(No, it’s not because I’m lacking a nose bridge. I’ll get to the reason in awhile)

So just for everybody’s reference, this was how my old glasses looked like. This was taken on the rare occasion that I wore it out about a year plus back:

Prior to this pair of glasses, I hated the idea of wearing my glasses out. Somehow I felt that when I wore glasses, I look weird and because of that I strongly believed that people will look at me weird. I don’t know how true that was, but I seriously thought as such.

However, once I got this pair of geeky glasses (my first pair!), it felt alright to wear it out. I’m not too sure if it’s also because by that time, my self confidence has already stabilized overall. But anyways. This pair lasted me for quite awhile at quite the bargain ($80 – with multi-coated lens from Queensway Shopping Centre).

I remember when I was getting it and the guy asked me what I wanted, I told him, “I want geeky glasses” and he understood what I meant. Straightforward, no?

Okay, so fast forward a year later and this was what became of it:

What’s missing? The ear handles of course! It started with the left one being broken (no idea how it happened). So it was still okay to wear the glasses because 1) whatever was left of the left handle, still manages to hand on to my ear and 2) the right handle was still intact.

This went on for a few months, to the amusement of my family. But because they know I’m slightly weird, they let me be.

Then last week, I came home to find that the right handle has also broken off (no idea how it happened too!) and this time, it’s short of a couple of centimeters to still be able to hang on my right ear.

So the aftermath is that most of the time when I’m wearing my glasses, it slides down. Sometimes I forgot and look down and it just dropped to the floor. It was infuriating because I couldn’t possibly wear my contact lenses the entire day till bedtime – that’s just crazy.

So I decided to once and for all end this torment and get a new pair of glasses. I chose a lovely and huge Paul Frank pair (I just want to look extra geeky okay?)

It sure doesn’t cost $80 but I’m sure that the quality is much more sturdy and will be long lasting. Plus I’m not one to pass off the chance to look geeky, am I?

Now I can pass off as a librarian or accountant or a teacher. Or simply a weirdo with huge glasses. Okay maybe an artistic looking weirdo with huge glasses. Anything works for me

I’ve been fascinated with the Pope, the Vatican and anything to do with papacy since I first read Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons 5-6 years ago. I was intrigued with the customs and significance of what happens when a Pope dies. Bring in the architectural beauty of the Vatican and Rome itself and you’ve got me – hook, line and sinker.

Shortly after I finished reading the book, the Pope in real life (Pope John Paul II) actually died! Imagine how excited I was – I actually watched the funeral on TV and made it a point in life that I just have to visit the Vatican one day.

Then I made up the word Popette, which basically means “female Pope” – it was a private joke between FP and I about me wanting to be a Popette. He made use of this story about me wanting to go to the Vatican to poke fun at me to his friends – telling them that I have a crush on the Pope. Hahahaha!

We even had it in our plans to visit Rome for our honeymoon (but all that has changed since the world cup – we have decided to go to New Zealand instead; long story – save it for another blog post) So anyway, you get it: this whole Vatican – Pope – Popette issue became sort of MY thing.

So last week, I was looking for a movie to watch on my own in the theaters. It was between Eclipse (yes, I must be the last person to watch it – but it sucks anyways) and this movie called Pope Joan.

Pope Joan tells of the legend of a woman, Johanna, who disguised herself as a man and eventually became a Pope undiscovered! However, she was left out from the book listing all the Pope names as a revenge by one of her male enemies.

I was so glad I chose Pope Joan over Eclipse because it was so worth the watch.

To see how badly women were treated circa 800 A.D makes me appreciate the education opportunities we have today. Men were the dominant gender in society and thus given the privilege of education and learning. Women were best illiterate and act as housekeepers and child bearers; seen but not heard.

Johanna’s father was the village priest who was a strict Christian. If ever, his wife or daughter even mention Pagan Gods or show interest in learning, he will abuse them to no end. Quite unnerving to watch that.

But as Johanna grew up, and somehow managed to get into a Cathedral school as a girl (totally unheard of prior to this), joined a monastery as a man and finally ending up sitting in Saint Peter’s throne.

