It’s one of those weeks where I feel like a headless chicken and completely unprepared for a work trip coming up. Do you think my boss will notice when I forgot something while we’re thousands of miles away from the office?
Month: October 2008
Survivor: Cook Island Episode 10 – The Mutiny
That has to be my favourite episode in reality TV history. No one could have possibly planned it like that. I always hoped that there’s going to be a DVD release of the season coz I’ll get it for sure. Earlier today I found the clips of the episode on Youtube, and it’s still as fun to watch. So I had to write about it.
Other than HM, I don’t think anyone was as crazy about that season as I was. So this is one for you too, HM 🙂 I know it’s all TV and everything but that very episode was just a reflection of how things can go right when you do right by yourself … … even if it is a bit of TV fantasy 😉
Being a Parent
It never seizes to amaze me how difficult it is. Every time I spend some time with my niece and my nephew, I’m clearly reminded to be more grateful to my parents. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had to be with them for more than an hour stretch (that’s usually how long it takes for me to realise it takes more than just love to be good parents) and I’m usually quite tired after that.
At 5 and 2, these munchkins have an ability to either drive you ever so slightly insane or melt your heart so you’ll let them do anything. Usually the latter follows the former quite quickly or parents wouldn’t be parents :p and aunts like me wouldn’t crave time with them so much.
Like last weekend when the both of them were calling out for attention at the same time, both wanting me to check out what they were doing, might I add AT THE VERY SAME TIME. My nephew showing me his prowess on the Playstation and my niece prancing around in a tutu I bought her. Then suddenly my niece quietly comes next to me, puts her arm around me and watches her brother intently thrashing some monster on TV. It was quiet for all about … … 6 and a half minutes and that was what I needed for the rest of the 233 and a half noisy minutes 🙂
Spending time with them also helped me understand those parents I usually give an evil eye to … you know the kind that let their kids scream at the top of their voices and they act completely oblivious to them. I use to think, “How in the world can they just stand there and not do anything?” Now I know, they’ve completely zoned out … if not, they’d be insane by now :p
Novena Square
Met SP a couple of weekends ago, we were going to check out Macbooks, which are my latest desire :p (that’s a whole other post) so we met for brunch at Novena Square. Why? Coz I thought it’d be a good place to explore since I hardly ever go there and explore we did. SP likened me to a tortoise coming down from a mountain when I realised that Velocity was a couple floors and not just an extension for a gym. And Square 2, what about that? I’ve heard about it but when I go to Novena Square it’s usually just to grab something from Cold Storage on the way home.
So SP educated me on what I’ve missed out in Square 2. Since the both of us lives close, we’ll probably be meeting here more often than not. We picked a new Hong Kong Cafe type place to have brunch.
It was ok. There were a couple of veggie stuff and SP was quite happy with the dim sum option. A little to chichi for a dim sum place in Square 2 is my honest take so we’ll probably be checking something else out the next time we’re there.
All I can say is Singapore is really becoming a city of MALLS. Everywhere you go there’s a mall and they keep getting bigger and bigger. Do we honestly need more malls? It may be a tad hypocritical of me to say since I do like shopping but I’m not really sure we need that many malls. My secret wish is that we had more parks but they don’t really keep the economy running, do they?
Burn After Reading
What a smart script!! And without spoiling anything for anyone, the movie is my biggest fear come true about how MY office may be run too :p The Coen brothers take the spy genre into another level, which is often what they do anyway.
I simply love the randomness of their stories. There is a level of hopelessness that makes it sad and yet at the same time a humour, which sort of makes it kinda like real life. You never truly know what you’re going to get, kooky idiots are everywhere and when you step back from it all, it’s always funny. Well, to me at least, that’s my life in my office. Deluded characters who actually think the world surrounds them and in all honesty, I wouldn’t be surprise if they ever did some of the things that happens in the film. Thankfully, my life outside the office isn’t quite as detrimental and guns aren’t allowed in Singapore 😉
It isn’t a movie for everyone though, there’s a kind of black humour that people find rude and although, I don’t think this movie is rude, I can see how some people might reckon it is. Black or white and no grey, I say. Completely for matured audiences who has an ability to discern … like the tagline says “Intelligence is relative” so is taste.
To the Coen brothers and their impeccable cast, I wonder if this movie could be adapted for the stage?
Doing the 10km
Thanks everyone for their encouragement!! And like Resh said our game plan is to complete not to compete. That’s all I’m focused on right now. Although, I was up to 25minutes this week, for some strange reason I simply managed 18minutes this morning and was feeling all beat after that. I’m keeping my fingers cross that I’ll be able to build the stamina up and maybe even start enjoying enough to keep running jogging after December 7.
