Yippeee!! Will see my Boy in 3 hours. Feels like ages......

We met, ate, laughed (loudly), gossiped and bitched, just like in the old days - who's straight and who's gay, who's still bitchy/who's not, who's still "playing"/who's sobered up, who's married/who's looking, and of course, who still LOOKS THE SAME. Gosh - has it been more than 10 years since we've last seen each other??

Feels like yesterday we were in those white-blue uniforms with that horrible white belt that cut our pubescent bodies into half, emphasizing the waistless-ness of us at 15. Loud, defiant, restless, crazy young school girls. We hated school, wanted more than what it could offer, wanted out of the ridiculous system. Thankfully, despite all that, WE turned out ok. We'd never send our girls back to that school. EVER.

All grown up now, with actual adult responsibilities in our hands - businesses, careers, money, relationships, etc. Meeting at adult restaurants in hotels, ordering real food and ALCOHOL.... =) Seeing revised/improved versions of each other feels so strange , yet oh-so-familiar.

In the washroom, Lynda defiantly throws her used tissue paper into the less "chosen" bin in front of the girls. We burst into giggles. Sometimes its comforting to know that some things don't change, Jill said. In a lot of ways, we're still those same 15 year olds at heart.

Pam is looking at the gi-normous picture of Ian Mckellen in King Lear in Business Times' arts review. Pam is incredibly sore she missed that performance.

The Business Times is mocking Pam. *humph*

Thanks to Jo, Siva, Bee, Alex and Yu Jin, I am now fully equipped for a more organised 2008..... *hee*

This kid was good - he knew EXACTLY when to smile!

I will officially stop blogging for the day right about.... NOW.

This is what I end up doing when I'm bored at work - log on, check work email, nothing but keep it open, then check facebook acct, poke everyone who's poked me, log off facebook, check gmail acct, reply all nec. emails (that's impt), log off gmail, check work email again, STILL nothing, look at my table mess, try to sort out the piles of papers to be filed, procrastinate, sort out more papers, procrastinate somemore, check facebook *again* out of boredom, log off facebook, whip out diaries for the new year, put in public holidays into new diary, go back to sorting out more filing, gets incredibly bored, checks out friends' blogs, looks at Yahoo Movies for a bit, procrastinate somemore, briefly chat with my boy on MSN, then more filing, more procrastinating........

The end of the year in the office is one HUGE yawn coz everyone impt is away.....*gasp*

Find of the day - stumbled upon this blog from one of my friend's blogs - love the whimsical way she writes and really love her photos. See?? This is what I get up to when I'm bored.

Meme!

1) Where did you ring in 2007?
Can't rem. Which probably means I was sleeping/watching TV/sulking at home. =P

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Single.

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Nope.

4) How did you earn your keep?
Doing marketing & communications for a yet-to-be-built national art gallery.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yes. I think it was for baby births more than anything else. Don't remember anyone dying on me this yr.

6) Did you encounter the police?
Nope.

7) Where did you go on vacation?
California and Perth were the official holidays. But the year was filled with fun work junkets aplenty (aka the unofficial holidays) - Vietnam, London, Paris.

8) What did you purchase that was over $500?
My PT lessons at the gym - I buy enough to last me the year. *sheepish grin*

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Yes,although significantly less this yr. I've stopped attending weddings, unless they're that of close friends (which technically shouldn't happen anymore since they're mostly married). Coz I just don't have that much money to give away!

10) Do you know anybody who passed away?
Yes. An ex-colleague.

11) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
YES! Only on Facebook - its a genius considering how little I do to keep up with old school friends!

12) Did you move anywhere?
Nope.

13) What sporting events did you go to?
Does watching my boy try to to outrun and shoot down enemy airplanes on his computer count??

14) What concerts did you go to?
Concerts: none. Performances: yes - Burn The Floor. It was ok only lah....

15) Are you registered to vote?
Yes. Proud to say I've voted before.

16) If so, did you do your patriotic duty on Nov. 7?
What's the deal with Nov. 7???

17) Where do you live now?
Tampines St 21. Still. =P

18) Describe your birthday.
Simple, filled with love. =)

19) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2007?
Landmark Forum. It was the right thing for the right time in my life, and I'm glad.

20) What is one thing you regretted this year?
Acting on my anger and jealousy. Not my proudest or smartest moment.

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
That I am capable of extreme hate. Oh, and I suck at trivia! =P

22) Any new additions to your family?
Extended family - yes. But I barely know them, let alone their new additions.

