Sometimes I think I should just not work

Posted by Gingerblossom at 9:01 AM

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Because:

1. I always end up on jobs that require long hours
2. I want to do a job well and I will pure my energies into it at the expense of health & hearth

So there's no in between for a balanced life. It's one or the other. Yup. That's what I think.

Acclimatizing to Slurpee, Sneezy and Smelly

Posted by Gingerblossom at 8:02 AM

Friday, May 14, 2010

I don't love living in Beijing. I just don't mind it as much anymore. But there are still things that annoy me... it always starts from the moment I board a plane back for Beijing. Oh. remind me not to fly Air China to and from Singapore. And if you think I'm whining/ complaining, I'll unabashed declare that I am!


Let's start with the flight back. The man who sat beside me was a slurper. I'm no fan of slurping. I understand slurping in some cultures is a sign of appreciation for the food and the food items "slurped" are usually noodles and soup. The Chinese passenger beside me slurped his salad, bread and rice. I really have no idea how he slurped coleslaw but he did. Lunch was served at 10.30am. At that hour, listening to someone slurp is really a nauseating experience. Made me NOT want to eat my lunch. And honestly, lunch at 10.30pm?? And nothing else between? The flight landed at 3.40pm and I was raving hungry by then. There were no snacks, nothing.

At immigration, the cacophony of returning Chinese tourists made me more irritable. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Or maybe it was their volume. It just made my eye start to twitch.

I had to wait a couple of hours at the airport for my dad who was arriving on a different flight. His flight was delayed by an hour. Great. I went to Burger King for a meal ( there's really nothing much to eat at the airport!). As I pushed my trolley along, I had to push pass people who just really had to block the exit. The airport is huge. Did you have to park yourself smack in front of the exit? Not my fault if I have to use the trolley to ram you when you don't move after several "excuse me".

After my snack, I went back to the arrival hall and found spot to watch for my dad... whoever designed the airport didn't seem to consider chairs a necessity for people waiting for delayed flights. I stood for a good hour or so. During this period, I was jostled innumerous times. Mind you, the spot where I was rooted to had empty space stretching several metres to my left, right and back. But people had to walk right into me. There was one who elbowed me too.

The eye twitched a couple more times. And more violently when someone sneezed without covering his mouth, at my brand new luggage. GROSS! Thank god I moved fast enough to push my trolley aside when I saw him working up a sneeze.

And finally... before my dad arrived and we hurried off to the sanctuary of home, 4 people who smelled like they haven't taken a bath or washed their clothes since yesterday , decided to station themselves near me. By then, the area around me was full and I was trapped between Sneezy and the Smellies. These were people that were dressed quite well but smelled awful!

By then, I was amazed I wasn't a twitching mass of nerves. Everything just rubbed me the wrong way. This always happens the first couple of days I get back to Beijing...




The fine art of ta-baoing ba chor mee for a long distance flight

Posted by Gingerblossom at 7:42 AM

Tuesday, May 11, 2010


I queued 40mins today to buy Dan's favourite Ba Chor Mee ( noodles with minced meat).

$5 /pack, no liver and I would like 4 packs please.

Immediately upon collecting my order, I ran for a cab. Got home, and threw it all into the freezer.
That's step 1 - freezing the noodles as quickly as possible!
Step 2. Wait for it to freeze into the shape of the container, then transfer into a ziplock bag.
Step 3. Place frozen, repackaged noodles back into freezer
Step 4. remove from freezer, just few mins before leaving the house for the airport, and transfer it into a cooler bag.
Step 5. Place it within your luggage and GO!

Upon arriving at destination, quickly find a freezer and dump everything back in. To eat, defrost and warm in a pot. Add a little water to hasten the process.

cute new rings

Posted by Gingerblossom at 8:35 AM

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Got these rings as Far East Plaza Singapore, from a little shop that sells the most interesting rings. One of the rings had a mini carousel on top!

Check out the detail of this ring. It looks like I have a cat wrapped around my finger.



Just cos it was a 2 finger ring... Rebel I am not...

The sea

Posted by Gingerblossom at 7:04 AM

Monday, May 3, 2010


I've never been a fan of sitting by the beach. Bores me stupid. There was only one place in the world where I actually enjoyed the sea view and that was in Greece. Then again, Greece was incredibly beautiful and it's hard not to love watching the sun set over the sea while you indulge in greek food and wine...


I was in Dalian last Thurs- Sat for work. My colleagues and I managed to sneak in 2 hrs before our flight back to BJ to drive around the city and see the sea. It was then that I realized how calming the see can be. It's not really about watching the waves crash on the rocks. It's about listening to the rhythmic sound of the ocean, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face and breathing in the salty tang of the air.

It didn't change my mind about being trapped on a beach with nothing to do but watch the waves. But it made me appreciate the sea that much more. I guess its got to do with the work stress and being in land-locked Beijing where the air's bad and you hardly see blue sky. Whatever it was, I enjoyed the experience. Looking out at the vast ocean, I could imagine for one second, being someplace other than work, being at peace with the world.

Tired...

Posted by Gingerblossom at 8:05 PM

Saturday, May 1, 2010

So. I come home from Dalian and realised that hey, i can't take a break. I have to finish drafting a quotation, a ppt presentation, a workplan, an outline for a product launch, revise an annual plan, have a lunch discussion... all by end of day monday.


Come tuesday, it's a 10-3pm meeting, handover on 4 accounts, catch a flight at 11.30pm . Arrive at 5.30pm, queue outside the CHina embassy then head straight into the office for a concall.Oh. Did I fail to mention, I also need to finish writing something on the plan? There is no time to rest!!!
And my entire vacation back home is spent working. WTF??