My virgin game

SO sorry to get you people (especially the guys - ahem) excited over nothing.
I am referring to my first go at a game of squash earlier, on Tue evening.
Thanks to my dear friend SeeFei, I had a taste of what the game was really like.
It was FUN!

Not only did I think that, my 2 other friends/colleagues from work who joined me/us enjoyed their first experience too!
All 3 of us were beginners, and SeeFei was a very patient and enthusiastic 'trainer'.
Not only did he give us a prep talk, he even showed us the 'moves' and took us running one round around the block where the squash courts were.

I am making plans to get a racket of my own now...the game is really cool.
And am off to bed...

Another weekend, another chain of events

I wished the weekend was longer.
This last one went by in a flash!
Had dinner on Saturday with a friend I just got to know in the last few weeks, and it was a good evening out!
We actually found that we could chat about anything under the sun (or the moon for that matter, since it was evening), and after dinner, we adjourned to having smooth soyabean curd at one place, and then a long drink at a cafe afterwards.
We ended up being chased out of the cafe as it was about to close.
From that extended conversation, I discovered more things about myself.
I guess the level at which the conversation was unknowingly pitched at made me realise there were things I didn't know about myself till then.
And what a revelation at that! :o)

Earlier today, I went for a luxurious Spa treatment.
I have forgotten how good it was to be pampered like that!
I decided to make another appointment for this coming Thursday...

What a blur...

Between Monday (past) and today, I've had an interesting week so far.
On Monday, I met up with a new friend - he is a mutual friend of a friend of mine, if you can work out what I mean.
It was a good lunch (am referring to the food) and the person was nice enough (I know you are reading this - haha).
This new friend is so nice that I have been invited to learn how to play squash at his and his long-standing friends' expense (and they have played regularly since the mid-80s!).
I mentioned this to 2 other work-colleagues and they (also beginners) would like to join me and my friend(s)!

Anyway, Tuesday was my first lunch appointment with a senior colleague of mine.
We took all of 6 months to finally get to meet up for lunch!
She was so sweet - she asked after me, checking if I had settled into my work-environment in the past few months since I joined this organisation, and how I was.
You see, I was going through a rough patch in my personal life 2 months into joining the organisation, when she got to hear about it.
But we never actually mentioned much about this, as I had wanted to ensure that my personal "hiccups" in my personal life would not affect or interfere with my work.
So I really appreciate this kind concern!
I even got treated to lunch by this senior colleague - wah, indeed.

On Wednesday, I conducted a couple of interviews as I need to hire new staff for my team.
One of the 2 candidates was very ideal, and the other, let's just say she wouldn't make it anywhere.
The ideal one, however, is drawing a current salary that my organisation won't be able to match.
But she appeared to want to take a substantial knock off her current pay, and had expressed a desire to sacrifice the higher pay for a more enriching learning experience on a new job.
We shall see.

The other candidate was much older than me, but based on her qualifications, she looked like an ideal candidate to interview.
But when she turned up, it was obvious she didn't prepare for the interview.
And when I tested her by being a little awkward with my questioning just to see if she could respond well to pressure, she was visibly stressed.

Today I made a friend happier than he was initially, as I injected some fun into our online chat.
He had a bad day at work, but mine was happily manageable.
So I tried to cheer him up by being funny with the comments I made during our chat.
I'm glad I made someone's day! :o)

I will be conducting more interviews tomorrow.
Again, the work will be manageable.
I've also made plans to go pig out with some friends after work.
I am drooooooooooling already...yum!

Rock climbing, anyone?

I have been meaning to try this sport out.
Being a person who burns quite easily under the sun, the best alternative will be to do climbing indoors.
A quick search on the web revealed that there is one such place for indoor climbing!
I will be asking around my colleagues in the morning, to see who is interested to join me.
This could signal exciting times ahead! :o)

Post-SUrpRisE

I am back from the dinner with my ex-boyfriend.
Amazing that after so many years, it was still so easy for our conversation to flow.
So much so that I realised we were seated at 6:30 pm at the Japanese restaurant (my visit first time) and didn't leave till nearly 10 pm (at my suggestion).
There was so much to catch up on, which no amout of texting that we have exchanged on our mobile phones over the last few years could ever achieve!
If we hadn't bumped into each other (or rather, if he hadn't waved hello right in front of me) last Thursday, this dinner might not have happened!

This ex of mine has always been the perfect gentleman, and earlier at dinner, he was still the ever-charming guy.
He remembered to be attentive, and served me my food.
We were comfortable on sharing a variety of foods, and even took pictures of our yummy desserts using our mobile phones!

Interestingly, they both came in mini-cages, and had a tiny origami (paper-folded) bird each on the side of the plate. We had intended to take those with us, but we forgot about that when our table was cleared! Well, we were so engrossed in our conversation that we hadn't noticed that those birds were cleared away too. :o(

[And I only remembered when we were at the bookstore later (please read on for this).]

