Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Dice Man

This is one of the books I was lured to buy upon reading the description of a man who, out of boredom turned to the dice life. It is an interesting concept for me. The “what ifs”. Interestingly, the name of the author and the protagonist of this story is the same, making the fictitious nature of this book almost believable.

While reading the book, I did somewhat toy with the idea of letting the dice decide my everyday decisions. The “what ifs” and “under normal circumstances no, but the dice say so” sorta thing intrigue me. I think it has something to do with how it was being written, and somehow brainwash you to want to test your fate with the dice. Not that I would, but I thought about it and still do sometimes. The “what ifs”. I’m being reminded also that this book probably has a higher tendency to play with your mind, considering the fact that the protagonist , Luke Rhinehart is the psychiatrist in this book.

My only gripe about this book is that it failed to engage me to the very end. I could not even bring myself to go through the last 100 pages because it became draggy. I simply lost patience with the entire theatrics, which I deem damn bloody irritating. Overall though, the book started off great - there was a lot of comedy and it also motivated me to want to experiment with the die life in my head. Very unfortunately, it went astray from halfway to the rest of the way. Pity. Or I could have been a convert and let the dice decide if I shoud go to work tomorrow and suck it up, or go to work tomorrow and pick a fight with everyone, or stay in bed all day long, or blog all day long or not etc. The possibilites of the choices you created are out there. Choose 1 or 2 dice and assign the numbers to all the probabilities. Then sit back, literally throw your caution in the air and let the dice decide.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Maggi Mee Goreng

Having eaten nothing throughout the day, it is of no surprise that my doughnut dinner this evening wasn't nearly enough. Actually though, I'm feeling more greedy than hungry; so at about 10.30 pm, I decided to whip up a quick comfort food, transforming this:

...
...
...
...
...
to this:
Ta-daaaa!! My own creation of Maggi Mee Goreng. Just stir fry chopped yellow onion , sliced chillies, cubed taters and beef slices before adding in the softened mee and seasoning from the packet. Add some black sauce, light soya sauce, egg and veggies and continue stir-frying at 15 minutes TOPS!
I know it's not a good thing to be stuffing myself at such hour of the night. My mom would probably freak out with a "maggi again!" if she knew. But, oh well! Maggi Mee Goreng happens to be the ideal food for supper, taking me less than 15 minutes to whip this up.
Besides, this under-rated dish always brings back fond memories of sharing a plate between 2 or 3 friends in Tioman trips and after-hours silly chat sessions with a bunch of loony friends.
To me, there's always small space for a bowl of Maggi Mee Goreng, even if it seems unhealthy.
Which reminds me...I need to top up our Maggi Mee ration next time we are back in Singapore!

555

For the longest time, I thought the following messages I received from my Thai colleagues on messenger, email or sms sounds weird:

"I didn't know that, too. 555"

or

"Really? 555"

or whatever else the message, and followed by

"555"

It took me quite a while to realise what it means. "555" simply means "hahaha". Meaning, that's the sound you make when you laugh. To explain further, it's the laughter that goes with haa haa haa. In Thai, the very word for the number five (5) is "ha". As such the Thais use this in their daily texting and messaging language to denote laughter.

I was reminded of this again today when I heard a jingle in the taxi that went ha ha ha ha ha. Only the guy singing the jingle wasn't laughing; he was only verbalising the phone numbers with a lot of fives in it.

555

Sight for sore eyes



Don't they just look fabulously gorgeous? I simply love the sight of these funky looking and colourful doughnuts that seem to threaten instant cavity. The kind that makes all your teeth enamel fall out immediately because it is super candy-sweet. Interestingly, they come in all sorts of creative flavours too. Dunkin Donuts will fail in comparison to this new kid on the block.

Somehow, I can't just bring myself to eat such pretty food; so I settled for the good old sugared doughnut and double choc doughnut to tar pao home for my dinner. Good ole doughnuts can be such awesome comfort food. I likey!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wisdom

Snippets on "Wisdom", courtesy of Vicvanvinkle:

I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others -
they are more screwed up than you think.

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.

I've learned that no matter how much I care,
some people are just assholes.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust,
and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you'd better have a big weenie or huge boobs.

I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken
from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away.

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do,
unless we are celebrities, politicians or filthy rich.


Can't help but grinned to myself silly when I read those.

