Familiar Faces

Recently I've been experiencing a strange phenomena - I keep seeing old friends around my workplace, or when I'm out shopping. On closer look, I realise that they are strangers with semblance features of my respective friends. This event has spanned over 3 days, and this is the first time that I am encountering it.

The only explanations I can think of are: 1. I'm missing my friends 2. I'm going through a middle age crisis. Wow. I actually qualify for the latter now.

The first possibility is credible. I have a social biological alarm of sorts. A certain time lapses from the last time I met a friend, and my internal alarm kicks in. Out of the blue, for no particular reason, thoughts of that friend will pop into my head and I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to meet up with him/her. I think sociologists have a name for this - they call it missing someone. Well, ever since I started work in my new job this year, this internal social alarm has somehow been so muted that I think its spoilt. As such, I no longer get certain urges to call up a particular friend, or catch up with an acquaintance. Any social contact I've had has been initiated by friends. Perhaps as a result, failing to get my attention, my internal alarm has metamorphosized into this symptom where I'm seeing the faces of friends I haven't made contact with. Does this mean that the cure for this phenomena is taking the necessary action steps to connect with my social circle again? I would say this is one of those times where I know I'm weird and make no claims at understanding myself as much as my friends do.

Luminous Me

Have you ever wondered what the life of an airplane traffic controller is like? Spending his days on the airway strip, in bright luminous yellow, waving air signals for the pilot? Well, I had a chance to be a traffic controller of sorts at GDOP. Except that I was directing human traffic. It was an experience wearing the luminous yellow "jacket" with the luminous strips associated with construction workers and garbage collectors. My small group leader took a photo of me in honor of my sacrifice.

A Memorable Farewell

Our previous Sales Director for Asia Pacific, who has been with our company 30 years, is retiring. One week from today, he returns to Idaho where he has bought a piece of land by the lake. One imagines he will spend his days fishing and boating by the lake, building his house, and playing with his grand kids. We were all invited to his farewell dinner at il lido, an italian restaurant in beaufort hotel on Sentosa beach. It was quite a posh place with a seaview and golf course right beside. The view was amazing at night. Sad too say, we were all a little giddy with good wine and high humor to really notice.

As the restaurant was at Sentosa island, we had to charter a bus there. So four of us gals decided to go for happy hour while waiting for the bus. We talked about the rich and retired, which eventually led to the multimillionaires we (or rather, Steph) knew. A round of drinks later, we all met up with the rest of our colleagues to board the bus.

We were noticeably the "loud" group as we joked and shared pretend gossip and talked about how the 4 of us should start a band and who should do what. By the time we reached the restaurant, we were in good mood and ready for our drinks - lychee martinis all around. We were the first, and only gals to hit the bar counter the minute we stepped in, and with drinks in our hand, we headed for the spot with the best view, away from our bosses. This was of course after we had congratulated our Sales Director on his retirement. He claimed to have started working for our company before we were born, which was in 1980. We were not about to correct him on that.

When the lovely maitre'd gave the signal that dinner was ready, 2 of us were assigned to grab seats at a table where there wouldn't be "shop talk" and the other 2 to help grab our belongings from where we had dropped them - the first empty couch nearest to the bar counter. We succeeded in securing a table where the 4 of us could sit together, at least 3 tables from the "top brass". It was mayhem after that. Dosed high on drinks and almost reaching rowdy status, there were people who headed straight for our table, who were looking to be entertained. And true to form, we lived up to expectations.

Inevitably, it was speech time, and while I knew that our Steve was a humorous guy, I was amazed at how sporting he was. He obligingly acceded to all our photo requests and jokes, and made everyone feel glad that they had come. Our Marketing GM presented him with our gift - an A3 sized card with photos of all the good times they had with him, and with all our good wishes on the back. In addition, there was a book about sailing which he could use to spend his free time on. Not to be outdone, our current Sales GM also made a toast.

After that, it was dessert and port time, and by then, Christina and myself were ready to go home and miss out on our dancing arrangements with Tweet and Steph. While we were all making our way out, it was time for last minute photos with the 9 litre Champagne bottle (costing 2K), waiters and more photos with Steve. The coach driver ferrying us back to Singapore was kind enough to drop me 10 min away from home by car. It was easy to grab a cab and I was home soon. So here I am journaling this night. While it was to a farewell to a much loved Steve (whom both Christina and myself hardly knew), it was in true spirit of the man - he knew how to have fun and in true legacy up to his farewell - we all had a blast of a time. Thank you Steve. Hope you have a great time enjoying your lake in Idaho. We really wanted to get you a fishing rod but found that too big and clumsy a gift for you to carry home. Kia ora.

Sick At Home

I think this occasion warrants an extra long blog today. So what IS the flu shot all about? It's supposed to help PREVENT flus right? Today is proof that it doesn't work. You might say well, flu shots are for preventing flus by strains the doctors know about. Doesn't work if the bug is a new one. So much for being forward looking.

