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Friday, April 29, 2011 | 11:18 PM
Awesome Friday! (: Made all the more fun because of our dress-up theme (new theme every week!) and the royal wedding. It's been some time since I last got artsy-fartsy. Felt nice to do some props like the SoHo7 pirate flag and sotong hats (meant to be worn by sotong people, of course). The customers were really amused!
Swee had a blast doodling fake tattoos on our arms using PERMANENT MARKER. Arghhh!
Haha. This one is an inside joke. Swee loves to bully one of our regulars, Joyce. It's so entertaining to watch them disturb each other!
And for the first time, the television at the cafe was switched on. Lol. Just so we could all tune into the royal wedding. All the customers at the cafe were so transfixed by it!
Natalie and Ian dropped by the cafe in the late evening. I ended up getting a free taxi ride home 'cos Ian was heading to his girlfriend's house at Woodlands (her family organized a booze party, lol). I seem to be hitching free taxi rides of late. Good coincidences! :D
Looking forward to next Monday. SoHo7 outing! :D
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | 12:12 AM
Had a good off-day! I dropped by The Icing Room at 313@Somerset to get a cake for Mei Ferng before stopping by my workplace to pick up Shihui. We then arranged to meet Mei Ferng at Timbre @ The Arts House for dinner. We treated her to dinner to celebrate her belated birthday! :D
I decided to try a new cocktail since I was always having the same stuff. Finally decided to give apple martini a go. Sure looked pretty enough to drink. Haha :) And no alcohol for Shihui today! Can't be having her drunk 'cos she has to attend a food hygiene course the next day. The funny thing is, Mei Ferng herself got a little high after downing her Tequila Sunrise. Now Shihui knows how I felt the last time I watched her got drunk. I always have a gooooooood laugh whenever one of my friends get drunk and start spouting gibberish. In fact, I will humour them to see what other rubbish I can get out of them. (I'm a good friend, I know.) But seriously, if I have to bring two drunk girls home tonight, I'm gonna throw myself into the Singapore river first! Once is enough. Lol.
Went to Haato & Co. at The Central for ice cream on Mei Ferng's recommendation. We all ordered very different flavours. Mei Ferng had mango and rum and raisin; Shihui royal chocolate and cookies and cream; and I had sesame and green tea. I thought the chocolate one was super rich and thick. And the sesame ice cream sure had loads of black sesame seeds in it.
Mei Ferng's super happy with her birthday cake! And I'm super happy with my green tea ice cream! :D
After all the sweet treats, we needed something to cleanse our palate. Had tea at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. We were already feeling sleepy by then (no thanks to the heavy dinner) so we headed home after that.
Back to work tomorrow!
Monday, April 25, 2011 | 10:45 PM
Haven't updated in a week.
Last week was crazy. Maybe a little too crazy. I ended up falling sick over Easter. It started innocently enough with a sore throat on Thursday before it decided to upgrade to a runny nose and cough. Spent the past few days working and then going home to sleep till the next day. Still coughing a little, but I'm much, much better now! :D
Still, last week had its hilarious moments. And I got to know some of the customers better. Guitar is an excellent conversation starter, really. Now that we have a new member on the team, Nicholete aka Nikki the chef, things are going to get even crazier. She's a firecracker herself. When I teased her for the 1357634753th time today, she slapped my butt so hard that the customer at the cashier made the "o.O" face! But when she heard about my 'gossip' (no thanks to swee!), she got even with me. Payback time. Oh my God.
This Friday's gonna be interesting. It's pirate day! All of us are going to dressed like pirates. Definitely something to look forward to!