Old, older...

The work onslaught for the past 2 weeks has taken its toll, with me feeling slightly under the weather in the last few days. It’s probably just my body screaming enough is enough, and can no longer take the abuse of continuous late nights and working on weekends without a decent rest.

It was so bad that I have to leave the office in the late afternoons for two continuous days and schumachered home to sleep off the exploding migraines.

I’m realizing that I’m no longer the lithe, young thing who could work for hours on end at one single sitting. Those were my piddly little executive super-underpaid days when I would be working my arse off, pulling in an all-nighter, all weekend if I had to, missing out on social life and family time, work till the wee hours in the morning and doing it for months and months on end. All in the name of work. Looking back, that was insane.

Right now, I don’t think I can hack it anymore. Age is really catching up, and my attention span is only so much. Man, I’m getting old(er). My tiny body just can’t keep up and I'm still keeping unhealthy hours at work. Older but not wiser...

Blessed soul

"I just knew that you not feeling well. Take a good rest and call me if you need anything cause you are alone now"

A text message received from my planner upon realizing my absence from the office when she got back from her meeting. She also offered to take me to the hospital and even bring me food at home if I need her to, just because she knows Silver Bullet is not in town. So sweet, hor!

It’s always a pleasure to know such kindness still exists in this cruel world. God bless her!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Good life?

Is it me or is there something fundamentally wrong with this poster?

Granted, I did think the picture was nicely done. However, what jumped out at me was the tag line here. To me, it felt rather condescending. It felt wrong.

Seriously, does this guy actually look like he has a good life? Pardon my ignorance of what it might signify, but apart from his smile, he appears to be rather malnourished.

If this portrays "Good Life", I'm assuming he'll have a decent house to live in, a nice car and good clothes the moment he steps out of this sampan. For now, this guy looks like he could do with a new set of clothes and trade his 20 baht flip-flops for a good pair of shoes. A "good life" would also mean that his boat would be much nicer than this.

It's almost like the advertiser is taking the piss out of this guy. It just doesn't seem ethically right.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Priorities

Taking the right or wrong cabs in Bangkok has a lot to do with luck sometimes. Just last week, our mad cab driver decided to jam-break really hard without a reason while he was driving us back to the office. The cab jerked from impact and I had my face and cheeks nicely squashed on the back of his seat. It was nothing serious or anything, but his reason for doing it had me rolling my eye-balls.

His reasons? He had to give space to a frigging Merc which was cutting into his lane because it was an expensive car. From what we saw, he really didn't need to as he had quite a wide berth. My guess is perhaps he just wouldn't be able to get away with insurance on the Merc had he kissed the Merc's bum.

Talk about priorities...

Short Quip

A remark made in a meeting from the perspectively challenged on the topic of internet:

"Personally, I'm not too keen on internet and I will not allow my kids to be exposed to internet sites or gaming. The internet trend is not for kids. So, I personally think that it is not an appropriate recommendation to use the internet to entertain kids between 7 to 14 years old"

You know what though? Incidentally, the almighty internet is no longer a trend. It's just there. And for kids that age, well, let's just say it's probably the most normal thing they'd see, given that they are born already into it, along with Ipods, Iphones, Google and MSN Messengers.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Animal Cruelty

Here's another one from Aunty Antsy. Nah-beh you know, these people, I tell you. Certainly these Chinese are damn seow to tattoo fish for luck or fengshui purposes.


I definitely agree with Aunty Antsy that this is just plain cruelty. Whatever possess them to do this? This is taking superstitions waaaay to far.

Poor poor fishies.

Afghan Wife-Starving Law

Aunty Antsy forwarded me this news clipping with a very antsy tone, no less. I started fuming with smokes coming out of my ears the moment I read what she sent and when I read another one here. As I tried to find more news on this, I stumbled on several forums discussing this topic. Not surprising that I came across several posts from individuals who ain't shy to proclaim out loud with a " I fxxxkin hate Muslims" and "I fuxxxg hate Islam". Can you blame them?

Kudos to Afghanistan for yet again fuelling hatred to the rest of the Muslims around the world with such stupid and sadistic laws. Why should Muslim women be victimised by ignorant men who still want to live in a stone-age? Keep this up, and I'm sure the love for Islam from around the globe will grow which will entice everyone to convert to this religion.