It is humbling to note though, while the human race can be forward looking in anything we have created for ourselves, we seem to be one step behind mother nature still. Oh, she allows us our small victories - Vegetable hybrids, cross breeding, vaccination shots, medical cures, even heart transplants... But when we try to mess around with nature's core chemistry, pandemonium breaks.

Take antibiotics for instance. While we pat ourselves on the back for this cure to the common cold, we're setting in motion a micro evolution of sorts where bugs get stronger while our bodies build resistance. Think SARS (See the Photoessay here) and the Avian Bird Flu. Mother Nature's telling us we really haven't won that one yet.

Take cloning in another instance. So how long has it been since Dolly was born? Or is it Dorothy? Oh wait - she's from the Wizard of Oz - so it's Dolly. So why hasn't there been a human version of Dolly? It would be interesting to see another Reagan or Hitler pop up in history - I'm sure sociologists would love to run tests on "child" hitlers. Put these Hitler "prodigies" under different cultivating environments and grow them with a moral conscience so that their influence can be used for global rejunvenation instead of massacre. Or how about bringing the "King" back from the dead? Wouldn't he be perfect with Marilyn Monroe No. 2? on a more personal level - miss your uncle danny or aunt flora? Just email your orders to www.dollylabs.com along with a fat cheque. While that idea sounds really cool, its actually quite unnerving. Think about it - while you're staring at a cloned loved one in the face - do you give uncle danny a hug? Take him out and introduce him to friends as being "back from the dead"?

So why aren't the above scenarios happening? Are we really such a morally ethical race that we have decided to put away our gene dabbling tools and throw cloning out of the window? Tough to answer when you read about wars in the Middle East and America's dealing with Iraq, isn't it? So what took out the fun in our genetic dabbling? Because once again, mother nature has us stumped (read Progress After Dolly). This universe took trillions of years to come into existence, and we now presume that based on 2 million years' existence we can contain and control this power in our laboratories with pipettes, microscopes and petridishes...

All this drama trying to decide if I should be taking antibiotics.

An Umbrella Is Just An Umbrella

Beware of rainy days and sexy strangers - you might just end up with more than what you bargained for. What, you ask, can happen on a rainy day when you're crossing the road? Watch the video and find out for yourself. It used to be that ladies would would drop their 'kerchiefs to be retrieved by chivalrous men for that "chance" encounter. Today, its changed to an umbrella cover. And since cost of goods are becoming so insignificant, the guy doesn't even bother retrieving it for you. Instead, he turns it around to suggest an encounter of a totally different nature.

House Catalog

Since I was really excited about renovating my new place, I decided to check out some of the homes of people I knew to get ideas. After surveying some of the houses below, I was still clueless about what my home should look like...

Arnold
Britney
Calvin
Celine
Elton
George
Madonna
Mariah
Michael
Michael2
Michael3
Mike
Phil
Ronaldo

A Story to Tell

As mentioned, my godbrother went diving and uploaded videos of his trip today. Below is a picture of the "shark" (aka giant grouper) that he and his buddy saw.



Here is how he tried to describe how big the "shark" was to the rest of his gang.

Guys are truly unique in their communication technique! Not to mention the scale of exaggeration...

Second Coincidence

Coincidence subject No. 2 is of a more personal nature. So I met someone cute during camp. No, I will not reveal his name in case some of you out there know who I'm talking about. It was strange that I never noticed him in church before until camp. In fact, I even met him at a friend's granny's wake the week before and was formally introduced to him (ref: my first blog). It would be funny wouldn't it? If we ever got together and someone asked us where we met - "Oh, it was at a funeral. Lots of blankets. Good funeral. The deceased looked very peaceful...." !!

Anyway, I was only vaguely aware of his presence at camp, but it wasn't till we both landed on the same coach home that I became aware of his "cuteness" - in between my states of unconsciousness. I have this embarrassing ability to slip into deep REM slumber anytime, anywhere. While most of my friends are jealous and tell me I am lucky, I'm not entirely sure when I wake up from unsightly sleeping positions with unkempt hair and smudged eye make up in public. I pray a lot that I don't embarrass myself more by snoring.

Well, we managed to chat during one of our pit stops and found out he actually had an interesting sense of humor. Another bonus point goes to him for owning an APPLE laptop - He has taste too! ;)

I thought nothing more of that encounter (there will always be cute guys with a sense of humor) until a mutual girlfriend (who hasn't asked me out for almost a year - in fact who has only ever asked me out once before since we move in different social circles) messaged me and invited me for an opera this week. Marriage of Figaro. A sucker for arts and entertainment - I readily agreed to donate another 80 dollars for an evening of song and drama. Out of the usual curiousity I asked who else would be going. It was an interesting moment when I found out that he would be the only other person going for the opera besides my friend. It was then that I remembered she's actually his small group leader. I wonder if I'm being set up. I certainly hope not. After all, coincidences do exist don't they?

Coincidences - really?

