My Sunday ....

What does one do on a cold and rainy Sunday ? Sleep in of cos! Rainy days are made for snuggling in bed, all nice and warm under the blanket .. dreamz ....

Unless of cos, one stays with her granma who wakes at the crack of dawn and thinks that sleeping beyond 9am on a weekend shows a lack of discipline ..aarrggghh ... sigh ..

Good thing is that then I would have ample time to dabble in my new hobby so here are some of my amateurish work ...=)

Undeniably, Flowers are girls' best inspiration

Christmas Holidays...

Peek- a-cake !

And what is fun without the usual mess ...hahaha... you have to yet to see the floor !

Christmas Prezzies from Weilin

I Love Christmas ! Check out the cute snowman Wei Lin made for us ...so cheery !

Do we really know ?

Just attended 2 days of Recruitment & Retention Conference organised by Asia Business Forum and boy do I have information (more accurately frameworks) overload !

Having to sit through 16 speakers in 2 days is definitely no joke and honestly the retention rate fell sharply come Day 2.Talk abt retention and engagement .. how ironic ..hahaha

Really, most companies have the same talent development framework or retention strategies (using different terms to make it more sexy probably) if they are willing to engage pricey consultancy svs. But what sets me thinking is that how many HR practitioners do genuinely believes in the impact and good they bring in the strategies they implement ? Do they live, breathe these beliefs ? I dare say, not many.

Over the past days, I have met up with HR folks that fails to inspire which is so very sad. HR being the voice of the management, feeling the pulse of the people and proclaiming that People are the company's best (if not ONLY) asset & competitive advantage , yet in a social context fails to be an ambassador of the company brand and values.

So what makes a good HR practitioner ? Spare me the "people person" pitch cos in today's environment that is already a given. Strategic Partner ? Yah, we all aspire to be but are we really ? Do we even know what is a strategic role or what the company's business strategies are ?

Questions after questions which will probably keep me up all night .....now you know why my team gets stressed everything I attend a sharing... = P

More cards ...guess which ?

Bet this is easier to guess right ? Which is mine and which is Sand's creation ? Too bad Anna & Lynn have kept their master pieces so no pics to showcase.

Any way, each panel is a done using different techniques like stamping, embossing, etc as well as usage of different types of ink (pigment, dye, vesamark ...etc etc etc ..hahaha) and various material base.

Indeed card making is a VERY expensive hobby (more expensive than my previous hobby of beading.. sigh) and I won't be surprised if my current stash hits the thousand mark soon! Shhh ...mum is so NOT reading this ....hahaha

So if any of you intends to buy me Christmas present (hint hint HINT !) I only want PENNY BLACK rubber stamps !! HEheheh ... ok ok.. thats asking for a lot cos each stamp costs almost $40 ...blink blink blink ...I still love you all in any case ...muack !!

By the way, if you are reading this, you are invited to my Christmas Party on 25 Dec @ Sengkang lodge yah. Invitation will come soon once I get back to the office ... = P

Our new past time - Card Making

I admit, I am real bad at colouring so when I learnt that I had to colour the designs during the cake making class with our adorable "cher Normah", I was all stressed up.

Of cos the artists among us (i.e meaning the rest of the girls!!) were happily painting and mixing colours and the most pro amongst us even had shading okie ... show off .... hehehe

Make a guess which of the above designs belong to me, Sand, Anna & Lynn???

Baby Jun's First Steps

Just gotten off skype with Baby Jun and the entire family was watching intently as he wobbled on his own for the very first time!! Yes, Baby Jun has taken his first step ! Wished I could be there to capture all on video ...hehehe

Talking abt babies, I just received this little surprise from my colleague for her prince's 1st month celebration. Isn't the box adorable ?! I love the baby blue silk ribbon and was happily swinging it on my way home... =)

And surprisingly everything is still in its place when I

opened it up...hehehe

What a nice variety too. And there are little details like the ring of border around each egg and the catalogue neatly rolled up in a scroll.

And a cute Thank You card from the Baby to top it up ... how endearing !

ICE3

For those who hang around Serangoon Gardens will probably have heard of ICE3(cube) . One of the cool ice cream cafe where berms and flip flops is the dress code of the day and friends gather to catch up with each other in the casual ambience.

Thot the bunny is pretty cute. Love the big butt ...hehehe

No prizes for guessing what I took. Yup, my all time favourite, Choc FONDUE! Had fun creating my own version of "kebab"

Sand had her EYES WIDE OPEN which is mocha ice cream topped with lots MILO and choc chips and syrup ... oooohhh ....

