Shape up

We went to our boss’ luxury house in a Singapore supreme location after the farewell party for two longed-served colleagues. His family is living in a spacious modern architect designed four stories house, with two maids serving the family of four. A well-earned wealth for his 20 years of dedication in the regional PR industry.

My eyes can hardly open now, despite a long list of things to do on my work station. Finally get rid of the tedious and zero-sum gain media monitoring account, I am set free to step up to do more challenging work in a different area in PR. I am hinted that I could take on a small project myself which will give me a solo control as well as practical experience to complete my pending Project Management diploma. July is a new chapter at work, after several colleagues’ departures and new accounts are signed. I feel more confident and affection in this professional path and glad that Y&R advertising rejected me at the first place.

One Nick tee top, a sports bag, a couple of free yoga classes and a stupid thought, I have signed up for the Shape magazine’s annual women’s only 5km run in September. After signing off my dad’s credit card, I suddenly release I haven’t run for three years! I can swim, I can dance, I can do pilates, but can I run? Or more precisely, can I stand the perspiring while I am running? Opps~~ too late girl. I have to finish the run, otherwise, no freebies. A brainless motivation to make my lazy ass getting back to exercise and weight-control.

A short KL gateway

Awake the next day and found myself in a strange city was a unique experience that stimulates my life. After nine hours being trundled on the train, we finally landed on the Malaysian land. My first impression of KL? Very much like Guangzhou except for less polluted and more modern architect building surrounding CBD. Most of the road signs are in Malay and you could hear people speaking Malay all around the places. Not surprisingly, majority of the Malaysian population comprises Malay. Shopping centers are a lot bigger than Singapore, yet items are not much cheaper if you go for branded ones. For cheap items, it doesn't worth the effort to bring it all the way back to Singapore when they can only last for one or two washes.

Climbing the well-known KL twin tower is a greatest highlight of the trip. The stainless building is the headquarter of the state-owned Petronas and has been standing as a southeast Asian landmark for 10 plus years. As tourists, we were only allowed to get up to the skyline bridge, the extraordinary architect and engineering combined innovation. When at night time, the towers are dressed in white lights to make its icon image more stand out.

My old Optus colleague got into the eminent ANZ graduate programme. I am sure happy for her, while on the other hand, I feel sour. Despite I am now working for an internationally renowned PR company, the experience is valuable and the industry is what I always want to get into, yet I could predict that I would get bored of it soon. Everyday is work after work, juggling as a middleman. I am looking into a career change and further education in a different discipline in a few years time.

My life in luxury

After spending $250 on cosmetics, I feel like a rich taitai. Seeing the cosmetic products glaring on my make-up table, I smirk. Girls should always make themselves pretty and get the boys pay for the dinner, right?

Surviving

To punish my shopping spree, my debit card got retained by an ATM. I only left $15 in my pocket. I will try to withdraw money from the branch counter tomorrow. If I have no time to go or can not withdraw money, I have to live on the 15 bucks to survive till Thursday. The toughest survival challenge ever!

My life only left with work, sleep, dance and work. I spend more time in the office and at work than anywhere and anything else. Insane Singapore. People don't know how to live a slow and quality life.

I am going to KL next weekend!! Only SGD$100, I could spend my weekend in another country. That is the good thing of living in a small country. Hope I can get my work done and get off the workaholic environment before 7.30pm.

What goes around turns around!

I knew we would see again, in a totally different context and attitude. I am now a maturer and more determine person than what I used to be, as what I have promised to myself to change. I hope the other side is the same. But, do I really care? No! I don't even recognize x in the picture! How strange it is! I would never expect hearing a news from the other side in such a strange and coincident way in the past four years. I saw a gig guide featured X band with them pictured on the desk wall of my most hated colleague on her last week at work. I always know that x is involved in gigs and DJing and would not go back to film. Well, four years, we should have moved out of the shadows and move on. Most importantly, I don't feel sorry and regret at all.

Today is the last day of our three lovely interns. They don't have the sophistications like many of us and have lightened up our tense atmosphere in our office. I almost cried when I hugged them goodbye. Our office will be more silence after they leave. ~sigh~

Dragon boating in Kallang

Row, row, row your boat, don't get thrown overboard! Viking, Viking, we now got all wet! Yup, our company feels that sending us on a luxurious yacht is not enough for team bonding, they decided to put us on shaky dragon boats to strengthen up more of our colleague relationship. So yesterday afternoon, after rushing off our deadline driven work by 3pm, we paddled two dragon boats out in the Kallang pond in a not so coordinated rhythm. After being suppressed at work for so long, we started to vent our inner child out by pouring SEA water on each other in the middle of the pond. To add more fun, our dragon boat instructor asked us to trust him and started rocking our boat from side to side while we were sitting on the gun of the boat. 300m of paddling later, we were back on shore again. Wringing wet out of our clothes while we has spotted several late comers in dry clothes. With no warnings, we pour them water from head to toe, with little mercy. These PR people!

Post GSS syndrome

After being a free-spender on GUESS clothes, NIKE shoes, SKII beauty products and many more clothes in the first week of GSS, I am now as tight as a stick. Meals more than $3, NO! Desert / Snacks, NO! Transportation, if I can walk to my destinations, NO! I joked myself eating on tight budget to tightening up my waist to fit in those exorbitant clothes.

My best week

My best week in Singapore so far: a four-day week, no emergencies, no stay back late at work, had great talks with J and riding around Sentosa with my out-of-touch friend C. Hmm… I really wish life could be so easy in Singapore.

With NO sun protection again, I went with C to cycle around this small island resort in sunny Singapore. Only ten minutes away from the CBD, this small island had white sand (you don't need to know they are imported from Indonesia), crystal blue water and integrated tourist facilities. With the bikes, we went around the island with whiffs of unpolluted sea breezes soothing our body while bringing up our natural blush. Hoho…have been a long time not to laugh freely. The demanding work and high pressure of expectations have incarcerated me and make me always wonder what we are really working for?