Italian!

Dad completely floored us. We drove to a Raffles City Shopping Centre's carpark. Mom and me began guessing. Prego, that Indian restaurant, that Indonesian restaurant...which one?? Then the bombshell..."Oh...I never said it was restaurant. It's the new 'kopitiam' (food court) it's suppose to be very good. Mom and me were taken back. What! are you serious... a food court?

Now...a bit of background. It's a tradition in our family for birthdays, anniversaries or very special occasions, to celebrate at a nice restaurant. We each get to arrange something to surprise the rest. Something different, something interesting.

We went up to the first floor and started walking. At first I thought Dad was lost as he soon headed out the exit. Hmm...that left only Raffles Hotel and CHIJMES (two very nice locales). Which one was it? He deliberately strolled, still pretending to be lost...till we arrived at the door of Menotti's. It's an Italian bar/cafe outside the shopping centre, small and unpretentious. It was perfect.

Dad discovered it in the papers and had highlighted it as a 'must visit'. Which surprised mom and me, as he usually takes us for local cuisine. No complaints here though, dinner was superb. I had a risotto that was heavenly followed by a cannolli that left me speechless!! It was sigh!...divine! Definitely going back soon.

So Dad with a gleam in his eye...triumphed once again.

Happy Easter folks! And it's also my Dad's birthday.

He's decided to take us out for surprise dinner. Now, when Mom or I give a dinner treat, it's usually to somewhere nice. Not necessarily expensive (unless it's pay day) but it could be the neighbourhood Cafe Cartel with their great cakes, Thai, Indonesian or some Chinese restaurant nearby. But when Dad says it's a surprise (and he's not even dropping hints!), believe you me...it's a surprise. And Mom is suitably worried.

We could, likely as not, be dining tonight as some queer cubby hole of a restaurant 'cause Dad read their review in the papers. Or find ourselves in some 'ulu' (read as 'boonies') place in Singapore where you may have to wipe the utensils before using them. I kid you not!

Dressing up for these kinds of evenings is always a challenge. We've dressed up once for a surprise lunch after Sunday church only to find ourselves seated on 4 legged wobbly stools at some corner coffee shop in Pasir Panjang tucking into delicious seafood noodles. I wonder if my sis, D remembers this. I have to give Dad credit though, the food was good but we were so clearly out of place there. However it didn't matter, as there were other families similarly garbed there too. Mom swore "never again". Now the determined woman checks with Dad on the dress code, if any, of the places we'll be venturing to. And he has to tell us if we can dress up or down.

So for tonight, I'm wondering... I know it's his birthday and we'll go wherever he wants...but I'm so hoping that locales such as Geylang do not factor into his surprise dinner plans. As for the dress code, no mention yet. It's usually announced close to 'getting ready time'.

Stay tuned...

How hard is it to say "I'm sorry?" Two little words that can heal all hurts and soothe ruffled feathers. But no...there's all this scurrying around, making appointments to meet, planning events but forgetting that something needs to be said. Urgently, before anything else gets done. Anger gave way to hurt and now it has given way to indifference. Frankly, I wonder at it ever happening.

From a "Desperate Housewives" episode last night:

Priest: So what do you want?
Gabrielle: I want to be happy.
Priest: That's the answer of a selfish child.

What? Being happy is selfish? On reflection, it has a sting of truth. If you're happy on your own terms, with total disregard of others around you, then yes, I believe you're selfish.

But shouldn't you be happy? Aren't you entitled to happiness? Otherwise, what makes life worth living? I don't believe that everything we live and work for is make others around us happy. That isn't MY life. It becomes 'My life, courtesy of...'.

I believe, being Asian with a Western education, leaves me torn at times. To conform and yield or to blow it all off in a moment of pique for what I want, for what makes me happy. Straddling this vicious divide is a circus act of balance and timing. And sometimes, there is no safety net.

