Cheat Work Thursday

This is part of my attempt to read books by authors that I'm not familiar with, and the horror from this book stayed in my head a while after I finished reading it. The Road is a story of a father and his son's journey to the south to escape the year's winter, years after civilization has been destroyed. (Plot summary here .) I admit I was kinda lost at the beginning of the book, though, staring at eight-word sentences, half of which I wouldn't know the meaning unless I looked in the dictionary. But after a while it stopped bothering me. It's chilly, depressing and a must-read. Happy Holidays, everyone. - I'm currently listening to Empire State of Mind (I could use a city which big lights inspire me right now), Bad Romance, Russian Roulette, Heaven Can Wait and many Adam Lamberts.

Thoughts on: The Hangover — I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard watching a movie, so I'm spoilt. The bar for comedy movies is set high for me now (or maybe low). If you haven't already, go watch it. Today. Now. He's Just Not That into You — This, too, is hilarious and a must-watch. Confessions of a Shopaholic — I wish the movie had been adapted more closely to the book. Plus, I've always had Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Aniston to play Luke and Becky in my mind (too old?). I do think Isla did a good job as Becky, though. Each time I see her, I'm reminded again that there's no way I'm going to watch Borat and Bruno. The Proposal — Here's the thing, the story doesn't make sense because how do these two people with these backgrounds, personalities and circumstances even function in the same space, let alone fall in love? But it's also easy and predictable because this is a romantic comedy. Watch it to relax or if you want...

A few years ago, I learned that -- referring to work / formal setting here, and especially if you are a Malay -- it's ok not to shake hands with men if you are a woman, vice versa. And the way to do it is to wait for the woman to extend her hand first. (Ok, I do know what the religion says about touching non-muhrim maybe since I was seven, but this is not that kind of post.) Although I don't have a problem extending my hand for a handshake, I love this 'rule' because sometimes I just don't feel like shaking hands. It's therefore a perfect excuse for me. So usually, before extending my hand, I'd take two seconds to assess the situation: mine and the other person's. Occasionally, though, I'd forget about this and happily extend my hand without thinking. This will sometimes create some awkward situations in the room ie when my hand is left hanging. It may not be that big of a deal especially that I understand the religious reason behind it, ...

Earlier this year, I was to pass a package from a friend Z to another friend Y. We set the meeting at a coffee shop, and it was supposed to be a quick chat of what was required from the package and a brief catch-up (we don't see each other often) while her husband ran some errands. Turned out, the husband came along too. Here's something that often amuses me: how it is ok that we don't introduce our company. Y has never properly introduced me to her husband. I think it's weird since Y is -- maybe not super close but still -- a good friend of mine. I didn't know him while they were dating, and the whole process was pretty quick. I went to their wedding, and I think I got a nod from him or something, or nothing at all, I don't remember. Did he drop by our table and say thanks for coming? Definitely not. And when they turned up at this coffee shop meeting, he did not smile at all! The only way I can describe the whole situation is, well, I don't actu...

I want a short hair, and I want to wear less suits. (Don't you just love Polyvore? Three hundred million of $30k shoes all under one roof.) Image: "Short Hair and Less Suits", created on polyvore

I'm bored with eating out these days. It doesn't help that I'm not so creative with it either. Don't you, too, sometimes feel like you've been frequenting the same eating place hundreds of times? So I decided to go grocery shopping and have been preparing my meals and snacks at home for the past one month. Now I know instant noodle is not the only meal that can be prepared under three minutes and there are alternatives to nasi lemak in the morning. Naturally, this must be documented. I hope you appreciate how I artfully stacked the crackers. [ pictures deleted ] Document Image (and moar funny pictures): lolcats

I don't get how 'If you are nervous for a meeting / presentation / public speaking, imagine the other party is naked' advice is supposed to work. Seriously. I don't think I'll ever use it. I don't want to have nightmares at night. I wish I had a better trick, though. The ones that I resort to right now are using my imaginary on and off buttons or treating the process like a computer game -- one step of work assignment for each level of Jojo's Fashion Show. It's that time of the year again when people making wishes, and if I could get one, I would like to have a huge bottle of self-refilling creativity that I can use in everything I do, please -- be it for work, social, money, wardrobe, coaxing myself to exercise, dealing with laundry, curing procrastination, or life in general -- so everything will always turn out not as torturous fun. Will be at my desk all day today with paperwork, e-mails (I dread) and phone calls. If this is a game of 60 level...