day 2 in hk + lotsa photos!

haha this is gonna be photo-intensive post, not alot of people though! hope you all won't find it very boring! shall start off by uploading ytd's photos first :)

leaving the hk airport for the taxi stand

hk is a really ironic place. there are mountains like these everywhere, yet the apartments are super small and built extremely densely together, because flat, buildable land is really limited. quite a sight to see vast expanses of mountains and then squashed up houses right?

i realised hk has MANY MANY bridges, of varying designs! i think it's cos there's a lot of sea, and the roads are built over as bridges over the waters..

finally reached my hotel room! this is my toilet! clean and extremely sufficient, with a hot shower and hair dryer!

my room's really tiny that i didn't have a good angle to take a picture of the entire room at once! my luggage is actually behind the bed by the curtains..

i have FOUR pillows to myself!

view from my room window 1; i live on the 15th floor

view 2; you can get a feel of how close the buildings are to one another

we started exploring the area soon after!

stopped by a tea cafe for lunch at around 4.30p.m. this guy is called bruce lee! he's south korean, but will be working in singapore ops too..

lan kwai fung; a place well-known for its bars and night-life, rather near our hotel..it's the world cup season as you can see..we arrived the day of the finals..

night market at temple street; nothing to buy at all though

we stopped for dessert at a roadside stall; it was SUPER humid i was sweatingggg! these 3 are the other 3 whom i was on the same flight with..the guy on the left is super nice, though i'm always teasingly mean to him...i'm really glad he's in this group..if i lag behind he would wait for me, unlike the rest who would hardly even turn around to check..i'm used to my more caring and thoughful friends! like diana who would turn around and check even in an l4d game! hehe..anyway this guy is originally from china, but studied in sydney, and is gonna work in singapore with me! you know he has a gf of over TEN years...super impressed..they have been maintaining a LDR since 2003..wow..anyway the girl is very pretty right!

typical psychadellically-lit streets of hk

walking up the numerous flights of stairs back to our hotel on a hill!

START OF DAY 2:

we have a daily shuttle bus to ferry us from the hotel to our office building. today's bus left earlier, at 7.45a.m.

the view from our office at one island east is just BREATHTAKING.

we had allocated seating; mine was right beside the food table!

the japanese hires were super adorable! during a much-needed snack break in between presentations, they gave out little snacks they brought all the way from japan! i was very amused by the one of the left- it's called 'tokyo banana'!

a peek of our room..there were presentations the ENTIRE day, from 9a.m. all the way to 6.30p.m. i can't believe how draining it was! i really rather be doing work instead of simply sitting there- i'll fall asleep! i dozed off numerous times, think the hr caught me once..but i was not the only one..almost everyone else was trying their hardest to keep awake seriously..each presentation lasted an hour straight, with 5-10min breaks in between..and no offence, not that the speakers (senior mgmt from various depts) were extremely entertaining or something too..but appreciate that they took time off to talk to us, nooby new hires..

view from our presentation room window

more photos of my room! again, restricted angle..

contented with my tv (with which i could've caught the world cup finals if i wanted!) and boiling flask :)

to me the biggest thing that i can remember of today was my menstrual cramps..i can't believe it was so bad! when i sometimes don't even get it at all..i wouldn't call it cramps, just a super queasy feeling, like an extended bladder, super unbearable..i've never felt so alone in my life..it felt so painful yet i had to pretend that i was all normal, listening to presentations and chirpily striking up conversations with my japanese and hongkong colleagues as everyone networked during each break..soon i couldnt take it anymore, and during lunch i just hid inside the toilet cubicle and sat down on the toilet seat..i kept praying for the pain to disappear..what i hated most was not the pain, but having to act like there was no pain in front of the others..i wish i could just sit inside the toilet forever and not return to the room..i just felt like leaving the training halfway and going back to the hotel to rest, but i knew it was impossible..for one, the extremely pricey taxi fares in hk already put me off..

i missed home soooo much, i resented that i was all alone to fend for myself in a foreign land..with no one i could tell that i wasn't feeling well..sigh..everyone seemed too amibitious to really show genuine concern for another person..i know i'm being too cynical, but that was really what i felt today..i felt so desperate to call home or sth but i didn't get a calling card and it would be so ex..

