Wheeler's Yard

It's Friday and we have decided to pay this place a visit, after all the publicity about this cosy little corner in the obscure industrial estates in whampoa...

Yes, and everyone had to take a peekture with the main door. Not that I dun want but I was too hungry so I'm heading straight for the food. 

Food was normal. For the price, there are definitely some better foods elsewhere. Only nice thing about this place are the bikes and all the gadgets on display. Yes they are for sale too. 

This baby costs a whooping $10,453. Enough to buy a motorbike. Or maybe 2 Chanel bags. 

For the earphone lovers this red little thing sure looks pretty. :)

Anyhow it was a Friday well spent chilling and laughing about silly jokes we always talk about.

10 characteristics of an office BFF

(Copied from thetravellingsquid.com)

Office BFF’s are a God-send. They make a boring work day fun, and can help you sense if trouble is coming. You hide a smile when an instant messaging (IM) window pops up with their name and struggle to curb your giggles at shared insider jokes. They are quick to offer advice when you make a mistake at work.

But not everyone can be Office BFFs. Some are just too busy trying to impress the bosses, some are just manipulative and EVIL, and some are just not as savvy. So when it comes to selecting BFFs, be smart about it. Of course you both have to have a sort of chemistry for the starters. And here is my list of ten necessary traits of an Office BFF.

1. Office BFFs are smart and nimble

This is the most important pre-requisite. If you’re going to be engaging in BFF activities in office, you got to be smart about it. Don’t read politically incorrect Instant Messages (IMs) about your colleague’s Pandora charms when your boss is around, AND obviously, be sure to hide that Buzzfeed article I just sent you when your manager pops by.

2. Office BFFs are politically incorrect

There is no fun in repeating the company’s values and goals during every lunch break. On the other hand, it is always appreciated if you could just be honest about your true feelings especially about a particular issue or person. It’s just open discussion, (though some could also dub it as gossip.

3. Office BFFs are loyal

It’s true. Office BFFs are sincere. They have your interest at heart, and will not spill your secrets. They stand by you even when you have missed that promotion, and will be there for you even though you’re of the lowest position in the company.

4. Office BFFs look out for you

Having an Office BFF is great especially if he sits near The Boss. With a keen sense of hearing, he will be able to warn you when an arrow is coming your way. Either react deftly to shield yourself from it, or buy yourself some time to think of an escape route (the toilet is usually recommended). It’s also great when you take super long periods of leave. The Office BFF will be there to fill you in.

5. Office BFFs make great lunch buddies

Be it buying your favourite ABC (Apple, Beetroot and Carrot) juice from a nearby fruit stall, or walking 15 minutes under the afternoon sun to change foreign currency or pick up a prospectus in Singapore’s Central Business District, Office BFFs will always be there for you.

6. Office BFFs make you look forward to work every Monday

It’s true. Apart from your salary, Office BFFs are the ones that put a grin on your face every Sunday night, and make you look forward to coming to work on Monday

7. Office BFFs make a bad day feel less sucky

I’m not sure, maybe it’s a girl thing. But when I talk about my the mistakes I made at work with my Office BFF, I get some sympathy, and I naturally feel better. It’s slightly different sharing these work mistakes with friends that are not in the same company. I guess the sense of empathy is more, given that your Office BFF is in the exact sort of predicament you’re in.

8. Office BFFs side-track at work sometimes

Be it to stalk a fellow colleague on Facebook, or to do some CSI (investigations) on a hunky footballer, Office BFFs will always be there to chill with you when required. Just don’t get caught reading Thought Catalog or bitching about a fellow colleague over IM. The worse, is to send the politically incorrect message to the person you’re bitching about. #truestory

9. Office BFFs make the best work-late-night partners

I don’t exactly enjoy working late, and frankly speaking, would love to scoot out of office before my Office BFF. But I do remember staying back one night to do work and time flew, with the conversations between my colleagues flowing, focusing on work and peppered with juicy office gossip. My colleagues and I left the office at 2.30am in the morning, but I didn’t feel exhausted or alone.

10. Office BFFs are your worst critics, but your best advisers on even your personal life

It was two years ago and I had an Office BFF who read my blog regularly. After having a discussion with another colleague, I wrote a somewhat controversial piece about how ‘Good guys would end up last‘. In the follies of my youth, I wrote that I found guys who always say ‘yes’ rather unattractive. True to the code of an Office BFF, the aforementioned stepped in with these simple words, “Phebe, did it ever occur to you that when a guy says Yes, he could be doing it out of his love for you?”

And that changed my life forever. (Ok, fine I’m being a little over-dramatic here). But it certainly did have some impact on my life decisions henceforth.

* * *

And as this Buzzfeed article aptly puts it, Office BFFs can end up becoming your real life BFFs. I guess in a fast paced society, Office BFFs can lose touch after changing jobs due to work and family commitments. But as the saying goes, once an Office BFF, always an Office BFF. There’s always time for coffee, or a good lunch. Peace out.

* * *

Road trip 2014!

We are going on a road trip. Yes and I am not the least excited. 

Oh well partly because as much as I would like to deny it, I guess Murphy's Law always follows me. 

The day before, we ended up in a heated argument over a chicken and egg issue. Cause and consequence. Butterfly effect. Ask me if I've regretted turning up for the gathering which I believed was the cause, I would still say no. Honestly I need to hang out with like minded people. They are weird, some noisy, some nosy, some calculative, but I believe they have Christ in them. 

The day of the trip, I ended up with heaps of work to do. Contracts not signed -> continuing support -> more work. Plus the very unsure 30 days of speculating which color team I end up in. Speaking of that, red or blue it doesn't matter. As long as my objectives are met, ie to provide a more than reasonable standard of living for my family, I'm fine anywhere. But of cos work life is deffo much more exciting with good food for lunch, great colleagues, and a great boss, like my ever so charismatic big boss! (I once dreamt of him giving me a lift in his 7-series!) 

(to be cont'd) 

LEGO lessons in life

(applies to MEGABLOKS and any other variations too...)

"Size doesn't matter. When stepped on in the dark, a 2X2 LEGO brick causes the same amount of pain as a 2X8 brick.

"All LEGO men are created equal (1.5625 inches tall). What they become is limited only by imagination.

"There is strength in numbers. When the bricks stick together, great things can be accomplished.

"Playtime is important. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you are building, as long as you're having fun.

"Disaster happens. But the pieces can be put back together again.

"Every brick has a purpose. Some are made for a specific spot—most can adapt almost anywhere—but every one will fit somewhere.

"Color doesn't matter. A blue brick will fit in the same space as a red brick.

"No one is indispensable. If one brick is unavailable, another can take its place.

"It doesn't always turn out as planned. Sometimes it turns out better. If it doesn't, you can always try again."

1st week of 2014 conquered!

Yes, I've conquered the first week of 2014, and with much success too!

Completed my year end closing, albeit some glitches due to my goldfish forgetfulness memory, but all was still smooth, thank God!

Survived my first week at home with a grouchy grandpa who is officially a retiree on 1 Jan 2014. Now that he does not need to work, he sure is spending a lot of time scrutunising me at home. But well, all is good (for now)!

In 2014, I've also embarked on my 日行一善 project. Strongly believe that if I do good, I will reap well! And so, for a start, I ahem, washed the dishes. Trust me, it's a very big hurdle I had to cross! I literally have cold feet and BITS (butterflies in the stomach) every time I'm told to wash the dishes. 

Ok that's all folks! Be back soon! 

new year new post!

its the 2nd day of year 2014 and i am on track to be very good this year....  well, ''good'' to me encompasses a whole lot of meaning, like say, be nice and cordial to everyone, be zero-error in work, be super tolerant to my hyperactive toddler, stay healthy and wealthy, etc... all these do need alot of self reminders, but i will try to the best of my ability to fulfill as much as i wished for!

"Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm."

life and deaths

well, i dun usually blog about sad news. but i guess in time to come, i may not remember exact details of them. like which year my popo passed away? it was the old school photographs that still displayed the date stamp that refreshed my memory... 1998.

it seems like there are alot of deaths this year. woke up to the news of the death of Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century.

juz a couple of days ago, fast and furious actor Paul Walker, died, ironically in a car crash.

in between them, was the sudden death of a cg member, alvin. well. he was one of the few nice guys who took the initiative to talk to me while i was still new in the cg. i hope there is something i can do for the family, at least for the wife. :(

some 2 months ago, chris left us. she too, was one of the few colleagues who displayed great hospitality. oh, and her home was the only (i tink) place that was opened up to the rest of the colleagues during CNY.

and then there was the 98 year old mom of my boss. she lived a good life and fought the good fight. 
 
and then there was a 14 year old girl, daughter of a fellow colleague in office, who also passed away due to cancer? suddenly too. 

