I've just received my M1 phone bill and it came in just under S$400 cos every SMS costs me S$0.76! Good grief. Definitely going to stick to my Hong Kong phone line now.

Work is hectic but manageable, just looking forward to the weekend.

Blue now is the colour
Love the drug I'm needing
Got to keep this feeling

With the headlights burning
We're looking up for something
Answers on the ceiling

Watching out the windows
Watch the way the wind blows
Soon it will be morning

Still the question lingers
I twist it round my fingers
Could you be my calling?

See this winged boy falling
Falling out of something
Hits the drug I'm needing

Arrows that he's turning
Need to keep this feeling
Slow drug in the morning

With the headlights burning
Looking up for something
Something that we're needing

Still the question lingers
I twist it round my fingers
Could you be my calling?
- PJ Harvey, Slow Drug

Strangely after sampling this song last Saturday, it has been drifting round my head compulsively.

VJ was surprised I've still not met my next-door neighbour so he volunteered to help me monitor. That is, he eyeballed the guy through my front door's peephole (at least 3 times) whenever he heard keys turn next door. The feedback I've gotten is that he's a young casually dressed Caucasian, but I've not had a chance to verify that till yesterday, when I heard my neighbour opening his door. Unfortunately, rather than open my door to say hi, I also eyeballed him through my front door's peephole. So yes, it is a cute blonde guy living next door but I don't think I'm going over to borrow sugar anytime soon.

Over the weekend, I've:
gone drinking at a hotel pub (it was surreal cos a live act belted out Chinese hits while tiny half-pigeons were served as appetizers with the drinks),
gone drinking at the same pub at Lan Kwai Fong for the 4th time in a row (though no seats this time round),
tried vegetarian dim sum for the first time (for a restaurant established since 1918, I had much higher expectations of the food though),
visited the Great Buddha statue on Lantau island (we also tried unsuccessfully to climb Lantau Peak, but the route is longer and more tedious than we realised),
done late night laundry (the security guards told me tenants had left their laundry in the washing machines as they left on trips and forgot all about it.. their clothes were fished out and later packed away in store rooms),
visited Victoria Park (filled with maids on leave),
visited Central Library (where I couldn't get a library card unless I have a local guarantor, so I'm asking a colleague to be one),
attended a Hello Kitty exhibition (quite cute actually),
ate bad laksa at a singaporean restaurant (the localized version doesn't contain coconut milk), and
still not touched my frying pan.

Not too shabby is it?

Baking analogy at work. Yesterday I was conferring with another co-worker about the problem with my cake recipe, but she couldn't understand why cos the cake shouldn't have been big enough to hold all the ingredients I've listed out.

Then I discovered that the problem with the cake wasn't the recipe. It was the cake size. There was a global standard for the cake size and no one told me, so now I've got an oversized cake sitting in the oven.

The options were:
a) ask HQ for permission to have a bigger cake (a no-no),
b) have a bigger cake now but cut it down to size after it's baked (tedious), or
c) change the cake tin forcibly now before the cake set in.

It didn't surprise me that the brute force method is often the one that appeals most to non-baking folks, so ready or not, we're going to switch cake tins.

On a good note, I had nice meals with lainey and VJ, and I bought a cute kooky skirt from GOD (Goods of Desire). It's got 6 pockets and 3 slots to hold pens! I've never got a skirt with 6 pockets before so I'm quite thrilled! :)

TGIF.

I'm bogged down by lots of work till I'm damn depressed and quiet, which is rare for me. Nothing strikes home more than today that no matter how much I do, I'm still an outsider.

Lainey and VJ arrived yesterday to crash at my place and they've commented that I looked frazzled from work. I think that's an understatement. I've done my best but if the cake doesn't get baked in time, then the worst they can do is send me home and well, that's not bad is it?

But I know they won't send me home.

Murphy's Law had struck at work. While the cake was baking in the oven, people started questioning the recipe. In the meantime, I'm covering too many tasks that I fear I've missed out something critical. And I probably have.

