Darren Emerson

Unranked, and for good reason - Darren Emerson's music is boring. _Really_ boring.

I don't know if it's because I like my trance cheesy, or my house hard, but gaaawd... I've rarely ever stood infront of a DJ and felt that unmotivated to dance. So that's it, no more house music for me.

Even the overdressed crowd was boring. Girls performed their mating calls in spikey heels, boys performed their monkey moves in preppy shirts. I even saw a girl do the Elaine Dance. That was the most entertaining part of my night. Of course, there's always at least one twat in the club that wants to talk to me.
Twat: "What do you dislike most about Western guys?"
Me: "They can't dance" :P

Girly Saturday!

Hrm, now that I think about it, I don't really have that many male friends in Rondon... If you're male, good looking and would like to apply to be my friend, feel free to email me :P Oh alright, I'll be less superficial and accept applications from those with a great personality too *lol*

I managed to convince Babsy and Niffies to come for brekky with me this weekend at La Fromagerie. I'm now addicted to their soft boiled eggs. Which is just shocking considering I use to hate them with a passion. For gawd-knows-how-many years, my Mother use to cook soft boiled eggs for me when I was growing up in Malaysia. Every morning at 6am, I was plonked at the dining table with a steamy gooey yellow mess infront of me. Every morning, I'd steadfastly refuse to eat it. At 7am, my Mother would eventually yell at me to eat the cold slime and get ready for school, or get my butt smacked. South-east Asian kids didn't get cereal for brekky :P

So when I grew up, I never ate it again. And I blamed my Mother for my bad habit of skipping breakfast :P Imagine my Mother's glee when I told her last weekend I was going out to eat a soft boiled egg! She knew I could never blame her for my bad eating habits again.

So stuffed with an egg, bread and 2 latte macchiatos, I headed out from La Fromagerie to meet Trini and Sus at Borough Markets. It's been way too long since my last visit. It's still my favourite markets. I wasn't hungry until I sat down with the girls and started smelling the food coming out of Brindisa's kitchen! Mygawd, I haven't had tapas like this since... err, Barcelona 3 years ago? As dish after dish came out, Trini, Sus and I kept reshuffling food to fit everything onto our tiny table. I've also discovered, Sus is a cheaper drunk than me *big grin*

Stuffed beyond belief, I still couldn't help myself and I bought some picante chorizo to take home from Brindisa's shop in the markets. Thanks Sus for the yummiest lunch I've had in a really really long time :) Let me know next time you have a craving for Brindisa! My treat :)

Twilight zone

It's dark outside the tube. Packed bodies, fluro lights, dazed looks, heavily lidded eyes... Am I coming back from a night out?

(Everyday, it's a choice of arse in face, or crotch in face...

Today, it was arse.)

Or heading in to work at 8:37am on the Jubilee line? ;) What I've noticed this week is there's always at least one Harry Potter book on the carriage. Dang it, J.K Rowling didn't kill Harry off :P

Dinner conversation

I kind of wonder, as we get older, does our acceptable "dateable" age range increase? Wazzz has always stated the rule of thumb of "half your age, plus 7 years" for a male. Which is just under paedophilic, yet very workable. At the age of 28, Wazzz should be dating someone who's 21!!! Sorry TO ;) Hehehe... But I think Wazzz would be crazy to give up TO for a 21 year old. In fact, Wazzz, I'd disown you as a friend if you chose a 21 year old over TO! :P

From the other perspective, my age minus 7 years, doubled is equal to 42!!!! Is that really fair? :P

Do you know how hard it is to do algebra after 2 beers and lots of wine? :P Fck, took me awhile...

Torrents

I don't have commercial TV. I don't have Sky. I thank Buddha (yup, getting there) for fcking torrents *grin* OMG, new season of Dexter (not my flatmate), didn't disappoint. Without torrents, I'd be screwed. And about 12 episodes behind :P

Time to follow it up with one episode of Futurama (thanks Wazzz!) before bed :)

Why I'm laughing

It's bizarre. One thing I've always noticed about working in IT, is that IT people are always hidden away. Somewhere out of the way. Somewhere with little natural light and tight confining cubicles. I've worked in all sorts of environments. In a separate building to the rest of the organisation. In an industrial zone. In a YELLOW PORTA-WAREHOUSE (angsty memories). So I was kinda shocked to turn up on Monday and to see this from where I sit:

(Can you believe this was the view after a thunder storm?)

