The other new beginning

Where am I?

2009-01-19T16:38:00.001+11:00

In case you weren't already aware, I will be posting at http://doreenisoverseas.blogspot.com/ for the next 5-6 months :)

So long...farewell

2009-01-02T09:36:00.001+11:00

Hello 2009!

Anyway, quick post to say that I'll be flying off to NEW YORK at 4.15 pm today. Woohoo! However am still lying on the floor of my new apartment, waiting for the plumber to arrive (he said 9 am....gggrrr....made me wake up so early today, and I'm still waiting for him!)

Trying to get some bits and pieces of work done before I leave for the next 5-6 months. Hehe.

And I have a little more packing to do.....hmm.

Can't wait!

On a day like today

2008-12-31T01:00:00.003+11:00

Many moons ago...I received this poem as a birthday gift.
And many moons later...I have not forgotten.

Happy Birthday.

Ascension

And if i go, while you're still here...

Know that i still live on, vibrating to a different measure - behind a thin veil you cannot see through.

You will not see me, so you must have faith.

I wait for the time when we can soar together again, both aware of each other.

Until then, live your life to its fullest.

And when you need me, just whisper my name in your heart,

......I will be there

-Colleen Corah Hitchcock

[edit: why is my itunes playing all the emo tunes tonight! -_____-"]

End of 2009

2008-12-21T00:52:00.001+11:00

Yesterday marked the end of 2008 at work....on leave from today! woohoo....

Anyway the family is now is Brisbane, spending Christmas with my auntie, cousins and their respective families. Should be good fun.

The drive up wasn't too bad, I think the mode of transport is very important. Melvyn lent us his Holden HSV cos he's in Singapore so lucky us! V8 engine, 6 litres..real fun to drive!

Although did drive by the scene of a fatal car accident (yes, was definitely fatal. and maybe shouldn't have looked). So...for everyone travelling over the Christmas break, travel safe! Don't speed (excessively) and stop, revive survive!

Because I have nothing better to do....

2008-11-26T00:56:00.003+11:00

MEME TIME

WHO ARE U? Quarter-centurion, still quite aimless. Unable to make proper "grown-up" plans, unable to stick to a budget and unable to stay away from sales (aaaahhh...). Always the procrastinator. And messy. In short, not very pleasant.

WHO/WHAT INSPIRES U? People who have their life in order and still manage to have fun. People who actually achieve things in life.

WHAT ARE UR CURRENT OBSESSIONS? Erm. Shopping? Trying to sort out my music library before I go overseas.

WHAT IS UR DREAM OCCUPATION? Watching the world go by...maybe a cafe. Nothing too tedious, but sufficiently paid of course. How else would I pay the bills?

IF U COULD BUY ANYTHING WHAT WOULD IT BE? The ability to read minds. But I don't think you can buy this. So erm, my own private jet (where maintenance costs are covered...for life)

WHAT ATTRACTS U? Nice smells, charming smiles and witty humour

WHO IS UR IDEAL MAN? Sincerity, humour and hmm. don't know

WHO IS THE MOST HANDSOME PERSON ON EARTH? Most handsome? That's hard. But Ewan McGregor is hot (just saw him on TV the other night)

WHAT DO U THINK ABOUT FASHION? Tedious

WHAT IS UR BIGGEST DREAM? That life is peachy.

WHAT CLOTHES DO U PREFER? Jeans and tee....comfort first

WHAT DO U DO WHEN YOUR ALONE? Listen to music....surf blogs, youbtube, random things. Watch DVDs. Read. SLEEPzzzzzzzzzzz.

WHAT ARE UR PLANS FOR THE COMING YEAR? Haha. Doreen is travelling the world! Well...not quite the world....but good enough for now. New York, here I come! And then....Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Los Angeles, London, Paris, some Europe tour (Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Prague, Germany, Amsterdam etc), Singapore. Then back home to Sydney....
And then it's back to reality and the mountain of debt. BOO :(
Maybe after that I will decide to settle down and stop spending every single cent I have.

Time for a little self reflection

2008-11-12T13:19:00.005+11:00

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.

Your views on education:
Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:
You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
_________________________________________________
Got this off him here....or try it for yourself here

Quite generic, but fairly accurate.

