and so..

today was my last day at work..

i tot i would tear but i did not.. maybe that's cos monday i still need to terp (interpret) in court..

but the past week was sad.. with every announcement given (about my leaving), people were sad and i felt even worse knowing that i was the reason for their sadness..

but like what my boss say, they should be happy for me as i am moving on to a greener path..

well.. sighs.

the new interpreter has started work this week and i had did all the necessary handover..

cleared my drawers and ended up with 4 big bags of stuff.. today another 2 bags..

but still, my table is full of stuff.. i never remove the pin ups, neither did i clear the stationery..

but i took everything that is personal to me:









all these that used to be hanged at my desk, now all in a big bubble envelope..

and oh my clock where i listened to class 95 everyday.. =)

the stuff were all pinned up behind the PC as u can see from this pic.. and my clock on top of the CPU.. =)

still, the desk look full.. i guess its cos i never remove the calendar, and files and well, all other information that are pinned up..

well.. maybe deep inside my heart, i am hoping that this isnt true.. that maybe i am staying, but i am not..

had a talk with my ando.. was nice.. my last talk with him in his office.. =)

received gifts from interpreter subcommittee members and colleagues:











i especially like what is being written here:

you can always count on true friends.

they help you weather every storm, they cheer you up when you are down, and they chide you when you are wrong.

sometimes you get so preoccupied with life's mundane troubles that you do not find the timeto tell your friends how much they mean to you.

if you have not already expressed yourself, do so now.

such moments seal the bond of friendship forever.

and i realised that's me, too busy with life's mundane troubles.. and i hereby apologise for it..


i still love you, my friends.. those i trust completely, those i don meet as often but still miss, those that are so far away from me that internet is the only way of communication..

i love you all. =)





now that i am sitting here, i am still trying to convince myself that this is the end (leaving of the job)..

and i realised, it has been an interesting year from 2008 to 2009..

• i lost a r/s i thought i would never lose..
• i got a job i never tot that i would be in..
• i lost friends i tot are for life..
• i gained new friends that i never tot i would have.. from work and outside..
• i have put myself in confusion in things and situations i tot i would never landed up in..
• i got enlightened in conversations i tot was superficial..

its really interesting to me.. alot of changes.. changes i never tot of..

i never expect my life to become roller coaster..

if more than a year ago, u were to ask me, how will my life be in a year's time, i would have said, got engaged, applying for flat and getting married..

maybe a stable job in the government sector or hospital..

that's it.

being an interpreter, involved in Deaf community, being single again, losing old friends and gaining new ones? not a chance!

but i did..

and to tell the truth, i am glad for the changes.. it made me a clearer person.. =)

not necessarily a happier person, but i learnt to be more independent..

all in all, i hope this change (change of job) will be beneficial..

i forsee a busier me but maybe, a more satisified me too..

which is good.

i hope for you, the reader, will become a more satisfied person in the coming year and treasure your friends, those who are really true to you are hard to come by.

once lost, it's forever..........................

finally, i bought a new belly ring! :D

So excited!

Past by a shop at Bugis Village the other day and went to browse the belly rings..

Those who didn't know, i had my navel piercing in March last year..

and it took more than half a year to completely heal.. i actually thought it would never heal..

(by the way, it really doesn't hurt! not a feel! maybe cos there's no nerves there..but in any case, if you have been contemplating on having one, go ahead! i can recommend the shop to you!)

So this is the first belly ring i have.. its purple..





after it healed, i have been trying to get a new belly ring.. but had no idea which one to get.. those that are colorful are way too expensive (more than 100bucks!) and those that are cheap don't look nice..

until i came to this shop..

their rings are really nice and cheap! only 28bucks! haha.. i expected like 50-60bucks..

and so, i got 3 designs to choose:

1. 2 heart-shaped dangling on top and bottom..
2. a turtle with movable body..
3. and a dangling scorpion..

i liked all 3 but the one that caught my eye was the scorpion..

but i was told that it looked a bit too extreme.. too fierce to be exact..

and i started to have 2nd thoughts..


was planning to choose between the 1st n 2nd when the salesgirl said,

"xiao mei (little sister), don't change your image or style, cos that's who you really are and that's what that attracts people.."

it does sound like compliment and i do accept it as compliment..

but that also means i should not try to have a sweet or cute image cos that's not me.. =.=

(the heart shaped belly ring is sweet and the turtle, well, cute.. lol)

told some of my friends this and they laughed, saying,
"you are ah lian outlook, can never change lah!"
(oh, some were nicer, they jus tried not to laugh out loud)

=.=

i am NOT ah lian ok? arghhhhh..



well, i chose the scorpion eventually, since that's MORE me..


though i am still gonna insist that i am NOT ah lian~~~

in any case, i love my belly ring alot! :D

ok.. i think its time to announce this:

i am leaving my current job.



and no, i am not happy at all.. i don't want to leave.. =(

but then, reality sucks.