In this day and age, it is appalling that such crazy laws are imposed. Why can't we just respect and practice our believes and faiths in moderation? And I thought we human beings have evolved.

Passive Aggression

This video resonates with me. Take away the creative agency context here and replace it with the industry I'm working in; and it still does portray some realities of my professional life.

Of course, this is sheer exaggeration, but to be honest, it's not too far from the truths. That person on the working end is easily me smiling away while delivering cusses and nasty go to hell thoughts at the same time.

Rude & Evil

The whole of last week has been very intense for me as deadlines are getting shorter and work load bottle-necked. That, however, really wasn't the main thing that drove me up the wall. What threw me off-guard completely is the demeanour of the clients I have to face. They are counter-productive, evil and simply just damn rude.

I can re-frame my mindset from my "belief" that they seemed aggressive, mean, nasty because they are busy and highly stressed to combat any negative thoughts from my end. After all, I'm being professionally trained to "re-frame my mindset" each time I conjure up "beliefs" in my mind. Not so much of a "belief" anymore since these clients actually did behave in a certain way and some of their actions in the supposedly "discussion" meetings include:

  • Outburst of "impossible!" and banging on the table at the same time without rhyme nor reason as we flashed our very first slide and not having a chance to first explain. We were not aware of what exactly it was that she saw that had seemed "impossible to her. She didn’t quite explain herself and could not give a straight answer to what was wrong.
  • Rude interruptions. This happened all the time during the course of the meeting as they softly whisper and giggle like little kids between themselves while we are presenting.
  • Rude interruptions and sheer disrespect also include them cutting us in mid-sentence and even walking out of the room in the midst of trying to answer the questions THEY had raised
  • Threats and intimidation, both verbal (“I cannot trust you anymore, we’ll have to go for a pitch) and non-verbal (banging the table, raising voices, flailing arms that suggest “attack me if you dare”)
  • Sarcastic jokes and teasing used as insult-delivery systems
  • Snide remarks in local language which in Thai, will sound much much worse to the ears
  • Status slaps to my junior subordinates as an intention to humiliate their victims
  • Dirty looks
  • Treating people as if they are invisible.
  • Speaking and questioning in Thai directly to my subordinate and using it as a weapon to bully her and dismissed her as if she’s stupid if she can’t answer when they know very well I don’t understand the language and that I may have the answers for them
  • Going off on tangents on things which they know is not going to be discussed in this one meeting based on earlier agreement.
  • Rather than admitting they don’t understand it and seek clarification, they dismissed it as “the slides doesn’t add any value” and refused to give any suggestions when probed or when we suggest other alternatives.
  • Changed their mind several times, shot down all of our recommendations, and blamed us for not recommending it while expecting us to rationalize what THEY want even when we disagree with them
  • Harsh words on what they’d like to see next time and ended the meeting by just walking out of the room without even a simple thank you, considering that we have worked through the night for several nights to get the really heavy work done for them within a short time-frame

It amazes me how people seem to lose their professional etiquette as the continue to climb up the ladder and abuse their position as they take a ride on their power-trip. No one should be subjected to such "abuse" and sheer disrespect in any line of work. These emerging managers and directors of the corporate world need to wake up and realize that this is not the most effective way of managing people. Insane.

Precious

I feel like it's been ages since I have had a decent weekend at home of just nothing after several weeks of crazy work load and consecutive late nights in the office. Finally! One weekend for me to wind-down , take a step-back and appreciate the little things around me...even if it is for just one weekend.
It seems also as if the cats missed me. With the exception of Andy, both Ah-Nut and Fudge came to snuggle up with me this morning, waking me up from my deep slumber. I've been stalked all over the house since I got out of bed, especially by Fudge who happens to be the resident lap-cat.
It is a nice feeling to have Fudge snuggle up to me voluntarily each time I chill out to watch TV. She makes it a point to also ensure that she first walks all over me, then crawl in between me, my cushion pillows and whatever small holes between me and the couch in her attempt to cozy up.
Ah-Nut follows me with his eyes and if he can't see me, he seems to come find me and sit in a distance; near enough to see me but far enough for me to be able to reach out to him.
With Silver Bullet away for a couple of weeks, Andy has decided to make herself scarce, making me a tad unworthy of her piddly little attention. I'm sure that Ice Queen will come round soon and make friends with me when the food runs out or when she needs her litter cleaned. Not that I mind any of it, and at the moment, I'm enjoying my chilled out weekend with my precious cats and my precious rest time.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Blessed is...

