the bitch switch is on - part 2 of infinity...

I hate it when the bitch switch is on and today is one of those days again. I began picking over the menial things.

Today, I got really fed up (although I was not showing it) when my colleagues decided to go somewhere nearby the office for a Subway sandwich. It was after 12pm and getting seats at this teeny weeny food court place was impossible, what this place being in the heart of the financial district. I have originally suggested going to this mega food court 5 to 7 minutes away, which we ended up going anyway since we couldn't get a table for 4 at the original lunch spot that was chosen.

Then, at this mega food court, after ordering my sandwich at Subway, I requested for it to be toasted. And they said that they could not toast my sandwich. They stated the reason but I know that even if I made a big deal out of it, my sandwich will not be toasted. I was hungry, I had to walk from one place to another for my sandwich and now, my sandwich was not going to be hot. I was upset, very upset that I was having a hot meal.

I could not believe that I am getting upset over all the small stuffs. I blame it all on the hormones. So there!

rock on!!

It is not often that you buy a CD album and enjoy all the songs in it that you listen to it over and over again. When that happens, that album will become one of your favourite albums of all time. The songs will sing in your head even when you are not listening to it and you will remember and talk about it 10, 20 years from now. An impact has been made. There wasn't an album released last year, which has this sort of impact on me. I found one this year. It is Daughtry - a band led by Chris Daughtry from American Idol fame.

I enjoyed Chris's performances in American Idol - I am not really a follower of the show but after seeing him sing in the earlier rounds, I had to watch his performance every week. He didn't win the coveted title but he has won hearts of rock fans all over, including myself. I had listened to his first single, "It’s not over" and thought it was a great song. LET, my drinking buddy, heard the song for the first time when we were in Krabi, Thailand earlier this year and fell in love with it. She went out to buy the album straightaway and started raving about it when I saw her again. She lent me the CD and now, I am hooked!

I have been listening to ALL the songs almost everyday since the last few weeks. It is indeed a very good album, a great rock album. I am not a hard-core rock fan but once in a while when an album like this comes along, it brings out the rocker chick in me. I don't know how to explain it but what is it about rock music that makes you want to head bang, do your air-guitar act and pretend to sing like a rocker with your imaginary microphone stand and leaning forward with it??

Chris Daughtry has a fantastic voice and all the tracks from this album are awesome - very catchy! Some of the fast tracks have kept me company during my morning jogs and they made me want to run faster - I think the strumming of the lead guitar in most of the trakcs just gets my adrenalin rushing. I hope that the band will come up with more great rock albums in the years to come and not disappear in obscurity after this kick-ass album. Daughtry, you rock!!

what have i done?

Eleven months since I moved on to this new job... I repeat, a job and not a career like most people like to think they have. The first three months I have done nothing but complained. Then, the complaints stopped as I decided to direct that energy somewhere else, somewhere positive. I began doing my job as I was hired to do. I admit that there have been frustrations along the way - annoying co-workers, the ass-holes that lurks out of nowhere, demanding clients, blur like sotong boss (that's the Singapore way of saying that someone is a bone-head), unbelievable processes, etc.. oh, I can just go on. However, despite all that, I mainly just vent for a few minutes with some colleagues here and as soon as I left the office, it is off my head. As far as I am concerned, I have been doing a decent job, if not stellar.

Then, this morning, I was surprised to receive an e-mail of commendation. I almost fell off my chair as I read the words penned out for my commendation:

"Congratulations! You have been awarded with the XXXXX Recognition Program. This has been awarded to you for the following reason:

Tuesday's Child dedication, hard work and perseverance have helped bring success to the XXXXXXXX Asia program. Often stepping outside her normal role to mend pre-sales processes or fulfill one of the many needs of our very demanding client, Tuesday's Child continues to be someone the entire team can count on to get the job done! Tuesday's Child has helped make the overall XXXXXXX program a very positive and rewarding experience and we appreciate her contribution and excellent work."

I am still scratching my head wondering what I have done to deserve this. When did I step out of my normal role to mend processes? When did I fulfil the many needs of our client? I didn't even realize that I have contributed in making it all positive and rewarding experience. I have been awarded commendations like these before in my previous job but I expected it because I know my performance was outstanding then… aherm - the ego has landed! But this one, it is very much a surprise.

Oh well, I guess I have to learn how to accept this with grace, which I often have problems with. Perhaps, in my eyes, what I thought was part of my job or my responsibility as a team member, has a different but positive impression by others.

What a nice way to end the week, where at one point, I was getting all lazy and unmotivated. The commendation comes with some monetary value …. A small one though but hey, at least it is better than nothing. I am all motivated now and on a Friday too, where we normally just sit back, relax and do minimal work. But today, I am going to give one percent more of the 50% that I normally put in. ;-) My ego is ready to soar again.

ella..ella..eh..eh..eh..

I am sure that most of us have come across a song which when we first listened to it, we were not too keen on it. However, after a few listens, the song becomes awfully catchy and it keeps playing in your head and you are either humming to it or sing the chorus over and over again all day long. I can't name some of those songs which have made me that way in the past but in the past few days there is this one particular song that have got me singing the lines over and over again and the lines don't even make any sense.

The song which I am talking about is Rihanna's Umbrella, which is currently on the Number 1 spot in both the UK & US charts. When I first heard it, I wasn't too impressed with it. What is the deal with the bit where she went "ella… ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.."? I spoke too soon. For the past few days, I have been going around with that tune in my head and sometimes, I started going "ella… ella.. eh.. eh.. eh..", unaware that I was doing it out loud.

I guess this is one of those songs which can be rather catchy and starts growing on you. Some of you may beg to differ but please don't mind me if I start going "ella.. ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.." in the next couple of weeks until another song supersede it in my head.

Here is the "ella.. ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.." video: