Its the 7th mth ...

Wow, it has been 4 weeks since I first started work. Time sure passed by real quick. Anyway, today at work, we once again burned joss sticks, paper $ and stuff as offerings for those below. Its the Chinese 7th mth, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. Don't ask me to explain more because I myself am pretty clueless about it.

All I know is, its an opportunity for me to play with fire! Yes, Serena has an arsonist gene in her.

This is at HarborFront, our soon to be old office. That's my boss .... I secretly took it.

The paper that we burned.

After we got done burning, we went for lunch and then headed to our new office where we did the same thing all over again.

This was the corner designated for burning ...

Deirdrey and I.

After burning so much stuff, all of us smelled like smoke when we went back to the office to work. Two more weeks b4 moving!

Out with the old, in with the new.

I have not had a calculator since I started work. There has been a calculator sitting on my desk that does not work. Seriously, I think it is at its final stage of Alzheimer's. Its just too old, the buttons are sticky and the answers are wrong. They just never got ard throwing it away and I did not want to do it as it was not mine to begin with.

Check out this antique!

Deirdrey did promise to get me one but we just never got ard to it. I have been borrowing Deirdrey and Jordan's calculators when I needed it or resorting to using the one in Windows.

Today, boss was at my desk showing us the new layout for the office when he needed a ruler ... guess what? I don't have that either! I then complained about me not having a calculator either, and saying that that POS can be thrown away.

Haha, it was then that Boss finally told Deirdrey to pls bring me go shop for stationery :) He said I sounded like I have been tortured since I've started work because I wasn't given my own calculator .... haha.

Anyway, off we went, later that morning, to do some shopping and look what I finally got!

My own calculator!! And I swear I did not choose it because of the pink and blue buttons. It only occurred to me what they remind me of, later in the afternoon.

Yes, I got a ruler too, thanks to Dierdrey who had a spare ;)

New Office

I finally got to see my new office today. Boss brought us, after lunch, to see the renovation done so far.

Windows! We don't have them in the current office.

That will be my boss' corner and he will putting a short partition to seperate him and us. Office is really small, this is about 3/4 of the office.

I should be sitting at that corner. That's my boss on the left, Jordan (looking like he is having doubts about the aircon) and Dierdrey :)

There is a toilet in the office. I'm glad it has a HUGE window.

I don't think we will be getting much privacy with the toilet being so close to everyone.

We will be moving in on 14th Sept and our first day would be the 15th. I will have to take a bus from HarborFront then ... GROAN ... that means leaving the hse at least 1/2hr earlier :(

Boss had to fill up his tank .... OMG, $100!!!

Will take pics after we move in!

Lunch with Kerine

Met up with Kerine today after more than 10 years! We have lost touch and had recently found each other via Facebook. She actually left me a msg a few mths back but at that time I was still jobless and didn't really feel like meeting anyone. Seriously, what is the first question someone asks u when u meet up?

"What are u doing now?"

I hated that my answer was going to be,

"I'm being a bum"

Anyway, when I finally got a job, it was safe to contact her :) Sorry, Kerine, for making u wait.

We decided to meet at Serangoon Gardens for a late lunch so that I could still sleep it :) I told her to bring her bf along but she said he would be bored hearing us girls talk. However, she did bring him along ... not bad :)

Over lunch at Sushi Tei, we talked about ourselves, our classmates and I answered her question of "What are u doing now?" :P It was basically alot of catching up and I told them a little of my life in the US. Her bf joined into the conversation and the 3 of us had a pretty good time. It would have been awful if we had nothing to say .... I hate awkward silences.

It raining when we left the restaurant but luckily they had an umbrella, so he sheltered us over one by one. What a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon .... coffee and good company.

Kerine and I at Coffee Bean.

Sorry, no pic of her bf ... haha.

Wonder when we will meet again ... hopefully not another 10 years later!

Dinner with Huiyi and Evon.

Met up with Evon and Huiyi on Fri, the rest of the group are not in the country :( Even KL is in KL. We went to PS's Ajisin which they made me pick as I was the last one to arrive.

Huiyi's Seafood Ramen.

