Cheat Work Thursday

If it's up to me, I have no need to go to Pavilion ever. It has exactly the same list of shops as KLCC, and it's easier to access the latter. Suria KLCC has a good size and layout too -- you can see almost every shop (that you don't need and/or can't afford) by just standing in the middle of the concourse. But the love I have for my friends. I'm meeting Jones this evening at Pavilion ie I'll be walking from KLCC to do that. I welcome walking these days. It's an exercise. In a pair of heels, however, it is not. I think I'll wear a selipar , with my heels in my handbag that I'll change into once I reach Pavilion. I also love my feet. _____ Update, 10PM: Ok, lesson learned. KLCC to Pavilion is far. The bridge looked short from the street. When did they build the other 30km of this? It wasn't there yesterday. But because I'm such an overachiever, I ran in selipar with heels in hand and managed to get to the movie before it started...

We choose our own poison and get haunted by our own demons, addiction and bad habits. Some of us drown ourselves in stress and depression. Some choose drugs or alcohol or three boxes of chocolate. Some have affairs. We wish quitting were easy (although it's a mystery how I can quit running in just 10 seconds). Before judging an addict, think of our own habits first: how difficult it is to quit the simplest things like biting nails, or to start new good habits like recycling or praying diligently. While it's none of my business if others choose to cheat, it still cannot be right. And because I'm probably cold, my main worry is not about betraying my partner, it's about what kind of values I want to live with. A married-with-kids friend told me she's having an affair with another married-with-kids man. She's now haunted with guilt but finds it difficult to get out of the relationship. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Why do you have to have ...

Belle's friend: Halloooo... Belle: Uhm, helloo... Belle's friend: How are you? Belle: Good. How are you? Belle's friend: I'm per-fect. Hey, are you busy? Are you in the middle of something? Belle: Yeah, I'm in the middle of a discussion, but I have to take this call... Belle's friend: ... Belle: ... because it's very rare.

Early this week, Jones and I made a plan to meet up. We'd been postponing it one day after another due to work because, you know, we are very busy and important people. Jones is now a VP at a bank and I'm, of course, the CEO of my company, employer of no one. Friday came and I was home early, already lying down on my bed, thinking of what TV to watch by 5. Then Jones called, finally with a tiny chance to leave early, and I just... couldn't get up. With a valid excuse: "I think I'm too lazy to go out now..." *groggily*. Once I put the phone down, I realized "lazy" is quite sad. I called Jones immediately, said goodbye to warmth and comfort, and got ready. Then it started to rain. It was pouring! I waited for a while and finally got in my car when the rain started to just drizzle. But the traffic was amazing. Amazingly congested. KL and rain and the after-work hour. Even getting out of the housing area took me 10 minutes. Traffic to KL ...

My friend Ave has been trying to make a decision on her career for the past one year and most especially this week. She has been asking everyone for opinions, and we often speak about it on the phone. I'm almost sure she already knew what she wanted, but as we get older, I understand that we are probably just not as bold as we used to be. And there are more factors to be taken into consideration now too. Though I usually try to give anyone asking for my opinion both sides of the argument, I often believe in "As long as you want to (and it's legal and safe etc), just do it." It's not difficult to find people who would tell you that everything will go wrong, that you are not good enough, talented enough or even beautiful(!) enough to do something. No one needs another person who not only gives no clue on how to move forward but also shows up just to crush other people's spirits.

I've known my friend Jones for ages. After A-Levels, she studied in Uni A while I went to Uni B and stayed in Town C. During studies, I always had a part time job -- retail rep, admin work at an advertising company, filing, data entry, coordinating customer loyalty programme at a cosmetic company, waiting tables. So this was when I was in Uni B and had this waiting tables job during weekends that I had to commute to by train, and take a 10-minute walk between my house and the train station. My boss would usually put me in the morning shift because he knew the 10-minute walk was on a quiet, dark road. And Town C is known as a bit of a dodgy town. Once, I was walking home at around 7 from work, and there were several men fighting, screaming and beating each other by the roadside five metres away from me! However, one day, I had to work late. Fortunately,  Jones came to visit that evening, so she waited for me at the restaurant and we went home together. We reached Town C...

The friends that you met when you were 13 will always have a special place in your life. You grew up and shared a lot of fun and embarrassing things with these friends. I went to Sekolah A and stayed in its hostel for three years before I moved to Sekolah B in the fourth form. I bumped into an ex-schoolmate from Sekolah A a day before raya at a mall in my hometown. She told me that 'everyone is looking for me on Facebook', and by 'everyone', I'm sure she meant three people. Apparently, no one knows my phone number or what I do at this moment. "Won't find me there. I'm not on Facebook," I told her. "Yeah, we know. Hey, you know that we've lost a number of friends over the years?" she asked. I was shocked and sad when she mentioned the names. These were my friends. Even if I was not super close to some of them, these were my fun, very kind classmates / schoolmates. During those years, everyone was nice to everyone most people w...