I still can't understand...

2008-11-07T00:01:00.002+11:00

..how I managed to lose not one..but TWO wireless cards in 2 days is beyond me.

This is not good. I think this new laptop bag eats wireless cards. How did I misplace the cards if I put them in the bag????

Ugh. And the second card wasn't even mine...borrowed it from a colleague cos I was out at a client today. Frickin hell....each card is a few hundred bucks....I'm gonna be in BIG TROUBLE at work :(

Hope someone from my team managed to pick the card up and will hopefully return it to me tomorrow.

Which also means...no working from home tomorrow cos I'll be without the wireless. ARGH.

Should go to bed soon then.

Hunter Valley with a bottle of wine...

2008-11-05T01:05:00.002+11:00

So we're up in the Hunter Valley (Cypress Lakes Resort, to be more precise) for a 3 day offsite training event, and we're almost done! Tomorrow is the last day woohoO!

But it's been more fun than expected actually...had a team building activity this afternoon which involved each team building a billy kart and racing it down a track. And while my team didn't actually win the race, we beat the other 24 teams and came in first because of points won in other areas...the key deciding factor being teamwork. Haha cos our 'epic' race involved all 3 teams struggling to get through 20m on the track (due to lack of pushing power, karts falling over, running into other karts etc). That was quite a funny match. Won ourselves a bottle of win each...woohoo

And then during Melbourne Cup Dinner, my table came first in the races...where we had got the opportunity to bet "PCS money" on 4 (past) races. With PCS$800 we managed to chalk up some PCS$4,400, beating the other tables to win chocolates from the Hunter Chocolate company...yay!

So now back in my nice room.....checking emails and going to bed.

Tomorrow's training starts at 8am and ends at 6pm....then I need to drive about 2.5 hrs (actually expecting about 3hrs plus due to traffic) back to Sydney. And there is breakfast, checking out....etc.

Erm alright
Night all!

ps. actually wanted to write and say that I've finally gotten my application forms for USA Visa, so...that means I'm going for sure! Yay!!

Booking my tickets soon :)

At last...

2008-10-14T20:00:00.002+11:00

So after a week sleeping 3-4 hours per night and working from 8ish am til late (say between 10 pm and 1ish am)....I managed to sleep early last night!

The start of daylight savings (where we all turned our clocks forward 1 hour) screwed up my body clock big time. The weekend it happened, I got home and went to bed around 5 am. Then the following week was just...bad. Going to bed past 3 am every night and waking up around 6.30 am for work. Argh.

So yesterday I went home and zonked out at 8 pm. Whilst I was getting ready for my shower. Which means I slept with my contacts on and without washing up. Ugh. But hey, I only woke up at 5.30 am

Yay!

Will hopefully start looking less like a panda and won't have bad skin.

And...thank goodness for Focus Day & Night (30 days continuous wear) lenses! hahahaha. My eyes are still alive :)

Ok back to work.

Poo

2008-10-11T11:20:00.001+11:00

Hmm I don't know why my eyes are small and puffy today. Had an eye infection earlier in the week but is getting better now. Maybe didn't get enough sleep....got woken up by real estate agent this morning -_________-"

Ah well. Need to go to the office and get some work done anyway, so guess is a good thing.

Think I'll rest the eyes and wear my glasses today. Ugh.

Life is wonderful

2008-10-11T10:18:00.001+11:00

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

I am sleeeeepy

2008-10-08T14:43:00.003+11:00

At work now...but a little distracted cos I'm tired :(

Anyway I had a sudden urge to go through photos on facebook and started browsing photos from the recent birthday as well as the trip back to Singapore.

I miss Singapore! :( And the friends of course...
And been eating out too much...maybe should cut down. Except Merrill suggested that we go to O Bal Tan on Saturday (what's new...), so maybe need to make an exception. Haha.

Ok back to work. Boo.

Frustration

2008-10-08T02:56:00.002+11:00

...I can't get to sleep! This is getting quite frustrating given that I don't usually have this problem. But I think I've messed up my body clock and can only get to bed around 4 or 5 am. Which doesn't help when I have to be up around 6 am to get to work. Grrrr. Watch out for el groucho this week.

