MC King has passed away

I just heard this from my friend earlier.

MC King has just passed away. I'm not too sure on the details at the moment, I heard he fell... But it is indeed very sad news. So young... So sudden...

"Fix It!!!"

Someone told me this just now. "FIX IT! I don't care how, but you have to fix it!"

Well, it wasn't my fault. I tried to solve the problem. I made an effort, informed people as early as possible, but I still got barked at. And at the same time, I have to "fix it".

This sucks. Seriously. It's not my fault that things don't come as they had asked for. But I have to somehow fix the problem. While the "supplier" just makes his job easy by ringing up to say, "Sorry, but this is what we have and this is what we'll be sending." That's it. And after that, it becomes my fault that the person on the receiving end won't be getting the right stuff... ...

Such are the challenges we face in life. It's horrid. In this case, what makes it even more horrid is the fact that this person was my mentor. He had taught me the ropes from the first day, and the fact that he knows how things function around here just made it all more sore. He had completely pretended not to know the challenges I'm facing by choosing to answer my call with 2 words followed by very loud and angry barks. Yep, he barked. Loudly... ...

I'm just so upset by this. And I'm told in my face, it's my job. He said "It's your job, and you have to fix it. I don't care how but just have to fix it. Unless you want me to take over your job... ..."

Sigh.... I'm just so angry now that I don't know what else to write here. He might read this (and I don't care) and probably get even more upset with me (and I can't be bothered anymore) and maybe pull a few more threats (like as though he never did) and then eventually just stop talking to me (fine, suit himself)... ...

Grrr... And to a few specific very "kaypoh" people who happens to read this, yes, I wrote this in the office. So what? Not happy I'm blogging in the office? Go make a police report then... Call the news papers... Better still call up Channel News Asia! I don't care... I am just so angry!!!!

Ho Ho Ho... Merry Christmas...

T'is the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la...

It's Christmas! Time for parties and loads of food. Time to bring the turkey and ham out and all of us get FAT! Geez... I've been eating non-stop if that's what you guys are asking. And tonight, there'll be more parties/countdown to go to.

I know reindeers do exist, cos I saw them, in Norway. Although they don't fly, but they are exactly like what we see in cartoons. Very beautiful creatures. But what about Santa Claus? Does he really exist? Gone are the days where daddy and mommy slip presents into stockings for me. Instead, I'm now doing it for the kids. I'm Santa!

So this year, I did it again. I went shopping and did the wrapping. Now, under that beautiful tree at home, there are many many small little packages, all waiting for little hands to open...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Lust, Caution 色，戒

Geez, I just realised that I meant to blog abt the movie Lust, Caution after I watched it some few weeks back. But I totally forgot abt it!



Anyway, I did manage to watch Tony Leung in the buff and his much talked-about family jewels. However, it was really his eyes that stole my heart. His acting was undisputed. And Director Lee Ang had played the shots and angles really well to focus a lot of attention on his eyes.

Tang Wei who played the female lead Wang Jia Zhi, did come as a surprise. I wasn't really expecting a fantastic performance from this new-comer, but she had managed her role well, amid the "big sacrifice".

Unfortunately, I had to agree with most other people on Wang LeeHom's performance in this movie. Somehow, he was just plainly stiff and expressions were just quite off.

Overall, the movie was really very nicely done, and it's no wonder that Lust, Caution has 10 Golden Horse nominations and won 7 of those awards! Really worth watching.

*** Everyone's been speculating if the sex scenes were for real... I'd say some of it were. It really didn't look like it was a camera trick lor... oooohhhh ***

One last angry post before I fly...

I'm now at the airport waiting for my flight. Will be off for a short break in just a while, so I thought I should just leave my footprints here before I disappear.

Actually, I was very very very disappointed earlier. "The superior" called. Asking me some work stuff which I had settled most of. I realised through that conversation with "The Superior" that this person hadn't really understood quite a fair bit of some of the works that I handled. I'm wondering if it had been my fault for not sitting down regularly with "The superior", or was it just "The superior's" fault for not showing more concern over what goes on around me.

What irked me even more was when "The superior" said in a disgusted tone that he was very disappointed with me for not turning up at work today. I got an instant slap in the face when I heard that. I was wondering if I seriously made a mistake in my leave application or did "The superior" just misread it. I couldn't stomach that insult. I felt very very very disgusted with that comment. "The superior" had signed an approval for it. I had waited so damn long for this short break.

Even though I am going for my vacation, I still have my mobile phone on with me. I had informed "The superior" prior when I made the leave application that I can still be contactable, and I don't mind taking calls. Probably not the laptop, but at the very least the mobile phone would still be on.