...me relishing in the comfort of my husband's arms as I balled my eyes out and buried my face in his hairy, cushiony chest from lack of sleep, erratic food intake and an extremely bad, bad day at work.

The best part about is that I know he doesn't judge as I teared my guts out by the quiet soi and not having to say a word.

Monday, August 17, 2009

2 cups of coffee?

I received the narrative below just when I felt my entire world has been turned upside down, my stomach churning inside out. It came from my biggest boss today and she cc-ed this to everyone in the company.This, for some reason, brought a lump in my throat. The first sentence is her personal message to the recipients of the mail:

"This really resonated with my life at the moment. It puts a lot into perspective for me so if any of you are feeling that life is a bit crazy for you right now - this might help ....."

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

My reply to her was this: "Nice prose. Unfortunately, the sand has become pebbles and they contaminated my coffee!"

I really appreciate the contents of the above and there's definitely a lot of truths in that. However, at this point, I can't help but feel helpless when the abrasive sand gets under my skin and there's nothing I can do about it.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Dreading Monday

I don't know where the days have gone these days. It's depressing to think that Sunday will be over in less than 2 hours from now. All I remember of last week was attending bad meetings and being cooped up in the office till the wee hours in the morning. My weekend has been ruined with me spending my time behind my laptop working on an urgent presentation to a client who wouldn't take "no, I'm not sacrificing my weekend just because you feel you own my ass no" for an answer. They eventually agreed to postpone the meeting, but only 2 hours later and STILL on the same day. On the brighter side of things, 2 hours is probably better than nothing.

I do think these people think we have no life outside work, just because they don't themselves, and that we pull out analysis and strategy right out of our asses.

The worse thing is, these things happens over and over again. Relentlessly. No amount of complains can change the way some inefficient and ineffective organizations work. What amazes me is that these are the types who'd demand change, want new thinking to the work and process, yet they are not willing to make that step-change when actually being nudged, citing "confusion" and keep it "similar to last year". They are good in telling you what they don't want in a round about way, and still manage to beat about the bush on what they want. These are the worst kind of clients who will just nit-pick on everything, keep changing their minds, asking for new stuff to be added, and yet the onus is on us to deliver on time. Or else! Sometimes, I wonder how these people manage to still keep their jobs.

While it is all painful, peoople like us learn to bite the bullet. There is no other way around it because for some reason, human life is cheap. One probably needs permission and approval to die - but that is only after all the necessary work have been done for Mister Oh-so-mighty-Clients. There is something fundamentally wrong in human ethics.

The world isn't really so bad...it's just the heartless homosapiens living in it make it all a living nightmare. Dealing with people is the hardest part of my job. And people wonder why I'd rather hang out with a bunch of monkeys, cats and birds in the zoo.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Evil Frey

Bad stuff is soooo gooooooood. Like super-dooper salivateable, yummy, superlicious goodie-good.

Stealing an expression from Silver Bullet: This is E.V.I.L in thin foil.
I like evil stuff like this.
Comes with all other sorts of flavours for hardcore chocolate lovers. The Panna Cotta flavour is one to die for too.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Candid Shots

These photos from Buang Boraphet turned out to be quite alright-looking. There's something snazzy about these pictures I can't quite put my finger on.
Taken from my Oylmpus point-and-shoot by yours truly while tagging along with Silver Bullet on one of his outdoor photography session.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Phantom Acquaintances

As evolved as we are as human beings, there seems to be a piece of an etiquette missing in the world of social networking. Have all of the modern technologies suddenly make people morally retarded, and, lacking all forms of regard for a socially acceptable interaction?

By that, I do mean the sheer courtesy of using that send message feature on Facebook where you can first say hello, before clicking on that “add as friend” request. I mean, just adding someone you have not spoken to for more than 18 years without first sending any message is just plain rude!

I have been particularly annoyed with the recent influx of requests in my Facebook account from such acquaintances. Sure, we were once schoolmates and what nots. Fortunately, fate has it that we go on our separate ways. I certainly have my reasons for retreating away from them back then, mainly because of negative vibes and unnecessary nonsensical politics in the group dynamics. It was a conscious effort on my part to happily back away from all of that. I didn’t think I mattered to them then, so why should I suddenly matter to them now? Vice versa for me, too. These people never did matter to me. If they were, we’d still somehow be in touch. Somehow, some way.

