DivIne

Jingle Bells

Wow! True enough from the last blog "So Far So Good" I mentioned that half a year passed with a blink of an eye and Christmas is just round the corner now. That means lots of holes to patch in my pocket.  Not that I visit Louis Vuitton, Prada or Gucci to get my Christmas gifts but spending on gifts for a few friends and family members can probably get myself a small purse in my humble LV shop.  And after all that, comes the big ticket smacking me straight on my face. The darn bloody "cheap" car insurance and "lovely" road tax. How I love them so much!

This year will be slightly different for me, instead of going to some friend’s BBQ party or counting down in some clubs full of Santa and Santarina wannabes.  I will be holding a Christmas bash this time at my place.  Lots of champagne, red wine and golden crackers going hand in hand with roasted beef and grilled lamb-chops. Looking forward to it.  To end the lovely night with a sweet note, it will be definately be my selfmade Tiramisu.  Yum!

If I don’t get to see any of you this festive season, hereby I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a money making year 2007 ahead!! Cheers!!

Dear Santa

I have been a good girl all year
and the only thing I ask for is
peace and joy in the world for
everybody…..

Love
Shenise

Here is some insights to a Gemini woman which i read somewhere. Something to share with you guys. Hmmm… Interesting to know.

Gemini Strength :

- Witty

- Energetic
- Clever
- Imaginative
- Adaptable

Gemini Weakness :

- Indecisive

- Impulsive

- Superficial
- Restless
- Devious

Gemini and Independence:

Gemini are extremely independent. They will not be pinned down by anyone or any rules. They need to experience the world on their own. Change and freedom are extremely important to Gemini, they will never let anyone dictate them, they are extremely independent and freedom is essential to their mental well being.

Gemini and Friendship:

Gemini make very interesting and exciting friends. They like to leave their mark on everyone they meet. They are very flighty and will disappear for a long time as they meet new friends and explore new places. When they come back, they will have new thoughts, opinions and interesting things to share. Life is very interesting and fun with a Gemini friend. If you need any advice, Gemini is the one to ask. They are masters of communication and they can help you get what you need by helping you with persuasion and enthusiasm. Do not however, bog a Gemini down with all of your emotional problems, they do not want to deal with it because it depresses them. Even though Gemini is a social butterfly, they always need time for themselves and that should be respected.

Gemini and Business:

Gemini tends to disperse their energy onto different tasks and not just concentrate on one thing thus leaving a trail of unfinished projects in their wake. If they were to focus their energy in one place, their cleverness and intelligence would allow them to complete their project with success and creativity. They make excellent salespeople because their ease of communication allows them to manipulate very well and easily justify any move they make.

Gemini in a Nutshell:

Gemini people are many sided, quick both in the mind and physically. They are brimming with energy and vitality, they are clever with words. Gemini are curious and wants to know what’s going on in the world around them. This can sometimes make them nosy. This is because they really enjoy communicating, more so then most other astrology signs. Lacking perseverance, Gemini easily goes off topic to explore another thought or idea. Gemini are superficial, they will form opinions on matters without diving into them and exploring them fully. This can lead them into thinking they know everything, which they usually do,  but their mind is too busy to be concern with finer details. Routine and boredom are Gemini’s biggest fears. They would rather be naive then know the depressing truth as they do not want to put a damper on their freedom or positive energy.

What it’s like to date a Gemini Woman:

The Gemini woman is truly enchanting. However, dating her might feel more like a friendship then a real relationship due to her casual nature. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, for the casual man who shys away from overly romantic emotions. Since she is the sign of the duality, she offers quite the challenge. On the other hand, she also needs to be nurtured, loved and catered to. She is very demanding and if you do not provide what she wants, she will be off to the next adventure pretty quickly. To keep her interested is a challenge, not completely impossible. She needs a partner with a quick mind who can keep up with her wit or will be briskly left behind. She is prone to keeping men on a string, not completely heartless.  She is just evaluating if the man is worth her attention and her time. She has no time to waste with a dull man. Once you have her approval, she can become jealous easily.  The reason for her jealousy is that she rarely opens up to anyone very much afraid of getting deceived or hurt.

