I’ve moved too!

Following the recent moves of two friends to new blogs and seeing how neglected this blog has become, I’ve decided to move too! See you guys there!

First Impressions

Lately at work, I’ve been told the following:

1. I should smile more lest I give people the wrong impression
2. I look fierce when I don’t smile
3. I always have the grumpy or deep-in-thought look
4. When I joined the company, I was very quiet (and appeared old)

 

On “I should smile more lest I give people the wrong impression”:

I burst out laughing when I heard it. It was a totally random comment, from someone unexpected, yet I had ironically seen it coming. Call it guilty conscience or what; I dozed off right under his nose during the meeting in the morning (aye old habits die hard) and I was sulking the entire time when meeting with him again later that day. Other than the fact that I was extremely annoyed by his ethnocentrism (as I usually am), I was in a particularly bad mood that day because one, I had a makeup blooper which made me look and feel (and look even more) grumpy, two, I was feeling constipated and fat (the digestion pill I took the night before was not working) and three, there was the post-Haji holiday blues to top it all. However, the way he said it in a concerned manner made it funny. I laughed it off and explained that I wasn’t sulking in defiance even though that’s how I may usually look. This brings me to the next point.

On “I look fierce when I don’t smile”:

It’s not the first time I’ve heard this, I know I look hostile when I don’t smile. Those were the days when I went to class looking grumpy (and I mean really grumpy) cos of insufficient sleep, mad morning traffic yada yada. I think I’ve become less grouchy since graduating from school but I still look like it, unintentionally, and there’s nothing much I can do about it (it’s unfortunate I have hard features, I could practise smiling to myself, like a fool, every now and then).

On “I always have the grumpy or deep-in-thought look”:

“Deep in thought” sounds intelligent, except I am hardly thinking about anything behind that facade. You know, the times when you simply zone out and let your mind wander to nowhere before you’re forced to come back to reality. I much rather give people the impression that I’m deep in thought than come across as someone unapproachable but like I said, there’s nothing much I can do about it.

On “When I joined the company, I was very quiet (and appeared old)”:

I’m not sure if anybody feels the same way, I usually feel compelled to make conversation with someone I just got to know even though I’d rather not be the one getting the conversation going. That said, I don’t usually try to initiate a conversation with a stranger. But once we’re acquainted, I feel the need to engage in conversation. However, I started work pretty guarded to the new environment and people. As someone new joining the company, it felt like I was intruding the familial relationships already forged. It didn’t help that I saw many people leaving soon after. It took me a while before I got to know the people and be comfortable with them. I suppose looking hostile and old (LOL) made it even harder. Everyone thought I looked older than my age cos I did my hair up in a ponytail then (thanks to pure laziness to blow dry the hair). It’s hilarious to hear about it after I changed my hairstyle, which was also about when we got comfortable enough to make such digs at one another.

 

Hmm I wonder what other first impressions I left on others?

My happy foods

- Starbucks Green Tea Frappe

- Jollibean Matcha Soy Ice Blend with Azuki Beans

- Koi Vanilla Milk Tea

- Gelare waffle with maple syrup

- Neigbourhood waffle with chunky peanut butter

- Xinwang Thick Toast

- MacDonalds Chocolate Sundae

As you can see, I’m a sweets person, anytime and I’m easy to please. But sadly, these are the foods which are totally inaccessible from my workplace :(

Backpacking one more time!

A spontaneous decision (thanks to the ever-so-ons Wei) and finally, the tickets are booked! A short SE Asia backpacking trip in January awaits! I’ve been wanting to travel in Cambodia for the longest time (though all I know of currently is probably only the Angkor Wat temples) and I’m thrilled the plans are finally materializing! Bangkok for the fourth time and it’s a shame to say I haven’t visited the non-shopping tourist attractions like the Grand Palace and floating market.

So here’s the plan:

23-25 Jan: Siem Reap

25-27 Jan: Phnom Penh

27-30 Jan: Bangkok

Hopefully this will be the start to my SE Asia conquest :)

Oreo Cheesecake, not again

The last I blogged was about a month ago and I realized a queer coincidence with the regularity of my blog post revolving around Oreo Cheesecake – I just finished baking the cheesecake (with a tweak of the recipe hopefully it turns out fine!) to bring to the mahjong session with my colleagues tomorrow.

This blog has been vacant for a while I thought of shutting it. Times I wanted to bitch about work but I realized those impulsive moments of frustration would probably sound silly in retrospect. There was always so much to be vented yet I was always speechless when I wanted to write. The longer I stop writing, the harder it gets to start. But life shouldn’t be all about work and the dread when you think about it. This blog shall serve as a reminder of the things I still love, regardless of work so expect more (frequent) posts to be up :)