escapades of the elusive kat

F.riday5.com | Celebrations

1. Who was on the other end of your most recent high five?
I don't remember exactly. But it must have been with my Bestie C, must have been something about telepathically understanding each other in a group conversation or something.

2. To which movies, television shows, albums, or books have you recently given thumbs up?
The most recent book I read (The Violin Conspiracy) was a good read.

3. What’s happened to you recently that others would cheer about?
Nothing. Life's been dark and depressing lately.

4. What have you most recently and literally clapped for?
Well, two nights ago I went to a dinner with the ceramics workshop. Since everyone clapped when the food was served, so, I clapped then.

5. When has someone recently given you an encouraging word?
Recently in RL none. People here on LJ and DW have been kind about recent incidents and although I haven't personally replied to all, you have my deepest and most grateful thanks.

thefridayfive 

1.You’ve been home from vacation for a week now, what still needs to get done?
I'm pretty much do it all at once type, so I don't think there'd be anything I still need to do after a vacation. I unpack the moment I get back (unless it's a late night arrival, then I unpack the next day), the suitcase basically will be cleared ASAP and kept back in its hiding spot, and clothes and stuff will either be in the laundry or back where they should be (e.g. comb, hair dryer, makeup kit, etc)

2. Have you detected any signs of Spring/Fall yet?
It's warming up. And so, on this fine Saturday where I'm slaving away doing the shelter finance logging, I can go back to an ice coffee. I've mentioned before, I don't really like coffee, but if I absolutely must drink one, it's iced coffee. (Though I love the smell of a freshly brewed coffee). So yes, Spring is coming.

3. How often do you check the batteries in your smoke alarm?
Not a (residential) building requirement here so, never.

4. How is your weekend looking?
I've got a bone to pick with the vet clinic my dogs go to. I'm going to pick that bone this afternoon.

So they have this stamp program where for every $1000 (my local money) you spend you get a stamp, and when you get 16 stamps then you get a "card". The "card" is worth a discount of $1500. So it's a little less than a 10% rebate. Anyway, back in December, on the 20th to be exact, I went to get some medication for the dogs, and the clerk there said "oh yeah let me tally up your stamps," because we're kind of regulars, so I never really kept a strict eye on the stamp situation. I knew the clerks and nurses would periodically check that out for me.

So the clerk told me "You're eligible for 8 cards. I'll use one card and write you the 7 cards." So that's it. She wrote on a card with the number 7.

The next time I went, it was the 27th or so, I gave them the card to use another card, but now (it was another clerk/nurse) and they said, "oh no, that's 7 stamps only, we'll add in the 3 stamps you are eligible for today." It was a new clerk/nurse, so I didn't fight with her (don't want to be a Karen).

The next time I went, it was early January, and there were the regular nurses, so I brought the issue up. The "office manager" (I don't know if she is, but she's usually bossy like an office manager. I hate her and I had asked that she never initiate contact with me.... story below***, I don't want to go off tangent and digress) just said, "it was a miscommunication".
So I politely requested an account audit, it was a simple as that. Ignore the transactions from 20 December and after, and go back the transactions and recount my stamp balance. She refused. I even gave a pretty good "save face" route for her. I said "You know, if your colleague had mistakenly given me a $1500 discount for one STAMP instead of a CARD, I would gladly pay you back too". She refused and didn't want to audit my account.

Anyway, when I left that day, the other nurse stamped my card. It was a $2800 bill, but she gave me 3 stamps because "it's just a bit".

I was disgruntled so I did not renew my dogs' care plan at the vet. A care plan is sort of like an insurance plan. I pay an annual fee and for the year I do not have to pay for the "Consultation fee". It was a good deal because when the dogs were on weekly injections, every visit was charged a consultation fee, even though we did not see the vet, and were there just for a jab. Consultation fee is $320 per dog per visit, weekly jabs, it adds up. A care plan is $2500 per young dog (old dogs pay $5600) for a year and all consultation fee will be waived and you get the year's supply of de-worm and de-flea (Frontline). I made a point of not renewing, and asking for all the de worming and Frontlines that was owed me. We care for the dogs pretty well so don't really need that, but well. If they want for me to "count every thing to the last cent" myself, that's what I'm going to do.

