alittlewhine

i am trying to cheer myself up.

2009-11-13T10:30:07Z

(this blog IS called alittlewhine, you know. hence, i am about to whine, as i have for all of today)

thanks to my decision to get braces, i'm now grouchy. very grouchy.

the spacers put in between some of my teeth are causing a lot of pain in the whole mouth. it kinds feels like i've clenched my jaws very hard for the entire night, except that it's worse. i can't eat properly. not even a mushy banana because of the pain. i suck biscuits. nummy.

i've also just had three more teeth taken out, bringing the total number of tender spots in my gums to four.

and being the glutton that i am, knowing that most foods will be inedible to me for the next two weeks really brings me down. like, i can't even think of anything right now that i can - and WANT - to eat for dinner. and i'm hungry.

(plus, the husband is too busy to entertain and molly-coddle me now. boo.)

so, i've decided to start a list of foods i CAN eat and enjoy for the next two weeks. help me if you can!

1. century egg or fish porridge
2. cold tofu with japanese sesame sauce
3. mashed avocado with honey
4. any kind of fruit juice or smoothie
5. soy bean curd
6. canned alphabet soup (cos the alphabets are so mushy)
7. ICE CREAM
8. soft-boiled eggs
9. steamed fish
10. mashed potatoes

(the FIL just offered to buy me fish porridge, bless.)

of this list, only items 4 and 8 are readily available in the office area. *WAILS*

i wonder what i can pack from home? i can't possibly live on soft boiled eggs and fruit juice/smoothies for two weeks... well i could, but it'd be torturous... =(

i speak to robots.

2009-11-06T07:33:45Z

i was at the train station today, to ditch The Husband's old EZ-Link card for the new CEPAS EZ-Link one. this was the third time i was doing it so i was completely aware that no exchanges were allowed anymore, you could only get refunds on your old card, and you had to purchase a new one for 15 dollars, out of which 10 dollars was stored value.

Me, putting The Husband's old card down on the counter: I would like to get the new card.

Lady: No more exchange.

Me: I know.

Lady: You can only get refund.

Me: I know.

Lady: The new card costs 15 dollars, 5 for deposit and 10 for value.

Me: I know.

The lady then processes my refund, and gives me back some money.

Me: Can I get the new card?

Lady: It costs 15 dollars.

Me: I know.

The lady then hands me back both the new card and the old EZ link card.

Pointing to the old EZ-link card, she says: This one cannot use anymore.

Me: I know.

I imagine she has to deal with a lot of people who simply don't get it, that rote replies are her first, second and third lines of defense...

What's 2 or 3 more alphabets?!

2009-11-03T06:32:06Z

Maybe it's because i started the day out on a grumpy note.

Maybe it's because i've had to have lunch on the run.

But i'm so annoyed by this point that i now need to waste 10 minutes ranting about it here: Why do people of a senior level stop using salutations at the beginning of their emails?

Surely when they started out as a corporate minion, they took care to begin each email with a "Hello So-and-so" or "Hi BlahBlah," or even *gasp* "Dear So-and-so". So how is it that when they reached a certain level, they decided to just begin with the person's name?

It sounds so rude and abrupt, like they're ordering the email recipient around (which is never nice nor permissible even if you're the CEO).

For example:

Irene,

Attached is the agenda for today's meeting. Please review.

D

As opposed to:

Hey Irene,

Attached is the agenda for today's meeting. Please review.

Thanks,
Daniel

Doesn't the second version sound so much NICER?

There is ONE other difference, and that is in how the emails are signed off. I've also notice that higher-ups often don't sign-off their emails properly. Frequently, an initial like "D" or "TN" takes the place of "Cheers, Daniel" or "Thanks, Tim Nah".

Why?

Maybe it's one of those Sun-Tzu-Art-of-War thingies that corporate ladder climbers employ. Maybe it's called the "Make people feel small from the get go" strategy: I'm so busy with so many more important things to do that I really can't spare the seconds to type a salutation or even my full name. Afterall, surely you know who I am?

Obviously, I'm blowing this way out of proportion. It won't seriously change my life if higher-ups retained the uh 'old skool' way of writing emails.

