18:37.

I failed my advanced theory test :(

There, that's that. Sigh. Not too sure what went wrong. The first time I did the basic theory test, I knew while doing it that I didn't study 'nuff and there were questions I needed to check up on but this time, I actually didn't get that feeling. So it's kind of sadness inducing to see that terminal, unquestioning msg on your computer screen.

I booked myself another slot near end of next month when I should be back in Sg again but honestly, I'm really considering more and more just doing the whole thing in Msia and come back and convert it to an Sg licence. I found out just a month plus ago - The conversion is automatic as long as you show your work permit and prove that you were there more than three months. And there, you apparently have courses that include the theory to the final practical all for RM1k. Not sure how true that is but what I'm paying per lesson now in Sg equates RM100 every single time so financially, that does look sane.

Will figure it out. And mug some more, darn.

Any way, I opened up a large toolbox I have under my desk last night and found these.



I knew I had CDs in that box but I was actually surprised by the number of good stuff I clean forgot I had. Then I looked at a row of CDs on my desk and realised gosh, there are more albums I forgot about.

From 6 Feet Under soundtrack (which features bands like DeathCab and Arcade Fire) to Coldplay, The Bravery and White Stripes to Bright Eyes and Rufus Wainwright to Billy Corgan and Radiohead and Bruce Springstein's Devils & Dust and Paul McCartney's Chaos And Creation In The Backyard... heck, I've been neglecting them.

There are too many albums I have and didn't give ears to. Should change that.

Any way, as you may have noticed, I've been blogging more. I think having wireless unlimited broadband had a part to play.

Tomorrow, I go back to Msia. And I just told myself an hour ago, walking through the car park on the way home - I won't feel like I'm taking and putting down Life A and Life B here and there, transplanted every time but instead, I will just live. Not gravitate towards wanting one place that's more like Home but just live. To just trust, obey and walk on.

Godspeed.

2300.

Bono Receives Honorary Knighthood.

18:27.

I've not kept up with the new bands coming out for quite a long while. Way I see it, the classics and old school rocks very well and always satisfy and still even amazes, surprises and awe me and there are so much I have yet to listen to that the archives can keep me sated without needing to really find new bands.

Then last last weekend, when Germie was in town and we were in F C U K, I heard a song playing that caught me up like a high school soccer game and prom night and swirled me around and around like a great impetus teenage adventure that made my little heart swell and want to burst. Then another song played and I noted the unusual disco elements that stilled and welled at intervals, and what surprised me was that I really like the song when I've always hate all dance. Then the third song played and the fourth with a burst of dance in its chorus and the continuous brilliance got to me.

Noting Germie singing along, I asked her "who's this?". Thankfully, she gave me the info or I'd gone over to the boutique staff for the music info.

That band was The Killers.


Ray and me went shopping for music last Sat and we listened to both the new album Sam's T own which we both fancied but it wasn't the album I heard so we went to a second music store where Hot Fu ss was avail and whammy, it was the one.

And that song that grabbed and swung me around merrily with a pout is Mr Brigh tside. Which is playing now. Heh.




On the same music tome, R a y read about a new band called Arcade Fire in NYT and was totally intrigued 'nuff to down lo a d a few tracks to sample. They have quite different stuff and almost strangely, I thought, a David Bowie influence somehow, perhaps it was the vocal distortion and delivery. Then Ray showed me a few of their vids and golly, Bowie sung with them on a song called Wake Up, which really hit it off with me. Golly, I love the emoting wave of sound.

Any way, we are happy campers 'cause we couldn't find Arcade Fire stuff in Msia but I scored both Funera l and Neon Bibl e at Gramophon e yesterday for only SGD17.95 and SGD14.95.

:D

I like anthems, they have heart.

Pardon my long sentences today. I've got my advanced driving test tomorrow at 430pm. Would be squeezing in one more driving lesson at 2pm before I go back to Msia on the 8am bus on Sat. Gosh, the week really just swum by.

hallo there.
will you like to be mine? heh. short sleeved, khaki-grey, doubled collared, little red riding hood fashioned jacket from T o p shop.

