there are certain department stores, grocery stores and even convenience stores which are successful for the simple reason that they are properly merchandised.

the masses enjoy and expect simplicity. products placed in orderly fashion in logical sections of the real estate. dairy products near the perishables. make-up always on the ground floor. items of impulse near the pay-point.

what boggles the business mind is that chinese grocery stores never follow this formula but seem to enjoy equal success.

on this lazy sunday afternoon - i muse that my life is much like a chinese grocery store. i have no single purpose. i am random in thought and behaviour. i am illogical and impulsive. i constantly contradict myself and if people were looking for something, after spending an afternoon with me - they would be either turned off or distracted from their original purpose.

friendships.

why is it friend + ship = friendship. these two words separately on their own have nothing to do with one another. then matching them equals a word that everyone abuses and overuses on a daily basis. is it cause most friends throughout one's lifetime will sail away?

perhaps it is a representation for the random connection between people and just as the words connected bring another meaning, the separation equally restores meaning to these individual words. word of the day.

Tired.

ZHU YI!!

In moments of vulnerability...ghosts from one's past come out of the wood work to tempt, taunt, confuse and abuse.

The Avid Single Friend.

Someone once described me as their "avid single friend" in their blog. As I read it, I found it empowering, affirming and humourous.

As the days are getting shorter and cooler, I am more introspective about my situation and circumstance.

I know I lead a very single and fabulous lifestyle. I have no doubts about my desireability and ability to attract...I am never short of exciting dates. And I am equally content to be alone.

But I can't be alone forever...and I am not satisfied with the fabulous dates. Though they are fun and exciting, they are not permanent. I know what I want. I still haven't found what I'm looking for...as the famous song says...

I once was dating my best friend. We would talk for hours and hours and share every thought and dream. Since then, I have not found another who could inspire me.

I'm looking for righteousness - strong character - compatibility - respect - laughter.

Because I know who I am, know my desire, I can be the avid single friend...until someone comes along and inspires me.

"Mais si tu m'apprivoises, ma vie sera comme ensoleillée" - Le Petit Prince

Culinary disaster #534268

Since i moved out, i've had several kitchen catastrophes. This includes the burning of one pot, chopsticks split in half, a very very smoky incident, and countless inedible meals.

I have been accused of poisoning people at dinner parties and have been outed in a mass mail for an unfortunate ramen recycling incident.

And now for the confession...the worst meal ever was earlier this week when i ventured out of my comfort zone. With my indoor grill (a fake george foreman), I am quite decent at chicken breast, fish, and cow. This gave me a false sense of security and I dared to flirt with the pig. Generally, I like the pig. Pork is definitely a magical animal. There are some of the best meals that involve pork - sausages, spare ribs, cutlets, tenderloins, roasts, bacon...but let me tell you, pigs are not a kind animal.

Pigs can be dry, they can be tasteless, they can be tough.

All in all - I am scarred from this pig situation. And i humbly revert back to the more friendlier animals.

Second JAVASTOP of the day. sigh. the small pleasures in life.

I'm one happy well-accessorised young professional today.

a barter economy.

At work we have a group of Toronto orphans. young people who left home (calgary, thunder bay, vancouver, montreal, north bay, hamilton) to work in the mega-city.

Let me tell you, home-cooked food is the most precious thing in our group. If one belongs to an ethnicity that is known for good home cooking, then one can become a member of an elite and prestigeous Trade Agreement.

Rules are:
- if a family member brings you food from home, you must disclose information.
- the more you share, the more you get in return.
- the more food, the more power one has in Trade negotiations.
- there are losers and winners in this economy.

Reasons why i rock this Trade Agreement:
My grand-mother and mother both love me and have stocked my freezer with months worth of home cooking. Hence, I have the most food-reserves - the most power in trade negotiations - the most extra fat!!

note: presently enjoying on my lunchbreak - "jong" from grand-ma with the most devine curry ever - courtesy of Ms. J.Ha's boyfriend's grand-father.

Fashion lessons:

1 - never wear tight pants to Autumn Moon Festival dinner @ auntie's house.
2 - never trust friend's opinion about v-neck. if you feel its low...it is low!

why is the font so huge?

The problem with being in a more creative job is when one lacks creativity.

I'm responsible for creating/executing a campaign for a specific market segment. I was awarded this fabulous project - given the honour of being "on-lead". Like most things in marketing, sounds more glamourous than it really is....so it's 10h30 on a work day and i'm completely stuck - i'm fresh out of great concepts - i can't bring myself to talk to the Ad agency who works for me cause they irritate me on a normal day so today would be a bad day to test my patience.

It is perhaps befitting that my current job rotation has these extreme highs and lows because I thrive on such inconsistency. (remember consistency is BORING!!) One moment i'm flying high and loving everyone and everything about my job. the next, i'm lacking momentum resorting to these inefficient conference calls...Yesterday, i sat through an afternoon conference call listening to one asinine idea after the other.

phrases during the call which pissed me off:
- "let's massage that idea" (since when can we massage something inanimate?!?!)
- "how about i give you a comfort call in a few days" (that pissed me off cause it sounds more intimate than it really should...)
- "great! fabulous!" (umm...NOT!)
- dumb jokes in general.
- finally, the creative director from the agency asked if he could have a copy of the minutes i "took" during the conference call. WTF? My firm pays them to do the work...since when does a client take minutes? It is completely frustrating when people confuse my age as my position. Yes I am young but you still report to me - SUCKER!! or the other word which starts with an f....

So i'm going to get my third coffee of the day hoping that java will be the much needed inspiration. Sometimes all it takes is a moment to get over one's extreme frustration.

last night i get a call around 10h30.

me - hello?
"hugo" - hi melanie, its hugo here.
me - hey! what's up?
"hugo" - not much (no french accent)
me - ummm...i'm sorry who did you say you were again????
"hugo" - i'm hugo.
me - NO YOU ARE NOT!!!!
"hugo" - yes i'm hugo.
me - HUGO L...? no you're NOT hugo. i can recognize his voice!!!!
hugo - no i'm hugo from church...husband of x.
me - oh..opps. hey...how's it going...