I had my usual* Friday lunch with Jones this afternoon (*a subjective term). We went to her company's training centre, five minutes' drive from her office, and I envied her immediately. The clubhouse is a super nice place for staff to use, complete with a spa, which offers an RM50 body massage, and a restaurant, which serves lamb shank and super yummy mashed potato for only RM12! (It's mainly meant for entertaining clients and staff training, but don't worry about me.) The place was cozy, the creme brulee and the sago + ice cream were yummy, and there were not so many people around -- my kind of place. I might drop by and bug Jones more often. Sometimes we'd just eat in one of the cafeterias in her building (another nice place too , seriously, I don't understand what these people do ). Other times, we'd go to any restaurant in Sogo, or if I could drive fast enough, we'd go to the Nasi Ayam Hainan in Bukit Bintang. Or if I could convince Jones , s...

This kind of coincidence creeps me out. A few hours after I posted my previous post, I got a surprise visit from a friend I last had coffee with in Dec '07 (if my memory does not betray me). Apparently, they were worried when I could not be contacted. I confess, I've been screening a few numbers. After trying to reach out for almost two years to no avail (because ten years would be too long?), I've accepted that not everything has to go my way. I was ready to close a chapter. I didn't expect some people would be looking for me now . I felt guilty instantly, thank you. So I admitted to the screening... and it was awkward... but we just sort of laughed it off in the end. I think 😅. I read that single people usually have more friends because they tend to make effort to network. I have to say it's... a challenge. Making new friends now is not as easy as it was when you were 17. For example (as I'm going to limit this post to work-friends), I, for a start, d...

One of my favourite scenes in SATC: The Movie is this New Year's Auld Lang Syne scene when Carrie crosses the town to see Miranda. Some of us probably watched the movie again on HBO last Sunday, despite maybe having already watched it for more than 10 times in the past 15 months. I did, with a blanket and hot Milo. Only my second time, and I thought it was funnier and more heartbreaking than the only other time I watched it. Is it because I'm now making comparisons watching it? LOL. Things were different last year, I know. I lost a couple of friends (and have probably 1 and 1/2 new ones) in the past 20 months or so. Oh no, they are not dead. They are still alive. I know this because I check the obituary every day. We are just... not so friends anymore, drifting away, having different lives. Well, I'll take part of the blame. I've not been a very good friend lately either . As for the other part, I understand that I can't expect people to have all the time and ...

This morning before I left for work, I saw an article about the elevator pitch -- how would you describe yourself in three words. Just the kind of question my next client would suddenly ask, one that would also make me jump in my seat. Three words are brief. You know off the top of your head, you want to say smart, fabulous and right , but who claims to be smart, fab AND right at the same time? Describing yourself, especially in a work setting, is tricky. We want to sell our good qualities and do not want to come off as  delusional too. We also often confuse this with 'what I want people to perceive me as'. It's safe to conclude, however, that we officially have no flaws. I need to bug my friends with this kind of thing. So while waiting, I texted Jones : "What should I say if I'm asked to describe myself in three words at work? (Don't say lazy, grumpy and cold.)" She replied with: "1) Determined 2) .........." The first one... sound...

Finally Jones is back after a long medical leave. We had a quick lunch last Friday. There were so many things to spill, to laugh about, so little time. I was touched at how Ave (who stays in the north) has been constantly checking on me for the past couple of months while being very, very (as told by Jones ) pregnant. Already with a little girl, one baby on the way and... me. Ok, not only touched, now I'm a little a lot embarrassed too. And Jones , who just got back from a long medical leave , cheered me up with a gift: a super-handy-for-work document case. I hugged it all the way to my meeting. (Though I was already pretty much in joy, of course, it was Friday.) Well, I believe if Ave and Jones read this, they'll go, "Aww X, you have been an awesome friend too..." I'm sure they'll say that. Except for work and school, I don't recall writing anything longer than a paragraph before the blog. Ok, maybe except for some complaint letters (those can b...

Sometimes, except for food and a few errands, I don't go out for work or meeting friends all day and will be alone at home. I told Belle the result. 11AM text messages: Me: Guess how many words I've spoken today? Belle: 70? Me: 15. Belle: To whom? Me: The nasi lemak mak cik. 10PM text messages: Me: Guess how many words I've spoken today? Belle: 300? Me: Still 15.

I spent hours over the long weekend reading about Gaza and trying to figure out why my blog label didn't work while playing Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 hundreds of times. So apparently, some HTML codes were missing from my template, but it's all ok now. I think. I've also been busy digging through the very hilarious startingoverat24's and clevergirlgoesblog's archives. I'll put up my reading list soon. Some time ago, during one of my looong-lunches-to-coffee-to-dinner-LIFE-IS-GOOD-HERE-IN-THE-COFFEE-SHOP-LET'S-NOT-GO-HOME-EVER with a friend, we talked about two people* with something in common expecting two countries to get along while they themselves can't even be in the same room for five minutes. *Might or might not be real people we know / in-laws to each other / one of them is that friend's husband / one of them is that friend's father / one of them is not from here. Referring to other little issues in our own lives, perhaps ...