Lynn decided to go fruity tutti with blueberry, mango and strawberry ice cream all at 1 go ! And the sunflower choc bits is nice and crunchy too ... yumm ...

"Alcoholic" Anna decided that rum & raisin ice cream with Bailey is the way to go. Cheers !

Ouch !

Sometimes timing is all that matters. One miscue and the situation changes drastically.

What in the world am I talking about ? My encounter with 2 Lians , thats what!

Here's how it went, I was happily washing my hands, minding my own business in a tiny toilet ( or was it tiny only for me ??!!) when my dear friend decided to make her way out so naturally I followed behind right ? At this moment, 2 heavily made up Ah Lians sashayed into the toilet , chatting excitedly and despite seeing that the entrance is too small for the 4 of us ,squeezed us to a corner without even battling an eyelid. Just at this moment when our paths crossed, and their long hair thrown on our faces, I suddenly exclaimed ... Wah, HOT AH!

Yes, I did that but trust me, I wasn't (1) trying to be cheeky (2) have an alternate inclination (3) spoiling for cat fight... meow!

It was a innocent exclaimation! Arrghhh .... yes, blame on the silly hand dryer that decided to blow at full speed on my back at THAT VERY MOMENT !!!

I did not stay on any longer to see the expression on the Lians' faces but I bet they were not too flattered or happy with me ....hahaha

Just attended another wedding but this time round, I decided to bring my camera and happily snapped pictures of our own family.Hehehe ...


Dad pretending to be an Ah Beng !

While the rest of us were all nice & sweet

Finally our family pic ... all coordinated in black and gold ... cool yah ?

I Love Dolphins! Pls stop killing them !!

Was watching the video that Ler forwarded to me and went bersek when I saw how the fishermen were forcefully rounding up the dolphins and slaughtering them without as much as a battling the eyelid.Helpless dolphins look on as the fishermen stabbed and dig their knives into the bodies, leaving the poor creatures screaming & thrashing in pain as fresh blood flooded the grounds.

The images totally infuriated me and I had to fight back tears that were streaming down my cheeks with the senseless killing. Their pain cut me real deep cos I have been very fond of dolphins and whales since childhood and such actions CANNOT be condone!

Save the Dolphins, stop buying dolphin meat & No more TUNA !!! When the buying stops, the killing will too !

Video of dolphin slaughter : http://takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5758

Nicknames

I yak too much ... I really think I do ...at work that is ..

It is really strange how my colleagues think that I am a total extrovert and no occassion can unfaze me.

Why do I think so ? Just today alone, I have several pple coming up to tell me that they are amazed at how energetic/hyper(read : impossibly chatty) I was at running the recruitment drive and hosting the Long Svs Award Ceremony, all in the same day! Even our fellow exhibitors at the recruitment fair dropped their jaws when they saw me auto switched to top gear (when earlier I was sitting quietly at one corner settling up the booth ) once the students walked into the hall and I went rattling off our profile, vacancies, career path etc etc etc ... but it worked though .. our booths were much patronised .. = )

I was amused too when I heard that some of the staff over at Rifle Range (which is a super ulu site at Bukit Timah ) even gave me the nickname of "Bubbly HR Girl" which is quite a flattery cos I have only met them once when I hosted their Mid Autumn Celebration. Guess the Uncles and Aunties at the plants like me cos 白白胖胖 kind right or maybe the mooncakes I gave away worked wonders....hahaha

So am I really such an extrovert ?

Baby Blues@100th Posting

The week flew past so quickly and before I know it, we were on our way to the airport to send Baby Jun off (no..... sob sob sob) . But this time round, grannie is not going along cos the weather has turned too cold for her rheumatism. And this will also spell the end of my swinging "singlehood" . Goodbye late nights and long weekend naps .... hahaha


Anyway, I am having major baby blues now as I anxiously wait for Uncle Eugene to call us when the plane touches down (which shd be anytime now ) and I know for sure that I will SO miss Baby Jun (am revisiting the 244 pics taken these few days...yah I took that many !!!) and wait wait wait , the phone is ringing now ............yeah !!!

Must eat when in Muar

Check out the glowing skin boy. This is a sure dish whenever we visit my grandaunt in Pagoh. Home grown kampong chicken sure taste more yummy ...

Another must eat when back to Pagoh .. SATAY ! Not just normal chicken or mutton but BBQ sedap-alicious intestines and cockles (See Hum) ...*slurp* ...