How To Attract A Gemini:

Love to talk, that is the first rule about impressing a Gemini. Be knowledgeable. If you are an expert on a certain topic, teach them about it, you will impress them because this know-it-all sign does not usually know fine details about a lot of things, they are too busy to be bothered to learn. Speak your mind and never be too conservative as they find it dull. Be honest and loyal to a Gemini, once the trust is broken you will never get it back again. Gemini are easy to date, they will do any activity anywhere. Just have fun, like you would with a friend because that’s what Gemini are, a great friend.

A period of depression and undulating mood swings.  Which I endeavour to pass this stage and resist yielding to self-pity and carry on with life.

It all started with a job that involved nerve-racking time away but I had many passion for my work then, which might have drove a relationship once beautiful to a dead end.  Its almost like the thinning of the ozone layer day by day that allows harmful UV rays to seep through.

At this point of time, I’ve learn to see things from a much bigger picture.  I’ve grown more world-wisely but somehow am still resisting hard against cynicism towards love at large.  No longer looking through rose tinted glass full of creamy white satin gowns and black tuxedos.  No more wistfulness…  Just a wilted flower that is longing to be watered again.

Six months into my new environment, still gritting my teeth hard.  Well so far, I’m swishing about in the deep water just fine. It’s tough mentally and emotionally especially at this transition.  Must survive, must struggle, must rise above the engulfing tide.  I have my dreams, myself to answer to and I do not wanna become just another number in the mess of drones.

Please don’t wish me luck….  Wish me trail-blazing determination!!!

          Somehow You Have Drifted Away

Somehow you have drifted away
Knowing one day my scent will be foreign
To me it had seemed we could go on forever
So close were our hearts, and at ease
I thought time did as it pleased
Whatever I did that made you unhappy
I ask for forgiveness and grace
I cannot think you know and just don’t care
I know I did not do well
For only that little time in my hands
How much is a love like mine worth to you now?
‘Cause I’m sorry’…
Thank you for the happiness we shared
Hard as it is, I keep you in my heart
Knowing what i missed after we are far apart
Yet the love can never be repaired
Old feelings are like treeless roots that lies
Underneath the ground, where they will one day die

To Da Cres

It’s already June.  Time really flies and the next thing you know half a year is gone Wow, it has been quite some time since my last blog entry.  Within a blink of the eye, and a birthday passes yet again.  I have learned so much and feel so blessed that everything has really clicked together.  Work has been really hectic and exciting.  Of late, I don’t actually dread Monday mornings.  Call me corny or whatever, but I really enjoy my job! 

My birthday just passed too.  This year, my birthday wasn’t much of a big affair.  We had an intimate gathering of friends at a quiet pub along the Mhd Sultan stretch.  Thankfully, It was a far cry to the birthday bash I had last year.  Let’s just say this year I didn’t have to stagger home, and could still say my ABCs at the end of the night.

On a slight tangent here:  I think Mhd Sultan really needs a revamp of sorts.  I noted that it seemed awfully quiet that weekend night.  Think of a post apocalypse scene with a few walking dead mulling around and that was how Mhd Sultan resembled.  Maybe the landowners should form an association and rethink how that area can be reborn.  Say a mix of restaurants, cafes and retail.  Perhaps a Holland village sort of vibe would be nice.  But what would I know.. ask me about shoes instead.

This morning I woke up quite early considering it’s a Sunday.  I was torn between certain household chores, or feeding my tummy.  As usual, I chose the latter.  So I rummaged through the larder to see what I could throw together.  I chanced upon a can of pork ribs, and an ancient pack of Bee Hoon.  Throw in some cabbage and fire up the wok, and voila!  A delicious meal for the whole family.

(note: According to my mum, always buy ‘Chilli’ brand if you wanna make a good fried Bee Hoon dish.) 

If Shenise can cook.. So can you!  Check out the pix.