Suddenly thought about Aidan when I happened to find a birthday card I was in the midst of writing (from 2005...and unfinished as at June 2008). The Sennheiser headphones, the figurines, the cup, the rock (haha). And then thoughts about other matters...argh.

Even reading a book doesn't help...how!

Ok I'm going back to lie in bed somemore.

Today is the day!

2008-10-07T01:02:00.002+11:00

So later at 2 pm...contracts will be signed and keys will be exchanged. And I will be a first home owner!

My very own apartment...wheeee.....

except.

My tenants don't move out til 10 Dec 08 and I will need to do some minor renovations before I can move in. And if I don't get it done before Christmas...I'll be in the US! so won't be moving in til June 2009 :( wah lau, a bit anti-climatic.

And here comes mortgage stress. Argh.

I also need to find 1-2 tenants to move in cos that would obviously contribute to the mortgage. No point having a 3 bedroom apartment all to myself eh...

But eh, I have my very own apartment! Housewarming probably next year! hahaa

The countdown begins

2008-10-02T16:04:00.003+10:00

The 3 month secondment to an office in the US of A has now been confirmed and I will be leaving just after the new year (I think, dates aren't firmed up yet). Don't know which office I will be posted to.....*fingers crossed*!

Anyway, Sup and I have purchased additional annual leave...I've now purchased 4 weeks of annual leave (PAAL), which means my net income will be erm....a bit lower. But I have 4 weeks! And I'm hoping that I work diligently enough to get TOIL (ie overtime leave). Well, I'll make sure I push it anyway....2 weeks of TOIL, 4 weeks PAAL and about 2 weeks of accrued annual leave....2 months of travels! Yay

Except I haven't worked out if I can afford it. But nevermind, that is secondary....travel first! Could be a while before I leave the country again. Haha

So say about 1 mth in US/Canada (to visit Nicky)...then 1 mth with Sup and Aman in Europe. Not sure how I'm going to fit Singapore/Malaysia in there...but will make it back to visit Mel (and baby Zac!) and a few others. I've noticed that my list of people to catch up with tends to dwindle over the years, but I guess that's the reality of life and something which I've come to accept.

Hm. No money....how how.

When will this ever end....NEVER!

2008-09-21T19:01:00.002+10:00

Hmm the end of another weekend :(

This is precisely why I dislike Sundays....pre-Monday blues!

Well been an enjoyable weekend overall......out late on Friday night then back home for some shut-eye. Woke up at 1.30 pm and realised we had guests! Argh...so went back to the room to isolate myself for a bit. Then got a call to go out for coffee and headed over to Neutral Bay / Mosman. Not very far at all...just a bit ex-xy given the $5 ED toll on the way there, and a $3 Harbour tunnel toll on the way back. Dinner in the city and then back to hang at Gerald's place. Not a late night given a few people had committed themselves to a 9km fun-run the next morning. Missed morning church (most of it anyway) due to me being lazy and my siblings taking turns to hog the shower for a good 45 min.

Now in office trying to get my personal development plan for FY 2009 done but erm got distracted.
Am doing some client work but my business plan needs to be done! It's so overdue that I'm already in trouble. Hmmm....

I foresee this week to be a long one....2 jobs commencing concurrently with one of my teams up at the Hunter Valley. Which means I will need to call them every other day to get status updates, and then catching up with the partner to discuss any issues etc. But gonna be a little hard given I'm out at another client with a brand new team. AAhhhh....

Looking forward to the next weekend!

And the matter draws to a close

2008-09-14T10:34:00.002+10:00

What is the 'right' way to end a friendship?

If it's not due to an argument (where you'd presumably just stop talking to each other if it was serious enough), or some other form of falling out....what is the socially acceptable thing to do?

"I think it's not working out. Let's just not be friends."

I think there comes a time where one has to be selfish about such things. Perhaps? Let's not rush things and regret further down the track, eh?

A quick update

2008-09-01T22:11:00.003+10:00

Quite a bit has happened in the last couple of weeks and I didn't really want to announce anything prematurely. But the time has come to tell people I guess.

No...not pregnant, or getting married, or anything of the sort.

