Why are rubber bands red

today was our annual staff conference and each staff was given $1.50 coffee allowance. Since not everyone can fit into our auditorium, we are given the choice to watch the live telecast at various spots within the dept. But we didn't. (Ppl however get a kick out of watching things like our DCEO modeling our new corporate uniform on stage-- that was during another recent award ceremony :P) anyway, so our support staff suggested getting nasi lemak for breakfast instead, and so this morning everyone gathered at the table for a brief nasi lemak respite (haha more like inertia to work cum form of escapism)... and cos diff ppl had slightly diff choices, some packets came tied in blue-colored rubber bands (quite rare)... when we were finishing up someone asked me to pass a rubber band (to secure the trash) and it suddenly struck me as I was handing over the good old red rubber band to a colleague -- why are rubber bands usually red?? When i posed the question to colleagues, one claimed that cos the rubber seed is reddish... then another interjected -- but latex is white! no conclusion was reached though. well, in Singapore rubber bands i've seen are mostly red; some yellow. So why red? when I reached home and quizzed my Dad, his guess was that since most things aren't red it's more visible when rubber bands are red. I think that sounds like a logical reason... but then... why not purple?? not many things are purple. why not orange?? why red?? is it also cos red is primary color that's easy to 'mix'? what's your take? :)

I find it so hard to do things I dislike but have to do... though it's a natural tendency for all of us to do what we like.. it's a sign of weakness not to be able to do things you don't want to yet have to. I need to become stronger... !!

Film-crazy!

3 film-related snippets in today's post. I watched The Adventures of the Prince Achmed at the National Museum yest evening.... made by German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, it's apparently the first animated feature to have a worldwide release; and the first surviving full-length animated feature in movie history... the National Museum commissioned a local musician to do a soundtrack for this silent animated film and it was pretty cool, cos she performed 'live', too. Was awed by how she created such a magical animation film with lotsa craft (intricate and beautiful paper cuttings) and minimum technology...
Film snippet no. 2 is that the Singapore International Film Festival is coming up! can check it out here...
Last thing is that I'm going to show a documentary for colleagues over lunch! i've blogged about this before... it's Joyce's cool final year project, Singapore Standard Time... :)

Holiday in sight

keen on a holiday in Vietnam and forced by Dad to take a packaged one (esp cos I'm going with my mum) I braved the crowds yesterday evening and went for the NATAS fair... It was, expectedly, very crowded. and place was quite badly littered with flyers.... well, that's not entirely surprising considering that visitors are greeted by a line of flyer-distributors once they enter the exhibition. The omnipresent flyer-distributors are also stationed near the escalators; alongside the queue for buying admission tics etc etc. Aiyoh, wonder how much paper is going to be wasted... someone should put a recycling bin or two outside the exhibition hall. Hmm, anyway, and so I'll be going to Ho Chi Minh in a little more than a month's time! yay. but yeah, very short getaway lah. but at least it's something to look forward to :) better go and "chop" some leave come Monday morning...

I've always felt unlucky about getting one of the oldest CPUs in the unit, which can only take the low-speed USB drive... and which has caused me a fair bit of inconvenience. But my luck seems to be improving... I got my chunky monitor replaced by a brand new 17-inch LCD monitor screen yesterday; and was told that I would soon get a new CPU, too! yay :) Well, I don't get chio Fujitsu laptops like some other lucky civil servants *ahem* but yeah, one should not be too greedy huh. Also just got myself a new Japanese CD... I quite like some of the songs, but very unfortunately I really don't like how the Japanese-Korean-studied-in-Hawaii singer looks.... I seldom have such a problem, and singer is not like ugly or anything... she just has that hiao2 look which I cannot really stand (thankfully you can't really tell from pic on the cover else I will have to face this look everytime I play my CD) and as such I don't think I will buy any of her other albums.. least not till I can get over this. Hai, i can't believe this is coming from me :P haha but i tried....!