23) What was your best month?
I'd say its a toss up betw April and Nov/Dec.

April 'coz it was the first time in a long while I was at peace with myself and the situation around me. Plus there was that super fun work trip to Vietnam to top things off!! =)

Nov/Dec coz its my birthday month (*haha* yes, celebrations are MONTH-long), the holiday season and there's so much to do and so many people to be with! Plus, I was just generally in a happier and more content mood....

24) What from pop culture will you remember 2007 by?
Probably Anna Nicole Smith and Pavarotti's deaths. Although French President Nicolas Sarkozy's divorce/love life does come in a close 3rd after all that...... *hahaha*

25) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (shitty) to 10 (excellent)?
7 probably, coz it was quite a tumultuous rollercoaster ride at many junctures. Learnt heaps about myself through it. Otherwise, loved it for the travelling, the new people (esp. the Vietnamese!) and animals (Daisy!) I've met, and the many interesting encounters and experiences as a result.

Maybe I'm naive or haven't read enough. And I'm sure Hillary makes more sense and has more experience in the Senate.

But I haven't heard many politicians speak like this in a while. A long while. I thought they only existed in make-believe worlds like The West Wing.

I think Obama might actually be able to win this.

I've been wondering - am I out of my league here, or is it just arrogance on my part?

Monitoring the news is part and parcel of PR work - I know that. Its a hopelessly mundane and menial task, but necessary. I remembered doing that and having to write news summaries before 9.30am everyday, and it was a nightmare. Even with a team of us reading a section each of the daily news, it was still quite a bit to get through. But the consolation was that we did it as a team - all 14 of us struggling together, directors, managers, admin staff et all. (well, it wasn't by choice that everyone does it together - we enforced it) And that made it less painful, I reckon, coz we know we're in it together.

Recently, a supervisor asked a colleague and I to do the same, except that now, we dun have to write summaries (thank God!), just have to scan and flag out important reports. I noted that she only asked the both of us, and didn't include herself in the news monitoring team. I suppose she is supervisor, and probably feel she doesn't need to take up such menial tasks.

I found myself feeling irritated and annoyed. I know to some extent, I don't have the right to be, because she is, afterall, my boss, and has a righ to delegate. I wonder - I'm irritared because I feel its too menial for me to do it?? Or that she chose not to include herself as part of the team to do it (since she is managing the PR team)?? Made me wonder too, how long I'm supposed to stay as a minion before I get the right to delegate as well!! =P I can't keep being the minion all my life - set up for meetings/official visits, carry the projector/laptop/water, draft the notes, make sure carpark lots are reserved for VIPs, boss' slides are in the laptop, etc etc etc etc.

I also found myself missing my old team - we worked hard and played hard together because we saw ourselves as one team (and made sure we ousted anyone who wasn't a team player.... *muahahaaaa*).

I guess in some ways, we were "spoiled" where I worked previously. We had very little sense of hierarchy or ranks - we were one organisation and one team. If someone's in shit, we're all in it together. Even CEO's not spared - he willingly participated in all the tacky activities we got into unless he was busy. Everyone's opinion counted, whether you're a director or a support staff. If you have something to say, we'd all like to hear it. No one was too small, or too big - equal. We all had different parts to play, but because we were empowered to play our roles and at different times we each took on lead/support roles, we took on each task quite happily (at least in my old team).

I've been told here, in this new environment, that I'm to "know my place in life" and to "give due respect" coz I'm constantly being judged and watched and evaluated. And apparently, I don't do enough of it. Occasional and casual joking with the bosses is a no-no, and I speak only when spoken to. (and I think oftentimes, my opinion doesn't really matter, unless it has to do with stroking someone's ego or for an opinion which the boss can echo as his own at some bigshot meeting later.....) I feel like I'm back in sec school again and its quite frustrating. =P

I do like the content in my present job, and I still find it interesting. But esp. in moments like these, I wonder if this place will give me that big break I'm hungry for, something that will progress me upwards.

So yeah, today, I'm WONDERING. *sigh*

My best shot ever on a camera phone! I can't rem how many thouand feet above the ground liao. Eh, its from a propeller plane somemore leh, no jets here.... *wink*

I'm surprised at how gd the resolution is...... *goodness*

How can 2 people be so damn cool????

Frida is just soooo good..... I can watch Skye and Frida videos all day...... *drool*

Its been exactly a year since, but this photo's still worth reprising!! *hahahaaa*

Run faster this year, Alex...... ;-)