Day 1 & 2

Having free internet access in the hotel probably means i get to update my blog on my 'travels' *ahem ahem* aka business trip daily.

Dats wunderful.

No more having to ink out my thoughts on the ipaq (though useful, is still slower than typing on the keyboard by a mile).

Anyway, here's my life away, thus far, in "brief" *cough cough*...

Day 1: Flight SQ22 from Spore to New York at 12.05pm Changi T2 & Newark, NY

Big boss and Great Big Boss and the two small vice-bosses came to send us off at the airport on friday. I actually wanted to check in my stuff early so that i can go into the transit lounge to get myself some sushi and hang around abit. Unfortunately, with the various bosses around, it meant we have to hang around outside to 'entertain' the folks. Ah well. Managed to board the plan just in time.

Flight, as always, is still too long. Despite it being a direct flight, it is nonetheless still 18hours. The slightly extended leg room and various little improvements, no doubt made the trip slightly more comfortable, but a long-haul flight is still a LONG-haul flight. The so-call bar/lounge on the plane was over-hyped, being nothing more than a standing corridor barely enough for more than 6 people. In fact, numbers were strictly controlled by the stewardess, perhaps fearing that having too many people standing there would crash the plane. In any case, the 'lounge' was only good for the occasional leg-stretching and snack-stealing.

The highlights of the flight were: finally watching hellboy, meeting a cute 22mth old girl who taught us how to do 'yoga' and perhaps, the free-flow tomato juice.

Reached Newark, NY at precisely 6.30pm (NY time) on friday (surreal, all these time-zone thingies). However, it was until almost 1 hour later that we were let off the plane. On top of that, the caterpillar queues and the no-nonsense custom protocols. However, things did proceeded smoothly, though a tad slow. We only managed to clear customs at around 8.25pm, after which, it was a short walk to the marriot hotel across the airport where we would stay during the overnight transit before we flew off to North Carolina the next day. Couple things i wanted to say about the Marriot at Newark Internation airport. The place SUCKS. The people were lifeless and the food was way too salty! That's about it.

The weather in NY was rather miserable. Lots of rain and it felt quite humid. Visibility was also low. It was only in the early morning that we caught sight of the skyscrapers along the horizon.  Took a shuttle to the domestic terminal early saturday morning. More queues but finally get to enjoy a fairly decent breakfast in the food court inside the airport. Still not exactly used to the fact that we have to tip every minute but i think i am getting the hang of it.

Day 2: Raleigh-Durham to Wilmingtonm, North Carolina

Reached Raleigh-Durham, NC at 1pm saturday afternoon. Immediately proceeded to the car rental company to pick the car for the 3hour drive to Wilmington, which was along the coast. We got a jeep cherokee (sp??) which was fairly decent for the price we paid. It was roomy and fitted in all the 7 luggage bags nicely (don't look at me... i didn't over pack). In any case, i drove (no, i am not going to get a speeding ticket here. Not when my HOD is sitting behind me) and managed the whole journey in 2 1/4hr. Unfortunately, it took just that amount of time as well (Hmm give and take a couple of minutes) to find the hotel. It was 16th st then 6th st, then back to market st and finally back to 16th street again. Super long irritating story which i would not like to repeat for the sake of my own sanity. I just have this to say... i will never complain about wilk as my travel partner again.

By the time we settled into the Hampton Inn (medical centre) hotel (would you believe that there are 3 hampton inns in wilmington alone?!), it was already 4.30pm. The hotel is much better than marriot by a long mile, and i am not saying just because there is free internet access! Really! It is just that the service is better, the rooms bigger and the people! They actually smile and go out of their way to make us feel better, even refusing our tip!!! What can i say? Small towns are nice in that way compare to big cities.

Dinner today was unfortunately marred by the fact that we had to wait an hour for a table. There was 5 of us and there wasn't much 'big' tables. In any case, the food was nice but for the waiting? I think i will pass the next time, or call for reservations before hand.

Finally, the end of the day, and the end of this blog entry. I have showered and my head is giddy. Probably still trying to shake off the feeling of being jetlagged. Guess i will try to write something tomorrow. But looking at the town (the size of it) and what limited choice there is to offer here, i think it may be a fairly short post tomorrow.

24/05/04 10.36pm

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Up, Up and Away!

Ah well...
Hopefully don't crash.

 

Equation

WS + R2C - (Ro + D) x FuAS = E2M

i.e. : Will Smith + Really Cool Robots - (ROmance + Drama) x FUturistic Action Sequence = Entirely Entertaining Movie

Things that makes me go Hmm...

