Women!!

I met up with Joyce as mentioned in the previous blog. I met her up at the Admiralty MRT McDonalds. I had brought along the compact flash disks from my digi cam. Joyce had wanted to take a look and print out some pictures that we had taken. The photo shop at Admiralty had no facilities for digi cams so we went to Sun Plaza to do it. Joyce drove home first and I fetched her from the car park. We then made the short drive to Sun Plaza.

The girl there was downright rude and unknowledgeable about how the machine worked. It was kinda interesting to see her actually tell customers off in full view of everyone. She was lucky she did not do that to me or Joyce. Anyway, Joyce did her thing and chose 98 pictures to be printed. They will be ready on the 10th.

We then adjourned to Nee Soon for dinner. This cafe is now infamous with us because this was the same cafe where we both agreed to end our relationship. An omen of things to come?

We ordered squid rings, sole, mocha and hot choco. Initially Joyce was reluctant to open up and discuss what was on her mind. But you could tell by the way she kept avoiding eye contact and the tears that welled up in her eyes that something was eating her up inside. It got so bad that we had to change seats so that the customers and staff would not see her tears.

When it was all said and done, I still do not know what it means! She seemed to talk in circles. But the gist of it was that she feels that we are STILL not compatible and that she was considering finding another church to go to instead of NCC. She does not want to be in my way. I guess the issues that broke us apart still hold true now.

The interesting thing about this whole fiasco is that she obviously still harbours feelings for me but her pride just will not allow her to admit it. No one would react the way she did over just a normal friend. Yet in the same voice that she says that we are incompatible she says that she wants to meet me tomorrow after church, go to Bintan again and that she want to go with me to see my nephew Alden one of these days. Kinda confusing to a dense person like me. It is like she wants to spend time with me yet she does not want to be WITH me. This seems pretty much like one of those 'time of the month' things we used to go through before. I would get told off for the slightest matter and be brought to task for anything under the sun during such periods (pun intended). And I do know that it is around that time now so maybe I should not be too surprised at her outburst. But even after all these years it still mystifies me how a persons behavior can change so dramatically during a time of physiological change. It is like the person you know has transformed into a monster almost overnight.

I sent her home and her SMS message she sent me was almost cheery and grateful. Go figure!

I did have a good chat with Niki on Messenger this afternoon. She AGAIN told me her life story *yawn* and how people did all sort of bad things to her, how all her ex's were real bastards in the end and her philosophies etc. I wanted very much to end the conversation several times being that I was already pissed off with her for what I wrote about in the previous blog. Her incessant rating and pleading did little to help matters. Being the sucker for damsels in distress that I am I heard her out. I gave lotsa advice. I was very blunt. But somehow I think she still thinks the problem is with the people around her. Sure they were no angels, but she was such a fool for getting herself into such situations in the first place.

I do not know if I would live to regret it but I did tell her we could still be friends.

argh! What a difference a day makes. Part 2

Niki still bothering me. She still does not get the message. She still asks what is the problem. The problem is HER! She is the most irritating woman I ever met. She yaks and yaks, so self-centered, too touchy-feely and worst of all she thinks that I am some sort of boyfriend. Sure we went out a couple of times. But those were some of the worse 'dates' I ever went out on. I felt so uncomfortable and couldn't wait for it to end. At the expense of sounding mean, I think I understand why her ex's left her. With her everything has to be on her own terms. The fact that she is not forthcoming and conflicted does not help any. A conversation with her is like playing hide and seek in the woods (pun intended). She never gets to the point and never considers the other party's interest or lack thereof. I am not big on looks but I do place a premium on character.

If ever I needed a solid reason for ditching a girl I have one now. Niki actually offered me 'sexual services' to cheer me up! I just lost any respect for the girl that I had before. I think someone like her is too cheap and lacks principles.

I had dinner with Lyn yesterday. I was supposed to go for Bible Study. And Lyn was supposed to go with me after Joyce could not make it. But we ended up shopping in the Marina Bay area instead. During dinner Lyn mentioned something about being disappointed that Joyce was not among the list of possibles as far as relationships go. Joyce has, is and always will be special to me no matter what happens. I doubt Joyce and I can ever reconcile because we have developed different goals. As long as neither of us is willing to bend to the other we can never be together. And I do not see that fact changing. Joyce and I will always be friends if I had any say about it. But I do see us having a relationship right now.

Speaking of Joyce, she called me up this morning. I think she has something on her mind. I am meeting her up later to hand her some photos and stuff. Maybe we can discuss things and clear the air then. My hunch is that a part of her misses me. The Bintan trip may have brought back fond memories of better times to her. But maybe later I can really get to the heart of the matter.