So...do you believe that the the search for happiness is the act of a selfish child? That our lives are just stepping stones for others to find theirs? And that Gabrielle isn't entitled to it anymore than we are?

Called in 'sick' today, but I'm not. Woke up this morning with a super stiff neck that prevents me turning left or right without a shooting pain on the opposite side. So I'm home with my neck propped on pillows, plastered with metholatum plasters and popping muscle relaxants. Fun, fun!

I just had an interesting phone call: it went something like this:

A: "Hi...are you coming in today?"

Me: "No, I'm not."

A: "Oh... So you're not coming in today." etc

About 4 minutes later, another phone call, same person:

A: "Hi. So you're not coming in today?"

Me: "No...I said I'm not coming in today."

A: (defensive tone) "Look, I was only asking..." etc.

Good grief!

It's nice to come to the end of the day, and have absolutely nothing ahead of you with a deadline on it. What a week it's been!

I was talking to a good friend a couple of days ago, about emails and mobile text messages (SMS). I realised with the fast-paced life we live, we're using these texting methods more and more. What happened to the everyday phone call?

This may not be too prevalent in the US, but in Singapore, we use our mobile phones like our lives depend on it. It's a crutch...an easy way to hide behind an anonymous entity as we send our thoughts and messages out into the void, shielded by a soulless device. Nuances of voice and tone are absent in the translation. Misunderstandings very often happen.

I'm now faced with a situation which could have been resolved in a couple of days but instead has dragged on for a month. A phone call could have done so much. But no! Emails and SMSes were used instead; the agony prolonged.

So I'm asking...how and when do you use your mobile? Do you welcome it in your life or regret its very invention? Have you ever encountered an incident when the mobile affected friendships and relationships? And...can you discard it forever?

Suits who have no idea of the production process involved in a print job but demand for something that makes no sense in this technological age, make me scream!!

It dawned on me this morning...why am I providing progressives to a suit who demanded it for a client she insists wants it? Do they even know how to read progressive proofs? Will it even be shown to the client in the first place? Or is it just to say, "Hey we did progressives for you. Aren't we grand?"

Progressives are 4 color printed proofs of a job that show the individual color plates of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Designers USED to use this to determine which color plate should be adjusted to improve color, or to check where something went missing. But these days, nearly everyone in the industy is using digital prints.

The proofs are pretty damm accurate too. But what makes this a smarter choice, is that any adjustment to color is made directly on the computer, on the actual file before a single printed proof is generated, before it even hits the press! Bypassing the need to do a set of films, then setting up the machine to print the 4 color progressives.

And the best part, digital proofs are faster to do too. But try telling the suit that. Arrrghhh! Her tunnel vision doesn't extend further than her nose!

I honestly think this must be a Singaporean trait as many of my expatriate friends don't behave like this: It really bugs me when I'm asking something (or am asked in return), that the person doesn't listen or let me finish before proceeding to tell me something that is totally contrary to what my question or statement is.

No one it seems, wants to wait or listen to what is being said or asked. They assume or guess wrongly...and it really irritates me. I often find myself saying, "Let me finish." And it's not just sales people but even co-workers, and yes, even some friends! If they just paused to listen, they'd hear what they almost always get wrong!!

Is this an island-wide phenomena? Or has it become pandemic? Confined to big city types or encroaching into slow paced country life? Quick...submit your findings here.

Sometime in early February, after a bout of nasal hysterionics, my mom declared, 'Enough!' And with that, she made an appointment for me with an ENT specialist. I have been procrastinating for the longest time, fearing a diagnosis that would require surgery. I'm scared stiff of doctors, hospitals and PAIN!

But that one afternoon has completely changed my life! Doc examined my sinuses (oh! I have a deviated septum!) and pronounced them healthy. We then had a thoroughly interesting discussion on cold meds. Believe me...after all these years, I think I can run a masterclass in Self-Medication for Colds. LOL!