But I am now (almost) a home-owner. Contracts have been exchanged and settlement is in approximately 5 weeks. As at 6 October 2008, I will be a landlord with 4 tenants in my "new" apartment. In Maroubra. Apparently near the beach (I know it is, but I haven't been to Maroubra beach for years). Next to Pacific Square shops, gym etc. Near bus stop to city. Near UNSW. So close to Jan/Mer's new unit we're practically neighbours.

I won't be moving in until late December or sometime next year, and even so...I am hoping to rent out 2 of the 3 bedrooms. So if you're planning to come visit Sydney, let me know and I might be able to fit you in! Haha..if not, the living room is quite large too! Or my room even :)

Quite exciting and yet quite daunting at the same time. I'm not sure how it'll be like financially...yes, despite being an accountant, I am very bad with my personal finances (eeks...3 years of tax returns to lodge with the ATO). Hopefully this forces me to be more careful with my money and actually save some of my salary.

However, this also means I may find it a lot harder to travel around the world as I have been meaning to do for the longest time. So if I hear some good news from work in the next few weeks, I might be doing some planning for my next big (and hopefully not final) overseas trip!

Hmm okay, back to work!

(Note: Actually I am still at work cos I didn't achieve very much during the day....they recently imposed this ban on facebook (understandable, and I don't really mind) and the use of head/earphones (WHY WHY WHY!!!) during work hours. As the office is open-planned, I couldn't concentrate or focus on work cos I kept hearing all these phone conversations and other random conversations/noises around my work station. So I got distracted and spent a bit of time wandering around the office floor. Haha. The price I pay for not being to concentrate and motivate myself.)

My eyes are a bit tired actually, so might go home in a bit.

4 more days...

2008-08-12T00:31:00.001+10:00

Pay day! I can't wait....

Can't sleep again...hmm.

My feet should be so happy...

2008-08-11T16:25:00.004+10:00

...that I seem to enjoy shopping a little too much.
2 new pairs of shoes within 2 weeks of my return to Sydney (despite buying a whole load of stuff on my 4 week long break)

Sway

2008-08-11T15:14:00.005+10:00

This song reminds me of Singstar sessions on the PS2...which then reminds me of Jojo and Glor, who bought me one of the Singstar games.

Bic Runga - Sway

Don't stray, don't ever go away
I should be much too smart for this
You know it gets the better of me
Sometimes, when you and I collide
I fall into an ocean of you, pull me out in time
Don't let me drown, let me down
I say it's all because of you
And here I go, losing my control
I'm practicing your name so I can say it to your face
It doesn't seem right, to look you in the eye
Let all the things you mean to me
Come tumbling out my mouth
Indeed it's time to tell you why
I say it's infinitely true

[CHORUS:]
Say you'll stay, don't come and go
Like you do
Sway my way, yeah I need to know
All about you

And there's no cure, and no way to be sure
Why everything's turned inside out
Instilling so much doubt
It makes me so tired - I feel so uninspired
My head is battling with my heart
My logic has been torn apart
And now it all turns sour
Come sweeten every afternoon

[CHORUS TWICE]

It's all because of you
It's all because of you

Now it all turns sour, come sweeten every afternoon
It's time to tell you why, I say it's infinitely true

[CHORUS TWICE]

It's all because of you
It's all because of you
It's all because of you

Mussels and beer

2008-08-07T00:44:00.005+10:00

Back from dinner and drinks at the Belgian Beer cafe with a couple of colleagues and the secondees from the US and UK offices. Almost walked into oncoming traffic as I mistakenly assumed the road was one-way when I was trying to get to a cab. Anyway, the cab ride was $72 and I don't think I can claim that as I haven't really been working too much overtime these few days. Ah well....will need to bring the others back to try the mussel pots (half price on Wed nights!) as well as the array of beers...

Thought my skin was looking a bit tired so slapped on a mask (Origins mask for problem skin...one of the three which I bought at duty free). It's a bit menthol-ish so my eyes are feeling very erm...refreshed. Hopefully it helps my skin look less tired and sluggish! Or maybe should just drink more water and eat lotsa fruit. Hahaha.

So now I have to sit here and wait for the mask to set before rinsing it off.

Hmm. Tempted to put a DVD on but I think I would just kill myself....3 hours of sleep last night almost did me in today. So maybe I should try to sleep a little more tonight.

