~A Twisted Rhapsody~

A uninteresting title for an uninteresting post

2010-07-03T22:48:00.001+08:00

Fitting, isn't it? So I've been absent for a long time. Anyway, nothing much passed in my dull, uninteresting life.

I got my results back. It's Not bad, but it's not very good either. 2 High Distinctions, 1 Distinction and 1 Credit. I was aiming for all 4 to be High Distinctions. But computing class pulled me down to get a Credit. What can I say? I have never been a PC Geek.

And to all those who are calling me a nerd to aim for 4 HDs, I have a reason. I need to get the scholarship to pay for my school fees, hence the good results needed. My mum and dad already have to pay for my older brother, leaving me to fend for myself. =/ Nah, Not that I blame them. I understand the family situation. But sometimes, it really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

On another matter, I joined Judo since January and i finally have a mental and physical breakthrough in my Judo. Congrats to me! ^__^ I'm going to take my grading soon to be elevate to a Yellow Tip (Low but still). Wish me luck!

Sem 2 started already. I checked out my timetable. Gods! It's way more packed than Sem 1. T__T OH dear, and IVP (Inter-Varsity Playership, or something along that line) for Judo is coming up soon.

Somebody save me!

Of noisy neighbors and thin walls

2010-05-08T23:30:00.002+08:00

I'm one inch to killing my neightbours. Make that 1mm. I'm serious. It's the one day that I actually get to sleep WITHOUT having to set my alarm to wake up and study.

My dear neighbours decide to choose today, of all 7 days, to do some renovation. It's not just the neighbor upstairs. It's the neighbor next door as well. What the Hell?

Imagine waking up to a loud BOOM that reverberates through your whole body and leaves you wondering when the hell did a bomb explode. Then listening to the irritating droning drilling noise that leaves me wanting to take that drill and shoving it so far up their ass it exits via their mouth. Oh while it's still drilling, by the way.

Come on, people, it's only 9.30am in the morning. Can't you spare some poor girl a break and let her get the rest she needs? I slept at 2.30am yesterday. Can't you start work at like 11am? And it's BOTH neighbors deciding to choose the same timing to cause noise pollution.

Seriously, the walls in HDB flats are far too thin. I can actually hear my neighbour (we are separate by one wall) closing the door, while I'm playing my radio, late at night. And does anybody have any irritating neighbours living above them that loves to play basketball at home so all you hear are loud bouncing thumping sounds? I suppose everybody does. Makes you want to take their balls and smack them in the face with it, eh?

The government should look into building more flats with thicker walls. Stop saving up on the materials, damn nit! We, the taxpayers, paid for it! Don't we deserve better quality apartments?

Come to think of it, I really don't want my neighbour getting married. I don't want to be woken up by certain *ahem* sounds. You guys should know what sounds so I'm not elaborating.

And you know what's the most irritating?

When I finally decide to stop getting the sleep that I so desperately needed and dragged my body out to switch on my computer, the irritating noises stopped.

...

Can anybody scream Bloody Murder?

Results are in!

2010-05-08T01:13:00.002+08:00

The results for the group project are in! My group got...

High Distinction!!!

I knew it actually! My 6th Sense told me... XD

Serious!

Anyway, along with this piece of good news, I'm also proud to announce the end of my exams! Yoo Hoo!

But really, The exams are spread over a 2 week period. I really would prefer if they crammed it into one week back to back. For one, I won't be burnt out from the studying. In the one week gap between Stats and Accounting, I did study Accounting but 2 days before exam, Ii was playing computer. I just can't find the energy, concentration and motivation to really study. At least, if the exams are back to back, then I won't be burn out. I can sprint all the way for a small period of time but I can't jog slow and steady over a long period of time, get my point?

Speaking of exams though, Organisational Behaviour is really... general and logical. Stats is tedious but workable. Accounting is OK but a freakin' landmine. I really must open 2 eyes wide and bring a magnifying glass just to make sure I won't get tricked. OK but a freakin' landmine... That's such a paradox, don't you think?

Anyway, with the end of exams, I can finally start searching for a job. For today, though, I will take a break and sleep. So good night!

Exams: Start!

2010-04-25T23:49:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow is the start of exams and I can still blog. Maybe it's because I haven't had exams for a long time but seriously, I don't feel any pre-exams jitters. What the hell? Am I adnormal? Most people are stressed out by their exams. I, on the other hand, feels neutral about it now.

Seriously, I feel more jitters during the mid term tests! Oh my God... Maybe it's because I am too exhausted by the constant studying that I'm too burnt out to feel anything else?. Impossible. Good Gosh! What is happening to me?!

Nevertheless, good luck to myself tomorrow. Stupid SIM for spreading out exams throughout the 2 weeks. Why can't they have it back to back?

Final Run....

2010-03-31T11:12:00.005+08:00

I've been missing for a long while. Schoolwork kept piling up now. I guess that can't be helped. We are coming close to the end of the term as it is. And precisely because we're coming close to the end of term, all the project deadline starts to appear on the horizon, speeding closer and closer each day.

The one project that got me going all jittery is the OB (Organizational Behaviour) Group Project. Why? Because it's a GROUP Project. To all those who thinks that group project are easier because of a division in workload, think again. The coordination of duties, the standardisation of work and the difference in work styles is enough to drive me up the wall and over it.

It's precisely because of this that I prefer individual projects... Imagine having to coordinate with so many people and leaving your grades in their hands... The thought is enough to make me sweat.

Oh, Let's NOT get me started on members who are slackers and never even attempted to contribute, or worse, the 'Yakkers' who only knows how to criticise and points out what they wants to see done BUT not contribute anything at all... Not contributing anything but noise pollution, that is.

All uni students out there should know what I'm talking about.

It's not that I've really got bad team mates, especially when compared to SH's. On the contrary, they're nice people. It's just that... Alright, there are 6 of us. 3 of us are OK. The other 2 are willing to work but the quality of the work is not there. 1 is just a plain old Yakker.

Please don't let me be stuck with him for next semester's project too...

Anyway, project is nearing completion soon and finally, I can rest. I've been 'running a marathon' (metaphorically speaking) for this project since start of March and 'sprinting' since 3 days ago.

I'm bushed... I need a break... a few more hours... Just a few more hours and one down...

My bed never looked so inviting before...

Of scammers and bad luck...

2010-03-04T16:28:00.004+08:00

Seriously, I'm downright unlucky these few days. First of all, my gastritis upped a level into chronic gastritis and i haven't healed despite a week. 2nd, my bag spoiled. 3rd, I nearly got scammed.

By Singapore's infamous Steven Lim, no less.

At first I thought he was a volunteer asking for a donation. But he started off with, "hi, do you know who I am?"

Er... That's an unusual first line... But he looked familiar...

He mistook my silence for no, which is true.

"My name is Steven Lim. I'm the big boss of Singapore's biggest online talent agency"

What kind of volunteer starts off like that? But where did i hear that name from? Hm...

"Can I have 2 minutes of your time? You have a very attractive face..." He rattled on and on and I couldn't catch what he said. I was more focused in trying to place where I saw his face and where i've heard this name before... I've heard this name before. I know i did and it ain't anything good.

He then proceed to show me "evidence" of his company - a letter from Mediacorp and a newspaper cutting of him together with his models...

And then it hit me like a basketball to my head.

Steven Lim. STEVEN LIM! THAT SINGAPORE IDOL REJECT!!! THAT WAS HIM!!!

"Er sorry, but i'm not interested in modeling." With a polite smile, I turn and left.

It HAD to be a scam. No doubt about it. Come on, he's practically infamous in Singapore...

I went home, researched online and found out that one have to pay $100 to join...

Strange... He didn't tell me that...

Or maybe it's because I left before he had the chance to do so... Ah well... I'm still unlucky to be caught. At least i managed to escape...

Damn, Why am I so unlucky?

Of snobbish doctors & pharmacy technicians...

2010-02-28T15:01:00.003+08:00

I thought i've learnt my lesson but apparently, i did not. And that's how i ended up with Chronic Gastritis. Gods, having acute gastritis is bad enough, but chronic?

Damn, it's all due to CNY. During CNY, there's buffets, caterings, and even more snacks. The end result? i overate. Of course, the strong ice cold green tea i drank to cool myself down because of the recent heat wave in SG aggravated the situation.

My gastritis worsened because of it. On Friday, I tried to pre-empt the gastritis attack by taking Antacids but it didn't work. Gods! The pain! I was sweating bucketfuls of cold sweat and my temperature dropped to 35 degrees - The temperature of dead bodies. =X

And you know what's the worst thing? I have to go to the 24 hours medical clinic at Hougang Ave 4 because it's late at night and no other clinic is open.

"I think i'm suffering from gastritis. I took antacids but it didn't seem to work." I told the doctor All the while, I'm bending forward to ease the pain.

The doctor didn't even bat an eyelid. "aAntacids don't work that fast. It's a slow build up. I can prescribe you some meds. but i suggest you go to the polycinic to get a letter of reference for an endoscopy at the hospital."

Have you seen anything wrong? Nothing? Well let me tell you. THAT DOCTOR ON DUTY DIDN'T EVEN CHECK TO CONFIRM WHETHER IT'S REALLY GASTRITIS!!!

Come on, You gonna believe i have gastritis just because i told you? Glad to know I became the doctor! Wow, if that's the case, I've got cough, can you prescribe me some cough meds straight away? Don't worry, i will definitely sell it to those drug junkies.

And that lady doctor is super snobbish to boot. She kept referring us to the polyclinic to get even more prescriptions because it's cheaper and also to go there for the endoscopy letter to get the subsidised rates.

Her words probably meant well but the way she put it? She's freakin' looking down on us.

She prescribed me 2 weeks worth of meds for about 50++. She did recommend me to go for 1 month's worth but i figured i won't get it here. Within 5 minutes, we can leave. I won't put it at 5 minutes. I'll put it at 3.

Turns out the reason for her quick "consultation" is because it's 10pm - end of her shift. I'm her last patient.

Doctors with no ethnics or responsibilities. What is going to happen to our medical system?!

I have to wait 20 minutes for the prescription. Other patients who came before me got theirs first. AND It's 60 bucks for one week's worth - not 2. What the hell?

To add fuel to the fire, The pharmacy technicians didnt even explain to me whether to take the omeprazole before a meal of after a meal ("Just follow the instruction on the packages"). And it wasn't even written on the medication package. Fantastic...

So am I supposed to take it before a meal or after a meal? IN the end, i have to google the med's name and found out it have to be taken 1 hour before a meal, or at night before i sleep.

Stupid clinic...

The whole episode happened on friday night. It's Sunday now and i'm still feeling the pain despite the medication. It was never this bad before. Normally, gastritis will stop the moment i took antacids. Looks like my gastritis is worsening. Damn...

Saga #3: The power of the Grape Vine

2010-02-19T14:24:00.002+08:00

BC finally told me why he emo-ed so much directly on that day after I asked MS and CJ. IT turns out, when BC went to school, he saw CJ and his gang. CJ had talked about this incident (of BC accusing me of deliberating sabotaging everyone) and snubbed, or in SG terms, 'shoot' BC.

BC was taken aback and when he met MS later, MS 'shot' him as well...

Now that's an unexpected outcome. I did tell them, "Next time, please don't use my name to give out any information. I don't want to be accused of deliberately giving false and CAUSING YOU GUYS TO FAIL!"

And I did tell MS what happened. Oops...

Did the whole group of guys snubbed BC because of me? >__<

No wonder he was emo-ing away that night...

Sorry, BC, of all the things, i didn't expect them to well, yeah...

Man... The power of the Grape Vine is undisputable....

The Darkness in Me...

2010-02-19T01:34:00.003+08:00

I felt an unbridled need to control everything around me.
In doing so, I have unconsiously fallen prey to irony.
I've lost control and didn't even know it.
Now, I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of darkness.
No footholds, no lifelines.
Only me.

Saga #2... continued...

2010-02-10T22:57:00.002+08:00

Today I decided to ask MS about it... Why did he go tell BC that I said to study from topic 1-3?

MS: "NO wor... I didn't say that... CJ was the one who said it... He said it when we are in the library..."

MX nodded in agreement...