Off-day tomorrow. Shall force myself to settle some mundane miscellaneous stuff (e.g., graduation ceremony registration) before getting some guitar practice done. Neglected my guitar for almost a month. I just played the chorus of Cascada's Everytime We Touch for fun and it sounded good. (I reckon a good song will sound good no matter what.) Trying to learn my favourite love song, Collin Raye's Love, Me, now. I swore I would learn how to play this song if I ever learn the guitar. (:
Sunday, April 17, 2011 | 3:06 AM
It has been a long and crazy day at work. My nerves were stretched taut by some of the customers. (That's saying something because my patience is usually endless.) Thank goodness for dinner! We all (Swee, Nat, Shihui and I) decided to have a good meal at Din Tai Fung at Raffles City Shopping Centre. There were too many funny moments, like trying to help the waitress clear the plates but ended up creating a bigger mess (越帮越忙, lol). Or when Swee mistook the xiaolongbao-shaped yam bun for a xiaolongbao and dipped it into the vinegar. And it was supposed to be dessert. Haha! Or Shihui's noodles which took a ridiculous 35mins to arrive. And she ordered it only for the vermicelli, but not the beancurd. Then we started the whole "I want papaya milk without the papaya" joke. Lol.
We ordered a whole list of dishes that the waitress asked if we were really all right with it. Haha. We managed to finish everything! Pretty good, eh? I love the xiaolongbaos. They're fantastic when eaten with sliced ginger and vinegar! And kanpai to the cafe! (:
Desserts! I kept choking on mine because the three of them kept trying to matchmake me and hatching crazy plans to make it happen. They were beside themselves with laughter. Zomg. They'd better be joking. (._.)
Good week ahead! Going back to my usual short shifts. Going out for some fun on Friday. Sunday night karaoke with colleagues. Much to look forward to. I'm excited!
Saturday, April 16, 2011 | 11:18 PM
I went down to JCUS around mid-day. It was reeeeeally quiet for an open house. After being involved in the open house in NYP for 3 years, I had become so accustomed to the hype and ruckus of an open house. The silence of JCUS' open house unnerved me. Had expected to find out more about the CCAs but nah. It was more like I went down to submit my documents for verification, popped by the psychology block before heading to my next destination. :/
I'm not in the mood to lose even if it is a simple game! *Roars* There was finally seven of us and the game was stuck at a stalemate 'cos no one was losing. And we had to abandon the game 'cos it was finally time to start the day's training. Haha!
Didn't had time for lunch. Straightaway headed for GRID Multimedia Studios at *SCAPE for the WLC training session. Most of the volunteers were late so we earlybirds played some games to kill the time.
We were separated into two groups. The best four from each group would then come together for the last round. The final eight consists of six guys and two girls. Woohoo.
I'm not in the mood to lose even if it is a simple game! *Roars* There was finally seven of us and the game was stuck at a stalemate 'cos no one was losing. And we had to abandon the game 'cos it was finally time to start the day's training. Haha!
Session got extended by an hour. Didn't even have time to go for a simple meal with my WLC buddy, Dong Ying. ): I promised her we would go for a good meal the next time! Made some new friends too. Wish I had more time to chat with them.
I stopped by my workplace to help out. (Actually it was only doing the till, but whatever.) Strolled to Orchard for some window-shopping. Passed by the Subway outlet at SMU and bought my lunch/dinner. I LOVE SUBWAY. Can't get enough of it. (:
Shihui bought friendship bands for us! :D We stood there, trying to decide which colour to get. I ended up picking the rainbow so that we can get all the colours. Lol! But it is quite true that our friendship can be represented by the many colours. We have our ups and downs, some days we get upset with one another, some days we are best friends, but heck, we're still buddies. (:
Friday, April 15, 2011 | 11:59 PM
Just ended my 11 and 1/2 hours work shift! EPIC, MAN.