But it WOULD be so much nicer.

these (nigerian?) scammers are gettin' good.

2009-10-15T06:41:41Z

so here's the context:

a friend of mine was online at 4am (wtf? get some sleep.) and a FB friend started a chat with him on FB itself.

4:19am------

hey

4:19amDaniel

yup hi

wassup?

4:20am------

not too good here

you?

4:20amDaniel

oh no

what's happening with you

4:20am------

Stranded in London with the family

4:20amDaniel

I just got home from mambo!

why are you stranded?

4:21am------

got mugged at gun point last night

4:21amDaniel

ouch

did you lose a lot?

4:21am------

all cash,credit cards and phone were stolen

4:21amDaniel

did you get travel insurance?

yeah it is only when things like that happen that you are grateful for Singapore

4:21am------

it was a brutal experience but thank God i still have my life and passport with me

4:22amDaniel

yeah well if you give everything up and cooperate they usually won't hurt you

4:22am------

and we are all safe!

4:22amDaniel

I got robbed too when I was in Rome

on the train from Rome to Venice

Europe sux

like I said, it is experiences like that which make you grateful for Singapore

4:22am------

our return flight leaves in few hours but having troubles sorting out the hotel bills

4:23amDaniel

didn't your credit card companies send you a replacement/talk to the hotel for you?

call the concierge!

4:23am------

The hotel management accept cash payment only!

4:24amDaniel

weird, what kinda hotel is this

do you have friends in london?

4:24am------

wondering if you could loan me some few $$ to sort out the hotel bills and also take a cab to the airport

will def refund it tomorrow

Nope :( since we booked in a hotel

4:25amDaniel

hmmmmmmm

and how will I loan you some money?

4:26am------

will need up to 850

4:26amDaniel

uh huh and

so you're going to give me a bank account number to send it to?

4:27am------

you can have it wire to me via western union. So i can get it with my passport at their outlet

4:27amDaniel

I see

4:27am------

wiring it to my name and address

4:27amDaniel

which is?

4:28am------

Wynnie Chang, 2782, Kingston Rd,Docklands,E3 2DA,London,United Kingdom.

4:28amDaniel

so how do you know me?

who's the friend who introduced us?

4:30am------

alycia

4:30amDaniel

riiiiiiiiight

and which country did you do your degree in?

4:31am------

am not in good mood for this, we are freaking out here :(

4:33am------

if i wasn't the one i wont ask you to wire to my name as we both know i will need some kinda of identification before i get the cash at the bank

4:34amDaniel

lol

shall I just send the money to nigeria?

you need to find someone stupider and less cynical

and I suggest you get off this account right now

because if I get the real person to make a report, they might do a trace on the IP logging into the account and get you

4:38am------- is offline.

Lucky for him, he was sharp enough to realise something was amiss and started asking personal questions. ("Alycia" didn't introduce them)

He googled this and apparently found someone else who was subject to this FB scam before, and got the IP traced to Nigeria. Hum.

And his friend whose account got hijacked said she never had such a conversation with him, and has gotten her account temporarily suspended.

Seems true enough. Be careful, guys!

My thoughts exactly...

2009-09-18T10:41:36Z

...okay fine, i wouldn't have been this eloquent.

This writer, Tim Kreider, wrote an article for the New York Times called "The Referendum" and the following is an excerpt from said article:

-------------------------------------------

Most of my married friends now have children, the rewards of which appear to be exclusively intangible and, like the mysteries of some gnostic sect, incommunicable to outsiders. In fact it seems from the outside as if these people have joined a dubious cult: they claim to be much happier and more fulfilled than ever before, even though they live in conditions of appalling filth and degradation, deprived of the most basic freedoms and dignity, and owe unquestioning obedience to a capricious and demented master.

I have never even idly thought for a single passing second that it might make my life nicer to have a small, rude, incontinent person follow me around screaming and making me buy them stuff for the rest of my life. [Note to friends with children: I am referring to other people’s children, not to yours.] But there are also moments when some part of me wonders whether I am not only missing the biological boat but something I cannot even begin to imagine — an entire dimension of human experience undetectable to my senses, like a flatlander scoffing at the theoretical concept of sky.

