After the DKNY Spring/Summer 2006 fashion show, we went to this really really cute afe at Starhill called Tiffin Bay. Tucked at the top floor where Tangs used to be, this cafe is just too cute for words!! It looks like something right out of Alice in Wonderland! Seriously! Colorful decor and furniture, and those high-backed sofa chairs where that worm thingie (I think) in Alice in Wonderland sat and smoked its pipe.

They served beverages and desserts, not too sure about main courses. And the prices reasonable, comparable to Starbucks and CBTL. I had a ice-blended Honey Green Tea (RM11), she had an Iced Mocha (RM9).

There was a live jazz band playing while we were there and the band also plays in the evenings.

I… am… soooooo… tired. I dunno why. Had 6.5 hrs sleep last nite but am soooooooo depressingly exhausted now and it’s not even 7pm! Is it a sign of getting older??? But I’m not even 30 yet, gawd help me!!!

Tired… tired… zzzzzzzzzzzzz…

I was at the DKNY Spring/Summer 2006 fashion show @ Westin. Let me just say that this is my first time EVER at a designer label fashion show and it was an interesting experience.

Firstly, the people. Hhhmm… the crowd seemed to be mostly made up of tai tais, whose afternoons consist of sitting down, gossiping while drinking tea with their similar tai tai friends. Aaah, such luxury! There were also some rather well-known faces, 2 of whom I actually know who they are! *GASP!* Well, actually, the only one I recognized was Adam Curruthers (sp?) who hosts on 8TV (last time lar, dunno still does or not) and is/was a DJ on I-forgot-which-radio-station. The other 2 were pointed out to me : Serena C (DJ) and a designer for Bill Keith (can’t remember his name).

Next, the models… WOW! Sorry guys, I didn’t manage to take any pics coz didn’t wanna look jakun but man, they were damn freaking tall, like trees!!!!!! Like, really really really taaaaallllll!!!!! Loooooonnngg legs that went on forever! And though they were all really freakily thin, surprisingly, they had substantial boobs, heh. Could see them bouncing up and down when they were doing their catwalk thing ;o) Most were Caucasian but there were a couple of Asian-looking ones, one of which looked like she was gonna eat someone up, didn’t smile at all. Actually, I was more fascinated by the female models than the male ones. Got more female models. Plus most of the male models look too pretty-boy type, except for one of them who looked quite hot ;o) The fashion show itself took all of wat, 10 mins, I think.

After the show, we went to the DKNY boutique to collect our door gift. It’s a DKNY coffee flask!! ) And we also checked out some of the clothes there. A top that we like is going for RM429, dress RM1,299, another top RM929. I dun think I’m ever gonna be shopping at DKNY, man… Who pays that kind of money for a piece of clothing?! Heh… probably those same tai tais that were there lar…

All in, it was an interesting experience but I felt it to be rather pretentious but oh well, I got to see a real designer label fashion show!!!!! Wooo hooooo!!!!!

Gawd, I went ballistic in S’pore!!! Ballistically shopping, that is… hehe… am so freaking broke right now, it’s not even funny! I dunno how I’m gonna pay for my credit card bill next month! *WAIL!!!*

Here’s an inventory of my purchases:

• 4 Perlini bags (not branded but heck, like I care! They look nice!)
• 3 dresses (2 Daniel Yam, 1 something else… all formal/semi-formal. Was eyeing a S$119 Daniel Yam but couldn’t justify paying that much for a dress)
• 3 tops for salsa nites
• 3 board skirts
• 1 board shorts
• 1 board capri pants
• 1 pair Charles & Keith shoes (I’d have bought more shoes but the ones that I like were above S$60 and I refused to pay that much for shoes, nice as they were)
• 2 crystal-like hair ornaments

All in, I think I’d spent at least RM1K in shopping alone!! ACK!!!! Time to ikat perut and have bread + water for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (

I have to admit. I’ve never been fond of Change. In fact, I quite detest her. But I have to face it. The only thing constant in life is Change.

See, I like things to be just as I want them to be, like how I’m used to them. If something out of the ordinary happens and messes up my routine, I’d get flustered and lose my steam. It’s not that I can’t handle it, but I prefer things as they are, if at all possible.