I know this looks really bloody and unsightly but it is really something unique and when dipped into the thick peanut gravy, it is Oiishiii !

Back from Pagoh

Guess many of you have not heard of Pagoh, Muar right ? Well, it is like a chinese kampong area where chickens, dogs and buffaloes (which I mistaken as an ELEPHANT when I was a kid. .. yah, I know ... Sua ku SINGAPOREANS!) roams freely and kids zoom around on bikes when they are barely 14yrs old.

In any case, Pagoh used to be my holiday getaway every school holiday and I looked forward to the trishaw ride in Muar where I will be squashed among vegetables, fruits and what's not that Grannie will bring to my grandaunt & family. And not forgetting the endless sacks of durians my uncle & aunt will pick from their durian plantation and the familiar smell of processed rubber (my relatives used to tap rubber from their plantation and processed them into sheets for sale).

This unexpected trip has brought back lots of memories and I am pleasantly surprised that Pagoh has not changed much for the past 20 years. Was literally having the mental image of me running around the house just like the good old days. Here are some pictures from my trip.

The front entrance to my grandaunt's place. One of my favourite place cos the cemented floor is always so cooling and I love to lie on it to get away from the afternoon heat (but must watch out for chicken poo though ..hahaha)

This is the amazing kitchen where many delicious dishes were whipped up in my childhood. Only thing is there are many ants and insects crawling in from the outside .. scary ...

This is the path to the toilet (yes it is detached from the house) and rubber processing room (which was converted to a store room many years back) . I am terrified of this place cos there are always many ferocious guard dogs around and it is pitch dark when night falls. Till today, I will drag my grannie along whenever I need to visit the toilet...hehehe

This is the much spoken about toilet. Note that there is no flushing system so the little purple container is very useful ! And yes, I showered here too with icy cold water (no heater too!)stored in the blue tiled compartment. Trust me, one scoop of that icy water will immediately wake even the most sleepy soul. On top of that, you will also have Lizzies and mozzies as your willing audience ...arrgghhh ... shower time is always 5 min flat for me! Hahaha

And this is the low lying well in the processing room (aka storeroom now) which I was fearful of cos I will always imagine myself tripping and falling into it. In fact there is another HUGE well that I used to play with (used to think it was fun to throw the bucket into the well and fetch water like "adults") but din had time to pop by for some pics during this trip.

Will continue to blog abt the food tomorrow .. am sleeping now cos super tired after driving back earlier this evening ...yup, I did it .. I drove in Msia ! hahaha

I hate Lizzies !

Imagine sitting in a room with lizzies (Ler's term of affection for LIZARDS !Eeekkk!!) doing all kinds of funny acrobatic stunts in front of you (its amazing how they can contort themselves) ... yup, thats my exact predicament now and I am absolutely terrified of them!

Was happily clearing my work in the office earlier today when Uncle Eugene (Baby Jun's dad) gave me a call and gleefully suggested that we drive to Pagoh (in Muar, Msia) in the evening to visit my relatives. I gamely agreed, not knowing that I will be the one doing the driving (on Msia roads... shudder ) and forgetting that my grandaunt's place is in the kampong where lizzies crawls all over the place .

So there I was totally tensed up behind the wheels crawling at 100km/hr and 200% concentration on the roads cos the highways were not lit up like the Singapore roads I was used to (Spoilt brat , i admit). I finally made it though .. with Uncle taking over the wheels at a halfway break and speeding at 130km/hr...hahaha ...so you can imagine his frustration at SLOW me ...

Anyway, here I am nursing all my mozzies wounds and ever so watchful of those lizzies running all over the walls ...think it is going to be a sleepless night ... there goes that clicking sound again ... arrrgghhh !!!

Happy 1st Birthday Jun ! Muack !!

Adults are weird, first they asked me to choose from a tray of stuff ... guess which I took ??

Then they made me pick up numbers and squeal with delight with the 4 numbers ...sigh

I had to wrestle with strange Uncle Michael before being allowed to MY PARTY ..imagine that !

And ahem ....there were some tiny balloons .. cos cousin Wendy burst like a million while decorating ..hahaha

Finally at the party. What's a Birthday without a Big Teddy Cake ! But why PINK ah ??

Attacked by my cousin Tiing and Uncle Michael !

My vain cousin Wendy with her bouquet of flowers. Posing as usual

And of cos, me, pleased as a bird with not one but 2 handphones as presents ... (both cousin Tiing & Wendy are sobbing at a corner now ...revenge is sweet ...hahaha)

Homecoming !

