(Video embed removed)
Lil’ Annie on stage during a recital…
It’s amazing how she’s grown since I came back from the States. Nevertheless, she’s still the jewel in my eyes…
(Too bad we can’t record the singing better to let her voice shine the way it did)
As the title tells, I have been feeling rather separated from the world outside of home and work for the past months. I admit I have not been sincere enough to my friends to share what has been happening in my life, and it was not merely out of negligence. I just simply do not know what or how to share.
Sames story… with whines about work and the no-life. Only difference this time is I do not even have the energy to whine.
Also, I do not feel just that mental drain, but also the ‘metallic’ feel on my nerves, almost like someone scratching along my nerves with a metallic claw. This is especially so when anyone talks to me after work. That EDGY feeling. Not sure if this is clinically diagnosed as ‘stress’ or it’s just because of the increase intake of nicotine…
Or maybe I’m clinically depressed.
I need a break. Planning for a trip xmas period to Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Dad is going to bring us around. Hope that’d help me recover.
Work… let me skip that part of my life, since it’s going to be another monotonous bit. Anyway, I’m on 2-weeks recall for ICT (InCamp Training, part of the post national service annual obligation), so I’m having my break from work (a true break… when I’m totally uncontactable).
Family… Lil sis not doing well with her studies and Dad is getting the I’m-such-a-failure-as-a-father self-infliction on his moods. Did some counselling on sis and dad, on separate sessions. Tried to get them to understand the other party’s thoughts. “Things aren’t as easy as we think, so why make them harder by complicating them?” Sis finally got her punishment by getting grounded and by having her mobile phone confiscated until she shows improvement in her grades.
Wife… We’re finally into the next step of trying for a baby. We’ve been seeing a fertillity specialist and this week, Sunsun’s receiving IUI procedure after a period of hormone treatment. For those who aren’t familiar, IUI is a procedure to help increase the chances of getting pregnant by improving motility of sperm. I’m starting to get the daddy-fever again… 
Sunsun asked if I’d like the lab to isolate the motility to get a boy or girl, I said no. I’d prefer to be surprised and find out if I’m destined to father a son or daughter.
Friends… Met some friends after having disappeared for a while. Found out there’s been some fall-out between what’d been ‘best-of-friend-forever’ to others. Sometimes things just happen, and we’d just have to make do with what’d happened and move on.
Others… I’m in a nonsensical obsession for watches, mainly those of automatic movements. Since I lost my Tag Heuer (the one I saved for 2 years since my first pay check) during a departmental team-building outing, I’ve been surfing the net reading and researching on the functional and aesthetic values of branded automatic watches. From these seemingly endless frenzy that I thought I’d lost years ago, I now noticed a few new models added to my want list… namely Rolex Sea-Dweller/Submariner, the OP Luminor Chrono 1950 Flyback, and the Sinn 356 Sa. Dribbles (Someone pls snap me out of this!)
Manna Restaurant
Nice day lounge for food and beverage after a long walk around the giant mall, Siam Paragon. Not only is the place cozy for gathering and refreshment, it has a nicely prepared menu for food. And what’s more? The price is just perfect! Not too pricey for this kind of quality food.
Suanlum Night Bizaar
Shopping in Bangkok does not end when the malls close. After MBK and Siam Square (2 places where I frequent most for shopping) close at 10pm, there is always Suanlum Night Bizaar if you’re not yet drained of your shopping adrenalene.
Situated not far from downtown Silom yet more easily accessible by cab, it is a favorite hotspot for tourists and locals alike. Not only can you get a good enough bargain (still can’t beat the bargains at Chatuchak Sunday Market) and a wide variety of unique objects. Ranging from garments and bags to interior deco, there are so many things I wish I could bring home if not for the size and weight limit for Tiger Airlines.
If you are a serious shopper, be prepared not to buy anything and instead plan what you’d really want on the first night, and do the actual shopping on the second night. You’d never know if you’d get better things as you walk on.
We found this unique stall selling all kinds of accessories for the ladies. Most of these are unsung precious sourced from various parts of Europe waiting to be rediscovered here in a treasure hunt. Looks like a cash machine grown out of a garang guni business!
Today, we’re 2 y-o together. Nothing much planned, nothing much done. Spent the day more like a family day with sistas and dad for lunch, then drove my dad to JB. The rest of the evening we were at JB. Came back and that’s that.
Nothing special. Just a peck in the morning ‘Happy 2nd Anniversary…’ and smiled a lot.
Oh oh~ I did take leave for the next two days just for her though… the least I can do.
(I wonder what we might do next year :D)
Out of the traditional chinese atmosphere of chinatown and the arrays of roadside gormet, we came back to the 21st century at Siam Paragon. It’s a huge complex with not just a Paragon departmental store, independent boutiques and shops, there is also a huge basement of foodcourts and restaurants.
