It's the 31st of December 2009, and I'm sitting at my office cubicle, counting down to the end of the 'half day', that every employee is entitled to here. I have a slight headache, obviously induced by the late night I had, and I'm hoping it will disappear as the day moves along.
I think I should start reflecting on the year, just to give myself some closure, and consolidate the various things I have learned throughout 2009 (I think that will happen after all my guests leave for the night). I think I will make a list, of all the things naughty and nice, and see what happens. There's so much to be thankful for, and there's so much to be unhappy about... and yet, these things don't always matter. I wonder what will I tell myself as I move through the memories of 2009 - to make myself feel better, to make myself understand, to make myself be at peace.
Consolidating, reliving the moments, and appreciating everything/everyone that has made this year amazing, bearable, and just plain fantastic. I guess I owe myself (and them) at least that much. I must say, I am very certain that I have grown in strength and grace over the year, and that is something I have to remember to appreciate.
PS: Damn, I have so many 'backdated' blog entries that need posting! Argh! Looks like it will have to be done in the New Year! :)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Eve Dinner Line-up
1. Chicken Pot Pie
2. Bacon Corn Chowder
3. Stewed Pears in Mulled Wine
4. White Hot Chocolate
(Damn, I need to think of a veggie dish...maybe a salad...Heh.)
2. Bacon Corn Chowder
3. Stewed Pears in Mulled Wine
4. White Hot Chocolate
(Damn, I need to think of a veggie dish...maybe a salad...Heh.)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Last Day
Today is my last day in Copenhagen.
About 3 more hours before I fly off to the airport. I think I still need to hop over to the Tiger Shop to pick up some stuff for some people.
Dunno lah... I hate shopping, and I have no idea what to buy for people.'
It's one of those, either buy for everyone, or buy for no one, type of situations.
I think I should just shop for myself, OR shop for whatever inspires me to get something for someone i.e. I see something, and in my head I go, 'ah, I think so-and-so would appreciate this' OR 'OH! This is SOOOO so-and-so! I HAVE to get to get it for him/her.'
Yeah, I think that's what I will do. Moreover, this wasn't exactly a shopping trip/holiday, and things here are majorly expensive man... I have no idea how my aunt survives here. Even with a high-paying job, you still pay through the nose, and it ain't funny.
Well, been feeling emo about some things, but I guess, that's how I usually am anyways. I should have ample time on the plane to figure things out in my head, and then things should be alright... I THINK...
For now, farvel!
And I will see you back in that Garden City of a home.
About 3 more hours before I fly off to the airport. I think I still need to hop over to the Tiger Shop to pick up some stuff for some people.
Dunno lah... I hate shopping, and I have no idea what to buy for people.'
It's one of those, either buy for everyone, or buy for no one, type of situations.
I think I should just shop for myself, OR shop for whatever inspires me to get something for someone i.e. I see something, and in my head I go, 'ah, I think so-and-so would appreciate this' OR 'OH! This is SOOOO so-and-so! I HAVE to get to get it for him/her.'
Yeah, I think that's what I will do. Moreover, this wasn't exactly a shopping trip/holiday, and things here are majorly expensive man... I have no idea how my aunt survives here. Even with a high-paying job, you still pay through the nose, and it ain't funny.
Well, been feeling emo about some things, but I guess, that's how I usually am anyways. I should have ample time on the plane to figure things out in my head, and then things should be alright... I THINK...
For now, farvel!
And I will see you back in that Garden City of a home.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Fireplace
It's so cool to have a fireplace in the house; especially when it's snowing outside.
(Try lighting a fire inside an HDB... LOL)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
More from Copenhagen!
Okay, I promised that I'd blog, so that's what I am doing...
Here are some fun facts about being in Copenhagen during winter, or what I've experienced about this place so far:
1. It's gray all the time...sleet gray.
2. It gets all dark by 3pm.
3. Fingers, necks and other body parts exposed to the cold wind feel like they would break off anytime, so wrap up!
4. The bakeries here are amazing... none of that rubbish you get back in Singapore (save Provence). It's the real stuff; stuff you read about in Enid Blyton books; stuff that comes from fairytales and warm hearth fires.
