Here's to change!

It started with my birthday last year. I made a promised to myself that I'll do things differently now. I've been on the sidelines for too long, waiting for...I don't know what. I've taken baby steps, almost laughable when I shared them with some good friends but for me they were giant strides. I'm embracing the girl I used to be in my twenties - slightly crazy risk taker, passionate lover of life - who has been in hibernation. And the consequences of which are still reverberating since September 2009. 

I've had the best year I've ever had on the work front. After nearly a year as contract staff at one fantastic international design agency, I am now moving on to a new job in the same industry at the end of month that seems to have been tailored just for me. 

There have been other moments, like me becoming a god-mother for the third time (to date, it's Daniel, Anthony and now, Tristan) but the biggest one that will make 2009 forever memorable? I met someone. Six months of long-distance phone calls (thanks Skype and Hoiio!), emails and IMs have kept us close but he'll be here soon. M knows about this blog although I haven't said that I want to blog about this bit of news yet. So far, it's been simply amazing and I can't wait till he gets here.
Update: He said it was okay. I'll respect his privacy and mine by not mentioning names just yet.

My other site at designindigo.com will be no more come July. I'm going to resuscitate this blog with a new name, new address, new look, especially now that Blogger will no longer be supporting FTP sites. The name though, is still in flux and may change in coming weeks. 

So here's to change in all its wondrous forms. Pardon me while I hug myself with glee. 

A change is coming...

Oh wow! What a year it has been! So many things, so many moments, so many people have passed through my life.

One of the bigger changes is I'll be moving this blog to a new custom domain (with Blogger) and off my current FTP host. Haven't quite decided on the new name but I know I want it to reflect these changes and what's to come. One of the biggest involves a special someone. More on this later.

This blog will be up till end July and I'll post the new url long before that.

So...what's everyone been up to?

Panic

I had my heart in mouth when it happened to me about a month back.

Thanks Flee, for the link!

New Year's in KL

This was the view from our bedroom window - the magnificent, one-time tallest building in the world - the Petronas Towers. J's aunt kindly got him, his fiancee and myself a room to share at the Mandarin Oriental in the heart of the city for the evening. It was within walking distance to all the shops and right next door to one of the biggest malls in the country - KLCC aka KL Convention Centre.

Happy New Year!

I'll be taking a break from blogging for the next couple of days as I'm flying off to my cousin's place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tomorrow. We'll be staying at the Mandarin Oriental for one night to catch the New Year's eve celebrations downtown including fireworks! Then it's just a few days of chill-out fun except for some shopping to catch the sales.

See you all in 2009!

Bad, bad, bad...

Before the holidays overwhelm (as it is, I'm already feeling the pressure of NOT having done my Christmas shopping yet!), I did a check on the books read this past year.

P A T H E T I C!

As of today, I've read:
Fiction: 4 (5 when I'm done with Maguire)
Non-Fiction: 4
eBook (iPhone): 1
S&S (aka Started & Stopped): 3.

That's barely a book a month! I'm so ashamed, mad, disappointed... Especially when I remember a not too distant past when I could devour a book in 4 days! But what with work AND freelance, I find myself reading on my trips between places, waiting for anything or anyone, lunch breaks, before bed... I admit that there have been some empty spaces, but after a day of staring at the computer, the last thing I want to do is look at more words again.

But...I'm going to change this. My reading habit that is. I will read more and I will read more often. No pressure - You hear me, self? I miss the whole 'sit down with a book' moment. Those totally indulgent selfish moments when I set aside a few hours for myself, deadlines and 'must-dos' be dammed.

I'd like to get my total up to 24 books in 2009, mere pittance when compared to what some other bibliophiles are consuming. Anyway, that's one of my goals for 2009. Read. And get more freelance copywriting jobs.

iPhone heaven...

I got to the Comcentre around 7pm and was #16 in the queue!! I thought there would be hundreds by then but 16!! Wow! My cousin joined me for a bit and a bite which helped to kill about 2 hours. I rejoined the queue at around 10pm, and that was when things got really exciting. They moved us to a spot in front of the 'glass house' - a replica of the Mac Shop in NYC. Only this was wrapped in a big white bow.

There was a band and an MC to get things pumping. The organisers gave out coffee, snacks and water. TV crew from the region's various media were filming and interviewing. By then I was almost dying of thirst (didn't dare drink too much in case I needed to pee cause getting out of there was a pain!).