Over lunch yesterday my friend and I were discussing running and he said the toughest bit for him was to deciding to get up and run. For me the toughest is the first 10minutes. It’s crazy how I feel completely deflated after about 4minutes of jogging, my legs start to feel tight and my lungs are wheezy. But after 10minutes, and I’ve found my pace, I actually remember why I like running 🙂 Ideas come to me, I see scenes in my head and I feel like writing and directing again 🙂
Heck, maybe this jogging will FINALLY see me making a short film again 😉
Meanwhile, I’m getting all jittery about 11km number 2 tomorrow :p
The Latest PS Cafe
A couple of weeks back, I brought Miss J to the new PS Cafe at Palais Renaissance for her birthday 🙂 The company was completely enjoyable, the location was great and the service still impeccable but what happened to my veggie options? I was only left with a house salad and the usual fat fries. You got to love the fries there 🙂 but if anyone who works at PS is reading this, please bring the mushroom pasta back and I wouldn’t mind a few other veggie options too :p
With a slice of cake going at about S$12, I’m not sure if PS Cafe is going to be on my regular go-to list any more. It’ll just have to be one of those places that I’ll go to when I’m feeling all tai-tai … which isn’t saying much since tai-taidom isn’t quite my thing :p
Walking 11km
Part of the plan for December 7th, is a weekly jaunt around the MacRitchie Reservoir. The last time I did it, I wasn’t sure I was every going to do it again but I have 🙂 Yes yes, I’m feeling all proud of myself that I’m doing something more physical then just ironing to the Mamma Mia soundtrack. I figured that I should get my body use to the distance for the Standard Chartered Run lest I’m one of those that appears in the morning paper after having collapsed from the run :p
So with my husband in tow, we decided we just walk for the first of what should be 7 more weeks around the reservoir. Unlike the last time, we decided to walk at a fairly quick pace, which is what he normally does except this time, I’m not reminding him to slow down. And it took us slightly less than 2 hours to cover 11km. I still can’t believe how my friend managed a half marathon in that time. Anyway, I was tired at the end of it but totally hopeful about doing the 10km in less than an hour and a half now. Yes siree, that’s what I put down when they asked me how long I reckon it’ll take me to finish the run. In all honesty, I was going to put 4hours but with Resh on the other end of our msn conversation, telling me it WILL NOT take me 4hours, I caved at an hour and a half. I was petrified about trying to finish the run in that time.
Now I’m just scared.
I still have 7 more weeks to go. For now, I’m grateful that I live close to the MacRitchie Park for my walks/runs. It is one of those spots in Singapore, that feeds your soul and calms your mind. It isn’t a valley in Banff, Canada but it’s where I go to get my nature fix.
Last Friday, at dinner with friends, one of them reminded me that I was quite the runner … oh way back in school. That’s true, I did run and enjoyed it too. Well, in the next 7 weeks, the nature trails are going to get quite acquainted with me and maybe I’ll be reminded about why I loved running 🙂
Dress Down Fridays
When you work in the corporate world (BTW I’m not even sure what that means, I’m figuring it’s being in an office like me), you live for “Dress down Fridays”. I don’t work in a bank or a legal office so I don’t have to wear suits. Thank goodness for that!! While my office isn’t as stuffy as that, it sure isn’t the start up production house where I lived my 20s. Then it was T-shirts and jeans on Mondays and Fridays were flipflops and shorts.
Now I don’t get to wear flipflops any more and I start Monday mornings knowing which T-shirt and jeans I’m going to wear on Friday. Simple things that gets us through a work week :p So you can say I was a little pissed that the last two Fridays, my “dress down” were stolen from me. We had some Australian guests in town and they decided to drop in on us on Friday!!!
Of all days, Fridays. Sigh. So what do I do when my plans for a comfy Threadless T and my favourite jeans, which I bought for from Taipei at an amazing S$40 deal, are taken from me? I had to put on a dress. A Cue dress and sssssshhhhhhh don’t tell anyone, both Fridays saw the same white dress too. That’s what I do when I have to do a little “dress up”, I pull out a simple tailored dress that from my favourite line from Australia.
Nope, I don’t look like a model in their dresses but they make pretty tailored dresses that are comfortable enough for a stolen “dress down Friday”. I especially like the pockets they always put in their skirts and dresses.
And yes, the white dress worn twice in 2 weeks is on the way to the dry cleaners now so that next time you see me in it, you don’t have to wonder 🙂
Mamma Mia
I’m still singing in my head and humming out loud. I had so much fun with the movie, I could watch it again 🙂 My hats off to Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan for singing their own tracks and making it all look so fun!! Sure it was cheesey, kinda like my sister and me dancing in our rooms and that’s what I’d call FUN 🙂 Nothing like an ABBA song to get you on your feet and prancing around at home. ‘Cept if you’re my husband, he’s wondering who stole his wife and replaced her with a partially tone deaf fifth wheel of ABBA :p
Thanks Shu for recommending Run Lola Run but the Mamma Mia soundtrack will have to do for tomorrow’s run until I get my hands on Run Lola Run 😉 Till then, I want to hear everyone, together now … honey, honey … how he thrills me .. aha, honey honey … honey, honey … nearly kills me … honey, honey … i’ve heard about him before … i wanted to know some more … …
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