5. Christmas lights here are done well and proper, nothing too fanciful, but traditional.
6. They have public showers! Cool stuff.
7. Their public transport system is just as (if not more) advanced as Singapore.
8. The pace of life here is S-L-O-W.
9. Work ends on time at 5pm, and ends at 4pm on Fridays, and people get to leave before that anyways, which means as early as 3+pm on Fridays!
10. The people are GOOD LOOKING. VERY good looking. =)
11. Denmark is 7 hrs behind Singapore.
That's all I can think of at the moment...
Anyway, yesterday, I visited Jule Tivoli (pronounce you-leh tee-vo-lee), which is basically Tivoli Gardens done up for the winter i.e. Christmas time. It was pretty spectacular for the world's oldest amusement park. I loved the cold, and I loved the lights. Here are some pictures:
Here are some fun facts about being in Copenhagen during winter, or what I've experienced about this place so far:
1. It's gray all the time...sleet gray.
2. It gets all dark by 3pm.
3. Fingers, necks and other body parts exposed to the cold wind feel like they would break off anytime, so wrap up!
4. The bakeries here are amazing... none of that rubbish you get back in Singapore (save Provence). It's the real stuff; stuff you read about in Enid Blyton books; stuff that comes from fairytales and warm hearth fires.
5. Christmas lights here are done well and proper, nothing too fanciful, but traditional.
6. They have public showers! Cool stuff.
7. Their public transport system is just as (if not more) advanced as Singapore.
8. The pace of life here is S-L-O-W.
9. Work ends on time at 5pm, and ends at 4pm on Fridays, and people get to leave before that anyways, which means as early as 3+pm on Fridays!
10. The people are GOOD LOOKING. VERY good looking. =)
11. Denmark is 7 hrs behind Singapore.
That's all I can think of at the moment...
Anyway, yesterday, I visited Jule Tivoli (pronounce you-leh tee-vo-lee), which is basically Tivoli Gardens done up for the winter i.e. Christmas time. It was pretty spectacular for the world's oldest amusement park. I loved the cold, and I loved the lights. Here are some pictures:
The Main Entrance
One of many random trees littered around the entire park.
Arab/Indian styled building.
Glowing hearts on a tree. =)
Christmas tree... pretty with star on top and 'electronic snow' 'falling' from it.
UFO, spinning, thingy ride.
Chinese Pagoda.
Teddy Bear Shop!!!
Spinning-Flying Chairs Ride
A game stall.
Machine which auto-embroiders caps and others things.
I regret not making one; it would only set me back SGD$23. Ah well...
Funny Warning.
Imagine guards appearing and 'banishing' you from the 'land'.
Hilarious!
I love this snowflake. It's really pretty.
That should do for now. It's dinnertime now! Yeah, it's only 6.13pm here, just in time for dinner!
Farvel!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Emotional
I don't really know what to feel right now...I just know that it was a difficult choice, and I don't think anyone would every truly understand.
And it really sucks that I have to choose, but sometimes, it really comes down to that. There are times when I wish for so many things, and today I am just suddenly so clear about why certain things are more important than others. I just want to use this lesson to remind me of the bigger reason behind all this shit, and how it's very important for me to use whatever energy I have to drive myself to greater heights.
How to differentiate between the 'self' and everything and everyone else?
Gosh...it's just sooo tough sometimes. It really is.
Right now, I don't even know what I am really feeling, and yet at the same time, I know EXACTLY what I am feeling... not sure if anyone understands what I am talking about, but well, good if you do, and happy waiting, if you don't.
And it really sucks that I have to choose, but sometimes, it really comes down to that. There are times when I wish for so many things, and today I am just suddenly so clear about why certain things are more important than others. I just want to use this lesson to remind me of the bigger reason behind all this shit, and how it's very important for me to use whatever energy I have to drive myself to greater heights.