At the countdown, the bow was unwrapped and fireworks showered golden sparks on the first guy who got to go inside and make his first purchase. After that, the first 50 (including yours truly) entered the glass house to applause and cheers! Haha!!

My friends thought I was crazy to do this. I suppose. I did promise myself last year that when the iPhone comes to Singapore, I would do to be one of the first to get it. I'm glad I did. It was a fun though exhausting experience. There isn't much I'd get into a line for, the iPhone was one of them. Another was the last Harry Potter book (2007). Tickets to a U2 concert if and when they EVER decide to play here would be another.

And my iPhone? Sigh....

New books

The books I ordered from Amazon.com arrived today, two weekends since I ordered. Not bad for standard shipping.

1. The Reagan Diaries, edited by Douglas Brinkley
2. The Copyeditor's Handbook by Amy Einsohn
3. The Life of Elizabeth 1 by Alison Weir
4. A Passion for Books by Rob Kaplan
5. An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris
6. Leave Me Alone I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan

The Reagan Diaries was something I should have bought when I was at my sister's last summer - it was only $18.90 at Sam's. It's retailing at Border's here for S$60 or about USS35!! ACK!!!

The Handbook is something for work especially now that I'm doing more corporate communications writing. The rest - well, because they've been on my Amazon wishlist for so long and I've not been able to find them here!

And that's it for now. No more new books for the next... oh! 3 months?? Really!

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. It's Labour Day tomorrow here in Singapore, and I'm taking Friday off. So that's a long 4-day weekend for me. And oh! I'm off to the ShangriLa for English tea tomorrow with some friends. A small treat to myself after the last 2 crazy months.

Surviving Valentine's Day II

(I'm off to dinner and a movie tonight with some friends. Here's the original post from a Valentine past, though slightly edited and added to.)

It's that most dreaded day of the year. The one singletons try to forget exists, only to have it shoved in their faces through incessant ads on tv, newspapers and radio hawking everything guaranteed to bring on rapturous cries of joy from the female half. Jewellery, lingerie and candlelight dinners, they're all there. Not to mention bouquets of roses sprouting everywhere there is a corner. With even hotels proffering romantic (read as 'clandestine' for some) weekend getaways. Since many takers of these packages will be unwed couples lured by promises of champagne, a petal-strewn bed and late checkouts, I'm surprised that in ultra-conservative Singapore, it has not raised a tattooed eyebrow or two especially from the moral brigade. And trust me, they are a sizable force here.

But I'm cool...I'm fine. As Bridget Jones would say, if I wanted roses dammit, I'd buy them myself! And on any other day when they don't cost $140 for a dozen!! In fact, while being one half of a couple is a good thing any day of the year, not being that one half on this most commercial of days, is a drag.

So my suggestions to survive the day if you're un-coupled are:
1. Go rent a bunch of DVDs - I like action-packed, no brainer, testosterone-loaded blockbusters like Spaceship Troopers, Independence Day and the Alien series. Stay away from any TV, radio and newspapers.
2. Cook. Bake, roast, knead, fry or saute yourself a meal/dessert to enjoy while watching those DVDs. If all else fails, microwave some popcorn and drizzle honey over the hot pile. Yum!
3. Gather good singleton girlfriends for a dinner date at your favourite restaurant and order bottles and bottles of vino for a rollicking good time. If still walking in a straight line after that, catch a live band or head to your favourite dance hall.
4. Splurge on a box of Godiva/Royce or any expensive chocolates, and enjoy them with your favourite author of the moment at home.
5. Buy yourself something special - jewellery, a BOSE stereo set, an iPod... anything! Year before last, I splurged on a gorgeous wood and steel wind chime. It hangs outside my bedroom window now.
6. Prep yourself with a high octane power workout at the gym or relax with a yoga session. Either way, you'll release a bunch of happy hormones to float you through the night.

And for those still aching over a breakup and mad as hell at that ass who dumped you...
7. Make a dinner reservation at an expensive restaurant that charges for no-shows and use your ex-boyfriend's name and credit card number. Say you're his secretary. Pfft!

By the way, let me know how you spent today. I'm curious to see if any celebrate this Hallmark of holidays, or ignore it altogether.