(no, i am not SACKED, i RESIGN. =.=)

between passion and reality..

a choice need to be made, and so, reality sucks.

due to some personal reasons, i have decided to leave the workplace that i love, the job that i grew to love so much and the people i will miss..

despite the

• heavy workload,
• crazy schedules,
• politics (which is present in every company) ,
• irritating people (which again, present everywhere),
• me always not getting enough zzz,
• aching wrists and shoulders after full days of interpreting,
• the outbreak i get for being so stressed at work,
• the crying i had,
• and the tempers i had thrown during work and meetings..

i still find this the best job i ever had..

i really love this job to the max.. but.. =(




alot of my friends are actually happy that i am moving on to a "better" job..

cos they always complain that i have no time for them (that includes my family)..

and i always look so tired..




i know i should be happy, since i will have more time for my loved ones.. to catch up with my friends, to have enough rest etc.. but i am not.

i am actually very sad to leave..

my bosses have been persuading me to stay but i can't..

i have my difficulties.. (they understood and i am grateful for that)




this is a bad time to leave, with alot of events coming up and projects.. my overseas business trips etc..

sighs.




i will still volunteer there though, still a member of interpreter's sub-committee, still gonna interpret for them if time allows.

this is the only way for me to stay connected and not to lose my skills..

one more month and i will be leaving.. =(




a new job awaits me in August.. how will it be, i have no idea.

keeping my fingers crossed that everything will go just fine..

after the 1st sorry, you hope.


after the 3th sorry, you still hope.


after the 5th sorry, you start to lose hope.


after the 20th sorry, you learn not to hope.


after the 40th sorry, you learn  to expect it will happen again.


after the 50th sorry, you don't learn, you know  it will  happen again.

words aren't cheap, they are free  cos they mean nothing.

Working as an interpreter means i am on 24/7 standby and my schedule packed a month before and this was my schedule in July (which was fixed in June or earlier):


then the swine flu hit us..


and today, swine flu has spread quite a bit, and fear grows as schools reopen with students coming back from overseas trips and stuff..

and so, i received cancellation of assignments for "mass gathering setting" such as training, courses, seminars etc..

and this is what my schedule looks like after 10mins:



from this to that:

suddenly, i become very free.. when i was supposed to be busy every weekend and most weekdays and weeknights..

one swine flu and my whole month lifestyle changed: from a workaholic with no time for even herself to a slacker with too much time on hand.

amazing.

just did this quiz in fb, very accurate! scary!

Angela took the quiz Tarot Card Reading and the result is Four of Swords

Briefly: It is time to take a rest, have a break, maybe have a holiday or in some other way remove yourself from current pressures.

Full Meaning: You may be run-down, tired, and now it is time to be a little contemplative and to take it easy for awhile. The daily routine has become too demanding or even mundane and you need a change, any change will do. If you have been feeling unwell, it may be time to consult a doctor, a surgeon or even a dentist. Often it can indicate needing an injection, or cutting implements may be needed, as in surgery of some kind, or medications. This is a good time to start looking after yourself, and protecting yourself against such things as getting an infection or fever. Antibiotics may be needed or a tonic or some vitamins. Some people just need to get more sleep or rest.

i tot it was just some kind of random quiz, then when the result was out, i was shocked.. really..

with everything that's happening to me the past few months, this tarot card says everything..

reaching my limit..

body giving signal that it can't hold on any longer..

its time to take a break.. real break..

Credits to:

Chubby people live longest: Japan study

TOKYO (AFP) - - Health experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer.

People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.

"We found skinny people run the highest risk," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Medicine who worked on the long-term study of middle-aged and elderly people.

"We had expected thin people would show the shortest life expectancy but didn't expect the difference to be this large," he told AFP by telephone.