I think I killed a pigeon.  Allow me to please my case.   

Last Saturday was an interesting day.  I decided it was high time to send Fifi to the Groomers (Fifi = my dog, she’s a shih-tzu).  It was high time for her to get her hair cut and bathed.  We all know how dogs get when they develop doggie smell, and Fifi is totally oblivious.  Anyway, I made that fateful trip down to Toa Payoh to deposit her with the Groomer.  I also made wonderful plans to go to the gold driving range after that, and whack a few balls while waiting for her to be done.  I finally deposited my dog and went on my way.

A slight disclaimer here before we carry on with this story:

I am what you can refer to as a “Competent Female Driver”.  I can parallel park in one swift movement, and was born with a gear-stick in my hand.  Before anyone accuses me of being a moron on the road, I dare you to challenge me on any racing circuit.  Name your place and I’ll take you on anytime!

Ok. On with the mishap.

(This all probably happened within the span of  2 to 3 seconds)

While driving to the driving range, I had to take an exit off onto the expressway.  Unfortunately, a pigeon was squatting right in the middle of the road.  It was a 2 lane sliproad, and there were cars flanking my left and rear.  We were driving at some pace, I had no space to maneuver, and to suddenly brake for the pigeon wasn’t the most prudent thing to do.   So I stayed on the lane and hoped that:

1) The pigeon would see the 1 ton+ of moving mass approaching it and fly away.

2) It would stay absolutely still and pass between the wheels of my car.

Well, the pigeon did stay still for awhile and decided to fly away at the exact moment my car was passing over it.

THUD!

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a billow of feathers, almost forming a screen in front of the car behind me.  I am quite certain that I did not squash the bird.  And if by some chance the bird survived, it would be a big relief on my conscience.

I drove away in absolute silence with my face stuck with a look of terror.  Nightmares ensued that night and I said my little remorseful prayer of and everything seems fine now.

But the absolute question is: The next time I’m in Hong Kong, will I still enjoy my favourite roasted Pigeon delicacy? Hmmm, Food for thought.

My adventures in Golf.

When I was a lot younger, I used to watch quite a fair bit of TV. On a lazy Saturday afternoon, there was nothing more gratifying than sitting back on the old sofa and scanning the channels for something interesting on the telly. Shows like "The Electric Company" and "Aksi Mat Yoyo" among others were worth noting. However, I could never really understand why people would be interested in watching certain sporting activities on TV.

If I flipped to a channel showing soccer, it may have roused say 3 minutes tops of my time. If it were Tennis, maybe say 5 minutes before I touch that dial again. But if golf happened to be on TV, then its an immediate channel switch. I felt that Golf was plain outright silly. Here you have a few old men hitting and chasing a smallish white ball over vast expanses of grass and into a small circular hole. There is no action, no grunts, and no sweat. Even the golfers of that day were not much of a sight to behold. Most of them had a beer gut, and their ‘sporting attire’… well just didn’t look cool. So yes, I though golf was a stupid game.

Fast forward a decade, and here I am standing at the SAFRA Golf driving range on a Saturday afternoon. Yes, welcome to the new millennium when golfing stars get multi-million contracts endorsement deals and have names like Tiger and Vijay instead of Jack or Paul. The game that I once thought stupid, I now embrac. What possessed me might you ask? Well, there has been a paradigm shift of late. No longer is golf an inaccessible game only meant for the rich and old. It is now a game for everybody! As I stand at the driving range, flanking me on my sides are 2 totally different characters. On my left is a little boy say bout 10 years old, and he really hits the ball far! On my right is a middle-aged man who seems to enjoy joking with Hokkien expletives with his friend on the other bay.

I discovered golf sometime back while on a short holiday in Desaru. A friend brought me on the course, and it was truly then that I realized what the whole fuss was about. The smell of the grass, the anxiousness while standing on the tee-box, and the nice feeling of the great outdoors was just fantastic. Though I mostly made holes on the course and held up play for the flight of golfers behind us, it was a really nice experience.