I rock. Woohoo! *inserts smug look*
Lol. Enough drama. I've been doing quite a few long shifts this week because the other part-timers have other commitments. Today's was especially long because one of the regulars had her birthday celebration at the cafe after work. It was quite a fun party: six ladies, colourful helium balloons, pretty cupcakes, and lots of liquor. We all went mad at the birthday song. They all sabotaged me to sing the first round by myself (and I really did sing a solo for the birthday girl, Winny! Special dedication from their dear waitress!). This was followed by the group birthday song. We ALMOST wanted to sing 2x times according to Winny's age so that she can make 2x wishes. It was like, sing once, blow the candle once, and relight the candle. We actually made it to the 8th round (meaning we sang the song 8 times!) before we had to give up because the candle had melted! Holy crap madness! And I got a pretty cupcake from Winny! :D
Another long day ahead tomorrow. Gotta head down to JCUS to submit my documents and visit their Open Day, then go attend the second WLC volunteer training. Need my rest badly, but I ain't getting any. Arghhhh.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 | 11:00 PM
Busy, busy week. Lots of stuff have been happening at the cafe. There is an equal number of the good and bad, so that makes things even! Things are set to get even better from now on, for more reasons than one. :)
When my guitar teacher asked me whether I wanna learn strumming or plucking today, I was like, "Plucking!" I'm a kid, deliberately avoiding the one thing I'm bad at. Well, I haven't been practising my chords and strumming 'cos of work. And I like plucking more so sue me! Anyway, learnt the plucking for Kris Allen's Falling Slowly. It sounds gorgeous! I MUST practise this! :D
Met Si Min for dinner at Lot 1. Wan Chai HongKong Tea Room! I haven't been to a HK cafe in awhile. Had a good time catching up with her, and then window-shopping. I still remember the printed toilet rolls we saw at Mini Toons. They have patterns like red lipstick marks ("Kiss my ass!"), barbed wires ("Omg, pain like hell"), sudoku ("Not bad, can kill time while taking a dump"), and dollar notes ("Still can choose between U.S. or Euro dollars!"). And I owe her a guitar performance! Shall get her to teach me how to play the violin some day! :D
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | 8:35 AM
My plan was to go into food business only after my psychology career has been established. It was more like a retirement plan, actually. I was wondering how I'm going to go about it, considering my food business module taught me peanuts. I thought that perhaps if I have a business mentor of some sort, it would be perfect.
Guess what? My golden opportunity really arrived. So right now, I'm looking at a chance of working under my boss, learning the ropes from her. Assuming if I were to get a business degree, I could join her in future.
Sounds too good to be true, but it's true. Now I'm at a loss. Should I pursue my passion for psychology, or go after my back-up plan of delving into food business now that the perfect opportunity has arrived? ):
Friday, April 08, 2011 | 9:51 PM
My off-day is so awesome: I spent it by making a trip down to SIM to get my polytechnic academic transcript verified. OK. It wasn't SO bad. I managed to get my much needed rest by sleeping through the morning then having Subway for lunch (yay!). And I took a long bus ride from Clementi bus terminal to my workplace along Stamford Road to pick up Shi Hui for our dinner date.
P.S. The milkshakes at Ben & Jerry's are super thick and good! I'd the Sweet Cream & Cookies milkshake. Love it!
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 | 11:03 PM
Thought I ought to take a snapshot of Shi Hui and I 'cos we were both wearing our work shirts today (we usually do alternate days 'cos we only have one).
Hmm. Almost 2 weeks since I started working. Still making mistakes now and then, but I'm trying my best! Got to cut down on them, seriously. I think my boss and some of the regulars have given me plenty of nicknames. Charmaine the blonde waitress (with a hell lot of dumb blonde moments to her title). Charmaine the overly-enthusiastic "Hi! Welcome! :D" waitress. Charmaine the "ah hui". And many more nicknames. And no, I don't want to go into details about the name origins. Lol. I'm being teased mercilessly as it currently is, oh my goodness. But hey, at least I bring happiness and laughter! Ain't such a bad thing being a dumb blonde at times! ;)
Might have to take the day off on 16th. WLC volunteer training in the afternoon. And now I have an appointment to go down to JCUS that day as well to submit my polytechnic academic transcript for verification. Got invited to attend the open house that day too! I love JCUS staff. So friendly and professional!
Argh. Not interested in my graduation ceremony. Tempted to just skip it altogether. Maybe I will leave right after the ceremony. This whole thing reminded me of all the unhappy issues in my life. I don't want to have anything to do with my past anymore; it's a deadweight to the new future I'm building for myself. Call me ignorant, call me arrogant, I don't care anymore. I'm so much happier now. :)
Monday, April 04, 2011 | 11:40 PM
Went out after work for some food and drinks. One of the reasons why my workplace is soooooo awesome is its location and accessibility to other areas. All the town areas are within walking distance (and there are loads to see on the way). The original plan was to relax at Timbre @ The Substation. Believe it or not, it's RIGHT BEHIND my workplace. Amazingly convenient! But yeah, it was before 6 PM so they weren't open for business yet. So we strolled to the one at The Arts House instead. Arrived just as they opened. (: 
Green apple sparkling wine and strawberry margarita in a lined glass. I ought to break away from my long island iced teas and margaritas and try something new next time.
