She's always home by midnight...
24th January 2007, Wednesday
Merely 4 months into my marriage, it is facing the first crisis... though not a blockbuster type one which might cause an unmovable wedge between us...
For a few weeks now, she has had to attend seminars, courses, group meetings and even arranging to meet up prospective "business partners" or clients for her sidelines after work...
I had been condescending to her need to progress in her sidelines, which is quite blatant when she began speaking alien's tongue about promoting to a new rank within the next 2 months or something...
But it has been gotten quite out of hand when she started devoting almost 7 days per week on it...
Maybe it's the little man inside me yearning for her company though she is most probably right to claim that I would most probably spend more time in front on my PC than actually cuddling up with her...
Somehow I would just wanna feel her presence at home once awhile on a weekday these days...
Previously I knew her affairs would keep her occupied on Monday and Wednesday evening...
Then Friday get-together to some weight-loss group....and Tuesday usually she would trot between meeting at work and meeting with clients...so Thursday should at least see her back home by latest 8pm?
Not this week as I was informed this morning over the phone...which I abruptly hang up when hearing that...
I'm still pretty skeptical about her sidelines but at least do see some progress (though majority still banks on her relatives and myself contributing by buying their absurdly expensive products... $12 for hair gel is way too much!!)... Not that I am the only one throwing brickbats but seriously how many people can really attain wealth as those "diamonds" she has claimed...
My missus is an obstinate one and would even go all out to prove everyone wrong about their skepticism, which can be a double-edge sword seriously...
I truly hope her all the success as she dreams of quitting her present wretched job, and getting big houses and cars just by selling health products and overpriced grooming products and occasionally shiitake mushroom and abalones which now had stock up in our living room...
My idea of a marriage would be just contenting with simple living and making enough for ourselves and some savings for our retirement...nothing too lavish as she had projected to be...
I dunno but through this rant it is quite apparent the honeymoon period is over... I may sometime feel like ignoring every word she says regarding her health guru thingie and her sidelines but always curb my inner temptation not to do so...
Maybe it's a transient progression in a budding marriage and such obstacles might work out through some discussion...
Then again I still got many other things to keep me preoccupied in my free time and somehow I feel like it is back to my good ol' swinging single days again...
Japanese word of the day: 真夜中 ~maa-yoru-chuu~(Midnight) It's amazing she can sleep after that and creep out of bed in the wee hours of 6.30 in the morning with me to prep for work...
Transportation is Friend?
23rd January 2007, Tuesday
The big news domestically would be the arrival of the newst member of the house...SGQ4449R...
Yes, Dad's off-peak weekend vehicle has arrived after weeks of anticipation from my old man on a rather soggy Saturday evening...
Our China-made Geely saloon would be the ideal transportation mode for my aged parents when they went on their Sunday grocery trips as well frequent journeys to J.B. but not now with the place susceptible to disease plague as an aftermath of the flood...
The presence of our family car provides a perfect platform for me and sis to utilise our car license which had been nothing but a wasted white elephant since we both clinched it years back...
My car-crazy missus took the first chance behind the wheel on Saturday itself as she drove us to Serangoon when we joined my La Tendo clique for karaoke at Ferris place and despite early jitteries and still getting used to parking with minimal fuss, the auto-gear vehicle seems to be ideal for her disposal...
With the economical price Dad paid for his Geely, we couldn't expect it to perform as well as Japanese cars like Toyota though it is jolly well on-par with their Korean counterparts...and with better leg room at the rear passenger seats as compared with the Vios.. however my ego-driven old man wasn't too pleased when I made that meek comment, gosh he just couldn't wake up and smell the flower...
I will draw enough courage to drive again soon especially brushing up my parking skills and at the meantime our Geely will come in handy for the Lunar New Year coming in weeks time, the only few times we could drive it during weekdays...
Like all machineries, due to wear and tear, the car would meet its fate in the most 3 years time as I predicted, however a loyal member to Luffy and gang had met his day.
After reading the latest volume of "One Piece" manga when the CP9 storyarc comes to a faithful conclusion with my favorite Straw Hat Pirates conquered adversities against the Marines and snatched Nico Robin from the brink of exile..however it was the climax that got me really moved close to tears...
Going Merry, their ship which was deemed doom for usage suddenly came to their aid when Luffy was nearly been executed by the Marines and even managed to get his beloved crew through a sea of whirlpool and away from the bombardment by the Marine's fleet...
However as they got to safety, Going Merry broke into half as Iceburg came by and gave them an account of how the ship suddenly begged him to fix him well enough for one last voyage to save Luffy and gang... then he advised Luffy to let Going Merry rest in peace and the whole gang agreed unanimously including Usopp who was disguised as Sniper King again...