We can see her challenges as a woman in a male dominated society, and that’s just bloody amazing. Plus, she has a love interest – so she had to choose between the needs of a mortal and giving her life to God.

When she became Pope, one of the things she planned to do was set up a school for girls. She was challenged by her advisors who told her, “The more a girl learns, the smaller her womb becomes” – and she rationalized that ancient logic in a diplomatic yet firm manner that I was in awe of it.

In short, this movie reeks of Girl Power, and proves the point of “whatever a man can do, a woman can do BETTER”. If a woman once sat on the Papal Chair and ruled the Catholic Church – anything is possible.

I recommend you to watch this movie, if you have the time.

p/s: Johanna looks so much like Blake Lively when she’s growing up – can’t find any photo.

p/p/s: Blake Lively is like one of my two girl crushes, so yeah.

So today, I recreated this look. It was hours and hours of pure boredom at the hair stylist’s. I went back to Artica Hair Studios, mainly because I still remember their brilliant and thorough service the last time round. This time, I wasn’t dissappointed. Just that when the girl finally cut my bangs for me, I looked very stunned (because for a whole 5 minutes, I was crying out loud inside: what the hell did I just do?! I LOOK LIKE A COCK!). – sorry “looking like a cock” is a Singaporean term for looking ridiculous. I didn’t mean.. nevermind.

I had that reaction because when she cut it my bangs looked very flat and very fake. And I was almost hyperventilated; because my hair is my crowning jewel. I asked her if she could layer my bangs because it looked too flat, but she says there’s nothing she can do about it and that it will take a few weeks for it to look “natural”. I was still fretting about it as I paid and made my way to the cabstand. I was like.. shit shit shit!

And then in the cab, I caught myself in the rearview mirror and I played with my reflection as I often do and realized that the girl didn’t do a shoddy job after all. I don’t look like a cock. In fact, I look a lot like my younger self – 7 years back! And I look good!

Plus, with this hairstyle, you’d feel playful and cutesy automatically. I think I easily look 10 years younger with this look, hahaha.

So I’m glad I made the decision to have bangs this time round, and I’m glad I went back to Artica for it. The poor girl looks so disappointed as I left (because she spent hours and hours on me, and I had a panicked look as I left, tsk). I feel bad now, because I’m totally loving the look – well till the next time I get sick of my hair of course.

I broke fast at home yesterday, for the first time this year. It’s always nice to be breaking fast at home, even though it was just me and my grandma yesterday.

As always the radio was on before, during and after we broke fast. There was the evergreen arabic song that has been around for years and years – I bet nobody even knows the name of the song, lol. And then there was an advertisement.

The advertisement revolved around a short skit between a mother and her grown-up children. They were breaking fast (how apt!). So the son was going thru the process of breaking fast. He ate a date, and then guzzled down a cup of Coca Cola.

The feel of the whole ad is as if Coke is the only drink one should have when breaking fast.

I don’t know how I feel about this. I have nothing against Coke (my favourite is Vanilla Coke, which I can’t seem to find anywhere right now) – but I don’t think I’ve ever associated Coke as a beverage for breaking fast. Coke and any gassy drinks, that is. Simply because it will cause a major tummy upset.

In my household (and I believe in most households), we hardly break fast with gassy drinks. It’s always “mild” drinks like coffee, tea, syrup drinks, air kathira, bandung, soya bean, milk – anything but gassy, carbonated drinks.

Gassy drinks are often (if at all) consumed later on during the evening, when the tummy has been satiated and at no risk of acting up.

I don’t think it’s the right angle to market the product. I mean seriously, it just seems off. I’d rather hear about where to get the best air kathira during the fasting month because honestly, that’s more relevant and more interesting.

Come on Coca Cola, you are already too well-known to be stooping to such a niche market. Well since you are at it, I’d rather you do a promotion for Hari Raya. Gassy drinks and Hari Raya – now that makes sense!

I’ve never considered my job as work because I found it fun. Sound like crazy talk to you? Well wait till I tell you I actually enjoyed going to school when I was a student. I guess the good attitude followed me through my working life.

