YTuesday, May 22, 2007' 9:07 PM
My Country Garden
The whole world is interning at suntec this summer i swear!
Walked into bysi today and did not manage to buy anything... yet again.. that means i havent bought any new clothes in a month, which is depressing to say the least. and i actually found some of the stuffs in bysi to be expensive?! think that is an indication of my very poor financial health.. will mr.paycheck pls arrive sooner?!
and mr. xy msned yesterday saying he saw me on mondo magic singapore.
.......
like wtf seriously? wasnt that one year ago???? will cheapofart AXN stop replaying that damned episode on tv?! it's not like we agreed to be caught on film as idiots gaping at 2 street magicians' cheap tricks. so not glam at all. this is not how i imagine myself to appear as on tv =(
Walked into bysi today and did not manage to buy anything... yet again.. that means i havent bought any new clothes in a month, which is depressing to say the least. and i actually found some of the stuffs in bysi to be expensive?! think that is an indication of my very poor financial health.. will mr.paycheck pls arrive sooner?!
and mr. xy msned yesterday saying he saw me on mondo magic singapore.
.......
like wtf seriously? wasnt that one year ago???? will cheapofart AXN stop replaying that damned episode on tv?! it's not like we agreed to be caught on film as idiots gaping at 2 street magicians' cheap tricks. so not glam at all. this is not how i imagine myself to appear as on tv =(
Labels: life
YSunday, May 20, 2007' 11:53 PM
My Country Garden
Hello! It's been two days since i've been back from the land of sleaze.
Many thanks to all who sent me bday greetings or left me well wishes on their blogs OR sent me stuffs fr overseas.. really appreciate that guys!
Was pretty much alone on the day of my bday, having to travel back fr Shenzhen by myself. But everything proceeded smoothly, and i am very glad to be back in an environment where sleaze is NOT the norm. i rmb sending an sms back at one point, saying how i almost couldnt stand socializing with people who were cheating on their spouses and seemingly shared no sense of guilt. if there's one thing i cannot tolerate the most, it is infidelity. (thank gdness, that didnt show through, which leaves me to logically conclude that i, too, am capable of having a poker face!)
These people have shown me the dark side of the finance industry (not just the sleaze).. and it is disconcerting how after looking at the dark, it is so difficult to see the industry from the bright side again. but i must make it clear that at the end of the day however, i do respect these people a lot as professionals.
Travelling alone isnt the most enjoyable thing to do, and it definitely wasnt easy being the only female in the group. But looking back, it truly was an invaluable experience that money simply cannot buy.
During my last night in Shenzhen, i had an executive suite at shangri-la all to myself. There was a huge living room connected to the bedroom, but somehow all that empty space made me felt very uneasy. Still, how many times can one live in such luxury? my wordings are incoherent, as are my thoughts. there are still tons of things left to be pondered about..
Many thanks to all who sent me bday greetings or left me well wishes on their blogs OR sent me stuffs fr overseas.. really appreciate that guys!
Was pretty much alone on the day of my bday, having to travel back fr Shenzhen by myself. But everything proceeded smoothly, and i am very glad to be back in an environment where sleaze is NOT the norm. i rmb sending an sms back at one point, saying how i almost couldnt stand socializing with people who were cheating on their spouses and seemingly shared no sense of guilt. if there's one thing i cannot tolerate the most, it is infidelity. (thank gdness, that didnt show through, which leaves me to logically conclude that i, too, am capable of having a poker face!)
These people have shown me the dark side of the finance industry (not just the sleaze).. and it is disconcerting how after looking at the dark, it is so difficult to see the industry from the bright side again. but i must make it clear that at the end of the day however, i do respect these people a lot as professionals.
Travelling alone isnt the most enjoyable thing to do, and it definitely wasnt easy being the only female in the group. But looking back, it truly was an invaluable experience that money simply cannot buy.
During my last night in Shenzhen, i had an executive suite at shangri-la all to myself. There was a huge living room connected to the bedroom, but somehow all that empty space made me felt very uneasy. Still, how many times can one live in such luxury? my wordings are incoherent, as are my thoughts. there are still tons of things left to be pondered about..
YThursday, May 17, 2007' 7:53 AM
My Country Garden
Thought i might as well add an entry now because i seriously doubt the chances of me coming back to zhengzhou again (this is not much of a touristy place although shao lin temple is here).. so shall let this entry commemorate my stay here so far.
