The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.

The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw-

I've been reading this book - Hongkongitis- which speaks of the stuff which makes people love and hate Hong Kong so much at the same time. It's a funny read so far, until this chapter that I read tonight.

It spoke about changes and non-conformity, and how Hong Kong is stifled culturally, that the people have no generation gap at all to speak of. Cantopop is popular across generations, with the same formulaic pop star idols. Fashion/arts wise, it's ripped off Japan / Korea. The old aren't afraid to follow what's trendy for the young. 'Hong Kong has no generation gap.' By and large, this is a generalisation.

I start to think about how true this chapter is. Does not having a generation gap means you're not progressing as a society? Is it an Asian thing to conform? Are we taught not to rebel against exisiting social norms? I guess to a certain extent, we tend to slip into our comfort zones. If something works well, why would you want to 'rock the boat'?

Maybe when the journey gets too smooth sailing, you'd rock it just for the heck of it.

Typhoon Hagupit

So the Hagupit is here.

I'm so bored at home

I spent my boredom online shopping

and hell, did i spend

on frivolous stuff.

But

I

LOVE

these!!

feather, polka dotted and orange monarch butterflies.

Lovely. :)

Kissing a fool

You are far
When I could have been your star
You listened to people
Who scared you to death
And from my heart
Strange that you were strong enough
To even make a start
You'll never find
Peace of mind
Till you listen to your heart

People
You can never change the way they feel
Better let them do just what they will
For they will
If you let them steal your heart from you

People
Will always make a lover feel a fool
But you knew I loved you
We could have shown them all
We should have seen love through

Question

Question:

How considerate should one be in a relationship?

or in a relationship that no longer exists?

mid week wed

It's mid week. i'm halfway there.

it's a wonder how the simplest things can make people happy.

i'm happy today because of my new pink tumbler.

i'm happy today because it's one day closer to the weekend. :)

and i had a good laugh at a frog's joke today.

Post mid Autumn blues

I had mean to get to the office and clear some work this morning. really.

it's 2.30pm and I'm still at home.

the INERTIA is simply too great - even though office is less than 10 min away.

I was up til 3am tidying up my place.

Finally got my hangers (100 of them, and still not enough!) and put up the clothes.

Neighbour says my place looked like a pig's sty, worse than his bunk in army. :(

TTT: Things take time.

I'll make sure i do a little something to spruce up the place every weekend.

Weekends in HK is always incredibly packed. We should have 4 working days in HK.

Fri night used to party; sat to recuperate; sunday to go out shopping/eating; monday to stay home and prepare for another intense work week.

Why is the pace in HK so fast?

'farewell' dinner for Ernest - before he flies off to SF and NY.

Ggoh in HK: bunking with me on Wed/Thurs night; totally sleep deprived and malfunctioning at work on friday. :) But it's all good.

Mid autumn BBQ with fion's family.

I think being around children makes me happy. These kids can just jump around and laugh a lot. Kids still want to play with lanterns and candles. :)

The big kids put up the lanterns, and helped the little ones light theirs.

The chat session with fion's mum & aunts turned out to be a male bashing one.

Marriage, husbands and kids - how do you manage the relationships and your own expectations? It's depressing to hear 5 women telling the same story of how romance will give way to security. I don't want to buy that. I want my heart to flutter, and my smile to make someone's day.

So there goes the mid autumn fest- it's almost like a second CNY. The only things that were missing that night?

Mooncakes and starfruits, and you.

There's a private sale of several beauty product brands for our office on Friday, on a first come first serve basis.

So, my colleague sent in her order - 1 xxx brightening cream.

And the reply was: 'Sorry, out of order'

I didn't find anything odd with that reply until now.

I guess i've slowly become assimilated into the HK english speaking culture.

my world is a battlefield

Every morning, I wake up, preparing to fight another battle.

I strut to the battlefield and find myself armed with literary ammunition.

Time is always against me and it doesn't help that you're in a foreign land.

I'm slowly being buried beneath piles of print outs.

There are times when I feel like throwing in the towel but something keeps me going

at the end of the day.

A friendly call, a few chuckles, the love you bring.

