I'm getting old. I knew it. I just hated to admit it.
I knew something was seriously wrong the minute I started dozing off in the middle of Metallica's Seek and Destroy on MTV a few nights ago. As if admitting that was not humiliating enough, it was only 10:15pm.
Why did they have to air the halyconic days of our youth knowing full well that we're all not youths anymore and still fighting with the inner demons of mid-life crisis? Why show all these videos to the Generation Ys and Ms who will never fully appreciate quality noise and who will never, ever understand that Welcome Home Sanitarium is not just a rock ballad. It's not even a bloody ballad lah!!!
Today, I want to talk about my super long weekend. I went for a two day course at SMU. Herg?! Open Uni?...Me??...hahaha. I was super shocked myself but I managed to get through. It was some service skills course conducted by this eccentric fella who wears a pink tie and came from a deprived childhood. He kept telling us stories of his sadistic father and his hoodlum relatives, it didn't really came as a surprise when he didn't view Johnny Depp as Pirates of the Caribbean but more like Willie Wonka.
He admitted that he's a kiddie person but I suspected something more because where Johnny Depp and Tim Burton is concerned, you'd always expect something dark and twisted and well, Willie Wonka. Although he does look cute in that weird hairdo.
Anyway, I spent close to a hundred smackaroos on my own deprived adulthood. I went to PS during lunchtime and tapau cakes from Secret Recipe, a Loreal compact and eyeliner to refill my exhausted stock. To top it up, they gave me a revitalising eye cream as a free gift. A course mate told me that I was lucky to get it for free. I view it as another sign of ageing.
The next day, in a bid to deny that age thing, I got a cute handbag and two skirts from Dhoby Ghaut's Xchange underground thing. Broke and still feeling old, I trudged back to SMU with my loot.
My "best friend" came, so I was not allowed to fast for a week. I bought a bun and orange juice from 7-11 and settled into a quiet corner away from the eyes of the numerous cameras.
I came across only 1 malay/muslim student on his way to Friday prayers because he was carrying a sarong in his left hand. Other than that, I'm free to eat away from everyone. Hey, I have to respect Ramadhan even though I am not fasting. Hah, the perks of being a woman. You get seven days off. The perks of being a woman again? You get to pay that seven days within that year. Hmm, the perks of being a woman.
Sometimes, during my "cannot fast" days, I feel embarrased standing in a que at MacDonald's to buy something back to the office (and hide somewhere to eat ) while we have all these supposedly muslim teenagers eating and smoking in public right in the middle of the fasting month. The older generations are no better. In fact, you'd see the old geezers having the time of their life downing their drinks in public as if to tell everyone they can jolly well cheat death himself. Whatever lah. Kubor kau, jawab sendiri.
Saturday and Sunday, Matin got sick. Flu. The family doctor had to attend to an urgent housecall somewhere in the north, so I went to another clinic nearby. Very nice decor but not children friendly. It looked more like an aesthetic spa than a clinic. I was half expecting someone to greet me with a basin of frangipani water. Doctor was super cold and super no-nonsence. Definitely not the kind you'd wish to massage you all over with volcanic mud. Luckily, Matin was super co-operative and we were out in less than 5 minutes.
Monday and Tuesday, I decided to take Legislated childcare leave and spend the two days cleaning up the house. Hubby threw out his boxes of donno-whats in the study room after months of nagging from me. Then we went to Geylang to buy that bamboo carpet which was all the rage and which I was determined not to get involved with. I mean, everywhere we go, someone will be sure to carry one on their shoulder. But, my dear hubby was so excited about it and when hubby is excited, you get infected and one thing led to another, we ended up breaking fast at Mad Jacks, somewhere in Prinsep Street and burning a further $56. Danial got his pizza after nearly 40 minutes. Poor kid's been fasting all day and he looked so miserable that I had to run to the kitchen twice to see for myself, what's holding up.
What came out next made me feel guilty though. I was half expecting they pop a ready made pizza in the oven. I didn't know that they really do it by hand. No wonder it takes so much time. Hubby and I had finished our meal and as much as we try coaxing Danial to eat our share, he insisted on waiting for his pizza. Poor dear. When it finally arrived, it was too hot to eat and we had to rush off to pick up hubby's friend at Southpoint. We tapau the pizza for him to finish in the car but he ended up sleeping for most of the journey.
Four days of wonder, four days of cleaning. I'm tired. I have black rings the size of army truck tyres under my eyes. Good thing for the Loreal revitalising eye care cream. Hey, if I'm indeed ageing, I might as well age gracefully....