I started this job as a nobody who knew literally nothing about web development. I started off as a catalogue writer for the sister-company of the company that dealt with flowers and gifts. Then slowly, I got roped into my ex-company (omg it’s so weird to refer to it as an ex-company).

Whatever I know today, I learned on the job – picking the skills up along the way. I guess, my passion for the work played a part in ensuring that I learned everything pretty quickly. I literally became from zero to hero over the past 2 and a half years most of which were spent talking to programmers and designers: making decision for what’s best for the site. And the project I dealt with are often major projects with major and long uploads.

I’m never a technical person, but now when I go for job interviews, I am told that I am “too technical” – which is always pretty funny to me, hehe. But that’s a clear indication of how much I’ve grown personally and professionally and I am proud of it. It’s a personal achievement.

I know I had a lucky break with this job. I was given the time, the guidance and the trust even though I was practically a “clean slate” in the industry. For that, I am forever thankful to my boss – who has been awesome 95% of my time there.

I made fantastic friends and got to work with some of the most amazing and talented people I ever known. It’s an experience that would be hard to forget even if I tried.

It’s amazing how friendships formed and work get done despite the fact that the people that I work with the most (and got close to) are in fact in Jakarta, Indonesia. Everything was communicated thru email, msn and phone calls – and everything got done done done.

I loved my job so dearly which is why I was in tears throughout the day today. My leaving sudden (with no notice, mutual agreement and it ended amicably – please don’t ask) and everybody was shocked and sad at my leaving. Doesn’t help that I know everybody and have always been well-liked. It made it even harder to leave when I thought about the design team that I had built from scratch.

But I had to, it’s time. I had a good run in the company. I’ve given my best, I’ve done it all and have gained so much experience and knowledge that I never thought I would have. I am thankful for everything that I’ve gained within the past 2 and a half years – no regrets.

My only hope now is to find a greener pastures that has people who are just as awesome and a boss who is just as easy to work with and has faith in me.

So this is me signing out, no more tears I hope. Memories will always be memories but that’s all they’ll ever be.

xoxo.

Had a random photoshoot today, despite me not being in the mood for smiles the entire day.

Personally I think this photo does not look like me at all, I have no idea why. Maybe it’s just me. It’s like my face looks a little too long and that I look almost Japanese.

If you think it’s the glasses that makes me look different, well that’s because those glasses aren’t mine. They belong to FP. I was wearing his too-big-for-me glasses while wearing my contact lenses (with similar degrees to his glasses) so it’s as if I was wearing 2 pairs of glasses.

Needless to say, I had a bit of a headache after the photoshoot was over.

And because the glasses were too big for me, I had to hold it up that way so it stays there, lol.

But I kinda like this photo because it’s quirky instead of another pretty photo. Pretty photos are normally taken on my own with my camera and/or blackberry – in the form of camwhoring.

Jellybeans in all sorts of colours and flavours will definitely cheer any moody prick up. I should really go get some, but the best jellybeans are found at Changi Airport and it’s quite out of the way for me right now.

Sunflowers never fail to cheer me up. Perhaps it’s because they look so cheery by nature. They brighten up the whole room and I can’t help but smile when I see sunflowers. It’s contagious. Everyone should have the contagious cheerfulness that sunflowers bring. That will make world peace, slightly achievable.

Tubs and tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. That will make anybody happy. What’s not to like about Ben & Jerry’s anyway? The design on the tub itself is enough to make me pick up all the flavours if I could. It’s just a happy thing.

How can anyone not love rainbows? I get so excited every time I spot a rainbow in the sky, because it seems like a magical and beautiful thing that appears out of nowhere. I do love rainbows in other forms as well. In fact, I just love splashes of colours.

My favourite colour is white (no, it’s not PINK, contrary to popular belief). So I really adore white interiors such as this one. It gives a really pleasant, clean and relaxing vibe to it. I just love looking at pictures of home interiors, hoping one day I can apply some of the ideas to my own home.