This was the 'Tofu Cheesecake' (a must-try!) that my ex-boyfriend recommended to me. It was a yummy one - just the right amout of sweetness without it being too sweet in the first place.










The one here was his - 'Green Tea Bavarian Cream'.
Basically, it was ground green tea mixed into a block of something, topped with red bean sauce and Bavarian cream (whatever that was).






Anyway, seeing my ex and being able to communicate with him properly again today - after all this time - was cool.
I was able to relax and be myself, while I enjoyed the dinner and his company.
I think we both enjoyed each other's company.
So much so that we decided to go browse at books at a bookstore nearby, after dinner!

From the dinner, we were given a promotional leaflet that says there's a 1-for-1 deal for lunch and dinner going on next month at another venue.
We will be trying out the restaurant's other venue (which I had been before), if my ex can make the time.
His work hours are crazy, and being in that field previously myself, I fully understand his difficulty.

All in all, the catching up was great.
After he got home, he even beat me to texting on the mobile phone.
That's rather surprising, as I tend to be the one who usually text people to thank them for their company!
I am happy.
I had a good evening out. :o)

Another SUrpRisE

I decided - at the very last minute - that I gotta do something to my hair yesterday.
It was starting to turn frizzy, and the entire day being cooped up in the dry, air-conditioned office since I started on this job didn't help much.
So, although my regular hairstylist whom I've been visiting since 1997/8 was having his day off, I still rang ahead to make an impromptu appointment with his junior staff for after work.
I ended up being served by a senior staff instead, someone whom I know by face and we've exchanged friendly greetings over the years.

Now comes the interesting part.

I was hurrying towards the hair salon as I was a few minutes late already.
Not having the habit to look at people I pass normally whenever out-and-about, I didn't notice my ex-boyfriend from waaaaay back in 1999/2000 waving his arm up and down in front of me.
Being out in the sun a lot due to the nature of his job, he has now developed 'crow's feet' around the eye-area.
Other than that, he couldn't be looking healthier, fitter and darker (and still as good-looking).

Actually, we have been keeping in touch via sms despite having broken up all those years ago, but have not had the chance to meet up again in person in all this time.
BUT, we have finally arranged to meet up for dinner tomorrow evening.
Isn't that an interesting surprise? :o)
Which means there is something to blog come tomorrow (or the day after).

Anyway, back to my hairdo...

Now, my hair is as straight as can be, and for some reason, the fully straight hair is shiny and appears much longer than previously!
Must have been the hair treatment that I had soon after I had my hair straightened. :o)
The real test of the 'kung-fo' (i.e. skill) of the senior hairstylist will be when I wash my hair in a day's time.
We will then see if it is still as straight and glossy as now!

The dinner date

It DID happen yesterday. *surprise gasp*
And I got a lovely pressie from my dinner date too!
He actually took the trouble to go get this pressie during his lunch break at work (the pressie happened to be a replacement for another that wasn't in stock).
He said that he has left word with the shop assistant to give him a call when the new stock for the other one comes in.
And then he would get that one for me (I was previously asked to visit the website and to give my opinion about which design I liked, without realising what my dinner date's intention was).

Bearing in mind that I hadn't asked for that (or even any) pressie in the first place, I am touched by his generosity.
Like you, I am speechless.
....

Anyway, the date went as well as it did 4 years ago, when we first got to know each other. *another gasp*

Isn't life full of surprises?

Lunch

This is a continuation (kinda) from my last blog about food.

[See Fei - please do join my lunch groups (or just me) for lunch! :o)]

I went to a local food centre near my work place with a colleague, which took all but 10 minutes' bus ride.
We had duck porridge, which was super-yummy!
Then we went to a supermarket nearby, where I bought some lollipops to share back at my office.
I also bought a cute bottle of mineral water for my mother, so small that it holds enough water and yet fits nicely into her handbag.
Oh, I've side-tracked...

Anyway, it's amazing how a simple lunch could turn into a sharing session with my colleague about my pending business trip to Hong Kong next month.
I was saying how much of a pity that I will be staying in a double/twin-sharing room all by myself during the 3 days I'll be there, which I could've extended if I could find a friend to go with me and bunk in with me for the duration of my stay.
I think I shan't say more about this.
Ha.

Oh, tomorrow will be my supporting staff's last day on the job.
I have asked him to have lunch together, with some of the colleagues in the same department.
The petty colleague wouldn't be interested.
Besides, he doesn't eat much and at irregular hours.
And he won't give any staff beneath him much thought - especially when it's not his own staff.

