The entire company (actually...5 of us only) took a break from our busy schedules and spent 4 days together in Shanghai (bonding! bonding!). Shanghai wasn't as good as I thought it to be. Neither was it as bad as I imagined. Well, boss Rina paid for all (ALL!) food and transport, which was very more than good enough already.

The feeling's very good when I just reached Shanghai, esp after the near 5hours of torture on plane (tons of chinamen, turbulence, si-ginnas, no toilet...). Endless lands, vast spaces, nothing like the cramped Singapore. The journey from the airport to the hotel on cab cost the boss $40sing. The bellboys left the luggages in our rooms respectively and still had the cheek to hang around and waited for tips and even asked for tips. Then we headed for (a not very satisfying) dinner and turned in early that night.

Baaaa. Why so early!?

The next day we went around sightseeing. The very famous 东方明珠，we also went up this building's 88storey high to see the view of Shanghai from above。豫园 is a place known for those cheena cheena heritage stuffs, china goods for tourists, this old temple and 小笼包!! The 小笼包's skin is a tad thick for my liking but their 蟹黄汤包 (translate: crab roe soup bao) was YUMMMMMMY! 蟹黄汤包 is the size bigger than a charsiewbao but smaller than a dabao, all filled with soup and you gotta suck the soup up through a straw.

The bosses and colleagues were buying all sorts of tea and tea leaves but I wasn't interested.
Then I told ryan. "你们老人是喝茶的. 我们年轻人是喝 coke 的. "
HAHAHAH.

Then went to this famous hotel in 2046 the movie, 和平饭店. Too bad it's closed down for renovation. Took alot of crazy photos here. Then a good dinner at this cosy/homely restaurant called 滴水洞. We went to a live band pub at 新天地, played Bluff with dices and got myself high on (alot of) Tsingtao (china's beer). Not exactly high. Like the previous time, my brain's still active but its just that I see blur images and cant really control my limbs. The feeling's very fun, really. Jasmine says I might be an alcoholic, i think so too. The pub closes very early like 12 plus but we hadn't had enough. Back to the convenient store near our hotel, grabbed even more beer and headed to the room for round 2 of games and drinking. Alot of very funny things and actions happened in between when we are all high and slight tipsy. Back to the room, we played crazy dai dee. When you lose, you drink. When you win, you also drink. Then came all the hysterious laughters from us and boss Rina, we received a complaint call from the lobby. Then we started whispering like mouses but actually we cant hear each other at all.

The third day was a shopping day. Shopping in Shanghai was bad, in my honest opinion. Fashion sense and price wise. Maybe it was the places we went. Till day 3, I've only spent 30sing. (!!!), of which 10odd was for souvenirs. Coffeebreaks. Damn cheap ktv. 30plus sing for 5 of us for 3 hours, including beer, drinks and some snacks. Then some free time for shopping and souvenirs. Dinner at this damn cool japanese fine dining restaurant, Shintori. It's located somewhere off from our hotel. The surroundings quite village-y. There's no signboard on the outside, just 2 bouncers (alike). Then you gotta walk through this dim-lited alley lined with bamboos to the front door. The codfish and beef sukiyaki was wayyyy YUMMMMMMMMMMY! Very nice interior and ambient, very nice food, cute waiters. Hahaa. Then to the "The Bund" to overlook the 东方明珠 at night. The place is by the sea, super damn cold. I think it's only 9 degrees that night. The sight at the bund is something like how the CBD area will look like at night when you are on the expressway la. And how they all screamed for me to ask for directions when they all spotted this cute guy. We werent really lost you see. It's quite funny a sight because they are really really excited for me but I wasnt even abit. Then....more drinking part 3.

The whole day has been bad. Not bad bad. But just not as good. Shopping was bad already, so since morning I've been waiting for the night to come. We went to this pub for some red wine and some 5-10s. Chatted with the bosses and Ryan about the trip and the other countries that they've been to. Boss Rina bought a cigar. She's not a smoker but she just wants to try a cigar. Everyone took a puff and posed for pictures. But I didnt want to, even though they told me I could choose not to inhale everything. Luckily Ryan was saying not to force me, in a tone that such things not good for me/my age. At least I perceived that he meant so la. High on red wine again. Met Sharon's (freelancer) japanese friend there, he joined us for drinks and Rina was saying if we are going Japan next year, we'll look for him.

O.O !!
JAPAN?!!?!?!

Early morning on day 4 we had our last day of free breakfast in the hotel. Then some free time for last minute shopping and souvenirs. Urgh. I didnt want to come all the way to Shanghai and bring back 30sing worth of things from there. I bought at least 60 bucks of souvenirs in the end. Back to the hotel to pack.

HOME!

---
It's actually quite a torture for me to recall what happened during the 4 days. Also a torture to type everything in detail, because bimbos dont do so. I missed out some parts too I think.

Shanghai wasnt as beautiful as I thought. Kinda lost its flavour already I feel, too modernised, too commercialised, no oriental feel~~. Feels like Taipei, just a little more rundown and cheeeena. People there are very rude. Got touched twice, one at the boobs and one at my hands. Also not good looking. If they are, then...okay lor. HAHAHHA. NO LA.

I think the bosses are cool to put down their bosses "aura" to try to bond with the staffs. Maybe they are always like this. It's just me, I can't not treat them like bosses. The third night Rina was asking me what's my greatest 收获 from this trip. I told her it was the nightlife that I kinda enjoyed because we dont really do this kind of things in Singapore. But I thought about it again the next day when I'm sober. I think its her and the company that gave me alot of chances and my first-times, be it wine tasting, fine dining, shanghai, .... I didnt have a chance to thank her. But I really really thankful for everything she's given me ever since I'm in 6mins.

Pictures soooon.

Dong Fang Ming Zhu. Jing Mao Building's 88. Yuyuan. Xiao Long Baos. Tang Baos. Peace Hotel. Tsingtao. Where's the handle?! Late night daidee and hysterious laughters and complain calls. Shopping. KTV. Shintori. The Bund. Red Wine. Cigar. The people. The place. The weather. 6Mins. Love.

Updates soon.

Byes everyone! I'm off to Shanghai tmr in the wee morning to meet my 小笼包tycoon!
Sounding totally bimbotic. Hahaha.

The other day I was facebooking around.
I saw my pri 6 friend from a friend's link.
Whoa.
Still looking the same.
He couldn't recognise me though.

Then so I thought..
What's years ago, we've already forgotten.
Or left behind.
And years later, we'll also forget what's now.
Along the way, pick up more friends.
More things to life.

When I'm thirty thirty reaaally old and fatty,
And everyone can't recognise me anymore.
Cause I'm a part that they've left behind loooong ago.
We will all be just like strangers on the bus?

We are hiring!

Not exactly the style I like.
Grunge, dirty....

But knowing that you can do things like this....
Think: 200 over layers...a zillions to etch out...colour adjustments, mood, lighting, glow...in 1.5 days.
...is a very different story altogether.

When you're feeling all down and under and beneath and underneath.
And there's people who still bother to give u a hand or two or three(in this case) and pull you up from down and under and beneath and underneath.
You know that they really care.
Never think you are at your max already, because you will be hitting your next max soon.

Anyway.
If you're a diehard fan of 黄金路 (the show).
You might like 谜图 (the show) too.
Coming up soon.

OMG. Eleven months at 6minutes!

I took toooo big a step,
I fell right into the gap.
The journey to work,
I felt like a total crap. (Whoa!)
Blaaaaargh.

Then I kinda miss Dad and Mom. I texted them.
Me: "Tmr dinner I treat"
Dad: "Why"
Me: "I rich la. hahahaa"
Dad: "Strike TOTO"
Me: "I get pay la."
Funny how texts from Dad, no matter how monotonous it may sound (why no punctuations also?!) always never fail to cheer me up.

I can't exactly express... ...how fortunate and blessed that I am to have my bosses and my art director especially.
KL3 更不用说！Always there when I needed them. Muacks x 3.

Today I had "lunch rendezvous" with Ryan.
He called it the "lunch rendezvous". Hahaa.
He told/shared alot of things that I failed to see, that I didn't realise, that I should be prepared for.
This year's gonna be hard for me, he say. There's bound to be alot of rejections of works/designs. They're prepping me to the next stage and move on from the honeymoon-period-junior-designer who does mostly adaptations/fa-s. And I must know how to handle it emotionally because it will be tough facing comments from them.
He knows that I haven't been feeling good about myself and work recently, way before I told him about it myself.
It has been a low morale period recently for him too.
Then we talked about what happened.
Talked about issues that are more personal.
But there's no awkwardness.
Feels good to be sharing with someone much older hahhaa. He sees things quite differently (in a good way).
Anyway. He did help boost my morale.
Now I back and fighting at work.
I really really think he rocks man.

And Rina has been treating me even nicer than before.
Oh wells. I just gotta be 乖一点，争气一点. Things will be good.

Shanghai's in 2 weeks' time!

I'm seriously.
Seriously.
SERIOUSLY.
THE DUMBEST person.
EVER.

I emailed my bitchings/work ramblings about the boss. TO THE BOSS(BOTH BOSSES).
KUDOS TO ME.
UNINTENTIONALLY OF COURSE.
WHERE GOT SOMEONE BLUR UNTIL LIKE THAT?!
Then I got myself a good scolding/sounding out of course.
I cant find any hole big enough to hide.
I just feel like dying.

I really think I'm becoming the 2nd "this-ex-colleague".
REALLY.
URGHHHHH.
Just as I am counting down to my eleventh month...
Hate things like this.
Hate my stupidity.
Can I....



...quit?