Tying up loose ends

Have been so busy of late.....the inbox of my personal life has a million mails in it by now. Have not had much time to reply, and procrastination does not help at all.

From reading all your comments to my 'Cant buy me love' post, I realise that you are all tremendously practical people who think with your heads. It was a surprise to me. All the while I had the impression that some of you were more emotional. This is more true of my old friends, who I know to be extremely loyal friends. Perhaps while we have all grown up, in my mind, you are all still the age when we first knew each other. I guess it is the same for you regarding me.

Am going to Chiang Mai on Friday and will be back on Monday. Have yet to pack or do anything constructive....yes, this is such a familiar refrain. It has always been a habit to pack last minute, and since I dont miss out packing anything, there is no reason to change.

Duck changed jobs recently. PY resigned. Squid just moved to a new job not too long ago though it was a lateral move. Pinky is resigning too. WT is sending out resumes and so is Junior. JH has started sending out resumes instead of conqueroring the world and volunteering in disaster areas. I have given up flipping through Recruit on Saturdays because I know it is a forlorn cause until May at least.

DK and I were emailing each other in office. I asked him to remind me again why we are in this job. On some days, I agree with JH that while the work is interesting, it is a badly run organisation. And today, while in the lift, I reflected on DK's response, which was we do not have a choice and smiled a wry smile. I had retorted that I did not have a bond to serve much to his chagrin.

It is hard when you work in an establishment that has a monopoly in the industry. But deep down inside, I know this is not the reason.

What ancient bloodline do you have?

You have Elvin blood: The blood in your veins is

that of the elves. The most noble of all

bloods. The Elves are very honest and wise,

and you share that aspect with them. You are

a very fun and kind person and anyone who

meets you immediately feels safe when youre

around. You are a great person and an even

better friend. Dont ever change for anyone.


What ancient bloodline do you have?
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Cant buy me love......

I pondered very long before writing this post. This happens when your friends have access to your blog. Freedom of the pen becomes somewhat constricted.

A friend I know is dating a girl who is not a Singapore citizen. By all appearances, the girl seems keen on applying for a Singapore PR-ship. Needless to say, I wondered if she was more interested in my friend, or the PR. Anyway, another friend was tasked to find out more on the necessary paperwork to get the PR.

At a get-together dinner not too long ago, where they were fashionably 1 hour and 30 mins late, the topic of PR-ship cropped up. I told her that as long as she earns a salary of $2,500, she was eligible. Friend told her that her best bet was to register with our friend, and then apply.

When they left, I asked friend why insist on her registering with our friend. Friend said that if she had heeded my advice and applied, chances were that her application would be turned down because she was not working here, and she lacked suitable qualifications. This would make it harder for her subsequent applications. It was also a hint to her that if she wants the PR-ship so badly, she would have to commit to our friend.

I laughed and told friend that I dropped her a bait. If she rose to it, it proves almost beyond reasonable doubt that she was more interested in the PR than our friend. If so, I cannot be bothered whether her application succeeds or not. In any case, it will not be my bait that would result in her failed bid but her own keeness for the PR-ship. To paraphrase my friendly hph seller when he presented me with the hph contract to sign, 'if you dont break the contract, there is nothing in there that can harm you; if you do, there is nothing in there that can help you.' Similarly, if she was keen on my friend, there was nothing that I said that could harm her, but if she was keen on the PR, there is nothing in what I said that could help her.

While I cannot be bothered to contemplate whether she deserves it or not, I would not wish a friend of mine to settle down with a girl more interested in the citizenship he can bring her than for who he is.

Friend glared at me and refused to speak.

'Shrugs'

The citizenship of my country is not for, to quote a colloquial Chinese term, any pig, dog or cat. Neither is her PR-ship. If you really want it, first prove your own worth.

I would like to hear your views, even if it contradicts with mine.

Angsana Resort & Spa Bintan

The above-mentioned place I will be from Sat to Mon. =)
Will be bringing along my Nikon S4. If procrastination does not hit, pix will be up for viewing.

Wished I could write that I finished assignment. But no, the happy news will have to wait.

PY is going Italy from Sun till mid March. PSA just flew to Cairo for a 2-week course. The lucky things!

Hotel in Chiang Mai confirmed. Yipeeeeeeeeee

Sudoku

Just finished a sizable chunk of my assignments. Thank heavens for the invention of the Internet. Where else will I be able to find translations of names like Penelope Cruz in Chinese?

Went to pour myself a glass of water and saw Dad playing Sudoku. Went to peep over Dad's shoulder at his puzzle and poke fun at him. Got shooed away...... =)

Romance of the 3 Kingdoms

This website may prove useful for those whose command of the Chinese language is like mine.
=)

http://www.threekingdoms.com/

It has made it to my list of books to read. Will not list it as one of the books to read for 2006. That seems way too ambitious. The book is almost like a project in itself.

Read in papers today about having students study Literature. They were debating that when I was in school. 'chuckle'

Literature is one of the most interesting subjects one can take in school. But if you dont have the interest, you dont have the interest. Why push so hard for it?

I still cannot believe that Kiera Knightley was nominated for her role in Pride and Prejudice. To me, Elizabeth Bennett was a highly intelligent and sassy lady. I thought Knightley played her with a little too much cheek. Then again, this is just my own opinion. As what Pammie said, Pride and Prejudice is one book where the movie adaptations can never bring out Austen's wit and humour.

Munich opening in Singapore on 23 FEB 05. YES!!!!!!!

Good times great taste

Have you seen the ad for the new Mac rice burger?

让饭 更饭-tastic

Interesting isnt it? I thought it had a lot of character. Pretty uniquely Singapore.

Days of my life

Am currently ploughing my way through Jewel in the Palace. Yes, I've finally caved in. Thank goodness for the fast fwd button. The Koreans are super drama mamas. Even when on fast fwd, they take forever to cry, open the door, look at the view. Imagine if I'm watching it on normal speed. 'mock horror'

Am quite amazed at the historical inaccuracies of the show.

How could they have cooked the Man-Han Banquet during that period? Did you also notice the uniform of the Ming Ambassador?

At least I think it is the Ming Ambassador, since they always referred to China as 'Da Ming'.

Nana and I were griping about it in office.

Btw, I figured out my double booking tendencies prior to CNY.

Now, trying to rush my assignments out on time. Am on Episode 37 out of 70. And resisting the temptation to watch the last disc. Duck and Pinky will roll their eyes. (grin)

The script however, is really really solid. The best kind of characters are the kind who are neither good nor bad. IMHO, that's the best reflection of life.

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year to all of you.

May this year be much better than the last for you and your family! =)