throat has been 'acting up' again of late, perhaps due to insufficient rest and me trying to do too many things even on weekends. as such dryness, and feeling of something stuck in my throat has unfortunately returned. that got my dad worried again, so he accompanied me to the doctor once again to check that nothing's wrong with me. luckily, doctor said symptoms might just be 'remnants' of my sore throat last week, and that I should get better with time. She prescribed me more medicine, and I now have a full range of throat medicine, ranging from anti-inflammtory pills, mouth gargles to numbing lozenges... hmmph. I guess I am well-stocked for similar ailments in future. And I'm officially on a full MC today! figured I should just rest well once and for all. however will miss out on Swensen's treat this afternoon, which boss is giving, having been officially given Management's stamp of approval as unit head. Nevermind, I shall rest well and try to make full use of the free time today -- these days it's so rare to have an entire day of personal time!

A day of firsts

Sales are everywhere! but i'm finding myself a little too tired to shop. had quite a packed Saturday today... was asked to Botanic Gardens today and tried taking a new bus service (No. 5) from my bus stop to Far East Plaza... finally there's a bus that brings me all the way from home to Orchard... took more than an hour though... but at least there's now an additional option :) then met up with a couple of old RGS classmates, whom i've not seen for years... cos it's Cat's birthday today and we decided to go try out this Korean restaurant (Jang Shou Korean BBQ) at Esplanade. Well, i wonder why it had decent reviews, cos the food was just so-so and expensive... and it had inflexible ordering policies, such as making customers order at least 2 portions of bbq meat if we wanted to choose from the bbq menu... the bbq meat is supposed to be good.. but too bad we didn't order it :P. lost track of time at lunch and ended up missing my weekly STEP class.. so decided to go try pilates for fun... it's actually pretty interesting... cos you fiddle around with this multi-purpose stick (multi-purpose cos this stick has elastic bands with loops at the ends for you to stick your feet into) a lot during the workout... haha erm I think i've just succeeded in making pilates sound like a super weird form of exercise. but yeah. i think it trains your muscles...though I had a lot of trouble doing all those stretches and prob did >half the things wrongly, I still hope that whatever I did contributed a little towards a flatter tummy :P

the nasty episode of painful swallowing is finally over! my throat is nearly as good as before today :) didn't expect such a speedy recovery, but it was really sudden sickness, sudden recovery. when i started getting better, I realized that I appreciated being able to swallow painlessly and unawkwardly a lot more... hai. perhaps it's a tiny lesson to punish me for my snacking-on-dry-heaty-stuff habits. Speedy recovery was also in part due to late night consultation at Changi Hospital on sunday night. the unprecedented painful condition got my paranoid dad quite worried and he insisted on taking me to the A & E dept to do some check. (well, so i contributed to that pool of non-urgent cases that the A & E dept receives yearly) Expectedly, non-urgent cases were also not tended to immediately, so ended up waiting at the hospital till close to midnight... nonetheless saw the doc, who confirmed that it's prob not tonsilitis... he also gave me a much stronger antibiotic... which worked wonders! two lil thoughts on incident -- 1) it's a blessing to have such loving (albeit ultra-paranoid) parents 2) ENT stands for Ear, Nose and Throat (dept?) hehe. feel relieved that I didn't need to have funny tubes stuck down my nose/throat etc.

Maybe I have tonsilitis

And so the watermelon powder thingy failed me. Woke up this morning with a full blown sore throat... and even after taking my medicine it hasn't shown any signs of getting better... Doesn't help that the doctor whom I saw this morning didn't give me any form of reassurance at all. He somewhat lackadaisically asked me... how long has this been going on? any fever? have you been taking fried, spicy food lately? etc etc. then when I said... it's veyr painful... is it serious? to which he answered, it's probably an infection, but you don't have any fever yet... (so i get the impression it's not serious, though he gave me a cryptic answer).... found it very hard to concentrate with extremely awkward throat so took MC and came back late morning. THEN, later this evening, i started googling for 'tonsilitis' and it appears to describe my symptoms pretty well... esp the bit about finding painful and hard to swallow... yes, I know that it can help me jian3 fei2 (since I either dun feel like eating, or can only eat softer and not so yummy foods), but please go away soon...

my sore throat 'brewed' into an extremely painful one in 2 days and I suspect the culprit is some ulcer... cos pain feels somewhat localised. i can't even swallow without wincing... let's hope the funny watermelon powder works wonders and that I'll be ok tomorrow. on a totally unrelated note, I'm wondering if I should spend $500 on a good electronic Japanese-English dictionary which will allow me to look up words and how to use them in sentences in a few 'clicks'... hmm.. $500.... quite ex... but may be a good long-term investment though.