A brand's chicken essence perched precariously on top of the green railing on the road divider...

A left shoe lying forlornly on the extreme right lane of the ECP missing its partner...

A scrawny white man in full athletic gear skiing down thomson road with his roller-blades and two ski pole...

A pensive you looking at me eat "la mian" wondering what is going on in my mind...

Gone with the...

Days whizzed by and I seemed to remember a couple of would-be blog-worthy rants except that they whizzed by pretty quickly as well. I think I have been reduced to just making one-liners for significant events in my life these days because I just cannot give enough time to even put together more thoughts to pen down.
 
Example:
 
"6th year anniversary dinner was great. Thank you!"
 
"Happy to meet babes up for dinner again."
 
"D&D program done!"
 
"Design for poster done! Thanks to him!"
 
"I can't wait for the Vintage-parade themed D&D!"
 
"So tired. So much things to pack for training."
 
"Finally finished packing at 3am last night."
 
"I miss gym. *sulk*"
 
I have been reduced to a think-a-minute bouncing, jumping, smiling, whirring mannequin.
 
Ah well.

  
 

Crazy

It has been a crazy crazy week... weeks even.
Not bad crazy.
Just plain crazy.
The kind of days when you have to be thinking/doing 4 different things every single second.
Every single nanosecond even.
But.
Things are okie.
I ride the waves and had a couple of waves washed over me but it's no big deal.
I am cool with that.
It just that, i really don't have much time for much else.
Not friends.
Not leisure.
Not gym.
Not myself.
Occasionally, Not Him.
But that's okie too.
There would be days like that and we can go kick ass in the real world for a spin and then sink back into each other's comfortable embrace again.
Which would happen in another couple of weeks time i'll imagine.
In the meantime, the surf's a-calling and my butt is itching to get out there and DO something.
Still doing something.
Accomplishing.
Fulfilling.
All i need to do.
Want to do.
Can do.
It's crazy but its hell of a ride.

It's all in the eyes

For you, I hope happiness is here to stay.
It's never too late to start anew.
So I just want to say...
I am really, really happy for you.

*wink at snow*
*hugz*
:)

Zombified

Watched a private screening of Zombie Dog last saturday at P10, though the price was a tad bit steep ($10) but the experience more than made up for it. It is no doubt, one of the most 'interesting' film experience I've ever gone through. To be frank, the film itself, is nothing short of being 'weird' and not what I would call the 'greatest' Singapore film ever made. However the perpetuator aka director himself who was present at the screening, the eccentric oddball Mr Toh, must be the star attraction of this endeavor. We had a couple of run-ins with him for the last couple of years, usually during film festivals and during a period of time when wilk was dabbling with films. I still cannot forget his proposal of getting girls to strip free for him (and willingly) in hotels while he shoot them (with a camera, i hope). I am pleased he actually included that into Zombie Dogs though. I am also constantly amazed at his ability to talk, seemingly forever, without much awareness of his audience usually. As for the film, i find it difficult to draw the line between the 'art' and the 'reality'. Even the metaphor of the Zombie Dog, seemingly so cryptically abstract and coming from the film, honestly earthy and simple. Just like the man, who seemed to live in a reality a notch 'off' from everyone elses' and yet, uncomfortably real and common. I think i came out of the experience a little befuddle, bewildered than perhaps, be-lighted.

Happy...

6th year anniversary, my dear.

Could it be...

... that you have forgotten about friday?

*sniff*

Another wedding...

Over the last weekend,attended the wedding of an old friend whom i have not seen in ages, not since i have graduated anyway. It was initially quite awkward to be in a social situation where you sort of recognize everyone and yet, not that close to anyone. In fact, the person who i was most familiar with at the dinner was probably my ex boyfriend, and perhaps part of the awkwardness also came because i knew these bunch of friends through him. I guess, if we never had a relationship, i wouldn't have known these people (groom included) and most certainly would not have been invited to the wedding. But i had always enjoyed hanging around these lovely people back in the university days and going for guotie and dimsum. So it really was nice to catch up with friends like janet, colin, ryo and ivan again despite not knowing some others all that well.

Anyway, will be looking forward to your house-warming soon, j jie. :)

Brain Drain

I woke up this morning and forgot what is it that i do for a living. Some days, the clarity just isn't there and it is awfully frustrating when i cannot articulate what exactly it is that i am feeling. I am not even sure i am feeling what it is i am feeling. I hate confusion. I hate not-knowing. I hate ambiguity.