But I can only imagine the paralytic terror that must seize my friends with families as they lie awake calculating mortgage payments and college funds and realize that they are locked into their present lives for farther into the future than the mind’s eye can see. Judging from the unanimity with which parents preface any gripe about children with the disclaimer, “Although I would never wish I hadn’t had them and I can’t imagine life without them,” I can’t help but wonder whether they don’t have to repress precisely these thoughts on a daily basis.

--------------------------------------------------

My thoughts exactly, Tim.

he makes my day, always.

2009-08-26T04:45:02Z

crazy nights and Sundays

2009-08-06T15:33:35Z

just for you four that asked me not to shut this blog down, here are a coupla pics of last night's craziness. totally PG, don't worry.

Guardian chic.

Not to be outdone, The Husband decides to show off his really-old-nina-ricci-towel chic.

Not impressed? Neither was Sunday.

Who decided his balls were much more interesting

This is probably the stupidest, most meaningless entry I have ever posted. Ha ha.

so this is goodbye?

2009-08-03T14:13:52Z

i don't know how to say this right; i don't know other words for this, but i'm kinda really over this blog.

i'm thinking of shutting this down for good.

i can't believe it.

2009-07-17T06:40:52Z

i'm sick again.

since april, i've had a sore throat, followed by a cough, followed my gastric flu (no puking, thank heavens), followed by high fever, now followed by a good ol' cold.

that's three and a half months of not feeling in tip top condition.

can you believe it?? i've never been sick this often ever in my life. never. never.

the hypochondriac in me whispers: remember ----? she was falling sick really often, went to check it out and realised she had lymphatic cancer.

i wanna go home. i need to sleep.

My song of the moment...

2009-07-16T08:06:30Z

Actually, this is one of those songs I think I will always love, especially in the nights or when it's a rainy day...

Veggie Bake Recipe

2009-07-13T05:17:30Z

I was kinda inspired by Randall's baked chicken and potatoes on Saturday night, so on Sunday when i had to bring a dish to another friend's place, i decided to do a bake of my own.

I didn't take any pictures because a) i was running late b) we were too busy eating, but here's the recipe anyway. it's a bit grandma-style in that the measurements aren't exact, but i say follow your instincts and take little licks along the way to be sure the flavors are to your liking.

Ingredients:
- Assortment of veggies (read point 1 below)
- one whole large onion
- one whole bulb of garlic
- 1/4 to 1/3 a stick of butter
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 2/3 can of Chicken stock
- Dried or fresh rosemary
- Dried or fresh oregano
- Dried or fresh basil
- Sea salt flakes
- Coarse-ground black pepper
- Mozzarella cheese, grated
- Parmesan cheese, powder

1. Pick an assortment of vegetables that you like. I'd recommend a few from the following list: Carrots, potatoes, cauliflowers, asparagus, mushrooms, celery, eggplant, tomatoes, peas, leeks. When you make your combination, try to have a balance in textures (e.g. starchy with crunchy) and flavors (mild carrots, tart tomatoes, sweet leeks). Quantity depends on the size of your baking dish.

2. Peel and crush the cloves of garlic. Don't chop them up. Peel and halve the onion, then cut into slices. They can be coarse slices; up to you.

3. Melt the butter into the olive oil in a pan, over low heat. Add the garlic and onion. Saute on low heat until the entire mixture is soft and translucent.

4. If you have 'hard' or starchy vegetables in your mix, such as potatoes and/or broccoli, boil them first until they have just turned soft. Not until they fall apart ah!

5. In your baking dish, mix up the vegetables with the butter/olive oil/onion/garlic mixture, adding the sea salt, herbs and pepper to taste. Make sure all the veggies are well coated. Add in the 2/3 can of chicken broth. You don't have to add ALL of the 2/3s, and actually you can add more. it depends on how 'soupy' you would like the dish to be. I added enough broth till it was roughly 1/2 the height of the veggies in the dish. You may choose to add one more tablespoon of olive oil at this point, if the mixture seems a bit dry, though i don't think it's necessary. (Joe did la. then come out a bit oily but okay la.)

6. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

7. Put about half of your mozzarella onto the surface of the veggies, saving some of the mozzarella for a second layer later.

8. Pop your dish into the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins at 180 degrees Celsius.

9. Take it out, add another layer of mozzarella (cos the first one would have kinda sunk into the holes between the veggies. yum) and sprinkle the Parmesan over last. The Parmesan is just to add aroma and crunch, cos it scorches.

10. Pop the dish back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 200 degrees.

11. EAT!!!!

rain, rain, go away

2009-07-05T01:57:42Z

so my plans to hit the trails again have been dashed.

the skies are dark and heavy, just barely holding back a storm. sure it's not raining yet but nothing pisses the Husband off more than kitting up only to have the skies open at the last minute. (okay i lie, there are many things that piss the Husband off more. hur.)

looks like it'll be a gym day, then.

getting back in the saddle

2009-07-04T13:44:14Z

It's been so long since I've been out for a ride.

First, i was sick, then i was off to Japan, and then i had 16 personal training sessions to complete.

Now that it's all over, i finally have my weekends back! And this first free weekend, i'm definitely gonna take my yeti out again. I feel so sorry for the poor girl. she's been sitting in the balcony, all lonesome-like, watching her big brother go out, weekend after weekend.

I'm kinda nervous though. I have a feeling i'm gonna be all chickenshit and unfit, all over again. i hope i enjoy it anyways...

Furst Furmination

2009-06-25T17:07:41Z

i now have my very own Furminator!!! Much thanks to @mezzalaneous and @Randalltan for handing this over, it really is a godsend.

check out how much we got from the first 5 minutes:

and this is after The Husband compressed the fur into a ball.

i'll bet Sunday's wondering if that really came from him.

it's really addictive you know, brushing him and getting these great wads of fur out. i had to force myself to stop after the first 10 minutes (didn't want to go at it for too long and traumatize the boy).

but the best part of course is not having to deal with fur in my mouth, in my eyes, in my water, tickling my nose, in my food, on my fingers...

*happy sigh*

Life is like a blistered heel.

2009-06-24T03:08:20Z

The bad thing about living and experiences is:

The more you have of both, the more you realise that it doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, you can't run away from people who make earning a living tougher and more painful than it needs to be.

The good thing about living and experiences is:

Through repeated exposure to the abovementioned people, you become less afraid and more willing to just stick it to them. Like the skin on my blister-prone heel, nothing hurts much anymore, and I can take on just about any shoe.

Slipping… - BodyAge Challenge 13 of 16

2009-06-23T03:55:18Z

Believe it or not, I can literally feel my face get fatter when I put on weight. For me, that’s the first indicator that I’ve been slacking off. I can’t see a visible bloating, but I can feel the skin on my face get taut. REALLY!

And when I stepped on the InBody scale, I realized my worst suspicions were true. I had put on 800gms (stop sneering; it matters ok??) and my fat percentage had gone up a little. D’yu know what this means? It means that I’ve literally put on weight because of added fat – not water retention, not muscle bulk, just that wobbly yellow stuff that happens after a coupla cakes. Cake. Mmmmmm… caaaaaaaake… *snaps back to reality*

With that, my trainer put me on a fat burning session. Not a full 60 minutes of cardio, but 3 minutes of high-energy cardio bursts between each set of weights. I’ve done this on my own before, and it makes for a really intense work out.

Since that session, I’ve gone for two short runs on my own. I really hope things don’t get worse at my next session… I’ve only 3 more to go!

The Worst Food Presenter Ever

2009-06-22T16:24:18Z

(This category must not be confused with that conferred on Kylie Kwong. Hers is Worst Chef Ever aka Greatest Hack in the World.)

I can take Bobby Chinn, even though he can come across as smarmy. I tell myself that he oozes self-confidence.

I can also take Andrew Zimmern, even though he took some getting used to. He also has the unfortunate (or opportune?) task of eating the most unappealing foods, episode after episode, so I kinda have to cut him some slack.

The one food presenter I cannot bear, the one that makes me want to flick channels and watch a Tudung-folding program on Suria instead is Merrilees Parker on Planet Food.