As our beloved ship went down in flame, scenes of how the ship with the sheep-head was an integral part of the journey so far since the beginning and the members couldn't curb the tears from flowing uuncontrollably down their cheeks... Personally I felt a dear friend had perished and nearly wept in the middle of the office while I was finishing the manga...
Once again, Oda and his crew had conjured such touching storylines unparallel by any before...
Japanese word of the day: 告別 (Farewell) Let's sing a fitting requiem for a dear friend even it is a tool of transport
Kinda Lost early in the Year
17th January 2006, Wednesday
With the D&D done with though we had still been harping over some of the incidents and human behaviour that faithful evening during lunchbreaks, and we are awaiting for the Chinese New Year and for myself, the forthcoming Japan trip which and this juncture still have itinery floating in the air till Vincent confirm it with us...
I had wanted to apply for leave for the trip but the fact that my HR had yet to transfer those balance to be brought over from last year, was like a niggling factor that doesn't compelled me to utilise my current leave status...
I did let my employers know that I would heading for reservist in early April though it's a trip overseas I wasn't too anticipating for and hope my absence wouldn't affect my position in the department as some unscruplous souls would vie to replace me... I am thinking too much...
At least I should learn from His Beautiness who was gleefully coming late to work and having long lunch yet, blogging about his lack of activities at work and aiming for 3 months bonus in May...now that's unscruplous...
Work is kinda scarce lately as I am at the brink of completing my current projects and the next few big ones shouldn't be here anytime soon, and I have the prospects of picking up crumbs in the coming week and even willing to share some of BY's job to impress those bosses with the PMA closing in...
But seriously with the RT starting at the end of the month as well, I am really in a state of lost, kinda wanting the next 3 months which I will have close association with the armed forces to pass with a blink and let me get of with life and probably securing a more important role at work with better pay of course...let's pray for that comes May...
Japanese word of the day: 迷い~ma-yo-i~(Lost) I am not talking about the show with season 3 still being lost somewhere out there
My 1st D&D
12th January 2007, Friday
My block of flats which is in those extended V-design has only 3 elevators to service the likes of as many as 300 households, yet the town council decided to re-wire the electrical supply of the entire block, resulting in frequent trips in the power supply especially the entire column of 4 sets of apartments (ours included) which was unsatisfactory...
This faithful day when I took a day of precious annual leave to recuperate from a late night of partying the night before, but as posted on the communal noticeboard that it would be my apartment to suffer the brunt of their re-wiring process and I had to endure a good full day without the likes of my PC, my internet, my cable TV and even hot water for coffee, chilling under the fan etc...
Fortunately the skies continued to open up to douse our island with torrential rain, thus it was quite cooling the entire day but the overcast made visibility hard as I tried to prepare some of the min figurines I am selling this Sunday at CSC...
Living in this era, electricity sure as crucial as air and water...
Got to sleep till 11 this morning after a not-so-late for my inaugural Dinner and Dance, merely half a year since jumping ship and I am feeling this new organisation certainly cherish their staff more than my former employers...
The event was held at Holiday Inn and I had planned to reach there 6.15pm despite only got home to dress up by 5pm...
The storm surely did not help my cause, got me all wet and slowed down the train ride...
However I was still much earlier than many of my co-workers though the likes of KM, CS and Sigeeta had already made their presence felt at the lobby...
The rest eventually poured into the half-sized ballroom where the Recreational Club which organized the event were dressed for the theme of the party, "Masquerade" in rented costumes including Victorians including Hong Boon as a weird looking carriage-driver as well as a guy doing a very bad impression of Luffy from "One Piece"...
Our director was donning a shiny golden swallowtail jacket, doing a solid performance on the piano while another director was a cheap Walker Texas Ranger and some Swedish chicks from my lab came as a she-devil and some weird cockcroach figure with balloon-feelers on her head...most of us came in usual smart casual and the girls who you usually seen in shirts and jeans came well-adorned and strike a definite difference between girls and women...
The event management team that was employed included some cheap removable tattoos and hand-drawn ones to draw the crowd before the actual event began...
The games routine began with a quiz on TV shows theme jingles which I was quite enthusiatic to participate, perhaps reeling from the effect of 2 glasses of Tiger Beer though unfancied by the cheap chocolate prize...
Sigeeta was lucky to be one of the 5 early birds to get a $10 Takashimya voucher...
After some lacklusture performances I didn't bother to pay attention, those long-serving staff were honoured with the "5 years of service" awards which came in conjunction with the establishment of our institute... With many of the admin staff including the directors being on the list, we also seen a familiar face in His Beautiness who would be sore about being the one excluded from our table which was overcrowded anyway...
The buffet dinner wasn't fantastic at all and I appeased myself with the dessert on offer though I had better to be truthfully...