So I took a few days off last week for Church camp. Interesting time I had then, but won't talk about it until I get my pictures from my room mate. However, I will mention coincidences surrounding 2 people that have been a little freaky, if you will. The first being my room mate. Having signed up last minute for the camp, I was without a room mate and didn't fancy having to pay the entire double occupancy room rate by myself. So I made a call to the church office and a few days later, was rewarded with a room mate. She's not from our church, and her friend had backed out of the camp at the eleventh hour.

We met for the first time on the journey to the campsite in Kuala Lumpur and got to talking. Naturally, the conversation turned to her back-out friend. Apparently, that friend had a work emergency and had wanted to introduce my room mate, Allycia, to her small group leader during the camp. In fact, the small group leader had led worship last Sunday and Allycia managed to catch a glimpse of who he was. I blinked. MY small group leader led worship last sunday. A few probing questions revealed that her friend was actually someone new in MY small group, who was also coincidentally, an ex-colleague of mine! We both smiled and agreed that it was a neat coincidence.

When we reached church where coaches were waiting to drive us down to our hotel in KL, I introduced her to the rest of my small group and lo behold, another coincidence was at birth. Apparently the same last sunday, she had spotted one of our small group members running across the road to the cab queue she was in. As my small group friend was wearing a cross, and as it was near service time for our church, Allycia made a guess that my small group friend was making her way to the same church. She initiated a conversation, confirmed her guess and asked if they could share a cab. During the journey to church, they realised that they were both teachers, and Allycia was going to be interviewed for a teaching position in the same school that my small group friend was teaching in! And when they met again on that initial camp day to be related to another set of coincidences with me, the 3 of us were slightly "freaked out", if you may. So it was all coincidences? Really? Only God knows.

PS Our congregation consists of over 2000 members attending 3 different services on Sunday. So it is not an easy matter to bump into each other unless by appointment.

Stand up comedian - online?

A colleague commented to me that I am really funny online, and that I should be a stand up comedian - but only online. Somehow, moi the real person does not come across as someone with a sense of humor. Her advise was for me to get over myself, and just be my natural funny self in person. It was an interesting comment, particularly since I've just returned from a church camp and remarks had been passed about me being a straight "no-nonsense" person such that I intimidate others. Maybe I should get that "big hair" 'do that my stylist has been promising me. People would then know that I'd need to have a sense of humor to wear THAT...

Male Pregnancy

It would seem that while medical science has faithfully been saving lives, it is also used today to create scientific miracles that cause quite a bit of controversy. Cloning, gene therapy, and Male pregnancy. Yes, we are talking about men taking on the roles of women, and No, there was no typo. While I applaud Mr Lee's maternal tendencies, I can't help but wonder if he has considered the emotional wellbeing of a child that will be born amidst controversy, without a maternal parent, and even subject to ridicule and rejection while growing up.

PS. Seeing that Mr Lee has no breasts, one can't help wondering what his baby will feed on.

PS2. Is this man's way of revenge on women for invading the corporate world that used to be a male dominated territory?

Seletar Camp

Hearing that part of Seletar camp was soon going to be demolished by the government, our gang decided to go down for a photoshoot before that part of history becomes lost to us. Seletar camp was part of the British Colonial barracks during the occupation and the area represents Singapore's early heritage with buildings built in the 1800s. While the trip there was indeed eventful with sudden rain showers and an unpredictable photographer with his own brand of moods & tantrum, we still managed to capture some pretty decent shots. Take a good look for they won't be around after 2008.

Water Aerobics

I guess if we can make lions and tigers jump through hoops and perform antics for us, it shouldn't be too surprising that humans would find new ways to train animals that rank lower on Darwin's scale. This video illustrates the feats that can be performed by mere goldfish otherwise thought achievable only by higher life forms...

Offbeat Sashimi

I love raw fish more than anybody else - salmon, swordfish, tuna, octopus, scallops, and even jellyfish. Whale sperm is out of my league though I think the Japanese have invented a sashimi dish that even outdoes the life capsule of the largest mammal in the sea - Frog sashimi. What's so outstanding about frog sashimi? It's got to do with part of the frog anatomy that happens to be moving while you're chomping on it. Check it out here

Disparities in Social Ethics

If I told you a grown man openly peed in his pants, in front of his friends (and not in a male toilet) without so much as batting an eyelid, you would probably come to to the conclusion that there is something seriously wrong with this man. However, if I told you that he did this when they were all 6 feet underwater in the ocean, you might just nod your heads in understanding and even snicker a little. While having to "go" underwater in the cold, it does present an interesting opportunity. Who's the guy who stole your girl? Swim right up to him, do what you gotta do, and he'll be none the wiser. Who's the buddy that you absolutely must diss (pardon the pun)? Well, I'll leave the rest to your imagination. And if you want to absolutely horrify the person you're dissing, why not have an extra dose of multivitamins to give your pee that cool fluorescent yellow? Having said all that, it is noted that this "peeing revenge" is only popular among the guys. Why? Maybe because they're from Mars. How do I know guys do this? From my godbrother who just returned from a diving trip. So while they diss each other out in the open sea, I'm using my blog to do the same to them... *smile*

Say Hi to my godbrother...