i wanna go back to singapore, where i can be surrounded by my loving family and friends.. :(

day 1 in hong kong

it's 11.16pm now and i'm comfortably tucked under the comforter of my queen-sized hotel bed, with jazz music playing on the radio-clock in the background..just finished settling all the miscellaneous chores..like hanging up my work clothes, boiling water, brushing teeth etc.

the day turned out alright :) the 4 other people i flew with are quite nice and easy-going, so i'm quite glad. disappointed instead with myself for now seemingly the aloof one! my initial energy to strike up conversation topics and to know the rest better seemed to dissipate over time, as i just walked silently along the humid & hot streets of hk, occasionally joking around and snapping photos of the busy streets..

i don't know if it's due to the excess of high-rise concrete buildings which trap heat more easily and also obstruct the formation of any winds, but it was really sweltering hot, worse than singapore! passing by the air-conditioned entrances of shops provided a cooling respite each time! haha

j.p.m's push for diversity in its workforce is extremely apparent, i must admit. 5 of us from operations were booked on the same flight, and guess what, i'm the ONLY singaporean! there were 3 prcs, but all studied in various countries! 1 of them in singapore, another in canada, and another in sydney! the last guy is south korean who studied in sydney too. there were 2 of us girls; the other girl is super pretty, and is very blatant about her outspokeness and competitiveness. she's nice and unpretentious though, that's why i like about her. but i guess being in the same department as her when work starts might prove to be pressurising, given her aggressive nature?

very contented with the hotel room, very cozy, clean & comfortable, only that it's extremely crammed, hardly any walking space. had to literally lift my luggage over my bed to put it at one side of the room cos there's no rolling space! took photos of the room and the view outside, will probably upload tmr! feel the stress to sleep early tonight cos it's my first official day of work tmr, also the only day in the whole trip we have to wear the full business suit. don't wanna doze off like i did during the FIRST day of my internship!

to all my friends who encouraged me and tried to assuage my fears, thank you! i was particularly touched by chujie's e-card :) she actually tried to address each of my 7 worries listed in the blog post below! hehe..now that i've found that the other sg ops people are quite nice, half my worries are gone..hope tmr will be smooth-sailing! :) will update again tmr for those friends who are interested to know and who are concerned about me! :)

till tmr...............

im really starting to feel the jitters! i guess starting the first day of work in a faraway land, away from my family and friends, does not present pleasant expectations to a less-than-independent me..

i have so many silly worries:

• what if nobody likes me?
• what if i can't fit into the outspoken, maybe aggressive, nature of all the new recruits?
• what if i can't get ready in time and miss the daily morning shuttle bus?
• what if i fall asleep during the training?
• what if i stutter while networking with senior management?
• what if my lack of current affairs knowledge makes me appear silly in front of the others?
• what if i screw up the presentation we have to make at the end?

haha you know sometimes i just wish we didn't have to go to hk..i don't mind just working and working and working in singapore from the very beginning! i haven't even started packing, nor properly learnt the various functions in excel, nor enriched myself with the latest financial news around the world..can't believe what a great procrastinator i am..

i think the biggest message i gotta tell myself is: cherish this opportunity and learn to be independent!!!!!

the week right after i return is my convocation already..after that, i'll officially have no more ties to the student world :( i miss it already..i actually miss course registration! relived the whole 'excitement' when i helped jingjing register! she's always such a worrywart and scaredycat she somehow feels i click faster than her and got me to help her click from my home even while she was in stars planner!!

on a sidenote, here's a piece of advice to everyone NEVER to take lozenges (at least those with antibiotic properties) on a empty stomach! i sucked one in the afternoon, and was left feeling terribly nauseous the whole day, it's HORRIBLE! i had diarrhoea too, so to be honest i don't really know if its the lozenges, but everything started after i popped it into my mouth! and my mummy told me she experienced the same thing yesterday too..had no appetite for dinner at all but tried to eat a little at the coffee shop..when we walked back to the car i couldn't control it anymore and just threw up! urgh! haven't vomitted in a long time, but it was a GREAT relief man! i felt sooooo much better after that :D but yes, i'll never eat that brand of lozenges again!!

to all my friends, meet up and play when i'm back okie! will be back on 23rd july, friday!

