Summary

Haven't been updating for a while cos it had been a busy busy busy past week. Weather is getting cold here. Current temperature is approximately 20 deg C, and this kinda marked the beginning of winter season!

Kitchen is checked. So, next step is payment and contract. House issues are more or less settled. Guess what, construction began last week (pictures up soon)!

AND... the 2 chairs have arrived!

More about home decor

The quotation for our kitchen came up to a scary five-figure. Looking through the pile of papers gave me qualms about our recent (and anticipated) expenditure. I am so not going to move out of the house. We have to live its worth.

Check out the minimalist work of Shanghai designer Zhili Liu, titled Dove (via AT). Love it!



The Chemex Coffee Maker (via AT)



We are down to details now since we kinda bought all bulky furniture. I am looking for a rug to be placed in the living area, something simple yet eye-catching. I saw this very pretty multicolour rug. It definitely goes well with our sofa. The question is, where can I get it?

TV, TV and more TV

We are done with the hilarious Nodame Cantabile. We've been catching lots of Jdrama lately and Nodame is probably the best. Light-hearted and somewhat twisted. Next to catch would be Nodame Cantabile the TV anime series! P prefers Shiroi Haru, the tear-jerker. Fantastic nonetheless, as compared to Kimura's recent dramas (Change and Mr. Brain), these 2 are way better.



With Nip/Tuck back (and new season of Big Love beginning in January!), our stay home days are typically programmes-packed (with unnutritious TV dramas, but who cares).

The 6 Most Annoying Coworkers

by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer, via Yahoo

A great coworker can help you look forward to going to work each day. An annoying coworker, on the other hand, can make you want to hide under the covers.

A large survey by the staffing firm Ranstad USA asked employees what their biggest office peeves were. It turns out they all involved coworkers. Annoying ones.

Do you recognize any of the top six most annoying coworker types?

The Psst-er: Gossipers were the number one pet peeve in the survey. While some people like to hear juicy tidbits about the boss or their colleagues, too much gossip can undermine the spirit of the workplace. Plus you're always wondering when the Psst-er will make you the topic du jour.

The Broken Clock: These coworkers stink at time management. They're routinely late for everything, including work. They tend to spend too much time on emails, take long lunches, and then scramble to get others to help them meet their deadlines, which, for some reason, they keep missing.

Mold Guy: Coworkers who mess up communal spaces were third on the list of workplace pet peeves. Their month-old leftovers sport a thick layer of fur in the company fridge. Every office seems to have at least one who stinks up shared spaces.

The Whiffy Wonder: You can smell these coworkers wafting about from the other end of the office. They just wear too much perfume or cologne. Some have an obsession with Obsession. Others feel the need to douse themselves with Old Spice. And hiding in your cubicle won't make the overpowering smell go away.

The Cracker: Crackers are loud. They crack loud jokes, they crack their knuckles, they crackle their chewing gum, they clank spoons in coffee cups like they're calling the cows to come in from the fields. People who work near crackers can find themselves ready to crack.

The Tapper: Tappers are generally quieter than Crackers. But that doesn't make them any less annoying when they're tap-tap-tapping on their personal communication devices during meetings. It's distracting, rude, and yes, just plain annoying!


hmm... that explains.

As Loy Krathong ends

Mdm needs rest badly and is glad that the weekend is finally arriving!!!

The big Loy Krathong Festival is finally over. The town is now back to its somewhat peaceful state (at least the fireworks have stopped) and the night sky is completely clear of Kom Fai. We didn't walk around town this year (the excitement in me probably subsided). For 2 consecutive days, we were enjoying the food and drinks in our garden. Our place is right next to the river, which was swarmed by crowds and where most of the activities took place. We didn't take photos but I manage to grab 2 pics from Wikipedia. These pictures were apparently taken in Mae Jo, Chiangmai about a short 15-20 minutes drive from the city.




Mdm just got hold of 林宥嘉's 《感官世界》. There are a few nice notes from his new album. 《解High人》 just sounds so weekend, just forget the lyrics.



Happy Friday!

@ Baan Lae Suan Fair, BKK

We were at the mega big Baan Lae Suan Fair in BKK before we came back to Chiangmai. We were there from 11 till 6 (7 hours of walk!!!) and got quite a bit of good grabs for our new (and barren) place.

1.
Panton chair at 2 (one with armrest and one without) for 3000 Baht. Not the original Herman Miller Fehlbaum /Vitra but, who cares!


2.
The Oriental Hotel bedsheet set for 2700 Baht (not sure of the thread count, but it's a super deal!)

3.
Dining set that somewhat look like this: (just that, the colour for ours is, and we are having a long bench and 2 chairs instead of 4)



4.
Lamp from my favourite lamp shop in Thailand (discounted from 4900 to 2900 Baht!)


The quotation for our kitchen is out and we are going to the company very soon. Madam hopes it's not going to be too expensive (some crazy quoted us 300,000 Baht, which is like SGD 12,000!). If not, we might very well be kichen-less. And... our sofa is ready for collection!!!

Looks like the only thing that is missing now is THE house.

Guilin and Yangshuo, Guangxi, China

We were getting up at 6am and only return back to the hotel at no earlier than 11pm. Doing this for the past 5 days was definitely no joke. Here are some shots from the most tiring trip ever (also one with the most number of mountains climbed, caves explored, rivers/lakes cruised):







Zhang Yimous's 印象·刘三姐 - the world largest natural theater. The waters of Li jiang is used as its stage, and the twelve mist shrouded hills as its backdrop. The setting was magnificent, and with 600 performers it cannot be any less impressive than you can imagine. I was equally impressed (and more entertained) by the ballet circus drama, Dreamlike Lijiang. The acrobatics were jaw dropping. I thought I saw a show at this theater 10 years ago. It's superb performance (sadly, pictures not allowed).












P said, his impression of China changed after this trip. If you ask me, in comparison with the Guilin I visited 10 years ago, the streetscape and urban development is a clear indication how fast the city has developed. Plus, the overall toilet cleanliness is much better than before (all that I have visited this time round came with flush system and full length door).

Next stop: Mdm would like to visit Xi'an!