Also known as days of interning. I started off believing that it would be an interesting experience and I could document all exciting and not so appetising things that happen to me. Well, luckily for me, low expectations sometimes do work. However, I did underestimate the physicality of the job and that has rendered me more exhausted than Muay Thai classes one after another. I am awfully tired.

At Muay Thai today, I paid for this month’s lessons at the normal fee (only can manage 4 classes a month now). When one of the guys paid up, A went ‘You are a student right’. I was sitting across her putting on my handwraps, eavesdropping as always. Then it dawned onto me that I am practically a student, with no income and only outflows. After pitching my poverty to A, she very kindly returned me back ten bucks.

I was very pleased of course. Anyway, for the past few months, I had been paying the full working adult rate!

I learnt how to make these flowers at Seow’s house last year when we all gathered to help Wang with her wedding preparations (make ang pao box). Seow had a copy of Martha Stewart Weddings which she treasured (hence did not let me rip out the page of how-to). (I cannot seem to find the how-to on the Martha Stewart Weddings website) Flipping through it, these flowers that Martha used normal cloth (of the stiffer stock) to make, winked at me from the paper. I used the only material I had then, felt and made a yellow flower that I wore in my hair (before I chopped it off December last year) and attached it to my tops when my work outfit needed that spice that my magic mushroom pin could not provide. Alas, the flower though treasured had shoddy workmanship (when I am excited, I go superfast).

Last week, I dug out my felt again and decided to make myself more flowers (practice makes more perfect flowers). I managed three and pinned them to a yellow ribbon to make a necklace like the bib necklaces that have been in vogue for the past year. It is a little too sweet for me however, I do like fake flowers and yellow used to be my favourite colour. The flowers seem more like clown-ish kid’s handicrafts. I will wear it for my birthday.

Two years of learning cooking in Home Economics did not pique my interest in culinary arts. Of course it did not extinguish my obsession with cuisine. The class was split into two for cooking and sewing (sewing really was godamn boring and uninteresting, I still do not know how to thread the sewing machine.). Home Economics was usually the last lesson of the day and the sewing girls could be seen outside the kitchen begging for scraps from the cooking girls.

We did not learn how to bake much, so as I dove into the unknown waters of making sweets, I learnt the following:-

One. Gelatin powder stinks and smells exactly like what it came from, Pig.
Two. Vanilla Essence smells like Paddlepop, the colourful swirly one.

I made jellies for the last pinics and I recalled the ever popular Jellyhearts that my friends clamoured over. Google being the ever so wonderful search engine showed me the Strawberry Jellyhearts Cheesecake from Happy Homebaker. Supplies were bought from Phoon Huat (my first cake tin!) and a mixer was borrowed from The Laney’s mother. The oven at our house does not work (when it is switched on, it trips the entire house’s circuit, not good), so no bake recipes are the best.

One Saturday afternoon, I settled with the recipe copied on a piece of paper in the kitchen and all my new toys to embark on my virgin cake. Mixing, measuring, stirring, pouring, all new exciting processes. Slowly, the cake took form. First, the biscuit crust bottom, mashing digestive biscuits and mixing with the delectable butter. The cheesecake mix comes next. Making the smelly gelatin solution. Using the mixer (it has a life of its own) and smelling the cream cheese. After letting the cheese mixture set in the fridge for a couple of hours with the strawberries nestled snugly on top, jelly mixture is poured right on top to make the top layer. Viola! Jackie’s birthday cake was ready. I also made the same cake, (practice makes perfect) for Tiffy’s birthday, I think it was well received.

For The Laney’s birthday, I also made him this cake modified to be Double Layered Chocolate Cheesecake instead of Triple because three layers was just too much effort. Heh. But it still turned out pretty good. Even though the yogurt did make it slightly sour. Oh well, it is the thought that counts.

So the Proclaimers proclaimed.

Well, I guess the Proclaimers did not have arthritic knees because 500 miles is impossible with knees that hurt. In fact, two 10 km runs within a week of each other is very very painful. Awfully painful.

Awful Nike Human Race = 1 hour 10 minutes
Awful Great Eastern Women Run = 1 hour 8 minutes
Addy’s Great Eastern Women Run = 52 minutes (Freak!)