:(

haven't felt emo in a really long time..quite an amazement right, given that i would actually characterize myself as a naturally emo person just around 2 years back..

i used to feel that being emo was healthy, because 'sorrow makes us human', that it allowed me to get in touch with my emotions and thoughts. but now, the feeling sucks! i just wish to snap out of it..

i wish to talk to someone about it, but i really don't wanna appear too angsty, or perhaps all my close friends have somewhat contributed a little, just a little, to my emo-ness in the first place..

i guess it's just everything happening on the same day that makes it seem difficult to bear.

close friends not replying my messages when the subject of the message is pretty urgent; learning that the imminent sec 4 gathering is quite a failure with only 6 people attending, with none of my clique attending..i know they each have their own reasons, but i just can't help but feel disappointed cos we never attended a class gathering without each other in the past, and it was natural that i expected the same this time..however nobody bothered to communicate within the clique to enquire about the whether the rest was going cos each of them probably never thought she was gonna go in the first place, so why ask? i don't know why exactly i feel disappointed- that my clique will not appear for the gathering together? or that the once pure, simple bond that 4/9 used to share has now been superceded by new and more important commitments in the lives of my classmates? sigh..

went back to j.p.m to collect my laptop for the hk trip today, and felt rather demoralized by the high turnover..my team has practically changed! i feel sad that i can no longer enjoy the camaraderie and laughter the old team used to have while i was an intern..i'll definitely miss a few of those who have left or will be leaving soon..and feel a little apprehensive if i made the right career choice in the first place..to enter a firm where people seem to want to be leaving so much..is there a problem with the culture that i was not made aware of when i was an intern?

while others might feel excited about the hk training in 3 days, i feel scared. perhaps my emo feelings now are not helping to let me think in a positive light and do self-assurance mental talks as i usually try to do..i feel afraid of even the most superficial stuff like mismatching my formal attire without even knowing it (cos of my poor fashion sense) to being late and thus being the only one left behind without a shuttle bus, to not having any friends!

oh man i really should stop ranting!

i wish i could talk to zk now but he's sleeping..hais...

home is where the heart is

developed a selected collection of UK photos, and placed the family-related pictures into this heart-shaped wire frame i bought from stratford which i fell in love with at first sight!

mummy refused to let me put it up in the living room, and daddy sneakily placed it on the wall along the walkway! right after he put it up, he told me "later mummy see already sure make noise one" with his trademark cheeky chuckle. he actually took down another hanging ornament and replaced it with the frame!

once daddy knew that i had bought the frame back in UK, each time i asked him to pose for photos, he would joke, "girl you better take handsome photos of daddy ar, must put in the frame one", just to tease me cos i was so excited about my purchase!

also developed a stack of purely-scenery photos which i quite like, and am very excited to create a collage on my room wall! :D my wish is to be able to take super nice photos next time, which i can blow up and frame on the walls of my house. i feel that framed photos can better define and achieve one's intended atmosphere of his home :)

a confession to make

i can't believe i've started online shopping! i realised once you start, it's so easy to continue :x in the past i was always held back by my not knowing the payment procedure..but temptation overwhelmed inertia when i saw a SALE on this particular blogshop and got 2 pieces for work purposes! i'm getting more and more vainnnnn

and just this week, being cooped up at home everyday, i had the luxury of filling up my time by exploring other blogshops..and i've decided to get 2 more dresses (DRESSES!)..i think i'm growing up and realising that my usual t-shirts and shorts attire may not be suitable for all occasions and venues, and am seeking more 'elegant' outfits..i feel sooo guilty admitting this!! am i on my way to becoming a spendthrift shopaholic??

