Birthday celebration

I realise that as I grow older, my birthday celebrations become simpler. In the past it used to be celebrated with colleagues in the office, close friends at restaurants, family at home. This year as I'm unemployed, there were no colleagues. But ex-colleagues and friends still remembered and sent me sms. I'm happy that I've not been forgotten and appreciate their gesture. Don't underestimate the joy a simple sms or msg on FB can bring!

As for family, the main person-in-charge, my sister, was overseas, so the celebration was almost forgotten till my mum asked about it during dinner on the actual day. So my brother went to get a cake after dinner for a last minute celebration. As it was late and the nearest Awfully Choco outlet has closed, he went all the way to Vivocity to buy. Very sweet of him & his gf to make the effort.

Yummy choco cake from Awfully Chocolate

My sister sent me a global sms and later returned with lovely gifts - an apron (when i have my own kitchen in future) and a small longchamp bag. I'm amused that although I'm not a branded person, I tend to receive branded stuff, thanks to family & friends who like it. Haha! My b'day longchamp bag, x'mas CheChe bag & Coach purse from friend's US trip are still unused. Maybe it's time for me to clear my cheap & old kawaii bags to make way for the new bags. I also have to clear out my old cosmetics as my friends had given me a new set of blush & eye-shadows from my favorite brand - Maquillage (Shiseido). Happy!! New "year" new start new stuff!

The highlight of my birthday is celebrating with my other half. He brought me to Batam for a short getaway on the weekend of my birthday. Last year we had celebrated it in Batam at Harris Resort. This year we went to Turi Beach Resort at Nongsa, Batam. Harris is a very fun resort that feels rather budget whereas Turi Beach is a more quiet and classy resort with a great view of the sea. We joked it's a cheaper version of Sentosa Resorts. For $200/pax that includes ferry tickets, taxes, accomodation, lunch, breakfast and 3-hr spa (massage + body scrub + milk bath), it's quite value-for-$$.

Hotel Lobby / View from lobby

Each chalet housed 1 - 2 rooms with balcony overlooking the sea

there were 2 swimming pools

view of the resort from the bridge

After the spa treatment, we strolled along the beach then lazed in the room till evening. With a candle-light dinner by the poolside and live music, it's a very romantic way to end the day. We could have made the trip even more romantic by watching the sunrise together the next day but he was deep in dreamland and I was just too lazy to walk to the beach, so I just made do with 1 - 2 shots taken from our balcony which didn't turn out well. Turi Beach is a nice place, perfect for a quiet getaway and for those who like sea-sports.

That's my 31st birthday celebration. Simple but meaningful with family & friends.

J-dorama marathon

I've been a tai-tai for 2 weeks. Besides going for interviews, gym and helping my dad with some ad-hoc assignments, my time was spent watching japanese dramas at home. Since the dramas are usually 9 - 11 episodes only, I could finish up 7 titles within 2 weeks. I usually multi-task at my PC while waiting for the episodes to load online - msn chat, surf net for job, copy songs from CD into my PC, do ad-hoc assignment. Quite sianz to watch it on small screen in poor quality but can save $$ on dvd :)

I just started on the 8th title but it can't keep my interest beyond episode 1. Maybe I'm beginning to get a little tired of japanese dramas. Now searching for a new korean/HK/taiwanese drama to watch. Any title to recommend?

For those who're wondering, here's the list of titles I've watched (in order of preference):

Title 1: オルトロスの犬 (Orthros no Inu)
Genre: Suspense, human drama
Episodes: 9
Broadcast period: Jul – Sept 2009
Cast: Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami
Synopsis:
Ryuzaki Shinji who possesses a “God Hand”, the power to heal wounds and illnesses just by touching the patient, is in fact a dark introvert who does not reveal his true self to others. Aoi Ryosuke who possesses the “Demon’s Hand”, the power to kill a person just by touching him, is as kind and pure as an angel. When the demon meets the God, a fatal battle begins…

Comment: Interesting plot, good pacing & twists and a nice theme song. Go watch it!


Title 2: JIN-仁- (Jin)
Genre: Sci-fi, medical, period drama
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2009
Cast: Osawa Takao, Ayase Haruka, Nakatani Miki
Synopsis:
The story follows a brain surgeon named, Minakata Jin, who finds himself transported back in time to the Edo period. He manages to save lives there despite a lack of proper medical equipment. Meanwhile, he also tries to find a way back to the present.

Comment: Interesting plot but pace is rather slow. Not too satisfied with the ending. Too many questions left unanswered.


Title 3: クロサギ (Kurosagi)
Genre: Action, Crime investigation, Romance
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2006
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers and grows up to become a con artist known as Kurosagi. As Kurosagi, he swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim.

Comment: My friends & ex-students used to tell me how great this drama is, urging me to watch it too. Plus there’s their favourite Yamapi in it. Conclusion? Quite interesting but the ending and the movie that followed is quite disappointing.


Title 4: アタシんちの男子 (Atashinchi no Danshi)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2009
Cast: Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori, Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke, Seto Koji, Okayama Tomoki
Synopsis:
A 20-year-old homeless girl spent her youth trying to escape from the huge debt her father left her. However, her life changed after meeting one man who promises to free her from her debt if she marries him and becomes the mother of his adopted sons.

Comment: Although it’s considered a comedy, I don’t find myself laughing a lot watching it. It’s more of a human drama about family ties. Quite touching at times.


Title 5: 野ブタ。をプロデュース(Nobuta wo Produce)
Genre: School drama
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2005
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
2 guys team up to help a female classmate (who’s an outcast and target of bullies) become popular.

Comment: A simple story that shows the friendship of 3 students. I kind of enjoyed it coz the acting or scenes aren’t too exaggerated which is common in school drama settings (eg HanaKimi or Gokusen).


Title 6: ヤマトナデシコ七変化 (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2010
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Tegoshi Yuya, Oomasa Aya, Uchi Hiroki, Miyao Shuntaro
Synopsis:
4 guys living together in the same boarding house have to turn a spooky girl into a nice lady in order to enjoy free board & lodging.

Comment: Lacks a strong storyline and quite exaggerated but I enjoyed it anyway. The anime version of it is quite nice too.


Title 7: メイちゃんの執事 (Mei-chan no Shitsuji)
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2009
Cast: Eikura Nana, Mizushima Hiro
Synopsis:
The story revolves around a young woman named Mei, who discovers after her parents' accidental death that she's actually the heiress to a fortune, and is forced to transfer to St. Lucia Girls' Academy, where all the students have butlers.

Comment: Typical bullying, heroine saving the day and winning everyone’s support. More for fans of Mizushima Hiro.

Released from bond!

I've finally finished up my 1 year bond with the company and left on 5 March. I've been counting down to this day for almost 9 months. So glad it's over though I somehow miss the routine life there and some ex-colleagues. But I'll never miss the crappy HR policies they have. Worst company ever.

I jumped into another job immediately only to realise that it wasn't what I was looking for, so I left soon after. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I was in comfort zone when I left, that's why I couldn't find my direction in the new job. Or I didn't rest enough. Or I'm not ready for a completely different jobscope.

I've been lazing at home for the past 2 weeks after I left the new job. Although I had a very attractive offer last week, I rejected it due to the job scope. I think I'm crazy to have rejected it. Kind of regret it now. Haiz, now that I know my market value, I'm not willing to go lower, thus I think my job hunt will take even longer to complete.

Sigh... sick & tired of going for interviews... hope tomorrow's interview will go well.. feel so stressed out now...