Everyone has 'that dirty girl' from their childhood. The one who, every morning at 7am, looked exactly like she did the day before after school at 1pm. The one who ate with grubby looking fingers, the one who we would have called "kian peng" if we knew that phrase back in primary school.

The one who, if she touched your lunchbox, could convince you to push the best made sandwich away. And she'd make it known she'd like you to push it in her direction.

Well, Discovery Channel has their very own in Merrilees Parker.

When she talks about food, the ingredients, the preparation, she doesn't make you taste and smell the ingredients. She sounds much like she's actually saying, "Yeah yeah okay whatever." She sounds like she actually just wants to eat the food. And when you see the way she does, you're convinced she's not hosting a travel and food show because of the travel or culture, or of the desire to bring the flavors, sights and sounds of foreign cities into your living room.

She has this way of eating that is entirely unappetizing, handling food without respect for the craft and effort that has been put into it. She insults it with a crude stabbing of a fork, then rushes the indignant morsel through the short distance between plate and mouth, as if even that distance was too long for her greed. And her bites are always too big. Cheeks bulging, fingers barely concealing the gluttony in her face, she makes the same sound and expression every. single. time.

In short, she is the best embodiment of the expression, "stuffing your face".

It's worse when she eats something handheld. Grabbing it in her grubby fist, she (again) rushes it to her mouth, CHOMPS into it and pulls away like a savage biting off the head of a chicken. Egg-sized bite stuffed into her cheek, she rolls her eyes back into her head and makes a little moan. Then proceeds to talk with her mouth (too) full. Yummeh.

Would it hurt to eat a little more slowly, tasting and feeling the food, appreciating the work and pride that has gone into it, one medium-sized bite at a time? There's no need to take affected bird-like bites, but as the only host in her show, she's not exactly competing with anyone to get the food. No one's there to snatch it out of her hand and deprive her of its eye-rolling pleasure.

There is one upside to her hosting style though. If ever you needed a diet aid, she's it.

The next time I build a Home

2009-06-19T09:17:13Z

The next time I build a home, I would:

1. Have a front door with a hydraulic sliding function. It would have an auto-lock mechanism too. It would be double glazed, and the edge in contact with the frame would be sealed with a thick brush layer.

2. Have a dining table that is overlaid with leather. Underneath the leather and over the wood surface would be a thin layer of high-density foam.

3. My room doors will be made of heavy, solid wood. It would also be a sliding door with a thick brush layer along the edge in contact with the frame and the floor.

4. My windows would be slightly tinted and double glazed.

5. My curtains would be heavy and dual-layered, the inner layer being made of blackout material.

6. My walls between living spaces would be made of solid brick.

(Of course if I lived alone, none of this would be necessary...)

Famous Last Words: “I want shoulders like Jennifer Garner” – BodyAge Challenge 12 of 16

2009-06-16T06:08:01Z

I never learn.

Just like when I said I hated my saddlebags, as soon as the above statement left my lips, I regretted it.

I would blog about this session better, except that I don’t remember the names of all the different exercises I was put through for my arms and shoulders. Here’s what I can remember: Shoulder press with increments in weight, shoulder lifts using dumbbells, another kind done with your chest to the bench, arms opening up like a fly… it’s all one painful haze now.

“Honestly speaking, your arms and shoulders are very weak. You have to work harder,” says the trainer.

“jkhcjbdihfgif,” said I, trying to do leg lifts and bicep curls at the same time. This two-in-one exercise was not my idea, obviously. Why would I want to put myself through the embarrassment of arms and legs going every which way when I’d be the first to admit I have extremely poor coordination? Hell, I can’t even clap and sing and the same time, let alone balance on my ass, move my knees in a prescribed direction and lift dumbbells (don’t bend your wrists!).

Who knows? By the end of the next four sessions I could be doing dips, hamstring curls and crunches all at the same time, then I’d be the resident attraction at the gym! WAHAHAHHA… I’m going nuts.

Drop-sets = Hell – BodyAge Challenge 11 of 16

2009-06-16T05:49:15Z

One or two sessions ago, James, my California Fitness trainer, introduced me to drop sets.