HP:" Then why did BC say it's YOU who said it?"

MS: "Huh? Never! I argued back and forth with him yesterday... He insisted, upon hearing from CJ that you said it's topic 1-3, that it was topic 1-3! MX and I argued that it's topic 1-2..."

HP:"Why the hell would CJ say I say de? In the first place, the guys that i don't talk to the most are him and R!"

MS: "Exactly! We told BC that! IF you don't believe, ask CJ."

ANd I asked CJ who just said, "Huh? Not you say de meh?"

So obviously, it was CJ who spread that... So why did BC say it was MS?

And then that night, MS PM-ed me... Turns Out BC placed the following quotes in his Facebook.

"好心没好报，想帮人还被咬了几口，真令人瞧不起"

and

"Helping to pass messages around and getting bitten by both sides, it's so uncool... Tsk... Need to think twice when helping others..."

MS went to ask him and got scolded. So obviously, the sentence was intentionally to shoot the 3 of us - me, MS and MX.

He's "Helping to pass messages around..." PLEASE! What messages was he passing to me when HE SAID I WAS THE ONE WHO SAID THAT STUFF ABOUT THE FEEDBACK TEST?

ISN'T IT BLOODY INCONSISTENT?

Now, apparently he's emo-ing... And he thinks the world's against him. Come on, if it progressed to this stage where it seems the "whole world" is against you, then there must be something wrong with you, not us.

Can a guy be anymore petty? He still thinks he's in the right... Wth...

Saga #1: Ungratefulness is a shitty thing...

2010-02-09T00:32:00.006+08:00

I'm super pissed off today... Seriously, Why do people always accuse others of saying something they did not? I don't understand...

My school have a feedback test for the IA module tomorrow that's ungraded... It covers Topic 1 and topic 2... The real common test is after CNY, is worth 15% and covers from topic 1-3. I told this to Moh San and Bao Cheng multiple times. Clarifying it with them for so many times....

And Bao Change still have the gall to ask me today, "EH? i thought u say the feedback test covers from topic 1 - 3??"

Me: "No! when did I ever say that? I said it covers topic 1-2 and it's ungraded, so you don't have to study if you don't want! the MID TERM Test covers from topic 1-3."

BC: "Moh San everyone you say de leh..."

Huh? Since when I'm worth quoting? Never mind that... What really pisses me off the most came next.

Hendry: "She say dunnid to study but sKarli she go home study!"

BC: "Ya lor! How can like that? Sabo everyone sia. Feedback test topic 1 & 2. You go tell everyone topic 1-3. Make them study more...make us all fail..."

What. The. Hell? In the first place, why the F*** won't they LISTEN to the teacher? WHy must they depend on the freakin' Grape Vine to get the info?! Why must they freakin' TWIST my words and spread those twisted lies IN MY NAME?? And we haven't even had the feedback test yet, So how did he know he's going to fail??? How can he accuse me of sabo-ing them when the results aren't even out and the TEST IS NOT YET DONE?

"First and foremost, Am I that kind of person to you guys?! In the first place, why don't you guys listen to the goddamned teacher instead of relying on me? Then now you guys go telling others what I didn't say?"

BC and Hendry was shocked, to say the least.

BC: "Aiya, maybe I heard it wrongly..."

Obviously, he's trying to backpedal. But come on, he accused me with such conviction. How can it be merely a mistake?

"From today onwards, I won't tell you guys such stuff anymore... You guys go find it out yourself. It's way better that way..."

BC: "I said it already! I heard it wrongly.And maybe you said it, but they didn't have to believe."

Hendry: "yeah..."

Throughout the end, he's still trying to maintain that it was I who gave the incorrect info.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you...

Good Lord, my whole body hurts....

2010-02-05T11:46:00.004+08:00

Hello~~~ Everyone!! How's life? I'm sorry for MIA-ing for one whole month but i'm currently busy trying to re-organise my whole life. School started and while it's not really stressful, it's freakin' tedious. Particularly this 2 weeks... I joined Judo. Trust me when I say the training is waayyy tougher than back in TP when i joined Taekwondo. Twice a Week - Monday and Thursday.

And I noticed that, including me, there's a max of 7 girls - only 2 of us are girls in a group of 6 newbies. And in total, there are like 30++ members? Wow, 20++ are guys. What's with the severe gender imbalance?

Anyway, The trial session started at 6.30pm during mid January. We have to do front rolls, back rolls, front rolls-cum-splits, back rolls-cum-splits and a lot of other groundwork. We have to learn break-falls (in case we ever fall, which pretty much is going to be a norm soon), and even more physical groundwork. By 7.30pm, I'm ready to throw in the towel. By 8.30pm, i'm ready to wave the white flag. By 9.3opm, I'm infinitely grateful that I'm still (barely) standing.

Directly the next day, there is not one single spot on my body that is NOT sore. In addition, check out the wonderful bruises I have on my shoulders. It's like i gained a pair of purplish-blue wings. Oh, and check out the scrapes on my elbows, wonderful accessories to my pair of wings, i'm sure.

I can hardly move that day.

Over the next few weeks, leading up to yesterday, we do almost the same drills, learnt new techniques and watch the seniors spar... Ouch... Some got slammed to the mats, some did the slamming.

Something new happened yesterday. It was Charles birthday - 21st birthday. And so... The slamming begins...

Now, everyone in Singapore knows that during a person's birthday, there will be a 'slapping party'. The number of times the birthday boy/girl got slapped or hit matches the age.

In Judo, we take it up a notch. Literally. Poor Charles got slammed to the mat 21 times. Sensei (Mr Benny Tan, our coach) slammed him first - 1 time.

The rest of us gets to slam him twice, including us newbies.

Dear Lord... We watched, horrified and yet with a morbid fascination, as our seniors headed up gleefully to slam Poor Charles, who can do nothing to retaliate.

One by one, they slammed him using various techniques, some of which we have learnt and most of which we don't recognise. Me, Theresa and Wan Lin cringed as we saw him hit the mats again and again. Even the Auntie standing on the parapet over us winced.

"How am I supposed to slam him?" Wan Lin asked, staring wide-eyed. "Come on, I can hardly lift him."

My Sentiments exactly, Charles is among some of the bigger sized guys in the club.

"At least Ah Heng-" my friend who is about my size but shorter. "- is slammable. He? No way in hell can i slam him."

When it was my turn, i reluctantly walked up to him and grabbed his hand - and slapped him twice. Come on man, how am i supposed to slam him?

With that, I ran. Or tried to.

"You can't do that!" Velmont, our senior, stood solidly in front of me. "It violating our club traditions. And also, slamming him will train you guys to fight and spar better!"

No defeating his logic there. "But..." I began.

"No worries. Just do it." Charles said from behind me. He sounded exhausted. Can you blame him?

I winced and slammed him twice. It's obvious he let me slam him, because no way can i actually move him. He's bigger, stronger, better and got more techniques.

Good thing is, the club guys bought him a cake to celebrate his birthday.

"My birthday falls on a Thursday!" AH Heng groaned as we ate the cake later on. "I'm not coming on that day!"

"Aww You poor thing!" I mock-sympathised. "Thank god my birthday falls on a Wednesday."

"It doesn't really matter which day." Sensei remarked. "Charles' birthday falls on last Saturday."

Us newbies stared at one another horrified.

"How did you find out his birthday?" Hendry ventured out.

"Facebook." Velmont answered simply.

"That's it." Hendry said without hesitation. "I'm going to delete my facebook account."

RMIT student Enrollment Programme.

2009-12-10T21:46:00.000+08:00

So i haven't updated for a month. Big deal. I guess, from my tone, you can tell that i'm not very happy at the moment. Ah well, i simply have no idea why. Maybe I'm PMS-ing?

So many things have been happening now. Today, i just went for my RMIT enrollment programme. It's merely 2 hours but it certainly drained me. A lot. I also went to have my photo taken for my new student card.

Dear Gods, let it be a good photo of me. I'm not saying it has to be a fantastic one where they photoshopped it or anything, just a presentable one.

Ah well, Looks like school's starting soon. Means i have to quit my job at DEC soon to have some ME time before i enter university. They better get a replacement teacher ready.

Happy Birthday, Alyssa!

2009-11-11T00:00:00.004+08:00

May you grow prettier by the day! Not that you're not pretty enough! It's been such a long time since we knew each other in Poly, right?

Speaking of which, I wonder if Alyssa remembered how we first met. Contratry to most people's, our first meetings didn't go so well. Perhaps it's safer to say, it didn't go well at all.

I remember the first time we met each other. We were in the same care group together and I was introduced to her via a friend. I was intrigued by her ear phones and had reached out instinctively to touch the wire to check out the brand. Her hands immediately snapped out to slap my hands away.

Ouch... Talk about handshakes on the first meeting.... Of course I was taken aback by it and resolved to stay away from her from then on.

Later, during a tutorial class, I saw her again and she invited me to sit with her. I, however, had a long memory and definitely remembered our 'first handshake' (scorpios have long memories). Naturally, I didn't and (with icy politeness) chose to sit with Dorene, citing the cold air con as an excuse.

That whole year, we didn't really mix with each other and there was always a bit of friction. The rumors her (supposedly) best friend told me did not help our relationship at all.

Thinking back, I still find it funny how we still managed to end up together as best friends. Maybe it's fate, or maybe it's the choices we unwittingly made that threw us together.

Both of us, along with her 'best friend' (who was always MIA), were the only ones from our caregroup to major in Vet Science.

"Oh my god!" I had groaned. "I'm stuck with her~!"

"Come on!" Dorene had comforted. "It won't be that bad. You'll make new friends and won't have to stick with her."

"Somebody, save me~~" I had thought gloomily and end up depressed the whole day.

So you see, it's really strange how we still end up as best friends in the end. Not only that, we were also lab partners, and project mates. We made a good team, acing most projects that came our way together.

We dissected lab rats and stitched up bananas. We pigged out on KFC every Monday and western food the rest of the week. We fervently studied and memorised about Dog mating behaviour together (to the utter hilarity of our other course mates). We sat through tons of boring lectures, frantically copying notes at breckneck speed. We sat at the ASci corridor studying, she with her can of iced milo and me with my bottle of green tea. Those were our daily staple then. It still is now.

Gods, how I miss those days - those times when we thought poly life was complicated enough, only to find out now that it was nothing compared to working life.

In Alyssa's words, "Working life literally made you want to crawl back to poly and never graduate again."

Yeap, I really have to thank her for helping me through poly. Now, she's 21 and I'm taking this opportunity to say happy birthday first hand on my blog, and to say thank you for all the memories we had - the good, the bad and the downright dirty.

Thanks, Alyssa, and Happy 21st birthday. All the best to my best friend~~ Take care of yourself and all the best!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-11-03T21:30:00.000+08:00

Alright, It's 3rd November. I'm officically 21. (Un)Surprisingly, i don't have much of any emotions regarding this day. Life just pass by. I went to work as usual. Surprisingly, the little demons are relatively all right. No major misbehaviour, no need to scold them.

To me, this is enough of a birthday present.

Anyway, since this is my 21st birthday, i have to make some wishes, right? Let's see:

1) To have good health and happiness for my family. That our life may be safe and peaceful with no major problems.

2) To find my place in this world and to find my true self, so that i may walk on in life without any doubts or confusions or fear or whatsoever.

3) To finally make up my mind to choose the best best i'm suitable for and to enroll in a university that will help me in my future career.

Yeap... Of course, i would like to wish for what normal people wished for: to strike 4D or Toto. That way, I won't have to worry about money matters. Heheh, Wish on....

So yeah, basically, that's about it. My goal for this year: To be decisive and stand firm in my decisions.

Pics Up!

2009-11-02T21:00:00.000+08:00

As promised, here are the photos of my birthday presents:

The Tarot deck, Legacy of the Divine Tarot, designed by the legendary Ciro Marchetti who also designed the Gilded Tarot and the Tarot of the Dreams. I've been aiming for this particular deck for a long time. Thank you, Guo Jian Kor and Carol Jie, for getting it for me! He had to import it specially from USA because no shops in Singapore are selling it. I know because I asked him to get this for my birthday. XD

Canon Ixus Camera, courtesy of Uncle Bob and Aunt Susan. Arigatou~! I had a feeling that they will give me something to do with technology, given what a Technie Uncle Bob is. I just didn't expect it to be a camera! Good Gods, how come everyone knows what I want? Not that it's a bad thing, no no, not at all~~ The funny thing is, they forgot to remove the price tag. =X

The latest book by Dan Brown, given to me by Alyssa, my best friend from Poly. Haha, she remembered i was such a crazy Dan Brown fan! I'm so touched. *Tears in eyes* Thanks Allie!

