I'm such a reality TV junkie! But long gone are my Amazing Race or Fear Factor days. I've since moved on to reality TV series like "Jon & Kate plus 8".
It started out initially because I was attracted to the beautiful sextuplets. Three boys and three girls at the age of one, looking just adorable! And even more amazing was how the young mother, Kate, organized her life in order to manage the mayhem. Imagine feeding six hungry one-year-olds ALL AT ONCE?! Yah... you get the picture.
So it was partly the adorable littles one, partly my curiosity to learn how Kate finds sanity amidst all the drama, and partly my amazement with the older twin girls who seem mature beyond their years and able to be mummy's little helpers at their young age. The lethal combination kept me hooked on the show way into Season Two now.
I just finished watching an episode on Discover Home & Health on how Kate came up with a family celebration idea for Valentines Day. Once again, I find myself impressed with how she and Jon managed to keep all eight children happy and excited, and also showering each other with love. If it were up to me, dishing out pancakes in the morning to eight kids would have meant the maximum of my personal capacity. Oh, but Kate moves it up a notch and she does heart-shaped pancakes! Not only that, she devised a treasure hunt plan that made all eight kids running up and down the house, to discover a huge red box called the "Tub of Love". Ooh wow, can I say!
Then it made me think. Is it the fast paced, crazy, money-chasing life in Singapore society that makes such meaningful family lifestyles seem incomprehensible? I mean, when did making pancakes for your kids seem like such luxury?
Every weekend, I never fail to see parents bring their kids out to the mall, chomp down MacDonald's or Starbucks muffins, and kids are trudging through SALEs with their parents. But I hardly hear a kid chirp excitedly, "Oh, my mum came up with a Valentines' Day treasure hunt for us this weekend!".
Has the urban malls taken over as our parental activities? Has "shopping" also now leveled itself as "quality time with the family"?
"Jon & Kate plus 8" captures my attention eventually because it shows me how a young couple tries to make sure their children are brought up in a meaningful way, even though in reality it is a mess, and potentially can be dramatic. But they managed. It is a stark reminder for myself, that when I eventually have my own family, I want to be a parent like that, and I do not want to be the typical Singaporean parent and orientate the kids to the urban malls. No, I want my kids to know how to be a human being, to live life and to love life.
Possible | Impossible?
When my hubby Nik first spoke to me about the Wii Fit, I thought it was another gaming toy that he wants to get for HIMSELF. I did what any wife would do - dismissed it.
Until he pulled me in front of a demo set, to show me how serious he was about it as the fitness solution for ME. Me, the gym agnostic who hates to step into the gym because I simply do not know what to do with the equipment, and because I am simply not comfortable with having beefcake trainers guiding me how to use them. My working hours meant there is not time for me to grab dinner and then take a quick run at night. Hence, even though my fitness level is down to the pits (especially after I've hit past the big three-o) I have NOT picked up any fitness regime, sista. Uh-huh.. been sitting on my bum still with no apparent improvement in my fitness level.
Lost hope for this gym idiot - yours truly - until Nik pulled me to the window display of what Wii Fit can do.
I think I can do it little white box exercise mojo. Anything that can better my fitness in the comfort and privacy of my own home. So... no crazy fitness nuts to scramble the machines with, no awkward behavior around the gym stuff, and no need to worry about "What am I going to do next?".
Wii Fit, yes, can do! ;-)
One of the best things about being a woman is, we have the birthright to vanity. Unfortunately, due to a hectic work schedule, I've hardly exercised this birthright. Hardly have the time to lie down for a few hours for a spa massage, or an hour for a facial, or even 30 minutes for an express manicure-pedicure session.
But I've always had a weakness for nice, beautifully trimmed nails. To me, that is a symbol of neatness and the epitome of leisure.
Ever since I started work at this new office, I've been roaming the area trying to find a good nails salon. There have been a few promising ones, then again I don't seem to be able to squeeze in the time to make an appointment. It's about priorities, and if you ask me to choose between work and mani, or going home to spend time with my family and mani, the nails beauty treatment just doesn't quite register as a winner. That's to me. I know a lot of women who'd differ from me.
Time or no time, I still like the way the manicured nails look. Cos they just look so neat!
Then I discovered artificial nails. I stumbled upon these today in the midst of picking up shampoo and shower gels. The photo of the beautifully manicured nails caught my attention. I remembered a little voice in me said, "ooh check out those french mani!" and the product caught my eye. I zoomed to the stand, and scrutinised the instructions for use. Hmmm... seems feasible. Then that was it! I bought one packet home and tried it out immediately.
Kiss (USA) is a great brand for first-time artificial nail users. The nails are natural and feels comfortable after you glued them on. The kit provides you with everything you'd need, and it's as easy as 1-2-3. No fuss at all! I tried these on my toes first, and literally squealed with excitment when I saw how nice they look. The results are literally like the photos on the packaging, and it's so simple.
I bought the "Matching Tips and Toes" set because I was more concerned with how my toe nails look. Within an hour, both toes and nails looked like they've just gone through a mani and pedi session, but hey... it was all done in the comforts of my own home! Because of the shape of the nails, it actually creates the effects that my fingernails were longer than it really is. Almost instantly, your fingertips are elongated to an elegant, slender shape. And, these will last for the next 10 days, which means no worries about chipped nail colours till then. Fantastic!
For the rest of the day, I felt vain. Really vain. But hey! it's a birthright I don't exercise much. So just let me indulge, will ya?!
.... It's exciting. June 3 marks the day of a new chapter in my career. I am now with another PR firm, and looking forward to the new challenges ahead.
Ex-colleagues are sharing my anticipation. "How's the office?" - "Are your new colleagues nice?" - "Will you still work crazy hours?" - "Do you have your own room?" They asked. My MSN buzzed non stop with curious questions like these. Well-meaning friends who are excited for my chance to change my life, who somewhat are able to join me in my new chapter by sharing my own curiosity about this new chapter of my life.
I honestly can't tell anything about the future, but so far I like what I've seen. I get to enjoy the privacy of my own office, and I like the quaint area that we're located at. Uncannily, the office premise is located along Amoy Street, a street where I first began my PR career. I still remember the day I first stepped into the firm - it was one of these shophouses where I've learnt from some of the best PR veterans in Singapore.
Now, back again on this nostalgic area, I enjoy my daily climb up the stairs to reach our shophouse office. I enjoy how the work area is cozy and homely. It may not have all the amenities of a corporate office, but there is somehow a character in these heritage building. And you feel comfortable just by being in an environment where the space is warm and homely.
I like the feel of things now. Let's hope this warm, fuzzy feeling stays. I want to keep this feeling.
The past one week has been a thought-full week. It was my last day of work at my current firm, and even though it was boring trying to fill up the hours, it gave me the emotional space to fully appreciate each colleague for their individuality. There was no deadlines to rush for, no pressing client fires to fight - just freedom of time and space to admire the people whom I've grown closer to.
For the first time in my two years with the firm, I could stand aside, and be an objective bystander, receiving the love and friendship that they freely dispense, and admire their personalities in a comprehensive way.
I liked that feeling.
So I spent my last few days at work writing note cards for the colleagues who meant something to me. Each person gets a gift, and a little card that tells them how much they mean to me.
But nothing prepared me for the surprise that they've prepared for me! A group of my close colleagues bought a set of office kit for me to bring to my new firm. And they had creatively prepared each item, installed them as if it's an art piece, and set it on my desk the night before. When I walked into the office on my last day, I was greeted by this beautiful gift combination:
There was the office stationery combination from Prints.
Every vibrant colour you can find under the sun is here! There is the
lime green pen holder, a fushia pink notepad, a purple photo holder, a
bright yellow stationery box, and a beige flip book. The photo holder framed a recent photo we took during my farewell drinks. It was a great night-out, and a wonderful picture for me to keep. :-)
Of course, check out the post-it note that was stuck to the gift. It almost brought tears to my eyes, so I had to busy myself taking pictures of their wonderful gift, so that the dam of tears will not be broken.
Part of the creative gift set was a prestigious book published by The Business Times. Titled "Raffles Conversations", this book is a collection of the same-title column in Singapore's leading business newspaper. It is famous for featuring in-depth perspectives of renowned business personalities. As a PR professional, it is an esteemed column that we always aspire to pitch for our clients to be featured in.
My darling colleagues dropped in a note on the inside cover that says, "We know you'll be in here someday!". It was a word of motivation for me.
There is a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that you'll be missed by those who matters to you. But more than that, it's very encouraging to know that you have friends at work who hold you in such high regard. Because the workplace is where you'd think it's a dog-eat-dog world. But instead, you're greeted with the friendships that has been fostered, which birthed a genuine care and concern for those who have shared our lives together with one another.
I realised why Shakespeare penned the words "parting is such sweet sorrow". It is sorrowful to leave a bunch of people whom you've grown to love and care for, yet there is sweetness because you know the friendship does not end with this stop. There is more depth to come in the relationships that have been grown.
Another new season is unfolding. I will arm myself with these beautiful memories, and the Technicolor gifts and walk confidently into my new workplace.
I went berserk last weekend with shopping. It was going to be the Great Singapore Sale, and all the shops were on a pre-sale defensive a week in advance. So, what was meant to be a leisurely lunch downtown for Nik and I turned out to be a no holds-barred shopping spree!
I simply couldn't resist it. I mean, what's a gal gotta do in face of temptations?
First stop, RAYURE. I've been eyeing these fantastic black-and-white blouses for a while now. The French label unique fabric material is breathable yet it clings closely to your skin. I like the way the blouses are well-cut and yet mallable to the body type. There was a fantastic price offer, so I grabbed two pieces without hesitation.
Round the corner was a street wear boutique named "bread + butter". Nik and I are such fans of True Religion jeans. This is one boutique in Singapore that carries it (another one being SKIN). As if hypnotized and lured by the call of the guitar-lugging laughing Buddha, Nik and I strolled into the boutique. Browsing was not an option. Again, we ended up with a pair of True Religion jeans each.
I am absolutely in love with my latest pair of jeans. It fits to the tee, and has just enough of the worn treatment - not too scruffy but enough tears for an attitude. The vintage wash is again perfect, and the trademark orange thread treatment - gorgeous! My only regret? That my legs are not as long as the runway models, which means I have to chop away some of the beautiful boot cut, so I don't have to walk on stilts to wear them. Ah.. well... the altered piece was still a beautiful piece of street wear.
We had to call it a day. The loot over the weekend caused enough damage to the wallets. But this weekend came the full-on Great Singapore Sale ads, and I hope hoping I have enough strength in me to say "no!" to all the huge SALE signs. I forced myself to stay home all weekend and watched DVDs.
Already I have a few things on my mental shopping list. Things that I want and not need. So, this is not a good sign!
Honestly, this is foreign territory to me. To be seeing the light of day as I stepped out of the office is foreign territory to me. I've been enjoying this for the past 2 weeks, and it has completely liberated my soul. It's strange, but nature does have its effect on a person. Just like how seeing the light of day can unburden the shackles on a heavy heart.
Truth is, I get to enjoy this only because I have resigned from my current job. It is a job that I love and my colleagues are a bunch of wonderful human and talented human beings whom I enjoy working with. But... I just needed to see more light of day.
Moreover, a fantastic job offer has come along. It promises more light of day, and a stronger sense of purpose. I could not resist.
It's never easy walking away from a job that you already love. But it is the hope of a better future that beckons and keeps you focused on the the forward-moving steps.
As I serve my notice each day, I realise there is no compelling need to overwork and churn out the load. I simply can enjoy this period of detachment, where I can fulfill my work responsibility without the emotional burden. It's zen. It's blissful. It's somewhat twilight zone.
From a distance is where you can have a better perspective of things. As I stepped away from the things I once thought I cared about, I realised even more that I needed to step away from it.
It was a good decision, to go. I had to. It was consuming me, and life was being sucked out of me. Yet I didn't know, because I was too emotionally attached to this work that I had.
Over a recent lunch with a friend, she commented how much "life" has come back into me. We had met 2 months ago, and she thought I had no more life in me. She's right... then I was consumed with work and by work. There was no more "me" in me.
But now, with each day that I stepped into the evening sunset and feel the warm hues on my face, I can take a deep breathe and know that my body, soul and spirit is alive. What a liberating feeling!
It's been a CRAZY 2008. I had a wonderful vacation in Vancouver then the moment I hit back to work, there was no sign of any refreshed energy in me, because the work keeps coming. The pace is so fast that I literally feel like a hamster on a wheel, or a cookie cutter, whose most important life mission is to get the work out of the door. The "goddess" part in me has disappeared.
I don't believe in working like this. I've lost the joy of why I took up this job in the first place. I didn't map out to be a cookie cutter.
Amazingly, it took me 3 months to get these 3 thoughts out.
Again, I attribute it to the fact that while the hamster is on the wheel, all your thoughts evolve around not getting your paws caught in the wheel. You stop thinking. Survival mode kicks in.
What gave me the space to stop the wheel was ironically the passing of a colleague. He was laughing and joking on Friday, when we were all busying with the work. Then on Sunday, he was gone. In the past one week, the wheel started to slow down as everyone in the office took stock of what happened. Some of us were crying, some were stoic, some were nostalgic. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if we're mourning the loss of a colleague's life, or we were mourning for ourselves. I hear a lot of words going around, but I'm not sure if we're talking meaningful words.
It took a funeral to slow the wheel. Because thankfully the management decided to close the office on the day as a mark of respect to our colleague's passing. Thankfully... because only of that announcement, I manage to get a few hours' off work to reflect on what life should truly be about.
What struck me, was how the corporate wheel insists on churning. You can inform clients of the sad news, and expect a level of empathy from them, but the truth is... the empathy is given, and then their world keeps spinning and that means you have to keep churning the work for them. There was no stopping to grieve, no pausing to think even though someone you know has gone for eternity.
I don't think the world is that cruel. But it is a pragmatic one. Death or no death, we focus on what's living. What's pressing matters only to those who are alive. Those who are alive have deadlines to meet and time waits for no man.
I suddenly realise why they call death an "eternal rest". It is indeed a consolation to the living that the dead is in rest mode for the eternal span of time.
Then again, if I am to get back on the wheel and be the hamster that I was, then what on earth would I know about living and dying? All I would know is how not to get my paws caught in the wheel. Again, survival mode kicks in.
I'd never get it. Why do people add so much sugar in their coffee?
Actually, I'm guilty of the same crime. I cannot help it - I have a sweet tooth, and I like my beverage sweet. Hubby is always nagging at me about how diabetes is an irreversible ailment. So that kinda got me worried, but nevertheless it doesn't solve my need to have a sugar high in my cuppa.
Until I landed in Vancouver.
Perhaps it has something to do with how the Canadians have the maple syrup in abundance. Every Starbucks I go into, I see an alternative to sugar. And, I'm not talking about little pink bags of fake sugar. I'm talking about a healthy alternative to sugar - be it white or raw - and it's the golden goody goodness... Maple Syrup.
Honestly I like it better than sugar! In fact I loved it! so for the 3 weeks that I was in Vancouver, I enjoyed every cup of caffeine that I held in my hands. Then again, I also suspect the fact I was in shivering winter cold made me more appreciative of the hot beverage that is so easily accessible to me.
I digressed. Back to coffee.
I've been back to Singapore for more than a month now. Now, every time I order my coffee, I cringe. Cos I gotta ask for raw sugar in my coffee. I tried looking around for maple syrup, but there is only sugar syrup on the table.
I seriously wonder... in Singapore where we try so hard to encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle, why is it that we do not have a healthy alternative to a simple ingredient in our daily staples? Like maple syrup for coffee? We then read in the papers how diabetes is on the rise, and its patients are getting younger, and we scratch our heads for an answer. But when you look around, everything that we consume into our bodies have no healthy alternative.
When I was in Vancouver last December, the news released a study that showed that B.C. is one of the healthiest states in Canada. I didn't quite believed it, but when I observed the people around me I had to agree that they are mostly healthy-looking and slim. I guess when you're living in a city where the parks are easily available, where snowboarding and ice hockey is a national sport even during the winter, plus healthy, organic food alternatives are within hands' reach, you can actually be healthy.
Gee... for now, I just wish that the Starbucks here will serve maple syrup as an alternative. Perhaps the next time when I'm at my usual coffee joint, I'd actually place an order for a "tall coffee with maple syrup please".
p.s. inspired by the Canadians
To begin with, I am a caffeine fan. I need my morning cuppa to jump start the brains every single day. In Singapore, it's easy to become a Starbucks fan. They're everywhere.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I was in Vancouver to see that friendly green store sign popping up at every corner I'm at. For my first day in Vancouver I was craving for a coffee and was kinda desperate to pop into the first Starbucks I see to get my hands on the warm, caffeine loaded drink. Then, it sank into me that hey... there IS a Starbucks every second block on the street! and then I calmed down.
The winter outdoors in Vancouver can be chilly. There - my perfect excuse to get in line and say, "Tall coffee to go please". I loved it. It was my favourite retail therapy in Vancouver.
Now back in Singapore, back to the grind. Thankfully I got myself a Starbucks City Mug at Whistler. While I'm slogging away at work, the mug sits on my desk and is my faithful companion through all the hectic work schedules. It is now the last surviving memory remnant of my pleasurely, chill-out vacation in Vancouver.