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Night Out
It's time for the bi-annual Family Day again. Of all my 14 faithful years serving the organisation, this is my second time attending such an outing. I didn't regret buying the cheap tickets one bit.
Hubby and I plus the two kids met up with his best buddy, wife and two kids as well. It was held at Sentosa's Palawan Beach. Free food and awesome goodie bags. The evening started of great and the kids never bothered about the inflatable playground as they were too busy chasing each other across the sand. Matin as usual was engrossed in piling up sand in the middle of the goal post, oblivious to everything.
About a quarter to 9pm, everyone walked the short distance to watch Songs of the Sea and the laser display thing. We nearly couldn't get in because hubby's friend misplaced the tickets. I've got all 4 tickets tucked safely in my bra as I've got my hands full with the still uneaten food and my carrier and clutching a whining Matin who couldn't understand why everyone wouldn't go in.
It was like watching The Amazing Race as the couple blamed each other on who lost the tickets and the husband had to make a mad dash to the nearby carpark, either to get away from the angry wife or just to check in case the tickets were under the spare tyres in the boot - as if.
The kids mending the gates were easy on us and let us in minus the tickets (I don't think they'd like to hold my sweaty ones). We were the last ones in and the sweet kids ushered us to the best seats in the house. Smack dab in the centre. Turned out that there were lots of empty seats! The show was meant for our staff and their family only. Hah! All that fuss for nothing.
So that show entertained the kids who were so excited by everything. Of course the dads had to join in the fun and flirted with the performing teenage girls just to annoy us. They even throw in a "Eleh, lagi lawa muka bini aku bangun tidor" at the holographic image of the Princess in the story. I was glad this event was held at night, in the dark.
I was expecting a mass jam at the carpark but everything went on smoothly, even at the causeway. We headed up to Changi Village next to meet up with two more of his friends. Both kids were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't have the heart to wake them up. It was afterall 10plus. But I've earlier chased them around the house and forcing them to have their naps in the day in order to hold this night. This kind of late night outing happens only once in a blue moon and I didn't want to spoil it for hubby who couldn't wait to meet up with his old buddies. I couldn't wait to meet up with their wives too.
So there we were at Changi Village hawker centre catching up on each other's life stories. Danial was wide awake especially if he's got Hasnita and Halicia for company. Matin was sleeping on my lap, so I didn't have trouble with him running all over the place. After midnight, we headed on to the beach. I was usually very testy about beaches at night, especially where babies are concerned and when I'm having my time of the month but the beach was littered with tents and there were so many people!
The girls and I retired near the jogging track under a streetlight and talked some more while the kids raced each other again. Matin, wide awake copied everything his brother did. The guys gathered on a stone bench a few metres away and lepak like a pack of poker players, smoking, and talking quietly. Once in a while, someone would let out a dirty joke and they'd all burst out laughing themselves silly.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out how the campers could sleep here. The planes from the nearby Changi Airport roared overhead every other minute. Even our conversations have to be constantly interrupted by the passing planes.
It was almost 2 am. None of the kids showed signs of fatique. We've ran out of stories to tell and have came to the "bitching about each other's husband" part. Just as it was getting interesting, the husbands decided to call it a night. Sheesh. We said goodbye at the carpark before zooming off to different parts of the island.
Back home, much as I hated it, I have no choice but to drag the sleepy, protesting kids to the bathroom and showered them with warm water. I couldn't let them sleep in their dirty clothes and sand filled hair! Once the ordeal was over, they promptly went back to sleep, snug in their own beds, probably dreaming about the Princess who looked like their mom who just woke up from bed.
Hubby and I plus the two kids met up with his best buddy, wife and two kids as well. It was held at Sentosa's Palawan Beach. Free food and awesome goodie bags. The evening started of great and the kids never bothered about the inflatable playground as they were too busy chasing each other across the sand. Matin as usual was engrossed in piling up sand in the middle of the goal post, oblivious to everything.
About a quarter to 9pm, everyone walked the short distance to watch Songs of the Sea and the laser display thing. We nearly couldn't get in because hubby's friend misplaced the tickets. I've got all 4 tickets tucked safely in my bra as I've got my hands full with the still uneaten food and my carrier and clutching a whining Matin who couldn't understand why everyone wouldn't go in.
It was like watching The Amazing Race as the couple blamed each other on who lost the tickets and the husband had to make a mad dash to the nearby carpark, either to get away from the angry wife or just to check in case the tickets were under the spare tyres in the boot - as if.
The kids mending the gates were easy on us and let us in minus the tickets (I don't think they'd like to hold my sweaty ones). We were the last ones in and the sweet kids ushered us to the best seats in the house. Smack dab in the centre. Turned out that there were lots of empty seats! The show was meant for our staff and their family only. Hah! All that fuss for nothing.