The less said about the runs the better. One feels a sense of an accomplishment after crossing the finish line if one does not feel like throwing up. The pain and angst experience during the actual run is temporary forgotten like selective amnesia. However, this false sense of accomplishment lures one into thinking that signing up for another race maybe of a longer distance is a good idea. The next day, when one rolls out of bed, the knees screaming and the flat feet hurting, one will Regret the decision. Adrenaline clouds your judgement, kids. Say No to Running!

But we had fun cam whoring after the race at the Padang. Plus we saw this lady walk away with two armfuls of granola bars. And no, I am not wearing a top.

Jupes and I had brunch at Rider’s Cafe on Thursday morning, we sat outside on the veranda and watched this horse gallop in circles round and round. How come the horse never get dizzy? Another mystery of nature. As we chatted about Jupes’ pending Hong Kong trip and her grandiose plans before she leaves for New York, it was reminiscent of the days in Eusoff when I would force myself to wake up to have MacD’s breakfast with her at Engine’s MacDs. How the aircon would be chilly in the morning, we probably had a 10 am lecture to rush to after but the place would be packed. Funny how things around us can change and everything still stays the same.

I would walk 500 miles for Jupes and Addy. (Addy you have to wait for me at the end though. I cannot catch up. Heh.)

A long time ago, Wang thrust a box of DIY food in my face at Seow’s house and insisted that I make this entire set of felt stuffed fast food for her. I promptly told her that she was mad. Plus, I dislike to be told what to do.

As an unemployee, I finally managed to get down on this uncompleted project, previously only having churned out a serviette and the green tray. I did not inherit anything from my parents, be it my physically appearance or scholarly genes or thrifty attitude. I definitely do not have my mother’s crafty skills. The woman is extremely neat at needlepoint and turns out impeccable results. In school, one of them used to be the one who end up doing my art and home economics (the sewing one, I can cooking alright) projects for me. Even the Pig was the one who taught me how to do cross stitch when I was in primary school. Somehow, the need to complete something also eluded me.

So I cut the pieces from the felt, threaded the needles and embarked on the completion of the fast food set, comprising of said serviette and tray, a hamburger with tomatoes, lettuce and cheese, a drink resembling Coke and a serving of small fries (six fries to be precise). The bloody hamburger was the toughest to put together. There was stuffing and double stitching and even the ’sesame seeds’ on the hamburger bun had to be sewn on. I salute Seow to no end for last year, Wang made her make me pieces of stuffed sushi for my birthday and she gamely did, many pieces. I thought she was mad.

Then came the easier part and more of my forte, making the ‘happy meal’ box to put the food inside. I fare better with paper. Cards, envelops, boxes, paperbags, I can make them. But first, I still made a tiny model of the said happy meal box first. The prototype. I used recycled hard cardboard and the result is as presented below.

Happy Birthday Wang! You should stop eating. Really.

Besides October being the month for Weddings, October is also the month for birthdays. It seems that everyone had to go get born in this month.

First up was Jupes’ birthday. Jupes also took the plunge and quit her job at the Bank to pursue her culinary aspirations. Culinary Arts course for six months in New York, oh Jupes, how proud we are of you (and secretly green eyed). And what do you get for the girl who has everything twice over and now also her dream job? Well, it was too late to Dial-A-Man, so I had to resort to my craftiness.

I wanted to order an apron from Williams and Sonoma, monogrammed with her name but I could not afford the wait. So I decided to take the issue in my own hands literally. An apron from Muji was purchased and I cut out alphabets from blue felt to sew her name on the apron. Don’t worry Jupes, I did not bleed that much on the apron. Though it has been a pretty long time since I have taken to needles and each prick was accented with an exclaim of a ‘fuck’.

There is something Jupes does not have yet and that is her own brick and mortar bakery. The Japanese are fabulous. Miniature food rocks. At the toy store at Wheelock, I found these Pierre Herme miniatures and choose the set with macaroons and log cakes to set up a tiny display for the darling girl. All the tiny pastries were stuck down with double sided tape (very handy, all sort of uses this double sided tape) and blu tack. A handwritten sign was put up with a toothpick and her birthday present this year was ready to go. I may not be able to give her the Dream but perhaps, one day, she will able to display my little display in her own bakery.

Pins and Needles Part 2 will be coming up after tomorrow because I just cannot reveal Wang’s Birthday Present before I give it her.

