Whatcha doing D minus 6

I am reading, doing lots of relaxation with the hope to jolt my vacation plan to life.... >_>

Reading about saga seed yesterday, after helping mom pick up some of these hard little red seeds that are common in the singapore's tropical weather. do you know that it's popular and some people use it for its association with love?

today reading about evernote vs OneNote my favorite note taking app. While getting ready my laptop (Surface RT) for the first time for my travel. I downloaded all the books that I have in kindle account (it has Kindle app) and install a couple of games and toolkits (like Music and offline Photo sharing with note taking and some online storage accounts). So I am set.

Why People are Selfish

I am sitting here, working overnight on what I believe to be my last Fiscal Year closing as my role. I am committed and dedicated, and feeling increasingly naïve.

I felt so foolish for wanting to dedicate my effort and thought I will be happy to "support" my colleagues in ramping them up to be doing well in the role. I am foolishly thought that I would be rewarded with recognition, gratitude, and thankfulness.

It turned out after all the hardwork, my personal time, efforts, thoughts, and energy put into building the people, what I got is nothing but a generic, thank you everyone in the team (including those that barely contributed to your onboarding!) by the person whom I onboarded the most, and plus I spent all my thoughts planning about her 6-months maternity leave. I'm feeling disappointed and a bit bitter. I suppose I was naïve, I thought it would turn out not as what I expected. I don't know what I expect, but certainly I am vindicated and again proven that people are selfish. The level of immaturity and flattery that go around certainly continue to astound me. When shall you ever learn, dear? I can't help but to hope.

I suppose I am insecure myself but at least I am mature enough to feel and know that the world doesn't resolve just around me.

I just felt I'm discriminated against. Just because I'm the youngest in the team, and I am few years younger than my teammate, I truly feel that she treat me differently ever since she discovered that I am years younger than her even though I have more seniority. Some people are just shallow and self-serving.

Why am I so sad. Don't I know this already. It still hurts. Very much like a betrayal.

I am glad I have my summer plan sorted out.

Nepali Visa

From :http://www.kopanmonastery.com/about_info.html

Nepali Visas

You will need a valid visa to enter Nepal. This is now available at the airport for a stay of up to three months for most nationalities (Please check with the nearest Nepal Embassy for special regulations applicable for your country of origin). It can be extended for up to five months within one calendar year. The visa needs to be paid in cash US$ on arrival at the airport. Bring US$ in cash for this purpose. Also needed is a passport size photo.
The cost of the visa:
15 days = 20 US$
1 month = 40 US$
3 months = 100 US$

Preparation for my 6-week Break

I have been asked often, what's my prep for the break.

I am feeling luxuriously and blessed to have the opportunity to take this break. I have no clue what and where I am going but I am trying to shake away the feeling of being forced to pack stuff on my agenda.

I am thinking of Nepal. some sort of meditation week. Also some vigorous activity.
So toying with ideas of taking 1 week quiet meditation thru Nepal or Bhutan - then head over to Europe/Peru for backpacking, simple and bare stuff of travel. So no 5-star, going back to basic.

My initial research for a place brought me to Nepal, searching Buddhist meditation classes brought some link:

• http://lawudo.com/retreat.html = a simple place that is family place where you are supposed to sleep in sleeping bag in winter, and fetch your own water from the spring.Charges 1500Nepal rupees- per day / around US20
• http://www.buddhist.ca/kopan_monastery_tibetan_buddhist_meditation_retreat.html = staying in dormitary offering beginner intro class to meditation. Charges 120USD for 10 day, US80 for 7 days.
• http://www.kopanmonastery.com/about_info.html = Monastery that accept one-month and three-month programme. USD460 for 1-month program.