Of work and life

Sometimes work requires me to turn up at MPs' meet-the-people sessions and it was my (first) turn yesterday night. Basically we stationed ourselves in a classroom beside the main waiting room, to take questions/appeals related to SERS. Well, but most residents who turned up had the mentality that whatever they tell us is useless, cos we can only 'write letters' and are otherwise powerless to make those big decisions... and so I had a relatively easy time last night, with only 6 enquiries or so in the 2.45 hrs or so we were there. Just a few thoughts... MPs lead really busy lives! even though the MP was supposed to be there around 730 pm or so, she only arrived close to 930pm. Nonetheless, residents waiting for her waited.. and waited.. and waited. There was a line of probably close to 40 ppl. A staff helping to organize the crowd told me that the MP usually tries to see all her residents, and that the session can end at say, 1 am even! goodness. Second... i wonder which other govt goes to this extent to help residents... isn't it a vicious cycle sometimes? the more you give in, the more residents expect from you... then in the end even though the goodies you give them are already very decent, they still think that you ought to give them more.... and SOMETIMES, it becomes a case of ppl not taking responsibility for their own problems... they expect the govt to solve their own problems... isn't this quite 'unhealthy' for society in the long term. Singaporeans can be such a sheltered and 'babied' bunch. Then again, whenever I go on site, I do find myself sympathizing with some folks... who tell me they dun have stable jobs, who are facing financial probs etc.... sometimes I don't know what to think.

It so happened that my MPS coincided with a section 'dinner get-together', which I attended for only 30 min before zipping off to work... and colleagues had earlier decided to go down to a bar/lounge to 'chill out' and drink after that session. I joined them at 11pm after work... at this place in Red Dot Traffic Building. The place was quite cool and the 'room' they gave us was pretty nice and cosy... but even though chilling out with colleagues was alright, I was reminded of times I could just chill out with friends. like at someone's place in Berkeley. that kinda thing. Ever since I started work, I don't think I've really 'chilled out' with a bunch of friends at some place... doing nothing or just talking rot.... i suppose my close friends are all over the place too :) nonetheless, felt that something was 'missing'... sometimes I do wonder, am I subconsciously letting the more unimportant things take over my life... and succumbing to these 'evil forces' without even realizing it...?

The world of bentos

That is the topic for today but first I will recall an interesting incident at work. I once mentioned female colleagues and their LV bags. This afternoon, my opposite neighbor (the leading LV fan too) lost one of the diamonds on her diamond bracelet. The loss of this tiny diamond (among many others) was first spotted by another colleague who went to discuss something with her... it then sparked a tiny commotion with a couple of us starting to look on the carpeted floor for something tiny and sparkly. Alas, the missing diamond was nowhere to be found. Someone joked that if finders become keepers we would all be hunting for that lost diamond somewhere in HDB... Unfortunately we were unable to recover this precious stone and colleague went home early upset over the fallen diamond. sigh, I hope she finds it! apparently one costs $200 to replace. dunno how many she has on that bracelet...

Now into main topic proper. After a year-long hiatus from Japanese dramas, I recently grew tempted again and bought a new series called Kazoku, or Family. In short, it's about a young father who tries very hard to bring up his son after his wife walked out of their lives. The story's been quite heartwarming so far, and the bento box kept turning up in the last 2 episodes. I suppose it's a well-known fact that Japanese children get cute specially-made bento boxes from their mothers... and the kindergarten scenes also did show some REALLY cute bento cuisine! such as octopus sausages, rice balls with faces and all...! I would certainly try my hand at making these if I still cook. but i don't anymore :P Nonetheless, looked up pictures of such bentos here.... so kawaii!!! I like the one with good hanamaru (the white seal) holding a flower.... lucky children!