If you check it out online, its definition varies slightly, the most common one meaning you decrease your load while increasing your number of reps. For example: 8 reps @ 30lbs, 10 reps @ 25lbs, 15 reps @20lbs. Each of these sets of reps must be done with little to no rest in between.

The benefits also vary: Some sites say it builds muscle but does little for endurance, others say that it builds endurance, i.e. lactic-acid tolerance.

James had me doing 20 reps X 3, starting with a load heavier than what I’m used to, with decrements on the 2^nd and 3^rd sets. 20 reps. And only a few seconds’ break in between. I daresay I was building endurance, not bulk. For bulk, you usually do fewer reps, like 8-10, with a load that is close to or at your maximum potential (I think!).

The burn is insane, and even though by the last set you’re doing pansy weights, you feel like you’re lifting a heavier weight than what you started with. I hate grunters in the gym (it just sounds vulgar and seems show-offy) but I think I let more than a few escape. (I was also thinking, if anyone strolled by at the last set and saw me squealing like piglet at just 10lbs, I would have looked pretty wimpy, ha ha.)

And of all the exercises I did these drop sets on, it had to be at the two that make me feel like hurling and pooing respectively – leg extensions and hamstring curls.

I suppose this will be especially beneficial for those long uphill climbs on my bike though. Can’t wait to go see if all this gym work has helped…!

Hurgkk! – BodyAge Challenge 10 of 16

2009-06-10T08:00:48Z

I remember a long time ago, I went for a Body Pump class and I just about died. I think I spent most of the lesson standing there with just the bar (which alone weighs a lot – to me), un-weighted, looking at all the other participants.

Since then, my use of free weights has been limited to just the eensy dumb bells.

This session, I actually used what James, my California Fitness personal trainer, calls the Olympic bar. I’m guessing it’s because it’s the same bar that the weightlifters use in the Olympics. Alone, that bar weighs something like 18 kilograms, I think.

There’s a machine that holds the bar at a suitable height for you so you don’t have to do the “jerk” part of the “jerk and lift”, but you do need to lift it by yourself. (mehhh…) And then I had to do squats with it. With weights. At one point, my knees actually buckled but thankfully the trainer was there to grab the bar before it came crashing down on me.

Today, the fourth day after that session, my thighs still hurt. Not as bad as the first and second day after, but still! And all this because I said I hated my saddlebags. Next time, I think I’ll keep my mouth shut. =D

But you know, the cool thing about having a trainer is that you try all the things you never dared to, or never thought you could. And I’m kinda proud of myself! This whole thing about working out building self-confidence isn’t just limited to body-image, I think. It’s also a lot about testing your limits and realizing you can do what you never thought possible, and more…

Gratuitous Pictures of My Cat Sunday

2009-06-09T09:36:23Z

here's Kodak moment between a Momma and her furry baby:

...who loves shoes:

Okay enough nauseating gushing for today.

“Stop me from punning!” – BodyAge Challenge 9 of 16

2009-06-08T07:28:49Z

My mind was so filled with bad puns, I ended up not really having a title for this entry at all.

See the thing is, this session was focused entirely on my core muscles. And it was a very long and trying 60 minutes. How many punny headers can you think of? Loads, I’ll bet.

When I got to the California Fitness gym, it was mad crowded so the lazy me thought: Hey! I’ll bet we’ll spend many minutes standing around waiting for machines to be free! Yay me! And then my trainer said, “Looks like all the machines are busy. We’ll spend the entire session here,” he gestured around the floor exercises area, “and do core training. We’ll start with 20 minutes on the StairMaster.”

If it’s possible to double-faint, I would have.

We didn’t do a single normal ab exercise. Everything involved some kind of balancing or body control. It’s hard for me to explain, but here’s one: Imagine your hands on the floor, your feet on a medicine ball, ass in the air, as you squeeze the abs to bring your feet towards you. Kinda worm like, but less graceful (me, that is).

And as fate would have it, there was a sylph-like chick decked out in full Stella McCartney gear, doing ab exercises like they were part of a ballet routine. Boy did I feel like a fat old oaf.

The next day, I was duly rewarded with aching abdominals.