11:41.

Reminiscing.

What makes the heart goes away to a different time and place so fondly, every now and then?

I read somewhere once of a person who refuses to say any experience was the time of his life, or the best xxx ever 'cause he believes when one pronounces such a judgement, you will forever be living in the past, always reminiscing of the (past) time of your life. Rather, to live believing the best is yet to come - That's the attitude to have and live out.

But to avoid that looking back is impossible. Though definitely not always detrimental, what makes the heart stop in bitter-sweet motion and look backwards, steeped in some sort of sorrow and fondness over those days of our lives?

I don't quite understand this life and the way we live it sometimes but I think that that looking back is such an enigma, a remembering of things gone past, at times a thanksgiving and a smile, a human awareness and identity defining moment. How do you guard yourself from stepping out of the present in those moments though? At least, guard against stepping out in such a way that you isolate those around you now in the present?

Human emotions remain at times so strange and yet so encompassing-ly embracing. How almost odd. And man, I can't believe it's already Wednesday.

09:37.

It's a Friday morning and the bosses are not in yet.

I'm nursing a coffee I was reluctant to have 'cause I've been feeling too caffeined but since I'm loathe to pay for an OJ at the Maccers downstairs when I should be getting my RM100 vouchers soon, I settled for coffee at the pantry still.

Today marks the 2nd week since I've been back here and it does feel like time has flown by.

I still have orientation going on here and there but the pace of mktg doesn't seem to allow my direct boss from focused training. She sent me an email apologising and asking me to do some research at 3am (!) so yeah, among every one, she's the most severely overloaded which is why I really want to be up to speed much faster so I can do more and the dept isn't so inbalanced.

That said, I did handle a few smaller projects this week.

It's not hard - Being small projects, they only involved liaising with the creative agency on the creatives, chasing them, checking through their work, and repeat. Being not totally on top of matters yet, I tend not to give approval straight away but to check with my direct boss first so I need to get that step out of the way.

There has also been a flurry of big meetings which I enjoyed generally, the brainstorming for campaigns, creative direction bit, esp the one with a movie tie-up were all interesting.

I'm slowly getting the hang of the thousand and one abbreviations (And I thought it's an SG thing) and the process of things.

And I'm getting a little more used to coming in to dozens of new emails every morning. I have to admit though that today's flurry of email really drove home the message I have to be super organised if I'm to keep keeping on top of matters and not slip up. It does look a bit overwhelming coming in every day, still being a greenhorn, and reading all the email instructions about work to do when your boss isn't around to direct or help.

Praise God He has been good and keeping me good.

So it's Friday. And honestly, I'm really happy that it's here. The week has not felt long but strangely, this morning, it did. So I am highly looking forward to this day passing fast (pls, Dad!), knocking off work, having dinner and showering, going to Life Grp and just taking it easy this weekend.

Would be meeting Germie babe on Sat and finally watching Pan's Labyrinth on Sat night. I plan to take it easy, maybe get a haircut with Ray, maybe go see some potential houses to rent, just chill and make sure I get a good break before the next week starts. Precious precious weekends... oooh, I really have to knuckle down and study for my advanced theory test on the 30th too. I've not even went through the book completely once!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend.

Love!
Me

0936.
















Nerds Unite! and Destroy NYC. The Threadless sale is on and Ray and me combined orders with Germie and James to grab some very rockin' tees for USD10 each. The above are my choices. These are the guy shirts' colours though, mine will come in mint and slate respectively.

Online shopping is getting more popular with little old me. These r the 4th online purchase within a month for me... oopsie.

It's Thursday, latter half of the work week. Yest, I went to L e o B u rn e tt to familiarise myself with the going ons and all. They have a very well designed office and most people were in their casuals which I still fancy highly. That said, I'm properly more ready than ever to dress corporate compared to me at my last jobs.

