely much needed to achieve my many goals somehow. The fact that I enjoy working out of home helps to achieve that.

I don't keep pets. Partly because my parents discourage it. Given the opportunity, I wouldn't too. Reason: I like animals when they are young only. So I like kittens but not cats, chicks but not hens, etc. Enough said, no pets.

Love? I pray to God that I won't hold any record for divorce. Finding an available good guy is tough enough! Male by born, Man by choice huh? Whatever it is, let me enjoy my singledom in the companions of my family & friends while I can.

From personal experiences, I stand out because I'm tall for a gal. Used to be more daring... in my younger days. Dressed like from Mars? I'm practical.

I'm keeping that email. Solely for entertainment purposes. Let me know if you wanna be entertained by your horoscope. Have a lovely weekend =)

P.S I've since deleted that email as it was consuming too much space in my mailbox.

Melia Hotel...

Where I am right now as I typed. This morning I met Minah at 7.30am. Took bus 960 to Bugis, MRT to Lavender then cab to Golden Mile Complex. Mahanom was reading her morning papers when we arrived. Tried to get details for our tour bus but since tickets were with Makcik, the lady ignored us.

Anyway, bus came and we left Singapore. Journey was longer than expected. Landed at Puduraya. First agenda: Buy tickets for home. Definitely got panic-stricken when we realised that most booths have sold out their tickets! One booth was selling ticket @ RM$60 each - daylight robbery. Another half an hour passed before we found another booth. The timing however was not on our side. Bus leaving at 1pm. Looks like this trip is gonna be even shorter than planned.

Finally checked in at 4pm. Right now, Makcik, Mahanom & Minah are planning our shopping route. We are checking out at noon tomorrow so gotta fully maximise the time we have here. Better leave such plans to the experts. Hahaha =) We gonna leave the room once we've done our prayers. I wonder how much each of us will spent. Hmmm... Gotta tell them to eat first before we start shopping. My stomach is grumbling! Been eating junk food throughout the journey. Time to eat good proper food. After all, we are in KL... food shouldn't be much a prob. Ciao!

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Aaaahh back in the hotel room. We left for Masjid India but the rain spoilt my shopping plan. My plan to get tudungs & bookmarks for my Mum dashed, I didn't bother to browse after that. We stopped to eat at an Indian foodstall but food there was barely edible. Had to force myself to eat out of hunger. Even so, could only swallow half a plate. Thank goodness the iced Milo was nice!

After that, we went to KLCC. Away from rain and surrounded with air-conditioning, the 4 of us shopped. Kudos to Makcik for being the 'shopperholic' amongst us. Perhaps she drew up a shopping list... as she walked! Hahahah =D Dunno how many rounds we made in KLCC. I do know that it was pretty long cos I started feeling hungry again. Don't they feel it? Makcik wanted us to have dinner at steakhouse. We went up, went down, walked front then back, turned left, turned right but the restaurant didn't appear. Settled for DOME instead. Dddddelicious! Steakhouse appeared as we left DOME - next door. Their loss I guess. =P

Waiting for my turn to shower now. I don't think I can stay up late tonight especially after heavy dinner and nice hot shower. What's more, gotta wake up early tomorrow for a quick shopping spree. The 3 ladies are on a quest to buy VINCCI shoes. I had bought shoes from Metro the last time I went out with Makcik & Mahanom. A part of me wishes to stay in and relax in the hotel... the other part of me of course, can't bear to miss the places they are going to. Goodnite!


P.S Below is a joke emailed to me 4 years ago by my sister. Dunno what got into me that day but I found it so funny... that I kept it. Enjoy!

R. D. Jones And His Sewing Machine

The following is an ad from a real-life newspaper which appeared four days in a row - the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

MONDAY:
For sale: R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M.. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.

TUESDAY:
Notice: We regret having erred In R. D. Jones' ad yesterday. It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap. Phone 948-0707 and ask for Mrs. Kelly, who lives with him after 7 P.M."

WEDNESDAY:
Notice: R. D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday. The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale -- R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

THURSDAY:
Notice: I, R. D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I intentionally broke it. Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper, but she has now quit.

Going to KL!!!

Work ends at 4.45pm today. Signed out and headed straight to Mustafa Centre @ Little India to do last minute shopping for my KL trip. Yes!!! I'm going to KL with my galfrens - Makcik, Mahanom & Minah. Bought my toiletries, grabbed a quick lunch of Naan & Curry then took Bus 960 straight to Bukit Panjang Plaza. Settled all bills, updated my bank book and did a bit more shopping. Once I was certain that I've got everything I need only then did I left.

Everyone in my family had this idea that we gals were driving up to KL. Hahahaha... Didn't know that the idea of us ladies going for a trip on bus and without any male or older companion was such a bitter pill to swallow. My dad was still cool though. His only reply when I told him was, "You've better not wander out on your own". It's a trait that I have since young. Not that I want to...

I have just smsed my galfrens. Mahanom is still working, Minah still packing & Makcik has not even started. I've got most of my stuffs inside. Gotta go early to bed tonight. Meeting Minah at 7am tomorrow. Arios Cheerios! =)

Before I forget... came across this quiz while reading Sayang's blog. It's the Carebears Countdown... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

See what Care Bear you are.

2004 Resolutions???

I don't do resolutions every New Year. I do them on my birthdays. New Year is the time when I set goals, targets and my wish lists. But as always, I can only plan... someone up there does His decisions.

2003:
The year when I started a full-time permanent job in the finance sector. Rather short-lived though as I resigned nearing July. The job experience was great, the working environment was excellent. I made lots of friends and acquaintances from colleagues, parents, students and even vendors. Unfortunately the management outstretched my potential and patience. Was jobless for 2 months before I got a contract job in the medical sector nearing September. A lower pay and crazier workshifts, but totally stress-free! From being hourly rated, my contract has been extended to a monthly basic pay. The jobscope is sssooo unrelated to what I'm studying but still a learning experience for me. Still am working... =)

The year when 2 people in my life got engaged. My younger sister - Ain on the 6th September and my besh fren - Makcik on the 19th January. The first one too soon, the latter about time actually! Hahahaha =D My only hope this year is that their weddings do not coincide or I will have to split myself into 2! As for myself, let me enjoy singledom.

The year also marks a decade of friendship with my secondary school frens. Some change for the better, others worsen... and there are also those that seem stunted. But I'm glad that we still make the effort to keep up and stay in touch. To all my frens, thank you for having touched my life. Just bear my nonsense and look forward to better friendships ok? ;-)

The year I got my driving licence! Oh yes!!! Best of all, a day after my birthday. First car I drove on the road was Pakcik's AT car. Then my Dad's MT car. Got my hands on the steering wheels of other cars & even a pick-up but nothing beats the satisfaction of driving one's own car. Next goal on my list!

The year my paternal grandma passed away. Been suffering from leukamia for quite some time and because of old age, the doctors didn't recommend chemotherapy treatments. Her loss was most noticeably reflected by my aunt's sudden passive behaviour. She's better now - got her hands full with her sons' school and household chores

Other events include my tuition kids passing their PSLE, me deferring my studies due to my workshifts, the born of my webbie, etc. Ah well... it's been another great year. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2004!