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 *

Yakkety Yak ... I like ...

As promised, here are some pics of me doing what I do best .... yes, shamelessly and happily yakking away and like what WL said, sianing the fresh meat. Oops, I meant fresh grads at the fair...hahaha.......A true blue recruiter on auto pilot ...hehehe

My resident Garfield

Just wanted to share a few pics of the resident Garfield at my place. I thought it (can't figure out male or female) looks pretty cute but Sand (obviously not a cat lover!) thought otherwise and was standing like 5 metre away when I snapped these pics.

Actually, it did not look very friendly (maybe cos I was not there with offerings) and at 1 point, possibly hungry ... warning ....hahaha

Anyway, this Garfield is but one of the several cats guarding my little garden next to the lift landing and it never amazes me how they can make us, the residents, feel like trespassers of their land! Confidence plays a huge role and I must take my hat off to these little (ahem.. I meant BIG) gungho kitties ...

Yes, and it is ALOOF too !!

Busy Busy Week

Am super busy this week with preparation of the Recruitment Drive at NTU on Thursday and there are like a millions things undone! Nearly had an heart attack when I did the set up in the afternoon cos all the other companies were really elaborate and had their own contractors fixing up the booths. My poor colleague and I were the only HR folks around amongst the contractors and we were sweating buckets putting up our very limited posters... sigh ... why oh why did I NOT spend the $$!! So guess tomorrow we just had to turn on our charms and wow the students with our .... ermmmm ....personality ???? hahahaha ...

Wish Me Luck ! My bonus depends on this ! or at least a small portion of it ....hahahah

月下老人 aka 月老

Spotted the Deity of Marriage along Singapore River with his invisible silken cord that brings predestined mates together. No wonder couples were crowding around him, hoping for his blessings ... hehehe ...

Lantern Festival at Chinatown

This being the last weekend before the Mid Autumn Festival, I had to make a trip to Chinatown and soak in the festive spirit (am a sucker for festive celebrations..hehehe). Thankfully the streets were not like jam packed and we even got to enjoy some performances at the stage. The highlight will definitely be the lantern exhibition opposite Maxwell Market (need to pay $5 per pax okie) and took quite a few pic. It's not a big area so there were only a few big exhibits... Sand was more interested in the magic show on stage and I was happily snapping pics ..

So for those who would like to save the $5 , enjoy the slideshow ...= )

Deadlines

What is the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning ? And the last thing when you sleep at night ? Ok, spare me the details and lovey dovey , mushy sweet nothings ... I was NOT talking abt that ! It's DEADLINEs !! *sigh *

Yup, these dreaded deadlines have been doing a marathon in my mind for the past week and it looks like the destination is not within sight!! arrggghhh ... why why why ??

Actually, I do know why ...hmm ... this sounds like a monologue but then again, it's my blog so who cares ..hahahah..

Just spent my entire day drawing out timelines, process maps, checklist and calling like a million people to make the necc arrangements just so as to do what ??? Meet DEADLINES !

This is exasperating... life is more than just one deadline after another. Work should be Fun ...Gosh, I did it Again ... this is great ... I have just reminded myself that I need to develop a entire programme on Fun@WORK (I am serious! this is my job ... and feeling all miserable trying to make work fun for others..hahahah .. ironic)

I NEED THE WEEKEND ... but then, I am working this weekend !!... ARRRGGHHH ....

Warning : Not a Pretty Sight

I did warn you didn't I ? Yes, this entry is definitely far from pretty. In fact, it can be disgusting & even disturbing to some (and I wasn't talking abt my Flowery AUNTIE PJs okie!) ...hahaha

By now those who have been reading my blog will know that I am one sick puppy (thanks to my own doing) and since I need to recover in double quick time (have a really impt event on SAT!!), I have to resort to all means and so here's the latest remedy .... after I have tried salt water, starfruit juice etc etc etc ....

Yup, they call it 黑梅竹峰 which is kinda creepy cos we are talking abt drinking boiled bees here but I thought it sounded really cool! You know me and my weird relationship with insects ...hehehe

One Advice : Always listen to the doctor !

Yah, listen to the doctor, that's pretty obvious right .. unless you wanna play Quack Doc yourself.BUT your workaholic & impossibly stubborn fren here just refuses to do so when issued an MC yesterday and what's the outcome ? 2 full days of MC now cos the condition worsen & I even lost my voice !! And what's more, I did not bring my office laptop home !!sob sob sob ... (see the workaholic creeping out again)

Anyway, since I am stuck home, what's better than to start blogging, beading, card marking, CSI marathon ... oops, did I mention that I am sick ?hahahaha

For those who were not one of the 57,000++ folks who made their way to the NATAS TRAVEL FAIR@Expo .. trust me, it was MADNESS !Singaporeans truly love their holidays and FREEBIES. There were queues after queues for free Coke, Coffee, tote bags, luggage bags, lucky dips,oven,cordless phones, shopping vouchers etc etc etc ...

But I enjoyed the performance.. or more specifically, the B Boys dance (imagine bare torsos hip hopping to classic arrangement, definitely drool worthy!) and beautiful Korean models in hanbok costume (brings me back to Da Chang Jin). Check out my album for some of their pics.

Oh, and I also met this really cool caricarture artist who did a whacky pic of Sand & Me ... in our ideal body !hahaha

Best in Singapore, JB and some say BATAM !

Nope, not promoting PCK Pte Ltd but yummy yummy DONUTS !

Its true, apparently the donut craze has invaded our neighbouring isle and honestly, it doesn't taste too bad.... just a tad too sweet but what the heck... heheheh

So here's some offerings from Batam

(Psst, mum was the little mouse who took that bite ...hahaha )

For those who are curious, think the green tea (thought was KAYA initially) donut is the weirdest cos too overpowering. The sweetest and diabetes inducing award goes to the donut with white choc coating with a dash of coffee powder. As though the coating was not bad enough, it was laden with fresh cream filling (can you imagine??!!)

And of cos mum's fav (and mine too) was the white choc & almond flakes .. very fresh and crunchy . Yumm ....

By the way, me always prefer ring donuts cos it would be really fun to wear them on your fingers & twirl them while you eat ! hehehehe ....

In case my dietian (aka as my twin Ms Monkey!) is reading this entry, this box of donuts was given by my neighbour , Lina okie ... *blink blink*

Happy Birthday Auntie Rose !!

May you forever be as radiant as a blooming Rose .

Love Ya Lots !Muack !

For more pics of the celebration (and all my other trigger-happy snapping), do pop by
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stazpeek