How to differentiate between the 'self' and everything and everyone else?
Gosh...it's just sooo tough sometimes. It really is.
Right now, I don't even know what I am really feeling, and yet at the same time, I know EXACTLY what I am feeling... not sure if anyone understands what I am talking about, but well, good if you do, and happy waiting, if you don't.
Solitude on Flight
A long flight with one transit in between is the longest I’ve ever been on a plane actually. Fortunately, British Airways is actually quite decent, and I enjoyed most of my flight from Singapore to Heathrow and then from Heathrow to Copenhagen.
The Singapore-Heathrow segment of the journey to go visit my aunt consisted of a full 12-hour flight which meant that my ass would be seated for a very long time. That aside, it also meant I would have a lot of time to kill. As expected, I managed to watch FOUR movies in between napping, going to the toilet, and eating. Strangely enough, the long flight offered me a solitude which I did not know I was longing and the movies that I picked allowed me to catch up on shows that I’ve been saying I wanted to watch, but never got around to. During this time, I reflected on many things, and remembered many things that were important to me.
I remembered the importance of good friends, and the joy of having loved (together with the pain of having lost such love), and the greatness which is family. I remembered compassion and possibility; I remembered happiness and the wonder of clarity of thought. I remembered the beauty of the world and its significance to me, and I remembered the insignificance of man and the boundless struggles we create against the forces around us.
I felt connected, once again, to these things, and was reminded of the things I have learned over the years and the people and things which have made me the person that I am today. Flying alone in a navy blue sky allowed me to truly reflect and experience (again) the wonder of the human spirit, and the things that motivate, inspire and love us.
The strongest, and part of the flight which I remembered the most, was when I was nearing the end of Up, and the protagonist was slowly flipping through a scrapbook which contained memories of his wife and their married life together. For some reason, as he was doing this, I started to cry. I saw how I needed to let go of certain things, and continue to look forward, no matter what. I saw how I was making my memories ‘wrong’ by feeling unhappy about them and longing for them. In the end, it’s really about Tennessee’s famous, “It’s is better to have loved and lost, than never to have love before.”
After crying, I looked out the plane window, and right outside were three things: the wing of the plane, the horizon between the night sky and the white sea of clouds, and the glittering silver of stars encrusted into a navy blue piece of velvet. Then I remembered, and it felt like the stars and the night sky were comforting me. Telling me to be strong and to remember that there are many things ahead and important for me to do, and not let the ‘bad’ things get me down…for those things were not truly ‘bad’, but just lessons to learn and ways to make me stronger and better than before.
It’s time to move on and enjoy my time in Copenhagen, seeing what I need to see, and doing what I need to do. And going back into myself and recreating myself all over again. =)
The Singapore-Heathrow segment of the journey to go visit my aunt consisted of a full 12-hour flight which meant that my ass would be seated for a very long time. That aside, it also meant I would have a lot of time to kill. As expected, I managed to watch FOUR movies in between napping, going to the toilet, and eating. Strangely enough, the long flight offered me a solitude which I did not know I was longing and the movies that I picked allowed me to catch up on shows that I’ve been saying I wanted to watch, but never got around to. During this time, I reflected on many things, and remembered many things that were important to me.
I remembered the importance of good friends, and the joy of having loved (together with the pain of having lost such love), and the greatness which is family. I remembered compassion and possibility; I remembered happiness and the wonder of clarity of thought. I remembered the beauty of the world and its significance to me, and I remembered the insignificance of man and the boundless struggles we create against the forces around us.
I felt connected, once again, to these things, and was reminded of the things I have learned over the years and the people and things which have made me the person that I am today. Flying alone in a navy blue sky allowed me to truly reflect and experience (again) the wonder of the human spirit, and the things that motivate, inspire and love us.