The study was conducted by a health ministry team led by Tohoku University professor Ichiro Tsuji and covered 50,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 over 12 years in the northern Japanese prefecture of Miyagi.

"There had been an argument that thin people's lives are short because many of them are sick or smoke. But the difference was almost unchanged even when we eliminated these factors," Kuriyama said.

Main reasons for the shorter lifespans of skinny people were believed to include their heightened vulnerability to diseases such as pneumonia and the fragility of their blood vessels, he said.

But Kuriyama warned he was not recommending people eat as much as they want.

"It's better that thin people try to gain normal weight, but we doubt it's good for people of normal physique to put on more fat," he said.

The study divided people into four weight classes at age 40 according to their body mass index, or BMI, calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their squared height in metres.

The normal range is 18.5 to 25, with thinness defined as under 18.5. A BMI of 25 to 30 was classed as slightly overweight and an index above 30 as obese.

so skinny people, stop being tweety birds!! Health is more important! Don't diet anymore~

'i love you' isn't enough to sustain a relationship..

when will humans understand that?

and so.. decision is made.. and its time for me to stick to what i have decided..

twins are cool~!

and i am proud to be one of them! xD

i just realised that my most happening time was in May, when my cousin was in Singapore..

damn! now my work life is taking over all my other lives!

argh!!!

i want to go holiday!

and so.. i went for dinner with mum last night.. and this was the conversation..

mum: there's a new rumor in our family..

me: oh? what is it about?

mum: you are getting married..

me: HUH???

mum: yea.. your granny just created a new rumor..

*me still in shock*

mum: your granny told the relatives that you are getting married and said i was the one who told her..

me: what the....? wahahahaha! so what did you say?

mum: and so.. i reached and told your granny that i didn't say that.. i didn't even go over to her place the week before!

me: and?

mum: she insisted that i did and i told her, "if my daughter is getting married, how come i didn't know?" *shakes head*

me: yea, i didn't know that i am getting married either! LOL! xD

lol.. what a cute granny i have..

sometimes, don't you feel that it's scary in this world?

the people that you know?

to realize that the person that you thought was okay was actually not okay?

that the person you always thought was a nice guy turns out to be an asshole?

or maybe he was an asshole since the start but you thought he wasn't that bad.. which in the end, you realized you were wrong, he is a pure breed asshole..

these days, i have seen a lot of people whom i thought was okay but actually weren't and i wonder..

am i getting bad in my judgment or has time changed them?

do they change cos of external factors or is such character inbuilt in them which they didn't know? this dark side of them which were not lured out till now?

i really do not know..

i just find it disgusting that such people actually exist..

what they say isn't what they do.. and what they do never match up with what they say to anyone..

they say things that aren't true, they do things that hurt people.. they build their happiness upon others' miseries..

why do they do that?

cos they do not know the proper way to being happy?

or are they just wimps who have no courage to be truthful to themselves and others?

(i personally think it's the latter.. and of cos, ego.. *rolleyes*)

change is the only constant and apparently, for some people, the change can never be good..

so now, its time to learn that some people are born bad..

no such thing as everyone is born good angela.. be smarter.

for those who has been reading my blog these days should have listened to this song on my playlist: Lenka - The Show..

the melody is catchy but what captures my attention is the lyrics, esp the chorus..

The Show
Lenka

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

Slow it down
Make it stop
Or else my heart is going to pop
'Cause it's too much
Yeah, it's a lot
To be something I'm not

I'm a fool
Out of love
'Cause I just can't get enough

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

The sun is hot
In the sky
Just like a giant spotlight
The people follow the sign
And synchronize in time
It's a joke
Nobody knows
They've got a ticket to that show
Yeah

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I dont know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

Just enjoy the show

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I dont know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

dum de dum
dudum de dum

Just enjoy the show

dum de dum
dudum de dum

Just enjoy the show

I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show

I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show

i especially like the sentence: life is a maze and love is a riddle.. how true..

and we can't do it alone.. in life, there's many things that we do not and will not know until we try.. just like a maze, we need to try, to know if that's the correct way out.. the right way for us..

and love being described as a riddle? that's spot on! this love thing, is hard to decipher.. you just cant figure it out at times..or rather, u thought you had it figured out only to find out you are as lost as you were in the beginning..

and for all you know, you may be lost for life..

so the question is, is being lost good or bad for your case?