And we are not talking about the limbo rock. Though it would be fun to have a limbo rock party to see how low everyone can go! Chubby Checker on repeat as the bamboo stick goes lower and lower.

More about how low will you go to secure a job close to your dream job. I am a little of a late bloomer. I remember Missy Teo propositioning local vintage jobs offering her services to source for them back in university. So now I find myself composing original cover letters to various magazines, begging for an internship. I am a twenty seven year old aspiring intern.

I always wanted to be a writer. Hmmm, how many times have I said this? But I was a risk adverse kid. Survival was key and my shyness was inhibiting. Well, more about that another another time.

Unemployment rocks! I completed my first mini handicraft project. I will reveal my handicraftiness (I am so crafty!) after Jupes’ birthday pinic this weekend because it is Jupes’ birthday present this year. I may not be as creative and so nimble with my hands like Ahmu but I like to make things. I never had the time nor perseverance to complete anything I started out on (sounds like one of my stories) (like my fairy doll book that I never made a fairy from in university, learning to juggle…. ok that is not crafty). But with unemployment comes time and I can finally buckle down to open the box of unfinished handicrafts! Yay me!

Many people think that just because I am unemployed, I am very free. Oh well, I have no time to justify my industriousness (is there such a word?). True, I do have the luxury to take naps. But naps are few and far between, once a week maybe? I like to be occupied and am not able to just bum in the literal lie in front of the teevee and MacBook way.

So officially, I would have been slacking for almost 2 months. Just back from F1 incidentally and it was great. Lewis Hamilton Rocks. I always have been a McLaren fan since Mika Hakkinen and the grumpy Michael Schumacher days. I remember how SUAY Hakkinen and his car was always, like leading in the Last Round and then Die Car. You cannot be more Suay then that, he is even more Suay than me. Anyway, I am sure no one believes me that I have always been a supporter. So whatever man. Whatever. Plus I like Orange. But Mika Hakkinen is Fat now. It is very sad.

These 2 months have been great. I have not applied for Any Jobs, which is really fabulous until the money runs out. But one cannot be the grasshopper always, singing and dancing in the summer and not saving and slaving ala the ant away only to starve in winter. So I guess, next week will be the start of some real activity:-

* Continue going to yoga, so far, I have been to yoga for 17 times this month. It is a Feat. This is what we call people, Value For Money (totally abusing the use of Caps here but what the hell.)
* Muay Thai will cut down to 4 times a month as I get my ass back to Running. Have only ran 2 times since Army Half because have lost motivation. Feeling like I am going to die does not help but apparently, I have signed up for like 3 more ‘races’ till the end of the year. I think I will ‘quit’ running this year. The same like I started running this year.
* I have a great idea for Jupes’ birthday present but like all great ideas, I have got this one a little late and am not sure whether it will be in time for her birthday. Belated is better than nothing though?
* Pay godamn attention in my Japanese class which starts Tuesday, twice weekly. I am embarrassing. Who retakes Elementary Japanese? Awful that is who.
* Finish up the clearing of the house. You do not know, so do not comment.
* Learn about investment to get the queen bitch off my back once and for all. (Maybe.)
* Oh I guess, in my Spare Time, I can apply for Jobs. Maybe start off with one Job application every 4 days then increase until 1 a day. Anything to goes. Have to summon enough desperation and thick-skinness to pursue the dream.
* Do handicrafts. Time to dig out all the half finished, just started little handicrafts.
* Eat Less. (< --- This is totally not going to happen but good to resolve constantly)

* Plan wedding. Really? This is totally not going to happen. I have not even opened the Martha Stewart wedding magazine I bought a few weeks ago. Usually I Tear into magazines. I just got a great idea for the jie mei thing though, we should play Paint Ball. It hurts. Which is the Total Idea. Which reiterates my point. Marriage hurts.

Reason Number 3827437:
Sitting on the couch at 1 am eating 3 various kinds of random junk food (sweet, salty and salty) and watching the Emmys and Seinfield concurrently and reading Sherlock Holmes on a what was school night.

Reason Number 81:
Going to yoga, double shot of yoga, anytime anyday (almost).

Reason 72637:
Retaking Japanese Elementary 1 (heh, I have such a language disability).

Reason 9837:
Not having worn working clothes (even the ones that are hard off to pass in office) since oh forever. Maybe I should just fold them up, pack them into boxes and store them for…. never?

Reason 1:
Sleeping in.