The table quiz got us buzzing to score with all the questions available though we had slightest idea Fella Bella is an Argentinian pony while Britney Spears' middle name is "Jean"..
We had intended to sabotaged our Shitty-Green Pants boss to participate in a initimate dancing game but someone jumped the gun which left us rued over the chance to see him make a fool out of himself..
We then volunteered ourselves for a cooperation game which we had hooked our boss up again but the scaredy-cat Jason was too chicken to play along with our superior and in the end I was the 3rd person for the team and won the stupid blindfoled-gong game for our team and won a bottle-opener which we come in real handy 2 weeks ago when my missus actually went to Carrefour to get one...
Not that I am a sore ingrate but a 1GB thumbdrive was like the last thing I wish to get from a lucky draw beside the Fondue set and some flimsy steamboat pot...
Sigeeta was real lucky to grab the 3rd prize of a digital video-cam, perhaps her red dress was a lucky dresscode, though we were quite disgruntled that most of the big prizes were won by the top management who were too wealthy to buy those items for themselves...
The kooky Scandanavian cockcroach went on to grab the best dress award and the party was coming to a close when the Dj started his turntable and CD collection and the lighthing was dimmed...
My colleagues were rather shy to hit the dancefloor and once again I had to be the one pulling everyone up and we were quite surprise to see our bosses indulging in their wild dance for rain...CS, who usually cooped up reading scientific journals was releasing himself into the music once he set his foot on the dancefloor...
Most of our colleagues had a bit of fit before calling it a night while we stayed a bit longer till we felt the dance was sapping much more energy than a normal gym session and hopefully we could still catch the last train home till we got stumbled by the continuous pouring rain...
Our knight in shining SAAB came though with face of ugly stubbles as Shitty-Green was gracious enough to send BY, KM, CS and myself home despite we lived everywhere on the island which was when we got to know our usually nerdy boss was into classical music and high speed on the expressway...
Nevertheless the D&D surely helped to bolster some relationships at work while letting everyone know that behind all the seriousness at work, even bosses can have a jovial side when come to play...
Japanese word of the day: 停電 (Blackout) I wonder what'll happen when there's a power trip at the D&D?
New Year with Excess to Let Go
8th January 2007, Monday
It's been back to work for 4 days now and the overall mood in the office might be lingering backwards to the recent festivites and long hiatus...especially myself who still stuck in gear 2 to motivate myself more into work, not that there is much to accomplish at hand...
The main buzz had been the D&D coming this Thursday which had some vindicated to keep his Beautiness from our table while BY was too concerned with details such as leaving early that afternoon to go back to prepare so that we could be at Holiday Inn (the venue of the celebration) by half past 6 or whether we should apply for leave the following after the hangover if we gonna have any in the first place, anyway we both did decided Friday he 12th should be domesticated...
Speaking about taking leave I am also contemplating on whether an extra day of rest after the forthcoming Japan trip would be advantageous on the long run as the flight back home would land in the morning of Tuesday which I would surely be on leave but the jetlag (if there is one to begin with) would require me to rest one more day as an option both my wife and Mr Chan unanimously penned to do...
Recently my bodily function haven't had been in top condition... that fornight slacking at home, decimated my stamina significantly which I am still making up for it with some sessions at the gym... but I have to say it had been a struggliong affair especially with a mini flu getting to my body recently which fortunately didn't break into a matured one...
Then during badminton at Clementi on Saturday, I fractured my right wrist till a bone evidently jugging out and my missus suggests I should pay the Chinese sinseh a visit to correct the bone structure despite no niggling pain unless applying force at the fulcrum when my palm is supporting my weight (i.e. doing push-up)...let's hope it corrects itself as I am not game for pain orchestrated by a person I pay dearly for...
Well at least recently my wallet is in better state of health after my first venture into flea market at CSC with my accomplice Chan just yesterday... armed with a couple of bags of mini figurines I felt surplus to my collection needs especially certain ones which I got in complete sets while my aim was really for the other figurines...
Setting price so low I am bleeding loss but at least it got me extra cash rather than lying somewhere at home, collecting dust... at the end of the day I was smarting with a good hundred plus dollars in my pocket after parting ways with some sweet figurines I would keep if I have bigger display capacity...
Of course the money at bay is still way short of a Nintendo DS Lite I had my eye on espeically when fiddling with Tay-chan's on Saturday with very interactive games like "Nintendogs" & "Animal Crossing"...It is still more credible from Kevin who was willing to dish his hard-earn bursary for his studies for a PSP... sure brings frowns to elders like ourselves...
With one of my ol' collector friend, Gary who I huddled in a rainy Odaiba in summer 2004 for the Wonder Festival was beside us with his wife taking control of the sales of his army of figurines displayed in pride on their vast 2 tables, Chan and I had the luxury of our chums like Karen and the Chong brothers to help us and kept us in good company throughout the afternoon especially we the lack of sitting arrangements or really a lot of prospctive customers...