A pair of earrings and necklace from my cousins, Jia Wei, Shiya and Susanto, Shi Ya's boyfriend. More than likely it's to match my purple halter dress. Good! Now i don't have to crack my brain to match my clothes for any more weddings. Thanks guys!

My first branded bag, given to me by my long time best friend, Eileen. Gosh! Thanks Eileen! And the bag's deisgn is what i would like. Thanks Gal pal! *Hugs*

A simple clutch bag from Kendi and Guo Sheng kor. Good for casual or smart dressing. Smart move! Merci~!

From the various Aunts and Uncles, generous red packets. Xie Xie Ni~! I have no idea how the pciture ended up sideways.

Haha, the above is NOT a birthday present. Ah, scratch that. The above is a birthday present from me to myself. Happy birthday to me!

I also received a lot of birthday gifts from other people, namely Mavis and Shi Hui. I will add them later. I still remember i have to "cross an obstacle course" to get my present from Shi Hui. Good Lord, what an unforgettable birthday celebration. XD Nevertheless, it was fun! I will definitely preserve the memories in my mind for all times.

OH yeah, Bro, it's your birthday today right?

Happy birthday to you~
Happy birthday to you~
Happy birthday, Dear Weijiang
Happy birthday to you~

Don't feel sad that you can't celebrate your birthday in Perth. Don't feel worse when you realise you have exams on this day. I endured this kind of hell when i was having my GCE 'O' Levels. When you come back, we'll celebrate your birthday with you!

Thanks!

2009-11-01T22:07:00.002+08:00

Thanks to all who attended my birthday party today! Really appreciate it guys~!

A great thank you to my mum and Aunt Marlika for helping with the preparations, especially my mum. Thanks Mum! You are the best!

My Thanks to my AUnt Laura as well for letting me use her home and her BBQ pit.

Last of all, Thanks to everyone!

Thanks for all the presents and more importantly, for being there to celebrate with me. I only asked family and those i considered to be very clsoe friends to come. I'm really glad to be able to spend my 21st birthday with all of you.

I will post up pictures on my blog soon. Watch out for it!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T23:55:00.004+08:00

A friend of mine sent me this and i felt i absolutely have to blog it out:

How can you tell when a lawyer is lying?
His lips are moving.

Why won't sharks attack lawyers?
Professional courtesy.

What do you have when a lawyer is buried up to his neck in sand?
Not enough sand.

What's the difference between a lawyer and a bucket of shit?
The bucket.

Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?
Take your foot off his head.

What's the difference between a lawyer and a vampire?
A vampire only sucks blood at night.

Aumsing, right? I laughed out loud when i read it. The author must have a great grudge against lawyers. XD

I hope there are no lawyers reading my blog. It might get a bit messy.

Anyway, SH celebrated my birthday with me today. I'm going to be 21 in 3 days time. Yay me...

Can you hear the dread in that statement? Gods! I'm getting old! And i still haven't plan out my future life yet. Ah well, What will be will be...

SH made a series of guessing games for me to get to my prize. I have to guess, do penalties and dances. The Banana Dance, the Sotong Dance and hell, I have to carry her bag for one whole day. What the hell? I'm not some kind of hen-pecked guy. T_T Spare me! At least the dances are not in public.

Actually her younger sister, SY, came up with worse ideas to prank me but SH have a conscience strong enough to NOT use them. Thank god for a morally strong friend.

ANyway, one of the penalty is that:

I HAVE TO ADMIT I'M THE ULTIMATE 'SOTONG! THE ULTIMATE BLOCK HEAD!

There, I annouced it. One penalty down. At least, no one read my blog, i hope. Those who read my blog, raise your hands! Ah no, rewind. Those who read my my blog, leave a comment!

Yeah, that's about it. I apologise for my long absence. The little devils in my mum's student care had me worn out. I went for a blood pressure check just now and it turns out my blood pressure has increased from 65 (measured in June) to 77. The blood pressure is in the normal range now but at the rate it's increasing, i'm going to get high blood pressure soon.

It's those baby demons, I'm sure of it.

The decision of my career... What should I do?

2009-10-22T21:03:00.003+08:00

I remember a few weeks ago, close to a month ago, I had applied for 2 degrees in the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM). I had applied for the Degree in Business (Management) from rMIT University and the Degree in Communications from University of Buffalo, NY.

At that time, I had really wanted to go for the Communications degree because it was a liberal Arts degree which combines studies from various fields. At that time, I had applied for a degree in Business Management as my Plan B. What better degree to apply for as a plan B than the really popular one that seems to be a shoo-in for me?

But as i checked it out, it seemed like the Comms degree was really far too expensive for me. 60k ladies and gentlemen, compared to the 30k deg from rMIT. What kind of bank should i rob to get that amount of money? In addition, At the end of the day, the degree is still a piece of paper. Should I pay 30k or 60k?

Lastly, up til now, i still have no idea what kind of jobs I can get with a degree in Communications. It seemed a bit like a useless degree to me.

Little by little, i found myself thinking that maybe the business degree is better than the comms deg after all.

Today, SIM send me a letter. It was a letter of acceptance.

I got accepted into the University of Buffalo.

Good god, Now what?

SHould I take a leap of faith into the unknown and go for the degree? or should i wait? But im only given 1 week. Less than that, in fact.

The million dollar question is, Would I be able to get a good job with this degree? Is it worth it?

Decisions. Decisions...

MTV VMA Fiasco: Kanye West And Taylor Swift

2009-09-18T01:32:00.001+08:00

I saw this piece of news a few days ago and I'm sure all of you knew about it by now. I know my blog entry probably came in too late but i was too busy and hey, it's my blog... I update as and when i want, damnnit!

I'm sure everyone of you knows what's going on but for those who doesn't, Here's a link for background info: Rolling Stones magazine: Kanye West Storms the VMAs Stage During Taylor Swift's Speech.

First and foremost, my sympathies for Taylor Swift. Whether a person is talented or not, she does not deserve to have that treatment in front of everyone. Kanye West's definitely in the wrong for taking away one of her best moments in her life and giving her hellish memories in return.

I know he has apologised to Taylor Swift for what he has done but the deed had already been done. Truthfully, I fail to see how his mother's death can cause him to do what he just did. Those are 2 separate issues. Does anyone beside me smell an excuse here? He's 32 years old. You would have thought he would be more restrained?

Nevertheless, it seems like West has been criticised, and rightfully so, by a lot of people. President Obama, included.

At least, Kanye West called Taylor Swift to apologise 2 days after the whole incident.

If she can accept it, why not me?

So, I'll keep quiet about my thoughts on this incident but I'll say this: It seems like Kanye West has got to learn more self restraint. I've done a little research and apparently, this is not the first time he lost control.

In 2006, when he failed to win the Best Video at MTV awards, he actually went upstage and argued that he should have won. Good gracious, he did it in public. Won't he feel embarrassed? He has apologised for this incident. But i made my point, eh? The whole fiasco with Taylor Swift this year is not the first time.

There are also cases which shows he's also racist. Or rather, he felt he was being biased against because of his "skin color". Now i have no idea what racism in USA is like so regarding this,i will have no comments. I'll just give a little information about what i've gathered.

In 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief, Kanye West was a featured speaker and he made a remark about George Bush (then President of USA) that, i shall quote here, "He doesn't care about black people."

In 2007, He felt he was being overlooked in favour of Britney Spears for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards and he said this: "Maybe my skin's not right."

... Did I make my point?

For more information, do some research! I'll be nice and give you some starters: Taylor Swift; Kanye West; Wikipedia. I retrieved most of my information there. Therefore, they don't belong to me. They belong to whoever was being cited in Wikipedia. There! Disclaimer done.

Of career paths and wise quotes...

2009-09-16T20:04:00.004+08:00

For the past few days, I have been worrying over my future career paths. Come on, every young adult obsesses over this but me more so than usual. For one, i didn't want to any regrets choosing the wrong path. I made that by specialising young and going into biotech field. I don't want to make that same mistake again. Once bitten, twice shy.

All my close family and friends have been telling me, go for what you want. Do what you want. Gor for a field you really like. Well, What i want is to write and study literature. But let's face it, can i get a decent job in Singapore with a Degree in Literature? Except for teaching, I don't think so. What about a degree in writing? Not a chance.

So i am therefore, at a loss at which field to major in. Business is a safe bet given Singapore is a business hub but that field is saturated. And Singapore is now leaning towards being a finance hub and a Service Hub - but my maths aren't good and my services... I kid you not but I can blow up easily. A 6 months stint as a customer services officer convinced me not to go into the Services field.

So what now? What is suitable for me? Gosh, Now i wish i can strike 4D so that i can win the 3million. Imagine. No more money troubles. I can go for the degree i really want without a care in the world.

So for the time being, I'm stuck between majoring in Business or Communications - worrying until i got a few more white hairs.

And then, while surfing the internet yesterday, I came across this member with this signature:

"We spend far too much time planning for our future that we forget to live in the present..."

... Isn't that what i'm doing now...?

When i saw this sentence, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me. Suddenly, i felt a lot less worried and a lot more relaxed. Worry is a heavy burden. How true. I have never felt so light for a long time.

Right now, i've applied for both courses. Now all there's left to see which course i got into.

I still have yet to make up my mind though...

It's never an accident, it's always accidents!

2009-09-10T22:56:00.001+08:00

I got into more scraps today. Go me~~

Let's recap:

On Tuesday, i got wounds on my left leg and foot...
On Wednesday, I got cuts...
Today, I got bruises on my right and left arms respectively.

Go me~~

How come i'm so accident prone these few days??

And i think my cuts got infected. My fingers hurt the whole time. Even when i sleep, the pain won't go away. In the end, i hardly slept - waking up hourly. =_____=

So, after much nagging from my mum, a colleague and a friend, i finally visited the family doctor.

The pain subsided after some antiseptic cleaning and antibiotic cream. That's good.

The only problem now is that they itch. Badly. But i guess that's a good sign. Healing wounds always itches.

The Day of the Engagement Party

2009-09-09T00:29:00.002+08:00

I can't believe it once again. Today was the day of my cousin's engagement party and i got into a little accident once again.

It was stupid, seriously.

I, er, forgot to shave and i was wearing a tube dress. Hence, in my hasty effort to shave, I accidently cut my ring and middle fingers on my right hand.

And it's not those little cuts kind. It's those "Dug-your-flesh-out" kind.

I bled a helluluva lot. I went through at least 6 tissues and 3 bloodsoaked plasters before the bleeding stopped. That's including applying pressure and force of gravity.

In any case, beside this little accident, the engagement party went without a hitch, as far as i'm concerned.
Thank god.

HEre are some photos. Not of the wounds i substained, obviously. Those are too disgusting (even to me, whom did autopsies on mice before) to be shown.

Here are photos of the engagement party:

The venue for the Solemnisation. Amara Hotel.

The Desert Buffet. Good old Bro to get chocolate fondue.

Me and my cousin, SY, as the receptionists.

(Clockwise from left: 2nd photographer - WJ (my Bro), Usher - JW (My cousin), Event Troubleshooter - Aaron (Cousin), Receptionists - Me & SY (Cousin).

"I now declare you man & wife..."

"You may kiss the bride..."

Time to see who gets the bouquet of roses. I'm supposed to get it the 1st time round but I sidestepped. SY got it the 2nd time round.

Anyway, i guessed most of you noticed. ME and my cousin, SY, who was a fellow receptionist, wore the same style of dress, only in different colors. We planned for it this way. Nice huh? We chose to accessorise it differently. I wore black heels, a black belt with rose on it and black stockings. She wore white heels, a black belt with a ribbon and no stockings.

At least the day went well...