Previously, the highest I'd ever been located was level 18 at Darling Park, with a view of Darling Harbour. Even then, it was hot-desking and you were lucky to get a window seat. What's so special about the view above? Guess where I am?

Level 10? No.
15? No.
25? No, higher please :)

It's level 35! I'm so high up, my ears pop when I step out of the elevator. Sneaking past my boss' desk, and peeking through the blinds, I have an unobstructed view of East London. That's the Gherkin in the distance! And the sexy curve of the Thames River to the left! Wowsers.

What's so funny? I'm the only IT person on this side of the building *lol* Regular nerds don't sit here. This is the HR level :) I'm guessing the nerds are hidden away in the basement :P Nyuk nyuk nyuk...

Feeling bad

I love my Aunty Laura. So I thought it would be exciting to take her to East Beach Cafe which I had read about here.

We drove for two hours to get to Littlehampton. Then waited 40 minutes in line to get in.

It really wasn't worth it.

Which is why I feel really bad for dragging my Aunt to that place last Sunday *HRRMPH* Aunt Laura and I were just incredulous at how inefficiently this place operated. We got there to a massive line. I had to hunt down the hostess to put our names down, whilst my Aunt stood at the end of the line. There were people infront of us who didn't even realise they had to put their name down. It looked like it was about to rain, and there was no cover we could stand under. We were instructed not to wander too far off, incase we were called. If we weren't around when called, we would miss out on our table. Yet, the hostess didn't want to take my mobile number and call me when my table was available. There were empty tables with no chairs around them inside the restaurant. I don't understand how this place can claim to fit 45 people when it looked like only 20 fit inside. Where the hell was the so called seating for 80 outdoors? Full of crap.

When we finally got in, two waiters couldn't explain to us what the fish special was. The first, a ditzy blonde, said she'd find out, but never came back. The second, was confused between the fish special and the daily fish for the fish and chips. Finally, we flagged down the hostess to explain the menu to us.

The mussels I ordered for entree were good. But, my cutlery arrived after my entree, and I had already started eating by using the shell-pinching technique. Then halfway through my entree, the bread arrives and the bucket for shells. Geezus. What's the point?

My Aunt's fish came out undercooked. Both our fish meals were too oily. We didn't stay for dessert.

I just don't get how someone can spend gawd-knows-how-much on getting a designer building built, and then not foreseeing the need for table space. It's a restaurant. Come on!!!

East Beach Cafe - Way overrated. Not worth the drive from Rondon.

I did find it hilarious that Brits think this is a beach though :)

Tagging

I'm going to go through all my posts and organise my tags... So if you're RSS'ing my blog, you might get a lot of old posts reappearing. Sorry! If not, well, carry on and ignore this post :P

Just one more...

... post about Amsterdam! Tying up loose ends :P

I spent about 3 days in Amsterdam this time round. C and I decided to follow some tips from the Wallpaper* City Guide for A'dam. I have to admit, it's a pretty good guide! Having been to A'dam a gazillion times now, I didn't think there was much left for me to see. The Wallpaper* guide has a "Best of the city in 24 hours" section, and we managed to go through all of it:
- Irish brekky at Barney's: Errr, can't really say I recommend this. It's just bacon and eggs. I think Barney's has more of a reputation as a "coffee shop".
- Stedelijk Museum: Contemporary art, not my thing but it may be your's.
- Appeltaart at Cafe 11: The place has a great view of the city, and turns into a club at night. Apparently a pretty good one.
- Amstelkring Museum: This is pretty dang different. It's a secret chapel built upstairs in a home!
- Amsterdam Historical Museum: More than you'll ever want to know about Amsterdam :)
- Van Gogh Musuem: My third time there, and I still love it. Make sure you do the audio tour if you go!

The Almond Blossom (pictured right) is still my fave painting by Van Gogh:

Other places we went to from the guide:
- Droog: Really cool design store, definitely worth checking out. It's one of those places that stocks things I read about in blogs :P
- Envy: *Phwoar* This place is owned by the same people who started Supperclub. For EU$50, we stuffed ourselves silly with the Chef's Choice menu - 3 kinds of deli meats (YUMMO), 4 cold dishes, 4 warm dishes, 3 kinds of cheeses and 4 mini desserts. Gaaawd, I was in heaven with the asparagus and truffle soup. Definitely value for money. What I loved most about the restaurant, was how the produce was displayed in fridges along the wall. Everything looked fresh and delish, and apparently a lot of it is flown in from Italy:

- Brasserie Harkema: Another great place to eat in A'dam. C and I checked it out our first night there, then took the others back here a couple of days later. Mussel soup, entrecote steak, roast duck, panna cotta (the best I've had in awhile), everything yummy! And of course, I also made everyone eat bitterballen here :) U&W - you taught me well!