At about 1030, another printer should be coming by to take me for a colour separation tour of sorts. I'm a bit of a printer nerd, I really like seeing how things work and all and even smelling the ink and all that so it's very cool for me.

Tomw, it's another media orientation kind of tour at OM D, another agency and then it's the weekenddddd!

Lovely.

I've got a church women related mtg tonight then tomw night, it's Life Grp. Sat, sleep in and lazy living for a bit then off to Pastor's for leadership classes, socialise, prob have dinner then go catch 300. Yay! Sun, it's our Life Grp's turn to do service so we have to go early to pack in and pack out so that's the only plan for that day, I guess.

So how's your day going? :)

0834.

I'm sitting at my cubicle at my new company, this early 'cause Ray has a meeting and has to drop me off earlier than usual. To the left of me is a pile of promo briefs with a merry Ronald waving. On top is a board with translites just like the menu board you see in the Maccers store. A thin strip of sticker line my desk's height saying ". With Hash Browns & Coffee/ Tea . Until 11.00am / weekdays & 11.30am / weekends". Restaurant brochures or FSPs, posters and random marketing tools are all around the office and Ronald Mc Don ald waves hallo every time you walk in the door.

Here's to my new chapter, marketing officer at Maccers.

So far so good. The senior mktg manager and mktg manager are away today till Fri but the latter lined up visits every day for me to go to printers, agencies and such to familiarise myself with the whole process.

Yesterday, time was whiled away reading promo briefs, employee briefs, materials on the intranet and such, plus half an orientation and then a meeting with l e o bur n e t t who presented the creatives for our april promo.

It was all very interesting, being a client and having the art director and designers and all pitch to you. haha. Being on the other side of the equation for just a bit. It felt engaging though, the process, pointing out design, conceptual and copy ideas to tweak and change and all that. Very much cool.

Technically, my offer letter states I start at 9 and get off at 545 but I knocked off at abt 640 yest. I reckon that's gg to be the norm and when work comes in, prob even later but I'll try to work fast, for which I first require to be brought up to speed on the terminology, process and all these structure before I can work the system.

I'm excited though.

After realising the stuff abt how I want to ultimately be building up a church, not a para church org and how being a minister every where and the divide between secular and sacred was more in my head than other where, I'm coming into this after months of "build up".

My paradigm about work has shifted and I'd like to be able to truly live out a difference, though I'm not quite sure how... yet.

I got to go to a printer for a tour in a bit, s k y e out for now.

xo

22:51.

So I'm back in Malaysia.

Got back yesterday after a slightly more eventful ride back (had to chase after the bus in my cab only to find my seat was given to someone else because I was late. Ended up sitting at a non standard chair but thankfully, during the rest stop, the driver got the guy who got my seat to go to another coach with an extra seat).

Attended my first Life Group yesterday and was really really glad to be there. Went to a mamak for supper and had teh halia kurung kurang manis and then gave it to temptation and had a piece of tandoori which was rockin' rockin'.

Had the first of a series of leadership sessions today followed by a relaxed makan gathering with newcomers.

It's just very good to be back, there isn't many words for it. But I'm really glad.

It's amazing how God was perfectly on time. I booked my ticket for Friday somewhere the week before, I think. Just 'cause I thought I want to be here for this weekend and go to Life Group, attend the leadership session and go to church then go back to Sg.

But two days after that, I got the call that offered me this job and I was asked if I can start on the 5th, which is Mon. So the timing was perfect, I didn't even have to re-schedule my ticket or any thing. And I get to be here during this kick off period to growing deeper in this church and start more hands-on towards building a relevant, cutting edge, alive dream church, that church we have envisioned and dreamed of to put our hands to and build up.

I'm psyched.

Will try to keep blogging more soon. Thankfully, there seems to be a constant avail wireless to er, leech from. Heh.

Nights out, folks.