While on the subject of eating, I could be going for a dinner date tomorrow evening.
But, it's all up-in-the-air for the moment, as I have my doubts if it'll happen.
It's a long story, so I will share another time/day.
But if the dinner happens, tomorrow's blog will be very interesting! :o)

Lunch and dinner

I think I have not managed to mention food much on my blogs.
So it may come as a surprise to some of my readers that I love to eat.
Fortunately, I have not grown sideways, probably because my work place is so big that walking from one place to another is already enough exercise (and getting me starving all the time)!
And I am unashamed to say that my current weight is under 50 kg. :o)

Anyway, I am not short of lunch appointments with my colleagues.
I guess everyone needs company that they are comfortable with, especially when lunch is just about the only time one can 'switch off' from work.
So most of the time, my colleagues and I don't tend to talk about work.
And that is highly stress-relieving!

As for dinner, I always have had the option to meet up with friends individually (or as a group) to dine out after work.
This week, for instance, I will be dining out with at least 2 friends, separately.
I am happy that I have wonderful friends to hang out with, come what may.
Some of these friendships I have secured for at least more that 3 or 4 years, the longest being more than 15 years now.
I am lucky indeed.
Nevetheless, I continue to embrace new and meaningful friendships! :o)

SUrpRiSE

My main caption is 'at it' again.
I found out that my cousin has written in to my organisation for an advertised position we have.
This surprise came in the form of a circulated email last Thursday, when his CV and the topic he would be sharing with the senior and less senior management came through.
We have all been invited to sit in during the sharing session.
I went to share this fact with my boss the next day.
Professionally, it is only right (I feel), and also, it is also a sign of respect (I feel) that I have for my boss.
He was appreciative, and thanked me for that move.

I am loyal to my organisation, so I won't be sharing much of the goings-on with my cousin.
Oh, by the way, I haven't told him what I know yet.
This little island is really small - everybody in this business sure knows each other eventually.
At least that was what my boss told me.
Frankly, I don't know if I like the sound of that.
Ha.

Office politics

Today had been crazy.
On my MSN Messenger, which I keep active all day, I indicated the words 'Ma-ta-chia' Day.
For those who are not familiar with one of the Chinese dialects known as Hokkien, 'Ma-ta-chia' refers to 'police car'.
It means there was a lot of 'chasing' and running around.

The office was abuzz with lots of goings-on.
This was mainly from the other side of the office, where my petty colleague and his 3 other supporting staff are seated.
They have still not managed to meet the common deadline that I had shared with them.
That isn't their fault, as the work had to be submitted to them first from external bodies.
With any delay, there will be repercussions.
Considering that I had to singlehandedly manage a similar work nature (also dependent on external bodies), I was fortunate enough in that those people I had to liaise with were generally cooperative.
Of course, there were some tricky instances, but I've had luck on my side.
For that, I have been blessed.

Anyway, I was busy at work (naturally), but treated this day as any other working day.
My petty colleague was needling his gossipy support staff, saying that her 'grapevine' is no longer as reliable with 'news' anymore.
He was openly saying this again (in my and my leaving supporting officer's presence), adding that news of my supporting officer's pending departure got to the office at another office-level first, instead of within our department.
I think they are not happy that they weren't informed first.
Actually, my reason for not sharing was because my supporting staff was uncomfortable with it.
So I respected that and left him to share the news with whoever he would like to - in whatever order (if any).

I met up with wonderful colleagues from the HR department earlier this afternoon.
They have been really helpful at settling me into my own job, and now, they are sympathetic about my imminent lack of help in less than a week's time.
This is how a good work place should be; having colleagues who care enough to support you in whatever way they can especially during 'down' times!

I continue to be hopeful about finding the right person to help me out.
I've already raised a manpower requisition form for my boss's endorsement earlier today.
Shouldn't be long before I get another person to join me soon.
After all, jobs are hard to come by in general.
And we are a popular organisation! ;o)

What a welcome back!

I went to work thinking that today was the first full month my new supporting staff has worked, so it's time to have an informal chat with him.
Before today, I had pre-arranged to have a this chat with him, to find out if he's coping ok, etc.
So I was a little surprised that he told me he was resigning.
We had worked well as a team, so I knew it wasn't me that caused his leaving.
He then shared that the new job offer is more than twice the difference we offered him, i.e. based on the salary from his last job.
I took him to see my own boss, as he was also involved in helping me hire this person previously.
Anyway, my boss and I wished him well, and he will be leaving this current job in a week's time.

I managed to cope on my job before this supporting staff came, so I guess I'll be able to cope when he's gone.
Right now, what I think is uncomfortable for me is the fact that my fellow colleague (yes, the petty one) and one of his long-standing supporting staff are openly throwing sarcastic remarks in the office.
They were probably aware that they were behaving childishly while gloating at my unfortunate situation, but it didn't seem as if they cared.