Fortune for Taurus in 2014

2014 Yearly Horoscope for Taurus

Overview

2014 is the year of expansion, fulfilling work and stellar wellbeing, Taurus! If you've fallen prey to the typical Taurus legacy of neglecting your own needs and taking care of everyone else's problems, this is the year to take your power and your life force back so that you can invest in a brand-new life. No, this does not make you selfish or uncaring, this makes you true yourself and with a greater capacity to give to your loved ones because you will no longer be running on empty -- which is probably how you've felt over the past few years. You've certainly learned the art of releasing control in 2013. The good news is that the fog is finally about to lift as the South Node finally moves out of your stars this March. You've been letting go of so many things -- from material possessions to antiquated concepts around values and security. In fact, you've relinquished so much that you may barely recognize your life at this point, Taurus. You've certainly learned to simplify your world in 2013, and now you're getting ready to go rebuild towards greater beauty and harmony. The focus of 2014 is all about communication, work and daily ritual. If you've been promising yourself for eons that you'll get your daily routine into better balance as in: more exercise, better sleep and less work, this is the year to make that happen.

Hakone Hot Spring

My 2 favourite items in Hakone are the sulphur egg and Hot Spring.

Black egg look a bit like this. The website said that it's available for 500yen at the Owakudani egg steaming hut. Alternative is I got it at the Souvenir shop at the opposite of Hakone Yumoto station, level 2, in the cold section for a little over 200yen and it's cool and refreshing to eat (I like).!

And about the hot spring:

How to Make Japanese green tea

I just came back from Osaka, holiday from Japan looking fit and slim.Small wonder since the holiday involves 7-8 hours sightseeing and walking every day.

Then I read the article about the secret of Japanese food, to longetivy. Its common knowledge that the Japanese enjoys one of the longest life expectancy in the world. According to article, the key is control of the quantity food consumed, which makes a lot of sense. The diet also made up on unusually high number of seaweed, raw fish, veggie, tofu and green tea.

Speaking about greentea, I am inspired to as I recall a particularly beautiful green tea cup served in sturdy-but-light wooden bowl (non-heat transmitting so you can drink your matcha in comfort) that was full of light bubbles but delightfully light and pure. It was served with a nice pinkish bean-mochi. I think I had it at one of the traditional teahouse near Shinjuku-Gyoen, or Kyoto or Kamakura. In any case, I just viewed a youtube video to recall proper way those cup of greentea is served.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2doEhQaynLs

Another weekend is over

I had been travelling heavily in the past 2 months or so. For example, in the last Feb, I was in Singapore for 1 week, the rest - Jakarta, Perth, Tokyo, and Seattle.


A nice jet-setting life but pretty disruptive to my non-existent private social life now. This can't go on forever. I go on with this thought that I need to do things differently but the inertia is a hardest thing to break.


At least I have the following achievements to crow for:
1. I am very close to attaining my driving license.
2. I read very touching story about Mimi an 8-year old Aussie girl who realllly want a Surface 2.
3. I collected my miles.
4. I took care of all my credit cards.
5. I am very happy with my savings stat.
6. I blew up my marathon training.


Sigh... I really really Really need to do something.


Meanwhile, went to do night-cap stroll with mom throughout iLight at Marina Bay. While went to complete documents for Taiwan visa applications....


Logging out.

Archive: 2013 Target List

• Reach about Egypt
• 1 hr 10KM
• Increase a Life skill
• Improve a Skill
• Love More!
• Plan to Latin America
• Climb Kinabalu - Done Jan7
• Switzerland or Skiing

Korean Beef Bulgogi

Always when i crave for something sweet and savoury, the korean dish that is hot, covered with dark soy sauce and bbq-ed come to my mind, the beef bulgogi. Tonight i tried cooking the dish after shopping for some fresh beef flank and lean meat at FairPrice Finest, the "fresh and higher-quality" version of the NTUC Fairprice supermarket, after my driving lesson at kovan.

This is the recipe i used. And instead of sesame seed and sesame oil (which I ran out) I used LaYu chili oil that has strong sesame taste.

Marketing stuff

As we are closing the year, you start to receive interesting marketing mails for organization. One of it that I like is SPG Year In Review, that I think is pretty cool. It gave a piechart snapshot on my Starwood activities.

