Hey ho!! It's going to be great music of music and dance, good friends and an evening or two under the stars. WOMAD is back! I"m not going tonight, reserving my energy, time and cash for Saturday (usually a wild dance party) and maybe Sunday (reputed to be a chill-out evening).

This is my first official week at work. And I have to admit, as much as I grumbled earlier, it was a very good thing that I came in for 1/2 day for 2 weeks. Although I'm still unfamiliar with some procedures, and a couple of weekly meetings are quite nerve-wrecking, it's been great! I'm glad too that I had 16 month to myself, for my own business, doing my own thing. Although at times, it was a bit lonely, I used that time to recover my spirit and energy that were bitterly fractured in the last couple of job disasters, and now I'm raring to go. I have a little angel at AQUENT to thank for this.

A great new gadget from Aztech Systems. Now you have internet access through the power socket. Imagine that?

I was recently asked to make changes on some brochure copy that another copywriter did. I was told to keep the changes to a minimum...just do some minor touch-ups on the grammar which I had earlier mentioned as being inconsistent. I said 'yes' only to realise later that I can't do it.

The overall copy is quite badly written and would require a major overhaul. I can't just fix grammar, without looking at the overall sentence structure and tone, and finally the whole paragraph. Each one is linked to the other. However, the client's client is insisting on using their copywriter's version and they are sticking to that original mush. So what am I do? My hands are figuratively tied.

And after much deliberation that could cost me the job, I told my client to get their client's copywriter to fix it himself which I very much doubt he would do. I don't think another copywriter should fix another one's mess (and then only a little when the whole chunk is utter crap!) so that the original guy gets the credit. I don't think it is at all professional.

It's almost Friday. Yippee! Tomorrow is my last day of 'freedom' before the cold, hard world of working full-time engulfs me whole. But this weekend, nearly everyone I know will be out of town except me!!! Waaaahh!! *Feeling abandoned*

Singapore Idol is on but I find it too painful to watch. For one thing, the judges are BRUTAL!! Simon Cowell in American Idol is a pussycat compared to these 4 Singapore judges. No wonder more than half the contestants burst into tears at some of the remarks. But I believe many of them ask for it. American Idol has seen 2 seasons here and nearly everyone in Singapore has watched it. So it should be safe to assume that these contestants know what to expect and what's expected of them. Yet when many play the fool and don't rehearse, they truly do deserve the stinging and sometimes downright killer comments from Dick, Florence, Douglas and Ken. Well, what do you expect? Pats on the back and 'Oh, don't cry...just try harder the next time'? For goodness sake...this is Singapore Idol, not Singapore Talentime!! You want to be a star? Act like one and grow up!

I found several very interesting blogs which are devoted to my favourite topics: food and writing.

In Leite's Culinaria, David Leite writes with a passion reserved for a true gastronaut. In this very intensive site, you can browse recipes, read his articles and even sign up as a recipe tester!

Follow the delicious adventures of Clotilde Dusoulier, a native Parisienne in computer engineering with dreams of becoming a serious food writer. Visit her interesting site, chock-full of recipes and insights at Chocolate & Zucchini.

And surprise, surprise! there's a rather good local food blog by Renee Kho. Shiokadelicious is the perfect anecdote for Singaporean foodies suffering withdrawal pangs as they live, work or play far from food heaven.

Well, well, well...this came as something as a shock when I read the blog of US swimmer Scott Goldblatt, silver medallist at the Sydney Olympics and medal hopeful at Athens. In an August 10 entry, Scott writes about the control that the IOC has over the media covering the Olympics. That it even includes athletes who blog. Yup! Team Canada is unable to blog, although Team USA is allowed so long as the blog doesn't cross over into journalism. But as Scott rightfully points out, where do you draw the line?

The IOC owns everything to do with the Olympics, including the athletes. The sponsors at the games cash in on the athletes who in no way benefit from the billions of dollars spent in advertising rights and privileges. Did you know that no one is allowed into any venue with a Burger King Whopper? Or that all Pepsi cans or bottles have to be abandoned at the gate or you're denied admission? Both MacDonalds and Coca-Cola have paid millions of dollars each for the exclusive rights of their brand at the games, and organisers are doing everything in their power to control what they term "ambush marketing." Tee-shirts bearing competitors logos or names will have to be turned inside out or removed altogether lest they are seen by TV cameras scanning the crowds at events. Even the stewards and volunteers who were supplied with clothes, have to provide their own shoes which must not bear logos that are different from the official sponsor, Adidas.

While I admire the Olympic ideals where "humanity celebrates, embraces and honours sport, and the world realises the Olympic ideals of culture and peace", it's sad to see how commercialised it has become.

I'm in the process of switching servers and this blog may experience some downtime over the next couple of days. Just wanted to let you know in case you thought I disappeared into the electronic ether. I wish I could have remained with my last server as the service I had there was terrific considering I can be a pain with requests. The only reason I moved is the creeping demand for more bytes which this new site promises.

It was Xin's birthday and 10 of us turned up at Molly's for food and drinks on the 12 August to celebrate. We relaxed over dinner of Molly's famous Fish and Chips, Shepherd's Pie and some Indian food from an affliated restaurant next door, not to mention pints of Caffery's and cider! We caught up on gossip, made some new friends, compared digital cameras (you had to be there!) and cheered to the birthday girl when the surprise cake came out after the meal.

We need to do this more often instead of letting months go by.

I've NEVER been so sleepy in my life!!! For the past 16+ months, I'd wake up around 1030 or 1100am, read the newspapers while having a cup of coffee before strolling to my desk around 1pm to start work. Today was my first day at work, for REAL! And for some reason, I could not get a wink of sleep last night, tossing and turning with a hundred and one things dancing around including song lyrics!! Do you know how annoying that is? I was up at 730 and out of the house at 810am to catch the MRT into town. And I've been feeling like a zombie since then. AND...it did not help that my first cup of coffee was around 130pm!!! Well, needless to say, I think I'll sleep like a baby tonight.

But, besides the sleep grumbles...it was NICE to get back into an office environment with normal people and office things. It didn't feel strange, but I think because of my lack of sleep, I felt like I was walking around in a daze! Thankfully, I'll be doing this for only 1/2 days in the morning for 2 weeks as I clear up stuff with DesignIndigo before starting full-time on the 23rd of this month. So I've got 2 weeks to aclimatise myself to normal working hours again.

Sigh...I'm going to miss my little morning ritual.

Remember a while back, I said I was expecting something to happen and then things just went into limbo? Well...*deep breath* it did happen. About 20 minutes ago. After nearly 16 months on my own, I was offered a job through my agent at a regional branding company. I'm excited about this new career direction which has the potential for long-term growth. The best part? While still part of the creatives, it's not IN it. I never wanted to get back into the design side. If so, I might as well continue working for myself. Now I feel relieved, nervous and I have to admit, just a little sad.

Update: The excitement is welling up...and YES! I am looking forward to this new chapter!

Finally, after reading Susan Hill's spooky novel, The Woman In Black twice (and frightening myself each time!), I was able to catch the play on its last day in Singapore. With just two main actors playing all the parts, it was well acted and well staged. The titular character made several ghostly appearances and made the audience jump with each. The hair on the back of my neck was prickling and my heart was racing a mile a minute. The ending in the book was scary enough but the playwright took it a step further by adding a twist to the very end that took the whole play to another terrifying level. I was applauding them while goosebumps stood out on my arms. Encore!

Can you believe it's been one year!?? From twirling on the beach at Sentosa to performing at the Reggae Fest nearly a year later. So much has happened, so much accomplished yet we still have a ways to go. There are several milestones ahead and so as not to jinx anything, I'll write about them when they happen. For now, what shall we do to celebrate? Suggestions anyone??

It came and went in a blur! All those weeks of preparation, choreography, costumes and rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals. Some days saw the group rehearsing at the Mitre, others near the Padang while for the final few combined rehearsals, we were lucky to get the use of the Youth Park at Grange Road. The drummers, all 12 of them, added a shine to the whole performance with their intense playing and beats.


And it all came together at 7:40pm on Saturday night on the beach at Sentosa. For 30 minutes, we twirled, danced, drummed and sang. Despite a fumble or two, it was spectacular! And the audience was certainly appreciative. The best compliment was "You guys were like Cirque Du Soleil." That made our night! Stay tuned for more pixs and the video.