What difference a day makes!

Yesterday I wrote,"Hmm...is Angeline avoiding me? She has not returned my SMS's and calls over the last few days."

Well...I finally figured it out! We exchanged a few e-mails last night. And I discovered that she did not check her handphone and that was why she did not reply. Even more than that, she explained that she had been waiting for me to call her and that she was feeling kinda disappointed when I did not.

I am really not sure how or what to say about what we discussed last night here at this moment of time but I think that she is a wonderful girl and would like to get to know her better if you know what I mean. We went out twice and both times it went really well.

But I have a couple of reservations if I do intend to pursue a less than platonic relationship with Angel. The first one is that she comes from a well to do family. I worry that I might not be able to provide her the lifestyle that she has become accustomed to. My second reservation is the discrepancy in our education level. I do not want to have to go through again the things that I went through with Joyce where Joyce nagged continually for me to upgrade myself and to look for better career prospects outside of AVA. So far Angeline has proven to be unlike what I fear but if I recall Joyce once said the same thing and look what happened in the end.

I just want someone who can accept me for what I am, warts and all. I do not want to have to undergo a dramatic makeover just to be acceptable to my other half. It is not that I do not have dreams or goals that I want to achieve in my life. It is that what I want out of life is not fame nor fortune. But more someone that I can share my ups and downs with. A happy and fulfilling family life. I do not want to work my life away and regret never having said or done all the things I wanted to with my loved ones.

Another highlight today was that I gave Gloria a lift today after work. I noticed her looking at the lamb on my dashboard. She even gave it a gentle grope. I am gonna have to ask her about that the next time i see her. As it turns out she lives in Hillview not Jurong as Hasli alluded to the last time. So much for being a trusty informant. No year end bonus for him. :P

I really do not know what to do now actually. I really do like Angeline but commiting myself to a steady relationship may not be the best thing for me right now. I still do think that there is still a glimmer of hope between me and Joyce. The holiday in Bintan only re-inforced that belief. I really do treasure my relationships with Lyn and Nadia too. I do not want some girl telling me that the both of them cannot call me, SMS me or meet up with me because she feels insecure and cannot cope with the 'competition'. The new development between me and Gloria also throws a spanner in the works. I have only just begun to get to get to know her. I would like to get to know Gloria a little better before I can say if we have anything to build upon to make it to the next level.

The morning after...

Had to drag myself out of bed this morning. Really tired...not sure why....maybe it is the after effects of the spa treatments yesterday.
Anna and Mrs Soh on MC today. So Mrs Pay did the cashier duties and I had to help out as best I could. Not done cashiering since 2000 and it was almost like learning from scratch. But in the end Mrs Pay did most of the dirty work and I did whatever I could. Being the end of the month I also had to hand in the monthly report data and all.

Hasli, Poh, Lyn and I went to Woodlands Civic Centre for lunch. Lyn had to do some banking stuff as well. The sandwiches, the special on Tuesdays. were great. The bread used and the fries were tasty. However Lyn's spagetti was sub-par.

Lyn somehow managed to lose her DBS card. But she managed to cancel it before anything went wrong. Phew!!

Did not feel like going home after work today. Hasli was good enough to accompany me for dinner at Sembawang Shopping Centre. Thereafter we adjourned for teh halia and teh tarik at the nearby Rubiah's restaurant. I must now state here that the music at Sembawang Shopping Centre was horrendous!! I have no idea if the guy in charge is a looney or just plain sadistic. Horrible! American Idol audition horrible even.

It seems that Hasli and I been having a lot of these talks recently. Maybe it is because I have lots more time on my hands now that Joyce and I are no longer together. Or maybe it is because I cannot go out for dinner with Lyn as much as I would like to. Or just simply that the realities of life have finally sunken in and we are more introspective now. Whatever the reason, we both seem to have lots on our mind lately and in each other we find a kindred spirit being that we share much of the same beliefs and life situations. We talk about lots of stuff about work and personal matters. Although many think we are both happy-go-lucky and easygoing, I think the harsh reality is that we both face lots of challenges both at home, at work and in our personal relationships. More than anyone will ever know in their lifetimes....

Thereafter we went to Chong Pang to look for Elodea densa. Faezah was looking for it for her class project or something and Hasli was tasked to get 6 plants of the species. Although the search was furtile at Chong Pang, Hasli did go to the fish shop near his home after I went to my car still looking for the Elodea densa for his beloved fiance. All together now,"Awwwww...."

My Zircon PDA-Phone fell down the other day and has not been working ever since. I resorted to using the good old Samsung again ever since then. Perhaps tomorrow I can go to the shop and get it repaired.

