Another passing.

And with it, yet another bit of my childhood fades away.

Ten months after HK mourned a fallen star, it mourns another.

Like gor gor, she'll always have a place in our hearts and in the hearts of the HK people.

For what it was worth, the suffering has ended.

Two good friends are together again.

The Madonna of the East can now rest in peace.

In loving memory,
Anita Mui Yim Fong
1963 - 2003.

望著海一片滿懷倦　無淚也無言
望著天一片　只感到情懷亂
我的心又似小木船
遠景不見　但仍向著前

誰在命裡主牢我　每天掙扎　人海裡面
心中感嘆　似水流年　不可以留住昨天
留下只有思念 一串串永遠纏

浩瀚煙波裡 我懷念 懷念往年
外貌早改變 處境都變 情懷未變

Just watched LOTR: Return of the King.

Hobbits. Definitely gay.

Frodo. Most irritating.

Sam. In denial.

Merry. Pippin.

Pippin. Merry.

Aragorn. Big sword.

Gandalf. Big staff.

Legolas. Number 1 swoon factor.

Freud would have been proud.

LOL.

O Come, All Ye Faithful.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Jingle Bells.

Ding Dong, Merrily On High.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.

Let It Snow.

White Christmas.

Oh Holy Night.

When A Child Is Born.

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year.

Joy to the World.

Merry Christmas.

Finally watched Kill Bill last night.

I think it's movies like this that let us escape into a no-holds-barred world. Where anything goes. Where there are no rules except your own. Where arguments are settled by the swish of a sword, the throw of a dagger or the bullet of a gun.

Violence.

We all cringe at it. But secretly, we all love it.

I mean how many times have you wished you had an uzi in your hands to gun down all those annoying people in front of you? Or a rocket blaster to blow the smittereens out of the road hog travelling at 40km/h on the fast lane ahead of you?

Maybe I watch too many violent movies. Maybe I'm the only one who wishes to maim and murder. Maybe I'm sick.

I remember a colleague asking me to list down things I'd like to do. It was some sort of experiment which had nothing to do with what I like to do. Go figure.

Anyway, two of the items there involved me killing just to feel what it was like, and me crashing my car head-on into a tree/pole just for fun.

Ok, so I am sick.

What keeps us from doing all this? The law? Because it's morally wrong? Because we have a jing-bang of ethics we have to uphold? Because our conscience is an annoying, nagging bitch?

Rules. Rules. Rules. Rules that tell you what you must do, what you mustn't do. Rules that tell you who to be, who you cannot be. Rules that define if you're good or bad.

The real world is such a bore.

I've been wondering a lot lately if I am who I am.

Or am I what I want the world to see.

And all this is some veil of pretense I'm putting up for all.

I've always thought that I didn't care what other people thought of me. I'd do what I want and if they can't accept me for what I am, then to *beep* with them.

But what am I? Who am I?

I do care what other people think of me. And I hate it.

Every action, every decision, I worry about the consequences it brings. I worry about what people will say, I worry about how my family will react.

I think that's the main thing.

I worry about how my family will react. About the reactions they'd get from other people. About what other people would think of them if I wasn't this exemplary figure of the perfect daughter.

It's all about face, after all, isn't it?

So I keep pretending.

I act the person they think I am. I act the person everybody thinks I am.

And everybody's happy.

That's important, isn't it? That everybody's happy.

Just watched what is argubly the worst Chinese movie of the year.

Spy Dad.

It was a wonder I actually sat through the whole thing. One and a half hours of utter boredom. A comedy that was just plain, plain sad. What a total waste of talent. Tony Leung (the other one) and Teresa Mo must have been on drugs to have accepted such a pathetic excuse for a script.

Anyway, ranting done.

Yesterday, ended up at the same club I went to a couple of weeks back. This time, we were right next to the stage, standing next to this huge speaker the whole time and the vibrations were just like...wow. Even my clothes were vibrating. There was like this energy emanating from them. Like chi building up and I was going to unleash some 18 Dragon Palm Strike. LOL.

Another great night it was. But I think age must really be catching up with me 'cos by 2am, my eyelids were getting really heavy. My friends finally decided to call it the night by 2.30am. By that time, yours truly was already like having this headache and trying to stifle my yawns (it ain't cool to yawn in a club!) Since I was driver, I had to drop them off where they had left their cars (we had dinner somewhere else and decided to go downtown in one car instead of three.) Of course, they were like discussing where to go for supper etc. I was like sooooo glad I had driven 'cos I'm very sure if it was any one of them, they would have dragged me off to supper. It was 3am when I finally made it home. Bed, sweet bed...