And crap. There's a meeting at 8.30 AM tomorrow! Argh. SO much for more sleep...

Word of the Day

2008-08-06T13:34:00.002+10:00

Hmm. At work now but I am so bloody tired I can't function properly....time for a break.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day - vituperate: to overwhelm with wordy abuse.

2008-08-06T01:47:00.002+10:00

Nothing like a random MSN conversation to end the night off...

We Need A Thing says (1:36 AM):
do u mean an inherent randomness in the video, or the randomness of my action

We Need A Thing says (1:36 AM):
should it have been premediated?

D o r e e n says (1:36 AM):
randomness of ur action?

We Need A Thing says (1:37 AM):
c'mon

We Need A Thing says (1:37 AM):
i noe u well enuff to be on a "random" level

We Need A Thing says (1:37 AM):
did i not strike u as a "random" person?

D o r e e n says (1:37 AM):
that is true

D o r e e n says (1:37 AM):
i just havent experienced the randomness for a while

D o r e e n says (1:37 AM):
so i thought i slipped off the radar you know

We Need A Thing says (1:39 AM):
yes, yes, u have settled into the routine of life

We Need A Thing says (1:39 AM):
but that is ok

We Need A Thing says (1:39 AM):
sooner or later u will bump into a random stranger on the street and begin a sordid love affair like in those fucking korean movies

Random late night post

2008-08-04T02:59:00.001+10:00

I will definitely suffer for this tomorrow...I can't sleep!

Actually I was in bed trying to get some zzzzz...but somehow managed to cough myself awake. Dragged myself out of bed to look for my lozenges and as a result I can't get back to sleep :(

Probably doesn't help that I don't actually turn the PC off so it's just convenient to get back online.
Well, since I'm here I'll post links to photo albums on facebook (for those who aren't on facebook). Actually I don't think anyone would really care but doesn't matter....just trying to kill some time :)

Album 1
Album 2 - KL
Album 3 - KL / Pulau Perhentian
Album 4 - Pulau Perhentian
Album 5 - Dinner with Jo
Album 6
Album 7
Album 8

Wedding photos!
1 | 2

Sigur Ros concert pics

Back to reality

2008-07-30T01:44:00.002+10:00

Apparently the last post was almost a month ago! 2 July 2008...

Ah well. 4 weeks in Singapore and Malaysia have finally come to an end and I'm now back at work :( boohoo...
Trying to get motivated and work work work but to be honest this period isn't my busiest cos my client portfolio is smaller than my December busy season. So...I don't think I'm going to be overworked like the rest of my poor colleagues.

There's so much that happened over the last month overseas and I was pleasantly surprised that I was actually kept occupied for the duration of my stay (much to the amazement of many people). I think what I miss most is the people that I've kept in touch with over the years...while I've been away for 8 long years, there are still friendships which continue on strong.

Thanks to those who took the time from their busy schedules to meet up...miss you all already!

Photos up on facebook!

Getting back in the swing of things.

2008-07-02T00:14:00.002+10:00

I've been back in Singapore for 3 days and I think it's been going better than expected. The heat and humidity haven't been too bad (although I think it's cos I stay indoors in the day and come out into the open at night).

Apparently I have a hybrid accent which doesn't sound fully Singaporean or fully Australian, like some displaced person with no definite identity. Hmm.

I've definitely come back at the right time - traveling on an Australian passport entitles me to Tourist shopping privileges....not huge discounts but definitely better than nothing. Haha, and also doesn't make me sound so directionally-challenged when I have to ask the information services staff how to get to the MRT station.

The city keeps changing, buildings keep popping up everywhere. I feel quite lost within the city.

A few more weeks to go!

Happy Days! Hello Perhentian :D

2008-06-24T00:00:00.003+10:00

We are going for a holiday!

The start of the 'real' planning....
Tuna Bay Resort, Perhentian

Looks so beautiful can....can't wait!
I've booked and paid for 2 plane tickets via AirAsia and Tyng will call up about the resort tomorrow. Am hoping it's not peak period or fully booked..I do so want a seaview chalet (*fingers crossed*). Maybe should come up with Plan B.