And I wake up to a better morning.

my moment of weakness

I thought I made up my mind
I don't like playing games
but sometimes the uncertainties
are more than I could name

You made two steps forward,
and I took three steps back
Love is our own tango
the rhythm shouldn't be wrecked

In my moment of weakness
I allowed you to take the lead
not knowing when you're spinning me
not knowing what I need

But still I'd love to tango
with different partners, different beat
Only secretly waiting for someone special
to sweep me off my feet

Such is my moment of weakness
such a dreamer, some call a fool
'the music's gonna stop one day
and, silly, you may not realise it's through'

oh, love is such a tease

Miserably sick

I can't remember when's the last time I felt so

ill and miserable.

I have always been familiar with the drill -

not enough sleep > fall sick > pop pills > sleep > get better.

Since sunday evening I know I'm coming down with a cold.

Been shuttling btn my new apt and CWB to get stuff/ideas for my new apt and also settled my mobile line and broadband. My mind REALLY didn't want to work on sunday. Most of the time, i'm spaced out. So glad mr neighbour and mr j offered their brains. The many measurements and fixtures drove me nuts.

Panadol cold & flu extra has ceased to be effective for me. Monday was spent rubbing my nose, and working under pressure. I didn't even know how i managed to survive the day. Was almost knocked down by the tram - that's how dizzy and faint I was.

Continued to drag my body to work on Tues but the world was just twirling around me. It helps that there are friends who care. :) Added warmth to a freezing body. Felt so miserable that I really wanted to cry. Thanks kain for accompanying me to the hospital. Your lecture about 五脏六腑 and 胃筋 made me laugh a lot.

And on wed I called in sick. I have never slept so much continuously. I was bedridden and my body ached so badly. And all I can remember is... falling into a deep abyss - not wanting to wake up.

I don't want to be so sick ever again. : (

Typhoon Nuri

Besides the Olympics and food, I think typhoons in HK excite every single person around you in Hong Kong. In the office, some religiously tune in to radio stations every 15 min; others surf the Observatory website for updates; or rely on email fwds. On the streets, people's footsteps are hurried, most are armed with a brolly. You hear people speaking of numbers 1, 3, 8 and even 9 and 10 (typhoon signals).

I must say the HK meteorologists are pretty accurate - before 8am they announced Typhoon signal 8 - meaning all schools, offices will be closed. People stock up on food, and stay home. I was already all dressed and ready for work and Typhoon Nuri is well on her way to HK (why do typhoons have female names?)

What the heck. I want to feel the wind. :)

And indeed I felt it. The scaffolding across the street shook slightly. Plastic bags and rubbish twirled like mini tornadoes and my hair was all over the place. Interestingly, the ladies were all in pants and there were hardly any cars on the streets (since insurance does not cover moving vehicles during typhoons).

Armed with my pink Giordano brolly bought last night, I made my way to the office. :D

Oh, last night too, I thought I had lost my super girly blue umbrella at TsuiWah after dinner. Only realised it when having GuiLingGao with kain, which must have been an hour or so later. My first thought was, it couldn't be there any more, someone must have taken my pretty umbrella. His thought was, no harm going back to take a look. And I'm SO happy we did.

失而复得的快乐 is velly wonderful.

Lost in HK

Lost in HK

I missed my bus stop on my way home

and before I knew it,

I was heading to the unfamiliar.

It was a good view of the Kowloon skyline, with the coast right next to the highway.

I thought of the highway in singapore with view of the esplanade, city skyline and I miss it more.

Nights like these make you miss home.

A place I call my own

=A place I call my own=

I finally decided on my apartment!

After viewing 6 units I decided that this one is it.

Being HK, you pay monkeys for peanuts

but I really like this unit.

White washed walls,

newly done up decor,

clean big bathroom (by HK standards),

BIG bed (to accomodate my visitors from Singapore!),

clean stylish kitchen...

and I wake up to a view of some colourful residential buildings and mountains.

It's really a lovely cosy unit.

I can't stop thinking about how I'm going to do it up.

Only bad is, I have no place to put my wardrobe.

But other goods - my neighbour is a Singaporean guy - who turned out to be my friend's friend,

and since we both stay on the top level, we have access to the rooftop!