It recognizes, that I stayed the most in the Westin brand of this membership. Talk about its crossover promo with Delta airlines (I earned merely 1,800 miles) while the top earner was 120k points... It recommend some hotels around the region I'm in, and encourage me to explore more of the Westin hotels in advance.

Very innovative cross-sell and upsell campaign. Well done SPG. SPG is the award program name for the Starwood group of hotels.

Movies under the Star

This morning while jogging with Clarissa my little nice from Medan, I noticed the sign for DBS Movies by the Bay. www.dbsmoviesbythebay.com for details. Tonight's show is Thor!

I am quite excited for spend this Saturday night with this movie event!

as I'm watching my 2013 To-Do list

I feel a little bit depressed, melancholy. It's now December. The year coming to an end. It feels so fast, time flies. I have not done much useful things in my free time. On my weekend. Time just past.

The year 2013.
The year of Snake.
My lucky year.
What have I accomplished this year.

A sad year. A very touching year. A year of transformation. Waiting. Falling in love. Almost. Falling out. Heart broken. Carrying this sadness inside.

TV Series I am hooked on: The Americans

Normally I had a pretty good feeling on to-be hit TV series even from first seasons. I loved Heroes, Smallville, the Grey Anatomy. I also loved the Big Bang Theory, the Modern Family, and How I Met Your Mother. Unfortunately the former groups, the subsequent seasons turned to be less and less appealing that I dropped my attention after season 3 or 4. (Oh I also love the Fringe).

So now I am super HOOK-ed by the Americans. I found it watching on my Delta flight to Seattle back in August. It has 2 episodes, and so every month when I fly I always checked if the airlines have new update. Unfortunately SQ (Singapore Airlines) this month stopped at Ep 6. So watching online, I finished the rest of episodes, culminating with the finale tonight.

According to latest news, the Season 2 will return and shall premiere on Feb 2014. I can't wait. The Americans are TV series premiered in 2013 about a couple of KGB agents who operated in the US suburb of Washington DC, Virginia. They are master of disguises and were matched by the Centre to live in USA as a married couple named Phillip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell). Throughout their 16 years live together, they have 2 American children born and raised in the United States, Paige and Henry.

The series are tense, interesting, smart, and full of complex plot of spy agents and double-crossing. But what makes me glued on is the marriage love story at the core of the series. Whether that's between Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings especially but also the subsequent implications with Martha, Stan and Sandra, as well as the gorgeous Nina. The plots and consequences of actions are absorbing. Some of the scenes are eyebrow-raising I admit, but never seem far-fetch. In the bizzare hidden lives in Cold War and the brutal intelligence agencies and War, nothing is out of questions. That is what's so wonderful and engrossing about this series. Highly recommended!

Amazing things I saw this week

The beautiful 6am sunset at the Auckland Harbour on Dec 3, morning. The melancholic sunrise, shining thru layers of light clouds formation.

This Volvo ad video.

Back from NZ this morning, overnight flight from stormy Auckland last night. I'm lucky to have two empty seats in an-almost-full flight Auckland-Singapore. Thank you Singapore Airlines.

What's the latest in my live for sept-oct

After a terrible closing quarter, I had to take leave. So with strong determination, I summoned last remaining spirit to go and attend a weeklong team offsite in Seattle. Normally I lke this type of meetings of exchange of minds and views, but.. the Seattle team meeting is the worst type. After travelling 21 hours on coach / economy class each way (so 42 hours of life wasted on return trip), attending series of meetings while in horrible jetlag, and getting nothing much new information for work related stuff, amidst team members who are very political- this sounds like fun.

Normally I travel straight and back with min time possible. But this time is different since I am taking 2 weeks off after. The best is I found out bro is going to be in San Fransisco on almost the same week. Hurray! God must have taken pity on me. Plus for one strange bright idea I decided to check the cost of miles upgrade to business class. To my delight (bless the ladies at Amex corporate travel, they are the best!!! angels) it cost very little. It cost 25,000 miles each way, but hey, I have close to 200,000 miles on my delta account that I rarely used.

