My colleague sent me a text saying that she bought me breakfast while I was driving to work this morning. I - very deftly (exceptional driving skills, remember?) and quickly - shot her a reply of thanks and told her that I was on the way.
I got into the office, fitted Seanna in to her power source and headed over to her cubicle.
My colleague (Let's give him a name. Archangel sounds good. Okay, that's settled. Moving on...) said that to me while we were out for a video shoot.
His rationale was all for gloating purposes, of course. He said it because he got me this...
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and this...
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during our time out of the office.
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In hindsight, I think his overwhelming generosity was actually a bribe. He said that it wasn't when I asked him, but I have a sneaky suspicion that those food treats were meant to ensure his safe return to the office.
P/S: Santa dropped him off at the location, and I met him there. Naturally, I was the one behind the wheel of my car, and I have exceptional driving skills; wherein most mediocre and ordinary drivers need some getting used to.
After I posted *this*, I recalled of another picture which fitted perfectly into the 'Only In' category. So...Here's another...
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Seen on the beauty shelf at one of the shopping malls in Hatyai during my February visit.
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P/S: My posts are few and far between this week (*This* was my first post since last Saturday) because Work has been utter madness and to add salt to the wound, I have been under the weather since Monday. =(
That was the name given to the Whatsapp group (which Santa created) for the cookout last night.
It was nothing like a rave, and there were no minions present; although we had really adorable little people (some of my colleagues brought along their children) scurrying around the compound.
So, the name wasn't really apt for the night we had. Nonetheless, I had a good load of fun (the boys were all very gentlemanly - cooking and serving the girls first) and chowed down some really delicious food, particularly *this* one. #shameless
Snapped a quick shot of the BBQ pit before leaving for home...
Sprinted towards the door as soon as the clock struck five, manoeuvred my car through the after-work traffic as swiftly as possible, and stopped at one of the parking bays in Tesco to purchase the needed ingredients to make this...
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... for the cookout my colleagues and I will be having at Santa's house tomorrow night.
I get giddily excited on Thursdays, for the simplest reason: It is the day before Friday (and I adore Fridays).
However, I didn't plant my feet on the parquet floor of my room feeling that in-over-your-head enthusiasm this AM.
I am cumbered with work (Footages to edit and piece together, briefs to read, taglines to write, research to be done...), a pressing and very last minute freelance request came in yesterday evening and I have a cough which is hanging tough for all the wrong reasons.
I got into the office, booted Seanna up, plugged in Evie to fire up her juices and trudged to the pantry to prepare a mug of lemon tea with honey.
I let the tea steep for a full minute and decided that life is still grand, even if it comes with a mountainous load of work every now and then.
He reappeared in the office at tea time and gestured for me to follow him to the pantry. Once we were there, he opened the refrigerator door and pointed out to several jars of chilled beverages, and asked me to pick one.
I unscrewed the cover, poured my fill and shared it with another colleague.
Mumma came home early from work yesterday, cuddled me in her arms, took me for a quick stroll around the neighbourhood (I met some pesky felines and barked my tail off at them!) and then, we had game of Catch in the garden.
That's me *points above*; catching a breath for about five seconds before I cajoled Mumma for another round of Catch.
(Psst, I did the whole puppy-dog-eye thing with her and I am proud to report that it totally works. She melted and caved in to my pleas. I am gonna try it out on her again today.)
At 11:39am today, Seanna pinged softly, a subtle chime indicating that she had received a new email.
I opened up my Mail application and found a work-related email sent in the most colourful of hues...
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I loved the pop of colours and I reciprocated in the best way known to my senses... with every possible (tasteful) shade added (in harmony, of course!) to the reply.
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FYI, my colleague's name is Sofia. And no, I did not miss out the 'i' in her name. One of her customers mistook her name and called her Sofa on one occasion (missing out on the 'i'). It became a running joke for all of us and I've referred to her by her new (and improved) name from that day forth.
Apparently, only some of us found the joke funny, as this was her reply to me a few minutes after I sent mine...
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She'll grow to love her new name, I'm convinced. She just needs some time to get used to it. =p
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If only all work-related email correspondence were this colourful and fun...
Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered some very inspirational speeches during his time as the 32nd President of the United States. One of the quotes from his speeches that I am particularly fond of is this:
"If you treat people right, they will treat you right... ninety percent of the time."
I practice it all the time, and I strongly believe in it.
However, I have met the ten percent of that quote frequent enough for me to come to the conclusion that kindness and honesty are rarities in our world today, almost extinct in fact (very much like the Dodo birds).
I was too quick to surmise the rest of humanity based on the encounters that I have experienced. Admittedly, I was also too rash and short-sighted in summing up the ten percent as the majority.
Because... I received a phone call last Friday which proved to me that honest people with kind hearts are very much alive and kicking.
About a month ago, I placed an order for several items at iHerb, paid for it and waited anxiously for the parcel to arrive.
Days became weeks and after a fortnight, I checked the shipping address and realised that I forgot to include the name of my company when I was filling in the online form. I only included the address of my company and seeing that my office is located in an industrial zone with plenty of companies around, I assumed that my package was probably a goner already.
Last Friday, I received a call from a lady who had the same first and family name as myself, whose office was located within the same industrial zone. My order was wrongly delivered to her and she took the effort to track down my contact number so that the items could be returned to their rightful owner.
I went to collect my package from her associate this morning (she informed me beforehand that she wouldn't be in the office today)...
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... and left my bit of kindness as a sign of gratitude.
The biggest chunk of my spending last week went to that *points above*.
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The fragrant smell of green tea infused with the robust flavour of vanilla wafted into my nostrils the very moment the tea leaves delicately touched the water. The aroma was accented by the sweet tinge of grand berries, making every sip an enchanting delight.
Two years of hard work, being away from my family and self-discovery finally culminated to this very day...
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Brief (but accurate) description of the day:
- Walked into the ballroom wearing a funky-smelling robe, an aqua blue cape (which choked me most of the time) and mortarboard desperately clinging to my head
- Got to the assigned seat number and sat down
- Guests were allowed to enter the ballroom
- Soft music accompanying the academic procession (Hey, this scene looks strangely familiar, but I can't seem to place it!)
- Academic procession ends
- Malaysia's national anthem resounds (Author's confession: I teared up. Fought hard to not let a single tear seep out of my eyes and succeeded. Couldn't have been prouder to graduate in my country and contribute towards making a better tomorrow for the next generation.)
- Australian national anthem plays
- Academic procession was seated (I GOT IT! This is why it looks so familiar - This whole place looks like The Great Hall scene in Harry Potter; complete with the weird hats which The Chancellor and his band of academic colleagues are donning.)
- Inspirational and congratulatory speeches
- Let the Name-Calling Fest begin!
- Names, names, names... Applauses, applauses, applauses... Several WooHoo-s (few and far in between, thankfully)
- Refer above
- Refer above
- On the steps, my name was announced... (Do not fall, do NOT fall, DO NOT FALL)
- Shook hands with The Chancellor, smiled for the cameras and exited the platform
- More names...
- Standing ovation, thunderous applause and uproarious cheering by the Chancellor, distinguished academicians and guests for the seated graduates
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