So that show entertained the kids who were so excited by everything. Of course the dads had to join in the fun and flirted with the performing teenage girls just to annoy us. They even throw in a "Eleh, lagi lawa muka bini aku bangun tidor" at the holographic image of the Princess in the story. I was glad this event was held at night, in the dark.
I was expecting a mass jam at the carpark but everything went on smoothly, even at the causeway. We headed up to Changi Village next to meet up with two more of his friends. Both kids were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't have the heart to wake them up. It was afterall 10plus. But I've earlier chased them around the house and forcing them to have their naps in the day in order to hold this night. This kind of late night outing happens only once in a blue moon and I didn't want to spoil it for hubby who couldn't wait to meet up with his old buddies. I couldn't wait to meet up with their wives too.
So there we were at Changi Village hawker centre catching up on each other's life stories. Danial was wide awake especially if he's got Hasnita and Halicia for company. Matin was sleeping on my lap, so I didn't have trouble with him running all over the place. After midnight, we headed on to the beach. I was usually very testy about beaches at night, especially where babies are concerned and when I'm having my time of the month but the beach was littered with tents and there were so many people!
The girls and I retired near the jogging track under a streetlight and talked some more while the kids raced each other again. Matin, wide awake copied everything his brother did. The guys gathered on a stone bench a few metres away and lepak like a pack of poker players, smoking, and talking quietly. Once in a while, someone would let out a dirty joke and they'd all burst out laughing themselves silly.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out how the campers could sleep here. The planes from the nearby Changi Airport roared overhead every other minute. Even our conversations have to be constantly interrupted by the passing planes.
It was almost 2 am. None of the kids showed signs of fatique. We've ran out of stories to tell and have came to the "bitching about each other's husband" part. Just as it was getting interesting, the husbands decided to call it a night. Sheesh. We said goodbye at the carpark before zooming off to different parts of the island.
Back home, much as I hated it, I have no choice but to drag the sleepy, protesting kids to the bathroom and showered them with warm water. I couldn't let them sleep in their dirty clothes and sand filled hair! Once the ordeal was over, they promptly went back to sleep, snug in their own beds, probably dreaming about the Princess who looked like their mom who just woke up from bed.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Quotes from Bikini Bottom
Caught an episode of SpongeBob last Sunday. The porous one received a "You're a Winner" letter and was subsequently invited to go to Karate Island to be crowned the Karate King (which pisses Sandy off because she was supposed to be the better chopper). Once there, he was locked and coerced into signing a timeshare contract. Hah!! It sure kick those assholes who pressure sell timeshares at innocent passerbys a well deserved one in the butt.
I love Spongebob for the clever word-play and cultural references. Sometimes hubby would wonder why I was laughing out loud to something which was seemingly not funny and I just said "Nothing" leaving him to conclude that all those time spent slaving in the kitchen is finally getting to me. Hubby is the type to laugh at slapsticks and direct comedy. I don't.
That's why I love it when Spongebob surfs down a slope to the tune of Pantera and Squidward's "nobody cares about the fate of labour as long as they get their instant gratification" quotes. You get dialogues coming out of supposedly dumbass like Patrick's "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma" or his "We're not talking about some dumb mail fraud scheme or hijacking here, We STOLE a balloon!!" What a squeal!!...
Here's some quotes I find most interesting:
Isn't this great Squidward? It's just you, me and this brick wall you built between us.
People talk loud when they want to sound smart. Right?
If I had a dollar for every brain you don't have, I'd have one dollar.
Remember licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets.
I always come to work at 3 am. This is when I count the sesame seeds.
I smell the smelly smell of something that smells smelly.
That's it Mr! You've just lost your brain priviledges.
I order the food, you cook the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die.
You senile bag of fish paste.
Oh bodyguard. My body is in your guarding hands.
I'm a realisitic looking fish head and I'm live at the fry cook games.
==> You just have to love em'
I love Spongebob for the clever word-play and cultural references. Sometimes hubby would wonder why I was laughing out loud to something which was seemingly not funny and I just said "Nothing" leaving him to conclude that all those time spent slaving in the kitchen is finally getting to me. Hubby is the type to laugh at slapsticks and direct comedy. I don't.
That's why I love it when Spongebob surfs down a slope to the tune of Pantera and Squidward's "nobody cares about the fate of labour as long as they get their instant gratification" quotes. You get dialogues coming out of supposedly dumbass like Patrick's "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma" or his "We're not talking about some dumb mail fraud scheme or hijacking here, We STOLE a balloon!!" What a squeal!!...