I think i need to go back for English classes.

Random thoughts...

... i wonder how is youngest bro's CV coming along...
... too many things to do... too many things to do...
... must go to chinatown to look at posters soon...
... what gifts to buy for those trainers in NC...
... i feel like going to the gym...
... the new psychologist seems promising...
... my new ipaq can surf the web...
... sometimes there is not such thing as good or bad parenting...
... must prepare my 'to-pack' list soon...
... weekend is coming...
... i wonder what mm is doing now...
... i am getting sick of bananas...
... too many things to do... panic panic...
... sometimes parents don't have to be there for you to feel their presence...
... same things with brothers and loved ones...
... i wonder what's going to happen in the next episode of gundamW...
... will talking to someone really help if...
... quite enjoyed spiderman...
... hMmm... muscles...
... stupid cat...
... sigh...

It is the First Day of School and I...

1) went for the visa interview and got my US Visa approved
2) finished my 'housekeeping' stuff at work
3) completed one screening (include talking to parents) and one screening report
4) put and done up a department notice board
5) set up a database for children for external transfer for department
6) complied a list of children due for assessment and divided workload
7) sorted out and filed the materials needed for the training in North Carolina
8) did my time-table for the semester

Hmmm... Not too bad for the first day.

Has it really?

Has it really been that busy? I felt as if i never did have a holiday. Time could be a really strangly flexible thing. It was like an overstretched balloon while i was in melbourne and shrunk inward and whizzed around the minute i went back to work. I guess when you average it all out, every day probably ends up with the same amount.

I am not quite sure what happened over the last 2 weeks.

The miunte i wrote that, i realized that that is not quite true. I do know what had happened, every step of the way, every words spoken at meetings, every tasks i planned to do and accomplished. I just chose not to acknowledge that knowledge on some level. I find that happening to me often. Not quite the ostrich in the sand thing but choosing to pretend to be vague when i know that i am not.

Psychoanalyze. Psychoanalyze. Psychoanalyze.

Bottomline, i am just lazy.
Unless when i choose not to be.
Criteria subjective.

Choice. What a powerful thing to have. Even the illusion of having one is better than none.

I chose to be vague, be lazy, be blur, be silly. Because i chose to be these whenever i want and to whoever i chose, i can retain that little smugness in myself. In my power to exercise that choice. Why do i choose to do it is really inconsequential to anyone else. Why should people waste time in understanding my little quirks? Why should i question myself on whether if i really had any choice to begin with?

Illusion is the next most powerful thing to own. It builds up your self esteem when you have none. It makes you feel good when you believe in the things that make you feel good even though you might be walking around naked instead of your princely robes.

I have a choice.
And it made me feel good.
If no one understand, then i choose to think that i am being delibrately cryptic.

Didn't you know that Illusion can be your friend?

SQ21

I am flying to new york non-stop!
Hurrah!

What's cooking...

Went to a performance art event last night which took place at his studio space.
There were quite a number of people and it was pretty hot.
Not to say that i do not enjoy the performance (involved a cook, a guy tying himself up in knots, a sound artist and what i think is a graffiti vandal), but it was really too hot and stuffy.
After a while, i gave up and sat outside talking to a artist friend who is planning to move to taiwan for the sake of his girl.
Very cute, the way he talked.
Ah...
I smiled to myself.
Anyway, i didn't catch the rest of the performance and wasn't too sure if i understood any of it that i have watched.
However, i am sure if i think a little more about it, i could probably form some intelligent impressions.

Why?

Why last time i can type my blog in chinese and view it later and now i can't?

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Memory Lapse

Things are moving... evolving.
The things around me.
The people around me.
Me.
It should feel unsettling but it isn't.
I feel comfortable where i am.
It is nice.

These days, it is harder and harder to recall my past. I wonder if it is a sign of old age. *smiles* I have always been awkward... caught between being painfully shy and having a sneaky need to grab attention whenever i can. Sounds strange now but i guess it explained why most of my peers in school hardly knew of my existence on one hand and yet there were the various "exploits" on stage. I seemed to remember numerous occasions of burying my nose in tons of books in the library, along the corridors and on the bus. Also, wasn't that me, daring one of my friends to crow like a rooster on the bus? As i recall, i did that too, to her and other passengers' amusement. I never stopped to wonder why did i do that. I have a uncanny feeling that friends used to think that i am pretty weird. Perhaps they still do. Oh well, at least i am the provider of much laughter and funny memories (usually of me doing dumb things) whenever we have class reunions.