Oh YA, My cousin, Guo Jian and cousin-in-law got engaged on the 9th September 2009 - 09.09.09. Official Wedding soon to come!!!!

Congratulations to both of them and best wishes!!!

Shit happened!!

2009-09-08T22:33:00.000+08:00

I can't believe it. I fell down today, scrapping my left knee and my left foot. Sure the wounds are no big deal and i'm certainly old enough to deal with them without seeing a doctor. BUT! BUT! But i have to help out during my cousin's engagement party tomorrow!!

Check out the wounds, located in the most obvious of places:

That's the wound on my foot. Check out how big it is.

And that's the one on my knee...

Shit! the wounds are going to be damn obvious since i'm wearing a dress that ends above the knees and heels. Gods, Looks like i have to buy black stockings to cover up now. I had originally only considered purchasing the black stockings as accessories but looks like they just became a neccessity.

Damn, the engagement party tomorrow is a big event because GJ bro is the first out of us 6 cousins to get married. Nothing must go wrong and i mean NOTHING!

Do or die, I'm getting black stockings tonight.

S resigned

2009-08-17T22:03:00.000+08:00

S left... And in a manner similar to how GP left NSE... Yeap, said lady just vanished. Into thin air. She asked to take leave on 13th august 2009 and i have to cancel my leave to accommodate hers. Idiot woman. I knew that she is not the right person to take over the class. SH warned me. I didn't really want to take her warning seriously.

I guess i was too blinded by my wish for the teacher to take over ASAP so that I can get the hell out of there. No, it's not that the kids are too much for me to take. Far from it. On the contrary, I feel that the faster I leave, the better it is as the kids won't have too strong a bond with me & I with them. The faster I leave, the easier it will be on all of us. All right, I will miss the little suckers... That's why I wanna leave ASAP and get the sad sob story over with.

Still, This is the 2nd time i saw someone leave like this. Not even a resignation letter or a phonecall to inform. Jeez. She's 25, i expected better from her. How can she be a mother if she's so irresponsible as a worker?

Che, now we have to get a new teacher. At least, the kids hadn't really liked her. Their bonds with her are not THAT strong. They actually forgot her after a few days... -_-|||

New teacher

2009-08-01T23:51:00.000+08:00

The new teacher came a few days ago. Her name is S. She is a young indian lady who used to work as an admin asst with DBS Mailroom. Ah, she likes kids.

Seeing her, though, I suddenly felt a sense of loss. Despite being with my class for only 2 weeks, I've started to bond with them. For all the ruckus the little devils create and all their shortcomings and magical ability to drive me up the wall, they also possess an angelic innocence that endeared me to them. Haha, Innocence is the last word i would use to describe them. But in a strange way, despite their striking similarity to adults (politics and whatnot), they really do possess a strange quality that made me want to lead them and guide them onwards in their life.

I want to be the one to help mould their characters and produce good men and women that will contribute well to the society. I want to be the one to impart knowledge to them. I want to be the one they come to when they have problems and needed help.

I guess I finally understood why some will feel a passion for teaching.

And now, even though i can confirm I like kids (thanks to them), I won't have one in the future if i can't help it. I'm not going to have a kid especially when i'm not certain if i can give them the best. Given the standard of lviing in Singapore, I might not be able to raise one. Only when i have secure the necessities to raise a family will i finally have one. By then, I probably will be too old.

Anyway, i digress. Yeap, the new teacher is here and i have to hand over to her. Let's see how she handles the kids first.

Pri 3s are....

2009-07-24T23:42:00.000+08:00

After much interaction with my pri 3 class, here's what i noticed about them.

Boys:

1) They are smart alecks.
2) They are Kiasu.
3) They can be mummy's boys.

Girls:
1) They play politics
2) They are shallow.
3) They are pampered.

Both Boys & Girls:

1) They don't respect you until you blow your top.
2) Can be rude.

Most importantly, they can be uber cute...

=X Got you there! Haha!

Day 3: I have not killed the kids... yet.

2009-07-15T23:31:00.000+08:00

It's day 3, ladies and gentlemen. I have survived without killing any of the kids. It's a miracle!

Here's an update on my progress:

1) I have memorised most of the students' name, especially those in the Pri 3 level, which is the class i'm taking over. I.e: I'm their 'form teacher' so to speak.

But I can't seem to differentiate between 2 students of mine: YC and KS. They look almost the same it's scary. I can't tell the difference unless they're standing together. YC is taller and leaner while KS is rounder. Both possess the same sweet honey smile and twinkle in the eyes that can cause a lady to die of heart attack. I didn't though. I'm too engrossed with telling them apart.

Nevertheless, I can forsee that they will be future heart throbs.

2) I started to take over the english tuition from pri 1 to pri 3. It's an irony, isn't it? Considering my specialty is Science.

3) I have to teach them chinese spelling. Now this is the piece of news that will make you guys go "what the hell?!" I understand perfectly. I had that same reaction when i heard this piece of news. Gosh, I failed my chinese in Secondary school and barely scrapped by with a Merit in Chinese B.

At least, this means that I can improve on my foundation in Chinese. It's not that bad. We have a professional chinese tutor.

That's all, folks.

1st Day as a student care teacher

2009-07-13T23:26:00.000+08:00

My first day as a student care teacher (helper) in my mum's student care center and i'm all ready to trottle the students there. I guess I don't like kids as much as i thought. Gosh, how am i going to take over my mum's center like this?

It's not exactly my first day, per se. More like i was there before. And hence, i'm quite familiar with some of the inner workings of the center. I'm supposed to take over from a teacher withing 3 days and hand over to the new teacher. 3 days. 3 days!

Right, now's the time to test my ability to work and learn under pressure. Ah, learning under pressure is fine. WORKING under pressure is different.

Heavens, help keep me from strangling the children.

Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T21:45:00.003+08:00

Michael Jackson passed away on 25th June 2009. I can't believe it when i heard the news from my colleagues. I still can't believe it now.

Michael Jackson was the first music artist i listened to, since i was old enough to distinguish noise from music. I remember my cousins & I used to boogie away to his music every Wednesday night after dinner, when our family gathered together and we would turn my bedroom into a disco hall.

We would close the windows and door, switch on the air con, let down the curtains and turn on some torchlights covered with colored cellophane. And then we would dance away to "Black or white", "Beat it" and "Smooth criminal" until it was late and we have to go home.

I guess you can say his music instilled a love for pop music (not that i have any rhythm) in me. Well, he instilled that in everyone. In addition, He revolutionized the music industry in many ways, some of which includes inspiring acts such as Prince.

As expected of the King of Pop. And Let's not forget he invented the Moonwalk.

Sad to say, as time passes and i grew up, I drifted away from his music. My taste in music had begun to run towards rock.

Now, as i hear his death reported in the Channel News Asia, I can't help but feel a sense of heartache for the loss of the man who introduced music to me.

Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson.

A classic tale of modern hypocrisy

2009-06-03T23:42:00.005+08:00

"From now onwards, whoever leaving the showcase will have to inform their neighbor." LT said sternly in the briefing today. "I don't want to come out and see anyone left alone in the showcase."

What? I have been left alone since my first month here and obviously it's happening to me and Newbie and D. So why is she staring so hard at me and newbie for? I snorted lightly.

"It's not funny." LT continued sternly, now glaring at me full out. I knew she didn't like me. I won't say that the feeling's mutual because i don't care enough about her. I stared challengingly back. "I've caught D alone in the showcase so many times last week."

Whose fault is that? Yet she's obviously accusing me (& newbie).

I'm not going to let an accusation like this slide. In the first place, it's the seniors themselves who left us alone in the showcase, not us. SO many times have i been left alone in the show case. I have to call the AM (Accounts Manager) out from inside the office, do the purchasing and even refer those needing to do the contract to wait for someone else (who isn't even there). So isn't that accusation kind of hypocritical?

As soon as briefing is over, i sought PL and LT out with Newbie. And there it came out, PL said we (newbie & I) always go everywhere together, leaving only one person there in the showcase.

Always? The only time me and newbie do things together is when we go for lunch together or go home together. That's all. Newbie got so angry that as she tried to clarify matters, she lost control and started to cry. She dashed for the toilet, leaving LT and PL looking after her retreating back. As one they turned to me.

"She has some family problems, right?" PL asked. "that's what affecting her work. we're not heartless, you can just talk it over with us..."

I shrugged and cut her off. I'm not in the mood to play nice. I played the easy-going and meek card in the office long enough.

"Her family problems, i don't know and see no reason to probe into. But she won't let it affect her work, at least i don't think so. What really got to her and me is the fact that u guys said we always go MIA. In the first place, the only reasons we ever leave the showcase are to 1) call the AM 2) Get help from the seniors who has access to the Atlas. 3) toilet. and we didn't even go to the toilet often either."

"But we're not the only ones who notice it." PL argued."And you guys are so eager to run off at 9pm..."

Ah... looks like J & E has been saying some stuff about us. And the ironic thing is, they are the ones who does the disappearing act. Of course, blame the temp staff. They aren't permanent. Go ahead and blame them to save your own ass.

"In the first place, you senior staff are the ones who keep going MIA. So often, i find myself alone at the showcase handling purchasing, having to call the AM and even the contract paperwork. I don't even dare to leave the showcase to come in because then there really will be no one there. When i came in to find help, only PY and R are around. R is handling the phone calls and i have to call PY out. You seniors are missing."

PL and LT gaped, especially LT. They stared at each other. Obviously, I've shocked them. Yay for me.

"A...Are you sure it's not lunch time?" LT asked weakly. I solemnly shook my head no. They stared at each other again.

Not giving them the opportunity to recover, I continued on calmly. "So, it's not us who left D or anyone there alone. In the first place, we are the ones being left there alone more often then not."

"Well, there's also about her work performance." PL said. "Sometimes we can't go off at exactly 9pm."

"I agree with you on that one." I said. I really can't refute that. Newbie is always eager to run off at 8.30pm. "For me, OT-ing doesn't matter. but perhaps, to her, it does ."

"Most of the times we can't end on time. You go on and tell her that. I don't think she would want to talk to me."

"This is none of my concern." Once again I cut her off. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that like that. To put it nicely, this is between you and her. You should tell her yourself. I get her to come out of the toilet."

Without waiting for any reply, i walked off to the toilet to fetch Newbie.

I had pinpointed them straight in the face. I hate to do this but i hate the fact that they pinpointed us for their mistakes even more.

Shitty hypocrites.

Of Jogs and dreams

2009-05-28T22:22:00.001+08:00

I stood my poor friend up today. I was supposed to meet her for a jog at the park near her house at 8am. Hence, I set the alarm for 7.30am the night before.

And i completely slept through the alarm... Oops... Poor SH. SO SORRY, I didn't mean to do that. I completely forgot about the jog. Please accept my sincere apologies.

Funny thing is, I dreamt that I took up my cell phone and switched off the alarm. Judging by the way I completely forgot about the jog, maybe it's not a dream after all.

Oh dear, I switched off the alarm in my sleep? I've reached a whole new level in Automatic Sleep Mode, haven't I?

So it's a reality I switched off the alarm while sleeping, with all evidence provided, but it feels so much like a dream - with the Grey misty fog and dulling of the senses that all dreams have.

Damn, Lewis Carroll's right, Life is but a dream.

How (literally) true.

All because of a paper bag.... part 2

2009-05-14T23:10:00.001+08:00

The crazy witch called again today. Turns out she thought that me not giving her a paper bag is due to the management's problem and she ranted into the ear of one of our Accounts Manager for half an hour. Poor AM. No wonder said Accounts Manager is rather cool towards me. Oops.

That insane lady (should i call her lady?) claimed that she was a lawyer and could sue us. Oh please, a lawyer? She is not a lawyer, i'll guarantee that. I'll even throw in a confirmation letter and a lifelong warranty if i have to. Her? A lawyer? Impossible. If she's a lawyer, the Singapore justice system is doomed.

I'm have evidence backing up my opinion. Really.

# 1: Lawyers are civilised. Is she civilised? Come on, she's threatening lawsuit over a paper bag.

# 2: Lawyers knows the exact words to use to push the right buttons and make themselves heard. Ms Lunatic can't even make it clear then that all she wanted was a paper bag.