Evon and I had the Volcano Ramen ... spicy and yummy!

Silverfish.

This is their new Whitefish. This was delicious too.

California Roll.

We chatted over dinner where I caught them up with my new job and Evon was telling how FREE she was ... haha. After dinner, we went to TCC for drinks.

Oh my! My latte came with 2 little cookies :)

Evon's Red Bean blended drink.

Their new Green Tea with Red Bean.

She had to walk by just as we were talking a pic!

Evon and Huiyi.

Cropped the pic as u could see my rolls! NOOOOO!!!!!!!

My sis joined us after work but we didn't stay for long. Evon had to deliver a box of cake mix to her friend. Nice relaxing nite out .....

P.S. Thanks to Evon for the pics ;)

Shopping at IKEA

I have been sharing a trashcan with Jordan since I started work and when my boss said we were going to IKEA, I knew I'll be finally getting my own. And the most exciting part was I had just gone to IKEA on Sun and knew they had RED trashcans :)

We had lunch at IKEA and it was the first time I've tried their meat balls and chicken wings. They were both really yummy. I wish I could have eaten more but I have been eating way too much since I started work. I really need to start controlling, esp when Dierdrey just started her diet and ate about 1/4 of her food. Unfortunately I get hungry at work and I cannot not eat .... my stomach starts growling when it is close to lunchtime ... I think its cos the office is so god damn cold.

After lunch, we walked around IKEA testing out chair and that was when I found out that my office desk is from IKEA. We finally located my trashcan and we also got some candles that Boss said we could.

Check out my RED trashcan ... I love it!

My vanilla scented candle, Deirdrey's apple scented.

I have already started to burn mine, mainly cos I need to warm my frozen fingers! I think we will be making more trips to IKEA when we move to the new office ... can't wait :)

Sunday Lunch

Went out with my family for Sunday lunch, it was a treat from my sis because she has just got her first pay check ;) At first I did not want to go as they were thinking of going to a buffet, but when they change it to Popeye's at the airport, I went along.

This time around, the biscuits were alot better! We had to stop my dad from eating the remaining one after we made sure that he was eating it because he thought no one liked them and not because he himself likes them.

After lunch, we went to Giant to do some grocery shopping and also to Ikea for some dessert. But it was at Giant that all hell broke loose....

I wanted to get some conditioner and then my mom started nagging. She said NTUC just had an offer not long ago, to go there and check. How long ago? I need it within the next few days and I do not have time to go check NTUC to save a few cents. Then she said why don't I go across the street, to those small shops. Hate to say it but I have been there and the bottles look like they have been there for ages in the heat. I would rather pay a few cents more at a place where I know goods move in and out faster. So I just told mom, "Fine, I just pay for it on my own!"

The thing is that my mom will go to great lengths to save a few cents on groceries but there she is dropping HUNDREDS into those damn slot machines a mth! Even my dad gets frustrated at time because my mom would drive a few miles to another grocery store to get something to save less than $1. At the rate of gas, she prob spend more on gas than what she saved.

For me, it is just convenience. I need it now, I get it now. If happen to see it on sale, knowing I am running out, of cos I am going to buy it. But I'm also not going to buy a dozen because it is cheap on. You would not believe how many ginormous bags of laundry powder my mom has. WTF? My hse is taken over by trash, leftovers, laundry powder, canned food, etc ..... seriously, if there is ever a war, come my hse, we will have food to last awhile.

But that is not the end. At the checkout, I was all set to pay for my own stuff and so were my bro. However, my mom wanted to use a coupon that required a spending limit so she asked to put our stuff on her a/c and then to pay her back.

Here's the question, should the discount she received be split among the 3 of us?

I was fine with not dividing the discount, but my bro said it should be. I guess my school of thought was that I do not want to be as calculative as my mom. My bro's, however, is since my mom is so calculative with us, we should do it to her too.

It really got me thinking when he said that. I do not want to be like my mom, but he is so right! It should be an eye for an eye. That is it .... from now on, I am not letting my mom take advantage of me (I really should have learnt after that stupid GST stun she pulled). I will be as calculative as she is to me. When it comes to other ppl .... what is a few cents, even a few dollars among friends?"