i haven't even told my mummy about my 2 pending orders..she won't scold me, but she will surely niam "wah now know how to spend money already ar"..and i don't like her to think that way of me!! sighhhh

anyway, went to get my convocation gown on sunday..was never truly excited about convocation (since i already consider myself, quoting jingkai, a graduatED student) until i tried on the gown at serangoon broadway, a photography studio which provides convocation & wedding gowns..saw my reflection in the mirror and all at once, i felt a super strong sense of pride surge through me- proud of myself, my coursemates, for getting this far, and also for making my parents proud of me. it really IS quite a milestone in our lives i guess, especially when compared to graduating from sec school or jc, when we'd know we'll just continue to study, just more advanced stuff..this time, we're all being thrown out to WORK. i still can't believe i'm gonna be a working adult. i still feel like a small girl in my parents' eyes, i'm still so young!! hehe

gonna meet zk and his 2 RI friends for dinner tonight..1 of them is very shuai one! so i always joke with zk that i wanna meet him..haha..and usually he'll say NO! mainly cos he thinks it'll be weird if i tag along their 'guys' outing..but this time, the 2 of them are bringing their gfs *heartbreak!!* and so i'm invited. *rolls eyes* but to be honest, i'm feeling a little apprehensive and reluctant to go! it's my first time going out with them, and zk had made them out to be 'not as friendly as his other guy friends whom i've met'..plus this time their gfs (whom i have no idea what they look like at all) are going too..so i'll be forced to sit at a table and engage in preppy conversation with 4 people i haven't spoken to before! i also have a feeling that their gfs are those super chio and well-dressed kind of people, so i feel pressurised to meet them! i always feel scared of talking to good-looking people, unless they are already my close friends or sth..i think they will look down on me, and my lack of fashion sense or cultured demeanor..i really hope they turn out to be friendly and nice people! sigh, this is so weird.

went to my beloved enghui's house last night..dunno why, but i always feel extremely contented and happy at the end of each visit. we didn't do much..ate my wifey's cooking..i forced her to play the piano with me..oh man engsin you've become so rusty it's atrocious!!! grade 8 student!! haha and she was pok as usual..it was rather hot while we were playing, and she said 'oh you want the fan?' -engsin looks around- 'oh but there's no fan'..so kok right!! haha..and we started flipping thru her sec sch notebooks, which were FULL of tyz's scribbles and drawings (gasp!)..and a few guest 'dear diary' entries by me impersonating her & professing her love for KWA!! haha i forgot to take a photo of it, it was rather hilarious :p i feel very loved by her family every time i visit..wifey will always cut so much fruit for us, stroke my shoulder when we talk, and mr. wifey will insist on driving me home..feel so bad!! i love my ong family! <333

okie, i shall move on to more constructive stuff like honing my excel skills + reading up on financial news, as required by my HR!

girly sleepover + peipei's makeover!

hehe i've finally gotten down to downloading the photos from my cammie!

diana & peipei came for a short stayover (as peipei had work the next day) last wed and the always so well-prepared diana brought along her makeup kit to materialise her lifelong wish of giving pei a makeover!

lo & behold, prepare yourselves while peipei unleashes her girly beauty she's always so shy to reveal in the photos below! :p

BEFORE:

the in-house makeup artist!

applying eyeliner

applying glue onto fake eyelashes

assistant makeup artist adding more eyeliner (haphazardly)!

i'm the hairstylist! hehe

and the end result is....

*drumroll*

...

....

.....

TADAH!

sooo chio right!!! :DDD together with peipei's trademark megawatt smile!

they forced me to put on fake lashes too, which was very uncomfortable! like something tugging at your eyelids constantly :x and diana purposely chose this super dramatic one for me!

our 'made-over' selves hahaha check out peipei's WINGED TIP lined eyes- so seductive right!

giving pretty diana an almost non-existent makeover: a new hairstyle!

our bimbotic and vain selves!

getting ready for an 'early' night as peipei had to wake up early the next morning

goodnite & sweet dreamsss :)

a little revamp

as you can see, i've changed the pictures on my blog! feeling rather satisfied with myself now, for successfully learning how to edit the html slightly! haha, actually it's just copy and pasting from instructions online, replacing old image urls with new ones and playing around with the positioning of the images..