I don’t understand the psyche of these people. Really, the least they could do is just send me a message. It’s not like we talked and had coffee yesterday! It has been almost 20 years now without news nor interest to contact of any kind , and suddenly these etiquette-idiots decide to reconnect with me via “add friend” request? Errr... excuse me, at which point of my life in the last 2 decades since we lost touch have you actually added value to my life that ascertain life-long friendships?

I mean, really. At what point do these people suddenly feel they have the right to intrude in my life to “just reconnect and catch up”? These are not even friends to me, rather, phantom acquaintances. Blasts from my pasts, in which I have no interest or inclination to rekindle the lost connections. Not when you didn't bother to first send me a message. I add them when they request for it, yet we never message each other and they float around silently in my lists like ghosts, probably trying to snoop around once in a while. (good thing for privacy settings!). I am only just another number of connections they have to show the world how popular they are.

It’s hard to feign friendship. Believe it or not, my really, really close friends are far and between. I can literally use my ten fingers to count them, and probably with a few more fingers to spare. I’ll take quality over quantity anytime. They may not even be on Facebook.

How are they wired?

Every visit to the dentist is a perpetual nightmare for me. I would rather pierce my belly 10x more than having to lie down on a dentist’s chair with those obtrusive and annoying sounding instruments in my mouth. I just hate, hate, hate going to the dentist. Unless I absolutely have to and that’s usually when my state is quite dire. There is really nothing pleasant about having to go to the dentist…each time, it’s about getting something in there fixed. I hate the experience, the feeling and just even having to think of it.

Yet, each time I succumbed myself to the dentist's chair, I never cease to wonder why people ever want to become a dentist. It is of course, a noble profession. My guess is the money is really good. But still, why would any sane person want to make it their life-long career? What motivates them when they decide to pursue this profession? Did they then realize the amount of scrutiny they have to go through each time they say “open wide” to their patients? Do they actually enjoy looking into people’s mouth looking for cavity-filled molars, build up tartar and plagues, bleeding gums, root canal and finding more holes to fill? Doesn’t the sight of left-over food bits in every nook and cranny of each tooth disgust them? What about the sight of coffee and cigarette stained teeth and a garlic and onion-scented mouth? Are they not repel by that? That’s what I don’t get. It must be some kind of a fetish this; with having to scrutinize people’s mouth and get paid good money for it.

Each time after an appointment, I’m itching to ask my dentist(s) those questions. But, so far I have managed to restrain myself. It seems like quite a personal question to ask considering I am not exactly on a first name basis with them, isn’t it?

Still, as much as I hate the dentist’s chair experience, I’m glad there are people out there who are willing to do this “dirty’ job. Maybe, one of these days, I would just blurt the questions out-right to them.

That doesn’t mean to say that I’m looking forward to my next visit to the dentist, though.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Just kooky

"Coffee in your jelly. Jelly in your coffee"

Did you just say “Huh?!”. Good. Let’s try again.

Say that again slowly in your head, digest the words and go over it once more in your head with a “would you like to have coffee in your jelly and jelly in your coffee?” Then, imagine yourself saying that in a sing-song sort of a way to anyone random in the office and offer your wide-eyed, huge mouth white teeth exposed grin right after you finish saying that sentence.

There! It made my day.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

650 TC Lullaby

I confess to be having quite the obsession with soft, silky, smooth bed sheets. This obsession began since I started earning my own pay-check. I still remember the exitement of being able to finally choose and actually afford to buy my own bed and linen. That probably also explained the reason why it was so hard for me in those days to get out of bed before 5pm on my weekends…I simply love my bed and I’m absolutely in love with my fluffy, comfy bed sheets and pillows.

However, until we got married last year, Silver Bullet never quite understood why I have to spend, according to him “insane” amount of time and money looking for “just a bed sheet” you use only when you are unconscious. Well…that was then. Now, he is no doubt a full-fledged convert of minimum 450 thread-count bed linen as he made his own discovery into the realm of sensational plop in bed with silky, soft and smooth sheets. Until recently, that is.