We're putting up hotel sofitel, which is a 5 star hotel. The room is pretty neat, being equipped with a workdesk that actually comes with HIGH SPEED cable connection. (gosh, high speed in china u noe!)
The other guys who were travelling with me.. well.. decided to 'abandon' me after dinner. well, they didnt explicitly declare that they were going to you know, find some 'entertainment'.. but it's definitely obvious where they were heading.. really dont get it. what do men have to do such things on biz trips? and we're talking abt married men with kids ya'know.. when it comes to doing biz in china, being a gd host seemingly equates to offering your guests booze and women.. (presumably because both are equally cheap here?!?!)
So obviously, not knowing what time they actually got back last nite, (or is it this morning?) i had to do breakfast alone, which is fine of course.. unlike most other china hotels that serve congee buffet, hotel sofitel serves intercontinental spread.. and there is a great variety too.. there are like 7 baskets of diff types of bread (wth rite?).. a section that serves western food, a section that serves traditional chinese food (aka CONGEE) , and blah blah alot more.
Somehow, couldnt enjoy my food without hearing dad's voice ringing at the back of my head telling me to stay away fr pork cuz there's some pig virus gg on in china rite now.. and also mom's warning abt china's man-made eggs! gosh. couldnt put food into my mouth without wondering what was it that i was actually eating.. is the macoroni really macoroni or is it some sort of synthetic material that merely ressembles macoroni?? it's like buying a gucci bag in china and wondering if it's the real thing.
also noticed that the restaurant served you tiao, but labelled it as DEEP FRIED CROISSANT. like hello, they're extremely diff things leh.. guess they were probably trying to trick the ang mohs into eating it.. and true enough, spotted one unsuspecting victim helping himself to the 'deep fried croissants'. eating deep fried dough aint quite as glamorous as eating deep fried butter.. think he'd realize that by now..
was abt to help myself to a third bowl of noodles when i spotted the director of the company we were visiting and being muddlehead as usual, i forgot his name! it was too embarassing to go over and say hi, and thank gawd he didnt see me either. fled as fast as i cld and came back to check out his name.
will be heading out to visit some factories before going back to shenzhen tonight.. hope all goes well!
We're putting up hotel sofitel, which is a 5 star hotel. The room is pretty neat, being equipped with a workdesk that actually comes with HIGH SPEED cable connection. (gosh, high speed in china u noe!)
The other guys who were travelling with me.. well.. decided to 'abandon' me after dinner. well, they didnt explicitly declare that they were going to you know, find some 'entertainment'.. but it's definitely obvious where they were heading.. really dont get it. what do men have to do such things on biz trips? and we're talking abt married men with kids ya'know.. when it comes to doing biz in china, being a gd host seemingly equates to offering your guests booze and women.. (presumably because both are equally cheap here?!?!)
So obviously, not knowing what time they actually got back last nite, (or is it this morning?) i had to do breakfast alone, which is fine of course.. unlike most other china hotels that serve congee buffet, hotel sofitel serves intercontinental spread.. and there is a great variety too.. there are like 7 baskets of diff types of bread (wth rite?).. a section that serves western food, a section that serves traditional chinese food (aka CONGEE) , and blah blah alot more.
Somehow, couldnt enjoy my food without hearing dad's voice ringing at the back of my head telling me to stay away fr pork cuz there's some pig virus gg on in china rite now.. and also mom's warning abt china's man-made eggs! gosh. couldnt put food into my mouth without wondering what was it that i was actually eating.. is the macoroni really macoroni or is it some sort of synthetic material that merely ressembles macoroni?? it's like buying a gucci bag in china and wondering if it's the real thing.
also noticed that the restaurant served you tiao, but labelled it as DEEP FRIED CROISSANT. like hello, they're extremely diff things leh.. guess they were probably trying to trick the ang mohs into eating it.. and true enough, spotted one unsuspecting victim helping himself to the 'deep fried croissants'. eating deep fried dough aint quite as glamorous as eating deep fried butter.. think he'd realize that by now..
was abt to help myself to a third bowl of noodles when i spotted the director of the company we were visiting and being muddlehead as usual, i forgot his name! it was too embarassing to go over and say hi, and thank gawd he didnt see me either. fled as fast as i cld and came back to check out his name.
will be heading out to visit some factories before going back to shenzhen tonight.. hope all goes well!
YSaturday, May 12, 2007' 12:06 PM
My Country Garden
My last 1 and 1/2 wks of internship has been moving at a very fast pace. It's not smthng one would realise on the job, but upon looking back, it's amazing how much grounds we've covered in such a short span of time. (actually maybe not THAT short, a typical day is from 8-7!)
Till date, we've done: country and industry analysis, all sorts of valuations for different types of companies, attended results briefing, and we've also attended interview with management so as to gain a better understanding of their company.
we're currently working on generating a full report on this particular company we've been assigned. it really is quite an exciting opportunity for us as our work will be eventually published as an analyst report.
next wk, i'll be sent to china to cover a soon-to-be-launched IPO in Sgp. It's not a big company of course, but it should provide some valuable learning experience. was reluctant to take it up intitally, cuz i feel unprepared for such an assignment at this early stage of the internship. (worse yet, i'll be the only one representing my company for the trip)
but since this would be my first time travelling alone, it is a good test to gauge my independence and corporate survival skills. Lets hope i can endure the cheena food (gosh, do i really have to eat those kinda food again....) and the bai jiu, if any is to be had at all (the cheena managers are reputed to be really HARDCORE drinkers).
hope to return (on my bday) with an interesting story to make a report. But for now, it's time to chew through some 200+ pages of prospectus... T_T
Have a great wkend all!
Till date, we've done: country and industry analysis, all sorts of valuations for different types of companies, attended results briefing, and we've also attended interview with management so as to gain a better understanding of their company.
we're currently working on generating a full report on this particular company we've been assigned. it really is quite an exciting opportunity for us as our work will be eventually published as an analyst report.
next wk, i'll be sent to china to cover a soon-to-be-launched IPO in Sgp. It's not a big company of course, but it should provide some valuable learning experience. was reluctant to take it up intitally, cuz i feel unprepared for such an assignment at this early stage of the internship. (worse yet, i'll be the only one representing my company for the trip)
but since this would be my first time travelling alone, it is a good test to gauge my independence and corporate survival skills. Lets hope i can endure the cheena food (gosh, do i really have to eat those kinda food again....) and the bai jiu, if any is to be had at all (the cheena managers are reputed to be really HARDCORE drinkers).
hope to return (on my bday) with an interesting story to make a report. But for now, it's time to chew through some 200+ pages of prospectus... T_T
Have a great wkend all!
Labels: life
YSunday, May 06, 2007' 9:32 PM
My Country Garden
Cartel Gangster Outing aka belated bday outing for aloha-act-kawaii-elaine-who-was-miraculously-able-to-meet-us-over-wkend-cuz-her-bf-was-in-camp
Siao one.. we actually stayed like 4 hrs at cartel (duh!) stuffing our faces into free bread and asking qian bian wen da ti.. but tt was some hilarious shit and we all had fun didnt we! actually hor, following the menu revamp and removal of svc charge.. realised the portion for baked marcoroni actually became smaller! but it tasted better..
Pro and Elaine
Us gals
Elaine with her seafood combo - upon knowing we were giving her a belated bday treat, she kinda like went for the erm more expensive item on the menu
Siao one.. we actually stayed like 4 hrs at cartel (duh!) stuffing our faces into free bread and asking qian bian wen da ti.. but tt was some hilarious shit and we all had fun didnt we! actually hor, following the menu revamp and removal of svc charge.. realised the portion for baked marcoroni actually became smaller! but it tasted better..
Pro and ElaineUs gals
Elaine with her seafood combo - upon knowing we were giving her a belated bday treat, she kinda like went for the erm more expensive item on the menuKwok and i being spastic as usual, this time with cartel bread.
Pang pro finally enlightened with regards to the purpose of an eyelash curler
A short session of retail therapy ensued, and it was a fun-filled afternoon no doubt.. next meeting will be like on.. *AHEM AHEM AHEM*. RIGHT?!
*******
Phantom of the Opera
It was my 2nd time watching this opera, afterall, the phantom did come to town some 10yrs ago. (was in pri sch back den)
To be honest, the production this time wasnt all that fantastic. in fact, it kinda disappointed. for one, the arrangement of the music wasnt up to standard. i kinda expected more from "the phantom of the opera" because it was the centre piece of the musical. somehow, it just lacked GUSTO. it couldnt create the effect of 'the phantom is coming!!!' like it did in the previous production. my fave piece "point of no return" was executed in a rather weak fashion too. sigh..
the performance by the actor who played Raoul was rather unconvincing. Even if he really did love and care for Christine, it just wasnt coming through man.
The saving grace of the musical had to be the stage costumes and props. they looked magnificent and the whole chandelier crashing scene was just mind blowing. we couldnt figure how they managed to move the props around with such great precision.. was really quite amazing in that aspect.
also, the pieces "prima donna" and "masquerade" held up pretty well too...
jacky and i were wondering whats wrong with the music till we zoomed in on the orchestra and guess wad.. the conductor was a female, so that made her a conductress.. not sound too discriminating against my own gender, but somehow a conductress doesnt seem as impressive as a conductor. and yea, the orchestra for the night was just alright. not bad, but not fantastic either.
and finally, the phantom and christine. well, they had pretty good vocals and the phantom was probably better.. so thank gawd because operas can suck big time if the leading characters cant deliver their tunes as well as they shld..
the ending - one major gripe we had was how the phantom just disappeared ala david copperfield style and the show ended abruptly. that was just so odd.. thought maybe they could have at least tied it back to the opening where people were bidding for the remaining pieces of the opera house. at least it would been more fitting.
but overall, it was an okay production.. shld watch it lar, because this is prolly one of the more affordable musicals that will come to town. it is supposedly at the lower brow of those higher end operas.
Labels: life
YTuesday, May 01, 2007' 9:02 PM
My Country Garden
All stars gathering~
Loads of fun food and booze. Duh!
Kudos to WC for introducing the 'minimizer' game.. the guys ended up drinking so much, do they suck or suck? lolol kidding la! girls are just smarter that's all.. lol.
think my seat had gd fengshui cuz kept getting aces to undercut deb! hahahaha hilarious!! she was like, "fill it to the brim! to the brim!" but ended up downing 1/2 the glass herself >.< id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059577775763464322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0dhFjtr7BmbRqHvSCOjWxYSewQ5v9mBGNmMOKTOvsNMgLpcmvM_NVhbWsou7poL-5UpOcoouAGQvTyc_omFypB5Q4wHAcVq3z7N87mnvEZ76UjWu43xHrP2DFWblssU6y9oo/s400/collage1.jpg" border="0">
Loads of fun food and booze. Duh!
Kudos to WC for introducing the 'minimizer' game.. the guys ended up drinking so much, do they suck or suck? lolol kidding la! girls are just smarter that's all.. lol.
think my seat had gd fengshui cuz kept getting aces to undercut deb! hahahaha hilarious!! she was like, "fill it to the brim! to the brim!" but ended up downing 1/2 the glass herself >.< id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059577775763464322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0dhFjtr7BmbRqHvSCOjWxYSewQ5v9mBGNmMOKTOvsNMgLpcmvM_NVhbWsou7poL-5UpOcoouAGQvTyc_omFypB5Q4wHAcVq3z7N87mnvEZ76UjWu43xHrP2DFWblssU6y9oo/s400/collage1.jpg" border="0">
the aftermath - 4 jugs of magaritas and 1 jug of beer
*******
been packing away my stuffs into big boxes in view of the ongoing renovation.. which is really becoming such a chore with my perfectly french manicured nails.. decided that a manicure was necessary to portray the image of a neatly groomed intern on the first day of work.. which starts tmr.. but my nails have already suffered some blemishes.. bummerz =(
okay, lets move on, before this post gets too bimbotic.
packing stuffs is fun in a way because you start to fish out a lot of rotten stuffs from the shelves and cupboard which you forgot once existed.. like sistah's magazines for example, which were kept for over a year.. she had forgotten abt it entirely too! (as evident from last nite's reaction)
and then comes the nostalgic part when you start fishing out old letters and cards written to you by your frens.. twas these letters that kept frenships going strong these years.. also, it was through one of these letters that i was rudely reminded that ying and laysh formed the Genius Gang (omg, they actually trademarked the name!) in a feeble attempt to overthrow the almighty Team Wocket. Note the word FEEBLE.
Labels: life