Lastly, I really do feel that the world needs bottles and bottles of Good Vibes. Seriously, then there won’t be any malicious and evil people around, because they can be easily destroyed with a spray of Good Vibes.

This was drafted in August 2009, but never got published. And because I have nothing to blog about today, and I am in the worst of moods, it shall be posted. Most rants still do apply in present day.

Why do some people confidently flaunt their talents when in true honesty, they have none?

Why do irritating people keep popping up like mushrooms? Just that when mushrooms pop all over the place, it’s a pretty sight.

How come some people like to celebrate and brag about every little achievement as if it’s a big achievement? Don’t they know the meaning of humility?

If we were to call a spade a spade, a lot of people in this world are just over-glorified nobodies but act as if they own the world.

Why do we always feel less burdened and lighter after a haircut?

Money is the fucking root of all evil. Men are usually at the tip of it.

Resentment breeds contempt.

Why do some people who are mere cowards in actual fact try to assert their power and position over people who are stupid enough to be scared of them?

But then again, when being answered back to, or argued against – they shy away.

Why are there increasingly less and less chivalrous men in Singapore? Grabbing the only empty seat on the bus when there are ladies standing is so.. so.. appalling.

Why is everybody getting engaged, getting married and having babies?

I never felt the need to impress anybody. So of course it irritates me to see other people ass-licking. To do just about anything to impress so-called important people. Whatever man.

Just this morning alone, I came across 3 different posters using signs to indicate what’s right and wrong for the month.

Well this one simply tells us that during the day in the fasting month, one should abstain from food & drinks, smoking, any sexual activity and pill popping (or plus ice cream, lol).

Out of these, I believe that smokers have the hardest time keeping away from cigarettes. However, some manage to quit smoking as a result from abstaining from it during the fasting month. Well I guess it’s all in the mind.

This second poster is a mix of do’s and don’ts, well except for the crossed-out devil. That is just reminding us that during the fasting month, all ghosts and evil are chained up. Which is pretty ironic this year since the 7th month (Hungry Ghost Festival) coincides with Ramadhan.

So the Do’s in this poster are: be kind and generous, be happy and sincere & plenty of prayers.

And the final poster (ripped from Tina & Maurina, hehe):

This poster is slightly more detailed than the previous two, and has more to offer as well. Things such as lowering your gaze (modesty), not cursing or swearing and not getting into fights are often ignored on normal days. Personally, I try abstaining from swearing during the fasting month.

However I am always guilty of wasting time on useless activities. Come on, in the digital age, you are surrounded by gadgets that lead to useless activities – and that includes listening to music.

I think having these posters are effective in a way that it reminds all Muslims what they can and cannot do during the holy month. They also educate non-Muslims about the fasting month, so that they will have a better understanding of it.

So yes, today is the first day of Ramadhan and here’s what I did (or didn’t do technically):

1. Woke up for sahur despite the worsening sore throat. The sore throat started last night and it was worse when I woke up and my head felt extremely heavy with a blocked + slightly runny nose – go figure.

2. Went to the doctor’s and got 2 days MC – just like I predicted. Was given seriously disgusting pills. 2 of them have puke-worthy aftertaste (especially the deceptive small and red flu pill!!) To make things worse, my antibiotics is in the form of capsules. I can already foresee plenty of medicine time drama that can only happen to me.

If only pills are candies, then i wouldn’t have any trouble at all. In fact, I might suffer from an overdose.

Look: happy pills!

3. Broke my fast, took the meds and completely concussed for most of the afternoon. The sleep went on and on and it was pretty good. Must be due to the fact that the paracetamol given to me is also a muscle relaxant + my disgusting flu pill “causes drowsiness in some people”. Believe me, I am always that “some people”.

4. Watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy before taking the meds again.

5. So here I am, half awake typing out this post. Should be concussing again in no time. You have no idea how much difficulty I went through just typing out this post. I must have turned slightly dyslexic and very unfocused, seeing how I had difficulty typing and spelling words correctly. But of course you don’t see the mistakes because the perfectionist in me shines through the drowsiness.

My words don’t make sense? Too bad. I warned you in twitter that I’m blogging while drowsy.