You won't die if you eat it, AdF ;)

The best tip I can give for A'dam, is always make the Tourist Info Centre across the street from Centraal Station your first stop. For EU$2, you can get a city map from a vending machine! Which is important when your sense of direction is as crap as mine :P

Lastly, when in A'dam, don't forget to visit Vlaams Fritehuis on Voetboogstraat 33. Crunchiest hot chips ever! I think we ate a cone of it with Belgian Mayo everyday! MMmmm...

See, I don't just go to raves and clubs in the Netherlands :P

Napkin blogging

Lately, I find myself writing a lot as I sit in a cafe with my mocha. Unfortunately, the only thing I have handy to write on are napkins. I really should carry around a notebook. My pen blotches badly on napkin paper. One waiter even felt sorry for me and handed over a couple of post-it notes.

Organic soft boiled egg and mocha from La Fromagerie. Spot my blog notes!

Anyways, the search for a "j.o.b" is over... for another 3 months at least. I'm currently enjoying my last days of freedom before rejoining the rat race after 6 weeks of pure utter lazing around. I'm sure it sounds like an easy lifestyle, but don't be fooled. Contracting means you have to rely on your savings for the days you don't have a job. Even when you get a job, you still have to penny-pinch till your first payday. It _is_ stressful.

I've been thinking about my interview. It was such an odd situation. I've gone through a lot of interviews in the past. Normally, I know what to expect and how to handle it. Usually, it's a chat with the Project Manager about my experience. Occasionally, it's a technical grilling, and I'm still okay with that. Those are easy to prepare for. Thank gawd for Wikipedia ;)

This time, the interview situation was different. I was told to set aside 2 hours, and that I was to meet with 3 people, and if all went well, I'd be on the phone with a fourth person from the US. Keep in mind that this is for a contract role doing UAT! o_O The last time I was interviewed by 4 people, it was for a permanent role with Google. With my nerves building up, I decided to try some new techniques:

1. I had read an article recently about a champion poker player. She always went into a game thinking, "I will win this tournament". So I went to bed that night repeatedly thinking, "I will get this job," and woke up thinking the same thing. Throughout the day the same mantra cycled through my head. This might've worked a little too well. As I was standing at the reception desk waiting for my visitor's pass, the receptionist asked me, "Feeling confident about the interview?" I pretty much yelled back, "I AM A WINNER!" at him *lol* I think I surprised him with my confidence :P

2. Normally, I'd briefly review my resume and focus more on refreshing my tech knowledge. This time, I spent more time reviewing my resume and trying to summarise my skills out loud. I was pretty surprised that I couldn't do it. I stumbled over my words and got all mixed up with a lot of "Uhms" thrown in. So I typed out what I wanted to say, and rehearsed through it paragraph by paragraph till I could voice it smoothly. It worked! I felt pretty confident about selling myself after that exercise. I guess the usual rule of "practise makes perfect" applies here.

3. I was still a bunch of nerves. So I called up Wazzz and he dropped everything to meet me for a coffee. Thanks Wazzz, you were great! :) Sorry for being a pain. We spoke about IT, and caught up on some gossip. I just needed someone who understood IT to talk to me about it. And I needed a friend to help me chillax. After a half hour session with Wazzz, I was ready and headed off to the interview.

Whom did I meet/speak to?
- The Head of Global Learning and Education (egads!)
- The Development Lead
- The UK HR Business Lead
- The US HR Business Lead

Geezus. How did it go?

Obviously it went well, since I got the job. However, I honestly think this was the best interview results I've ever had. Half an hour after I had left the interview, I received a voicemail message as I stepped out of the tube - "We would love to have you work with us" :)

That's NOT a good look

*Sigh* When unemployed, I spend a lot of time drinking coffee in cafes. If you ask me what the most hideous sight I've ever come across in a cafe is, I'd tell you, it's pasty white butt crack. Flashed by low riding jeans on a cafe chair or stool. There's always butt crack. I'm not sure what's worse, plain butt crack, or butt crack with flossing *groan*

Either way, it's still hideous.