Yesterday, my Dad went to get medicine for the dogs and asked for the receipt. This morning when we were giving the dogs their meds, we noticed something. Max and Menina take the same medicine, Essential. On the receipt was Essential for Max x60, and Essential for Menina x60, but physically, in the medicine bag, there were obviously only x30 pills each. So they charged us for x120 pills when they gave us only x60 pills.

Yes, I will be going there to raise a bit of hell. And stamp back the 3 stamps owed from what Dad paid yesterday. I'm going to say "you know, I don't want to have any miscommunication about anything."

And if the vet comes out to ask what's going on? I'm going to get my god-damned account audit.

*** about that "Office manager". When Woofy passed, we decided to bring the body home with us and we would handle the cremation ourselves. The vet had a partner service that would do that, but that had too many frills (custom made urn with photos, etc) and we didn't want all those extra things. We simply wanted to cremate Woofy and get the ashes in a plain urn. The only thing was we had to wait at the government kennel and the body had to be put on queue to wait for an available opening for a single cremation.

So one day, I received a call from this office manager and she said, "you can come pick up Woofy!" and I was all like "What? Why?" Her reply? "You sent him for cremation, the ashes are here!"

I asked, "Why would the ashes be with you when I took the body to the kennel myself? The kennel didn't even call me yet to say they've booked in the actual cremation yet."

"oh.." so what happened? They "claim" they mixed up their client records, because another client had passed was also called Woofy. Had I really used their service, would the ashes I have on hand really belong to MY Woofy? I really hate that woman. After that I told them, if I call the clinic and it so happens that she picks up the phone, fine, nobody can control that. But I do wish that she never be the one who contacts me for anything. They kept this request up to recently. I'm not going to raise a snit about that obviously, but for the other thing (account audit), I'm going to stand my ground.

5. What could really stand to be replaced in your home right now?
I really dislike the new water boiler now. We're still using a gas boiler, but before, we had to manually switch on the heater (light a fire in the thing). Now, it's all new and fancy, and it will switch on automatically when we turn on the hot water. Sounds like a dream?

No.

Before, when it was manual, we light the heater, then turn on the hot water, hot water comes immediately. Now, we turn on the hot water, the water runs a bit, then the heater detects that the hot water tap is on, then starts up the fire, then heats up the water, then we get hot water. And say, after we've wet our hair and it's time to put shampoo? To save water, we turn off the water. Off goes the water heater as well. After we shampoo the hair and soap ourselves or whatever, we turn on the water again, and the waiting starts. ALL. OVER. AGAIN.

I have a sneaky suspicion that waiting for the water to heat up spends actually more water than if I just leave the water running as I shampoo and soap.


http://f.riday5.com/ | Bother!

1. When did you last put honey on or in something?
We have a water filter and we just changed the filter the other day. Usually in th first week after the filter is changed, the water has a not quite plastic-y taste and smell, probably from the brand new filter. So usually, when we've just changed the filter, I add honey to my water for a week or so until that plastic-y taste is gone.

2. How do you handle a bad mood?
I usually get quiet and don't talk.

3. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character do you most identify with?
If I say....... I haven't read/watched Winnie-the-Pooh, would you believe me? I know the basics, I suppose, but that's from Disney, not the actual book. I'd like to say Tigger with his bouncy and happy disposition, but maybe I'm Piglet who's always worrying, but I also think I could be that grumpy bunny (dunno his name). I'm definitely not Eyeore. In the end maybe I'm just like Winnie who takes everything in stride LOL.

4. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character would you best get along with?
LOL definitely just Winnie, if what I know about the characters are correct. I'd be annoyed with Eyeore, even more annoyed with Tigger (SIT DOWN AND CALM DOWN!)... get tired of Piglet (STOP worrying!), start a shouting match with the grumpy bunny, and so on and so forth LOL.

5. What’s your favorite way to do nothing?
I'm a pro. Just sit there and stare at the wall or some far-off location.

F.riday5.com | Ditto

1. What’s the last thing you photocopied?
DON'T EVEN START WITH IT. Please.
Our company has happily "saved 40% on costs" by switching over to use HP copiers. We had Fuji Xerox! We HAD THE KING! And the company decided to use the Joker.
Managers and such don't understand the pain we admins have to deal with. Yes. It's a 40% savings in cost. But do you know... It's 60% up in waiting time (that thing takes forever to log in), 30% up in frustration (I'll write more about it after this line), and 10% up in paper usage.

The frustrations? Oh. Sit tight and listen. If your company is ever thinking of switching copier companies from Fuji Xerox to HP, please heed my advise: DON'T.

The norm now is all "Secure printing", so you need to swipe your godamned access card. Fuji Xerox: Swipe and ready to print. HP? Swipe and wait for 20 seconds for it to login, then wait for it warm up for the job (it technically wasn't "sleeping" to start with, so why does it need to warm up?). By the time it prints out the thing, you could have gone to the washroom and back.

Side feeder woes. On the Machine, it's labeled: PRINT SIDE DOWN
Meaning: if you want to copy something using the side feeder as paper source, print side is down. HOWEVER. If you are printing from the computer (i.e. "NOT COPY"), print side is UP. It doesn't state anywhere. It was a trial-and-error thing for us.

Do you know how much paper we wasted to find that out?

Scan. For "security" reasons, our IT is only allowing "scan to email". However the file is large, then the email won't work as the scanned document might be over the email sending limit or whatever, so we requested a direct scan to folder function. IT was reluctant, saying they can't do it as it's a breach of security. We say sure, fine, write us a memo stating they can't do it, so when the Bosses complain we can just show them the damn memo. They refuse, and finally concede and grant us the oh-so-glorious scan to network folder. With the following procedures.

1. Swipe card to log in.
2. Pull the keyboard out (from the printer) and type in your domain password again (WTF, what's the card swiping for then?)
3. Scan whatever.
4. Press "send" (standard for the HP Copier)
5. If the job is completed and you have a second job to scan, you CANNOT continue. You need to log out, swipe card to log in again, and type in your domain password again. WTF.

The most annoying thing, is the HP copier claims it's got this "Expert Copying" function. WTF with "Expert Copying", just yesterday a colleague was trying to simply copy a document but the copier kept using the paper from the wrong tray. We tried to specify the tray but no, "You cannot specify the tray. Reason: source is Mixed A4/A3", OK, genius, so I will specify the source as "A4" only, and then, "You cannot specify the ray. Reason: Unknown". I really wanted to flip and kick that godamned machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry. To answer the question. I did copy something but I don't remember now.

2. Who have people said you look like?
Mom. I know I look like her. You know sometimes how people of other cultural background can't really tell other people apart? Not to step on any tails here, but I think Northern Chinese people look alike, and Africans or Black people. I don't see enough of them, so to me, most these people look alike. I think it's similar to other people. Chinese people usually say my Sis and I look like twins. I'm like. Naaaaaaaaaaah, we don't, but they still think we look alike.

3. Who have you tried to be like?
I'm me and I don't have to try to be like someone else. I learn some traits or things others do that I think might be good for me, but I'm not trying to be anyone in particular.

4. When have you opted for an imitation over the real thing?
I live next to China. A lot of things I buy are imitations, whether I want imitations or not. I don't purposefully get imitations, but sometimes one can get fooled. Just this morning, I picked up a pair of shoes I ordered from Taobao, the designed looked good, I thought it was fake leather too. Arrived, the size fit, but then touching and looking at the actual shoe, it's actually some sort of plastic (not even fake/imitation leather). It wasn't so bad, the design is a classic style and so could fit a few clothing styles.

5. In what way was today just like yesterday?
I dunno. Cool-ish but not too hot?

* Bonus question: Too early for flapjacks?
I dunno. When I read the question for "flapjack" I thought it was pancakes, but I just did a search to make sure, but... it's not? Anyway, the pancake variety or the oat bar variety, I wouldn't mind them early or not LOL.

thefridayfive 

1. Who would you like to be able to get into contact with?
There's isn't anyone in particular I want to get into contact with and can't. Hm... Maybe some 20 or so years ago, I'd have loved to be able to get into contact with my then-penpal from Portugal and ask just why she decided to quit being penpals? I mean, I'd probably just forget about it if she simply stopped responding and "ghosted", but she did send a letter saying "I'm so sorry, you must hate me, so let's stop writing!" Classic "it's not you, it's me" but I dunno. I kind of got bothered by that message LOL.

Now I'm chill about it, don't worry. Not going to waste my brain juice in getting upset over it.

2. How do you make yourself go to sleep when you can’t seem to get to sleep?
I am one of the lucky ones that have very little experience with insomnia. I'm usually dead tired by 11pm and will just conk off. The one or two times that I remember that I couldn't sleep were excruciating and I couldn't get myself to sleep, and I count myself fortunate that it is not a common occurence with me.

3. What language(s) do you wish you could speak?
Wish? German and Japanese.

4. What is it about people that confused you the most?
Why must they be two-faced and deceitful.

5. What major company do you despise the most?
I hate drunktards (how I call drunkards sorry). And probably stoned/high people. I mean, you are free to get drunk/high all you like, that's fine by me. But when you are drunk and sprouting rubbish at me then no thanks. I'm the type to take no crap so I'd get very annoyed once your drunken preachings start getting ridiculous.

F.riday5.com

1. What keeps you up at night?
Oh, I'm the very lucky type and I usually fall asleep really easily. (As long as I'm tired)

2. How well do you operate on insufficient sleep?
Not well at all. I think I act somehow like a drunk when I'm really sleepy and am not allowed to sleep. (Whereas I'd be suddenly more alert and quiet when I'm drunk... if you think getting me drunk will get me to spill secrets, you are wrong. I get even more tight lipped when drunk!)

3. Under what conditions do you get your best sleep?
I dunno. In a bed? The one time I slept REALLY WELL on the plane was Prague to London then connecting to Hong Kong. Had a glass of champagne before boarding the Prague to London, and then the champagne kicked in when I was on the London to Hong Kong. Slept like a log. My friend pushed me to wake me up for breakfast before landing.

4. What unusual places have you slept in?
Nah, I've had a very stable life and I've been able to sleep in a bed 99.9% of my life. The few times were maybe on planes. And I have tried an overnight bus in Japan as well.

5. What’s a good song about dreams or dreaming?
Dunno. I guess this one. I never really read the lyrics properly but listening to the song they seemed to make no sense LOL. What fireball and be careful with that thing and stuff that's pretty out there.

F.riday5.com

1. How did you celebrate your most recent birthday?
Considering my nearest birthday is next week, I'll write about my plans LOL.
So... I was going to meet up with my besties, which is already a given. But due to everyone being sick in the recent 3 weeks, there wasn't really much discussion on what to do for my birthday.
One of them booked a restaurant that's like... her favorite place ever, but the other friend and I have been there once but never found anything special with it. And this friend knew it.

It really didn't sit right with me, because you don't go making reservations at a restaurant that you know for a fact that your birthday friend doesn't exactly like, for her birthday? I already don't want to go to that restaurant, but if I have to be really petty, then it's 90% because I just don't like that restaurant, and 10% I'm being contrary with what this friend has done LOL.

Now my company has a new restaurant that I really wanted to try, but it's a tad on the expensive side so everyone's been on the fence and just "let's go when we get bonus pay!" (but that's never gonna happen because with the way the economy is, it will be a long time before we see a bonus pay again). This friend is like kind of a foodie and had already made plans to go there on her birthday in March.

I decided to ask my boss if he'd sign off my birthday dinner bill, he said sure fine, and so I booked that restaurant (which was a miracle in itself because there's a waitlist of 3 months... the power of using the boss' name LOL) for my birthday with these 2 friends LOL. My act of revenge was to spoil her plan of trying that restaurant on her birthday. Not much of a revenge as even she gets to eat for free, so I don't feel bad at all.

So... on the day of my birthday, it's gonna be dinner at home with the immediate family, then this special exclusive dinner with besties, but the big lunch with the extended family has been cancelled and won't be rearranged, I think. Everyone's still recuperating.

2. What was the subject of a list you recently composed?
For the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Lai See (or Hongbao) giveout list for the boss.

3. What did you most recently use vinegar in?
I don't recall... if Apple Cider Vinegar can be included in this question, then, I just randomly made a winter drink last week LOL. Four parts water, one part apple juice and a dash of apple cider vinegar, oh and some cinnamon. Kind of a non-alcoholic christmas drink LOL.

4. What can sometimes get you out of a bad mood?

Look at that mug LOL 'nuff said!

5. How do you feel about shrimp?
... is this about any regular normal shrimp? Not an idiom? Assuming this is just any regular normal shrimp then I don't feel anything in particular towards them. I mean, I will eat them, but I avoid eating them when I'm out coz I'm lazy to de-shell them out in public. Also, locally, many hot pot places also have and would serve live shrimps for cooking in the pot and I refuse to order those if I know they are served alive. The Chinese love to have the freshest of the fresh ingredients, but I don't like to see things being cooked alive.

thefridayfive 
These questions were written by minyafalas 

1. Which television series do you wish they had canceled?
I don't really watch that much television series, and I don't really think I would wish to cancel anything. I will say though, that back when LOST was new, and I watched snippets of it, I guess I was just as lost as the characters in the show haha.

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing in history, what would it be and why?
I think this means history in general, and not my own history...? I dunno. I don't normally think about changing the past, I could wish for, I dunno, for certain historical event to not happen, but, butterfly effect and consequences and all, maybe the one bad thing I wished to not happen, would then lead to another bad thing happening...? Sooooo..... yeah, nah, I don't normally think about that....

3. Name a song/artist/album that changed your life and why.
I wouldn't go so far to say "changed my life". So right around in 1995 or 1996? I had just started secondary school and was newly introduced to Anime, and a group of friends that liked Anime as well. At the time, although the really popular animes were Yuyu Hakusho and Saint Seiya I think, but for some reason I liked Slayers instead. So I began collecting Slayers singles. I didn't know Japanese at the time and couldn't read Chinese either, so I didn't really understand what was written on those singles, only being able to recognize the different characters. And one time I went to a CD shop and randomly found an album that I recognized the name from the Slayers single I had. That was Okui Masami 奥井雅美 (specifically her album Ma-KING). I guess I was just trying to be like my other friends that had their own favorites. A friend liked Aikawa Nanase 相川七瀬, another friend liked Ogata Megumi 緒方恵美, and others liked someone or another. But I guess I also wanted to be a bit different and like someone not popular, of a niche, I suppose. So in my mind I just caught onto this artist. That led me to being interested in learning more Japanese (which I did in Uni), and was also the reason that made me go on solo trips and actually like solo trips: I went to her concert in Taipei once, and also once in Tokyo... all alone. It was... exhilarating!

4. Name one movie you were looking forward to seeing only to be bitterly disappointed by it, then explain why.
Not much of a movie person. I wouldn't say I was particularly looking forward to it, but one time, we went to watch Twilight (when it was new). My friend R and mentioned her colleague harped that it was so good, very good, really good. J and I were like "okay? sure, if you hype it up so much!"

Until this very day, whenever R tries to rope us into watching a "really good movie" we make double and triple confirm, with various sources, not just her colleagues, but online reviews and all, that the movie is actually good. LOL. We are just joking and playing with her, but hey, I wasted 2 hours of my life watching Twilight because of her. There must be consequences... LOL.

5. Should people really idolize celebrities? (Not just people like Paris Hilton, but others such as Jimi Hendrix, Katharine Hepburn, Jim Morrison, Gene Kelly etc.)
I'm of the camp where people should be able to do whatever they want, as long as they do not harm others... so... yeah sure if they want to.

F.riday5.com | On The Dotted Line

1. What did you last put your signature on?
Yesterday I bought an M&S jacket with my credit card, so I signed the slip thing.

2. How legible is your signature?
It used to be very legible, and now it's... hard to decipher. If you know what to look, you'll see it. Details below:

3. How has your signature changed over time?
There's a long story to go with it. As a kid, when I got my ID card, I was told to "sign your name so that people can read it" so for the longest of time, my "signature" was really just my full name in script(ish) handwriting. And then when opening bank accounts and all that, the "signature" should look like the one on the ID card, and with that, the credit cards I later opened had to follow the "signature on file with the bank." So for the longest of time, my signature was very legible.

I was envious of my Dad's signature where you could vaguely see his name initial then his surname but looking like a straight line, except for the one part where it's an H and an L, LOL.

In my first job, I had to do some data input and had to sign off on every page done. It was a pain to sign my full name as my name IS pretty long (because of my Portuguese heritage, I've got the FIRST NAME + optional Mom's Surname when needed + mandatory Dad's SURNAME, thank the heavens Mom did not insist on the Portuguese style SECOND NAME). Many times I would prefer to use my Austrian identity because it's a shorter name, I can just sign FIRST NAME + SURNAME... but it was still long... almost 20 characters!

I was told it was just a sign-off for marking things done, so I could just sign a shortened name. I signed a variation of "Kat" that doesn't really look like K-a-t, LOL, and it could also look like L-e-i ("Lei", the Portuguese transliteration of my "fake" Chinese surname 李).

It's been such a joy to sign such a short name... when I had to renew my ID card, I actually asked if I could change the signature to something that doesn't look like my written name. They said "you can actually draw a turtle (畫隻龜)" LOL it's Cantonese meaning to sign your signature... it's usually illegible so it looks like drawing a turtle... LOL. So now I sign with that "dubious looking kat or lei" signature nowadays...

TL;DR, it went from my full name in script to signing just something like a shortened first name.

4. When did you last initial something?
Technically since my signature is just sort of a signed initial, then it's the same credit card slip I signed yesterday. If you want a proper answer with the proper meaning of "initialling something", then a couple days ago I had to initial on a document to say I had read the document before sending it up to the Boss for his approval.

5. Is there a story behind your given name, or is it just a name?
Well. My first name is Katherina, which coming to think of it, is a bit weird. The Portuguese variation is Catarina. The German variation is Katharina. I suppose since my Sis has already been named a German "Kristiene," so they wanted me to have a somewhat matching name with a "K" so they went with the K version.... but not really going with the German spelling. Heck, it's not even English, as English would be Katherine. So I have this not-Portuguese-not-German-not-English name Katherina. Mom's part of the family read it as the Portuguese "Catarina," I don't communicate enough with the Austrian part of the family so I'm not really sure how they read my proper name (most my Onkles and Tantes call me by the nickname "Kati")... my work colleagues, because of the English influence, tend to call me Katherine. That's why I decided to just make my life easy and tell everyone to call me Kat.

Some people are really finicky about their names... I'm just like, "as long as I know you're trying to call me, I'll respond." There was once when I was at the hospital and they were calling out people by their Chinese names... until they reached me and I saw the nurse was like "erm....... English Name?" Yeah. I even respond to that. LOL!

F.riday5.com

1. When did someone last offer you a second chance?
Second chance in what? So far I guess I haven't knowingly insulted or hurt or jeopardized anything for anyone so I don't think I've been given a second chance for anything? Though the first thought that pops up was one time... in the early times that I was working for this current boss. I hadn't learnt his quirks yet, and had all his meetings in the calendar already, I told the driver his schedule for the evening. Then his off-site meeting (I wasn't with him) had overrun a long long time, and he was late for his following meeting. I had reminded the driver a few times, but the driver was all "ah, he's the boss, he'll come out when he wants". Half an hour after his supposed next meeting had started he calls me screaming asking why I hadn't reminded him and all that. And he was all serious and said "I do not want to see this same f*cking mistake a second time!".

*shrugs* sorry, I had a worse monster boss before you so that didn't really scare me but it did tell me that I can't trust that drasted driver. And since I've been like an annoying parrot and keep texting him "meeting in 5" "meeting in 4" "meeting in 3"........ LOL now he gets annoyed that I'm bombarding him with messages, but hey. Malicious compliance or not, if that's what he wants, that's what I'll give him.

2. For how many seconds can you hold your breath?
I.... haven't ever timed myself doing that..... shall I do it now?
30 seconds? I suppose I could do it longer if I were better prepared, but it'd be weird if I were to faint in a Starbucks in the early morning LOL

3. What movie was better on second viewing?
I don't normally purposefully watch a movie a second time... I guess only when the TV broadcasts a movie that I had already watched and now so happened to be channel-flicking and landed on that.... Usually when it's a movie I've watched already I'll just continue to channel flick haha. I suppose.... Forrest Gump? As a kid I watched that and didn't get all the references in it. When I watched it again when I was older and Forrest said he bough shares of a company that grew apples I finally got it LOL. Apple computer, not fruity apples!

4. What’s your second-favorite song by your second-favorite musician?
ugh.... do I still have favorites and second favorites? I don't... I listen to stuff randomly now...  there are things I like and prefer, but I wouldn't say I have favorites now... so I'll go by my teenage favorites. Teenage fav artist 奥井雅美 Okui Masami followed by 米倉千尋 Yonekura Chihiro, so we're talking about Chihiro. Favorite track 永遠の扉 followed by 琥珀の揺りかご


5. When did you most recently have to redo something because you were careless or sloppy?
How easy is this LOL LOL LOL!
Just in my previous ceramics class, the teacher wanted to show us how to make by molds, and he poured out for us a few cups from the mold and had us try to slice it. My friends' cups had dried sufficiently, but mine was still very wet (it was a porcelain clay so it was very soft). So as I was trying to slice it, maybe I put a tad too much pressure to it, so the whole cup sunk into the bottom... so the legs were not visible anymore LOL. We're going to re do it next week!

thefridayfive

1. If you could pick any tee shirt in the world to wear, what would it say?
I don't really care about what a T-shirt says. Though I do make it a point to wear something I know or I understand. If it's a band it's one that I like and listen. (Granted I only have 1 band T-shirt and it's Suede). Then I have some other singers' T-shirt and again it's because I like the artist and went to their concert and got it. I have some T-shirts that I bought from some website that supports dog shelters in the US and the wordings are in the type of "be the person your pet thinks you are".

2. What is the one thing (apart from your family and pets) you’d save from your burning house?
I wanted to say my phone or my laptop, but then everything's in the cloud anyway, so if it's truly a life-or-death situation I could probably leave those behind... anyway, I guess trying to wrangle 3 dogs (one hyper, one geriatric, one crippled) out of a burning house is hard enough. And I'm not even counting the cats yet.

3. What is your favorite way to wear your hair?
Au naturale! Why do you think I have it cut so short? So I can just wash my hair when I wake up in the morning, then just towel dry and comb it somewhat then let it dry on its own LOL.

4. What are you thankful for this year?
To still have my job, to still be able to be independent.

5. If you could do or go anywhere, what would you do or go?
Right this moment I really want to go to the UK/London specifically to sort out all that GBP cash that's out of circulation that i have on hand.

F.riday5.com | Interrobang‽

1. What are you better at than you might have predicted?
Surprisingly, my own job! I thought I'd suck at "serving" people (I'm an EA) but I guess it's also because my Boss is young enough that he accepts some ribbing when he annoys me too much.

2. When did you last surprise someone?
Friend's birthday in June. We had a prior dinner engagement to try at a certain fine dining establishment. Then her mom's friend wanted to invite her to the same restaurant the day before, the lady hijacked our plans! So we had to change our dinner location (we like to try new things, so if she'd tried that restaurant then we're going somewhere else). To lightly rib her, I had that restaurant serve them a Chinese-style birthday bun that they did not order.... but still had a message plate that signed my and another friend's name.... to show her.... even if she ditches us.... we are clingy.... and she can't get away from us.... LOL

3. What has recently caught you off guard?
hm...... can't think of anything right now.

4. What did you learn this week?
It's very important to be nice to your colleagues, be they superiors or underlings. Well, I've known that for a long time. It's just been reinforced recently.

5. How much attention do you pay to weather forecasts?
Well, temperatures here don't really fluctuate much, so it's not so much about what to wear, it's more about.... whether to bring an umbrella or don the rain boots or not. This part of the world is air con heavy so you'd always need a light jacket or shawl in your bag or in your hand. It's whether it'll rain or not and how heavy the rain is expected to be.

thefridayfive 

1. Do you play any sports on a regular basis? Which?
I do yoga once in a while and try to run at the very least once a week.

2. What professional sports do you follow?
I don't.
One year I went to watch a women's volleyball. It was some European country (I forget) against China. The crowd was rowdy, most Chinese, because here is, Macau, really. And some guy behind me had a whistle. So when the China team got a ball over and it was almost over the out line, the guy blew a whistle, so the European team thought it was out, so they didn't save the ball.... and then it was an in and then the real referee blew the whistle.
That didn't sit right with me and I wanted to yell at the guy, but it was such a rowdy crowd, my yelling wouldn't be heard. I left in protest. And I hate watching anything with China teams nowadays.

3. Do you get enough exercise?
Since I'm not losing any weight, apparently it's not enough exercise!

4. What sport would you like to learn?
"Would like to learn" means that I'd actually go play it, and I suppose I'd like to learn squash. I've played it once as a kid, when my Dad worked in Shanghai and the hotel had a squash court (or I'm misremembering and it was an outside court he took us to). We didn't really know how to play it, we just hit the ball against the wall... so basically like when you play tennis alone. Oh. Did you know that if you play badminton, and you hit hard enough, you can play against the wall as well? It was one of our practice and reaction training and it's so much fun because this way the shuttlecock returns way faster than when you play against people.

5. Are there sports activities you used to participate in but stopped?
Ah, I just mentioned badminton above, so yeah, badminton. After high school and uni I sort of petered out for a few years... and then picked up again some 4 years ago again. But then my friends started to quit going... so I have no friends or companions to play that. And I even asked my Sis to get me a badminton racket sports bag last year for Christmas. Never been used since.

thefridayfive 

1. Do you like spicy food?
Normally not. But once in a while when the mood hits I can appreciate a good curry (asked to be less spicy).

2. Do you like your cereal crunchy or soggy?
It depends on the cereal. If it's the corn flakes kind of cereal I like it crunchy. But if it's like the rice crispies or coco puffs kind of thing then I like them all soaked up with milk.

3. Do you like ice in your drinks?
I normally don't add ice to anything I drink, and would ask for iced drinks to have less ice or no ice. Only one thing will always have ice, and that's iced coffee. I need the extra ice and water to water down the coffee!

4. What is the strangest thing you have eaten?
I was brought up in Asia. It's tough to decide what is considered "strange" in food.

5. What food would you like to eat right this minute?
I'm right now having a Bacon, Cheese and Egg Croissant sandwich but the barista mucked up my coffee LOL. I asked for my usual Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew and she made me just a cold brew. I could have go and asked her to remake but... It's a good thing to cut down on the potential extra sugar... so... let it be... but bitter coffee really sucks... LOL.

F.riday5.com

1. What have you recently been mixed up about?
Something's on my mind yes, and it's stewing, but I don't think it's caused me to be mixed up about anything.

2. In what circumstances do you prefer disorder to order?
I suppose... in a stir-fry LOL!

3. Who in your life has most often gotten you into a real mess?
Yes, there is one person I'm thinking of. I'm trying to minimize my chances of having to interact with them.

4. Besides salads, what dishes do you like to mix up before eating?
This is actually lost on me because I don't mix my salads LOL. Or, I don't intentionally mix my salad. If the salad comes to me already tossed and mixed, I'll just eat it. If the salad comes to me untossed and perfectly arranged waiting for me to toss and mix.... I just eat the salad piece by piece as arranged.

5. What have you recently had to untangle?
The simple answer would be something like earphone cords or charging cables, which is true enough. But there's also an issue with the company website and how the departments are just finger pointing and blaming each other and blah blah blah and whatnot. Boss was going to explode soon so I had to step in and break it down step by step and give concise task and responsibilities to each department. It's like they've never worked or cooperated with other departments before. *rolls eyes*