I want to start guitar lessons soon. The guitar Lyn graciously gave me is now gathering dust in the corner of my room. I think it is time to dust it off and pull those strings. I did promise Lyn a song some day...

Hmm...is Angeline avoiding me? She has not returned my SMS's and calls over the last few days.

NIKI??? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

The Long Weekend Report

Finally finished the SOP and gave it to Khim. actually i gave her the diskette and she printed it out. Which is pretty much like doing it myself only completely the opposite.

I was out of the country and just came back this afternoon. More on that later...

Lyn messaged me to go to church on Sunday. How often does that happen? It is usually the other way around. Problem was i was out of the country (see above and below). Will do it again next Sunday....

Met Nadia on Wednesday. I think she pretty much covered all that we 'did' on her blog (maybe she left out some of the juiciest details?). :P

Niki really beginning to bug me. She talks too much, whines on and on and what does she think I am? Her boyfriend? It is not easy to piss me off or bore me but Niki makes both an art form. I do not see any positive developments stemming from this 'relationship'. Why can't more girls be like Lyn and Nadia? (lol...cheap plug!! Must say that.Otherwise both of them will twist my ears. OUCH!!)

The mystery of the Unseen Pictures deepens. I still can't see the pics but there have been unconfirmed reports of sightings in the area. You will be informed once someone around here knows something.

I sneaked off to Bintan on Sunday with Joyce. This is despite the directive from AVA that we are not to leave Singapore and despite the fact that Indonesia (and Bintan for that matter) is a bird flu affected country. Well I had planned this holiday well in advance, made bookings and paid up in full. Ain't no directive gonna keep me down!
( I think I feel that rebellious streak coming up again)

We took the afternoon ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT), one of the few government linked places in Singapore without a catchy abbreviation. When we got there we were made to 'wait' in one of those booths where they played soothing music and burnt scented sticks etc. A taste of things to come.

We were then escorted to our resort by a personal driver. Woo-pee doo!! Along the way there was this curious monument to Javanese Rhinoceros. Really cool. Too bad we could not stop to take pictures. Checking in was a breeze. The people are so nice. Not phony nice like in posh restaurants in Singapore, but really nice like 'from-the heart-of my-bottom nice'. Bwaa-hhaaaa-haaa. Either that or they are really convincing liars.

We were supposed to go to the spa initially after we booked in but Joyce was in the throes of her...errmm....'women's issue' so making a reservation was kinda risky. So we left it to chance and made the booking only upon arrival. The nice lady(ies) managed to squeeze us in for the 10.30 spot which suited us fine on condition that the hotel permitted us a later check-out time.

We then went up to check out the room. It was great. It had a view of the sea and overlooked the pool. The stuff of dreams. Even Joyce liked it.:P The funny part was when Joyce entered in and started complaining about the view when she had not even seen it yet. And then retracting her statement when the curtains were drawn and the sliding door opened. Joyce...the eternal optimist! :P

Since we had like the rest of the day free to wander around, the happy campers decided to check out the hotel and what it had to offer. It was nice walking through the grounds. Joyce and I went to the Spa Gallery to look at some swimwear for Joyce as she had not brought along any. The prices were exhorbitant and the designs non-descript. A definite no-go.

The pool was one of those pseudo Jacuzzi ones.One of those that has jet streams of water but without the heater. We took a walk along the beach. The water was so clear and the rock formations made for an interesting landscape. And have I mentioned about the view yet?

After a little walking we both settled down on a couple of beach chairs. We ordered a coconut and pizza. Ahh...such hedonistic bliss....beach...the sun.....pizza...coconuts....Joyce and I..ahhh...wait a minute!! What's that sound?? Oh my...look it is a couple of brats from home! Look at the noise they are making....bah....lets vote them off the island I say! Even the Ang Moh couple a few feet away from us were getting pissed by now. Staring daggers in their direction, the motley trio made their way to a spot where others could be bothered instead of us. We then took another walk and took pictures for keepsakes. I think Joyce is my favourite muse. I love taking pictures of her. This time the photo-taking went well again...

There was this blue flag planted along the beach. It denotes that jelly fish are commonly found this time of year. So we tip toed between the drying and slowly dying ones that washed up along the shoreline.More pictures....*snap*snap*
Then we made our happy way up to our lovenest...i mean...room! We washed up and prepared for dinner.

Dinner was to be at Treetops at the nearby Banyan Tree Bintan. It is a nice place. I ordered lamb cutlet (yummy-yum-yum) and Joyce ordered grilled salmon (double yummy-yum-yum). Treetops is in the treetops literally. It overlooks the South China Sea. Nice view(again). After dinner more pictures....then we made our way back to Angsana.

Back at Angsana, Joyce and I took a walk along the beach again to 'look at stars' and perhaps get some pizza. Apparently the first pizza in the afternoon was so good that we had to have another one. But alas they do not serve pizza at night. So the still-craving-for-pizza-campers took the walk along the moonlit beach. Waves crashing upon the shore.Clouds roll by to reveal the moon and the stars up in the heavens.We both share a beach chair. Joyce snuggles into my arms and we both look in awe of the beauty of God's creation. Feels like old times if only for a moment.

The pools looks enchanting at night. How the light plays upon the water and the sounds of the ocean all come together to make everything seem right...so right.

After star-gazing, we make our way up to the hotel to have our complimentary drinks at the Lotus Cafe hand in hand. Been what seems like forever since we last held hands and made it actually mean something. We had our drinks although Joyce did not finish hers and then made our way up to our room.

On the TV was Spy Kids. We sat on the sofa and ate potato chips. Somewhere in between Joyce wandered away to the bed and there she stayed till the next morning. Poor thing must be tired.

7.30 am and time to wake up. Gonna have breakfast,come back to the room and then go for our spa appointment at 10. Breakfast was basically a pig out in typical Singaporean style. We grabbed anything that was on a plate. Joyce displayed her sadistic streak when she terrorised the omellete guy with her repeated orders of omelettes.Poor guy never knew what hit him.

After that we went back to our room where Joyce took another nap. Must be something in the water or something! Me being the busy bee that I am had to do something to keep myself entertained whilst Joyce napped. There was this Bon Jovi concert on tv. Was cool stuff. Bon Jovi still rocks after all this time.

I love bathtubs.Wish I had one at home.When I have a home of my own some day I want it to have a bath tub. Anyway I filled up the tub in our room with hot water and just soaked in it till I was satisfied. Ahhhh....love how it feels after soaking in a tub. All wrinkled up and fuzzy inside. Joyce awoke and it was now her turn to take her bath in preparation for the spa appointment.

The eager beavers made their way down to the spa at 10 although our appointment was for 10.30. We just signed in,walked around the gift shop and sat down on this huge rattan sofa-thingy. It was so big my feet were off the ground when I sat in it deep.That saying nothing about Joyce. The nice people even served us ginger tea since we were waiting.Who says punctuality does not pay? In hindsight i think the tea may have been leftovers from a previous client since it only had enough for 4 cups but i could be wrong.

Finally it was our turn to go in. We had signed up for the Bliss package which consists of 'complete body pampering session that commences with a 30-minute body scrub to prepare the skin for the nourishing 60-minute body wrap that follows. After that, relax under the healing hands of our skilled therapist as she eases away your tension and stress during the 60-minute body massage.' I was having
second thoughts about the body wrap as it was not a very macho thing to do. But it was too late anyway so I went along with the flow. The massage is done in an outdoor pavillion. We each had our own personal attendant. The problem part was that all of this was to be done whilst completely undressed. I have never been naked in a room with 3 ladies since the day I came into this world. To make matters worse it drizzled in the morning so it made for a chilly spa experience. The girl who attended to me, Murni,was really nice and professional. Never had such good hands run all over my body. Not too hard nor too soft. Just right.

After the spa, we sat down at the pavilion to drink honey ginger tea. A nice touch to end our spa experience.

The receptionist had agreed that we could have a late check out. Due to our ferry leaving at 3.30 and us finishing our spa treatment at 1.30.Usual check out time is 12. After the spa, we went up to the room and got our stuff to the receptionist area.

Thereafter we adjourned to the Pantai Grill for pizza again.We also ordered a seafood on a stick dish. But time has a way of catching up with you when you least expect it. The time came to board the bus to the ferry terminal. We ate like there was no tomorrow and made a mad dash to the waiting bus. Being that everyone else was seemingly on time and waiting for us made it kind of embarrassing. Only thing that was lacking was a round of applause when we sheepishly boarded the bus.

The ferry terminal was packed. Definitely Singaporeans on their way back home after the long weekend. On the ferry Joyce asked for my shoulder to rest on the journey back on the ferry. I was more than happy to oblige. Towards the end of our ride, the ferry stopped. The captain announced that they were experiencing 'technical difficulties'. After about 15 minutes he then announced that one of the engines was 'stubborn'-ly not working. It was then decided to continue to port on one engine only, albeit a lot slower.

At Tanah Merah, we quickly located the car and I drove Joyce home.

~THE END~