Put your hands up....

... if you like updating your resume!

You can't see, but my hands are firmly squished under my butt. I find nothing more torturous than having to take my jammed pack three-pager out, and try to jam more in.

Just when you think you have it down pack, or simply downright bored looking at it, you get told that it requires more detail.

I made the mistake of asking the recruiter how I can improve it. He said it was good, and was what got him interested in the first place. Then he gave me pointers of making it better. Thinking that it was 'good' already, I assumed it was only minor changes. He called me up baffled as to what I had changed, and proceeded to send me a tried and proven sample. Which means... I have to make more updates. Urgh.

I literally breathed a sigh of relief when he finally approved it. I felt like I was handing in an assignment. I told him he better make my efforts worth it!

On another note, I've started studying an online course that I can do at my own pace, for a certification that I have been meaning to do for a while. I guess I have time to do it now. Day 1 was actually quite enjoyable, I find it difficult to write notes though, handling a pen just seems so foreign these days.

And I'm not looking forward to finding real estate on my three pager to squish this in when I'm done either.

Dining Montreal

Dining is one of my most favorite past-times, and Montreal is my favorite Canadian city to do it in. The food is amazing!

We hit Au Pied de Cochon based on recommendation, and boy were we grateful. The food around us looked so good, we couldn't decided and just asked the waiter to surprise us... which he did a great job of.

This most amazing seafood platter ever... everything was fresh as, and no fillers and fried stuff - except the fried soft shell crab, who doesn't like soft shell crab though??


And after a few more appetizers, we ended on this:

The picture does not do it justice... it was pancake, with a scallop potato, topped with melt in the mouth seared foie gras, drizzled in maple syrup. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

I love Montreal! It's vibrant, it's romantic, people are gorgeous, it's a shoppers paradise, and the dining and nightlife is almost as good as a crazy European city. If only I can speak french, and not have to swim through knee high snow in winter, Montreal would be the Canadian city of choice to live.

Keane does the T Dot

Our fave band Keane was over in T.O. recently, and I saw them live for the first time.

Tom, the lead singer has an absolute amazing voice, raw and live. Not sure how popular they are in the UK, but they're not that famous over here. Not usually a big fan of the British accent, it's something else when you hear it in Canada!

Anyways, I didn't see much of the show since everyone around us were like beanstalks, and I had a rather annoying display of PDA in my face throughout the whole concert. But I loved it anyways, maybe it's because I know and love every single song performed, this was the first concert where I didn't walk out shrugging.

Here are my fave rare glimpses of the stage:

On the market

So why the sudden outburst of blog posts, you ask...

It's week 2 of unemployment, and blogging makes me feel like I'm working. And it's a good distraction from the not so fun job hunting.

It's been more of a holiday, as the initial weeks usually are. I've been trying to be constructive with my time which was going very well until this week where I allowed myself to indulge in lounging-around-in-pjs sort of behavior.

So far, I have been exercising every single day (bar yesterday, and possibly today). I've even started swimming... I bought a skipping rope with weights on the handle, which is very cool. And I tried the running thing, but nah, I'm not a runner. Squash is still a weekly activity, and I sampled a boot camp which highlighted how badly I need to wake my abs up.

I even have a TASK LIST. Every time I think of something that needs to be completed, from housework, to admin, to researching, or calling home.. I whack it on my list. Helps me stay focused. My list is going strong, for every item I tick off, there's always more to add. I'm scrubbing the bath tub today. And packing for the weekend in Montreal. Perhaps I will get around to picking up my library book. See, I'm feeling constructive already, thinking about all this.

All in all, it's been good so far, no complaints yet. Except for the fact that I have not heard a peep from any of the resumes that I have submitted.

I did meet a recruiter yesterday though, and he seems promising, even if the market doesn't. This guy called me consistently throughout last year, but my contract always got extended. So now that I need work, I finally get to meet him. He's prob one of the best recruiters I've met so far (although I do reserve the judgment till he gets me a job).
- First up, he gave me an agenda - never have I been given a meeting agenda by a recruiter.
- He gave me history on the company.
- He asked me for my interests and preferences. Where I want to go in life. It's unbelievable the number of recruiters who do not even ask if you are interested in a job - they just assume they are a god-send for calling, and you want to lick up everything they dish out at you.
- He seems to know the difference between various types of BAs, and didn't lump us in the same pool, which is very refreshing. So many recruiters try to whack me in a Reporting BA role, or a System BA role... when I tell them I'm a Process BA. They clearly don't understand that the role of a BA is as clear as mud, as is the role of a Consultant.
- He appreciates the significance of the projects I've worked on, even when I didn't play it up. This is when I know that they actually understand the project environment and complexities.
- And he gave me some fantastic tips for turning an interview around. I think I do ok at interviews (except the time I had an argument with a KPMG Director), but he had some great tips that I am keen to try out next time. I'll let you know if it works.