Sometimes civil servants also have to do 'extra-curricular' work such as mystery auditing. HDB's partner association is People's Association this time round and i was 'luckily' arrowed by whoever in CDD to be one of the mystery 'shoppers'. However, i was very unluckily assigned this CC all the way at the other end of the island in Jurong West... was told by colleague this afternoon that it's a very ulu place. however, upon arriving at the cc earlier this evening(via taxi; claimable), discovered that it's not that ulu after all... and cc turned out to be quite modern and appeared to be in a good location, accessible and all. but you wonder why ppl would want to live here, in this extreme end of S'pore far away from everywhere else! (perhaps many ppl on the other hand wonder why on earth I want to live in Pasir Ris? :P)
In a bid to maintain a 'work-life' balance, i've also decided to watch more TV again :) The immensely popular 'Ugly Betty' premiered on Channel 5 yesterday night and the first episode was entertaining enough for me to want to watch the next one. The Amazing Race All-Stars is also showing on Monday nights... just started watching this week and teams are competing in Chile... some place in Chile called Petrohue that's really really picturesque! This used to be my favorite reality game show... but the last time I seriously watched it was probably in my freshman year in my dorm room, together with my other two roommates, when Amazing Race came to Singapore :P

A worthy quote to live by

From an "inspirational book" I picked up the other day-- "There is nothing noble about being superior to some other person. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. All I'm really getting at is that if you want to improve your life and live with all that you deserve you must run your own race. It doesn't matter what other people say about you. What is important is what you say to yourself. Do not be concerned with the judgment of others as long as you know what you are doing is right.You can do whatever you want to do as long as it is correct according to your conscience and your heart. Never be ashamed of doing what is right; decide on what is good and then stick to it. And for God's sake, never get into the petty habit of measuring your self-worth against other people's net worth. Every second you spend thinking about someone else's dreams you take time away from your own"

Eyes sore and insect-bitten

My poor eyes are overworked; from staring too much at tiny things on the computer screen. typing emails aren't half as bad; but recently, certain tasks like higlighting HDB blocks on ppt block by block (job hazard!) require so much attention to detail that I will go yan3 hua1 if i do more of this after current assignment is done... 2 days of 'Orientation' have also left me behind at work... yes, my orientation came more than 7 months into work, since I just missed the last round when I first joined HDB... I'm trying hard to maintain a work-life balance, but it's hard to-- esp. when going home on time also means owing boss more things... perhaps it still boils down to being more efficient. on the other hand, i've been victimized by various insects recently... argh sometimes I wished I had some invisible shield that could ward off all insects... dun you wonder how insects choose which spot on your body to leave its 'trace'.... like how do they choose where to bite you? or is it random? hai. too sleepy and not-thinking. going to bed.

Happy Birthday to me :)

turning 24 isn't something that I have been looking forward to, yet it's always nice to feel special.. to feel you matter to friends/family... and somehow birthdays are typically the days ppl take the chance to show that they care... while i don't really want anything from anyone, it's always heartwarming when ppl who matter to you show that they care. AND, to treat myself a little, i also went and got myself a tiny birthday cake just for fun. for the very first time in my life, my day started off with a bouquet of flowers and ended off with another!(all from girls lah, no need to speculate) and the bouquet that arrived just minutes ago totally surprised me... cos it's from a very dear friend whom i've known nearly half my life...