So anyway, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the many faces of Change throughout the recent years, the 2nd most recent being that I’ve found my better half, which is the most significant AND good change to happen )

The latest Change event to happen was when I received my offer letter (last Friday) from the company that I’d interviewed with about a month or so ago and me handing in my resignation letter to my boss this morning. I would’ve been ok with my decision if my boss had just accepted my resignation with a “Oh, I’m sorry that you’ve decided to leave but all the best to you in your future” but when she went “Iiiieeerrrr, you’re going to that place ah?”, my self-doubt came flooding all over me again. I KNOW where I’m going is gonna be vastly different from all the places I’ve worked at, and I know coz everyone from my friend who’d given me the lead (to whom I’d be reporting), to the dept manager to interviewed me, to my current colleague who I’d shared this info with, to the Hiring Manager with whom I’d discussed my package terms. All of these ppl had told me more than a few times that I’m gonna have a culture shock when I get there. And I think I’ve more or less come to terms with this i.e. I have to learn to be more patient and adopt a ‘softer’ approach to get things done instead of my current “I dun care how u do it, just get it it done by this date” method. Which has worked reasonably well at my current and previous environment but apparently will backfire at the new place. So ok, will have to learn to be more patient.

In addition to that, the boss also said, “If you were going to Co. A or even Co. B, I’d be glad to let you go. But I dun see ur move to Co. C as a step forward. I hope u won’t stay there and rot. ” But she was quick to add “But I dun think u will lar.”And I went “What do u mean?” She said “As in, u learn all u can at that place and max 2 yrs, u should leave” So, I’m sitting there, thinking “Am I making the biggest mistake in my entire career life?!” coz I do like and respect my current boss and I do value her opinions coz she’s an expert in the industry and I’d like to believe that she’s looking out for me. But then again, it’s business. She could be psycho-ing me. I dunno.

Sigh… so anyway, my mind’s made up. Too late to back out now. Just gotta forge ahead and think positive i.e. Never try, never know, as wat my colleague keeps trying to drill into my head. Anyway, I’m not that ambitious i.e. I dun wanna be a CEO or hold a high position in management. Max middle management is enuf for me. Plus, if I do get bored or find it doesn’t work out at the new place, can always look for another job (easier said than done but the option’s there). Plus, I’m earning significantly more at the new place. At least, I feel it’s significantly more, given the fact that I didn’t get any pay increase when I moved to the current place. But I was desperate at that time so I just grabbed anything that came by.

I guess when it comes down to it, Change = Risk = Anything Could Happen. Be it good or bad. And the only way to find out is to actually just do it and learn from it. Nothing comes easy/simple and every change we make involves a certain amount of risk. Dun make the change and I’d ask myself “Wat if…” Make the change and I’d also ask myself “Wat if…”

So… I’ll be off to newer and, I sincerely pray, better pastures in a couple of months. Wish me luck!

Yesterday, had a bad attack of the sniffles so went to the doc to get half of the day off. The diagnosis was that I had an allergy attack and it could be due to anything — the air, the weather, dust, etc. So the doc gave me the usual meds i.e. daytime + night-time antihistamines, nasal drops (not spray), and menthol crystals.

Now, from all the times I went to docs re. my nose problems, I’ve never gotten anything called menthol crystals so naturally, I was curious as to wat they were. Wat they are, see pic below. They’re tiny crystal-like thingies in long rectangular shape.

How u use them is like this:
U dissolve a bit of the crystals in hot water and inhale the fumes. This is where it gets fun. Am sure a lot of us have used the Vicks rub before. This is something like that but at least 10 times stronger!! If u’re like me and love the smell of menthol or anything mint-like, this is almost like a drug, only thing is u dun get high lar. When I inhaled the fumes, I was like “Whoa! This is cool! How come I’ve never gotten this before when I went to see the other docs?!” Hehe… well, I dunno whether it worked in making my nose better coz I went to sleep after that but man, I loved the feeling of the menthol going up my nose! )

I just noticed that I’m shedding one of my toenails!!! Haha… I know this is probably quite gross to others but I find it quite fascinating!! I’ve never experienced this before, hehe. I think I stubbed my toe one time too many (am a klutz!) and the nail was turning dark and it’s starting to shed and I can feel the new nail underneath! See see!!!

Wow, this is so cool!! Hehe… will post the ‘after’ pic when it falls off. Right now, am trying to distract myself from thinking abt it coz I’m sooooooo tempted to just yank it off!!

Much has been said abt employees’ loyalty to the companies they work for. Lots of employers complain that their employees have no loyalty at all and jump ship after 1-2 yrs, after training, etc.

Well, being an employee myself, I can say that we (i.e. employees) are all dispensable. I dun deny that there are bad employees who are out there to milk their employers without doing any work but I know there are also good employees out there who won’t think twice of working their ass off. But let’s face it, all companies are out to make a profit, else they wouldn’t be in business. And when it comes to a time where the company decides it has to cut its headcount or slash its employees’ benefits, it goes ahead and does so. I guess the mgt has to do wat it has to do to keep the costs down but for me, one of the real problems lies in the communication of these measures and how it is implemented.