The only negative is that, after 2 hours of talking, he doesn't have any opportunities for me just yet! He seems keen to place me though, so we'll see.

So anyways, if you haven't noticed yet, being unemployed and alone most of the day makes me very talkative. Just be thankful you're not on the other side of the phone coz I was able to call you at whim!

Blogging for a cause

I came across this this other day in the papers, and thought it was an absolute brilliant idea! I found your camera, is a blog dedicated to cameras that have been lost and found. If you find a camera, you can email some of the photos on the memory to this blogger, who will post them weekly in the hope that someone will recognize the photos, or the people in the photos.

Quite nifty, I say. I have never lost a camera, but would be in tears for sure if I did. I was in tears when I accidentally deleted all my photos when in Prague. But that was due to stupidity, and a beer... I doubt there is a blogger out there who can save that.

What the???

I am terrible with languages. The only subject I was ever stressed about in school was Japanese, because it's all memory work.

When traveling, phrase books do not help, G always laughs at my pronunciation in English, I doubt I will be better in Spanish. I try not being one of those loud mouth, ignorant tourists that refuse to speak anything but their own language, but I am... sort of, in a very apologetic way. I smile, look guilty... and I get by.

So thank goodness when they have English translation on the menus:

The new sky dive

Because I have been sharing my scooter woes of late, I hope you don't mind me sharing my latest achievement. I rode to the mall today!! Not just the grocery store that is within walking distance, but a real mall! My scooter and I are starting to go places! *grin*

That road - Eglington, that I was trying to cross when the SUV ran the red lights... I actually rode on it today, which is a huge achievement for me because I was terrified of traffic, let alone ride on a major road. I've never ridden at 60kms before, nor on a 3 lane road each way. The roads were seriously bumpy, so I was a bit wobbly at first, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.

When I got there in one piece and parked, I forgot to congratulate myself. Instead, I was walking around with a knot in my stomach, just thinking of the ride home. The last time I felt so sick in the stomach, was when I jumped out of a plane sky diving.

To encourage myself (yea right), I bought a pretty little top from Anthropologie, my new fave store. I did my miniature grocery run (the eggs did not crack in my bumpy ride), and made it home!

Next major destination - downtown! I think my stomach will plead for a break. We'll leave it for another day.

Back in the drivers seat

Thanks for the emails after my little scooter incident. I feel loved, even though it's a few time zones away!

Just to assure you, I hopped back on the scooter the following day, even if it was for a small spin to get lunch. I thought it was important not to let it get to me. Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger!

I have a back log of stories and places to share. Now that I am unemployed, I'll have more time to share them! They'll be much lighter I promise.

Green means Go

I just got back from riding my Vespa. I have started riding on the roads now, because figure eights in a car park is no fun. Still not very confident, I'm just riding around the neighborhood... we live in a nice young family type of area, drivers in their fancy cars and baby seats are generally polite, so I feel relatively safe.

Today, I decide to expand my territory - it's only the third time I've taken the Vespa out on my own. I haven't really crossed any main roads yet, and today I was feeling adventurous. I mapped out my route so I don't have to be indecisive or get lost. I was feeling good.

I was at a set of traffic lights, waiting to cross Eglington, one of the major roads in the area. I was a little worried about the lights not changing. Yesterday, I was sitting at a set of lights and I missed three changes because my Vespa and I aren't heavy enough to trigger the sensors. I didn't want to have to park my Vespa, run to the pedestrian crossing to manually trigger it, so I was very pleased that an Audi TT approached the lights on the other side of Eglington. It was going to turn left onto Eglington. I had right of way.

The lights changed green, I notice the TT was indeed respecting my street presence. A young mother and her nanny started gathering their pram and bags to cross Eglington. I throttled, and started crossing the intersection. The first little mental obstacle on my carefully planned route. Tick.

It was not until I was in the middle of the intersection, did the pat-on-the-back get thrust away by a heavy lurch in the stomach. Words can't describe the feeling when you are on a scooter, fully exposed, and a mother of a SUV is speeding through a red light, right at you.