17hrs up and counting.

It has been a long day but I have promised that I would update my blog so here I am at 1.10am still awake. I'm definitely going to be dead tomorrow.

Anyway, I went in to work this morning and found my boss cleaning the fish tank. Apparently one of the fishes was sick.

Poor Juliet (Dierdrey named her). She is barely surviving here.

"Where is our friend? We miss her!"

We went to check on her throughout the day, hoping she would get better. However, she was not getting better, so at the end of the day, Boss (Haha, kinda weird just calling him boss) put her out of her misery :( It was a sad day for us ....

Work is fine so far but I've realized that I have yet to learn a lot of things and that sometimes I have to be braver, more thick skinned and not afraid to take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen? I lose a few thousand USD for my boss, no pressure whatsoever. I think of it as his personal $, not the company's ..... but it IS his $. Hard to explain.

After work, I met up with Huiyi and we made our way to Christine and TY's hse to visit Adela. KL joined us after he got done with work. Two more days and he will be FREE!

Sleeping .... OMG, she has grown so big!

Huiyi with her.

I was really tired at this point, my eye makeup was irritating my eyes and I was tearing constantly. But it was all worth it to be able to see her and carry her.

Adela and her godfather.

Still sleeping :)

We looked at more pics of Adela while there while sipping wine and munching on peanuts. Chatted till about 11pm b4 heading home. By the time I got home it was close to 12 midnight. I'm falling asleep on my comp .... good nite, see u all tomorrow!

Office Pics!

Here are some pics of my new (soon to be old) office. We will be moving out of this place on 15th Sept, according to my boss.

My desk. Can u spot my Little Twin Stars stuff? Chapstick? Haha :)

I'm sitting right beside the fax machine.

Deirdrey's desk is at the right, in front of mine. Here is our little sitting corner, fish tank, water cooler and fridge.

My boss' desk. Check out all the Chinese statues and stuff. Jordan's desk is on the left, between me and boss.

Boss was out when I took these pics. They are not very clear as they were taken on my cell. As u can tell, the office is an open concept so most of the time when boss is ard, the office is really quiet except for the constant tapping of the keyboard. That's us 3 chatting on MSN ... haha. Once in awhile u will hear a choked cough/laughter sound coming from my end because of something funny said. I am the worst at controlling my laughter!

Hope I get to see the new office b4 we actually move in, more pics then ....

Pedicure Treat from my Sis.

My sis said she would give me a treat when she got her first pay but instead of the treat being food, I opted for a pedicure :) Since I've started work and am wearing open toe shoes, a pedicure is pretty impt.

We had an appointment at 3pm at Flawless at Serangoon Gardens. We got there at 3pm but we did not get started until closer to 4 because we wanted to be able to get our nails done at the same time. The place is pretty new and looks pretty atas. Service was also not bad. Would definitely consider going back there again.

After our pedicure, I treated my sis to dinner at Aston's.

Cream of Mushroom.

Fries ... I wish the fries were fatter.

My sis's Pork Chop.

My Black Pepper Chicken. I love the potato salad, the chicken was great too.

After we got done with dinner, we went to McDonald's to hang out while waiting for Evon, Ben, Huiyi and KL to show up. We were meeting at 9pm for drinks b4 Ben leaves again for Beijing. We wanted to meet the nite b4 but we could not convince Huiyi to come out at 1am ... haha.

The gang showed up at 9pm with a special guest! Snowball! Haha, it was Ben's little dog and he was a cutie! We went to dog friendly cafe and Snowball was a good little dog and he just sat there while we were chatting. Group pic is with Evon but she is not online :(

Wow, it has been a week.

In case u guys didn't know, I have FINALLY found a job and in a blink of an eye, one week has passed. Didn't really announced it as I was a little embarrassed about HOW I got the job. It was actually recommended by my cousin. I guess I feel useless as I was not able to find one on my own and also cos I do not want to disappointed anyone.

