Random musings at 4.30pm

I'm so pleased with myself for completing my job as scheduled today that I have decided to spend the next 30 mins doing anything but work. The boss has gone home and there's nobody else in the office to assist. Haha! It will be a long 30 mins of being unproductive so why not start off with 5 random things about myself?

1. I started combing my hair from right to left to even out the left parting.
2. I've got 3 moles on my left hand that form an equilateral triangle when connected dot to dot.
3. My fingers are relatively long in relation to my height.
4. The hair on my right arm grows in a circle.
5. My weight hasn't changed in 8 years.

The Zombies Ate Your Brains!

Last weekend I was down with some stomach discomfort after eating some really spicy 'dak bulgogi' (Korean BBQ chicken) for lunch on Friday so I was stuck at home. While playing some facebook game, I stumbled upon an ad for Plants vs Zombies and decided to give it a go since a friend highly recommended the game to me before. And then it was battle time. I spent the whole evening shooting zombies. It is a really fun game where you get to grow all sorts of plants to defend your house from zombies. And there are 50 levels of gaming so you can be assured you won't get bored. What's more - as you complete the levels, you get to unlock mini-games and finally when you have completed all levels, you unlock the 'Survival Mode' game which means endless gaming! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some zombies to slay...

Late Sunday night update

Hello! I feel like it's been ages since I last posted anything even though the last update was last Monday! Well, it's been a pretty normal week with a slow start and work gradually building up towards the end of the week. And no, I haven't been too busy (or even busy at all - LOL!) to post; it's just that I couldn't think of anything to write.

I'm currently listening to the Jamie Cullum Twentysomething CD I just bought today. I've been wanting to get this album since 2006 but I never got to buying it. CD's aren't exactly cheap here - it costs more to buy an original CD than to have a good meal in a fancy restaurant. It's no surprise how many people turn to buying pirated CDs or downloading from the net. Well, as for me I'm not exactly a smart-@$$ when it comes to downloading free stuff from the internet so I'd rather buy the CD. Oh, and I also get that "feel-good" feeling that I'm supporting my favourite artiste. My favourite songs (in no particular order) from this album are as follows:

1. These Are the Days
2. Twentysomething
3. Singin' in the Rain
4. What a Difference a Day Made

Monday Morning Madness

It's back to work today - first Monday of the new year and the roads are back to being congested during rush hour. It's no fun driving in a bumper-to-bumper crawl and you need to keep extra vigilant to avoid an accident from happening. 90% of the scratches and dents on my car happened during the morning madness at the junction where traffic from the housing area enters the main road leading out of the suburb. After being on the road for 4 years, I have noticed the traffic pattern. On Mondays and Tuesdays, traffic is really bad and then it gradually eases as the end of the week approaches. Fridays are the best as it seems that most people are already on "weekend mode" and don't seem to be in a hurry to get to work (or some may even take Friday as the start of the weekend and don't go to work at all!). No complaints, really! The less traffic the better! In fact, I wish I could teleport to work so that I can get up 30mins before work starts and still arrive on time!

The calculative accountant

I finally got a chance to put on my brand new pair of ALDO shoes yesterday as I went out to the mall for some recreational fun with a buddy in the evening. Since all the good seats for Avatar in 3D were sold out, we opted for a different kind of entertainment - a dolphins and sea lions show. There's a performing pair of marine mammals from Indonesia doing a world tour and since the both of us have never seen a real live dolphin up close, we decided that this would be our best chance. After getting our tickets for the 6:30pm show, we decided to have an early dinner. There's a newly opened restaurant named Fullhouse which is a contemporary store & cafe concept. A lot of attention has been paid to the whole scene, from the French maid-like costumes of the waitresses to the interior decor which makes it look like a French cafe with an anime twist. I felt like being part of a cartoon show as I stepped in. Sadly, the food could not even come close to being acceptable even though presentation was fine. My deep fried fish with wasabi sauce had been cooked and then re-cooked making it feel like chewing on rubber. My buddy's smoked salmon sandwich could not even beat mine - it was near impossible to cut through the bread roll with a bread knife as it seems that the bread roll had gone through the same process of double cooking as my fish. What a shame! But the best thing is after I paid the bill, the change was short by 5 cents and that's not even due to rounding! Needless to say, Fullhouse will never again get our patronage. For what my 5 cents are worth, I think the table adjacent to us heard our complaints and immediately left before making any orders :)

The itchy post

It's less than an hour to 2010 and here I am sitting at my desk scratching my arms and legs to get some relief from the itchiness of dry skin brought on from my China trip. I woke up in the middle of my sleep last night to a scratching frenzy. I'll never visit China in winter anymore because of the cold dry air that causes nosebleeds, itchiness and dry cracked skin. It's pretty harsh up north! I prefer the warm, tropical air of home where the only itches are caused by mosquito bites and cracked skin caused by strong detergents!

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Woke up to a freezing morning at 6.00am. Today's the day to ascend the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Having breakfast before sunrise and temperature just above freezing point, I prepared to fuel myself to keep warm for the trip. The first stop was to buy entry tickets, A maximum of 10 groups are allowed per day only. The next stop was to buy oxygen cannisters to prevent altitude sickness. Then was the scenic ride on the tour bus to the foot of the mountain. The mountain standing ever so magnificent loomed in the foreground intimidatingly, as if challenging us to take the climb. A brisk walk to the station revealed that it was indeed cold. Ice had formed overnight and the wooden fences and benches were frozen - it looked so pretty with ice crystals glistening under the clear morning sky. The moment had finally arrived as we boarded the world's longest cable car ride. There was no turning back. We had reached the point of no return. The feeling of not knowing what to expect at the top gave an adrenaline rush. The ride which took us 1,200m in 15 minutes was a quick but scenic ride. On the way up we saw the topography change from coniferous forest to grey stone, snow covered slopes and finally the jagged mountain peaks. In the distance were other peaks of the Himalayan ranges breaking the blue horizon like the ridges of a dragon's back. Once we reached the top and made our way through the droves of tourists out into the open, the immediate effect of the crisp, fresh, cold mountain air could be felt. With 6 layers of clothing, a hunter cap and a woolen scarf to protect me from the elements, I could still feel the chill while snapping away happily in the cold with my camera, admiring in awe the breath-taking views from mountain top.The strong wind blew snow from the higher peaks onto us. It looked like white dust and it felt so soft and powdery. Looking down from the vantage point, one has got to feel a tinge of vertigo when looking down into the steep drop-offs below. After spending almost an hour up in the cold, it was time to descend before the symptoms of altitude sickness could manifest into more serious conditions. Although a little short of breath from either the thin air or sheer excitement, it was nevertheless an unforgettable memory. Pictures cannot describe the thrill of the moment, and even while penning this down on hotel paper, I still feel a bit queasy and out-of-breath. Perhaps I am just reliving the feeling of being up 4,500m armed with nothing more than warm clothing and an oxygen cannister to keep me alive...