(10 points if you can pick this trendy Rondon cafe :) )

It looked _much_ worse in real life. Lucky for you, I have a shtty phone camera and you don't have to view it in high res. Faces have been blurred to prevent me from being beat up by the Butt Crack Kween's bf if he ever finds out about my blog :P Let's take a closer look:

*Uggh* Lady, that G doesn't even look like it fits your butt. To be honest, it looked like she'd been severely wedgied. The material was definitely digging in there *shudder* Do I need to show you butt crack on my blog? No. However, the point is, do I need to routinely see butt crack in my daily life? Especially when I'm trying to enjoy my coffee? NO. Yet the voyeur in me just can't look away. I'm fascinated by the hideousness of it all. Serious car crash material.

Why do women do it? How can they resist pulling their undies out of the crack?

On the flip side of the coin, I keep getting requests from someone on Flickr to add the shot of KY licking butt crack to the Random Butt Crack group. It's disturbing that this guy is soo insistent on getting my photo into that group. It really is.

WOOooo...

It makes my day when I come across something in real life that I've read about on one of the design/coolhunting blogs I subscribe to. I was walking down Spuistraat in search of my hotel when I saw this!

It's Jon Burgerman's "On the Wall" exhibition in Amsterdam! So while C went in and splurged on streetwear, I went in, admired some street art and patted myself on the back for finding something cool I had read about in the blogiverse! *grin* Another cool exhibition on atm, is Yoshitomo Nara's first European show at the GEM Museum in Den Haag:

It's brilliant! Japanese design collective Graf designed and built an art space for Yoshitomo Nara in the form of wooden sheds. I've been a fan of Yoshitomo Nara's work for awhile now, and I've had my eye on this Nara clock for a very very long time. One day I'll break down and buy it...

Happy Big 30 AdF!

There are very few people I would travel to anywhere in the world for:

(I adjusted the colour to make you look less sunburnt, hehehe :) )

Sunset at Cafe del Mar. AdF and I fought off dozens of tourists trying to steal seats from our table for about 4 hours!

Squinty!

Stranger danger

What is it about me that attracts the weirdos? In clubs, in bars, in cafes, on the street, and now, in _airports_! Why is it never the good looking hunka muffin that approaches me with a corny opening line? No. I get the weird, old, wrinkly, googly-eyed grandpa. It's _always_ the grandpa.

I'm minding my own business at Schipol airport in Amsterdam when the googly-eyed grandpa (G-E G) approaches me and starts speaking in FRENCH. What on earth would possess anyone to speak French to an oriental in a DUTCH city? Actually, I've always wanted a guy who could speak French, but I guess I should be more specific about what I ask for. Please add "non-creepy" to my list of requirements. After grandpa had figured out I spoke English:
G-E G: "Is this your first time in Holland?"
Me: "No."
G-E G: "Your second time?"
Me: "No. I have friends here."
G-E G: "Oh. What's your name?"
Me: "Sarah."
G-E G: "Oh! Do you know where the name Sarah comes from?"
Me: "No." (Internal *sigh*... and I don't really care. I'm just making sht up to humour you...)
G-E G: "Sarah, is Abraham's wife! You know Abraham? It comes from Catholicism."
Me: "Yes." (Why are you talking to me?)
G-E G: "Are you Catholic? Or Muslim? What are you?"
Me: "No. I'm nothing."
G-E G: "Well, Sarah is Abraham's wife. Shall we go somewhere to talk?"
Me: "NO!" (You MORON!)

... and I walk away. The problem is, my parents brought me up to be polite and well-mannered to anyone. When really, it would've been more useful for my parents to have taught me how to cuss like a pirate :P It's "wrong" in our society for me to be rude to older people, "respect your elders" and all that crap. However, I don't care how senile grandpa is, he has NO RIGHT to prey on girls 50 years his junior. _That's_ wrong!

Would you believe the googly-eyed grandpa crept up on me AGAIN about 5 minutes later??
G-E G: "Excuse me..."
Me: "GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" (totally freaked and caught by surprise)
G-E G: "Sorry! Bye..." (walks away real fast)
Me: "GEEZUS! BYE! FARK!"