Dispensing Marbles

13 Feb

Last week, an idea mooted to fill the gum ball machine up with marbles instead of M&M chocolate. Seems like a good idea if I want to be disciplined about dieting. I tried looking for the marbles at home that I know we have stashed away somewhere. Where? I need to recall.

When the girls were young and took weekly swimming lessons, the coach always rewarded them with marbles at the end of each lesson. Back then, these things were precious commodities and all the swimmers, my two girls included were very proud of their collection.

But as time passed and the girls grew up, the precious marbles were forgotten and more so when the swimming lessons stopped. In their place came the gaming and wifi-enabled devices – the Sony PSPs, the smart phones, iPods, iPod Shuffle and iPad Mini. This is a stark indicator of how times have changed, simple toys sidelined for technology-related toys.

Now maybe if I have the marbles in my gum ball machine to give them a new lease in life, I can have some fun during boring days at my desk. Let’s see how this will pan out. But first I have to recall where I last saw them. I am pretty sure they are somewhere in the closet because I kept them away just last year.

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The Gum Ball Machine, Part 2

10 Feb

After much thought about the M&Ms for my gum ball machine, I have decided not to fill it up. Sigh… A friend suggested to mix the plain ones and the peanut ones if I was undecided. What a brilliant idea! Tempting, very tempting but I have to go on diet and having a chocolate dispensing machine within my reach may thwart my plans.

The Chinese New Year celebration is almost over with one last Chap Goh Meh dinner with Mom and my sibling’s family tomorrow night, so I have to stay disciplined and go ahead with the diet intention.

I need to lose all that weight gained from the constant eating since December last year when M1 came home for Christmas. Also because I feel a psychological expansion of my waistline when I put on my only pair of Levi’s and it feels tight. Not good especially when the Levi’s is those stretchy ones. Thank goodness, I was back at the gym earlier in the week to get things going.

So for now, the gum ball machine remains a decorative item and not a chocolate dispensing machine. But… me being me, I couldn’t resist the chocolate temptation and gave in to getting a small packet of M&Ms. I reasoned that the diet starts only next week, a little now wouldn’t hurt. Weakling.

  

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The Gum Ball Machine

9 Feb

I love my gum ball machine. It’s quite an authentic piece, made of metal and glass instead of plastic. I bought it in New York City during a blind date set up by my room mate dinosaur years ago. I agreed to the date only to oblige her. 

The date and I went to SoHo and ended up at the Cupping Room Cafe for lunch. Thereafter we browsed some shops nearby and I stumbled upon the gum ball machine. An unusual buy on a first date but what the heck? It’s a gum ball machine(!) just like the one in WBMG., Inc. albeit smaller. So the purchase was made.

Now, about the date… He was nice, polite and gentlemanly but too hairy for me. Gosh! Funny I can still recall the places we went and details like the hair at the back of his neck sticking out of his round-neck t-shirt but not his name. Ugh to the hair! There was no further second date. Thank goodness, otherwise I wouldn’t have tales of my M1, M2, hubby and Rooney to tell! 

Over the years, the gum ball machine has been in a discreet corner in the old office just collecting dust. Somehow I never considered displaying it at home, and it’s not like it’s a bad reminder of the date with Hairy Guy in SoHo. But I think it’s more of not wanting it filled with candy and enticing the girls (and myself) to have a sweet tooth.

Today, it sits proudly in a visible position in my office room! I will have to fill it up with M&M chocolate soon. The debate now is whether to have normal ones or with peanuts? Hmm… tough decision here.

  

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I Have a Room

7 Feb

Throughout my professional career as a Graphic Designer/Assistant Art Director/Art Director/Design Director, I have never had a room of my own in the office. Maybe because when one works in a design studio or art department, these places are open concept environments.

At least it was like this for me in all the places that I have worked in. In New York City where I interned and then worked at, WBMG., Inc. was an open concept design and I had a drafting table in the organized design studio. And I must admit I modelled my own studio like their setup when we first started our company.

Then in Adweek, the old office on 23rd Street was also open concept and I had a drafting table amidst other drafting tables of the rather chaotic setup of the art department. Only the Editor had a room if I recall. When the company moved to their new place on Broadway and it was more organized, I had a cubicle workstation.