(I should really blog less about liking the pain. Methinks my trainer is taking my words too seriously. Hur.)

alittlewhine @ 2009-06-05T19:15:00

2009-06-05T11:09:41Z

other than my gym entries, i've not been blogging much. not been writing much about my life or what's going on, and for those whom i have stopped writing to and are using this blog to find out what's going on, i'm sorry!

i think there are two reasons for this:

1. WORK
It has been not so great for a number of reasons. intepret this however you choose, but i am becoming increasingly indifferent. what keeps me going are the few-and-far-between challenges that really excite me, and my colleagues (well, most of them). especially the colleagues.

what i'm saying is, as i become more indifferent about the stuff that takes up 70% of my time, i have less and less to say.

2. TWITTER
As soon as a thought pops into my head, an interesting one, it goes up on twitter. it gets born and broadcast long before it's had a chance to grow and mature, to extend its veins and stretch its bones, to become meat and blood.

before twitter, it would have had a lot of time to evolve into a solid thought with many arms, legs and feet. and when it had become a full-fledged being, i would debut it here. these days, the moment an observation, a feeling, an epiphany occurs, it's spat out on the blue screen and it dies, because like a premature baby, it wasn't ready.

anyway, i'm so glad it's the end of the week. and boy am i ECSTATIC that i do not have to work, think about work, worry about work or anything-work this weekend. - b l i s s -

i'm making sushi this weekend with The Mother and Carrie! i hope i'm motivated to post pics...

AlphaMeme!

2009-06-05T03:47:22Z

You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

Tagged by Ickleoriental

A - Age
26, 27 by year's end

B - Bed size
Queen

C - Chore you hate
Cleaning drainage traps - long hair out from the shower trap, food debris from the kitchen sink trap. *shudders*

D - Dog's name
I used to have two - Bingo (how imaginative but hey, i was 5) and Sheba, two beautiful German Shepherds

E - Essential start-your-day item
Ciggie and a small cup of coffee.

F - Favorite color
Uhm. I don't have a favorite color. I do, however, seem to pick out a lot of pink things...

G - Gold or Silver
Gold! All the different kinds!

H - Height
1.635 metres, to be very precise.

I - Instruments you play
The only one I play well belongs to The Husband... WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.

J - Job title
Account Manager aka Someone's Bitch

K- Kid(s)
Never ever. Nada. Nein. *holds up fingers in an X*

L - Living arrangements
A flat in the Boonies, where my cat and karaoke-loving FIL also reside.

M - Mum's name
Kanako

N - Nicknames
Gracie. Errr. It's kinda hard to come up with nicknames when your name is already so concise.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth
Yeah, but only because I wanted to be able to claim insurance (at that time, my terrible insurance plan did not cover outpatient treatment.)

P - Pet Peeve
Oh my lord, so many! I'm a veritable Pet Peeve Pound. Let's see now: People who don't say thank you when you hold doors open, people who randomly add 's'-es at the end of words, people who deliberately misspell words because they think it's cute... I don't have time to continue with this list...

Q - Quote from a movie
None but since we're talking about quotes, here's one I remember from Sandra Cisnero's Caramelo:
"There was a hole in her heart where he'd once been, and when she breathed, it hurt her there, there."

R - Right or left handed
Right handed.

S - Siblings
An older sister and a younger one too. I'm the forgotten middle-child, hence my attention-seeking tendencies. Hur.

T - Time you wake up
0845, though the alarm goes off from about 0800.

U- Underwear
Thongs when I go out, boy-leg shorts when I'm at home. Why the hell would anyone want to know this? I'm not writing about colors because some of them are now of the unidentifiable kind.

V - Vegetable you dislike
Are spring onions a vegetable?

W - what makes you run late
Irritating bosses, clients with last-minute requests, accidents on the roads...

X-rays you've had
Chest X-Rays for employment check-ups.

Y- Yummy food you make
My specialty is kick-ass scrambled eggs. They're like no other. TRUST ME.

Z- Zombies are attacking, what do you do?
Pick up the nearest weapon and go psycho.

I tag... apartmentnumber3 and winkatelephant. I don't have 26 people on my blog roll la.