One major issue is that ALL the companies that I’ve worked for have ZERO communication skills when it comes to informing its employees of its direction, current/future plans, etc. If they want to implement something, they just go ahead and do it without briefing its employees. Here, I’m talking about things that impact the employees’ work, job scope, benefits, etc. Things that have a direct impact to the employees. And then they (the mgt) act totally shocked and surprised that the employees kick up a fuss!!! IMO, it’s fine if you want to implement a new policy/procedure (assuming it’s a sound and logical one) but just brief the employees abt it so they’ll understand wat it’s about and why it’s been put in place.

Another thing that causes ppl to change jobs is the increase in the cost of living. Given that prices of EVERYTHING increases except our salary, we can either (1) tighten our belts and make do with our current salary, OR (2) change jobs to get a significant pay increase. Coz if we depend on the yearly increments that we get, we’d be forced to live on the streets. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but u get the drift.

Some companies think that just coz they pay their employees to work, they own their employees lives and think nothing of making them slave long after official work hours have ended. I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of having to go thru 3 continuous months of coming in to work at 9-10am and working till 2-3am (and occasionally till 7am) the next day. So much so that when I go for interviews now, I’d always ask wat’re the working hrs like and whether we’re required to work till the wee hrs for extended periods of time. One of the reasons I’d turned down an attractive offer was coz they’d freaked me out so much when they told me I had to work long hrs. I’m fine with the occasionaly late night (even nightS) but pls pls, not for extended periods of time. We’re humans, not machines. Even the Energizer bunny runs out after the batteries are dry. Plus most (if not all) of us have families to be responsible for… husband/wife/kids/parents/pets/bf/gf/etc.

I guess when it comes down to it, loyalty works both ways. Employers need to respect their employees to earn loyalty from their employees. Dun think that just coz u pay them, ur employees will walk to the ends of the earth for u. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and each of us has to watch our own backs coz no one’s gonna watch it for us, and definitely not our employers, from my experience thus far.

I’m a sucker for two types of movies: romantic comedies/drama and animal movies (real movie AND cartoons/animation). More so, animal movies. Something abt animals never fails to tug at my heart and I almost always end up shedding a tear or two at these movies… Lassie, Homeward Bound, Free Willy (yes, the whale show!), Spirit, Lady & The Tramp, The Fox & The Hound, Balto… aiyoh, u name it lar! I think I’ve cried at almost all, if not ALL, animal movies I’ve seen!

Last Sat, we went to watch Eight Below. It’s inspired by a true story (events of a 1957 Japanese Antarctic expedition) and it’s abt how 8 sled dogs were left to fend for themselves in Antarctica for 5-6 months when their human handler had to leave them while they evacuated the base due to a storm and they didn’t have enuf place to take the dogs (notice how it’s always the animals that get left behind?). Anyway, the story itself wasn’t that exceptional i.e. they didn’t make it really THAT interesting but I loved to dogs!!! They were soooooo cute and cuddly and intelligent and amazingly beautiful!!! There’s Maya, Old Jack (he’s 10!), Max, Shadow, Shorty, Truman, Dewey, and Buck. Maya’s the Alpha Dog i.e. the leader of the pack. The part where I’d teared up a bit was at the end, when Jerry was talking to Maya coz he thought she’d died, with Max sitting close by… sniff snifff… End of story – 6 out of the 8 dogs survived when they finally managed to get back there to rescue the dogs.

Here are pics of 7 of the 8 dogs in the movie, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies (no pic of Dewey ( ):

Martin Buser (defending champion and a four-time winner of the Iditarod dog-sled race and a member of its Hall of Fame. He and his family operate Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake, Alaska, which breeds and trains sled dogs), upon being asked a question by National Geographic for its webcast “The Last Great Race“ :

NG : Is there anything you think people should know about dog-sled racing that may not be obvious?

MB : The emphasis of the sport should really be on the dogs and not the drivers. They go out and run 150 miles in 24 hours, sleep a few hours, and then they are ready to get up and do it again. They are the true heroes of the trail. The humans just get all the attention because they can talk.

A few interesting links:
Balto
Sled Dog Action Coalition
Hero Dogs
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Have been utterly, totally unproductive this morning. Been trying, half-heartedly, to prepare a quotation to be sent to the client but am sooooo not in the mood to work… so wat’s new eh?

And I just remembered that I forgot to bring my lunch to work! Gah! *smacking head* I’d packed it last nite, nicely in the container for this morning but I left home without it!!!! Eeeeeeeee… now I have to go look for food for lunch or end up at the mamak again… bleecckkkk…