I can't wait to move in!

我不.難過

我不.難過



I haven't heard this song in a while.

Last night, someone picked this song while at ktv

and it opened the floodgate of emotions and memories once more.

I remember the series of events that night

ever so vividly.

It was raining on our way home - the rain slapped the car windows without mercy.

We parked at the usual spot where he'd drop me off.

I was trembling, maybe he was too.

I don't know if there's any other way I could have said it better.

I know I've hurt him so badly, no matter how many times I said sorry

how tightly we've hugged.

I know I've broken a good man's heart - someone who loved me so very much

I miss him.

As much as I reason my thoughts, feelings some times overwhelm me.

我不难过
这不算什么
只是为什么眼泪会流
我也不懂

Survived my first week at work

Been in and out of meetings this week and

it's great meeting new people and sitting in teleconferencing sessions

Everything is so systematic here.

It's pretty easy to follow,

but I just need to get the workflow sorted out in my head.

The HR is organising a Wii Olympics competition which I think my team will most likely take part in

My singaporean colq has been extremely kind and helpful and it definitely feels better to have her around

My Hk colqs appear shy at the beginning but they're slowly warming up :)
Had lunch with one of them today and it was good

I wonder if age is catching up with me

I feel the passion in my team members towards research work and I always feel excited to meet a like-minded individual loves her job as much (or more) than I do.

And how small the world is - a sec sch classmate actually works two cubicles away from me and I only realised that on Thursday! She's been walking up and down and we didn't realise until we were introduced to each other - and then we screamed (in the office) - haha.. very typical of st nicks girls. :) It's good.

That is what's amazing about living - with some people, you tread on parallel lines. With others, the paths are crossed. Or perhaps, it's just a matter of time before all paths criss cross. Such is 'Yuan'.

Also found out today that someone intended to say goodbye. A goodbye I may have never known if not heard from another source. The news brought back a flood of memories.

All things take time.

First day at work!

First day at work

I need to brush up my cantonese.

Our HR is damn nice and they even sent an email round to remind us to have plenty of fruits and there are bananas, apples and golden kiwi in the pantry!

Still feel a bit out of place with everyone yakking away in cantonese in the office.

I've taken the step, now I need to do the climb.

Number counting

Clothing items to be shipped:

88 blouses

50 dresses

30 shoes

30 belts

19 pants

14 skirts

14 coats/jackets

13 sports wear

9 sweaters

9 scarves

5 caps

2 nightwear

A hell lot of toiletries and

1 Heavy heart

- - - - - - - - - -

The movers came by this morning to get my stuff. I'm finally done with packing (!)and filling up the inventory list for insurance purposes. Whatever I took 2 weeks to pack, these guys took 20 minutes.

I'm amazed at the number of clothing I have. Seriously I probably only wear 20% of what's in my wardrobe. Had to give two suitcases of clothes to yun for resale, and filled up another few bags of clothes to pass to her again.

Reality check - A conservative estimate of the value of all the items amount to 20k. Time to curb my shopping desires.

4 more days to go.

You're right - there're bound to be things which will be still left undone.

Gum scaling

The most excruciating pain - gum scaling.

A harrowing 5 min experience -

You see the tools used

sharp as needle

slicing your gums.

Your mouth becomes bloody in an instant.

You clench your fist,

and pray it be over soon.

Why do we put ourselves through such torture?

Brush and floss and rinse daily.

My girly times

Mambo jambo

According to wikipedia:

Mambo Jambo,

commonly known as Mambo nights,

is a theme clubbing night held every Wednesday at Zouk in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It is highly popular among the younger segment of the clubbing crowd in Singapore, and a Mambo experience is often regarded as an initiation ritual for many beginners into the local clubbing scene.

And I'm singing....

Oooh baby..do you know what that's worth...Oooh Heaven is a place on earth.... and i was dying inside to hold you... I couldn't believe what I felt for you... In the summer rain...Doesn't matter what I do now.. doesn't matter what I say... cos I'm guilty ... guilty as a girl can be... only you can set me free... I stand accccuuuuuused of love in the first degree.