Chan, who brought very few notable items were only to break even and I hope next week both of us will have a much fruitier sales in the coming week...and perhaps better Subway sandwiches after Ferris recommended some "cold cut" one with olives, pickles and onionns and cold ham which he says is his favorite and we are beginning to doubt his taste...
My parents even came to give me some support and Mom even reaped some fortune betting the number of my table for Toto...heehee
Let's hope the rest of January would be really smooth sailing as we usher in an exciting Feburary with the Japan trip in view...
Japanese word of the day: 超過分(Excess) Should shed excessive weight now that it hike upwards again when I weighed myself on my wife's scientific weighing machine
Another Beginning...
1st January 2007, Monday...NEW YEAR DAY
With Saddam Hussein being executed days before, 2007 really start on a pretty good note or is it?
Looking back the past year, "eventful" would surely be the theme word as we witness renovations, a job change and ultimately my marriage which seems like a long time now...
Reviewing the New Year Resolutions I have set for 2006, I was quite proud to set with the exceptions of playing God and alter the number of hours a day or having enough to bribe the referees in the World Cup to allow a rather lackluster Dutch team to progress past the 2nd round, the preceding resolutions had pretty much been fulfilled.
WIth Italy eventually won the World title in Germany and our ruling political party continue to reign local government in the election, I also seen me switch a working environment with slightly greater morale and stronger camaraderie though I have some weird bosses and a new nemesis to wretch about in the form of His Beautiness who took over the role of JxMMy D in my life...
The year has also seen companionship readily available at my hand's reach with the La Tendo clique bolstered our relationships even further with now a weekly badminton (or supposedly to be sports) session and now see us spending major festivals together.
My buddy is finally back from his transient, gypsy-style globetrotting and settling well back home and hope he will find more reason to stay in his homeland these days.
My wrecking buddies had been a great help for my wedding and I sure hope we will link up with one another more often than the previous years...
As for marriage life, seeing my lass day in day out, I still feel we are in the midst of the sacchrine honeymoon though still getting used to each other's lifestyle even knowing each other 6 years now and have a little tiff once awhile...
Fortunately we have my family at bay as well model married couples we can look up to, I think this marriage will be a merry one till the end of time...
For the new year, I wouldn't pin too much hope in matching the what 2006 had been for me but I am expecting to do a bit of travelling with a Japan WF trip penned for February and my ICT at Kao-hsiung, Taiwan in April. We are also planning a proper honeymoon to a maple-leaves filled autumn in the northern Japan in November.
As for my career, I will be staying put for sure and hope my 5th year in the organization will see me duly being rewarded with a promotion and a hike in my wage package.
I dunno whether BY would move on as she nearly did months ago but I sure hope things remained the same at the moment without Beautiness of course.
Generally the past 2 years we had seen so many uncertainties in terms of environmental and terrorism aspect, I just hope we can have a peaceful life for years to come though its easier said than done...
The New Year was spent hanging our with the La Tendo clique with the sequel to "Death Note" which amalgams the middle part and ending of the original manga storyline, meshed with alternative characters usage and a twist in the ending which I truly appreciated...Tay-chan mentioned a new story would arise from the ashes for another sequel in 2008 which will keep us in anticipations...
Yesterday marked the final day for Kevin for his "arubaito" at La Tendo and I now know among the entire clique he loathed me the most which I really don't give a hoot and perhaps most deservingly for how I had ill-treated him...heehee
The karaoke session began at 1 in the morning when we ventured into the chasm of Orchard Road literally as the well litted streets somehow been dimmed down with the army of Bangledash workers flooding the streets, basking in their New Year celebration with their cheap artificial foam snow spray cans, hoping to cover some unsuspecting passerbys (especially the ladies) with it...
It got my lass and Karen who was an unwilling victim just outside Plaza Singapura scurrying behind us for protection and got me really crossed for such unnecessary shenanigans and started hurling warnings which my wife got scared I might get into trouble which would almost not happen with the number of our hardworking men in blues, controlling the situation at bay.
We safely got to Party World at, managing to elude from the attention of the "zombies" (which I used to tagged thpse party-feverish foreign workers)...
We began 4 hours of crooning though I wasn't too into Mandarin pop music unlike the rest...buut generally we had fun..
By 5 am, we weren't starting to be famished and we strolled in the less populated streets of Orchard down to the 24 hour Kopitiam joint at La Tendo for breakfast before bidding everyone goodbye for a full day of recuperation for the New Year Day...
Japanese word of the day: 害 ~ga-i~(Mischief) The zombies should just enjoy themselves in Calcutta instead...