The strongest, and part of the flight which I remembered the most, was when I was nearing the end of Up, and the protagonist was slowly flipping through a scrapbook which contained memories of his wife and their married life together. For some reason, as he was doing this, I started to cry. I saw how I needed to let go of certain things, and continue to look forward, no matter what. I saw how I was making my memories ‘wrong’ by feeling unhappy about them and longing for them. In the end, it’s really about Tennessee’s famous, “It’s is better to have loved and lost, than never to have love before.”
After crying, I looked out the plane window, and right outside were three things: the wing of the plane, the horizon between the night sky and the white sea of clouds, and the glittering silver of stars encrusted into a navy blue piece of velvet. Then I remembered, and it felt like the stars and the night sky were comforting me. Telling me to be strong and to remember that there are many things ahead and important for me to do, and not let the ‘bad’ things get me down…for those things were not truly ‘bad’, but just lessons to learn and ways to make me stronger and better than before.
It’s time to move on and enjoy my time in Copenhagen, seeing what I need to see, and doing what I need to do. And going back into myself and recreating myself all over again. =)
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Flying on a Jetplane...
Am now waiting for the gate to open...then I will be on my way to Copenhagen...
Gonna be a LONG LONG flight...
Transiting in Heathrow first, then onwards to Copenhagen.
Whew...
Still don't know what to feel....sheesh.
Gonna be a LONG LONG flight...
Transiting in Heathrow first, then onwards to Copenhagen.
Whew...
Still don't know what to feel....sheesh.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Visiting Copenhagen...
but for the wrong reason.
Sighz...
Will be gone from Tuesday night to Tuesday evening.
Sighz...
Will be gone from Tuesday night to Tuesday evening.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Impressed! (with myself)
Today's a fairly slow day in the office, so I was taking the time to plan out my leave and offs for the end of the year. It's really quite exciting. Of course I need to run it by my seniors such that they are alright with it, and such that they don't suddenly panic and wonder why I am not around. Anyway, I was feeling nice and all initiative-ish, so I took the liberty to draw up a table to facilitate the viewing of my planning for my seniors.
So here's what I sent to my senior:
Nice right? LOL! My colleagues were quite impressed. Mwahahaha!
Anyway, now I need my senior to give the green light, and I'm all set for the end of the year.
It's either this, OR I continually take long weekends for myself (like Mondays and Fridays off).
Wish me luck! =)
So here's what I sent to my senior:
Nice right? LOL! My colleagues were quite impressed. Mwahahaha!
Anyway, now I need my senior to give the green light, and I'm all set for the end of the year.
It's either this, OR I continually take long weekends for myself (like Mondays and Fridays off).
Wish me luck! =)
Thursday, December 03, 2009
(Backdated) SITEX 2009 & my virgin LAN Gaming Experience
Last Thursday was great!
I took a day off, and with some of my fellow editors, we planned to head down to SITEX 2009 at EXPO to check it out and see whether there was anything worth buying there. For myself, I was looking forward to finding some good deals for the Playstation 3 that I was intending to purchase as a present to myself. So we all met up early early and made our way to the exhibition hall. There were SOOOOO many people there man. Sadly, SITEX 2009 was a disappointment! There wasn't anything that really stood out and screamed 'BUY ME NOW!'.
There was only ONE vendor selling PS3s, and even the official Sony booth wasn't carrying the console. So we ended up leaving really early after making our rounds. Slightly disappointed, but cheerful nonetheless.
Next on the agenda was lunch and LAN gaming. It was a Japanese affair on the 4th (or was it 5th) floor of Iluma. Nothing too fantastic, but still decent. We had some fun ordering using the RFID pen and RFID enabled menu.
Then the main event began. We went to the 7th floor of Iluma, and booked ourselves for 2 hours of solid LAN gaming (though I am sure in the eyes of seasoned pros that this measly amount is hardly a challenge). We booted up Left 4 Dead 2, but it turned out to be too difficult for us, with two out of the four of us being slightly noob-ish (I was of course one of them, PLUS I don't really like first-person shooters). Anyway, the game was a co-operative first-person shooter where four people need to move through a zombie infested town. We kept dying, so we quit and loaded up the original Left 4 Dead, and had a ball of a time.