Then maybe before then the girls will go up to KL and join me for some city fun! Yay :D

Still don't have an outfit for the wedding...how!!!!

Why do I even bother

2008-06-16T00:18:00.002+10:00

I should learn not to bring my laptop home on weekends when I KNOW I probably won't even turn the darn thing on.

Now I've got to bring it back into the office when it should have just stayed there all weekend.

Oh well. Since I have an early start tomorrow, I'll be forced to take the earlier train...which usually means a seat on the train which will be free from pesky school kids and other commuters. A nice way to kick off the week. Plus the fact that I bought a weekly train ticket last Tuesday...so I don't have to join the frickin long queues at the station tomorrow.

Yay!

Now....how do I get to sleep when I only woke up at 2pm today? Hrm. Not sleepy in the least! Argh. Better not miss tomorrow's meeting....

Movies to watch

2008-06-15T22:26:00.002+10:00

I quite like this BigPond movie rental system - I select my movies online, they deliver it straight to my house and when I'm done, I post it back via the reply paid envelope provided. So easy.

And this gives me access to a variety of flicks, most of which I would be reluctant to pay money to buy at the DVD store. Allows me to watch a whole lot of movies, without shelling out the cash to buy them. Given that I am running out of space at home (plus the money could be used a lot more frugally), I thought it would be good. Yup.

So to date, those that I've watched (and would recommend)....

Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) - one of my favourite French films to date, however I'm not sure if I've actually watched enough French films to make such a call. Well, worth watching anyway.
Death at a Funeral - never would have expected all these things to go wrong...at a funeral! Hilarious..
The Spanish Apartment (L'Auberge Espagnole) - sometimes I wish I did take up the option of going overseas on exchange. I just couldn't be bothered raising the funds and filling in all those application forms back in the day.
Candy - an Australian film starring Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger, this is not your typical Hollywood romance flick. Also just realised that Sup and I missed out on another Abbie Cornish (and Ryan Phillipe) film which premiered recently at the Sydney Film Festival - argh! But nevermind, we watched The Wackness and The Unseeable instead...which were also quite good!

While I'm at it, might as well list out all the films I'll be watching (or have watched) at the 55th Sydney Film Festival:

You, The Living (Du levande) - a film about humankind..revolving around the lives and relationships of a few different individuals. Quite quirky and at times quite random.
Sukiyaki Western Django - I think if I realised that this had references to the Western classic Django (and even perhaps watched it), I would have appreciated this movie a whole lot more. But overall not a bad film, once you get past the hard-to-understand English spoken by the Japanese cast.
A Complete History of My Sexual Failures - this is probably one of my favourite films from the festival. A very honest film about the love life of Chris Waitt, shot in a documentary style...I have to say he's got a lot of guts. As we attended the Australian premiere, he was there in person to introduce the film, and also stuck around for the Q&A after the film. Hilarious!!! Be warned though - some scenes are rather erm...painful to watch.
The Wackness - I didn't even know too much about this film, but was pleasantly surprised. A friendship forged between a 16 year old drug dealer and a (much older) shrink...their struggles through life etc.
The Unseeable (Pen choo kab pee) - at some points during this horror flick, I was asking myself why we chose to watch this at night, on Friday the 13th. And the fact that I had to take the train home alone. But thankfully, once we got past the first hour...the ending was rather predictable and unfortunately not the most original. End of the day...this could have a lot more potential if the ending was a little different.
In Bruges - I agreed to watch this because of Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes..the synopsis didn't really give enough details about the film. But hey, I'm really glad we decided to watch this (sold-out) flick....it was surprisingly good...! Colin Farrell's acting abilities are definitely quite impressive. Unfortunately neither of the stars (or the director) were there at the premiere...just some randoms we saw walking down the red carpet. Pity. And I learned something new....Bruges is in Belgium! haha
The Visitor - not sure what this is about besides the brief synopsis but seems to have quite good ratings. I prefer to be pleasantly surprised, so will stop googling the movie just in case I hit some unwanted spoilers.
Sparrow - A Johnny To film about a gang of pickpockets in Hong Kong...should be good.
Girl Cut In Two (Fille coupée en deux, La) - a black comedy about a TV weather girl...and 2 guys who try to pursue her. Interesting..
Gentle Breeze in the Village (Tennen Kokekkô) - I quite enjoy Japanese films, and am also waiting for the Japanese Film Festival which will occur later in the year. Woohoo!