another reason why i'm proud of this new layout is cos the photos were all taken by yours truly! as compared to the previous collage which was made up of photos which i koped from the internet! hehe..my new collage is not as dramatically coloured nor as professionally taken, but i guess it's more representative of myself? i chose photos of earthly colours cos i personally like the simple yet melancholic feel they bring about..

will strive to take better photos with time, and hope to update this layout with nicer photos in the future! hehe

counting down...

exactly 2 weeks left before i start working, and am feeling rather jittery yet nostalgic that my slack, no-worries days are coming to an end..even though i kinda completed most of my holiday tasks (i decided to remove the scrapbook task hehe) and have nothing really constructive to fill my time with, i'm enjoying the feeling of being a useless bum who rots her day away alone at home!

as i type this now, naughty kiwi has burrowed herself in between my body and bolster to sleep! tried to introduce her to playing with water. she's interested in the water, but not having to stand in the container..but i can tell she's slowly getting there! but sigh, she's still NOT weaned yet! still have to feed her twice everyday..she doesn't seem to be eating the seeds on her own!! i need some help here...

it's been a year since michael jackson left, and i still feel sad each time i think of him..i try to avoid listening to his music, watching his videos, so that i will not start thinking about how such a good man led an undeserving unfair life all over again..i just can't get over the fact that the cruel world will never have a chance to make amends to him...

i also don't wanna get obsessed over him all over again! it's too tiring hehe...like when girls watch idol dramas and start being obsessed with the suave male lead, even though it's painful cos we know we will never be able to get closer to these perfect men, we all know at the back of our minds that the characters are just fictional..but here, mj is a real, living man with all these idol drama qualities- kind, sensitive, gentlemanly, generous, talented, super intelligent, handsome (before plastic surgery)! how could someone like this exist?? my only hope is for more and more people to discover the truth about him and dispel all their misconceptions...

went for session on saturday..thumbs up to the new volunteer sharing initiative by agnes..she's really amazing..the passion to make a difference and the energy to carry it through..hope the next comm can materialise the ideas discussed, even though some of them were still rather general and abstract at the discussion stage..i was particularly moved during the 'kbox' sing-a-long session when they played the theresa teng song..i was surprised that soooo many of our trainees knew how to sing it, they even knew the lyrics by hard! they excitedly came forward, stood right in front of the screen, and chorused with such enthusiasm..they seemed almost like a choir! that got me thinking if they really liked those more 'kiddy' but catchy songs we often chose for them, or they would prefer oldies like these that were familiar and close to their hearts..hmm

played l4d2 after session at clementi..each time we go there with only 4 players we'll surely be owned by some super zai players who'll play against us on the other team..that was wad happened on saturday again!! after one map, we decided to start our own versus game cos we were too lousy, but those zai people joined us AGAIN!! this time zk, i, diana and yangyang split up so that the teams will be more balanced..this guy called 'ANGRY BIRD NOW VERY ANGRY' joined my team, and my, i'm thinking of him till now! aggressive as his nick sounded, he was super nice and actually bothered to give us typed instructions & guided us on how to play! super pro..but i think we disappointed him time and time again as we failed to execute his instructions! he even said 'later i show you all where to camp, just follow me' for the map that we NEVER could get pass in all our earlier games cos we always stationed ourselves at the wrong place..it was like an ENLIGHTENMENT! never knew there was such a corner in the mansion..i feel a pity that we didn't go over and make friends with him, and thank him for the tutorial he so patiently gave..he seems like a really nice guy! hope to bump into him the next time we go there to play! :)

supposed to go shopping (YES, shopping! hehe) with diana dear today but she's not feeling well so here i am at home, hope you get well soon dear!

i shall blog about PEI PEI'S MAKEOVER NEXT, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE GIRLY SIDE OF PEIPEI YOU NEVER KNEW! hehehehe :D

sweet dreams...

i was using my lappy on my bed, and after an hour of active playing around (and shitting) on my bed & nibbling my stuff, kiwi settles in between my legs and falls asleep with her claw in her mouth! *heart melts*