"What is your job in the other world again?" repeated the magician.
His assistant sighed and replied, "I'm STILL a magician's assistant and I STILL do disappearing acts".
"So you disappear from this world into that world, so you can disappear from that world into another world?"
"Basically, yeah."

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
- Naguib Mahfouz

They just added another country to my portfolio.
To do concurrently with Hong Kong.
omg.

Wandering round the venue before a film screening, I had a pleasant surprise meeting a friend who's back on vacation. We've not met for the longest time and as we were idly chatting away, he smiled at my boots and said he remember I was always into boots. I was stunned for that instant as I've worn boots infrequently nowadays, and I wondered if I was ever that boots girl he remembered.

Then I recalled the pair of boots I craved for and bought with my first paycheck (it was an unforgettable incident cos I also got pickpocketed right after buying the boots, so all I had was a pair of boots and no money). And all the boots after that which I don't need but buy anyway.

No. After all this time, I'm still no Manolo Blahnik chick.

Upon meeting Pupi accidentally on Saturday night after not seeing her for quite a while, I recalled a conversation we once had.

I forgot what I've said to her then, but I remember her earnest reply. She pointed to her head and said, "Whatever you're telling me, I already know it here." Then she clasped her hand over her heart. "I just don't know it here."

And I realise this is the same problem a lot of us share. Sometimes we need someone else to echo our thoughts to our hearts, rather than have the same message routed straight from our mind.

Memories of this weekend in Singapore.

Though most people's favourite Alan Parsons Project song is often "Eye in the Sky" (at least for those of you old enough to know Alan Parsons Project), I had a surprise revelation when my brother disclosed that his favourite Alan Parsons Project song is actually "Don't Answer Me", which is my favourite too. And the reason is that both of us recall watching the animation music video of that song and being wow'd by it.

Chuan revealed that he used to read Chinese novels in traditional characters, and not only that, he read the romantic Qingyao novels as well as the martial art variety. But since he also listens to drum & bass and death metal at the same time, nothing about him should amaze me anymore.

My best friend had a hangover after drinks on Friday while I had mine after drinks on Saturday. I actually skipped the singing-while-high bit and dived straight into chanting "Throwing up is not an option" while feeling nauseous. Maybe it's cos I've not been sleeping much since I flew home, and I exceeded my usual drink quota too.

Watched Tsai Ming Liang's "Wayward Cloud" (unfortunately the girls sitting beside me kept giggling nervously at the porn scenes), and will be watching "15" too, thanks to Dave's generosity in giving up his seat to me. :)

What I don't understand about food in Singapore and Hong Kong. Why do we have Hong Kong noodles here when there's no such thing in Hong Kong, and why do they have Singapore fried noodles when there's no such thing here? Anyway, I've become the food ambassador for both countries, ie. I bought Hong Kong mooncakes home and will be bringing Singapore mooncakes over.

Sufjan Stevens had an album entitled "Enjoy Your Rabbit" where nearly every track is named after an animal in the Chinese Zodiac ("Year of the Ox" etc). There were 2 exceptions though: "Year of the Asthmatic Cat" (lol!) and "Year of our Lord". I'm growing to like this quirky musician enormously.

I'm also bringing my mini speakers over to Hong Kong so I can hook them up to my iPod and have a basic sound system. I guess I'm lucky cos I don't have moods which music can't fix.

Just a little bit more before I go back to Hong Kong, but wherever I am, I'm glad to be.

"We just wanted to make a record that would make girls dance and cry."

Introducing the band She Wants Revenge.

I've added another 6 albums to my iPod, making it 16GB of music. And I wonder how many iPods from this bulky 2nd generation I have are still being used cos I've not seen another one so far.

"I Love Hucklebees" is nice in a kooky way, and it's now time to sleep isn't it? Beautiful.

Group teleconferences often crack me up. The last time we sat in a meeting room on an overseas call, a co-worker hooked his laptop to the projector and everyone looked on amused as he surfed the web. Someone else got up and paced around the boardroom table. Occasionally we would mute the phone when someone on the other end assigned us tasks, so we could wave our hands around and swear cheerfully. I like my co-workers quite a lot and they've taken me under their wing too. I am definitely buying local foodstuff back for them when I go back next Monday.