Tao Bu Guo - Aaron Kwok

逃不过
郭富城

作曲：谢继麟 填词：谢继麟 编曲：王继康

告诉我　你在乎我
未来岁月要陪我渡过
每一天　每一夜
温习着我给你的承诺
不知道　为什么
你是我字典里的快乐
这一生　这一世
我的心给你套上了锁
oh 逃不过　baby 逃不过
无法抗拒的结果
oh 逃不过　baby I'm yours
cos I'm falling
I'm falling for you

逃不过你和我宿命的约定
虽然我们曾经不相信爱情
但有谁能够背叛自己的心灵
oh 逃不过　baby 逃不过
无法抗拒的结果
oh 逃不过　baby I'm yours
cos I'm falling
I'm falling for you



=)

ok, i know i was supposed to blog about my cousin's trip to Singapore in early May but I didn't have the photos until now (he uploaded on fb).. so yup.. i can blog about it..

more photos rather than words i guess.. i am too lazy to write too much.. =X

basically, my cousin is a Canadian and he came to Singapore for holiday before he flies to Tokyo which is the main destination.. lol..

i remembered 4 years ago when he came, i only got to see him for 1 or 2 days and i flew to Australia for studies.. this time, its my sis who had to fly overseas for work while he was here.. like he had said, he never got a chance to enjoy his trip with BOTH of us (my sis n I).. lol..

i wasn't free on the 1st day and thus, my sis and mum accompanied him to walk around Singapore, Orchard Road to be exact and he loved it.. haha.. quite a shopaholic i guess..



and so.. the 2nd day, we went to PS and and Singapore Flyer.. where else did we go? oh! we went to the president's residence (whatever its called) and walked a darn long time to reach his actual house and a long way out too..









my cousin was complaining about the heat in Singapore.. oh well, he came here at the wrong time, Singapore is at her hottest during mid year from late march to perhaps late may.. haha.. even i cant stand the heat, more ever him, a guy who live in a country where winter can go down to -40 degree celcius!

on the 3rd day, i had prepared a wild night for him.. clubbing.. he told me the last time he came, he was wasted.. and he was determined not to repeat this time cos he didn't want to waste all the time with the pretty ladies like he did 4 years back! lol







but its hard, especially when my best friend is around.. there's never short of alcohol with her around! xD

we intended to go to DBL O as well but we got carried away at O Bar with all the booze and music and fun and well, everything!

one word, crazy! thats all i can say! =)

the next day (Sunday) was the day my sis flew to BKK for her work and with a mere 2-3 hours of zzz, i went to the airport to send her off and went for my sign language class with my brain still left at home..

after that, i KO and zzz till late.. until mum called and asked if i wanted to meet them at harbourfront (which of cos, i said i try and i KO again).. mum wasnt very happy about that but what can i do? i am old! x(

rented a car on monday and drove my cousin around Singapore (after dinner).. we went to Punggol End and Changi Village.. Went to east coast to look at the dark spots where couples love to go and make love.. haha.. but my cousin was really down on luck, the road was closed and so, nothing to see..

Changi Village was as usual, filled with trans waiting for business and my cousin actually tot they were girls! wouldnt it be fun if i let him get off the car?? but he refused upon hearing the truth.. wasted! =P

by the time we finished changi village, i was dead tired.. drove the rest home and KO again.. took off on Tuesday and brought my cousin to Sentosa since he mentioned he had never been to Sentosa after the first time he came 8 years ago!

thats bloody long ago! so many has changed!

and so, we went to Sentosa and walked along the beaches which he enjoyed cos in his hometown, he has to drive for at least an hour before he can reach a beach.. but even so, it may be too cold to enjoy.. sucks.





brought him to Cafe Del Mar and he was ecstatic! apparently, he prefers house and trance to RnB when clubbing cos the latter doesn't really get him to dance like the first two do.. oh well.. promised to bring him to club here the next time he comes.. if i still have the energy (i'm alr 26 this year!)..

and that night, we went to Chervons KTV and well, did alot of stupid but fun stuff, with loads of videos (on fb).. lol..




there's alot of photos uploaded by my cousin, but all on fb.. so u can view them on fb (if u have my fb).. :D

so yup.. that's about it.. for now.. lol