Yeah ! Grannie and Baby Jun will be coming back this week and I am so excited ... worried ... excited....worried .... I Can't make up my mind !hehehehe

Am so looking forward to Baby Jun's 1st Birthday Party and have a million and one ideas on how to throw the party ... bouncing castle (nah, too young), 3D birthday cake (I like!) and even the those stationary kiddy rides (remember the ones which you will pester and whine whenever you pass by the provision shop with your parents??) And still undecided and I only have 3 more days !

Hmm , how abt those "walking" balloons & banners & cute plates and cups ? May be a good idea to fill the place with several of those right? Ok, I admit, I am having fun planning the party and since Baby Jun is too young to know what is happening, it will be a party for us adults..heheheh

Story of 60 Antibiotics !

Happily went for my flu jab on Wed at the company in house clinic and thought all was fine till I discovered a swelling in my arm and it started to ache ! Ok, maybe its just my imagination so I waited ... and waited.. and waited

By Friday, the swelling has harden and the achy feeling was bugging me so I popped by my GP for a diagnosis and was fuming mad when he told me that it was probable that bacteria has ended my body during the injection. Sigh ... and to kill the bacteria, I have to go through 5 days of strong antibiotics!

Arrghh ... this is so frustrating.

Incredible India

Am now half sober in my GRT hotel room in Chennai.. just had at least 3 mugs of Kingfisher beer (India's domestic beer) within 2 hours and trust me, I am in a happy mood..hahaha

For those who intend to visit Chennai, check out club Dubai, it is pretty happening and we had fun dancing and prancing to Hindi music. I even did my Bhanga dance and no one even care!! Yeah !!

Today was a super busy day and I interviewed at least 30 folks from 9 - 7pm and some coudn't even speak English so I did my best giving intelligent nods when my hiring managers conversed with them in Tamil and Hindi. Most of them were so nervous and fearful of us that they reel back in shock when we ask them to pose us some quesions.

Lunch was great cos we visited this Msia restuarant and had prata, dahl, tandoori chicken, chicken curry and masala tea. Though the waiter was completely confused by our orders ( we only had 6 pax!) and even overcharged us of which my Indian colleague gave him a earful.

Lining the streets of Chennai were beggar syndicates who hires children to beg and pester visitors like us. Felt really bad for the little girl in torn clothes, tugging at my shirt but I know once I whip out my wallet, either the entire gang will descend upon me or I will lose my wallet totally.

Life in Chennai is pretty much backward with some developments(though half done expressways & buildings are spotted) and traffic is incredible. There are hardly traffic lights around and there are no markings on the road so drivers honk honk honk their way through.

Dinner was at this nicely furnished North Indian restaurant and the masala papoodam and mint churney is yummy. We had a platter of various BBQ meat and cubes of cottage cheese which honestly taste like tau fu. Realised from my colleague that Indians typically take dinner only at 8 plus so we were really like fish out of water when we ate the appetiser and did not proceed to any main course.

Okie, the time is 1.50am Chennai time (SG 4.16am) and I really need to sleep cos I will see more candidates tomorrow before I have to make a decision. Nite Nite

Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall

For those who have seen me over the past 2 days, yup, I am walking with a slight limp and there is only 1 person to blame . ME ....... & my vanity of cos!

You see, I have been wondering over the past few weeks, how on earth can my colleague wear wedges to work every single day. I mean, isn't it awkward to walk in them ?? No, she convinces me that they are extremely comfortable to walk in and I shd go get myself one... of which I DID!

The rest of the story is pretty predictable, yah, I twisted my ankle while attempting to wobble my way around BUT what's worse is that I FELL then got TWISTED! Yes, just like Humpty Dumpty in his great Fall . Except I wasn't rolling on the floor , or at least I tried not to...hahahaha

To cut the story short, I was wobbling my way to the car with my gym bag, lap top bag, handbag (yah, on hindsight, i was asking for it) in those WEDGES when I swayed a little and DOWN I went... first on the right knee, then on the left knee and before I know it, I was in a praying position (with hands on the floor) to the car across... and there was SOMEONE in there ! Faintz ....

I picked up whatever little was left of my shattered ego and sashayed to the car which thankfully was only 2 cars away and hid in there catching my breathe .. = P

Well, today is Day 2 after the fall and it is starting to hurt and swell just a teeny bit and mum is getting all worried cos I will be flying to India on Thurs for a short biz trip. Sigh.... vanity and I'm paying for it now ....ouch ouch ouch ...

* Wanted to take a pic of the accused but didn't want to be reminded anymore!!hahahah *