Summing it up, the place was built for the rich and affluenced. To flaunt and to be seen. Over the few days we visited the complex, Sunsun actually pointed out this actor, that actress etc. Signatural location for commercialized luxury. That’s the more why the “Hi-So” (short for “high society”) would love to hang out here. Commercialization = Easy Recognition = Widely Known.
Won’t be surprised to see paparazzis swamping around.
Here are some of the pics we took outside the complex when I needed a smoke break. Nice lighting/deco.
Back from my first visit to Bangkok for this year. It’s also probably my only Bangkok trip for the year. Might be too busy until the next trip.
We stayed at this redecorated hotel located in the heart of Yaowaraj, chinatown of Bangkok, called Shanghai Inn. Though small, the deco has a good blend of modern and traditional chinese. Overall, I can’t exactly say it’s minimalistic, but the bare cemented flooring makes the place feel really clean.
These are some of the pics we took of the place. I shall blog about the rest of the trip in a separate post.
A conversation went something like this today…
Sunsun: If there is anything I’d like to improve about myself, I’d try to change blahblah*. You leh?**
Me: I’d want to be more conversational. I want to talk more. To speak my mind more so others will understand me better.
Sunsun: Thinks for a sec That’s not really something you can change. That’s your personality. You’re just someone who’s quiet. Nothing much you can do about that.
Me: Thinks to myself (Not necessarily. One can learn to speak up more.) Replies to Sunsun Yeah…* Censored for discretion. Content unrelated.
** Added to dramatize conversation. Sunsun, of course, still doesn’t use this slang.
This usually happens in a normal day conversation. I noticed that I think to myself more than speaking my thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just lazy to think or there’s really something disfunctional with my personality. I just can’t put together words to correctly convey my thoughts. It’s actually such a chore. Sometimes when I speak in the language my mind thinks, I get stares at my face blankly and smiley, almost showing an array of “?” above the heads.
“Chim…”
Would you still listen to my repeat? Probably, for another round or two. Perhaps patience for another round of rephrase before the final nehmind smile.
“It’s ok…”
These words would teach me that any further attempt to help my audience understand what I’m trying to say…
Nevermind…
(See? I’ve given up trying already…)
I’m learning to take it easy at work today.
Though the workload is still tons beyond humanly limits, I’m telling myself that doing 80% is good enough.
By saying this, I realize I’ve been stressing myself out by setting expectations of myself way too high… likewise, beyond humanly limits. So I had it. Today’s Friday! I can finally sit back, relax, and declare “TGIF!” after months of non-sensational Fridays.
So what’d I do? I’m spending the day in the office doing some brain-less work (notice it’s “brain” “less” as in less brain… not ‘brainless’) and at the same time hook my greatly deprived ears to the latest In Search Of Sunrise 5 by Tiesto. During lunch hour, I turned off my spreadsheet and walked out for some sun. Now at 6pm, I’m starting to close shop and go home for the day.
Sounding like “FINALLY”? Wish this kind of day will be a norm in the future
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
Oh, did I also mention that despite my personal goals and expectations in my career, I’m actually really sick of the corporate environment. Nothing wrong with the people. They’re just behaving like they do just for their own survival. It’s the exaggerated superficiality I can’t stand sometimes. There are reactions I’m seeing in the office that seems almost surreal. (Think Stepfort Wives…) Sometimes I feel so out of place in the company of masked individuals at the office. Sometimes I feel
(If these superficial niceness I’m seeing in the office are genuine, then I’m really worried.)
The last post brings me back to this thought so I might as well post a blog on it.
Does it help to complain?
The more I ask myself this, the more possible reasons I came up with to why people (esp. Singaporeans) like to complain.
Here’s the list:
Out of the above reasons I could think of, the only ones that truly help solve the issue of the complain is ‘asking for solution’ reason. The others, though not entirely redundant, are less efficient and sometimes even lead to the expense of other’s time. Unfortunately, these are all evident in the norm of Singapore society today. Parents are teaching their kids to make themselves heard. Since not all of us are actively campaigning for politics, we are resorts to make ourselves heard by complaining on trivial things.
So what’s the line to the definition of ‘trivial’? There is no global standard to how much tolerance we should withstand to understand the word. I have, however, an exercise that can help one understand how much one is complaining and how much of that is really trivial.
Try this: Cut yourself off from the world for a day. Pretend your deaf and dumb. Don’t communicate with anyone verbally. Don’t ask for help in anyway. When you have something you don’t like, write it down. If something gets in your way, find your own way out. Record this.
Think you can do this? Yes? If so, then you don’t need to complain at all, do you?