Even though i've been meaning to sit down and reflect a bit today; somehow i still didn't manage to do it. Nonetheless, in the 30 min or so that I did get to somewhat think through things that matter to me and what changes I want to introduce into my life (i suppose i'm still not very focused, but i tried....) there are 3 main things I think I want to start and stick to doing for a long , long time...... 1) Stay positive and have more confidence in myself; 2) Treasure my friends and family instead of yearning for things that you don't already have. Drawing from parts of Anna Karenina, we might not actually be as happy as we think we'll be after the full realization of what we have desired all along... 3) Be more disciplined, procrastinate less!

have been feeling a little out of sorts the past few days, as well as today... perhaps cos various things at the back of my mind have become somewhat bothersome recently. or maybe i'm just suffering a quarter-life crisis on the eve of my 24th birthday... and even though I plan to take half day off work tmr I haven't really decided how to spend the half day, either. and it's not a very 'guilt-free' half day, cos I owe boss quite a few things! but whatever. sometimes we need breaks, and I think I'm due for a short break to just slack or like do nothing, reflect on things... but wonder when that will come.

after a movie outing with two colleagues yesterday evening, I was suddenly very motivated to set up some informal 'Singles Club' within the unit, to go check out new restaurants/eateries/hawker stalls together, as well as good shows/movies and other worthy activities... then, perhaps write reviews, practise my English and at the same time do colleagues some service :P BUT a big prob though is i will have very few "members", given that 80% of colleagues are married. if i exclude my engaged unit head; and my section head (we're certainly not so chummy with big boss to ask her such frivolous things) then I'll essentially be left with like 3 other potential 'candidates'... out of which one is attached and technically ineligible... another one is not likely to fancy such activities that much.... then i'm really left with one other colleague.... so maybe my brilliant plan will fall through after all. hehe but it was fun dreaming about doing a mini frivolous monthly food/movie review thingy. hmm. maybe i should outsource and get ppl from other units.. but then again, all big things start small :)

Happy Chinese New Year to all!

the best thing about my new year this time round is perhaps the new year cookies/goodies. mum bought loads; aunt gave us some; sister's bf's mum also made some really yummy stuff for us! these cookies are so going to last us till way after new year... having missed out on the "complete" range of new year cookies the past 4 years, i have been indiscriminately ingesting lotsa flour, sugar and butter in their various baked manifestations... and the best thing to do when snacking is not to think about the calories :P I find reunion dinners sometimes rather paradoxical. esp dinners with extended family and for my case, with relatives (on my father's side) whom i'm not even close to... and because i've never been close to these relatives, there's nothing much to talk about at the dinner table... and obviously they have nothing much to ask after either... cept small talk topics which is so pointless... yet year after year all parties subject themselves to such pain by agreeing to have that reunion dinner just for the sake of having it. when each family would undoubtedly be happier dining on its own... dunno why i'm so cynical but it's true...and i don't have any urge to visit any festive place either haha... so today after a whole afternoon of visiting, came back home to slack.... i hope to spend most of my next two days catching up on SLEEP, reading and studying Japanese :)

Favorite spot of the month!

decided to check out the newly-opened 'Central' at Clarke Quay MRT after work today. the experience was very pleasant, cos it's still relatively new and unheard of and we managed to get away from the sickening Orchard/City Hall crowds. though quite a few shops weren't open yet, a fair number were, which made the trip there still worthwhile. highlight (and main purpose of trip too) was dinner at Japanese restaurant Waraku. They had quite a few non-mainstream dishes, such as this creamy greenish salmon and spinach creamy udon or something. wanted to try that initially; but ended up opting for a safer option. Food was quite decent and the view was great. The restaurant's on the 3rd floor and right opposite the Clarke Quay 'shophouses', so if you're lucky enough to get a (full-height glass) window seat, you'll essentially get to enjoy a night's dinner beside the glistening Singapore River in air-conditioned comfort. After dinner, got Hokkaido ice-cream at first floor and picnicked on the steps along the river. It's really a good idea to let ppl sit just by the river... something you couldn't really do on the opposite side. While sitting on the steps and glancing back at the restaurant where we dined at, realized that actually the Kopitiam food court above Waraku prob gets the good view too :P hehe so if you're budget-conscious, can go food court and enjoy equally good view :) however, i wonder if this place will be still as nice and peaceful say 3 months down the road?