Apparently, that bit of info didn't quite register with "The superior". And the earlier phone call labelled me as not having handed over my duties properly.

I bloody felt like shouting over the phone that I had been working in the office till past 7pm last evening, and "The superior" had all the time to ask me questions should I had really forgotten to hand anything over. But there was barely any complete conversation that might have last 2 minutes in total for the whole day between the both of us. I even made the effort to ensure that my Monday/Tuesday work were all fulfilled and I worked till close to 5am this morning just to make sure I had sent most of the necessary emails out. But somehow, such hard work is not appreciated.

Perhaps I just wasted my efforts. Someone once asked why I even bothered to work so hard, why am I so committed to my work. That someone also said that he could just work 2 days a week and idle the remaining 3 days and still get paid. I told that someone, I am trying really hard to do the same. And perhaps I may appear to have achieved that, but they never realised how much work you could do on yr mobile phone as well.

Any how, I can't override what goes on in the mind of "The superior". This person would have the authority to throw me out should "The superior" being deem so. I would never be able to fight back, and even if I did, I would probably never win. So as ppl always say.... Whatever...

WHATEVER...

Princess is going for a vacation!

YES! Finally, I'm going for my vacation!!!

OK, I know, everyone of you here reading this must be thinking "What the hell... You've been flying around so much!"

I know, I know... I don't deny it... But it's really very stressful and tiring to travel on working trips. Really... You have to think about work the whole time, memorise so much things, and cope with the differences in time zones and look all prim and proper always... Serious, it looks fun, but in actually fact, it's a real strain mentally and physically...

But this time, I'm letting my hair down and going to just enjoy myself. I'm hope I won't need to bother too much about what goes on back at work at least for this week, hehehe...

Actually, I do have quite some pics to post when we attended Lishan's wedding @ Raffles Marina just over the weekend. But heck, I'll put them up when I feel like it! I'm already in holiday mood!

Erm... I know everyone's been asking where I'll be going. But I'm gonna keep it a secret... I'm not saying yet, until I'm there and enjoying... Hmm... Maybe I shouldn't disclose till after I get back, hehehe... Cos I know some of you will know how to track me down. You ppl are kind of scary sometimes... hahahaha....

Anyways, I take some pics if I feel like it, and blog abt my vacation (again if I feel like it) hahaha. So pls, do come back often to see if there are any surprises...

Quick post from my mobile phone

OK, so i'm just testing to see how difficult it is to write a blog post with my mobile phone. Not to bad actually. except that some functions and features are not available...

I can't seem to change the font type and color, don't know how to upload pics also.

Hmmm... Have to keep exploring!

Royal thoughts...

常常以为， 尽心尽力的把自己的工作做好，其他人一定会很配合，也把他们分内的工作也做好。可是，我发现，原来并不如此。

无论我多么认真，尽全力，还是有些人把工作当成了一般早九晚五的工作。我完全看不见他们的热忱。我对这一切都非常失望。。。

It's so difficult to express my thoughts and emotions in Chinese. The above passage was as close as I could manage...

There's been so much tension at work over the last few months. I might have spotted more wrinkles on my face! So, I'll be going away again next week. This time, taking a short break. A very much needed vacation. I'm so looking forward to it. Very desperately, in fact... I'll be away from Singapore. Although I'll bring my mobile phone with me, I'm not too sure if I'll bring my laptop along.

Should I? Or should I not?

Princess is hopping mad!

Was so angry yesterday. I actually called up Noel Gifts on Wednesday to order a birthday cake to be delivered on Friday for my customer. Had everything done over the phone (like I always did) and got the confirmation number. And yesterday, I told my customer I had arranged for a cake for her, delivery between 2-5pm. She was very happy. I also called Noel Gifts at 3pm in the afternoon to check what time the cake would arrive there. But I got a shock when one of their male customer service person told me the cake was still in the office and not delivered yet. I told him it was already 3.30pm, and they had promised to send it before 5pm, so they had to hurry before it gets too late. He then told me he'll call their delivery department and ring me back. So I went back to chat with my customer, and abt 15 mins later, the guy from Noel Gifts rang and assured me that my order was already on the road and will definitely be there before 5pm.

But at 6.30pm, someone from my customer's office called to say that the cake did not turn up! I tried calling Noel Gifts but their office was closed already. Then this morning, I called them up to ask what happened, and they told me that the cake I ordered was not presentable and never left the office at all! I couldn't believe my ears when they told me that. I was sooooooooooooo hoping mad!!!