And I want to watch Ironman! But since everyone's watched it already...might have to wait for the DVD release. Hmm...and there's SATC (wanted to wait for the mad hype to die down a little first...). Prince Caspian...

Hmm...on top of that, I've been doing quite a bit of shopping as well. No wonder my pockets are feeling a little empty recently.

Sigh.

It's been awhile

2008-06-15T01:43:00.000+10:00

I realise I've been a little MIA for the last few months or so....and thought I'd kick off with a meme!
haha

Stolen from Tyngster...here we go :D

1. WERE YOU NAMED FOR ANYONE?
Nope......the name probably came from one of those baby name books.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Hmm. Probably not in the last few months cos I don't recall.....

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Most of the time....although I do think that my handwriting has deteriorated due to the increased reliance on digital media.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT?
Not a huge fan.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Do I LOOK like I have kids?

6. WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Definitely! hahaha I have no shame

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Oh gosh....no. Of course not

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, unless memory serves me wrong

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not really keen at this point in time

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Crunchy nut clusters!

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope...because it ain't necessary....the laces are tied just right!

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Headstrong?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Wow this is a hard one. I like Chocolate based ice-creams usually. The Lindt Excellence 70% is wonderfully rich and chocolately :D I like.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Eyes

15. RED OR PINK?
Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Procrastinating

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
This is quite hard to say...because there are many people whom I wish I could spend more time with, or see a lot more often. And I blame this on geographical distance. And also because some are no longer around. Circumstances get in the way.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Haha I'm in my pink PJ bottoms and light blue bedsocks (it is freeeeezing today!)

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Chocolate and honey nougat ice cream :D

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Muse - Sing for absolution (that's the current song...but the Absolution album is currently playing on the hi-fi)

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Black - you can colour over any other colour! hahahaha crayon domination!

22. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh citrus smells....and people that smell good. haha.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
I think it was Janet...called her on my way home from the movies to see if there was leftovers for my dinner. But since I was too lazy to drop by some takeaway, I just went home anyway.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hrmm...don't watch sports unless am with friends who watch it. Recently watched the Champions League finals at Star City...so that was a first :)

25. HAIR COLOR?
Black roots. Aaahhh...the base colour has faded to brown and the previously red highlights are now a very light brown (almost blonde). Time to get it fixed up.

26. EYE COLOR?
Dark brown

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Everyday....and for too long. My optometrist is not impressed.

28. FAVORITE FOOD?
You are kidding...you cannot play favouritism with food. I like yummy food.

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Sometimes I think happy endings are very cliched...however it leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling (most of the time). Not a big fan of scary movies (ie horror) as there isn't much of a plot or character development..

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
"In Bruges" at the Sydney Film Festival - it was an excellent movie!

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White

32. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter! But would prefer autumn as it isn't as cold :D

33. HUGS OR KISSES?
Erm. Hugs (if you really must). Otherwise, let's see how it goes..I do like a little personal space

34. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Stop trying to get me to make tough decisions! I like many things.....

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Just finished "Yakuza Moon" by Shoko Tendo

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
No mouse pad :( I did buy one from Borders which had a cute orange octopus against a light blue background. However the surface was too smooth and reflective for the optical mouse. Hence it's currently sitting on my table, unused.

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Was out watching 2 movies at the Sydney Film Festival - "The Wackness" (USA - comedy/drama) and "The Unseeable" (Thai - horror)

38. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
Songs from my iPod...

39. BEATLES OR ROLLING STONES?
The Fab Four

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Japan

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Nua-ing. Anywhere, anytime!

Wow. That was tiring. I think I'm not used to this blogging business anymore haha

2.17 am - I think it's time to go to bed (but not before reading a few Pearls Before Swine strips!)

2008-06-09T02:30:00.000+10:00

A brand new beginning.

Not sure exactly what I'm trying to achieve...however I think it was time to move on. Back from the early days on diaryland, where no one read our blogs...to the time when we both moved to LJ...and now, I'm moving on to this.