Here's some quotes I find most interesting:
Isn't this great Squidward? It's just you, me and this brick wall you built between us.
People talk loud when they want to sound smart. Right?
If I had a dollar for every brain you don't have, I'd have one dollar.
Remember licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets.
I always come to work at 3 am. This is when I count the sesame seeds.
I smell the smelly smell of something that smells smelly.
That's it Mr! You've just lost your brain priviledges.
I order the food, you cook the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die.
You senile bag of fish paste.
Oh bodyguard. My body is in your guarding hands.
I'm a realisitic looking fish head and I'm live at the fry cook games.
==> You just have to love em'
Generation Gasp
Recently, I went for a 2 day course at IPAM. Something to do with working with different generations. In a nutshell, here's what I learned:
Attributes of the 4 working generations.
Early Baby Boomers (post war generation)
Late Baby Boomers (born in the 50s)
Generation X (1965 - 1980)
Generation Y (1981 - 1999).
3/4 of the class belonged to the Late Boomers. There were 8 Gen Xs and no Gen Y. We spitefully said that all the Gen Ys are in Division 1 bossing us around.
The attributes for Gen X ..hehe..my generation. Known also as the slacker generation - so that's why during my school days, the phrase "Apa mau blajar....rillllekkkkk suaa" is all too common. Everything was so laid back. Relax was the order of the day. That's why I always procrastinate when it comes to math homework and rather spend an entire Sunday afternoon painstakingly copying the Guns N Roses logo on mahjong paper to paste on my school file. Hah...that is what I call chill.
When it comes to work, we are quite techno savvy. We learn the basic mechanics of new softwares fast because we were introduced to computers at a young age although not many of us own one at home. But at least when we first started working, we didn't expect the keyboard to produce musical notes.
Here's another interesting thing I learn. The early and late baby bloomers are hardworking workers who like to follow rules. That's why my parents listen to the 'gahmen' when they say stop at two. In the early 80s when 'gahmen' say "Have more if you can afford it", they decided to produce two more. My family make quite an interesting case study because there is one early baby boom (Dad), early boom (Mom), two Gen Xs and two Gen Ys.
The Baby boomers are known as such because after the war, there was an increase in birth rate. Either birth control was an unpopular choice or there was nothing interesting on HBO.
All the Gen X have moved on in life and entered the work force while the boomers are slowly retiring. But then again, the main bulk of the course is based on American lifestyle. If you apply it to local context perhaps only 98% is accurate. But it's quite interesting to analyse these. Afterall the main aim is for us to work among cross generations and understand each other. Yeah. All those Gen Y bosses should attend too and not make our lives more miserable than it already is.
Attributes of the 4 working generations.
Early Baby Boomers (post war generation)
Late Baby Boomers (born in the 50s)
Generation X (1965 - 1980)
Generation Y (1981 - 1999).
3/4 of the class belonged to the Late Boomers. There were 8 Gen Xs and no Gen Y. We spitefully said that all the Gen Ys are in Division 1 bossing us around.
The attributes for Gen X ..hehe..my generation. Known also as the slacker generation - so that's why during my school days, the phrase "Apa mau blajar....rillllekkkkk suaa" is all too common. Everything was so laid back. Relax was the order of the day. That's why I always procrastinate when it comes to math homework and rather spend an entire Sunday afternoon painstakingly copying the Guns N Roses logo on mahjong paper to paste on my school file. Hah...that is what I call chill.
When it comes to work, we are quite techno savvy. We learn the basic mechanics of new softwares fast because we were introduced to computers at a young age although not many of us own one at home. But at least when we first started working, we didn't expect the keyboard to produce musical notes.
Here's another interesting thing I learn. The early and late baby bloomers are hardworking workers who like to follow rules. That's why my parents listen to the 'gahmen' when they say stop at two. In the early 80s when 'gahmen' say "Have more if you can afford it", they decided to produce two more. My family make quite an interesting case study because there is one early baby boom (Dad), early boom (Mom), two Gen Xs and two Gen Ys.
The Baby boomers are known as such because after the war, there was an increase in birth rate. Either birth control was an unpopular choice or there was nothing interesting on HBO.
All the Gen X have moved on in life and entered the work force while the boomers are slowly retiring. But then again, the main bulk of the course is based on American lifestyle. If you apply it to local context perhaps only 98% is accurate. But it's quite interesting to analyse these. Afterall the main aim is for us to work among cross generations and understand each other. Yeah. All those Gen Y bosses should attend too and not make our lives more miserable than it already is.
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