How could they have done something like that? Such a big and well established gifts company... I mean in the event a customer's order was not presentable or damaged before delivery, they should use some initiative and make a replacement or have someone rush to pick up a substitute and send it. In this case, it was a birthday that someone was celebrating. how could they have just kept quiet abt it and not send anything at all??? If they had just sent a bottle of wine or even just a bigger bouquet of flowers first, I wouldn't have been so upset with them.

The cake was meant for an important customer, and they had utterly embarrassed me this time. I am so disappointed. I was even filling up the order form for some Christmas hampers to send this year. But after this incident, I don't think I can trust them with more important orders.

This is absolutely ridiculous.... A birthday cake order not sent on the day it should have been. After I screamed at them, they were asking if they can send something else on Monday... And I was really really angry when she said that; like you have only 1 birthday a year..... Grrrr....

So angry, so angry, so angry... So angry, so angry, so angry... So angry, so angry, so angry...

My new toy... HTC TYTN II

Have been using my new toy for a couple of weeks now. Still not quite used to it yet. Its a "sponsored" HTC Tytn II.

Looks quite impressive, pretty powerful. Has Windows Mobile® 6 Professional, so I can read my emails, check my calendar, download, view and edit documents and it has a unique tilting touch screen and a sliding QWERTY keyboard also. The camera unfortunately is not quite up to my standard. Although it's 3 mega-pixels, but it responses super slow, and NO FLASH! Sigh...

But, this phone also has a built-in GPS navigation, super fast connectivity with 3G/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 2.0... Not too bad I suppose...?

See... The keyboard slides out and the screen can tilt!

And I bought a sweet pink All-in-One card reader today

Well, I'll need some time to "learn how to use" this high tech thingy... Oh, It's actually quite heavy and bulkly for my many tiny pink bags! Sigh... Hehehe...

I'm invited to the Opening Ceremony of the NORWEGIAN FILM FESTIVAL!

I am invited to the Opening Ceremony & Reception of the Norwegian Film Festival tonight! Woohoo..... Will also be catching the preview of "REPRISE", a debut film by director Joachim Trier.

Joachim Trier was trained at the National Film and Television School in England, and has previously attracted national and international acclaim with a number of prize-winning short films and commercials, including the short-film Procter, which was nominated for the European Film Award in 2002, and which won Best British and Best European short film prizes at the Edinburgh International Film Festival the same year.

REPRISE is a playful film about friendship, madness and creativity, about love and sorrow, great ambitions and the often unpleasant clash between youthful presumptions and reality. With its somewhat un-Norwegian structure, REPRISE has a distinct style and narrative technique which moves the story forward in a rich and enthusiastic manner.

Just a random Wednesday post

Had been pretty uptight at work lately as we start preparing for the Christmas rush. Every year, around this time, I'll be worrying abt product availability, prices, cargo air-space etc etc etc. I'll also be quite worried abt whether everyone in the team will die working their butt off as I go into super stress mode and start chasing everyone around like a mother hen.

There was some trouble at work yesterday and today. Although I managed to clear the obstacles, I still felt quite disturbed. I'm also worried that these "minor" issues would be contagious (if it spreads thru Christmas, I'll be dead!)

A stressed-looking me

I've fallen in love with this HK cafe. I walked in for lunch and they were playing BEYOND's album from the 90s. Very nice music. Also, the food never failed me so far, and I also found something new that I liked. Lychee Tea, with REALLY HUGE LYCHEE!!!

So colourful!

Lychee Tea... YUMMY!

Super sinful Cheese Baked Rice

Why do kids love the rooftop waddling pool at Vivo City?

Brought Princess Z & Prince A on a shopping spree to Vivo City last Sunday. But even we all started any decent shopping, both were pestering to go soak in the rooftop pool. After lots of persuasion by hubby & myself, we managed to get them to agree to go shopping with us first before they got themselves all wet.

After a good 2 hour walk around and some good shopping, hubby and me brought them up to rooftop waddling pool. The sun was shinning so brightly, it literally scorched. But there were so many people out there roasting in the sun! I was already abt to melt, but the kids were having a whale of a time running and splashing. Needless to say, my 2 royalties were raving to splash in themselves.

The waddling pool on the rooftop of Vivo City

Me, abt to melt in the hot sun (-_-)

I also caught this very nice Chinese Junk with my mobile phone camera. It's actually a charter vessel. I've been on one of these before when I was still a student. If I didn't remember wrongly, it was call Cheng Ho (郑和)!

Anyway, Christmas is just round the corner, and look at this pretty Christmas tree! It's also on the roof of Vivo City... Very nice, isn't it? I love the reindeer in the middle of the tree. Also, it's just simply made out of so many light bulbs. Hmm... I wonder how many...