The few times I have been close to a major collision I have felt a wave of calm pass over me. Not sure if it is just the mind being numb, the body expecting the worse, or a sense of resignation. In that split second, somehow, instinct gripped the throttle, thank god, thank god I did not slam on the brakes.. because I kept crossing, and the SUV kept sliding, missing the back of my scooter about a metre or so. I'm not sure, and I wasn't about to stop and check. I was in such shock I had to drive a few hundred meters away before I was willing to stop the Vespa and take a deep breath. I have never, never felt so lucky in my life. That dick of a SUV driver has never been so lucky in his/her life. I would have been toast for sure if they had hit me. The young mother, her nanny and young child would have been toast if they didn't paused a few seconds to gather their stuff before crossing the road. At least four lives would have bee wasted because of some reckless driver.

I continued riding, coz I was determined not to let a freak near-accident waiver my confidence and deter me from riding. But in the end I cut it short. Petrol was running low and I didn't have the stomach to venture onto more main roads to fill the tank.

It was only until I got home, parked the scooter, then it hit me hard. The thought of what would have happened if I had slammed on the brakes. The thought that I had so much ahead of me, and how close I was to losing it.

I called a friend coz G doesn't answer his phone when he's working. She calmed me down, but even as a write this I'm still crying. I don't know, I guess it's incidents like this that makes me want my family and close friends. What if? Would they have flown over? Would they even know? Does life go on? I am sure it does. But what if?

Anyways, I feel a bit better now, getting it all out. I wish I had a shoulder to cry on though, coz my t-shirt is taking a soaking.

And I'm going be pissed if I can't put my new leather riding jacket to good use. My low scooter confidence has taken a beating, but I'm hoping tomorrow is another day. I'm not ready to tap out, yet.

17 Days...

... into Spring and it starts snowing again. Big flurries followed by even bigger rain pellets. It's so windy there's no point even having an umbrella! =(

Can't wait till Friday when I jet off to South American 20 degree weather!

Knowing your Friends

Speed is not my friend. Call it a confidence complexity, a trust issue, whatever the case, Speed and I have never hit it off.

It started on the bunny hill in a world class ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. While 5 year olds were embracing Speed, I sat on the side, taking deep breaths before throwing myself down the run. I was a skeptic. Come to think of it, I'm not friends with Turns either. Turns and I, one sided relationship. It took me a while to become acquainted with Turns, a good few seasons actually. For a long while, I could only turned one way. The right way. It took a lot of stacks and bruises to finally turn left. Deep breath, b-i-g circle.

Since we're on the topic, I'll admit, I'm not friends with Two Wheels either. Or maybe it's called Balance. When it comes to wheels, the more the merrier.

So I don't really know what overcame me when I decided to purchase a Scooter. After a long winter, we finally picked it up.

And, I fell off within half an hour. Speed laughed, so did Balance. My poor knees weren't so happy. My Jeans and I became best mates.

When I finally overcame the whole Balance thing, and let the machine drive me in a straight line, I needed to face Turn. I was told that I needed more Speed. Damn. When I finally overcame Turn, I found I could only turn one way. Right. By the time I managed to turn left.. I felt deflated and sore like snow boarding, and my arms were lead like I was boxing non stop for ten hours (this is the same person who gets blisters on their hands when riding a bicycle). But I turned!!!

Slowly, I am getting used to it. I need a little more control, a little more confidence. As for Speed and I... we're slowly making it work. I'm only at 25kms, but I'll get there eventually.

Here are some pics of my new toy. Look out for canary yellow if you're on the road!


The best part about owning a Scooter? This is how much it cost to fill a tank:

Who says Accountants are Boring?

I studied Commerce and majored in Accounting. I was once upset with not getting an Accounting scholarship. Later, I refused to do my CA. My Accounting career lasted a whole 9 months - I quit my Auditor trainee ship at a Big 5 to become a really bad Developer. You can say I am either an expert judge of stereotyped professionals, or hold a somewhat biased view. I've studied and worked in both Accounting and IT, and know some very cool people. I have a lot of Accounting and IT friends, and they are neither boring nor geeky (that's not what I tell them). I'd like to think that I'm not boring or geeky. Stereotypes suck.

Until I met my first Accountant. Potential Accountant. Potential because I walked out thinking he was the most boring person I've met, and coincidentally fit the Accountant stereotype like a glove.

