I just updated on my Facebook page: "It's been helluva week....and it's only mid-week!"
It's another one of those work weeks where you feel 24 hours in a day is insufficient. Time seems to just fly by and before you know it, the day is over.
To a certain extent, I enjoy such hectic moments because the mind does not have the liberty to 'wander off' as every effort is needed to focus on the work matters on hand. On the other hand, the mind gets so tired after the work day is over that you do not have the extra energy to run/complete the necessary errands on the personal front.
So there you have it - humans. Always full of complaints. Hehe.
There are some developments on the homefront - tenant texted the other day to update me that she's got a new place and may decide to move. After reconfirming that she is free to take all of the existing furniture - an agreed arrangement and offer on my part in return for early termination of her lease - she then texted to tell me she may wish to move earlier.
Being the kind soul I am (actually more like I just wish for a 'good-come-good-go' tenant-landlord parting. hehe), I agreed to pro-rate her rent to mid-July should she decide to do so.
Which means, my renos will take place earlier! Which also means, I may move in earlier to my new place too!! And that will finally mean, my self-imposed 'social life embargo' (had told my close friends that I will not be travelling or golfing in the months of July to Septempber, in preparation for the move) will be lifted earlier too!
Happys.
ok, time to sleep!
till later.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bangkok after the riots.
I have just arrived home after 2 days in Bangkok - work trip. When I first mentioned this trip to my friends, and then later posted my 'outstation' status on Facebook, many of them quizzed if it is the right time to go.
When, exactly is the right time? I mused.
Granted, we all know that the political situation in the Land of Smiles is far from stable; on departure day, reports of the anti-government protestors starting somethings were flashed on the news. Then again, we all know how the media sensationalizes.
So when we felt that the dust has somewhat settled (from talking to our counterparts, partners there), we decided to quickly ascend into the city, do the necessary hellos, meetings and updates with the important parties and then move out quickly.
Well, at least for me, because I have a wedding to attend on Saturday hence the short trip.
One of the taxi rides took us past the Central World Shopping Centre, the mall that bore the worst brunt of the 3-months riots. It looked like a 9-11 ground zero site, except of a much smaller scale. I had a mixture of feelings seeing the barricaded building, all shops closed sans the street hawkers flanking the steps that once led tourists, locals alike into the swanky mall.
The locals told me the owners will be rebuilding the destroyed building but the process may take a few years.
Then over coffee with our client, we learnt that there were a few other buildings in Siam Square area, opposite Siam Paragon were also burnt down. That came across as a shock to me, because all along, I thought the worst hit was merely the Central World. See, either the news sensationalize, or it simply omits.
Just as well the media did not pick it up. It would have been a bigger blow to the tourism industry for the city. Already there is an ongoing price war amongst the hotels; the inbound operators are finding it hard to keep the business going with the tourists keeping away. For once, traffic in Bangkok city was smooth and I could get from one place to another in under 20 minutes!
I feel sorry for what has happened to the lovely city. That said, like what the locals say, the protests are ongoing; if it aint's the Reds, it will be the Yellows. It is something the Thais will have to live with, and live around it.
To the resilient Thais, life goes on.
till later.
When, exactly is the right time? I mused.
Granted, we all know that the political situation in the Land of Smiles is far from stable; on departure day, reports of the anti-government protestors starting somethings were flashed on the news. Then again, we all know how the media sensationalizes.
So when we felt that the dust has somewhat settled (from talking to our counterparts, partners there), we decided to quickly ascend into the city, do the necessary hellos, meetings and updates with the important parties and then move out quickly.
Well, at least for me, because I have a wedding to attend on Saturday hence the short trip.
One of the taxi rides took us past the Central World Shopping Centre, the mall that bore the worst brunt of the 3-months riots. It looked like a 9-11 ground zero site, except of a much smaller scale. I had a mixture of feelings seeing the barricaded building, all shops closed sans the street hawkers flanking the steps that once led tourists, locals alike into the swanky mall.
The locals told me the owners will be rebuilding the destroyed building but the process may take a few years.
Then over coffee with our client, we learnt that there were a few other buildings in Siam Square area, opposite Siam Paragon were also burnt down. That came across as a shock to me, because all along, I thought the worst hit was merely the Central World. See, either the news sensationalize, or it simply omits.
Just as well the media did not pick it up. It would have been a bigger blow to the tourism industry for the city. Already there is an ongoing price war amongst the hotels; the inbound operators are finding it hard to keep the business going with the tourists keeping away. For once, traffic in Bangkok city was smooth and I could get from one place to another in under 20 minutes!
I feel sorry for what has happened to the lovely city. That said, like what the locals say, the protests are ongoing; if it aint's the Reds, it will be the Yellows. It is something the Thais will have to live with, and live around it.
To the resilient Thais, life goes on.
till later.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Heard Today.....
I walked into a shop today after a rosewood bed frame caught my eye:
Sales rep:
Mam, you like wood? This is rosewood; solid wood. Very nice. You like wood? What kind of wood do you like?
Me (smiling):
I like................. dark wood.
Sales rep:
Rosewood is dark wood, so you like this? This is a sleigh bed, high and comfortable. Got matching side table also.
Me:
Oh, ok, nice bed frame but I don't fancy the side table leh. (I found it a little too 'european classical' if combined with the bed)
Oh, it's high bed yeah..... it's nice I agree. I am deciding between a high bed and those low bedframe with broad sides.
Sales rep:
Oh, those resort style beds? It's very bulky. And only suitable for old people. This rosewood bed, good for young people like you. We sell a lot, we know.
Me: huh? Resort style only for old people?!!
Sales rep:
Yah, and you sure will get tired of resort style. This sleigh bed, classic, you will not get tired of it.
Now now now...........
Resort style beds:
Bulky? Yes.
For old people: NO!
Will I get tired of returning to a 'resort' (assuming my house were designed that way): I don't think so.
That rosewood bed:
Nice? It is.
For young people? It's of a european classical design, I think it appeals only to some.
Will I get tired of it? For a S$2450 bedframe, more like I will regret.
Goes to show, when a sales rep is hungry for business, she'll go all out to say the most ridiculous things.
till later
Sales rep:
Mam, you like wood? This is rosewood; solid wood. Very nice. You like wood? What kind of wood do you like?
Me (smiling):
I like................. dark wood.
Sales rep:
Rosewood is dark wood, so you like this? This is a sleigh bed, high and comfortable. Got matching side table also.
Me:
Oh, ok, nice bed frame but I don't fancy the side table leh. (I found it a little too 'european classical' if combined with the bed)
Oh, it's high bed yeah..... it's nice I agree. I am deciding between a high bed and those low bedframe with broad sides.
Sales rep:
Oh, those resort style beds? It's very bulky. And only suitable for old people. This rosewood bed, good for young people like you. We sell a lot, we know.
Me: huh? Resort style only for old people?!!
Sales rep:
Yah, and you sure will get tired of resort style. This sleigh bed, classic, you will not get tired of it.
Now now now...........
Resort style beds:
Bulky? Yes.
For old people: NO!
Will I get tired of returning to a 'resort' (assuming my house were designed that way): I don't think so.
That rosewood bed:
Nice? It is.
For young people? It's of a european classical design, I think it appeals only to some.
Will I get tired of it? For a S$2450 bedframe, more like I will regret.
Goes to show, when a sales rep is hungry for business, she'll go all out to say the most ridiculous things.
till later
1 Down, Few More To Go....
After a few days of pondering and musing, I came to a decision.
Instead of paying S$1900 + for this:
Instead of paying S$1900 + for this:
Well, I reckon it will be a nice centrepiece for the house since it is 'customised', but I deem it too pricey for what it's worth - a big piece of wood with plastic laminate. Plus, should I not like the final product, I might just end up kicking myself for such an expensive mistake.
And so, after surfing the net, flipping through various decor magazines and talking to a few more friends, I headed out to Park Mall and bought this:
High-Gloss black with steel stands; modular and flexible (I can decide to change 'sides' if I got tired of it), it is a perfect match to my existing black glass coffee table which I intend to reuse.
With an extra CD cabinet module, I paid the grand price of S$830 total, after the sales rep told me there is a 30% storewide discount due to the Great Singapore Sale.
Woot! I am a happy bird!
Prior to Cellini, I had gone hunting at a few other shops, including the atas John Erdos. I saw something I like at John Erdos and got real excited after they told me they could customise the designs to my requirements. Two days later, the quote came in and a simple console would set me back by S$2500!
Sigh... it would be nice to have a piece of designer furniture in the house but practicality ruled at the end of the day. It doesn't make money sense to save S$1900 from the contractor only to pay S$2500 to a furniture shop (Let's just say I was mindful not to get into the devious temptation of 'impulse buy' hehe..).
With the TV console out of the way now, it's time to tackle other decisions - the dining table, the bed.....etc etc etc
till later.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Decisions! Decisions! Decisions.
I am in the middle of a home furnishing crisis. HELP!!!
In the last 6 days, I have been cracking my head trying to decide if I want to custom-make my TV console or buy a ready-made piece.
I have been having this conversation with My Brain:
Me: How.... ? Custom make or ready-made?
Brain: Custom make lah...no need to think so much, everything is customized.
Me: But 1k for a freaking wall feature??!! I can do other stuff with this money!! And it's only laminate on plywood leh!!! For a bit more, I can get a piece of nice solid wood sideboard man!
Brain: But no wall feature means cannot mount the TV panel, else the wires will be exposed..like that defeat your purpose liao lor...
Me: Yah...but I spoke to Sheryl....wall mounting the TV has got its pros and cons. Worse situation could mean the TV falling off the wall!
Brain: Then don't wall mount your TV then.... place it on the TV console.
Me: I don't mind... just that I have not come across a design that I really like. And I am running out of ideas as far as furniture shops are concerned. Where else besides Furniture Mall, Park Mall or IMM?
Brain: Dempsey and IFC.
Me: oh yah hor....! But can only go on weekends.
Brain: Set?
Me: Then my dining table? And shall I get a new bed frame or go with divan????
Brain: Arrggghh.......
I think I am turning schizo.
till later.
In the last 6 days, I have been cracking my head trying to decide if I want to custom-make my TV console or buy a ready-made piece.
I have been having this conversation with My Brain:
Me: How.... ? Custom make or ready-made?
Brain: Custom make lah...no need to think so much, everything is customized.
Me: But 1k for a freaking wall feature??!! I can do other stuff with this money!! And it's only laminate on plywood leh!!! For a bit more, I can get a piece of nice solid wood sideboard man!
Brain: But no wall feature means cannot mount the TV panel, else the wires will be exposed..like that defeat your purpose liao lor...
Me: Yah...but I spoke to Sheryl....wall mounting the TV has got its pros and cons. Worse situation could mean the TV falling off the wall!
Brain: Then don't wall mount your TV then.... place it on the TV console.
Me: I don't mind... just that I have not come across a design that I really like. And I am running out of ideas as far as furniture shops are concerned. Where else besides Furniture Mall, Park Mall or IMM?
Brain: Dempsey and IFC.
Me: oh yah hor....! But can only go on weekends.
Brain: Set?
Me: Then my dining table? And shall I get a new bed frame or go with divan????
Brain: Arrggghh.......
I think I am turning schizo.
till later.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Bimbo Moments
And I thought I was going through a phase of serious boredom because I suddenly had so much time on my hands! When I am bored, I embark on a journey of self-entertainment.
But of course, my journey sometime involve -call it intentionally or unintentionally - my friends. And because of who I am, most of time I get away with murder, when I evolve from an intellectual being........to a bright-eyed exasperating bimbo in their presence.
*smiles with glee*
Over MSN with Ber, when I was trying to fix dinner with the boys in 2 weeks:
Me: ok, dinner is fixed at 6pm. Tony says he will pick you boys so it'll be earlier. He just WA-ed me.
Ber: WA? huh?
Me: WhatsApp..... WA lor
Ber: Wah lau, you people super lazy....WhatsApp is already short enough you make it lagi shorter.
Me: There's 8 characters in the word - where got short? It's like a mobile number. Do you memorise mobile numbers??
Ber: Duh...
Me: hehe, bimbo moment. Let me be lah....
Ber: *puts on a stunned look* ...... FINE.
On the way home with Sam, driving home:
Me: I tell you....I just watched animal porn on cable TV last night!
Sam: errrr.. what????
Me: On National Geographic! Serious! There was this horny young male elephant trying to score an older horny female elephant... it was damn funny I couldn't stop laughing!!!
Sam: .................... uh-huh? then how?!!!
Me: have you seen an elephant's penis?? It's like 2m long!!!!! and looks like a hook!
Sam: (I can tell he is trying to patronize me while trying to keep awake) Eh, an elephant leh....they are supposed to be the largest animal on earth...will look funny if they have...errr.... less than expected length ??
Me: and of course being young and horny, performance wasn't to be expected. He literally just ejaculated without...errm.... doing what he should do to the female elephant.
Sam: (very wide awake by now) WHAT??!!! You mean you saw an elephant ejaculate?? On TV??!!! What channel???
Me: YEAH!!!! On cable TV, National Geographic...and it's supposed to be educational. But I can't get the silly 2 metre penis out of my mind after that.
But of course, my journey sometime involve -call it intentionally or unintentionally - my friends. And because of who I am, most of time I get away with murder, when I evolve from an intellectual being........to a bright-eyed exasperating bimbo in their presence.
*smiles with glee*
Over MSN with Ber, when I was trying to fix dinner with the boys in 2 weeks:
Me: ok, dinner is fixed at 6pm. Tony says he will pick you boys so it'll be earlier. He just WA-ed me.
Ber: WA? huh?
Me: WhatsApp..... WA lor
Ber: Wah lau, you people super lazy....WhatsApp is already short enough you make it lagi shorter.
Me: There's 8 characters in the word - where got short? It's like a mobile number. Do you memorise mobile numbers??
Ber: Duh...
Me: hehe, bimbo moment. Let me be lah....
Ber: *puts on a stunned look* ...... FINE.
On the way home with Sam, driving home:
Me: I tell you....I just watched animal porn on cable TV last night!
Sam: errrr.. what????
Me: On National Geographic! Serious! There was this horny young male elephant trying to score an older horny female elephant... it was damn funny I couldn't stop laughing!!!
Sam: .................... uh-huh? then how?!!!
Me: have you seen an elephant's penis?? It's like 2m long!!!!! and looks like a hook!
Sam: (I can tell he is trying to patronize me while trying to keep awake) Eh, an elephant leh....they are supposed to be the largest animal on earth...will look funny if they have...errr.... less than expected length ??
Me: and of course being young and horny, performance wasn't to be expected. He literally just ejaculated without...errm.... doing what he should do to the female elephant.
Sam: (very wide awake by now) WHAT??!!! You mean you saw an elephant ejaculate?? On TV??!!! What channel???
Me: YEAH!!!! On cable TV, National Geographic...and it's supposed to be educational. But I can't get the silly 2 metre penis out of my mind after that.
While I couldn't quite make out (or remember) his reaction to my statement, I could, under that moonlit shadowy corner of my car, sense that he couldn't quite react immediately.
I think my buddy discovered a 'shocking' side to his 'supposed to be very prim proper and intelligent' good friend tonight. Hehe.
till later.
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