Eric's farewell party

Early last month, we had a small gathering to bid farewell to Eric. He had been with us for slightly over 6 years. So it was indeed quite sad to let him go. The night started with Singapore Slings at Raffles Hotel. Everyone was present, even the super rare and almost never turn up colleagues were there. The atmosphere was very relaxed and quite fun. We were throwing peanuts at each other, aiming for the cleavages!!!

My Singapore Sling

Tweetie & Eric

Pooh Bear, Me, Charlie & Michelle

After drinks, we took a short walk across the road to Lei Garden @ Chjimes for dinner. We had lobster sashimi (my all time favourite!!!), braised abalone (one each!!!), peking duck, and a lot more yummylicious food (which I can't even remember). We also had quite a lot of good wine...

After dinner, we made our way over to New Asia Bar for more drinks. By then, most of us were already starting to wlak sideways... Hahahaha... Initially, NAB didn't allow Eric to enter cos he was in bermundas. So Tweetie came up with a brilliant idea. She swapped her jeans with Eric! Wahahaha... We all laughed ourselves to bits when they went to change and appeared together in each others' pants.

Michelle, Eric (in Tweetie's jeans) & Tweetie (in Eric's bermudas)

Check out the red belt!

Erm... No comments!!! Hehehe...

Eric & Tweetie (obviously very high-looking)

Pooh Bear, Charlie & Michelle

Eric, Tweetie & Me

5 days in Dalian

Barely 1 week after I got back from Norway, I found myself in China! This time, to attend a seafood exhibition in Dalian. It wasn't my first time to China (been to Shenzhen before). But I was still quite shocked when I was there. The air was very badly polluted. The haze was just so bad, probably had a PSI indication of 250 or more! It didn't help that people were allowed to smoke indoors! I was really coughing badly and in the mornings I woke up with very dry throat.

But as we were all very important seafood people, we were treated with a lot of respect and feed the best seafood there could ever be. Almost 5 solid days of seafood!!! I even had a minor outbreak of rashes due to the amount of prawns and crabs and shell-fish we ate. Geez...

Anyway, pictures, pictures....

Opening ceremony of the China Fisheries exhibition

Our 2 "show-girls"... Erm... No comments!

Outside the exhibition hall

A very hazy view of Dalian's commercial district

And now, to make all of you out there drool... We had seafood for all our dinners. Every single evening, we were served no less than crabs, prawns, abalone, clams, fish etc etc etc... Fest on the following photos, MUAHAHAHAHA!!!

We had to go to the "fish market" in the restaurant to pick what we wanted to eat

I have absolutely no idea what that is, and it looks gross!

Abalone!!!

Check out the scallops!

And the live tanks where we pick our fish too

Giant Cockles!!!

Gross looking Geoduck

This display shows a sample of how those seafood can be prepared

Me & Mitch cam-whoring in the "market" with all the Sea Urchin and crabs around us!

Dinner that night was very interesting. Pooh bear ordered "Wheat Wine" 高粱酒。52% alcohol. And each of us had 6 shots of it, plus some beer on the side as well. Geez... After 2 shots, everyone was talking very very loudly. Hahahaha... After dinner, we went for more drinks. Pics pics...

Duke O and me

Mitch (drunk) & Duke O

Went for a walk with Mitch after breakfast the next morning. He was badly hungover, so I bought him a coffee from Starbucks to wake him up.

Mitch with a major hangover... Hehehe

Me, still looking bright and fresh!

Was quite busy on the exhibition floor with some customers coming from Singapore and Malaysia, all meeting me in China! Hahaha... So funny. We also had quite a few interesting potential customers. So it was busy busy, but, we still managed to take some candid shots.

Me & Francis (with Mitch trying to look busy in the background)

MRA & Yoko

We also saw Japanese chefs cutting up a Yellow-fin Tuna at the show

Me & Duke O preparing to go for dinner

So, are you guys prepared to see more of what I ate... ...? Brace yourselves for the following pictures will make all of you so hungry!

Sea Urchins, 海胆，うに

Lobsters!!!

Shanghai crabs, 大闸蟹

More Abalone!

Hot Pot

Ingredients for the hot pot

Ray wings

Live prawns (so cruel to dip them into boiling soup!)

Well, some of you must be thinking why only pics of the seafood still swimming. That's because we were all too busy and engrossed in eating and drinking. So forgot to take pics! Hehehe...

The last 2 pics above were taken from my hotel room. The glass windows were clear, but it was the pollution outside that made the pic look so hazy!