Touched down in Singapore just less than 3 hours ago and have turned down invites from different friends to hang out. Instead, I'm home sampling new music and later I'm going to watch a DVD. This may not sound terribly exciting but this is really what I crave for.

Music list:
Goldfrapp's "Supernature"
Sufjan Stevens' "Greetings from Michigan"
Ladytron's "The Witching Hour"
Juliet's "Random Order"
Laura Viers' "Carbon Glacier" and "Year of Meteors"
KT Tunstall's "Eye to the Telescope"
Stereo MC's "Paradise"

Yes it is distruptive to come home just for the weekend and take the earliest flight out next Monday, but no, it really is no hardship to work in Hong Kong at all.

Yesterday I dragged an acquaintance to eat the famous fried crab near Wanchai, where lots of stars visit as well (though none was present yesterday, we understand that Faye Wong and Nicholas Tse used to go too). The shop looked like any ordinary small eatery, but what we didn't know is that one crab cost a whopping S$100! It's definitely the most expensive crab I've ever eaten, but still it's worth it for the experience.

A co-worker whom I've previously only spoken to in teleconferences came over to Hong Kong this week. Upon meeting me, he was surprised. Later on, he finally told me that from my voice, he had an impression that I would have been the tall, willowy and feminine sort. He also thought I missed my calling as a phone operator. lol.

Ramblings from a drizzly country.

Visited the Peak again with colleagues. It's been 10 years or so since I've last seen it and the skyline has changed, but nonetheless it's still beautiful.

I bought the frying pan last night but no cooking ingredients yet. Come to think of it, I don't even have basic necessities like sugar or salt in my apartment either. Should buy some local premixed food packs back to Hong Kong, and perhaps a cook book or two. Will stop short at buying a rice cooker though.

Back in Singapore this weekend and it seems like my only luggage will be what I'm helping people to buy from Hong Kong. :)

Oh ye of little faith (yes, my finger is firmly pointing at you Chuan!). I did laundry today. I used the washing machine and dryer and ironed too, so there. lol.

Ran 8.1km today. Could've pushed on to 10km but I stopped to go microwave lunch (beef hor fun). At this rate, I'll be buying that frying pan, cooking oil and eggs and experimenting real soon. Those visiting me better pray you arrive before I start learning to cook and use you as guinea pigs, muahahaha!

There was a typhoon 1 alert on Friday evening which threatened to blow up into a typhoon 3 (don't ask, I can't tell the difference in the alert levels either). Anyway, it seemed to have blown over so I ended up drinking at Lam Kwai Fong with a friend's friends, watching people sail by with their umbrellas. Yup, people come out drinking here no matter what weather.

Now I'm using the free internet service at the Hong Kong Film Archive while waiting to watch Alain Resnais' "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking".

You know, I quite relish this independence.

Random fact #34: everytime I participate in a teleconference, I need to say my own name to announce my presence to the others. This is probably the most often I've ever spoken my own name.

Had a nice time last night meeting up with DW who happened to be visiting Hong Kong. As he mentioned, it's probably the longest time either of us spoke continuously in English in this country.

I'm flagging a bit on the domestic front. I've given up vegging out in front of the TV and have started reading From Hell. I hope to finish it before my next trip home. And since I've not finished wearing my haul of clothes, I've not attempted to use the washing machine yet. In a phone call with mum, she actually told me not to bother and to lug all the clothes home on the plane so she could do laundry for me. lol.

The Tears is performing next Thursday night in Hong Kong and I'm debating on whether I should go watch their concert alone before flying home the next day. Inertia is strong but goodness knows when I'll have this chance again.

I've also found out the best place for egg tarts around Times Square but I've not tried it yet. It's pathetic but I can't even figure out what kind of microwave food I want. Do I really want to eat a pack of microwave dim sum all by myself?

Oh yes, TGIF. My first weekend alone in my own apartment.