There's something extremely therapeutic about blasting zombies left-right-centre, and riddling them full of bullets. My favourite weapons were the uzi and the Molotov cocktails. There's nothing more satisfying than the sound of bullets spraying at a semi-automatic rate into piles and piles of undead bodies hungry for your flesh. And watching the zombies run around like headless chickens as they ignite from the sea of flames caused by the Molotov cocktails is damn shiok (of course at this point, you continue to fill them full of bullets! *beams*)!
Unfortunately, we each had out evening appointments, so the fun had to end. But I definitely enjoyed my time out with my colleagues....I'm glad they're around sia. Helps make life in the office more enjoyable!
=)
I took a day off, and with some of my fellow editors, we planned to head down to SITEX 2009 at EXPO to check it out and see whether there was anything worth buying there. For myself, I was looking forward to finding some good deals for the Playstation 3 that I was intending to purchase as a present to myself. So we all met up early early and made our way to the exhibition hall. There were SOOOOO many people there man. Sadly, SITEX 2009 was a disappointment! There wasn't anything that really stood out and screamed 'BUY ME NOW!'.
There was only ONE vendor selling PS3s, and even the official Sony booth wasn't carrying the console. So we ended up leaving really early after making our rounds. Slightly disappointed, but cheerful nonetheless.
Next on the agenda was lunch and LAN gaming. It was a Japanese affair on the 4th (or was it 5th) floor of Iluma. Nothing too fantastic, but still decent. We had some fun ordering using the RFID pen and RFID enabled menu.
Then the main event began. We went to the 7th floor of Iluma, and booked ourselves for 2 hours of solid LAN gaming (though I am sure in the eyes of seasoned pros that this measly amount is hardly a challenge). We booted up Left 4 Dead 2, but it turned out to be too difficult for us, with two out of the four of us being slightly noob-ish (I was of course one of them, PLUS I don't really like first-person shooters). Anyway, the game was a co-operative first-person shooter where four people need to move through a zombie infested town. We kept dying, so we quit and loaded up the original Left 4 Dead, and had a ball of a time.
There's something extremely therapeutic about blasting zombies left-right-centre, and riddling them full of bullets. My favourite weapons were the uzi and the Molotov cocktails. There's nothing more satisfying than the sound of bullets spraying at a semi-automatic rate into piles and piles of undead bodies hungry for your flesh. And watching the zombies run around like headless chickens as they ignite from the sea of flames caused by the Molotov cocktails is damn shiok (of course at this point, you continue to fill them full of bullets! *beams*)!
Unfortunately, we each had out evening appointments, so the fun had to end. But I definitely enjoyed my time out with my colleagues....I'm glad they're around sia. Helps make life in the office more enjoyable!
=)
(Backdated) Of Sausage Risotto and Stewed Pears...
Now this was something that happened a while back, and I have been meaning to blog about it for the longest time. So I better do it justice now, since I've nothing to do at work today, and everything's in the 'wait-for-the-senior-to-tell-you-what-to-do-mode'.
Anyway, an unfortunate incident on a Monday led me to share it with the absolute babe from work, Jo-Ann. This amazing woman offered to come by my place on that week's Saturday to cook me a nice dinner and to just chit chat. So that's exactly what we did. We researched and printed out a recipe to prepare for the evening, and we decided on sausage risotto. It was a fairly simple dish, but you have NO IDEA how fucking good it tastes! (Pardon the my 'french'.)