That’s because, we accidentally discovered Pasaya at 50% off retail prices that comes at a whopping 650 thread count. The 42% cotton and 58% micro fiber combo material does offer a very silky, cool, comfortable feel I can’t even begin to describe. What surprised me most is that it’s a Thai brand and of really, really exceptional quality at really reasonable prices. Still a bit pricey if there’s no discount, but this being Thailand, they’d offer anything from 20%-50% on bed sheets at almost any time of the year! For the quality that Pasaya has, it’s worth every damn penny! We both love the quality of this brand so much that we bought a second (still on 50% discount!), which will be used for at least another 3-4 years.

I have found my perfect brand of bed sheets and it will be very hard to convince me to look at other brands. Although... I have to admit that the 1000 thread-count of Egyptian cotton sheet is still high on my list. Only, those things are so exorbitantly expensive that I think I need to start to grow a real money tree to be able to afford and justify my purchase for that.

Till then, I'm utterly pleased with our new found love.Even the eldest resident furball approved!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

So no fair.

Torture for me is ...
....watching Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Chin on Discovery Channel - Travel & Living, with each host covering a full hour of Singapore's glorious food scene back-to-back with Mr Seetoh of Makansutra, and all I could do was stay glued to the tele, wide-eyed and drooling away like an idiot.

Oh those sizzling pratas, mee goreng, sambal stingrays, chilli crab, carrot cakes, teh tariks and what nots are all just too much to bear. What a torture to be tantalized by something I cannot get around the corner when I want them. It is also quite sad to come to a realization that I don't have a bleeding clue of where most of the eating places those guys went to in Singapore. I'm ashamed!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Organic Brush

Fudge's backside on any other normal days:

Fudge's bristled back-side on a rare occasion:
Fudge was actively engaging in a play fight with Donut when I saw her puffed up tail for the very first time. It seems that the puffing up or bristled tail indicates that she was probably afraid at that time, surprised or simply trying to avoid a confrontation with the dominant cat. She is so playful that it's almost impossible not to laugh when we see her "worried" face. Clearly, Ah-Nut manages to show her yet again who's the boss!

The similarity of the second picture to this one here is almost uncanny, isn't it!

Subliminal?

Came across this clip in one of the workshops I attended recently. Really think this is cool stuff, and that's only coming from a third party point of view (i.e me!). I especially like the music they used in this clip. Very bubbly, and could have easily prompt anyone (i.e me!) to act silly. The music keeps playing in my head, making wanna go "oh-duuuu...dududu..." and making all the funny faces and acting silly immediately right here at my desk (but I have to restraint myself for the sake of dignity! :p).

I am, otherwise not a very strong advocate of this particular fast-food chain, apart from the occasional Fillet O'Fish from time to time.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Divinely Bored

Caught Ah-nut a couple of occasions bearing this divine pose. Perhaps he lacks mental stimulation having been cooped up all day with 2 "PMS" females! Definitely the look of ultimate boredom at its best.


Sunday, August 2, 2009

Soto Ayam

I must say I surprised myself making this Indonesian Soto Ayam for the weekend. I'm so exhilarated that it turned out really, really well, leaving Silver Bullet wanting more! I did make everything (even the sambal) from scratch and am very proud of the end result. I guess it helps that I actually broil the soup over slow fire since Friday night to get the maximum flavour of the chicken (although, not continuously but rather on and off for several hours at a time) before serving it for our weekend dinner at home.

This soup is rather versatile, too. On Saturday, I served with Macaroni (al dente), making it a version of Macaroni Soup. With the same soup base served with yellow noodles, it becomes a Mee Soto for Sunday dinner. Definitely my idea of variety!

Here's my version of the recipe:

  • 4-6 chicken breast meat with skin and bones
  • 2 stalk of lemon grass
  • 60 ml coconut milk
  • 1 and 1/2 non-MSG chicken cube stock
  • 1/2 non-MSG beef cube stock (optional)
  • 3-4 glasses water

Spice Paste:

  • 1 and half teaspoon of coriander seeds
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds (soaked in water for 5 minutes first)
  • 4 shallots (chopped)
  • 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
  • 2 pieces of fresh turmeric (peeled and chopped)
  • 2-inch piece of galangal (peeled and sliced)
  • 2-inch piece of ginger (peeled and sliced)
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice


Other ingredients (Garnish):

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs (cut into wedges)
  • Bean sprouts
  • Bergedils
  • 1 stalk of spring onion & coriander (chopped) and fried shallots

Method:
Blend the spice paste in a blender. Add some water if needed. Pour some oil in a pot and add in the spice paste. Stir the spice paste and wait for it to turn light brown. Add in the chicken pieces and boil for at least half hour before adding in the chicken cubes, coconut milk, lemon grass strips, and water. Cover the pot and lower the heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or boil it slowly for longer if you have the time. Add salt to taste.