Yesterday a Hong Kong colleague tried to explain to me the different nuances of thanking people in Cantonese. What I figured out is:

'mm goi' is to thank for an expected favour which is intangible
'dor jei' is to thank for a surprise favour which is tangible (ie. with physical goods receipt)

I also managed to catch an episode of a local TV serial called Yummy Yummy, which featured an earnest Singaporean guy who flew to Hong Kong to search for his girlfriend. My colleagues here kept speaking of the similarities in speech between his character and me, so I tuned in to find out. Well, this character didn't speak like an authentic Singaporean! He only mixed his Mandarin and Cantonese. What happened to our Singlish? Geez.

On food. I will not buy chips anymore. It's so easy to stuff your face on it while watching TV. But the good news is that I've had my first cup noodles last night, so it's the microwave oven next before I tackle the frying pan. :)

It's getting rainy here, and my stint seemed to have extended just beyond November.

Bulletin on my life so far:
My ex-colleague left for Singapore early this morning.
I've gotten my plane ticket so I'm celebrating my birthday back home!
My drinking buddy teased me for pronouncing lum (think) as lam (hug) in Cantonese, as in "let's hug a while" instead of "let's think a while". Maybe it's time to buy one of those Cantonese conversation-aid books for foreigners.

I've not watched Seven Swords yet.
I've not walked anywhere in this country without close encounters with dripping water.
I plan to watch horse racing when the racing season comes round.
I plan to visit Hong Kong Disneyland before I leave the country, even though I passed on the ones in Paris and Tokyo.
And I have to water my cactus.

I ran 6km today in my building's gym and it felt liberating. There's no one else running the hours I do so far and there's no time limit on the treadmills. I'm going to try to work my way back to running 10km, and then maybe beyond that.

I've also bought myself a tiny cactus. This is the first living thing I've ever bought and I've placed it on my apartment window sill against the backdrop of highrise buildings. I've not watered it yet after buying it 2 days ago, and I've no idea how much water is needed and how frequently. I just hope it likes the view from my window and that it survives our relationship alive.

My ex-colleague is staying with me for the long National Day break and things have been fine so far. I shouldn't worry too much about people's expectations of me when they come to visit. :) Met up with a visiting drinking buddy from Singapore and together with his friends and my ex-colleague, we ended up pub-crawling at 3 pubs in 3 different parts of Hong Kong. Alcohol! Finally.

There's an electronic date-time reading outside my apartment elevator door which shows me the current time while I'm waiting for the elevator to arrive. The problem is: there are 3 elevators in a row and all the time readings vary from one another by 5 minutes to an hour. Then when I step into the elevator, there is yet another screwed-up date-time reading inside it.

Every trip in my apartment elevator feels like a time travel expedition.

I can't find myself a SG-HK flight in September because Hong Kong Disneyland is launching then. Don't tell me I've got to spend my birthday alone in a foreign land! Sob.

The good thing about working in Times Square is that when you're frustrated with work, you can go downstairs and shop. The bad thing is you end up buying clothes you know you won't ever wear back home. My haul this week from Times Square alone: a lime green wrinkled fabric blouse from Mango, and a French Connection cut-in top with tiny white and red flower prints (at 60% discount!). Ok, maybe I'm starting to dress local too.

Oh, there's a cinema at Times Square too. So guess who watched The Island at S$12.90 last night? At these cinema prices, no wonder everyone is watching DVD instead.

Self-discovery no. 135 on staying in my own apartment:
it's time to consider chopping off the long hair cos it's troublesome to clean up after myself. I never realised I shed so much hair.

TGIF.

The afternoon sun glanced off the glass window panes of a distant building and reflected sharp shards in every direction. It looked like an out-of-place lighthouse rising out of the seascape of packed buildings, resolutely trying to carry out its duties though it knew it would not be heeded.

An ex-colleague just called from Singapore and invited herself to stay with me over the long National Day weekend (which won't be a break for me by the way). She was so excited despite me telling her I've just moved in and needed to do more on my apartment that she wore me down and I gave in.

I hope everything will turn out fine.

I spend so much time in the office that I know the security guards have a 12 hour shift, and that the pantry auntie has a musical box she listens to every morning (it plays some Disney tune which title I can't recall).

