Odourless Preserved Cuttlefish?

Shades of Pink is back! Back from her super duper looooong shiokeroos trip.

We met for lunchtime mass today and she passed me a little souvenir she had gotten for me from her trip. She passed it to me saying, "I know Singapore also have Aji Ichiban, but they don't have this particular product." It was this huge packet of preseved cuttlefish.

I thanked her for the gift and said, "Thanks! This one eat already the mouth very smelly one. How to go and see clients?"

"No la. This one not smelly one." she replied.

Shades of Pink, can you tell me how any cuttlefish can not be smelly? Preserved some more leh. :)

But thanks dearie. It's nice to know I was thought of amidst your busy, hectic, travelling from one place to another, fighting bedbugs and what-nots. :)

Look at it close up.....I can smell it just looking at this page you know!

The Devil Wears Prada. The Human Wears...

... pretty generic shoes with ribbons and endures the pain. All in the name of vanity.

Went for lunch today with Cooking Girl, my office buddy. On the way to the coffee shop, she mentioned that she needed to get some plasters.

"For what?" I asked.

"New shoe la." she replied.

"Oh, I'm also wearing a new pair of shoes today." I said.

"Not painful meh?" she asked.

"So far no leh." I answered.

We went into a nearby store and asked if they sold plasters. They did, and better still, this was one of those stores that sold loose plasters. Good, cos then she didn't have to buy the whole box. But Cooking Girl bought the whole box anyway.

Think I spoke too soon (about my shoes not giving me any problems) cos my right heel started hurting on the way back! First thing I did upon reaching the office was to get some plasters from the first aid toolbox, and plastered my already beginning-to-blister heel.

Cooking Girl: What happened?

Me: Kena blister already lor.

Cooking Girl: Very painful hor? You see mine?

I turned to see what damage her pretty shoes had done to her feet. And I couldn't stop laughing!

No wonder she had to buy the whole box of plasters!

Orh Chaes

Everyday, I discover a new one, you know?

Orh Chae #1 was on my right cheek. Attained when I slipped and fell on the granite floor in my very own house on a Monday morning. Can you imagine? The already smooth granite floor was made smoother and more slippery with the gallons of water left there my the domestic help whilst mopping the floor. So, you can imagine how ugly a sight it was when yours truly fell. And the impact left me right-sidedly bruised.

Other than cursing and swearing, the other first thing to do was to get an ice-pack placed over my right cheek. I could almost immediately feel the sting of the swelling the minute I fell. My office desk mirror inevitably became the most indispensable item at work. And of course, my buddy at work who gave me regular updates on the progress of Orh Chae #1. Survived the day, went home early to rest and started the 1st to 4th disc of a Korean drama.

Woke up on Tuesday morning with a 'sng' shoulder. Sng right shoulder to be exact. Upon checking myself in the mirror, guess what I found? Orh Chae #2. Right at the ball & socket (is it ball and socket?) joint of my right shoulder. Went to work anyhow and went back early again to rest and continue discs 5-11 of the Korean drama.

Wednesday morning. Felt an orh chae kind of pain on my right knee, so I looked and found Orh Chae #3!

Hmmm. Wonder what I'll find tomorrow. Probably "Orh-Chaes #4 & #5" under my eyes on Thurday morning from an overdose of drama from the land of Kimchi.

Mr Kwon Paraphernalia

Thanks to Mr Celica's sister, I now have a paraphernalia of Mr Kwon from his recent visit to our sunny island, which, for a period of 10 days, seemed to have developed the ability to support beautiful blooms like sunflowers! If you haven't seen them, make a trip down to the Suntec area. Quickly hor, four days left only, I think.

Anyway, back to Mr Kwon. She (Mr Celica's sis) was scheduled to interview Mr Kwon (imagine that! Up close to Mr Kwon!), but due to some mis-scheduling by the organisers, the interview did not happen.

Mr Celica came over the night before, and we prepared some stuff to arm his sis with during her supposed interview the next day. Amongst them were a picture of Mr Kwon, my camera, and myriad of instructions of what to do with the picture and the camera.

So, since the interview did not happen, I got neither my personalised autograph nor his picture in MY camera, but look what I got that made me just as elated! (You see, I'm a fan, but not that seow a fan to head down to the airport and squeeze through throngs of his fans and sweat, or even to meet him at wherever he was scheduled to be)

- A poster of Mr Kwon
- A fan with Mr Kwon's pic on it
- A cosmetic mirror with Mr Kwon's face on the reverse side
- A cosmetic bag with Mr Kwon's face on it

Windsurfing Only Meant For Meteorologists

After a 4 month hiatus, Lion decided that we should go windsurf again. This time at the PA site, since we hadn't heard anything with regards to the tenure issues at the Pasta Fresca site. I personally had some concerns with the PA site and their rescue operations, and so I told him so. Lion was pretty sure that rescue boats had to be a standard safety measure at all windsurfing or sailing sites. Frankly, I don't remember ever seeing ANY rescue boats there at all lor.

Anyway, we met at the food centre and headed off to PA, where my concerns were proven true. Firstly, we had misplaced our licences so they wouldn't allow us to rent the equipment. Fair enough. Then Lion inquired about the rescue boats cos he spotted a sign which read "$30 for Rescue Boat". Here's an excerpt of the conversation.