Although the cubicles were quite high, I could still yak with my colleagues. Now come to think of it, even though I may not see them because the cubicle system obstructed my view, I could still talk to everyone in the whole art department!

The next work place, a publishing house in KL was also the same with an open concept setup. No room, just a table and sufficient to work.

Then my own design studio. Open concept too. But after all these years of being in an open concept work environment, I now find myself having a room at our new office! A definite first for me.

And I think I kinda like it simply because I get to display all my toys in a more organized manner than anything else! They now have a wall to lean against without crowding my workspace. In an open office, it wasn’t easy to surround my space with plushies, my array of display-worthy collectibles and gum ball machine but now, I can do it! Nice.

Plus I can play my choice of music (Michael Buble! yay) without disagreement from the team. So having a room for a change is nice, very nice.

Together

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Goodbye App, Part 2

6 Feb

I guess the day would eventually come. After all, the developer gave us fair warning that by 1st January 2017, the app would taken off.

I have been seeing server this error script since Friday upon launching Jackpot Slots on Facebook. So for real this time? My only regret is that I did not see my final last points scored properly. Oh well.

To be in the Top 20 is good enough I suppose. Goodbye app, it was fun while you were still online to be played. I will surely miss you.

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Such a Difference

3 Feb

The reality of the office now closer to get to is something I am slowly get used to. The old office was 18km away, each way, from home.

When we first moved to where we live now, I had measured the distances from each checkpoint of the highway – house to toll, toll to toll and toll to office. I even tried two alternative routes for choice.

But over the years, the shorter route saw an increase in toll charges and the other, a toll free route, was facing a highway construction that resulted in heavy traffic daily. So it wasn’t worthwhile to plough these two routes.

Now? I did a checkpoint measure from home and we are a mere 5km (to) and 6km (from) away! Such a difference.

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Auspicious Day

2 Feb

Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year and like all previous years, we officially return to work on this auspicious day.

What makes today even more significant is the fact that we start off the Year of the Fire Rooster at our new office!

Yes, we moved at the beginning of the year and I am very excited at this new beginning. May 2017 be filled with exciting and abundant design projects to be a happy and prosperous year indeed.

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Customary Routine

31 Jan

Over the years whenever we return to hubby’s hometown for the Reunion Dinner, we would also play a round of golf at the nearby golf club. This year, the customary routine had to be modified slightly because we came back a day earlier than our usual four days, three nights stay.

We are playing at our golf club today. Looking forward to some good golf to work off all that food consumed!

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The Drive Home, Part 2

30 Jan

We came home by yesterday after the family Reunion Dinner on Friday night. The drive home wasn’t that bad as it took five and a half hours, an hour more than normal.

Every year during the Chinese New Year exodus, the drive both ways would be a long crawl with almost bumper-to-bumper traffic. On Friday, it took six hours and the return, a half hour less, far less than I had originally anticipated prior to the start of the trip.

There were a couple of years it took us ten hours just to get home, hence the fear. So I am thankful we arrived home with nothing close to those sort of hours yesterday.

There were several accidents along the drive up north but I wouldn’t call them accidents; just mere breakdowns of single vehicles. Not even any contact of two vehicles and the slow down was unavoidable, causing some stretches of the drive to be a crawl. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The time with the family was all about eating. And we had good home cooked meals by the Aunty. Now that we are back here, it will be more visiting to other relatives and more yummies to savor!

We officially go back to work on Thursday.

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The Drive Home

27 Jan

Today is the Reunion Dinner and for the first time for as long as I can remember, we are just leaving home the day itself and not a day earlier to attend the occasion. We just could not leave yesterday because of reasons worthy of another story or two. This year, the dinner is with hubby’s family up north.

I anticipate a ten hour-journey for what is normally a four or five hour drive. Oh well, we are prepared with much music choices, sandwiches, chips and drinks for the car, I just hope traffic will be kind. Who knows? We may arrive on time.

Here’s wishing everyone a very Gong Xi Fa Cai and may the Year of the Rooster bring you much happiness, success and prosperity that you will want to crow about it all year long!

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