Yippee!! Tomorrow is Saturday, and I’m gonna have lessons at Safra again. If any of you guys are interested in picking up golf, I highly recommend mine - Phil Brew. He’s Australian I think, and he’s really patient and cool. But no doubt about it, he can really hit the ball FAR!! He’s a big guy by the way, maybe it has something to do with his size. I think the equation for force goes like this: FORCE = MASS X ACCELERATION.

So maybe I should put on a few kilos myself to gain a few extra meters on the course.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

To some, holly and Turkey at Christmas turn them on.  To others, the champagne and parties on New Year’s eve is the highlight of the year.  But for me, Chinese New Year is undoubtedly my favourite time of the year.

Oh CNY, how do I love thee, let me count the ways:

1) Pineapple tarts! Not the hard and crumbly variety, the sort that melts in your mouth.

2) Love letters! When I buy tins of love letters, I insist on opening the tin to inspect that the contents are intact.

3) Bah Kuah! I actually kinda like the cheaper, recombined Bah Kuah.  It’s softer.

4) and of course Ang Pows!!!!  Show me the money!

Yes, it’s the season when we get to reunite with long lost relatives and break bread together in hopes of a prosperous New Year.  It’s one of the rare occasions when we get to indulge in copious amounts of good food everywhere we go.  So far, I’ve already had 3 steamboat meals and might have independently consumed close to a kilo of prawns.  I love prawns by the way, but they have to be fresh and crunchy. 

Of course, there is a dark side to everything.

Cousins get scrutinized and compared with each other, resulting in a clash of parental egos.  Whilst anxiously counting Ang Pow money back home, we sneer when we discover that Uncle XXX gave a measly $2 Ang Pow.  And one can get quite bored waiting for mummy to finish playing her marathon mahjong session at an Aunt’s place.

I also realize that Aunties all say the same thing, year after year.  If you happen to be in the shoes of an Aunty, you could simply repeat the following phrases:

“Wahh.. you big girl now ah!”

“Wahh.. you put on / lost so much weight!”

“What are you doing now ah?”

“When are you getting married ah?”

“Go, go and eat, there’s plenty food on the table”

Anyway, I’ll be going back to work tomorrow.  I heard last week that we will be having many office “lou hei” sessions, and I’m really looking forward to that!  If you find shaved turnip or carrot bits stuck on the ceiling – that would be my doing.

When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother

What will I be

Will I be pretty

Will I be rich

Here's what she said to me

Que Shenny Shenny

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours to see

Que Shenny, Shenny

What will be, will be

I’ve just started a new job with XYZ Company.  And guess what, I’m a Money Broker.  Ooooh, come again?  Money Broker you say?  Yes that’s right, from serving coffee a thousand miles up high, to drafting advertising proposals, and now handling currency transactions between financial institutions – Shenise Wong is on the move.

Mind you, please don’t accuse me of being fickle.  Whilst filling out the form that required my employment history information, there was a section that demanded to know my ‘reason for leaving’ from the previous employer.  I reflected on this for awhile and honestly replied with “Career advancement”. 

I wonder if anyone ever put in a reason such as : “My boss is a beearch” or.. “the pay sucked” or.. “the office was too far away from home”

Anyway, so far so good.  Being a money broker is certainly a new experience for me.  The people in the office all seem to be very nice and I have a mentor who is willing to teach me.  During trading hours, it can get very hectic.  In this new job, I have to be really alert and on my toes all the time as a mistake can cost thousands of dollars.  In a way, I’m relieved since I never fancied myself in a monotonous or deskbound job.  The atmosphere is rather exciting and customer relations with our clients are really important.  So I guess company expensed restaurant meals with clients will become regular affair

There goes my diet.

Well, will this set me on the road to riches? Whatever will be will be…

Dear diary,

I’ll be starting my new career as a money broker tomorrow, 12Th January 2006!  My first day at work seems like the first day of school.  I’m so excited and I can’t wait to start the new year!  I’ll be waking up early in the morning at 7am. "Bed and bolster here I come".  Wish me all the best!