merry is love ;

Post from China 2: Weather in Suzhou

It's crazy. It was 34 degrees the past 2 days and today one downpour after, it's probably around 15 degrees now. It was 18 degrees when we left the office but it feels a hell lot colder now. I was still enjoying the cool air standing outside the canteen after the 竞赛 today because the office is damn stuffy. There's some conserve-energy scheme going on now so only the fan is on unless someone complains that it's too hot, then the air-con will be switched on for a couple of minutes before it's back to the fan. Oh yes my department cheated for the 竞赛 and we all scored so well we're going to get a 小礼物 each. From getting the answer scheme to looking at the test papers (there are 5 versions) before lunch to reserving version 4 for all of us because 曹梅 and Huoying memorised the answers to those questions, they have done them all. Anyway, but now it's cold. It's not cool but cold. It's colder than the air-con temperature we had the last two nights. 但是冷比热好所以我还蛮喜欢这个天气的.

我现在真的很想去睡.但是舅舅还没回家所以我们还要等. 要有礼貌吗.

要开始进步我的中文了!

Post from China 1: Greetings from Suzhou!

So this is our second day in Suzhou and we only got to come online 'cause Sissy Sarah managed to find a wireless connection spot in our room! Lots of things to write like the frantic packing of suitcase. How I almost couldn't close my suitcase - it was 20.7kg. How we went to 3 places in a day - Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou. And Harry's. And our first day of work today. Too many. But we haven't quite settled (just finished transferring stuff in suitcase to wardrobe and the sun rises at 4+am here), haven't really gotten over our sleep debt, so we're perpetually tired people. So goodnight world! I am going to shift my suitcase to another room and go to sleeeeep.

Done trying to match.

I had thought all would be meaningful but they are all meaningless 'cept one and that one I'll probably not have.

Screwed beyond a thousand times over.

I don't ever swear but this time really, I'm f***ked.

Pooh and Swine Flu

I'm sure Winnie the Pooh isn't such a bad friend.

Oh did you hear? We are actually going to have temperature screening before all our papers this week and that translates to having to report some 1 hour before the exam starts. -.-

Reflective night

The weather today is crap. I don't think I've stopped perspiring for a moment the entire day. Even at close to 4am, when it's supposed to be all cool and nice for sleeping, I've beads of perspiration on my forehead and I'm getting all sticky even though I showered at midnight! This is ridiculous.

Earlier in the ~~night~~ morning, a friend sent me a Facebook message apologising for an incident in J2 and for causing any bad blood between us. I was really flattered 'cause it meant that I meant something. Besides, she had already apologised with a 6-sms message that time which I forgotten if I replied to. Gosh, she really makes me feel such an ass. :X

At the same time, it also reminded me of my email to D after she left. Tried to look for the email in the sent items folder but it's gone! Sigh. Would have loved to read. All these stuff always make me laugh at how childish and immature I was.

Damn El just reminded me of webcasts for 3101! Need to study.

I go through life like a karate kid.

Home is my haven. I know home is haven to many but home is really my haven.

I stayed home today. I stay home on many days. I'm past the stage of going out everyday and feeling lonely if I don't have a dinner date, a lunch date, a supper date, or even a study date. There was a time when I would feel like I didn't have a life just because I didn't have any activities after work. Then I filled my after-work hours with tuition and dinners and more dinners with different groups of people.

But that life, those nights out - I am tired, jaded. I'm glad that throughout the years, even at my going-out-equals-having-a-life stage, I have kept to a standard I had set which is to be home for weekend dinners unless there's an important occasion. Because after 22 years, I've realised how important my family is to me. It could be because as I grow older, I also become more aware that the people I love are going to leave one day and everyday that passes is one day less to spend with them.

Recent outings have brought home the fact that friends will just be but friends. I am guarded when I'm with them. These walls I built during AC days but which I continue to put up because I've seen that people judge, even your good friends. I know I can place my trust in my family. My parents will never hesitate to do things for me like pack food for me to bring to school every morning or offer to fetch me home at the ungodly hour of 4am etc., and all these when I wasn't even paying the most attention to them. I had thought that good friends will come close but have since come to realise that things I've thought to be a given are not to be expected even if they are the people I have dedicated so much more time and attention to. It is a fine line between family and friends but the line is pretty clear now.

Family is home and home is family. It's true what they say: Blood is thicker than water. You know, I started off with the idea of typing down my thoughts about the Britney Spears documentary I watched today and being inspired to do volunteer work after listening to 'Just Stand Up' umpteen times (it's on repeat mode and Mariah Carey's voice is amazing) but somehow it led to this. And typing this entry was not easy because it really hurts me now that it is finally put before me that I've been giving my parents so much less than what they deserve.

The Chapter 2 story

It's not the smell. It's not the number of times my hair has to be washed. What puts me off hair rebonding the most is the number of hours I have to sit in that chair.

Today is that day. And today is also the day the Big Boss decided to pay a visit to the outlet. A less-than-15-minutes that threw everyone into a frenzy because as I got to know later, Big Boss only pops in once in a couple of months. Big Boss is by the way an old lady with 30 years of salon experience. Okay not that old but I reckon she's in her 70s with hair perfectly done and hip of course, and whose daughter is Big Management.

The Chapter 2 story goes like this. Big Boss owned one of those neighbourhood hair salons and Big Management was studying in the US. Big Boss wanted Big Management to take over the salon business but Big Management said she didn't want to unless Big Boss made it more current with the usage of modern technoology. So Big Boss agreed and this is the result - more than 30 outlets of Kimage, Chapter 2 and Belong.

I've always thought Chapter 2 had some meaning in spite of its random-ness and I think this could be it. Chapter 2 - moving on from their first-generation technology-less salon to those we see now, or the second chapter of their business after Kimage.

Chapter 2 may not have the reputation of Reds, Toni & Guy etc. but I've been faithfully returning to do my hair since 2 years back. It's not so much due to the haircut I get but because 90 percent of my trips there, I enjoy the experience. A great part can be attributed to the stylists I get. From curly wurly frizzy pong hair to straight hair, first Sean and now Apple, both have been very entertaining.

Like Apple was telling me animatedly today of how she told Sissy S's stylist Chloe that she is her customer's twin 'cause I couldn't have not greeted her if it were me, the above Chapter 2 story, her trip to Shanghai some 2 weeks back (I now know where to do cheap shopping!), etc.

The management should really be complimented on their selection of stylists 'cause I think Sissy S was also rather pleased with hers. Plus their way of managing the stylists - the probability that Big Management did labour economics in school is damn high! You see, as the cost will be very high if they were to monitor all the stylists, hence to prevent shirking, they reward them on the basis of performance (output-based pay). Now you know why your stylist always brings you to the cashier and process your payment when you're done, and why they always offer you their namecard if you're new.

So today I sat for close to 4 hours on the same chair save for a couple of minutes at the washing chair. An hour was spent waiting 'cause Apple had 4 customers at various stages of their hair things when I arrived. And I was half hour late at that. Imagine if I was on time for my appointment. Hope her popularity will not lead to a promotion to creative stylist as what they have been known to do because that will mean an extra 10 bucks for a haircut! It's not as if she wants to anyway (I asked).

Luckily I had the mind to bring my Psych notes to study today 'cause managed to complete 5 sets. Yay!

P.s. When I asked Apple to tell me what are the good places to go in Shanghai, the first thing she asked was, '你有没有买便宜货的?' Atas much?