Lion: Do you have rescue boats on standby in case surfers drift or have difficulty coming back?

PA Guy 1: Yes we have. And each rescue will cost $30.

Lion (with eyes wide open): You mean you charge for rescue?

PA Guy 1: Yes.

Lion: Isn't it a standard to have rescue boats look out for and bring people who are too far out at sea and in distress back to shore?

PA Guy 2: We have rescue boats, but unlike Pasta Fresca, we don't rescue as and when. It will serve as a reminder cos some people may know the winds are too strong or there's no wind, but still insist on going out. Then we have to rescue them. Besides, if we keep rescuing them, they will never learn to windsurf.

Lion: But there are times when the weather changes pretty quickly and we are caught unaware.

PA Guy 2: You're supposed to be able to gauge the weather and how it is changing.

At this point, Ms Purples cannot tahan liao and decides to put in her 2 cents worth.

Me: So what you are trying to tell us is that safety is not top priority here?

PA Guy 2: Safety definitely is a priority to us.

Me: If that is so, then why is it that you need to charge for the rescue service? Isn't it a standard safety measure that sea sports centres practice? It's like visiting a public pool with a lifeguard, but if I'm struggling to keep afloat, I have to pay the lifeguard before he will save me.

PA Guy 2: No, the notice just serves as a reminder.

Me: So I guess the only option is for us to PAY to retake the course and obtain the licence. And then PAY for the rescue service to ensure that our safety is not compromised?

PA Guy 2: Yes. It's the club's regulation.

Me: All this coming from a club that is under People's Association?

PA Guy 2: Yes.

Me: Well, it seems to me that the rescue service is more of a money making tactic, rather than a concern for the public's safety. It's good to have people in distress so that you guys can earn the 30 bucks.

PA Guy 2: No, mam, it's not like that. Of course if it were a genuine case, we will waive the rescue charge.

Me: It's fine really. That was just feedback on my part. You can decide what you want to do with it.

Frankly, if all these had happened at Pasta Fresca, a privately owned place, I might have understood the 'pay $30 for rescue' clause. And I'm not saying that I would have accepted it, but hey, dollars and cents count to them right? But PA? And really, does fuel cost so much?

I see that windsurfing has become a sport limited to meteorologists or mortals who have mastered the skill that only Jesus has - walking on water.

Catching Up With Vandice

Met Vandice for dinner and coffee today. Haven't seen the guy in ages! And like always, when the last time you met someone was eons ago, there are a gazillion things to catch up on.

Dinner was 'kolo mee' somewhere along Killiney. Not too bad. First time I had 'kolo mee' with char siew, wanton and abalone all in. Coffee was at Coffee Bean at Taka. We had initially wanted to head to Coffee Club for a similar, specific reason, but unfortunately, it was packed. So too bad, no people watching tonight. With all the talking we were doing, there was no time for that anyway.

Amidst all the updates, Vandice was also giving me some lessons in chinese history. Lessons involving Yue Fei, Qu Yuan, Niu Lang, Chang Er etc etc. Anyway, the lesson ended when we reached our last common stop (City Hall) on the way home, with Vandice saying, "Eh, you cannot say that Pan Jing Lian and Mdm White Snake are the same person la. You will make people laugh."

Rephrase. He was correcting my Chinese history knowledge, not teaching, lest I go through life thinking that Yue Fei was the 'ba zhang' (dumpling) man, and that Xi Men Qing and Pan Jing Lian were the 'you-tiao' people.

Consolation...I got the Wu Song and the tiger story right ok.

Wouldn't It Be Nice... ...

... ... if we didn't have to work?

... ... if we had to work, but had smoother and more systematic processes at the workplace?

... ... if we weren't governed by rules and regulations set by certain bodies that set them as and when they deem fit (by 'deem fit', I mean to suit their conveniences)?

... ... if some women (bosses, clients especially) were really, literally made of sugar and spice and all things nice? Then we could just dissolve them away when the need arises.

Ok, ok from all my 'if' continuations, you probably would have guessed that I had a really bad week at work.

Well, my list could go on and on but really, what would be nice is to have worked enough to have saved up sufficiently to retire at a place like the ones in the pictures. Took them while holidaying at Koh Chang in Thailand last year. The island's still pretty much in its natural state, unlike the touristy islands of Samui or Phuket. So, life's pretty laid back there. Like 'Wo Niu Guo'. But frankly, when in Koh Chang, 'wo niu guo' pace is fine for me. Really.

Met a caucasian couple there who was spending 3 months on the island! Coincidentally, the house at the far end in the picture belongs to them. If my memory serves me well, they actually reside on the Caribbean islands, and Koh Chang is a vacation destination for them. Aiyoh, aren't the Caribbean islands good enough??? Still need Koh Chang meh? I guess this is what people mean when they say 'Humans are never satisfied' or that 'The grass is always greener on the other side'.

Well, well, so much for all the 'ifs'. Back to reality. What's nice for now is the fact that the weekend's here. But soon it'll be another working week. On the positive side, the start of a work week means I start earning another week's pay. Then I can save up for retirement in Koh Chang! YEAH!!!!! Then before you know it, I'll be off to Koh Chang! Hopefully it doesn't get too developed and evolve into another one of the Phukets or Pattayas.

Ok, change of plans. Retire in Bangkok. Then for vacations, take off to Koh 'wherever's-not-too-developed-yet'.