The saying goes "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can't" Unfortunately, in my case, words hurts alot more and I am constantly haunted by those harsh criticism. I can still hear the voice in my head .....

Anyway, this job is a totally new industry to me. I decided to give it a try because the boss seems like a really nice person who was willing to give me, an inexperienced gal, an opportunity. The whole interview was very relaxed and he didn't even ask for my resume until AFTER I signed the papers. Oh, I forgot to mention that my boss is a guy. If given a choice, I will NEVER work for a lady again. Right Shanice?

The company is really small and even with me, its only the 4 of us. My title is Bunker Trader and basically my job is to source for oil/gas for vessels/ships, to act as a middleman. We do most of our trading via instant messaging and texting so it is right up my alley. The environment is really relaxed and my colleagues are really nice, funny ppl to work with whom have welcomed me into their close knit group. You would believe how hard it is to control my laughter in the office.

This is my first office job so its weird getting home early and having so much time in the nite to do what I want. Also, my weekends are free! Well, as I get myself more familiarize with my job, I would be expecting calls at nite and during the weekends. Hopefully not too often and that I would be able to handle without running to my boss. I told my sis that I have "Ringphobia" now. I worried about getting my first problem vessel. I'm also very worried about making my first major mistake :(

I'm waiting anxiously for my FIRST name card so when I do get it, pls ask for it so I can give it out :) It might take a few weeks as we are in the process of shifting to a new office so everyone will be getting new cards.

I guess I will stop boring u with my job .... will prob talk more about it in days to come. Will try to take a pic of the old office and the new when I get a chance :)

Seriously ... is it a sign?

My mom just told me that the special Toto (Lottery) for National Day is

$8 MILLION

Remember my previous post? No? Let me refresh yr memory.





Hmm....

Edit - 15 mins after posting

Guess what? My mom, the gambling addict, just came down to my room to pass me this.

We'll see how lucky I am :P

Long time no see ....

Ben is finally back for a week after being in Beijing for too long. We decided to meet up for dinner on Sun to catch up.

Before meeting them, I went to my cousin, Charmaine's, choral performance at the Esplanade. She had asked me the day b4 and I was very keen in going. I have never really seen her performing so it was going to be a treat for me.

The performance was at 3pm and it was in a very small cozy venue. My uncle and aunt were also there so I did have some company. The performance was really great and even though I only recognized 1 song, the rest of the pieces that they did were lively and intriguing even without knowing the language they were sung in.

After I got done with the show, I texted Huiyi and coincidentally, they had just seated, wanting to grab a drink while waiting for me to be done. So they got up, drove down to pick me up and we headed for an early dinner.

Evon recommended this really out of the place grill that had a great sunset view. And when I say out of the way, it really is! U definitely need a car to get there. Its called Sunset Grill and Pub and its located at Seletar East Camp.

Calamari. Not bad, the spicy mayo sauce added a little kick to it.

This pretty sad salad came with the lasagna that we ordered.

There were 10 levels of spiciness for their buffalo wings. This was lvl 3 and it was already pretty HOT! Can imagine going maybe 2 steps higher, but to lvl 10? Umm ... think not.

Fish and Chips.

This Pork Chop was really yummy! Nice and tender, a definite reorder.

Grilled Fish. This was also good, not overcooked which could have been easy considering it was fillet really thin.

My fave dish - LASAGNA! It had UBER amt of cheese, just the right amt of meat, pasta and mushrooms and did I mentioned lots of CHEESE?

Table 8 ....

We saw the beautiful sunset but did not take any pics as we were seated inside. It was really hot when we arrived. We wanted to move outdoors but was told seats have been reserved. So we decided to leave.

Onto our next stop - Punggol Park's Bliss restaurant.

Look, table 80! Is it a sign?

Specially for our far away member .... we miss u already.

Huiyi's Passion Fruit.

My usual .....

Ben's Lychee Blended.

Evon's Hot Mocha.

We chatted and enjoyed the nice breeze but called it an early nite, it was after all a Sunday :)

Ooh! Check my my cute Olympic souvenir that Ben got for me. Mine is different from the rest as he could not find my Last name on the item that he got the rest ... I feel unique!