Book Meme

Thanks to Iliana, I woke up Sunday morning to find that I've been tagged! After washing my face, brushing my teeth (yes, you can tell what's the first thing I do when I wake up on weekends - ack!) and fixing a cup of coffee, I sat down to play.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Books with painful themes of sacrifice, conflict, hardships, loss, uncomfortable topics. Self-help books like The Secret which I absolutely refuse to read despite everyone and their mother telling me to.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
Hmm...I'd love to have Thursday Next, Green Gables' Anne Shirley and Dumbledore for tea.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Oh no!! Please don't make me try to read it again. I mean I want the nice grave and all, but honestly! It would have to be my nemesis: War & Peace.

Come on, we've all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?
I have some very well-intentioned aunts and friends who have insisted on lending me books, telling me how much they loved it, and that I'll love it too. I hate that cause usually it's a book I have absolutely no interest in reading, nor would I ever pick up at a bookstore. The last one was The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar. It sat on a shelf for like a month, before I returned it to an aunt with thanks. I mumbled something about the book and plot, stuff I got from Amazon. So please... shhh!

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?
None really. I usually do remember what I've read.

You've been appointed Book Advisor to a VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (if you feel like you'd have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP)
Oooh...this hints of An Uncommon Reader. So much so, that that would be the book I'd recommend. It's a short, easy read (especially so as the VIP would be a very busy person with not much time to relax) and it's about another VIP with an interesting choice books. Enough to get him/her started reading, I hope.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Spanish, so I can read Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pablo Neruda in their original language. Besides, it sounds awfully romantic too.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Some books I would re-read (and have) are part of a series (like David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series with 10 books - lost count of my re-reads here) so it'd be hard to just read just that one. I'd pick Perfume - beautifully written with a touch of the bizarre.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one bookish thing you 'discovered' from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
'Meeting' Lesley originally from Newfoundland. That prompted my discovery of Jim DeFede's The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland when I went looking in Amazon for a book on Newfoundland.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
It's a very large, bright room with a darkly polished wooden floor and scattered soft, deep pile richly coloured carpets, air-conditioned against hot muggy days but with french doors framed by white curtains that open out to a large shaded verandah, well protected from the December monsoon. There are huge overstuffed sofas and armchairs, inside and out. Potted palms soften hard corners and provide a natural screen between reading areas.

The library proper has floor to ceiling teak shelves with those running ladders. Oh, and because of magic, no dust or cobwebs or bugs are ever found here. Books of all kinds fill the shelves; hardback, paperback, tradeback, fiction, non fiction, arranged by genre then author. Shelves at eye level hold first editions, some signed. There are framed pictures of favourite authors on the walls. I'd have several first editions of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, one set in a glass box, opened to the first chapter.

It's not a neat room: there are stacks of books on coffee tables, side tables and some chairs, that lovely organised mess that makes a room cosy. It smells of books and printed paper, and of always fresh jasmine arranged in crystal vases scattered around the place. And of course, music is piped through cleverly hidden speakers. At night, candles glow as crickets sing outside. Bliss!

I'm not sure who else to tag who would play but if you're reading this and would love to, please consider youself tagged. Now to go for a shower.

The book cave

Now this is one clever, unusual piece of furniture that I'd love to have in my home. But I'd line it with purple though.

Breast Cancer Month

These gorgeous t-shirts are designed by Sidsel Gaustadne, a designer in Denmark, who created them for the The Danish Cancer Society. If you're visiting her lovely country, you may still be able to find them in the stores. I was lucky enough to get 2 pink ones from her Etsy shop and they're on their way to me soon. You can read more about the designs and Sidsel on her blog.

A Friday night jaunt

After work yesterday, I met Flee who I haven't seen in an age! Well, about 4+ months. We met at Borders then ventured up to Cedele for dinner. We chatted away the evening, and caught up on each other's lives. She went shopping earlier and bought some funky Nike toe shoes. So after dinner, I dragged her to Borders for my shopping turn.

This was where I got a little devious but for all you bookaholics out there, I know you'll understand. You see, I have these online coupons for 30% off any book, valid till 4th October. Now, the coupon clearly states it's one coupon per customer but their store has 2 cashier areas - oh, wait, actually 3!: 1 in books, 1 in music at the back of the store, and 1 up front (I only went to 2...shoot!). So if you go to 3 different cashiers, you can use one at each. The best yet: if you sign up as a Borders Preferred Customer (for S$19 a year), you get a further 10% off for a whopping 40% off a book, not to mention 10% off anytime you purchase anything from the store! Omigosh! How can you NOT want to buy books?

