*WHOA!*

i had insomnia last night
But today.. im so so so thankful
So thankful for GOD's favor

Morning I came in, after being awake from 2 -5am...
I know we are getting our performance bonus and increment letters today...
but heck, i was so tired
and i saw this email by our DD

Dear Esther,
I am pleased to inform you that your Performance Bonus (PB), Growth Bonus
(GB) and Merit Increment (MI) awards are above the norm.As PB is considered based on individual performance and relative ranking,the awards would differ each year.You have done well. Keep up the good work.
Best regards,


I was like WHOA.. above the norm leh, Not bad sia. But predicting like at the most few hundred dollars above others
Den my boss emailed to say there were only 7 senior officers in our department who got this above norm thingy...
Well its stilll a long way before promotion for me...but this is like the next best thing.

2 officers, about 6 yrs into the job, got promoted this time... hahah means I keep this up and still have 4 yrs to go?

ok la
i was still expecting a max 4K bonus onli... until at the end of the day
DD hands me my letter


I GOT CLOSE TO $9K BONUS!!!!!!!
WAH LAO!!!!

and my salary hit a Landmark figure
meaning to say in <2 years, my salary had jumped $1K

i knew my performance was not bad for last year because of the award winning event, but i thought it will be dismissed as rubbish or something....
Anyway me and my sisters exchange letters all the time. I know i really got a crazy lot more than they did. talking thousands of dollars difference
I kind of feel bad, but i know they are sincerely happy for me, cos they know my circumstances and how hard i work

But most most most importantly
Thank you Lord for all these, the favor, the opportunities, the environment
i know im bad, sometimes i curse this job, or i whine
but Thank You Lord.


--------------------------------------

either something interesting to share. I actually have some value in the market.
Some ang moh guy liasing vehicle stuff with me ends up to be someone who owns a London broking firm in singapore

He was so impressed with me, he sent me a compliment, and he offered me a JOB
I told him im no bank and finance qualified person, he said its not about qualifications. He is impressed with my attitude

Haha

I know i wont take it. But I had to be polite so i told him id think about it
$$$$ is so not my thing
i kind of agreed with Laoban that Im doomed to be in law administration for life.
hahahah

of course i agree with him
one of those days.. i love my job
im going to buy everyone i love a little gift!!!

Easter Sunday

~ Celebrating resurrection of our Saviour today ~


~ Victory~




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I think those who know me, should know that im very into those designer items lately.


Or what my sis calls "Brand conscious"


Ok la i admit that I have not been frugal. My count of possessions include 2 burberry bags, 1 LV bag, 1 burberry wallet, and just last week Dan got me this LV vernis ludlow...





cos he knows how much i like it... it is so pretty i tell u


(I think he feels bad cos i buy him phones to play with)





Yep but its a road of no return.. u crave and crave after your first item. So i actually did some planning in Jan that I will be getting a weekend Gucci tote. the kind that would look so gorgeous when im wearing 3/4 pants. the kind that you can stuff lots of things in. Den i will try to justify the purchase by saying it can last long and be a diaper bag when i have a kid


oh wait i think i have a picture of it..

so rugged with attitude...

I did my research in the boutique, lady say it costs a $850. I was like ok what... and Dan said it look nicer than other $1K over bags.

Check out my stupid attitude la. $800+ bag i say ok what.

But nvm... im not buying this anymore after this session of drooling. You'd find out why

You know why i planned splurging, cos come tuesday we will be getting our letter telling us how much we are gettng for our:

Performance bonus

+

Growth Bonus

+

Merit Increment ( i hope this brings my salary to the next landmark figure... pls...)

Im expecting a good figure for all 3 items because of what DD told me when i asked him about my grading last year, during appraisal. He was like.. u did well, u will know when you see your bonus (shy laugh)

Got my hopes all up

But im still for conservative estimate. Based on HR minumum calculation-- minimum is like for people who do only their core expected, so not those who did impressive revolutionary stuff that grabbed the management's attention... can get chao chao like... 2 x gross salary

not bad what. So i thought worse case scenario i can get that amount. So i can buy my gucci tote

Sigh

but my brother just entered republic poly. Im actually very thankful to God about his results. He is a guy, the least he must have is a diploma rite.

I kinda feel like things for guys are a lot different. So at times i know its foolish and futile but i'd rather my brother has my brains and luck. Im not saying that Im damn smart or anything... but im at least comfortable. But I will not feel good holding a degree and if my brother didnt make it and end up with no qualifications.

So i used to talk to him, telling him i know how singaporean gals are like. im one myself and i know. Its hard enough to find a gal, but with this education thing in the way...

Ya but thank God everything worked out ok and he got into RP. Good thing there is RP too.

So now, back to the finances

My brother just bought a laptop. Cost my dad about $1.5K. So i figured the only right thing for me to do, being blessed with this bonus, will be to reimburse my dad for that. Its also my duty. My dad has a car and family to support and I dont.

After that I have to pay my credit card bill, and save the rest cos lets face it, im not getting any younger.

and the increment also goes to my brother's increased pocket money for poly.