Today was a relatively quiet day. Stayed at home for the most part of it and finally watched episode 9 and 10 of Hearts of Fencing. There's apparently one more episode to go. And I had initially thought there were only ten. Watching it makes me wanna be young again! Wail!!!!

And there's only 11 more days till Christmas!

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so this is Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over!
If you want it
War is over!
Now!

- Happy Christmas (War Is Over) written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono.

P/S. Looks like only one person was brave enough to comment on my last post. Did I scare everybody away with that disclaimer at the bottom? LOL.

A whole weight off my shoulders.

I finally plucked up enough courage to ask my new boss if he could give me 5 days off in February. Whooopeee! Can you guess the answer? Hahaha. Yea well, it's still a long way away but at least he knows and I can actually plan for my Harbin trip now, which I really really hope will happen. At the moment, departure date has been set for 31st January. I'm so excited. Can't wait to freeze my butt off in -33 degrees C weather.

That's one Christmas wish taken care of.

Here's the rest of my Christmas wish list *grin*

1. Olympus Stylus 300 Digital


2. Bally 'Trove' Messenger Bag



3. Burberry scarf (don't ask me what I need a scarf for in tropical weather...I just want!)


4. Nokia 7200


5. Fujitsu Lifebook B5010


6. New jeans, new pants, new skirts!

Yes, I do have expensive taste.

LOL.

* Reading this means you consent to buying me one of the above items for Christmas. I thank you in advance for your generousity.

Boy, only a week has passed in my new work place and I feel that I've already been there too long. LOL.

I'm not really complaining, really. Not complaining.

It's different. Not as though I didn't expect it, I guess. Knew there was going to be more work, knew there wasn't going to be anymore going home at 6pm. So far, all my 'knews' have been spot on. No more taking the back seat and hoping no one will notice me. Sigh. I can understand now why some people are just contented being where they are in their careers, without wanting to be promoted or given more responsibilities. Being a senior team is no fun...in the sense that we get pulled into everything, we are involved in almost every single job, and we have to 'lead' by example.

I'd rather follow. I'm quite contented doing that. Just tell me what to do. Pay me, and I'll do it. Let someone else be the boss. It's less work and I can go hide in the corner whenever I want.

Lazy?

I suppose, in a way.

I'm the sort who likes/wants to make a distinction between work and play. Come 6pm, I expect it to be play (yea, in all my working life, I've yet to learn...) After 6, it's my time. No work. No having to think about work. And best, not having to see/go out/hang out with workmates. Separate. Work is work. Life is life. And work does not equal life.

I don't know how some people do it. It seems that they're forever working. They hang around in the office till late (very late), they take work home, they work on weekends etc. Their lives revolve around work.

I'd go crazy. If I have to work over a weekend, I'm already complaining and pulling a long face. These people give up their weekends every week (and sometimes willingly!) Mad. Psycho.

Anyway, I'm ranting. Not complaining, no. Just ranting. There's a difference...well, to me, there is.

Come tomorrow, we have exactly 14 days to put together a pitch presentation for a new account. And that's 14 days including the weekends. Basically, starting this week, I'll be saying bye-bye to my weekends till Christmas.

On a brighter note though, I've done my Christmas shopping! Well, most of it...Yea, yea, I'm kiasu.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa�s on his way
He�s loaded lots of toys and goodies
On his sleigh
And ev�ry mother�s
Child is gonna spy to see if
Reindeer really know how to fly

And so, I�m offering this
Simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Altho� it�s been said many times
Many ways; �Merry Christmas to you�

First day at work.

I was early, really early in fact. So early that there wasn't anyone in office yet! Turned up at a quarter to 9 this morning and all I got was a dark, empty and totally locked office. But of course, I was as cool as a cucumber. (Haha). Very casually strolled over to the bakery nearby, sat down and had some breakfast. At 9, I very casually strolled back over to the office again. No one needs to know. LOL.

So, first day at work, and I learn that my colleagues in the creative department get in about 9.15am. That means, I get about an extra 30 minutes sleep. Good.

Didn't do much today. Actually, didn't do anything...

Read FHM. Read an award book. Surfed the net. Took a nap.

And that's one day's pay.

So far, so good.

My new partner tells me that most of the nitty-gritty's out of the way, which means it's 'initiative' work time. Nice word, that. 'Initiative'. Also known as scam. Also known as work that the clients would not normally buy under normal circumstances but will allow us to 'run' for award shows. In other words, fake work.

As much as I don't like doing such stuff and I think it defeats the whole purpose of what advertising is, I cannot deny that this is the stuff that determines your pay cheque. The more awards, the more 'hot' you are, the higher the salary you can command. That's how the industry works. You do the normal every day work and then you do the work that's going to win you awards and get you more money.

Advertising.

We're all just a whole bunch of con artists.