Although I initiated the inquiry about his services, I expected that him, being the professional in this relationship and I the client, would lead the meeting. Instead, he leads me into a dark meeting room and sat there waiting for me to start. I had to nod at him after I finished rambling to prompt him to start talking.. which ended up in mumbled monotone questions, head down, and a few neat squiggles on the page. I didn't even realized he had asked me 'how Toronto was treating me'. I blinked and asked him to repeat because I could not believe such pleasantry could come out so dull. His response to my animated reply was no better.

Since he wasn't offering me any information, I did the asking. I felt like I was at work, digging with a million questions, trying to piece together fragmented information to understand the reason for something because the person could not just simply tell you.. "this is what happens and this is why". What frustrates me is when I get the answer.. "this is what happens, that's the way it is"... "what do you mean why?". Just like at work, I have to coax and cautiously detour around defensiveness.

It's bloody hard work, and a headache. I thought people paid accountants to give advice and guide them in their decisions. This dude wanted me to pay him $325 to prepare my taxes... and that involves me to handing over my spreadsheet with macros and built in formulas that calculated my invoices and cash flow for the year, so he doesn't have to charge me for bookkeeping!

To think the hour I took off work to meet this guy would have been better spent and more stimulating reading Canadian Tax Law.

I'm a believer of the stereotype. I'm an exception. So are my friends. We must have skipped one too many Accounting lectures.

Bollywood in Vegas

Vegas. There is nothing quite like it. Everything is larger than life, if you're not the biggest, you're not the best. You can see lions, the Pyramids, New York and Paris and hundreds of other huge hotels and casinos side by side on a mere 7km strip. Vegas spans the entire spectrum of slum, tackiness, frustrating arrogance, and even a little bit of class.

My last trip to Sin City was back in my backpacker days on a Contiki tour. We stayed off the strip in a dingy motel. I think it was behind a Denny's carpark, the motel was painted pink with blue trim.

Not a gambler, Vegas is not on my list of favorite places to revisit. But our bride-to-be wanted to spend her last hurrah in Sin City, and Sin City was where we went.

It started at the airport where the bride-to-be donned the mandatory stagette veil... we had the whole airplane clap as we boarded! The veil was not allowed to come off the entire weekend, which is fine when you're with a whole much of girls, but so used to the hair piece, the runaway bride went shopping by herself and either had to fend off pitiful glances for the crazy woman with the veil, or take a moment to work out why someone congratulated her each time.

The theme was Bollywood... before we went out on the town, our stagette was decked out in an Indian outfit, was presented her dowry of a million gold chains and bangles, and was well wished with Caesars Palace chocolate gold coins pelted at her.

On arrival, our bride-to-be was surprised to stay at Caesars Palace... a thousands times bigger than a Denny's-car-park-motel, and much, much better than The Golden Nugget that we had made the guest of honor believe. One can spend an entire day or two in the hotel and complex, and still be entertained, even if you're not gambling.

The last time we went Contiki-style clubbing in Vegas, it was at a club way off the strip, there was toilet paper strewn from the ceiling, that ended up knee high on the dance floor. Bikini clad girls offered shots from test tubes, and the boys would be swooning for photos.

Clubbing this time round was a different affair. We went to XS, the newest and best club in town (apparently), and part of the gorgeous Encore hotel. Before you can even get to the scantily clad girls, you have to get through the door. To get through the door, you need to say the key word - and no, it's not "test tube shots". Rather, Bottle Service. Bottle service is nothing new in North America, we were expecting it. But at $400 a pop, with a maximum of three girls sharing one bottle was a little outrageous (we would need $1200 USD and end up with 3 bottles of Grey Goose!). So we wait in line. And the bouncers pick and choose who they want to let in. They are very good at not making eye contact. That is unless you wave them over for a greasy handshake. We're guessing it would be a few hundred dollar greasy handshake for us to get it.

Once you're in though, the venue is pretty dang amazing. Pity it's a journey to get to the bar and it took us almost an hour to get a drink. After $16 shots (that's for one) and an even more expensive chaser, and no way of getting more overpriced alcohol within an acceptable time frame, we gave up on drinking... So we made the bride-to-be entertain us instead!!

(this is as much of the club I'm allowed to show - there are actually beds in the water)


Food was surprisingly amazing (for American fare!). We sampled Alize, with an amazing view and impeccable service - every time you get up or sit down, someone is miraculously there to pull your chair and fold your napkin! The food was fantastic, European dining at American sized serves. Way too much food to warrant our buffet at Wynn's the next day - but no complaints since I had the best cream brulee ever!

Slot machines all seemed the same to me. I put all my money in, press a button and leave the seat much poorer. Not much excitement for me unless you counter the flutter when you credit goes up by $1. But we got introduced to Wheel of Fortune slot machines! Not only do you play your chances of winning a row of something or other, but you play for a chance to spin the wheel and multiply your bet by whatever the wheel landed on. It's fantastic!

So the six of us are sitting at the boarding gate (trying to hide from a guy we met at one of the clubs who happened to be on our flight), eying the blinding lights of the Wheel of Fortune... calling for us. One by one, we relent, scramble in our purses for last scraps of USD... only two of us got lucky, but hey, it was the best entertainment I've ever had waiting for a plane!

I rest my case...

I love the guy, but what the F does Obama have to do with a Sugar Cane drink??

A success story, not mine.

I have spent the last four years working on two huge projects that have or will spend hundreds of millions of dollars implementing a system will provide fantastic customer experience. Both projects boasted they will deliver state of the art CRM that will revolutionize the ordering process, reduce the need for customers to call and complain, blow customers away with the efficiency of how their calls and needs are handled, and eliminate the need to decipher bills.

One of these projects has apparently failed miserably - despite the the hard work, dedication, and the quality of team. The second of these projects, still in the works, will, I predict go much, much worse - based on the work, dedication, and the quality of team.

Although I personally did not attribute to the failure of these projects (with teams of hundreds), it's disheartening to see that such a common vision, is so difficult to achieve.

Attempting to complete a simple transaction with my Aussie telco confirmed my disappointment. First I couldn't find where to change my direct debit details on the web, when I found it and deleted the old info, it wouldn't let me add my new details. And I was trying to make a payment for crying out loud.

I was convinced it was not possible. That is until I saw a success story.

I have a soft spot for Amex... the only credit card vendor willing to give me a Canadian credit card! I've had an Amex since university, at the moment I carry three - two Aussie, and one Canadian.

They are the only providers of customer service that has me smiling when I hang up the phone. I was so impressed with their service that I jumped at the opportunity to provide feedback on a survey sent after my last interaction. No longer will I scoff at the vision of 'first call resolution', 'customers will only state their need once' and 'billing made easy'.

I'm not sure I want to implement another one of these projects, but if I do, it will be a success!

Obama Mania

It's a sunny but cold Sunday afternoon, the traffic is light, the seat warmer is on, the tunes are pumping... and there is a wave on the side of the road. Obama is waving at us from the side of the road with a goofy grin.

We stared incredulously at President Obama, well, the picture of him plastered on the outside of a box. The box was worn by some guy, it was big enough to cover him from head to knee, and even went as far as having a side window where a comical, over sized red glove is extended out in a enthusiastic wave.

We were so distracted with the Obama set-up, we didn't even catch what advert President Obama was being exploited over. The Marketing department was in despareate need for fresh inspiration.

Before we could give it another thought, 200 meters down the road, there was Obama again... grinning and waving enthusiastically. This time we took a better look... the box, was actually shaped like a cardboard house with a red roof, and Obama is pictured in front of the house pointing us to the right. A third Obama had to wave us down before we realized, that President Obama was waving us towards some Open Houses off the main road. If I wasn't already in the market for some real estate, I am now. No, not really.

This is not the first we've seen of Obama Mania, but from T-shirts and bumper stickers, it's been raised to brand new heights.

And I thought the dude who is opening a Cafe Obama needed help...


It's great to see that people have renewed hope. That for once, they have faith.

But this exploitation has gone way overboard. Every night, the White House will always hold a good few minutes of coverage on E! News, on Entertainment Tonight, on Access Hollywood... after the breaking news of another Hollywood starlet with weight issues, or before the ground breaking news flash of yet another split-up in Tinseltown.

I really hope that Obama's name will upstage the tacky signage of Obama Cafe, and the Obama coffee imported from Kenya will live up to the promise.

An early morning message

I've been pretty good this year with my weather whines... but this was the news I woke up to this morning...

This could be the year we have the heaviest snowfall in 70 years. And we're not even half way through winter yet - I still have the worse month of Feb to look forward to. It was a great incentive to spring out of bed!

And whats with the 40 degree weather back at home?? Not sure if I envy you or not...

Sand without the beach

"You need to step outside... every time you open your mouth, the price goes up"
Gotta love mi-wei-sik-chu for her honesty. I can ask her anything at all, and she would give a straight answer. Never mind the fact that I considered leaving her in the Moroccan souk after a comment like that... she may have the art of bargaining, but she also needed my sense of direction to get her out of the maze of never ending stores and alleyways:


Good thing I didn't leave her behind. She was my toilet paper dispenser, my drug store, supply of pastries and my mother away from home... when we got back to London, she was my nurse, cooked me soup and bought congee at 2am so I can have it for breakfast. She was worth skipping out on sunny Mexico to go to bloody cold London and Morocco.

An added bonus to this trip was that reen-ee decided to join us before we left!

Morocco was every bit as colorful as I had imagined. A guesthouse Riad Jona was true to gorgeous pictures on it's website. We met some really great people, people who offered us mint tea, cookies on the street, students studying English who offered to take us around... but there was many others who tried to rip us off.. cab drivers, shop owners, and
even random people off the street. It was a shame, but we sported a defensive attitude, and was often rude, just to get them off our backs.

Moroccans are also fascinated with Asians, we couldn't walk anywhere without being hassled with "Konnichiwa"... "Japanese? Chinese?"...

It was extremely annoying, but I guess Moroccans are so rooted in their culture, regardless of how they were brought up. Their background is such an important part of their lives that naturally they are intrigued with our backgrounds.

I was asked who I would represent in the Olympics if I had to choose between China, my heritage and 'where I am truly from', or Australia which they described as simply 'where I live'. There is no doubt who I would choose the represent, yet to them, not fighting for your roots is a foreign a concept, as foreign as I am to them.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the Sahara desert. The places of interest on the way there was nothing compared to the destination itself. To be riding a camel and watching the sunrise in one of the greatest natural beauties of the world is awe striking. Sharing a tent with 12 others (including four snorers), sleeping under blankets used to cushion our butt on the camels back, and peeing under the stars was less inspiring, but worth the cause:


And the best of the rest? Being able to meet with sorely missed coffee and shopping buddies in an exotic country. I can't think of better travel buddies to pee under the stars in the Sahara desert with.

Happy Holidays!

I have been too lazy to send out Christmas cards this year (like most years). In my old age, I do get sentimental, and my laziness does not speak for how much I miss my families - both real a pretend, and my friends that are scattered in all corners of the globe.

I'm just grateful that these days, our distance is less noticeable through email, Skype, Facebook and ease of hopping on a plane. This year I've been able to spend precious time with loved ones in Canada, U.S, Sweden and Australia. Sadly, the truth is, the time I spend with an old friend during a quick trip, may very well be only a little less than if we were living in the same city. I guess being apart makes you take less for granted.

To the few people that read this blog, where ever you are in the world, I wish you a very happy holiday season! And for the New Year - may there be many happy travels to Canada (Toronto specifically), because it is about time you come and spend some quality time with family and friend!

xoxo A

The weekend of eating, drinking, driving and being Madonna

The excitement of the week was not my birthday, not X'mas parties, and definitely not the snow.

I got my first Canadian credit card! Big deal you think. It is a big deal. I have been complaining for over a year about how backward and inefficient the banks are here, and how stupid they were giving loans to people who can't pay but not giving a credit card to someone who can! I have been charge ridiculous transaction fees for over-using Internet and ATM banking. And I am fed up having to carry cash with me everywhere I go. Thank god for Amex Global Transfer, and bless WendyBendy for alerting me to this programme.

In other news, I have had a fabulous birthday weekend. No patio drinking at waterside bar, but the next best thing. My old team at work took me out to dinner at Peridot, and G took me out to Madeline's… both scrumptious meals that reminded me of the fine dining days back when. These days, it is more comfort cheep and cheerful which suits me fine, but it is nice to indulge once in a while.

My girls here had our annual themed X'mas party… Madonna was definitely in the house! Everyone made an entrance with their Madonna outfit and corresponding song, bearing a kris kringle that 'Madonna would like'. Besides a few moles on the wrong side of the face, it was the best bunch of Asian Madonna's I've seen!

 

(bad photo of me being a few drink shades too pink, and this is as much of the costumes the girls will let me post)

A lot less exciting but worth a celebration nonetheless, was the fact that I finally sat my road test for a licence here. I'd be pretty peeved if I didn't pass the test, but given that it was the first time I have ever driven in a snow squall, the Pass came more as a relief than expectation. This is just for a normal car licence. I still need to sit all my motorcycle tests next year once the snow season is over!