No, I'm not gone yet. A crucial document I needed got lost in the mail, and thanks to that, I still haven't managed to get my entry clearance for the UK. I'll post here when details get confirmed as to when I'll be winging my way out of sunny and far-too-hot Singapore.

On another note, people have been commenting on how it's a good stage in my life for me to be making this move. I'm still (surprisingly) young and don't have any dependents or attachments to Singapore, hence ought to be able to make this move without too much baggage.

I do agree, and have been feeling that if I had to make this move next year, I may not have had the strength to leave, given that practically my whole life and support system are here. I do love London, and I am so very bored with Singapore, but the truth is, the friends here have been the main reason I've been able to survive the last few crazy, insanely stressful years I've gone through.

But it's not true that I don't have any attachments. Other than my good friends, there's also the bf. He's not new at all, though I know I haven't mentioned anything about a bf in the blog this year. It's fair to say he and I have been on and off ever since we met over 2.5 years ago, and right now, we're back on again, even though I'll be leaving in a few days.

There's also a good friend of mine who I haven't blogged about at all just yet. He is a very nice and sweet guy, and I know I can count on him whenever I need help. When my grandmother passed away earlier this year, just before my CFA exam, he came to the wake bearing food, coffee and sample exam answers to help me get through that tough time. He gives me a ride whenever I need one, and helps me carry heavy stuff to other places. In short, he performs all these boyfriend functions without being a boyfriend. Some people have pointed out that among all of the female friends in our group, I get along the best with him, and that, in fact, he'd be one of the few who could match me in terms of his own career potential.

Do I like him? In truth, I do have a small crush on him. I think he's good-looking and as mentioned earlier, very sweet. Where's the catch, you might ask? There's got to be one if we're still just friends. And there is... a very big catch at that. I am also a good friend of his ex-girlfriend's... his ex-girlfriend of over four years. It's been over a year since they split up, and I know they're not going to get back together but I just don't feel it'd be right for me to make a move, or heck, even if he initiated it, given that I'm good friends with both of them.

My life, as ever, is complicated. I truly hope that with this move, my life can become a little more simple.

I met up with a friend recently to have lunch and catch up on what's been going on with our lives since we last saw each other last year (or more accurately, at her wedding much earlier this year). Amidst the job changes and her wedding, our schedules hadn't matched at all, until recently, when her office relocated to within walking distance of mine.

As I will be leaving Singapore really soon, she insisted I eat Asian food seeing as that's the one thing I won't be eating for some time (although as long as Chinatown remains one of the more affordable options in London, that's probably not true). I was really craving a burger so I compromised by ordering a chicken burger from Wham!burger (B1-22, China Square). The burger patty - chicken fillet marinated in satay sauce - was amazing. The meat was tender, and the sauce incredibly tasty. There was no other topping in the burger other than the usual lettuce leaf or two, but it didn't matter. The burger was amazing.

In addition, I'd ordered a side of chilli con carne as part of their special set (add S$1 more to get any side such as fries, coleslaw and chilli). It was all a bit much for me, especially given that I'm attempting to maintain my weight (or even lose given that I'll definitely gain during the winter) but all in all, it was definitely worth it.

One of my deep dark secrets and guilty pleasures is goofy dancing (in spite of the fact that I actually do know how to dance). That's why this video of Shaq, LeBron and Dwight Howard having a dance-off during the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend appeals to me so much. C'mon, when will you ever 2.16 m tall guy weighing 148 kg attempting the Worm?!

Favourite Line #1983774 from the Simpsons:
"My name is Svetlana, but you can call me 'Hey, baby.'"
- From He Loves to Fly and He D'Ohs (Season 19, Episode 1)

I am totally going to introduce myself like that next time.

A research study published earlier this year stated that lack of sleep could affect a person's moral decision-making abilities. While sleep deprivation does not have an impact on the moral beliefs a person has, what it does affect are the response times when it comes to making decisions on what to do in certain situations, and also, a change in standards on the appropriate course of action to take in those situations.

I've definitely experienced this myself; whenever I'm exhausted (and these days, face it, that's every day), the choices I make (especially when I've been up for too long) are sometimes things I wouldn't have done had I had sufficient rest and energy when I was first confronted by those situations.

So while this isn't particularly earth-shattering, given today's 24/7 world, can we all be sure we're not letting our standards drop amidst all the sleep we're not getting? Check whether you are sleep deprived by taking this mini-quiz (at the Origins site. I couldn't find another quiz which was as user-friendly).

There's not enough time to do all the nothing I want to do.