Green apple sparkling wine and strawberry margarita in a lined glass. I ought to break away from my long island iced teas and margaritas and try something new next time. 
Our Sunny Side Up pizza and chicken wings. I love Timbre's thin-crust pizzas. So crispy and the amount of toppings is just nice.
HAHA. SOMEONE GOT TIPSY. :D Drunk people can be so cute as long as they don't get violent, belligerent and/or vomit! Ended up sending her home before taking a train home myself. Interesting day, indeed. Haha!
Sunday, April 03, 2011 | 11:48 PM
I hung up the phone tonight
Something happened for the first time
Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush
'Cause the possibility
That you would ever feel the same way
About me, just too much, just too much
Why do I keep running from the truth?
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized
And I just got to know
Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we can be, where this thing can go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?
Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay
Has it ever crossed your mind
When we're hanging, spending time girl?
Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?
See it's a chance we've gotta take
'Cause I believe that we can make this into
Something that will last, last forever, forever!
Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we could be, where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?
Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay
Why do I keep running from the truth?
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized
And I just got to know
Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we could be, where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?
Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
This crush ain't going away-ay-ay
Going away
Going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay
Saturday, April 02, 2011 | 10:37 PM
Lol. What a title for this post.
I finally got myself a watch! Been wanting to get one for some time now. I need to keep track of time more often as I grow up, and I don't want to have to keep digging out my handphone all the time for that. It doubles as an accessory for me. A watch can tell you a lot about someone, so yeah, it does wonders for creating first impressions.
Truthfully speaking, I was more particular about the design. I definitely wanted one with a square face and black leather straps. Too bad the popular watch brands all didn't have a design to my liking. And those that did, all have prices that are out of my world. (I'm talking about 4 or 5 digits here.) Thank goodness for Monfae. I first found out about them through the Internet while I was googling for watches. Got mine for $99 (GST included). Plenty of designs to choose from. You can mix-and-match the colours for the watch face and straps as well. I love the rose gold metal frame and black leather strap, but wow, it made me looked like an old auntie instantly. The sales assistant was really nice and helpful. We ended up chitchatting while she was helping me to choose my watch. Ah, love my new watch. Makes me wanna wear it all the time! (: Friday, April 01, 2011 | 11:01 PM
I haven't updated the entire week so I'm going to summarize loads in this one post. When I saw the job advertisement in last Friday's copy of The New Paper, I knew I wanted the job and I also had a gut feeling I would get the job (oh, yes I did). It's a part-time job at a cafe along Armenian Street. I have something for vintage pre-war shophouses. (:
Long story short, I LOVE MY JOB. The location is perfect for me. I have a wonderful boss who is skilled at doing business (I seriously got to learn from her since I may go into business with a friend after I've established my psychology career). I admire her for building a successful business based on human relations, unlike most businesses that compromise it. I admire her for giving everyone an equal opportunity, and not discriminating against anyone. I admire her for believing in the best of her employees. I'm honoured to work under her and would love to work with her for as long as possible (probably till I have to begin my own career).
I have wonderful co-workers too. Everyone was so nice and patient in showing newcomers the ropes. I screwed up like hell the first few days. Still screwing up occasionally now but getting better. My boss calls me a blondie 'cos of my blur sotong moments. Lol. I love the funny conversations we would have when business slowed down. We could talk about anything under the sun and still poke fun at it. I think it has rubbed off on me, because the way I talk now is getting flirtatious and feisty. Well, it's more fun talking this way, you know. :D I'm having fun meeting new people ALL THE TIME ever since my holidays began. It's not like I have to be friends with them. It can be just as acquaintances. Just go up to some random stranger, start a conversation or crack some joke. I do that with the customers, cashiers, sales assistants, or whenever and whoever I feel like talking to. And I feel happiness when I make them laugh. (: I know it is work, but everyday is so fun, it doesn't feel like work at all. (Ok, maybe during the peak periods. That one is literally war and tempers fly everywhere.)
CHARMAINE CHEONG.