I am really lucky - to get such a good deal there. So after the strings of luck, I finally locked on my destination - Vancouver 2 days with Amtrak train thru Cascade. Beautiful. Scenic. And Las Vegas for 3 nights 2 days aaaand Grand Canyon, Arizona.

The wonderful thing is, the first newspaper article I read when I arrived in US, announced the impeding Government shutdown. Shutdown! And it's still going on right now when I am writing this on 14th Oct. They shutdown all "non-essential" Federal Government services, including the National Parks - yes Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and etc. Luckily Amtrak is not impacted, neither is the Border Services, nor Hoover Dam (which we visited) that is funded solely thru the sales of their power generated by the Dam.

Sigh, what an adventure. I'll tell all about it. now it's 7pm Singapore, and I'm going to bed still sleepy from the jetlag, but wow I really enjoyed the break. And I'm going to Beijing this weekend, after coming back from USA.

i'm starting to build my to-do now: driving class, cycling class, mani/pedi, gym. only hair is done. During the journey on the bus back, I realized something... about "Trust", "Risk Aversion" and the fact that I am starting to learn about myself about how I never really trusted anyone. No one, I'm the worst. And no relationship can start between two people who do not trust anyone else.

When I start to see things in this new light, I have relevations. Maybe I have to trust. I know I want to. badly, but it's hard. to trust. Really trusting.

Heading home

After 3 days in Auckland, I am sitting in the hotel lounge waiting for the cab to arrive. I can't wait to be back home. NZ has been a wonderful and beautiful country. Lots of shopping - my 1 luggage and 1 carry-on has morphed to luggage, extra bag, plus shoes bag, plus my Burberry coat and carry on with my purse....oops.

Such an amazing energy around the city, because of a big rugby match between the NZ team "All Blacks" vs South African team "the Boks" at Eden Park's stadium. As I was taking a train from Newmarket to Britomart the city transfort, thongs of people in blacks jacket were descending the transport system heading to the Eden park's direction.

what a masculine and rough sports. The images evoke primitive but also original spirit of sport.

in Auckland

Hello I'm in New Zealand! It's rare that I get to a new country these days, so I'm totally excited to be here. I'm staying at Hilton Princes Wharf, what a wonderful property that is located just ahead of a Quay. Already checked out the touristy Queens Street, with dinner at Fort Lane a steak house recommended by the hotel concierge.

what's lacking on the Internet is the list of "What's good to Shop in NZ":
> Manuka Honey - only produced in NZ from Manuka flowers
> Icebreaker - Merino wool product? maybe coz this week there is super special 30% discount off.
> Lush product - found them cheaper than in USA and Australia
> What else?

It's a 4-day weekend

After lazying around, and being worried by erratic escalations from India - oh gosh that's so stressful, they have no respect nor appreciation of other's effort - I am now on the Sunday.

Had a phone conversation earlier today with my bro for a joint property investment. I then read an article on Times magazine about the horror of men or women grieving about relatives becoming victims of the violence in Egypt. I felt sad and urge to do something. It's ironic and somewhat made me guilty that my ideals are wasted on weekend, and I do something not nothing about the better of the world, helping the helpless, poor, and oppressed. they seemed like a world a way, different times and places - from the save contented Singapore...

I need to fire up my fires more. helping in ways I could help best, not foolish stupid ideals but just thinking without action. I am normally good at putting myself in situation that I am best. What I need now is a plot or a plan. If I can bring myself to it rather than wasting my life away in games and lazy weekend. Am I bad.

Herbs and Apartment living

I am cleaning house frantically, maybe coz I'm board. Deeply satisfied that the kitchen floor is now sparkling clean. So when I was searching web for some herbs/indoor gardening tips, plus playing Fantasica (http://www.fantasitrading.com) I come across sites of apartment living, that inspired me to clean up my small office area in my apartment. Staring at my clean stack right infront of my office table now :)

Some useful links to start:

• (overseas): best herbs for indoor
• (sf-overseas): ideas of potted herbs - motivation
• (Singapore based forum Green Culture): location of nursery gardens in SG.
• Some nice pictures of herbs: basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley.