A statement, then a thousand words

Here is proof of the power of the internet. And how with facebook, one's life is never quite private again. Even that oh so small little tiny statement which now says "in a relationship" can trigger a storm......for as long as one has 'auntie' friends or bitchy friends in their social circle, and these aunties with their hawk sharp eyes (especially those who have just had lasik), there's no escape. And so how that one innocent statement in facebook, noticed by hawk-sharp bitchy aunties, triggered over 100 emails gossiping and speculating on the status of that relationship. Hmm. No doubt we can be considered for second careers as "bah guah" (nosey parker) hosts of some gossipy trashy entertainment show ala taiwan style. This friend is probably regretting his momentus impulse to post his new relationship status online. But too late to change it even now, that is the power of media, and auntie-network friends (yes we have nothing better to do).

Embodied Experience

Spotted this beauty at a shop at Vivocity. The bright orange sure is attractive, and turns out this is the Embody chair, successor to the highly acclaimed Aeron by Herman Miller.

Pretty chair. Fancy ergonomics. Not really customizable. Atrocious pricetag ($2500). And oh by the way, it arrived 2 weeks ago and is now out of stock in Singapore. Waiting period? 3 months. Hello? Out of stock within 2 weeks? At $2,500 a pop? I thought we are in Recession. Some of our shopping habits here really astound me. So are we in recession or not?

Art of firing people?

C and I were comparing scenarios in which we could fire people. Not that I was going to fire anyone, but sometimes I'd like to imagine it happen to some less than effective people. Here's my 2 takes:

Scenarios 1:
Me: You work is crap. You agree.
Staff: Err...yes, I guess.
Me: It's a waste of company's money and resources to keep supporting employees who don't perform. You are one of those resource wasters.
Me: [looks staff in the eye] Should I tell you what to do about these resource wasters?

C thinks this scenario is uber sucky, since the likely ending will be ...Employee bursts into tears, resigns and jumps out the window. So instead of firing the staff, the staff ends up committing suicide. C very kindly suggests I should motivate the employee into thinking their talents are better utilized somewhere else instead.

Ok ok so here goes Scenario 2:
Me: You're a person with talent. It's just that the company doesn't know how to appreciate it. And your boss (me) doesn't know how to appreciate it.
Me: So it's not about you, it's just too bad you have a sucky boss.
Me: Since your boss is not going to leave the company, then I'm sure you agree your talents are better appreciated elsewhere.

By this time, C is rolling his eyes. Oh great. Brilliant, he says. Likely ending? Employee takes out knife and stabs sucky boss, and then kills himself. So 2 persons including myself dies, and no one is better off.

Man. In the old days it was much easier, just need only to say, "You're Fired!". Or, Henry VII's style, "Off with his head!!".

Predictably Irrational

I had heard so much about this book and finally got it from Borders. It's a real amusing and insightful read about irrational behaviours. Guess I'm hoping this will explain to me why women buy so much makeup which they (or I) can never finish, and why we think paying $15,000 for a bag is better than buying 15 bags for $1000 each.

Oops no space

Borders should stop giving out coupons. Well now I've run out of bookshelf space. New latest cookbook acquisitions are actually lying on the floor of my bedroom. I need new bookshelves. YP no doubt will be quite aghast - the last time I ran out of space for a Desktop computer, I (well, WE) ended up repainting the entire bedroom (along with new bookshelves, cupboards, desk etc etc). The desktop computer story is a classic one - it all started with I ran out of space (RAM i think) to run the Sim city game. So bought new PC. So bought new desk. So bought new shelves and table and cupboard. So decided to paint room to match. Cost of Sims game $50. Cost of new everything else... hmm....

Yes I know what she is thinking, Wen is dangerous when she runs out of space.

Makeup and Wen

Well, in response and follow up to the previous post on cosmetics. I came to work today to find an email message from a US friend, 25% off everything for certain well known brand. Go to website blahblahblah...

I click on website.

I click on items. Click, click, click click.

Before I know it, click click click click and click. After all, 25% off mah....

Another friend (same ex colleague whom I blogged in previous post about buying $300+ in cosmetics recently) exclaimed,

She: Dude you are buying waaaay to much! You don't even use these stuff!!
Me: Err, pretty mah.
She: Even Mimi (harridan from Drew Carey show) doesn't wear this much eyeshadow!
Me: I won't be using them, just keep to admire.
She: That's defeating the purpose!!

Well, maybe I'll give them away as presents after admiring them for a week. She's right, there is absolutely no way I will use all these cosmetics and no space none whatsoever (zilch, nada, dun have, bo) where I can store them. Even my last yrs purchase are still sitting in last year's carrier bag (same one they put my cosmetics in when I bought the stuff).

But they are pretty. So pretty.

Makeup and Women

So how much makeup does a woman need? My ex colleague just spent $380 at a workshop and cosmetics. My good friend ah V apparently also spent $280 on eyeshadow and some $500 (?) I heard, on mineral powder. How much makeup does a woman really need? How can they use up all these makeup so quickly? I don't get it - me, I still have brand new, untouched, 99% pristine condition makeup from last year, the year before, the year before. Let's see, in my lifetime I have competely used up:

- 2 lipsticks
- 2 lipglosses
- blush (zero)
- foundation (zilch)
- eyeshadow (nada)
- eye pencil (duh?)
- mascara (not enough to even paint a toenail)

my one proud achievement? I have maybe used 5 tubs of loose powder. Yay.

Skincare, ok no problem. Easy. But makeup? how much can a girl really use? I still don't get it.

The Brother and The Car

Well the Brother got a Car. No surprise, I mean, girls like to spend their money on bags, clothes, shoes. Boys like their toys. Bro already has every game console in the market (i am frankly surprised how many of those consoles were either redeemed with vouchers, or a gift with purchase like singtel subscription. Seriously).

But here's what I don't get - Bro's gf comes to our house every night. When she goes home, bro walks her downstairs and sends her off in a cab. Err, dude, you got a car, how come you ain't sending your gf home? His answer - she lives too far, the journey there and back will take an hour's drive. What the???!!! Dude, that IS the point of buying a car right? Man, my bro makes a real crappy boyfriend. Wait, I haven't even gotten to ask if he gives her money for the cab ride home, or she pays it herself. Do I want to know? Sheeesh.

And he buys a car for...? The answer - to drive himself to work which is a 15 mins bus ride away.

Ok in comparison, C is the perfect boyfriend. Bro makes C look like an angel from heaven. A big fat one. Ha ha.

Mom's R Us

The thing about friends who are moms, is that their kids are their everything. I even think most if not all, would rather trade in husbands than trade in their kids. Just read as another friend wrote a whole essay (actually 2) about preschooling her son. You know, in the old days - as in, when we were younger, we didnt' have preschool, playschool. Lucky if we went to kindergarten, and look, we turned out ok. One friend's son is the king of the ELC universe, the other friend whose other half is also a school teacher is ensuring her son gets a data dump of everything in her and hubby's brain. Another friend, well, I dunno, maybe her son is now master of anime universe.

All these friends have sons. Why isn't anyone out there having daughters???? Daughters are much more fun. The one friend who has a daughter, the kiddo is way cool. Atta girl.

Spain, a Culinary Roadtrip with Mario Batali

Finally, after months of haunting Borders bookshop to find a brand new, untarnished copy of Mario Batali's Spain, I am now the proud owner of this culinary book (after a 30% discount, no less!).

Spain...A Culinary Road Trip is the companion book to the prime-time public television series Spain...On The Road Again. Now, maybe when I finished K-dramas (maybe, maybe) I'll find some time to go back watching Anthony Boudain in No Reservations. But until then.....

Holly wants to be a Millionaire?

In answer to C's comment on the previous post that I should pass the phone to Holly on the Millionaire show, this is probably what will happen if Holly is on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show:

Show host: So, what is your answer?
Holly: [blink blink]
Show host: yes? And your answer is.....?
Holly: [blink blink]
Show host: err, do you want to call a friend?
Holly: [blink blink]. Arf!
Show host: [dials Wen's house]
...
At Wen's house, Biscuit picks up the phone.
Biscuit: Arf?
Show host: I'm the show host of Who wants to be a Millionaire. We have your friend Holly on the show and she needs you to help her answer a ......
[Click]
[sound of phone being hung up]
Show host: err, hello?

Who wants to be a Millionaire

We watched Slumdog yesterday. Nice story on a slum boy making it good. Now if C had gone onto the "Millionaire" show, this is what is likely to happen:

Show host: So, what is your answer?
C: I will use a lifeline. Call a friend.
[calls Wennie]
Me: Hello?
C: I need the answer to this question...
Me: But why?
C: cuz I need the answer and I need it in 30 secs...
Me: But why you need to know?
C: cuz I"m on the Millionaire show now..
Me: Why are you on the show? You didn't tell me you were going on the show.
C: [time almost up] Can you just gimme the answer, NOW PLEASE?
Me: You told me you are going to be busy with appointments tonite, you didn't say you were going on a show. You bluffed me!
C: Please tell me the answer..
Me: But why? You din tell me you on the show, so why I should give you answer...
C: ARRGHHH......[vomits blood. Falls off from chair. Nosebleeds. Head explodes in front of hundreds of audience]
Show host: Err...your time is up.

Chicken and Egg story

Sunday - C and I were comparing how many eggs we had eaten recently.

Me: I already ate 5 this week. Cannot eat more, bad for health.
C (laughing): I ate 5 TODAY already!
Me: Huh why you eat so many eggs for what?! Are you a Chicken???!
.....
...............

For that one split second, there was stunned silence (as usual). And I regretted the statement as soon as I said it. C looked as if he was going to have a massive nosebleed...where all his 5 eggyolks would be flowing out of his nostrils.

Don't even have to ask me what C said after that.

We continued to play monopoly on the IPhone and pretend that conversation didn't happen.