I ended up with 5 books:
1. Anthony Doerr's Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World - I used one coupon on this hardcover book
2. Steve Wozniaks' I, Woz: The Autobiography of the Man Who Started the Computer Revolution - this and the next 2 books were 3 for 2. Woohoo!
3. Seth Godin's The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
4. Susanna Clarke's The Ladies of Grace Adieu
5. Tess Gerritsen's The Mephisto Club - my next coupon purchase.

And 4th October is still some days away...and I can always print out more. But what a great end to a wonderful evening.

Interesting bit of conversation with Flee just before I joined the queue at the first cashier:
Flee: Have you finished the other books you've bought?
Me: Nope.
Flee: Then why are you buying more?
Me: Why not?
Flee: But aren't they a fire hazard?
Me: *stunned look* ... No they're not!
Flee: *laughs*

Now really...who on earth would ever say books are a fire hazard?! Miss Flee...hello? Aren't your paints a fire hazard? Haha!!

Confession of a book addict

I'm bad. I just came back from the US with 7 books and I'm now trying to read 2 books at the same time: The Jane Austen Book Club and Literacy and Longing in L.A. You'd think - no books for a while, right? I thought so too. HA!

After saying goodbye to Karen who was jetting off home to Hong Kong, I found myself helplessly drawn to Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City. I felt the call. Well, since I was there, let's see what I can find from my list of 'must-get' books.

There was nearly an hour of pleasant distractions before I settled on:
Hatha Yoga Illustrated by Martin Kirk
Pilates Step-by-Step by Emily Kelly
A House in Corfu: A Family's Sojourn in Greece by Emma Tennant

I saw The Reagan Diaries but at SGD$60 (US$39), it was ridiculously more than Amazon (US$23). D got it at a steal at Sam's Warehouse for just under USD$20!!! Ack...I should have bought it there!

Day 77: In Memoriam

Just had the news from home. Murphy has passed.

I petted and played with him just before I left, half expecting to see him when I returned. But Dad said that he was in a really bad shape in the last few weeks. I'll miss him so much...

Day 66: Memphis

Thirty-six hours later and I've finished it. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows was fantastic. And don't worry, there'll be no spoilers here. I won't post my comments on this book yet.

D & G came with me as we lined up at WALMART, of all places. While I was tempted to go to a party, I just wanted to get the book and rush home to start reading. I'm sitting here, slightly bug-eyed and tired now.

Suggestion: to those about to start reading book 7, I highly suggest you re-read book 6 first (unless you have it fresh in your mind). There was a lot of head scratching on my part trying to remember bits and pieces of that book to understand stuff in this last book.

I'm leaving my copy of this book with D. When I get home I'll get the UK Adult version there to add to my collection. Then I'll probably start to read the whole series again, straight through.

Any one else finished? Let me know what you think BUT PLEASE DON'T COMMENT ON ANY SPOILERS! Email me at kisaneATdesignindigoDOTcom. Thanks!

Day 64: Downtown Memphis

Today I've have 2 meetings with design companies in downtown Memphis. I just had one earlier with a mid-size design company and I have one more in about 30 mins. I'm now ensconced in The Blues City Pastry Shop & Coffee Bar very near Beale Street, enjoying a cold latte and a killer strawberry shortcake. It's too hot to even consider sitting outside under the trees. This is an afternoon made for a long siesta in cool comfort.

While it's been a long process of meetings and phone calls, I'm still working hard to network. My resume has been getting very favourable comments but no offers yet. So for now, I'm just plugging away, sending out resumes and arranging meetings.

Tomorrow night is the launch of Harry Potter. I've registered for the party at the Barnes & Noble near D's home. Oh..some idiots have got the book, scanned and put the pages on their bittorrent site. I've had a spoiler email today. After reading the first line, I trashed it. So be careful out there if you don't want the book ruined for you. As for me, I can't wait to sink my teeth into this last tome. I hear it's about 750 pages!

Anyone going to any Harry Potter parties?

Day 36: Memphis, USA

It's been nearly a month since my last post and so much as happened. Here's a quick recap:

• New York City
  That was an amazing trip! My sister found this great hotel (The Belvedere on 48th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave) right on the edge of Hell's Kitchen within walking distance to everything! Five days isn't enough to see the entire city but we made a good attempt. We covered midtown quite thoroughly, Chinatown and Greenwich, and quite a bit of Upper East Side. I spent about a half day each in MOMA and the Metropolitan, and left breathless! And thanks to Book Girl, I found The Strand and its corridors and shelves of books. Oh my! Thank goodness I was on a budget or I could have done serious damage there. It reminded me of Foyles in London with books all over the place. On our last night we went into Queens for a Filipino dinner with G's aunt and uncle - great food, great company. And oh! the food in NYC is hands down, the best in the world. Even the little delis on the corner serve great food. There was one we went to near Time Square for a takeout brunch - what an amazing spread. And G tackled the infamous Carnegie Deli's pastrami and cheese on rye. Now that was HUGE! I love New York and I can't wait to go back!
• Projects x 2
  I finally completed a small project for a non-profit organisation. It was incredibly crazy for the past 2 weeks. Here I am, on vacation yet I was working nearly as hard as in my last job! Haha! There was a fundraiser on 15 June and it was a success. Monies were raised, awareness created, and everybody's happy.
  And...I've got another freelance project from home! It's some copywriting for a website there with 10 articles due every month. Yippee! Thanks Angela!
  
• Job Hunt
  I've engaged the services of a reputable employment agency here in Memphis to help me with my job search. They've been successful in placing people from other countries in the US, and even work to do so after their client has to return home. Cross your fingers for me.
• Other stuff
  Other than all the above, life in Memphis has been sweet. With G working on his PhD projects nearly everyday, I wake up in the late mornings to get my fix of the news on cable (gawd, but cable here is a couch potato's dream!), read, surf, prepare dinner... Oh, and thanks to Lesley for the tip off of the Memphis Library book sale. We came away on the last day with a big brown bag of books for just $3!! These include many hardcover versions of Agatha Christie, Garrison Kellior and others. We've been to the Peabody for Sunday brunch and saw the ducks in the lobby, popped into Davis-Kidd bookstore (I think, better than B&N or Borders!), visited the Apple store in Germantown to worship at the Mac altar (haha!) and buy a iPod/camera connector, and planning a road trip to Houston and Phoenix for July 4th week. Woohoo! Oh yes...before I forget, I'm extending my stay in the US till 4 August. So I'll be here for the launch of the last Harry Potter book on 21 July.

And that's it...in a nutshell. I'll be on line more now. I've taken tons of pixs and am trying to find a way to display them online...stay tuned for that.

Day 5: Memphis, USA

What a trip! Five days ago, I landed in Memphis after what seemed an age of traveling.

I didn't think I'd ever get off the plane. The Tokyo - Detroit leg has got to be the worst ever!! Twelve hours non-stop of cramped legs, lousy food and unfriendly stewardesses. If hell exists, then this was purgatory. I was never more miserable in my life! I didn't get much sleep, instead I counted down the hours till I landed in Detroit.

But there is a God and I arrived safely in Memphis. I'm now warmly ensconced in my own bedroom where there's a bunch of sweet-smelling wildflowers in a vase nearby.

We've done much in the past 5 days: visited her colleagues at office, went to the Memphis in May BBQ festival (which is not worth going to unless you know someone who's participating, so you can get invited to their stand for samples), shared an oyster poboy at the Half Shell, went to a couple of outlets, cooked dinner for D&G tonight (the menu consisted of pork chops, squash, baked potatoes and fresh strawberries marinated with sugar and orange juice). And met with a immigration attorney. My chances look good but right now, he wants to see if there'll be any changes to the immigration law, especially to the new visa requirements. Things look bright.

It's only my first weekend here but we've done so much. D has more planned for the upcoming weekends including a visit to NYC and either Alabama or Arkansas. Stay tuned...

Oh...oh... books here are so cheap, compared to home. If D wasn't around me, I'd have at least 10 sitting on my bedside table right now. Haha!

17 hours till...

I'm leaving, on a jet plane....

I've not finished packing, stuff is lying all over the room and I still have some errands to run this late morning. The next time you read this blog, I'll be writing it from Memphis, severely jet-lagged. Ack!