TREASURE LIFE, AND THOSE AROUND YOU, MY FRIENDS.

Easing back pain...

As I lay me down to sleep, can't help but googled this: "sleeping positions for back pains"

And I think I might have found the solution. Gonna try it tonight. Wish me luck!

"If You Have. . .Back Pain
Lie on your side, with your legs supported
Some 40 percent of women suffer spinal issues, according to The Clinical Journal of Pain, and many of those originate—or get worse—between the sheets, because a wonky sleep pose can throw off spinal alignment for hours, says Robert S. Rosenberg, D.O., medical director of the Sleep Disorders Centers of Prescott Valley and Flagstaff, Arizona.

The key is to keep your spine in a neutral, naturally curved position. Lie on your side and put a slight bend in your knees, stacking your hips in a straight line (letting your top hip flop forward will rotate your lumbar spine, fueling more pain). Place a firm pillow or two in between your knees so that your legs are propped about hip-width apart. Your arms can relax out in front of you. If this feels funny at first, don't give up. Sleeping with extra padding takes practice."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.

On baby talk and baby naps.

My poor darling was too tired from a morning of playing with toktok and ahma that she fell asleep on the way back to nainai's house. Or rather I would say a morning of making ahma angry. I think it's hereditary. I used to make my mom angry all the time too. Haha. 

Anyway, and so she was sleeping on the bed while I lazed around on the mattress juz beside her. Yea the mattress has to be there and thank God it was. Cos she suddenly rolled off the bed, sat up, mumbled a few baby talk (I believed she was singing!) and then went back to lala-land, lying beside me! Awwww, so sweet!

And on that baby talk topic, I vividly heard her say "I love you". Either she's singing her Barney song, or she really meant she loves me!!!! Awwww....

Thunder thunderation!

"Check out my thunder thighs mommy!"

Why do I have this impending fear that baby is gonna blame momma for her thunder thighs in future? After all, that looks like a gene that I've passed down to her, considering that the Papa is well, almost stick thin. 

On the topic of thunder thighs, some really inconsiderate colleague of mine juz asked if I'm expecting another baby. Well, tyvm but no. I'm juz fat. *fuming mad*

E.N.T.J

I'm an ENTJ. And I'm proud of it.

***

In general, rationalists are visionary people, but, at the same time, very practical. If they see a problem, they fix it. ENTJs in particular, are good with money, determinant to the point where they intimidate those around them, and they are always in the driver's seat. They don't settle for second best. They aim for the stars. To put it differently, ENTJs are the kind of people most likely to run the show.

ENTJs think ahead to the future and approach problems from several different angles.

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."

ENTJ personalities don't deal well with inefficiency and they loathe incompetence. They can be harsh and unforgiving when they realize that someone or something has failed to live up to their expectations.

Another day at work...

It's Friday! Happy cos the Boss is working from home and I finally get to have some me-time to complete some of the much backdated work. 

My happiness did not last long cos before long, her emails start flying and she called. Grrr. And to cut the long story short, she doesn't agree with my way of working and I dun agree with her.

At the end of the day, I'm juz drawing a salary so I've decided to live and let live. I dun live for u alone!

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

Yes, the Marvel craze is back. Every now and then, we look forward to great blockbusters like this, to make our visits to the movie theatre more memorable!

while the Hubby marvels at the stunts and storyline of this wonderful movie, the bimbo in me can't help but to start imagining how nice it would be if i were to own the Mjölnir!!!!

which leads me to THE question...
“If you had Thor’s Mjölner for a day, what would you do with it?”

at this present moment in time (being very frustrated with entertaining difficult coworkers/bosses/colleagues, etc --> cannot be too obvious, i never know who reads my blog and relates it to the affected party, u know....)

oh yes. I would use the Mjölnir to knock some sense into she-who-shall-not-be-named. c'mon, let's juz make our working environment a little bit more friendlier instead of breathing down others' neck. I mean, wat good does it to you that you put down others and make yourself look superior and appear cleverer at the expense of others right?!?!?!!
side track: yes, it's a she. to the bao-toe-kia -who-reads-my-blog, dun bother guessing. 99% of my colleagues are SHES.

ok, i appear to be talking in parables now. but you know, the gist of it is, in every office, there is a joker whom you can't wait to see them die by their own stupidity. period.

ADD ON:
over the weekend, i'm pretty worried that your imaginations run wild, so let me give u an example of classic stupidity:
pretending to know how to operate the functions in microsoft excel and explaining that you can't find the commands, when in actual fact, you dunno!

.
.
.

for now, let me juz go back and play with my ah girl's toy hammer.... this. :(

"Catch Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World” in Singapore cinemas this 31 October 2013! For more updates, like the Official Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World Singapore Facebook Page, and subscribe to the Official Marvel Singapore YouTube Channel!”

reject milk no more!

yay! my baby is finally drinking milk!

alright i have to admit, its a passing phase. all babies go through constipation, diarrhoea, sleeplessness, anxiety, medicine feeding and milk rejection. the list is of cos not exhaustive. everyday is a learning journey for mama.

of cos i do have to be thankful that i skipped some of the unpleasant learning experiences, simply cos bb had not experienced that. count my blessings i would say.

between fretting over baby rejecting milk and fretting over high cost of formula milk, i prefer the latter. :P

moral of the story: stop worrying unduly!

reject milk!

i'm depressed, my baby is rejecting milk, and honestly, i've never wished so much for my baby to drink milk before... desperate times call for desperate measures. i asked the sep mommies group, the mummies club group, and even the moms in the cg. i looked for other milk samples for fear that baby might be sick of her current milk. i even added calcium gummy bears to the cart and was ready to buy them.

when will my baby drink milk again!!!!

another passing: huang wenyong

i've neva really paid much attention to passings in the news. or rather, i've neva really been emotional about them. 

last weekend, veteran actor Huang Wenyong passed away. it den dawned upon me that those closer to my generation are getting older. and then, that means i am getting older. yes, i'm getting older. :(

i can't run after a bus without feeling breathless rather than triumphant.
i can't even run after my baby and sweep her off her feet when she attempts something funny.

i can't gorge myself overfull in a buffet and still feel slim the next day at the gym.
wait, i dun even go to the gym anymore. 

i can't pick up a "S" size dress and pay without trying.
which of cos, was attributed to the slowing down of metabolism.

nevertheless, my (always positive) note to self would be to cherish those around us, to achieve whatever we can in our lives, and to live (and leave) a legacy. have you?

nothing scares me now!

work from home

the greatest (or worst) blessing that i have is to be working in a world class MNC which promotes work-life balance. as such, i enjoy tremendous flexibility in my working style, environment, etc. 

but the thing is, work-life balance is promoted in the organisation, but not really in my department. we used to be able to work 1 day from home a week. ever since the majority of our customers shifted to the Asia Pacific region, there is not much reason for late night working and hence the justification to work from home (WFH) the next day.

and so, i decided to test the system again today. not that i juz wanna try to be funny and to ''go as close to the line as possible without stepping on it or crossing it" (quoted from my discipline master about me back in Secondary school days).

genuinely, i appreciate such arrangements. that would mean: 

1. i would have more time (even that 1 hour of traveling time saved counts!) for me to spend time with my baby! 
2. i save $2 on transport a day (if i take the train that is).
3. my makeup collection lasts longer.
4. i dun have to fret about wat to wear and what not to wear.
5. i can enjoy my Class 95 in the background while working.
6. i can eat instant noodles for lunch. yes, that's my comfort food and i can eat instant noodles, anytime.
7. i can sneak an hour of power nap during lunch time! in this time and age where sleep is a luxury, any 40 winks is vital to maintain my bodily functions.

but then again, for the boss, WFH means:

1. she can't keep track of me and what i am doing... which is not true! unless you tell me the amount of work i do is measured by the amount of emails i send. if not how to keep track! anyway if you're expected to answer phone calls faster than u say ''hello'', working in the office will still mean i'm too s.l.o.w...
2. it's troublesome for the rest of the staff, eg if they were to look for me, etc.etc. well, the rest of the staff dun look for me half the time, what trouble is there?
3. it's unfair for the rest of the staff who do not WFH. erm, then juz let everyone WFH la. i'm sure they will not reject such kind gesture.

 so here am i, working from home today. hopefully everything turns out fine. *keeping fingers crossed*

l.o.v.e is...

... having mopappy fetch me to work even when he needs to go for reservist! (and hence the extra bit weet of time in the morning to pop in here!) ♥ ♥ ♥