moved

to the new Job..
off the island..
to Dyson..
to Johor..
to choongrachel.blogspot.com

Two "Bad" things and One Awesome thing.

"Bad" cos it wasn't all too Bad.. Or maybe its just the one AWESOME thing which is making the Bad look like meh. Like is that all you've got? Meh.

OK. So we go for the "Bad" first.

Yesterday, me and Azura went out for lunch. She pick me up, we get to the Cafe (Homes Cafe at D'Piazza Mall!!), we sit down, order, start talking. The waitress comes along with our drinks and instead of setting it down nicely in front of us, she spills the whole drink all over my front!
And worst of all, all she could offer was an insolent sorrryyyyy...
You know one of the draggy sorrys you say when you are forced to say sorry but don't mean it?
So I got up, grabbed some tissues and cleared the lime juice sacs off me.
The waitress offered to move us to a different table.
Instead I tell her I'm sorry we're leaving.
And we stalk out.

Today, (a little funnier one) I went off work a little to pick my dad up from the mechanic. After dropping dad off and heading over to lunch, I thought the van (I was driving the Unser) felt a little funny. The van kept veering off to the right and I had to keep pulling it back to go straight. So I stopped at the side of the road and called pa. He said ok he'll call the mechanic to come over to find me. I sit in the car and wait. The mechanic comes by and tells me, "Tayar Pancit Lar".
I get off the car to investigate and true enough, the front right tyre is flat. And (embarrassingly,) so flat that the metal part was touching the road!
And me, like a Bimbo was just sitting there (in the driver's seat, on top of the flat tyre) waiting...

(I know its supposed to be 3 Bad things. But then only 2 has happened. and no the 3rd shan't. I'm thinking the 3rd Bad thing was Monday when I got out of the car, my phone fell and broke apart. But then that happens all the time. And that Nokia lasts forever. Oh and I'm thinking of getting an E71)

The ONE AWESOME THING is..... (OK I've tried, but no I just can't keep it to myself)
I GO TO UK!!!! in 2 Weeks!! 2nd week of February!! I GO TO UK!! I spend CNY in UK! I stay 2 weeks (and maybe more) in UK!!
I GO UK! I GO UK! I GO UK!! :) :)
Brick Lane Market! Face Hunter! Tate Modern!
Sherlock Holmes! Nigella! Queenie! I come find chu!!

Hoorays for Dyson!

In the beginning there was lola

and then there was me.. and lola
and lola and me
and me. Where's lola?

OK. That was some Lola overload.

Bedside Reading Material.

I've got two magazines now on my bedside: Vogue and The Economists.
What's so awesome about these 2 different mags is the theme that binds it.

I've got the March 2009 US edition of Vogue which has Michelle Obama on the cover:

I got it from the Senai airport for RM4 after my interview w Dyson. Inside its all about powerful women: Queen Rania, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Melinda Gates...

And then I stole The Economist from the hotel room in Jakarta. This one has Rosie the Riveter on the cover:

It talks about women taking over the workplace, Female Power, and how change is a coming to the workforce!

Powerful stuff. I'm Inspired.
Its time to take a sledgehammer to the remaining glass ceiling oh baby!
(How is it that these 2 editions in particular got into my hands? and Now? Amazing eh.
God must be trynna tell me something)

Watch out World! Rachel's a-coming!

Being a PA

I watched an episode of Ugly Betty (one of the few w Lindsey Lohan in it),
and she summed it up real well.

To be a good PA, you need to remember A-R-G.
A - Anticipate needs,
R - do Research, and
G - show Gumption.

Repeat after me now, A-R-G!
(I think it could apply to being a lot of other things as well la actually)

I think I made a good PA, the short time I was one..
(if I can say so myself... gotta ask Boss)
I'm still one for the next 4 days la actually.. a remote one while Boss is away..

Next, Johor! and being a PR and Comms girl! and Dyson! :) :)

Blogging from room 762, Nikko Hotel, Jakarta!

Hola!!

Yesterday on arrival, I watched When Harry Met Sally and then Run Fat Boy Run while eating strawberries and drinking Bintang Beer. And then we went to Food Hall and ate Rendang on a Stick among other things.

Today while Mei was at work I walked to Monas, went to the top, and then couldn't find the museum.

(A self portrait taken thru the bars of viewing deck)

I got on a cab, went to Tanah Abang, and bought 6 items for the grand total of 420,000 Rupiahs which is like 155.56 Ringgits!
(Gail! I got you New Year Baju! We'll do the sister-sister matching thing!)

In the morning we stuff ourselves on Hotel Breakfast Buffet, eat Bananas for Lunch and then stuff ourselves with Mei's USD30 work allowance for dinner. Smart right?

(an example of breakfast. see SALMON)

Yes. Thanks.

Also, when I grow up, I want to be Skinny Bitch.

The Jakartans(what are they called, really?) here are really into Japaneasy things. Maybe I'm really noticing it cos I'm staying in a Japanese Hotel but really there are lots of Japanese restaurants here!
Anyways, I'm getting into it too.
(Imagine me in Kimono. The pictures aren't turning out too well)

More updates tmrw if the spirit so moves and the internet works.

Do you remember your first lunch in 2009?

I remember mine! I was at Barcelona and had Hornimans tea :p

I was thinking of random stuff then I teringat a band I saw play at Barcelona.
It was the first day of the New Year and we were leaving Barca (after lunch in a cafe outside a church whence I drank Hornimans tea) to head back to London. As we were wandering about, waiting to go to the airport, we saw this huge crowd gathered. So we went to see what it was all about. We saw this:

See all their random instruments! (ok not Random.. just not the most common)
And most of all, see the old lady dancing!
There was so much energy in the performance. Yeah it was pretty awesome :)

Anyways, more pictures from lunch:


My starter (above) and main course (below). Or was it the other way round? It was yum. This one below's a Paella...




Me and Grace

Me doing the cute thing with the dessert

Gail with her starter. Or was it her main course? mmm

Me doing the cute thing with my Starter/Main Course... (yeah we did the touristy thing. Check out hugeass Souvenirs sign)

Gail is cute isn't she?

Anyways Grace and Gail. This post is to remind You Both of Me and to maybe tug at some of your heartstrings (if you have any). I MISS YOU! Stop doing the sister thing without me!