So bye bye Gucci. I know i will feel a lot better with this decision. I never want to be selfish and indulge in designer bags while my family struggles with another tertiary education.

So I told God , I tried my best. Back in Uni i gave tuition to give myself pocket money. Now Im still paying off my uni fees. Now, i know a lot of people tell me i should watch out for myself instead trying to increase my burden with these little things.

But I know everything makes me a stronger, not bitter person.

:)

I still thank God for everything, you know.

Qing Gong Feng Yun

Laoban says im a "thoroughbred political scientist"

he made me demo in our unit meeting... diu lian....

Since so, I shall present to you, my friends, our blockbuster story

called... PALACE POLITICS... aka Qing gong feng yun

actually the players are:

of course the beautiful 4 cpd gals la

u know we are soooo beautiful that we are famous

i met a 3 mth new staff at a course last week, she told me she heard our department a lot of beauties

*roars*

so a dept of beautiful gals, sure will stab each other to gain attention one rite

so come the male players

actually there is only one player



DAN



cos the rest of them are actually pigu, laoshu and jelly's bfs who are not really in the palace



but i gave them roles too... when we went for a $300 crab dinner!!! ($300 leh. wa lau)







Presenting....












Up left.

Jelly as Zhu Long fei... and her guard
as in every gu dai show, a couple who offends the state rules get into the pig basket... except in my happy palace politics there are no deaths.
this happened because jelly did not tell us that she was together with ernie-san ... she did not tell us for 2 weeks. That is unacceptable.
Hence she rolls around in a zhu-long with us


Next

Me as Huang-lian Hou... supposed to be HUANG HOU. cos i am the lawful wife of the Emperor. but because I have lost my appeal, thus the emperor's appetite for concubines, I become a Huang Lian Po....
My arms are crossed because I am crossed. haha

Below me
Danny as...
HUANG SHANG LA... the core of all these female backstabbing

On his shoulders
laoshu as MA PI FEI
(ass-kissing concubine)
always wanting to be the most loved concubine of Huang Shang. Will do anything to keep her position. constantly whispering into the emperor's ears. She is the reason why the other 2 concubines have been banished... one into the zhu-long, one.... u'll find out later

the story about this concubine, her true love is actually an official (played by kou-di). But since her much publicised royal betrayal, he had his head sewn into a very very tall green hat that he has to wear for life. No wonder LU MAO GUAN is weeping sorrowfully

and at the corner
Pigu as LENG GONG ZHU (Cold Palace Princess). she has been banished into the cold palace after Emperor was brainwashed by that MaPi Fei. To ignore is the greatest punishment, thus she is in depression. The royal physician COUNSELLOR, played by the noble Kerni, is there to keep her sanity...



HAHAHAH
Work drives us nuts.
Forgive me all boyfriends of my dear colleagues

WHAT WOULD LIFE AT WORK BE WITHOUT U ALL...

I will not waste chalk

Ive started on Dan's complete Simpsons collection

So funny...

I like irony

ah ma 55th bday

Ah Ma (of the company) turned five-ty-five last sat

so off we went to the URA bungalow

q a nice place though, may consider applying for it and have a weekend of fun with all of us

except that we will not be gettin this one, getting something called a VILLA for our division level, which only meant it faces the park and sea

we tried smiling..

we tried huang fei hong

we tried being sneaky

den la ma and meinu arrived. la ma brought her baby gal along so she was in non-crazy, all-mothery mode

and i think meinu is v happy cos she just left our company,

has a huge (i think 5 carat) diamond ring, and is getting married to one of our ex colleagues

having the perfect wedding , guy and gal both so good looking, wedding pics in melbourne, dinner at fullerton

except.... we are not invited.

hahaha

but all the best for her la, she so chio

HAPPY BDAY AH MA!!!!

-------

End: if u can make out these videos and watch them to the very end....

WHAT IS LACKING IN MY CHALET ACCOUNT?

a ghostly encounter?

I have two

Love and Marraige

For those wondering...

A student asked a teacher. "What is love ?"

The teacher said, "In order to answer your question. Go to the padi field and choose the biggest padi and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

The student went to the field, go through the first row and saw one big padi stalk, but he wondered....maybe there is a bigger one later.
Then he saw another bigger one... but thought may be there is a even bigger one waiting for him.

Later, when he finished more than half of the padi field, he start to realise that the padi was not as big as the previous one he saw, he knew he has missed the biggest one, and he regretted !!!!

So, he went back to the teacher with empty hands.
The teacher told him, "...this is love... you keep looking for a better one, but when you realised later, you have already missed the person...."


"What is marriage then ?" the student asked.

The teacher said, "In order to answer your question, go to the corn field and choose the biggest corn and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

The student went to the corn field. This time he was careful not to repeat the previous mistake.

When he reached the middle of the field, he has picked one medium corn that he felt satisfied, and come back to the teacher.

The teacher told him, "this time you bring back a corn.... you look for one that is just nice, and you have faith and believe this is the best one you got.... this is marriage."