He said I could be allergic to a bunch of stuff including some foods. Ack! He put me on a nasal spray (that sprays a fine powder) and an antihistamine. With instructions to see him in one month if I'm still sneezing for more specific allergy tests.

A miracle happened! Since that visit...I've been free! Of colds, of sniffles, of all-day debilitating sneezes that won't quit!

I feel 'normal' again! I've just renewed my meds for another month after which he wants another consultation to discuss long-term treatment.

I'm free at last!

I don't believe it! It's a Saturday, one of my most looked forward to days of the week. Where I can sleep in till whenever (usually 12pm), waking up to coffee and the newspapers.

This Saturday morning, I woke up at 930am!! With thoughts of spring cleaning running around my head, no thanks to my over-eager boss who was on her monthly housekeeping frenzy in the office yesterday evening. So after a bathroom stop, I took one look at a pile of stuff sitting on my scanner and proceeded to clear it all off!

And that was as far as my sudden burst of Saturday morning energy allowed me.

I'm pooped. More later...

I admit I'm not a size 2 or 4...more like a 12 or 14.

I think I'm reasonably attractive, well-read with a great sense of humour. I can cook, have a degree from the US, and make a very good living in a job I love. I have great friends and a loving family. I'm quite comfortable in my own skin and life. But according to those slimming ads that hog the newspapers and appear on TV, I'm not happy, not confident and have no life, let alone a handsome man on my arm. I'm not the envy of women.

Oh no! Really?

These ads parade poor girls who claim to have been called 'hippo' or 'a bouncer' by friends. And that without the help of ABC Salon or XYZ Slimming Treatment, they would NEVER have discovered self-confidence or look as good as they do now.

Good grief! If you have friends or even boyfriends that say hurtful things like that...dump them, I say.

These insidious ads prey on women's insecurites. Not slim enough? Too flat-chested? Too round a face? Too tanned? Want a double eyelid? No worries. There are centres and treatments to give you the perfect body, face and skin. You see, the ideal type for most Singaporean men are pencil-thin women with a full bust, long straight hair, slim face and pale skin. It would also help if she was less intelligent too. (I'm not kidding! That's a documented fact here! Singapore men like their women to have less education then them!)

Like cigarette ads, I wish we could just ban them outright for being detrimental to women's health. Do you think that's too extreme? Have you ever encountered ads that made you examine yourself and just wish, a teensy-weensy bit, you were, somehow...better? How do you come to grips with those niggling doubts?

And here I am with nothing to wear!

Michele left the sweetest 3 words in my comment box earlier... "You've been tagged!" Eek! And I'm a mess. LOL!

I was just asking a co-worker at lunch how does one keep a good balance at work. What with being answerable to several bosses (tell me about it!) AND sometimes facing colleagues who don't realise that I'm not just in charge of one thing but face a whole smogarsboard of issues everyday...I tread a very fine line between being seen as really nice and as a complete bitch. At least, I think that is how some of them see me.

If I say "yes" a lot, I'm nice, I'm cool. But the minute I put my foot down and say "no" to unrealistic demands or chase for stuff for management, I'm a bitch, I'm demanding, I'm irritating.

So all I know is I have a job to do...and by Jove... I will do it right. My bosses are supportive and understanding. But I just wish the rest could be treated for their myopic vision.

So how do YOU manage? Between getting your job done and keeping everyone around you happy. Between being seen as pushy and getting yourself well-liked.

Is there a tried and tested 5-step system? Or a magical potion? Or anything!

I don't want to be here! Closeted behind a glass facade 5 stories up, watching the rain pelt down. I want to be home, under my comfy duvet with a book and a cup of tea. Gray skies always makes me feel this way.

Blue windy skies make me long for the beach, the ocean. Those are days of margaritas, coconut oil and long lazy afternoons in the shade.

When there's an afternoon's worth of work stretching out before me, and 6pm seem eons away...I can only dream. So tell me...what's your idea of the perfect escape? What triggers that desire?