So the dishes for the evening were as follows:
~Fresh Mushroom Soup (from scratch)
~Sausage Risotto
~Stewed Pear in Mulled Wine (the wine is drunk as the last part of the meal)
Here are some pictures of the cooking in progress:
Anyway, an unfortunate incident on a Monday led me to share it with the absolute babe from work, Jo-Ann. This amazing woman offered to come by my place on that week's Saturday to cook me a nice dinner and to just chit chat. So that's exactly what we did. We researched and printed out a recipe to prepare for the evening, and we decided on sausage risotto. It was a fairly simple dish, but you have NO IDEA how fucking good it tastes! (Pardon the my 'french'.)
So the dishes for the evening were as follows:
~Fresh Mushroom Soup (from scratch)
~Sausage Risotto
~Stewed Pear in Mulled Wine (the wine is drunk as the last part of the meal)
Here are some pictures of the cooking in progress:
Onions in the pot, sliced mushrooms at the back.
Wine being 'mulled'.
The soup ~ after blending and adding of cream
Jo and the Risotto
Stewed Pears and an over-dramatic me
Ruby-red on the outside, translucent white on the inside.
Well, the cook out was amazing, and we both came to the conclusion that if risotto was how 'angmos' cooked their rice, it's no wonder most of them are fat fat fat! Which unfortunately for us both, exactly who were going to become after that dinner....FAT FAT FAT! =)
Can't wait for the next cookout! Wheeee!
reflect-rant
Recently I've time to reflect on the company that I keep and the people I truly relate to. It sorta feels like my range is reducing once more, and the general love for people is often confused/conflated/collapsed/tainted by the unhappiness I feel towards certain people.
The thing is, at a level, I guess I already decided in my heart that I don't want to further associate with some people, and maybe I just don't know how to tell them this. Or maybe I'm just confused and frustrated... I guess as much as I know not to be affected by the people around, it's just not easy to just NOT care about the people I love.
Some greater, fiercer, more violent part of me just wants to bash up all the people who are treating the people I care about unfairly. And, I would love to be able to bash up all the intangible things like uncertainty, unhappiness, confusion, frustration, etc. These things always get in the way of people knowing what is best for them, and what they truly want...and seeing that sometimes really pisses me off.
I guess that's why I'm doing what I'm doing...a big part of me still truly believes that I can 'help' the people around by being the way that I am, and by the relationships I build with them. That's why I have resolved to apply the following adage/mantra/advice (whatever else you wanna call it) to my doing of things:
Always make sure you are solving a problem, or making something good even better than it already is.
Try applying this to all aspects of your life - friends, family, work, self...everything. And see how it goes. I guess I'm trying my best to do that everyday, and to myself especially.
Sigh, sorry for that seemingly random post. I just felt like saying those things and clearing my head a little. I think I haven't been speaking that much, or as much as I'd like to. Well, I will try to start blogging retropectively...there are definitely some posts which are long overdue.
Ciao for now peeps!
*hugz*
The thing is, at a level, I guess I already decided in my heart that I don't want to further associate with some people, and maybe I just don't know how to tell them this. Or maybe I'm just confused and frustrated... I guess as much as I know not to be affected by the people around, it's just not easy to just NOT care about the people I love.
Some greater, fiercer, more violent part of me just wants to bash up all the people who are treating the people I care about unfairly. And, I would love to be able to bash up all the intangible things like uncertainty, unhappiness, confusion, frustration, etc. These things always get in the way of people knowing what is best for them, and what they truly want...and seeing that sometimes really pisses me off.
I guess that's why I'm doing what I'm doing...a big part of me still truly believes that I can 'help' the people around by being the way that I am, and by the relationships I build with them. That's why I have resolved to apply the following adage/mantra/advice (whatever else you wanna call it) to my doing of things:
Always make sure you are solving a problem, or making something good even better than it already is.
Try applying this to all aspects of your life - friends, family, work, self...everything. And see how it goes. I guess I'm trying my best to do that everyday, and to myself especially.
Sigh, sorry for that seemingly random post. I just felt like saying those things and clearing my head a little. I think I haven't been speaking that much, or as much as I'd like to. Well, I will try to start blogging retropectively...there are definitely some posts which are long overdue.
Ciao for now peeps!
*hugz*
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