Doll-bin was here this afternoon, and we just spent a very unproductive three hours in over Coke (the beverage) and coffee. Me -- on an empty stomach. As usual we talked (and laughed) about our favourite stuff , which is always... money and our sad bank accounts. As usual, not going for any firm conclusion or solution, Doll Bin we just enjoy making ourselves more nervous every passing minute. Of course we do talk about something else too, like... well, ok, we don't. Nevertheless, we have no problem taking a break. So right after Doll-bin * left, I put on my 3-minute** makeup and got ready for dinner with Lyle . I was so hungry I could eat paper. *Despite that sad bank account, she's leaving for a short getaway tomorrow :p. **All my makeup is between 3 and 0 minutes. The first bite of food finally went into my stomach at about 8.30. The food was ok. There was a huge painting (which was totally a poster) of a naked man sculpture on the wall that I had to face all ni...

I read that one of the reasons people love TV series like Friends is because the lightning-speed and demanding life we lead nowadays creates a lot of lonely people, or something like that. (I forgot the actual quote, but that's pretty much the idea.) People long to have those Friends . That half an hour of sitcom gives us hope. That sounds quite sad. It is great to have a friend, a confidant, one you can trust with your deepest, darkest secret and still like you- ish . Or one who'd stand by you whether in the long sales lines or your gazillionth job interview. Or one who you can have silly arguments and coffee with at the same time. One who you can always laugh out loud with. Let alone five ! But we have to laugh the same language now, right? That is, this BS  probably won't work anymore should we outgrow each other or just simply change (growing or not). _____ During the time I worked in a traditional office, I mostly avoided office gossip because I believe there...

So I spent the afternoon with Jones today. She took a half day off (our occasional Day Out ™ ) and we had a long lunch at TL Pavilion, followed by a little shopping and an hour and a half of reflexology massage. I've never tried this type of massage before. And while the person in the next bed could fall asleep peacefully by the fifth minute and snore too, I was in pain and thisclose to yanking my foot away. And I'd actually warned the therapist earlier that I would prefer not to be abused . After all, this is supposed to be relaxing or rejuvenating or something, right? And don't get me wrong, I actually love massages and spas. Apparently, my body is functioning pretty good , except that I should pay more attention to my back and blood circulation. And I shouldn't think too much . Also, the therapist mentioned that I seemed to have problem sleeping, and it seemed that most of the pain was coming from the points connected to my back. O-kay. I'm just going to...

Since mid last week, I've been having this mild headache and pre-cold symptoms that aren't really bad but have been constantly bothering me. I went to Penang on Saturday morning, anyway, and couldn't wait to see everyone (reads: four people). We reached the first stop for the weekend ie Ave 's wedding, well, almost on time. I drove. Half of the journey was in the rain. And I'm a careful and courteous and safe and smart driver, of course. I love wedding food -- rich, all fat, high carbs, served buffet, and this one's complete with a round of teh tarik and bahulu. Lyle , Jones (who flew there) and I were the last to leave. So we did some catching up. If I always think that selling is nerve-racking, I should try Lyle 's job -- she prosecutes drug traffickers for a living! I can't stop dropping her name these days: "Owh, my friend Lyle is a DPP..." Then we picked my sister up at her uni and spent the rest of the afternoon climbing Penang Hi...

So the weekend's over. I spent a few hours over the weekend with a friend to plan for our (August?) trip. Two coffee shops later, we were no near to booking any flight or even deciding on a date. But we had fun reading Tripadvisor for hotel recommendations. I think. Not that we are being choosy here. We'll just be two easy-to-please backpackers who appreciate the local culture and nature above anything else and will accept any decent room for the night provided it is located right within a five-minute walk to the beach, shopping spots and cool restaurants, but not too near to the airport, of course, or any other sources of noise. mosquito-free. not using suspicious-looking lock. has nice spa and pool. Wi-Fi service. delicious continental breakfast served until 11. reliable shuttle to everywhere and anywhere. seaview room and a private beach. Or a surfing beach. brightly lit hallway. air conditioner that actually works. satellite TV. nice bathroom with spotless bathtub. ...

Over a dinner, two friends and I talked about the so-called annual getaway that we apparently  owe ourselves. We also talked about the year we drove north and the following year to the east coast -- the clear green and blue water and its beautiful creatures beneath. I still laugh looking at all my the ugly pictures. So I reminded them again of the ticket on sale that I saw on the internet. One of them suggested we wait until next year; she's just bought an apartment. Right. (Maybe I'm secretly missing the few spur-of-the-moment trips that I had with another friend with only the clothes on our backs. Some things are better not repeated, I guess.) I get it. Priority. Plus, work can't just be left with a short notice, says another friend. I should get that too. I was once that person who left the office at midnight and was back at her desk at 4 in the morning. Should I just go and travel alone, then? (And the furthest that I've ever ‘travelled’ on my own ...