At a guess, I think they were waiting for me to break down before they eyes, but before I left the office for home earlier, I think they were already starting to wonder why I am still able to take all this so calmly.
Hey, I've taken harder knocks in life compared to this, so why would I breakdown at this small little incident?
No sweat.
And too bad for them. :o)

Having people coming and going is simply a part of life.
I just have to accept it and move on.
What is most important now is to have colleagues who will be able to understand my plight once my supporting staff leaves.

What a 'welcome back' gift for me, eh?

Leave

I have been enjoying the past couple of days not needing to wake up very early in the morning.
I took a couple of days' leave from work!
It has been sheer heaven(!), as I took time off to do the things I have been meaning to do.

First up, it was upgrading of my mobile phone.
I decided that Nokia 6280 was it for me.
I did not want a symbian mobile phone, so for a 3G phone, this was good enough.
I am glad I am not technophobic and managed to take all but 3 hours to sort out data transfer plus figuring out how the phone works.
I am now ready to take it to work in the morning. :o)

Next, I managed to spend some quality time with a couple of family members.
It had been quite awhile, so it was good while it lasted.

I also managed to make an important overseas phone call.
This was to sort out my travel plans for next year (instead of this year) to the UK.

I have also been checking my work emails from home.
There hadn't been any major stuff that my supporting staff couldn't handle.
I am also glad that I have given him enough work (and more) to keep him busy.
Otherwise, I would probably be finding him surfing the web and chatting on MSN regularly - again.

Woops, it's bedtime.
I'm hoping to wake up earlier in the morning.
I shall keep my fingers crossed!
Ha.

The NEW, the INTERESTING, and the UGLY

The NEW,
=======
I would like to welcome a new blogger-friend to this blog - welcome, See Fei!
This is his profile pic on his website -->
Isn't it a pretty pic???
I never knew that this little island could have SUCH a beautiful night scene.
Shows you how much I am missing...sigh.

the INTERESTING,
=============
Today had been an interesting day.
I had to do Saturday duty, so had to report to work as usual.
Except that work-hours were from 9 am to 1 pm.
The day started with my colleague ordering McDonald breakfast for both of us.
So we had a breakfast meeting, catching up on work matters and office gossip.
Well, not really office gossip but things that concerned our work. :o)
It lasted an hour.
Time flies when you are have serious 'fun'!
Ha.

It is the school holidays now.
Therefore I found myself surrounded by people everywhere when I decided to meet up with a friend for afternoon coffee in town, after work.
Not a fan of crowds and crowded places, I did pretty well coming away with a top that cost half the original price.
I had admired it previously, and thought it was too expensive then.
So it was a delight when it went for half price today!
And I realised that I have lost quite a bit of weight - lagi (i.e. even) more delightful! :o)

and The UGLY
============
By the way, did I mention about my UGLY cold sore on the left side of my mouth???
Yup, I am having one of those humongous ones, and boy, not is it just UGLY, but it was painful for a few days too.
So I think I ought to have a pat on the back the fact that I still went to work with the UGLY cold sore for all the world to see, and braved meeting up with a friend in the last week.

Any encouraging words out there???
Anyone...?

Blogger at work

Decided to buy lunch to eat in my office instead.
Kinda nice not to be out and about for a change!
So, it means I have that little extra bit of time to blog - during work hours! :o)

I caught up with a friend over dinner last night.
He offered to pick me up from my work place.
That's cool, considering that it would have been a long way to get to where we went for dinner last night.
We had Japanese food (it was yummy!), and then went for ice-cream afterwards.
The ice-cream was eaten at a different venue/restaurant, and when my order arrived, I had a huge shock.
The serving was humongous!
My friend laughed when he saw my expression.
He deliberately didn't warn me about what to expect, and had wanted to see my expression when the order arrived at the table.
He ordered something different (still ice-cream), but the serving was similar.
So it wasn't surprising that we did not manage to finish our yummy dessert in the end.

It was a relaxing time, as I wasn't subjected to work-talk.
That could have been really tiring otherwise.
Speaking of which, I have applied for (and my boss has approved) a 2-day leave for Monday and Tuesday next week.
I will be trying to catch up on some serious rest, and perhaps set aside some time to go shopping with my family.
It is a well-deserved break, as I have continued to roll out things for various people at the office.
At the same time, it is also a good time for me to catch up with my family members, whom I may have neglected in the time that I had been busy (or even in the past 6 months of being in this new job).
Not to mention catching the sale season, of course! ;o)

Oh, I am not heading to UK in July after all.
Am postponing the trip to next year, and heading to Hong Kong instead.
This is a business trip, which I have just learnt that it is entirely paid for.
I am pleased, of course! :o)

Oops.
Better get back to some work now.
Till the next blog...ciao.