# 3: Lawyers don't SCREAM and make a scene. They express their displeasure softly but with the strongest impact.

See? Evidence. I'm from the R&D field. Biotechies present our hypothesis only when we have evidence.

And how do i know lawyers are like this? Simple. I've seen one in action at NSE when she's was complaining about a contract that was not explained to her clearly - and I take my hat off to her. She's my new idol when it comes to Vocalisation.

Ah well, i've long dismissed her from my mind. I feel sorry for the AM though. She has to bear with that demented broad for half an hour. I kinda feel bad. Still, that witch must have too much time on her hands. I still can't believe it. A paperbag... It's just a paper bag...

I'll give her a whole crate the next time she comes. Gosh...

All because of a paper bag....

2009-05-09T01:22:00.008+08:00

I met a really ridiculous customer today. It'll be more accurate to call her a crazy b**** but i'll refrain from that.

I had no idea how things turned out this way but i suspect that it was a mis-communication on both sides. What happened was, well, I have no idea how things turned out this way. Let me recap to the best of my effort.

I served this lady and her son, who was carrying a large Taka bag. Since she bought only 2 items, i gave her a small bag and she asked for a long bag instead. Those the Galleria used to put the wine boxes.

That was a strange request. NSE does not have such bags. Our bags only comes in small, medium and large, and rectangle - all of them. We don't have any long bags, maybe, the large green bag which was longer than it was wider. But that couldn't be it, could it? it's only 2 small items - a moisturizer and a hair spray. I offered her a medium sized bag and she refused.

She said some things extremely quickly and all i could catch was "i want long bags" and "my son" and "bags". Huh?

I asked politely for her to repeat again and slow down because i can't catch what she said. After all, it was pretty busy that time and there are a lot of noise.

She repeated and said something along the lines of, "scissors." and "have to put into the paperbag for her son to carry." Her son seem to agree carrying the stuff inside the Taka bag. I mean, he was nodding.

Deducing that she wanted to put the items into the bag, fine, i got her a bag of scissors to cut the bag open, put her stuff in, and used a scotch tape to seal it again.

Thing spiraled downhill faster than you can say Speed. She lost her temper and started scolding. Of course, in such situations, me as the service representative should be the one apologizing. And that's what i did. After all, customers are always right. But said woman went overboard.

"Are you a christian? you do believe in the afterlife? Because you just made my son carry such a heavy burden, how are you going to repay him in your next life? You owed my son...."

"You are so vicious to make him carry such a burden. I want to see your manager." She demanded, ignoring her son who was desperately trying to pull her out of the place. A customer nearby rolled his eyes at her in disgust, or so Newbie told me.

I got PL (one of the 2 senior) since boss is not around. When i came out, the lady was not around. Well, she appeared a few minutes later back in the showcase, with her kid running after her. I guessed the kid must have successfully dragged his mother out into the lift lobby, before losing the battle.

Anyway, You know what that crazy woman demanded? she demanded a name card from her. We're DSRs - the lowest dept in the company hierarchy. "Where on earth does she expect me to get the namecard from? Does she expect me to give birth to one?!" PL had exclaimed, after the showcase was closed. But anyway, back to the story....

And Ms Crazy can still say, "either give me a name card or I'll write in to the general manager. I don't want to blow the matter up."

Dudette, the matter is already blown up wider than universe. In the end, PL returned and told me that apparently, all she wanted was a paper bag. There, i'm confused. I had offered her the bag, she refused. Apparently, PL was confused as well. PL knew that if the woman wanted it, i would have given the whole crate to her. That's how generous with paper bags NSE is with the customers. PL also said that the woman beat around the bush often. She was also confused by her as well.

Gosh, All because of a paper bag... thinking about it, alright, it may have been my fault but there was no need to be so insulting.

In the first place:

1) It's just an extra moisturizer and hair spray. How heavy can it get? I don't think her precious son is so weak and pampered as to not be able to carry 2 items?

2) If said woman is such a strong believer in kharma, then the kharma she owed me for being so vicious is greater than what i owed her son (or so E said). What have me being a christian or not has to do with the whole situation?

3) She's being an embarrassment to society. In the first place, for causing such a huge scene, she's disgracing herself and her son. For another, she's holding up the queue and troubling the other customers.

She didn't feel embarrassed by her actions but her son is. I kinda pity her son, really. He had the desperate, embarrassed, Oh-no-not-again look. So i guess this is not the first time something like this happened.

As DSRs in NSE Singapore, we faced and endured scoldings before. NSE is a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) company. Our distributors will most likely face a great amount of pressure and stress. After all, people working in MLM tends not to have many friends (they're all afraid of you) especially with the negative impression Singaporeans have of MLM (it's being linked to Cons, depsite the positive light the media had tried to cast on it).

We understand - perfectly. After all, who are the ones they vent their anger on? Us.
I always believed in providing the best services which is straight from the heart and genuinely hope to help better their business. After all, that is what i told myself to do as a Distributor Support Executive. But some distributors really crossed the line. They became demanding, rude and unreasonable when they don't get their way.

Often, we as DSRs became sandwiched between the company's policies and the distributors' demands. The company came up with the policies but we are the ones facing the customers and more often than not, the company end up giving the OK signal to bend the rules. It often seems like the number of times we bend the rules are far more than the distributors actually obeying them. If that's the case, what are the policies implemented for?

Instead of an enriching, uplifting culture, what the company had managed to produce is a materialistic, greedy and ungracious culture. I even suspected the new policies are a weak attempt by the company in controlling the distributors. Too bad, too late. For capitalism, the company had bent over backwards to please an ungrateful, self centered crowd - It's stuck in that position.

Spotlight: X Japan - Part 2

2009-05-07T23:53:00.000+08:00

I stand corrected. X Japan reformed in 2007 and released new hit singles as well. It's a relief knowing that a great band still lives on. Hide was gone and instead of replacing him, they added Sugizo in as a 6th member.

In this way, they preserved Hide's memory. That's a comfort to all Hide fans, i guess. Yoshiki's way of honoring Hide.

New singles include Jade and I.V.

Special Thanks to Simon for mentioning this.

Spotlight: X Japan.

2009-05-07T01:36:00.002+08:00

I accidentally stumbled onto this video of this guy drumming and my gosh, his drumming is breathtaking, literally. I have never in my whole life seen drumming of this level of skill. Hence, my curiosity to find out about this guy was aroused and i went to do some research.

This person's name is Yoshiki and he is the co-founder and drummer of X Japan. Now X Japan is a band that i heard of, though i have never listened to their music before. After all, they are from a time past. I always classified them under "Oldies".

X Japan achieved an incredible level of fame that Backstreet Boys and Westlife could hope to rival. In japan, they are a household name and millions, if not the whole of japan, worshipped them. Plenty of famous bands, such as Nightmare and Janna Da Arc, cited X Japan as the influence for their music and their decision to join the Jrock scene.

Part of the founding movement, if not the founding father, of the current Visual Kei scene, they generated waves, scratch that, they generated TSUNAMIS across the globe. My professer at Thailand, knew about them. Heck, even my own mother knew about them and she's, well, she ain't a rocker or anything. She's an ABBA fan.

I heard from a friend of mine that Yoshiki is hailed as the "God of Drums" just as his bandmate, Hide, was hailed as the "God of Guitar". Sadly, Regrettably, Hide commited suicide in 1998 at the age of 33.

It's such a pity. I've heard one song of theirs and i think they're awesome. The emotions generated by that song alone breaks my heart (figuratively). Well, it inspires me enough to blog and that's good enough, isn't it?

Anyway, yeah, I find it strange that bands of old are better than current bands - in terms of music and instrumental skill. I'll award the point for style to the current bands though. X Japan's Visual Kei look are a bit terrifying.

A friend of mine explained that it may be because producers are producing the albums for bands without considering the real talents. He might have a point. And it boils down to one thing: Capitalism.

Still, that such a great band has broken up and the loss of a talented guitarist. History mourns them deeply. The loss is a great one.

P.S: Hide's death caused 3 fans to die in copycat suicides. *shakes head*

You have been in Customer Services far too long when….

2009-04-29T01:13:00.002+08:00

1) You start dreaming about swiping gold Visa cards.

2) You start addressing people as “sir” and “mdm”, even when you are the customer

3) You start being more understanding towards service representatives.

4) You start being extra polite and saying “thank you very much” instead of Thank you.

5) You start to judge a representative by the services rendered.

6) You start reading the fine print in any paperwork, be it the terms or the time of printing.

7) You start to develop dual personalities.

8) You actually learn to be more tactful.

My 1st Official Off Day~!

2009-04-23T22:03:00.006+08:00

As what my title stated, today is my first official Leave from Work, not counting the Sick Leave I had. The reason why i took it is to accompany my mum to the hospital and to get our new passports (She's accompanying me, she claims).

When mum finished her check-up, we headed over to the Central at Clarke Quay to have a late lunch at Kyomomoyama Restaurant. The ambience there was good, but damn, the food seems to have been shipped from Japan or something. It took so damn long! Mum and I waited for almost 45 mins before our food arrived. Are they catching the fish from the Singapore River or something? And waiting for the chicken to lay the egg for our chawanmushi?

Nevertheless, the service there was above average. They reassured us time and again our order is on the way and made efforts to check on our orders with the kitchen. It was only later when we finally received our orders that they explained to us that the kitchen is short handed. Oh~~

Kudos for the efforts they had put in. For that, I'll rate the service above average for all the efforts they out in (though mum's grumbling might have spurred them on abit). But i'll rate their handling skills (of the crockery) poor. One broke 2 cups during the time i was there.

Anyway, the food was pretty much good, though small in proportions compared to other japanese restaurants. Saba was well done - nicely grilled with tender and juicy meat but crispy skin. Chawanmushi was not bad and the rice was not in hard chunky bits but firm overall. 8.0/10!

After lunch, We headed over to the ICA (Singaporeans, don't claim you don't know) to get our passports and over on to Illuma, the new mall opposite Bugis Junction. Gosh, that place stank of new plaster and whitewash. Plenty of stalls are not open yet but i spotted a few promising ads: Japanese Food Amusement Park (Yum!), Desert Cafe (YESH!), etc.

One thing i noticed recently, there's been a japanese food culture boom here in Singapore. Lots of japanese food restaurants are setting up stalls here. Of course i don't mind the extra choices, given I'm a jap food lover but still, one has to wonder right? After all, if i remember correctly, isn't the korean culture and the taiwanese culture the IN thing right now?

Here's some photos I've taken with my new w910i 2.0MP hand phone. Now, techies be quiet, i know it's an old phone by now but hey, it's free and i like it so shut the hell up!

Onwards:

Inside Kyomomoyama Restaurant. Nice lightings with a warm ambience. We went there at lunch time though.

Mum's Sashimi Set.

My Saba Shioyaki Set. Say Cheese, Fishie!

What you do when your mum's in the toilet for eternity...

Yeah, Yeah... I know the shots aren't that good. Blame my non-existent photography skills and 2.0MP camera. I I think the crysanthemum are pretty well taken, though. Below: a bonus. XD

Newbie Day 3

2009-04-18T22:29:00.000+08:00

F0rgive me for ranting on so much about the newbie. But She hasn't been bothering me much fot the past day, thanks to D. But one incident D told me practically took the cake. She agreed with me. The newbie's far too dependent.

Apparently, there was a situation whereby the stock keyed into the system was put on hold and newbie's have to call the Warehouse to release the stock. I was busy with my own customer and only distantly heard the on-goings.

D told her nicely, "Oh, you have to call warehouse to release the stock first. the line's XXXX."

And do you know what newbie did?

Newbie dialled the number and brought the whole phone to D. For a long whole moment, D was stunned before talking to Warehouse for her.

It was D's turn to rant to me that day.

"I totally can't believe it!" D was shaking me by the shoulders now. "She expected me to do everything for her!"

"She's so.... She's relies too much on us! Too sheltered! Gosh, and she's from VJC!"

I agreed with D on that. For a student from VJC, She's not giving a good impression of herself. A typical student who 读死书?

Well, her 3rd day. I'm going to KIV her for 2 weeks- That's the period of time it took for me to learn the ropes.