Everyday I see beggars on my way to and from work, lying prostrate on the streets begging. It's sad and disconcerting, especially since it's crowded and they can get trampled on accidentally.

I'm learning more Cantonese slang too. Dating means "pak tor" in cantonese, and I've been told casual dating means "pak san tor", where "san" means scattered or leisurely, like a stroll. lol.

I still haven't boiled water in my apartment yet, and this means I've not started on my road to try cooking in Hong Kong.

The sequence in my mind is this:
1. To boil water
2. To make coffee (well, 3-in-1 type)
3. To "cook" cup noodles
4. To buy a frying pan, cooking oil and skewer
5. To buy eggs
6. To be an expert cooking different variations of eggs
7. And if I'm still in Hong Kong, I'll tackle some other dishes

My schedule here seems to have extended again. I guess I should bring my coat here after all.

This weekend I plan to watch Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" in the original Cantonese version, and meet up friends visiting from Singapore. Can't wait!

I realise that I amuse the Hong Kong natives because I'm not shy about speaking in my broken Cantonese. I don't speak hesitantly even though I often unwittingly substitute the Mandarin pronunciation instead of the Cantonese one. It gives people a chance to laugh and it helps lighten the mood. I think it's given them a warped perception of Singaporean women though.

My counterpart in the Hong Kong office is a night owl while I'm an early morning person (since my service apartment is less than 10 minutes walk from the office, it doesn't make sense not to come into work when you're already awake right?). What's good is that I've gained his trust in the relatively short time I've been here and he often goes by my judgment. I only hope his trust isn't misplaced cos I'm just learning too.

Skip this bit if it terrifies you to read about my domestication. I'm shuddering as I type. lol.

I've discovered that my service apartment location is not only near to my workplace, it's also within walking distance of a 24-hour supermarket, 7-11, a version of IKEA called PriceRite, bookstores and eateries (including an Indonesian restaurant across the road where I ate Mee Goreng last night).

Last night I did 2 trips to PriceRite and bought mismatched bedsheets (cream), pillowcases (lilac purple) and summer quilt (white with pink flowers) cos they didn't have matching stock on hand now and I desperately needed to buy something to sleep on. I've also bought pillows, a kettle (not used), washing detergent, kitchen cleaner, microwaveable plates and bowls. Then I made a further trip to the supermarket and bought apples, milk, mineral water, bread, yogurt etc, so yes I'm eating healthy.

The only problem is I didn't sleep that well cos the mattress is too hard and the pillow too high. I don't mind the hard mattress bit but I ended up sleeping without the pillow, which irked me. I guess I've got to hunt down a smaller/ softer pillow tonight. Oh, and SKII too.

What amuses me about my small service apartment is that it has 2 air-conditioners though there's not much space. Also, I need to read the gas meter and report gas usage myself every mid-month to the local authorities.

It's all good though work is piling up scarily.

The service apartment is really bare. I have to buy everything from toilet paper to bedsheets and pillows. The instructions for the washing machine are in traditional Chinese so I had to ask the apartment technician to come up for a demonstration. Not only that, I'm still at work clearing up the emails that have come flooding in while I was flying back to Hong Kong.

Time to grab some dinner and buy bedsheets, otherwise I don't know how I'm sleeping tonight. lol.

The magician's assistant stepped into the box and hesitated for a while. Then she turned to grin at the magician.

She said, "Don't you ever wish you were me?"
He shrugged and answered, "I once was too an apprentice."

She smiled.
And waved.
And then she was gone.

Blogging at the airport again.

What I didn't bring along this trip but only cos there's no luggage space:
My mini speakers, so to hook up to my iPod as a makeshift sound system

What I forgot to bring along this trip:
Perfume, or to be precise, Summer (yes limited edition one so I guess I'll have to revert to Flower if there's no Summer in Hong Kong. And yes I sound moronic upon re-reading but no this line stays intact)

What I brought along this trip:
Lots to read. Latest Sight & Sound, Uncut, From Hell and well, yesterday's Straits Times.

What I unexpectedly brought along this trip:
A gorgeous black beaded choker with a huge teardrop bead I bought from Duty Free.

And here we go again. Aisle seat this time.