[Mid-way of simmering the soup, I took out the cooked chicken and shred the meat to set aside for serving. The skins and bones are then dumped back into the soup for further boiling. This is essentially tips from cooks to make the soup tastier!]

Blanch beansprouts, pre-soaked vermicelli /yellow noodles, macaroni in boiling water and transfer them into a bowl once they are cooked. Add in toppings of hard-boiled eggs, chopped spring onions and pour the hot chicken broth into the bowl. Serve hot with lime wedges. Enjoy!

Karma?

Strange things I hardly ever thought about somewhat unfolded itself this week. In successive moments too, may I add. It just felt strange. Strange because it’s something I’d never phantom or anticipated, much less expected, in an otherwise another grueling work-week. Strange, in a feel-good sort of way.

You see, since my move to the new team, things has gotten extremely crazy for me as the entire team is caught in a Master-Servant sort of role. My entire team is the servant, and almighty Mr Clients, of course, being none other than the Master. Personally and professionally, I hate being in such a role, especially if both sides preach “partnership”. Partnership, my dear friends, does not allow room for people like us to be stepped upon like low-life roaches and having to kow-tow to every whims of almighty, unreasonable and insane Mister Clients. As partners (and may I add as consultants and expert in our field as defined by the job scope), we don’t’ have to agree to every damn thing Mr Client Almighty has to say. As partners, who are unfortunately human beings too, and regardless of the role we play in life, we have every right to say no to every unreasonable, insane request. If you can’t be nice, at least be civil.

I’ve spent the last few weeks (that felt like months already by, the way) in this new team mainly fighting fires, biting the bullet and juggling several other painful tasks till the wee hours of the night. Nothing unusual, really, but I’m bummed about sacrificing some personal time more than I already have to. At the end of the day, apart from the actual output that comes out from the email outboxes, it is also about managing people. Managing people while trying to predict and anticipate their responses, behaviors and their sometimes, stupid idiosyncrasies. We are what you might call, the unqualified psychiatrists, surrounded in a field of highly reactive loose cannons from all hierarchy levels. And we try to do this without losing our sanity.

Being on auto-pilot most of the time, I am not always conscious of how my actions or reactions could and would affect how other people see me. My main goal at the end of a working day is to complete all necessary tasks required, be a support pillar for my team while ensuring quality output within a certain time frame. Above all, my stand is delivering with integrity and professionalism, while keeping my compassion (or my secret contempt, depending on the situation) for fellow human beings in checks.

So a few days ago, a series of events sorta unfolded itself…one after another on the same day in all different contexts from individuals in different roles (client, a former supplier, a to-be former superior and a former intern). Talk about being over-whelmed in a span of about 5 hours!

Without going into details, each of the characters felt that I made a difference in their lives. This is despite my short stint with each of them. Suddenly I felt a huge purge of respect relegated to me from these individuals...a feeling I haven’t quite expected, nor digest in my head. With the same breath, it made me stop, think and reflect the things that I’ve done, and, how my actions, conscious or unconscious, inadvertently affect the behaviours of others in my presence. It was an enlightening, yet humbling moment. Humbling because those things I faced everyday could have gotten a lot worse and I could easily be one of those dirt-bags they’d trample on in this dog-eat-dog industry, had I behaved recklessly. Despite my occasional bitching and non-emotional approach, I seem to have done something right as they responded to me in a very positive way.

For a split second, I’m almost convinced that those crazy work, all the mental turmoil in putting out fires and now realizing that I contributed to making a difference in their lives, seems all worth it. Or is it, really? The truth is, for every one person that actually appreciates my style, I’m pretty sure there would be 10 more who’d hate my guts. The good thing is, I don’t have to please everyone. There is, such a thing as karma.