Newbie's day number 2

2009-04-17T22:53:00.000+08:00

Newbie came in late today, after our briefing. And during the briefing, i found out a couple of my colleagues don't really like her. They made personal attacks on her.

>_< she's new. Give her time. Even though i got frustrated yesterday because of her but still, i know she's new.

A couple of times when i'm busy and she wanted to ask me questions, D intercepted her before she could do so. Thank you, D!

New temp~!

2009-04-16T20:29:00.001+08:00

A new temp came today. Her name is YL and she was a graduate of VJC (Vict Jr College), making her 2 years my junior and a rival for my enrollment for university.

E was supposed to be her mentor but because Ms Newbie sat next to me far away from E, i was asked by E to keep an eye on her. Being helped by E many times before, of course i agreed to help her keep an eye on the newbie.

But said newbie drove me nuts! Seriously. E taught her only the bare basics because it'll be impossible for the newbie to remember everything at one go. So it's not the newbie's fault that she doesn't know a lot. Hence, i have to help her out, reasons being we're both temps and i'm sitting next to her. The problem is, she's asking at the wrong time when i'm most busy.

Her foundations isn't strong at all yet and she's asking me to teach her to make delivery orders and all.

What pisses me off the most is that she refused to ask D (who's sitting at counter 5 while i'm at 7 and newbie's at 6) even when D's free~!

What the hell?~!

I TOLD her! "Hey YL, u can actually ask D because she'll be more than happy to help you. I can be quite busy and if i am, you can ask her."

And you know what excuses she gave?

"har~~ I don't want to... I mean, there's a barrier between us. And futhermore, we're both temps and it's easier to ask you~!"

"barrier?" language barrier, perhaps? i know D prefers speaking chinese while newbie prefers speaking english.

"The printer." What. The. Hell?

I was so frustrated that i told D about this and begged D to help me keep an eye on her. I had to help her and it's affecting my work.

Damn it.

She's so... dependent...

When she asked me for my handphone number that night, i skirted the issue. She asked dawn who happily gave her. Taking the chance to flee, i fled. No way am i going to give her my cellphone number.

of totally irresponsible colleagues...

2009-04-03T21:24:00.000+08:00

GP scrammed out of the dept without so much as a week’s notice or even a day notice. Now, after 5 days, Boss finally asked HR to set up interviews with a few potential DSRs. I can’t believe there’s anyone so irresponsible. But oh well, he’s a kid.

I saw him today when he went to return his uniform. He walked past the Showcase with a friend, dressed in a yellow jersey. At first, I couldn’t recognize him due to his lack of uniform. But I did soon after he turned towards the showcase a couple of times.

He was smirking away and not showing even an ounce of remorse over being so irresponsible.

It makes me wanna punch the smirk outta him. Dratted Kid...

I wonder what parents are teaching their kids these days. They’re growing up spoilt and irresponsible.

I hope the next one selected by Boss will be a better person. A more RESPONSIBLE person.

1st Month... gone... 3 more months to go...

2009-04-01T01:22:00.004+08:00

Today marks the end of March 2009. Today also marks the end of my first month here. Today is also the day i shall release my verdict on my job.

I. Hate. It.

On a lighter note, I HAD ANOTHER NIECE!!!!! CONGRATS TO MY COUSIN AH BENG KOR KOR WHO HAD A DAUGHTER JUST THIS MORNING~!!! HAHA~!

Monday Matinee

2009-03-23T16:53:00.002+08:00

i know i'm not supposed to find this hilarious, especially since i was the targeted DSR out of everyone else. But somehow, i can't help it. Really.

The situation goes like this:

I had just finished serving one customer when this PRC came to my counter.

"Excuseme.ineedyourhelp." Before i could even reply, she started firing like a sub atomic machine gun. "EverymonthyourcompanysendsmeG3(a health product).Icalledupandsaidnoididn'twantit.Evenwhenishiftedhouse,youcontinuedtosendme!
IalreadycalledupandsaidNO.Butyoupeoplestillcontinuetosendtheproductstomyplace.Youcan't
dothis!Doyoubelievei'llcallupthemediaandtellthemaboutthis?GiveNSabadname!
Let'sseewho'sbiggerthen!"

I know this was not supposed to be funny but at that moment, i had to bite my lip to rein in my laughter. Said lady was so agitated she was speaking faster than a machine gun and waving her hands so frantically like she's conducting an ochestra playing a fast melody. Add her long dangling earrings swinging wildly around to the "music" of her ranting and the movements of her hands. Well, you get the picture...

She could provide entertainment on a saturday night variety. No kidding.

But she was verrrrryy angry, if the number of veins happily trobbing on her forehead and neck are any indication. As a DSR, it is my duty to help her. And I don't think laughing is going to help the situation here. She's already threatening to report to the media here! If i let out any hint of laughter (My mouth's betraying me, shoot!), She could fire my ass by calling up the president or something.

"Mdm, tell you what, can you give me your name and your ID?"I said calmly and as soothingly as i could. A great feat, really! I'succeeded in controlling my facial muscles here! "I'll ask my senior regarding this matter."

No need, PL is already behind me listening to the whole conversation. Hearing a cue to intercede, she dashed in heroically to save me from a potential death (by laughter, but i didn't tell her that. No Sir!)

And Hence, I let her handle the Lady (should i call her that? considering she's being so unlady-like here) and her daughter. A Pity, coz i kinda think they(she) provide an exciting entertainment on an otherwise boring Monday afternoon...

Haiz...

The Good, The Bad and the downright Weird...

2009-03-18T22:45:00.002+08:00

I hate Wednesdays. Seriously. I hate them a lot ever since I came to work in this company.

Why? It’s because the chances of meeting a demanding customer is the highest on this day of the week. Today is no exception. So today I’ve met the good, the bad and the downright weird. Yeap, you heard that right. There are weird customers. I learn that today the hard way.

I wouldn’t call him a weird customer. But then again, I wouldn’t know what type of customer to classify him under. He’s not good but he’s not bad so he’s a weird customer.

Said fellow came to my counter with a bunch of merchandise. “Hi Sir, today is our company’s Go Green Day. We do not have any plastic bags for you. Is that alright?” I parroted out, like a broken down, rewinding recorder. That’s what E I sound like. According to her, I repeated the same thing over and over again on the same day that even E could memorize it. Even D started to say what i said word for word to her customers.

Mr Fellow turned to look at a small plastic bag of his containing some other stuff before looking at his purchases and nodding at me. “Ok.” He said.

So I keyed in his items and he paid for it. Pretty normal, really.

So when he stood there waiting, I became self-conscious. Did I do something wrong? Why is he not taking his items and leaving?

And a staring match began…

He stared at me… Lalalalala.

I stared at him…. Lalalalala

He stared at me… Lalalalalala

And the staring continued…

…Until a lady customer stood nearby staring at me inquiringly. Is my counter open? Her stare asked.

Er… I alternated looking at looking at him and her. I wanted to serve her but he's in the way and I can't exactly ask him to get lost, can I?

It was me who finally surrendered and asked, “erm, sir. Do you need a plastic bag?”

Lame question, I know, considering I already told him it’s a Go Green Day.

“You can purchase our company’s Go Green Bag.” I said feebly.

You can slice the awkwardness in the air with a stick. I kid you not.

“Yes.” He said.

SO that’s what he wants. I could have breathed a sigh of relief right there and then. Gosh!

I sold him the bag and he left.

Phew!! Seriously, that was weird...

One of the 7 mysteries of NS Enterprises

2009-03-16T20:12:00.001+08:00

Gosh, I MIA-ed for such a long time again. It’s because I was settling into my job and I didn’t have the energy to blog. But here I am, once again, so rejoice, everyone! At my presence! Haha, unfortunately, I’m blogging during my work. It isn’t the first time I’m doing this.

I’m currently working as a Distributor Support Representative in NS Enterprises. Trust me, it isn’t as cool as it sounds. Another term for DSR is Cashier. See? I told you it isn’t as cool as it sounds.

Anyway, I guess I settled in well enough at my new job – well enough to over change a customer. At the end of the day, I found myself short of $10.

No! In trepidation I went to my Supervisor, LT. It was the first time I ever lost any cash. I used to sit at counter 6 and got transferred to counter due to my lack of mistakes. So how did I end up losing $10?!

“WAH! That counter 7 really xie~(Chinese for cursed).”I heard one of the permanent DSR, R, exclaim.

My ears perked up at that. So I was not the only one to lose cash. Yippee!

“D lost cash when she sat there. GP lost cash when she sat there. And now even HP lost cash.” He continued.

…I sense something going on here…

LT said she will replenish back the lost cash but warned me never to do it again or else, it’ll be out of my own pocket. Yes mdm! Of course, mdm!

But really, everyone lost $10 when they sat at that counter.

Wakaka…. One of the 7 mysteries of NS Enterprises?

Way to Go! M!

2009-03-02T02:41:00.000+08:00

M!!! Way To GO!!! Yoohoo!! You're the best!!

Oh Dear...

2009-03-02T00:21:00.000+08:00

Poor M...

su⋅per⋅fi⋅ci⋅al⋅i⋅ty

2009-03-02T00:10:00.002+08:00

Just when i began to think that humans are an alright race, something pops up to make you feel so... disappointed in them. Disappointed being a euphemism for my feelings.

Why are women so vicious and superficial?

They don't mind tramping on and exploiting the feelings of a person just to get Mr. Popularity.

Hello?

Are your hearts made of iron? Or poison? I think's it's both.

Certainly don't deserve the title 'Goddess'

I promised someone i won't hate her. But i didn't say i won't dislike her. There's a difference.

And yes, i can hear you all screaming out loud that i'm a woman too.

Remind me why I'm a tomboy?

Busybody idiot~!

2009-03-01T02:40:00.000+08:00

Don’t you ever get super pissed off sometimes? Especially when someone actually got it into their stupid head to ruin everything for you?

In this case, said stupid head turns out to be the air-headed female contact of Pup’s. Gods, how I would love to wrung her neck.

She actually went to the ‘Goddess’ and told her how Pup is in love with her and wants to get to know her when IT IS SO TOTALLY UNTRUE!

Now we have a triangle. If she’s so free, why can’t she go get a 2^nd major or something? Preferably a Major in MIND HER OWN BUSINESS!

How I would love to fly over and murder a certain busybody b****!

The power of Love

2009-02-28T02:12:00.007+08:00

“Apple Chan, What would you give a woman who’s independent, beautiful, dark haired, hard-to-get, fair, and smart?”

HUH?

Who would have known then that such a question would have opened my eyes to the power of love?

The situation begins like this: I have a friend in Canada, Pup, who is staying with his room mate-cum-buddy, M.

M found himself love struck by the ‘vision of a goddess’ (his words, not mine.) that had walked past him. Once returning back to earth from his reverie, he hurried back and wanted to get a gift straight away for ‘the Goddess he has finally found.’ (his words, not mine).

SO, the whole of yesterday, we (me, Pup, and SH) set out to find the identity of the Goddess. Or rather, Pup and M did most of the searching while SH and I tried to come up with ways to refine the search.

The search was even harder because we totally had no clue who she was, only how she looked like. Dear old M couldn’t tear his eyes from her face to check out what kind of books she’s holding or the face of her friends.

It had been love at first sight for M. “It’s a chance encounter; a pure coincidence of an undying emotion.” He declared with hearts for eyes and a passionate flame for a soul.

And with this declaration, he set out to find the identity of the girl. As his friend, Pup was roped in (read: forced at gun point) to help in the search for the ‘Goddess of M’s Eyes’ (M’s words, not mine). Trust me; it’s not easy searching through 2,000 international students.

We tried our hardest but the truth is, how do you go about finding one female in a canadion university with a population of 20,000? There are 2,000 international students and we don't even know if she might be Canadian Chinese. That will make things worse. It means we have to search through 18,000 students.

But for M's Sake, Pup continued to search for the ‘Angel from the sky’ (once again, M’s words, not mine). Pup actually called up a friend for a favour.

And my gosh! Love really conquers all! We found her! In the sea of 20,000 students in a Canadian university, we found her! We actually managed to find a needle in a haystack! Make that 10 haystacks!

Could you believe that? It’s like a miracle!

So now, it comes down to approaching her.

It was down right hilarious seeing M being so fired up over the girl. Poor Pup was roped in to be the servant to help with all the menial parts. SH and I have to be the ones to think up strategies to help him win his Love. And M….

Wait a minute… M got left with nothing to do! We did everything for him! He just have to approach her and don’t slip up… I guess that makes us the Beauty (guess who?), the Brains (SH & I, Duh!) and the Brawn (Pup!).

Ah well, anything for the sake of love, I guess…

So right now, Operation Goddess Search is completed: we found her name, major, year, and even, believe it or not, her contact through another female friend.

We could be P.I.s!

And right now, Operation Worship (AKA the part where M has to approach her) is beginning. No worries, people, I’ll keep you updated! Pup promised to report back all the happenings!

Just a note, I think it’s very noble of M to go through so much just to get the contact of his crush. Seriously, you don’t see this in Singapore, right? He didn't give up. and He (we) made it! Kudos, man!

“When a guy wants to see you, he’ll make it happen.” Alex from The movie: He’s just not that into you.

How true.

Job Interview: Success?

2009-02-19T00:05:00.003+08:00

I got an interview today for the vacancy of Temporary Customer Service Representive at NS Enterprises. I knew about this company when I was in secondary school. Some one (I don’t remember who) sold my mum some skin care products from this company.

Anyway, I went for the interview today and I didn’t expect it to be a group interview. So there are 3 others with me. Oh boy….

The interview started out by asking about ourselves and then about Customer services. The exact questions he asked are:

1) Tell me more about ourselves.

2) Describe how your friends view you.

3) In your opinion, what defines Customers Services?

4) What are the characteristics, physical and otherwise, do you think a Customer Services Representive should have?

5) Imagine this situation: There are 2 cashiers and a long line of customer. Cashier B is handling the line because cashier A is busy answering the questions and talking to a customer A (think: Ah soh). Then another customer, B, joined the line, but he is impatient and is becoming increasingly frustrated with the long queue. He shouted at Customer A and they started quarreling. As the customer Services Rep, how are you going to handle this situation?

6) Imagine you’re cashier A. And you have to serve the customer B who starts scolding you about talking too much with the Customer A. How are you going to handle this situation?

I didn’t know one have to answer such questions…. Gods, I think I died there. He literally grilled us for more than an hour. Gosh, 1 hr for a customer services rep. What about the post of head of HR? 5 hours? I knew all of us stuttered through the interview at one point. But nevertheless, I managed to stumble through the questions…

… And I got the job!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Anyway, I heard that this kind of interview is the combination of Group Interview and Situational Interview. The interviewer provides some situations and assesses you based on your ability to solve it.

Even if I hadn’t gotten the job, the experience of going through such an interview process real life would have been invaluable.

I also remembered the interviewer mentioning that he has a few more batches to interview and he also has to look through our application forms. Hence, the earliest he could confirm back with us is this Friday.

Imagine my surprise and shock when he called me today at 5pm, just a mere 4 hrs after the interview. What can I say? I’m GOOD~! XD

That vanished as soon as I heard my pay rate though. It sucks!

Ah well, better than nothing. At least I can learn about customer services and how to be tactful and handle difficult customers.

Yeah, Better than nothing.

P.S: This is my 100th Blog entry. Ladies and gentlemen, bring out the confetti and the fireworks! Whoo Hoo!

Love is once again in the air!

2009-02-13T00:41:00.005+08:00

JJ’s girlfriend was delighted with the donuts, apparently. And are all girls after a particularly romantic session, she is particularly loving to him by meeting him for breakfast and doing some window shopping with him before he starts his shift.

Before that though, he pops by with his girlfriend to thank us for the donuts. You’re most welcome, Lydia and JJ!

I heard from JJ that Lydia was with her group of friends when he popped by her school with the box of donuts. Oh, I wouldn’t want to face that amount of embarrassment! But I think Lydia’s friends will give you the points so don’t think too much about it, JJ!

And the donuts are not the Valentines’ Day gift. They’re just normal starters? Oh no, In addition to the pink Piggy, JJ is going to buy a bouquet of 7 roses or her as well as bringing her to the Giraffe Bar & Restaurant (opposite Plaza Singapura). Talk about excessive…

Anyway, Huat was not to be outdone by JJ, apparently. He forced me and JJ to be his guinea pigs to try his handmade chocolates. It was good! They’re delicious! And Huat made 2 heart shaped chocolates – one chocolate flavored and one strawberry flavored – filled with almond nuts.

Wow! Looks like love is in the air!

Love is in the air Lyrics

Donuts of Love~

2009-02-11T23:17:00.001+08:00

Yo! What’s up, ladies and gentlemen? Sorry for not updating for so many days but let’s face it, I’ve gone MIA for a longer period of time before.

Anyway, to give a short update on myself, I started as a part timer at Missy Donuts (Compass Point) to pass the time as I search for a new job. So today, it was me, Huat and JJ on duty.

Both Huat and JJ are getting hyped up about Valentines’ Day. Seriously, JJ ahd already ordered the giant pink teddy bear from the aunt manning the gift shop across our stall. It costs 80 bucks and he’s reallly willing to spend. Yeap, I kinda disapprove because 1) he’s only 18; 2) that is a big sum of money for his age and 3) this is not the only thing that he’s getting for his girlfriend.

For me, I always think that a simple gift that was hand made personally is a better choice compared to numerous gifts that could just be bought off the street. After all, it spoke of effort and was made with love. And that could not be replaced with any other riches.

But hey, who am I to comment on him?

Today, JJ wanted to get his girlfriend some donuts. One thing lead to another and a simple idea of just giving donuts gets blown up into giving 6 personalized donuts scripted with words of love (idea courtesy of Yours Truly).

And the end result is:

Nice huh? * preens my feathers* I was the one who came up with the words and design (JJ claims that he does not have a creative cell in him). Huat was the one who baked the donuts (he’s the official baker for Missy Donuts) and wrote the words. Come to think of it, JJ did nothing. =______=

Nevertheless, when the box of Donuts made with Love is completed. It was time for JJ to knock off. He was so happy and embarrassed with the box of donuts that he was seriously red in the face, even his ears are flushing! That’s saying a lot, considering how dark he is (mocha brown, that’s his skin color). I had great fun teasing him about it! ^_^

He left with the promise to tell us of his girlfriend’s reaction the next day.

Ah~! Puppy love…. And I got a feeling I had just done a good deed…. Can I enter martyrdom? XD

New Year Resolutions 2009!

2009-02-01T14:34:00.000+08:00

I know my New Year’s Resolutions is about 2 months late… But you know what they say, better late than ever, right? So this is what I decided to do:

1) Get enrolled in a university in a degree course that’s to my liking: Journalism, Linguistics & Psychology (maybe not this one).
2) Get a part time job. (Relief teaching doesn’t count)
3) Get up to date on my Japanese.
4) Train my MS char to level 70.

Yes, this year, I’m not going to make too many resolutions because I have yet to fulfil any of my resolutions last year.

I wanted to train my MS char to lvl 70. The best I managed is lvl 53.

I wanted to get a job. Ah well, I managed to partially fulfill this one. Does getting a contract job that ends slightly before the end of the year counts?

I wanted to learn ballroom dancing. Till now, I have yet to find a school.

So, the morale of the year? Don’t make too many resolutions.

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

2009-01-26T12:53:00.001+08:00

I can’t believe this. I actually fell sick on New Year’s Eve. What the hell??!! T_T

Actually, the symptoms started yesterday ever since I cleaned my lap top cooling machine which was chock full of dust. I should have to wear a mask or something since I’m allergic to dust.

Can you believe it? I’m allergic to the one thing that has the greatest population on earth and happens to be the most harmless being (if you don’t have an allergy) – Dust.

So now, I’m down with fever, flu and a persistently itching throat that affects my inner ear. The flu and fever are not that bad. It’s the itchy throat and itchy ear that drives me crazy. Thankfully I searched online and found out I’m not the only one with such problems. There’re some techniques and remedies to soothe the itchiness. Hallelujah!

Nevertheless, I won’t let them get me down today - Chinese New Year Da Nian Chu Yi. No way! Afterall, there’s angbaos to get, Chinese snacks to eat and relatives to visit. No way will I let something as miniscule as flu to get me down, no sir!

Anyway, to everyone out there, Gong Xi Fa Cai and A very Happy Chinese New Year from me to you!

the 44th President of USA

2009-01-21T19:06:00.001+08:00

Let's hope he can really lead America... Grats Mr President~!

First Interview: Bombed.

2009-01-06T15:54:00.002+08:00

Whew! I went for my interview with SGH’s Colorectal Department today. At first, I thought that it was going to be alright no matter what. After all, I just have to be honest and do my best.

Turns out doing one’s best is hard.

There are 3 people interviewing me and I was shocked. Back when I was being interviewed for the procurement assistant in SD, there are only 2 interviewers: the dept head and HR coordinator. This time, it was a Junior Scientist, asst head and head. What the hell…

I tried to answer truthfully but it seems I just can’t find the words to express my meanings and answers. Gosh!

So right now, I’m not certain get I’ll get the job. Ah well, I had in mind to go for a job that has to do with animals anyway.

Still, I can’t help wincing at my abysmal performance in the interview.

Nevertheless, the interview’s over. Time to start sourcing for new jobs. FORWARD!

~Getting a Job~

2008-12-22T00:38:00.002+08:00

After ending my contract with SD, I have originally intended to slack until next year and find a job after Chinese New Year.

But apparently, Alyssa had found a permanent job and I heard a few has as well. Hearing this made me nervous. Everybody has a job or are awaiting university entrance. What about me?

So I decided to go job scouting.

However, I have forgotten about the negative impact of the recession on the job market, even though experts have been blaring it out loudly on “loudspeakers” (AKA TV & other Media).

So imagine my shock and horror as I search online job recruitment websites only to find few jobs meeting my criteria. Damn. 2 weeks ago, there were a lot more.

Gods, am I really going to be left with no rice bowl now? Granted, it’s a plastic one since I’m aiming to go to a university for further studies, but still it’s a rice bowl. T_T

I just need a job~~ A job to pay my expenses and with enough leftovers to save for my university fees. Is it so hard? I will do anything and everything (as long as you pay the required amount, of course!)

Time to go walking around Serangoon Ave 4 to look for vet asst vacancies. >_<

Derrick Spears

2008-12-09T16:15:00.001+08:00

What use is there for women when there's men like this?

Leaving~

2008-12-05T21:19:00.001+08:00

Today is 5th of December and today is the last day of work in the Company.

I guess I passed the “Graduation Test” since I think I managed quite well during WY’s absence. And since today is my last day, I bought some chocolates (Ferrero Rondnoir) for those I worked with and those I’m close with.

Ri and Dz didn’t even know I’m leaving the company today. Haha, I didn’t make it known to them. So they are quite surprised with the chocolate. WA was surprisingly touched. I promised to send my regards to WY (who is on holiday at the moment).

Now when I’m finally going to leave SD, I have mixed feelings. Before, when I leave TP, I didn’t have such feelings. I felt more relieved then. When I was waiting for my contract to end, it seems like a long wait. Now, I have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness.

My time in SD taught me a lot of things: an introduction into the working world, interaction with older colleagues and their way of thinking; administrative work and techniques about procurement.

I am definitely going to be able to utilize all these skills in whichever field I land my ass in. As such, I thanks SD for training me and Leen for introducing me to SD.

Thanks Guys!

Never drink Green Tea with Diet Coke

2008-12-01T22:18:00.001+08:00

I survived today, way better than I thought I would. And I decided to celebrate by drinking green tea and diet coke simultaneously. Don’t ask why. I myself am still wondering why on earth did I do that.

I didn’t mix them together to drink but separately, as evident when I said SIMULTANEOUSLY. Did I mention that it’s not Pokka Green Tea but the true blue (green?) organic green tea?

So when the after taste of the diet coke mixes with the green tea, the end result was:

The taste absolutely sucks like a tornado rated F6 on the F-Scale.

Not only that, apparently Green Tea and Diet Coke decided on their first “mix” together in my stomach that they are to become enemies.

And so, they waged war against one another in my tummy. I can literally feel the opposing forces of Diet Coke and Green Tea tumbling around having a martial arts tournament (or whatever competition they decide to hold to settle it out).

Thank god my lunch's serving as a referee. If not, I can almost guarantee another gastritis and I'll rather die than to suffer that.

=_=||| Moral of the Story: Never drink Green Tea with Diet Coke. Not that there will be anyone crazy enough to drink them together.

Anyway, Countdown to last day begins~!

Graduation Test: What the hell?

2008-11-28T21:30:00.000+08:00

Today was one of the most hectic days of my life. Reason – WY is going on leave next week.

I remember the one time that she went on leave during my time of work there was when I officially took over from I. I was in panic mode that week, because I had no idea what I should do.

And now, before I am to leave the company, it looks like I have to hold the fort for one more week. I think I should be able to do it this time round. After all, I am pretty much more familiar with the work then before and there’s not much work left in the company.
But still, I can’t help feeling it’s like some kind of “test” for all the skills I’ve learnt.

I didn’t know I have to sit for the Graduation Exam from SD Procurement Academy.

~One week~ Just one week~~ One more week before I’m free to slack and sleep all I want…

The Stomache from Hell

2008-11-15T20:50:00.004+08:00

“Have you taken any slimming pills?”

… Excuse me, Doctor? Of course not! I'm not looking to slim down at all in the first place and everyone knows slimming pills aren't effective and cost saving.

Perhaps you guys are a little lost. Let’s back track to the beginning:

A few days ago, I started feeling bloated and a sense of fullness which resulted in me not eating much (I eat according to my hunger pangs, not the clock). I didn’t think much about it. But today, all of a sudden after a heavy lunch, a sudden clenching pain in my stomach had me doubled over, gasping for pain. I think I shocked my poor mother.

But hell, the pain! It feels like I had a durian in my stomach. I was sweating buckets and turning green. You think I could have blended in with the grass downstairs. I was even trying to induce vomit just to get rid of whatever’s in my stomach causing the pain, as much as I know it’s pointless because there’s NOTHING in there currently. After all, it’s 4 hours after lunch. All the food’s digested and already in my small intestine. But when you’re in serious pain, you don’t care how unreasonable your actions are. And I have a low tolerance for pain.

When I recovered slightly from the pain, Mum brought me to a 24hrs clinic, where a (rather) young doctor in his mid 30s was on duty. That’s when after some checking, he asked me about taking slimming pills, leading to my current predicament.

“Nope. Doc. Does green tea count?” (Note the Sarcasm)

A snort is my only answer before he diagnosed me with…

Gastritis.

For those who don’t know, Gastritis refers to the inflammation of the gastric mucous layer lining the stomach. Normally, it’s strong enough to withstand the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. But occasionally, it can get irritated and in turn, inflamed.

A common illness, but seriously, I thought I died and gone to hell.

From the way members in online forums described, it’s like it’s a permanent thing. *GASP* Does this mean that I will not be able to eat spicy food? Or fried food? Am I condemned to eating only light foods that are easily digestible? Horrors!

This will be a good way to slim down but I’m NOT looking to slim down in the first place! I’m young! I need my junk food. T_T

Damn it all…

The Cockroach Mania

2008-11-05T23:36:00.002+08:00

I’m not ashamed to say that I have a great fear of cockroaches, especially flying ones. It is something I readily admit to anyone. Hence, our house was filled with moth balls and insecticides.

Somehow or rather, one saw fit to enter into my room today. Just what on earth is it about my room that birds and insects love so much? In my previous home, sparrows and bees LOVE my room. And I’m staying 16 stories high. But, I digress.

Anyway, I ran screaming out of my room for my mum. No use. She only saw fit to arm herself with a huge can of Baygon Insecticide. Ok, let’s give her a bit more credit. She tried spraying the bug with the insecticide but somehow her aiming was off – Way off. It turns out Mummy Darling was afraid of cockroaches as well.

Our only option: Call Dad.

Daddy Dearest could not be contacted. The gods upstairs are definitely playing a prank on me. What’s the use of bringing a cell phone if you can’t be freakin’ contacted?!

In the end, me and my mum waged war with Invader Cockroach by ourselves. we sprayed nearly a whole bottle of insecticide before the cockroach finally surrendered and keeled over in death. Relieved, Mum sent me downstairs to look for my dad.

“Dad!” I yelled, as soon as I spotted him downstairs. Swiftly I dragged him back home. He looked very alarmed and I was not surprised at that. From my gestures, something gigantic has happened.

Imagine his disbelief when I went to my mum’s room (somehow, the cockroach managed to crawl to my mum’s room and died there. Thank God! I will not abide the ghost of a cockroach in MY room) and pointed to the cockroach. Poor Dad… He didn’t know whether to laugh or to be pissed.

“You drag me back to clean up a cockroach?!”

Essentially yeah... Me and my mum ain’t touching the cockroach. Not a chance!

Happy Birthday to me~~

2008-11-03T08:46:00.004+08:00

Woo hoo~! Who would have thought that Heaven is on my side. It’s my birthday and currently I’m blogging during work. Hey! It’s not my fault. Blame the system for screwing up and not working, leaving me with nothing that I can do at the moment.

Anyway, It’s my birthday today~ Happy birthday to me~ Yesterday was my Bro’s birthday. We’re born 2 years and 1 day apart. That makes celebration all the more easier, eh? When we were young, we used to have 2 separate birthday cakes - His & Hers. As we grew older, it dwindled into 1. And now that we entered Teens, there were none altogether. Sobz T_T

Looking back, I realized I’ve met none of the goals that I set up when I came back from Bangkok:

1) i Wanna train my char up to lvl 70. instead, I only had it up to lvl 49.

2) I wanna go JPN. But due to unforeseen circumstances, that could not happen (yet).

=_____= What happened to all my goals?

But anyway, I set up a NEW goal: Enrol in a University and get a freakin' degree!!

Anyway, Thanks to Raymond for the birthday greeting and the (yet-to-have) dinner.

Thanks to my mum for the Ang Bao and to my bro for the b'day greeting (He remembered *gasps*. I will kill him if he doesn't though X-P)

Thanks to Lionel and Auntie Mas for chipping in on the surprising birthday cake as well. I’m really touched by all your gestures. T_T

Thanks to Winnie for the Ang Bao as well... =)

Special Thanks to Eileen for surprising me with the birthday cake in the middle of work. Gods, woman, you SCARED the hell of me! And now the whole division knows. But I’m glad you did that today. XD

FYI, I tried some of the cake and they were lovely! Thanks once again.

Most of all, Special Thanks to SH for being the first to wish me Happy Birthday, the Dinner and the scarves. How did you know i want to get scarves in the first place? I didn't mention that to you~~ Still, Thanks so much!! =D *Hugs*

Minna, ARIGATOU! *Tears & Hugs & Bows*

Happy Birthday to my bro...

2008-11-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

Yo~! A Very Happy birthday to my bro, whose currently in Perth, Australia. He’s studying for his degree there. Good for him, able to study there while I rot here. >___<

Still, Wishing him all the best…. Tomorrow’s my birthday. Can’t say I;m looking forward to it. Monday Blues, man… It Sucks… Feel like taking off to celebrate…

ANYWAY, Happy 22th Birthday to my bro and hope he’s well there. Study hard~~

An Eye for An Eye

2008-10-29T23:49:00.006+08:00

WA is a Bitch. And she pissed me off far too many times. Today, however, she pissed Leen one time too many.

WA is famous her big mouth which spout ridiculous nonsense that are completely and utterly untrue. This morning, she decided to say, “Hey, HP, yesterday I saw your friend crying in the toilet. Until her whole face is red.”

Huh? Leen cried in the toilet? Whatever for? But knowing this came from WA, which means it is unreliable, I decided to confirm with Leen.

Leen exploded spectacularly.

“WAH LAU! SHE EVERYTIME ASO ANYHOW SAY ME!!! FIRST ABOUT MI & J, THEN MI & S!!! NOW ANYHOW SAY THIS FOR WHAT? I HAD ENOUGH?! I’M GOING OVER TO CONFRONT HER!!HP, BACK ME UP.”

Of course she didn’t go over to confront her. I had a better idea than that. That’s when Eileen became my back up. WA pissed me off too many times as well.

I asked Eileen to go to the toilet on our side and then stop by my desks.

E: “YO!!”

HP: “Yo, You OK?”

E: “YA, of course! Why?”

HP (in a super loud & innocent voice): “EH? WA said you cried in the toilet yesterday!”

E (super scornful tone): “Huh? Whatever for?!”

HP: “How would I know? SHE said de. Eh, WA, why you say she cry?”

Said woman was absolutely and extremely focused on the PC screen, when I’m talking loud enough SY from 4 desks away looked over. In other words, she completely ignored me.

HP: “ WA 眼花 le wor.”

E: “ya lor… How come say I cry? Cry for what~~! Haiyo!”

Eileen then left our dept, with WA being silent for the rest of the day. She even did some of her work. A First! And, I heard from Eileen WY was smiling throughout the whole incident. Glad she likes it. *bows*

It was a prank that did not do as much damage as I wanted. I admit, I'm being completely bitchy and vicious. But dealing with WA, you can’t be any other way. Sad eh?

Hopefully, WA will not to step on my toes again. Jeez… As much as it seem satisfying in the beginning, it doesn’t feel so good after a while, kinda like a sweet poison. It starts gnawing in you. No wonder there’s a phrase,

"Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavor, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned."

I don't remember where i read this from. Don't sue me for this. I hereby disclaim i don't owe this quote. Will the owner please step up?

“Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils.”

John Milton,

Paradise Lost (bk. IX, l. 171).

There, I disclaimed, so don’t sue me for it.

Who'da thunk?

2008-10-26T01:48:00.003+08:00

Who would have thought my nerdy cousin, Guo Jian Kor, would have been a dating boss? 2 years ago, I would have referred you to the IMH, but now... well... XD Still Congrats to him. He's the one who proposed to his GF and is planning to get married on 09-09-2009. Who would have thought he would be so romantic?

So, ladies, nerds aren't that bad at all, eh? Go check out this article about my cousin. Once again, congrats to him~

It's Official...

2008-10-13T19:17:00.001+08:00

It’s offical. I’m not going to Japan this December. With the economic recession, SGD dropped from SGD 1 – JPY 75 (+-) to SGD 1 – JPY 65 (+-). Horrors, what a tremendous drop…

Hence, the decision not to go was made by me & SH. If we were to go now, we will definitely lose out a lot.

Damnit, I was so looking forward to go Japan and enjoy myself. I even read up on the type of Japanese food that can’t be found in Singapore and the historical sites (I’m a sucker for history) that I can visit in Japan. The Castles, the temples, the scenery… They interest me more than the shopping that can be found in Japan.

But oh well, look on the bright side of life, if I don’t go this December, it means I can slowly save up more money. In addition, I can fully concentrate on working on the arrival of the 2 rigs, Capella & Eminence.

But still… T_T More waiting time… I sure as hell couldn’t help feeling bitterly disappointed. Damn this stupid recession… It couldn’t have come at a worst time… Haiz… We definitely can’t go Japan this December unless we win some kind of all expenses paid trip to Japan or something, and this is likely when Hell freezes over…

D Got Transferred!

2008-09-23T22:14:00.001+08:00

D is shifting to the Accounts Department soon. This news came after the meeting today. Her responsibilities remain the same. The Accounts Dept aren’t that happy. After all, now they are responsible for D’s work. In other words, any lost invoices are now their fault and they can’t push it to us anymore. Yippee~!

Looks like the trip made by the Accounts Manager down to little ol’ Singapore from Houston is not for nothing after all. Invoicing REALLY is Account’s responsibilities, not just recording of money matters. We have the Archives for that.

Guess this means I will take over her seat after I comes back from her maternity leave. Heard from WA there’s another meeting going on tomorrow. Aww… Sucks….

On the plus side, this means I get to slack for a while tomorrow! Well, as much as possible with WA throwing her work to me. >_<

And it’s Wednesday tomorrow… Life trudges on…

Lunch Hour

2008-09-12T21:48:00.001+08:00

I just realized how long it has been since I last blogged. Ah Sorry, people! Or rather, sorry to whomever who bothers to read this blog. I have been pretty tied up with things at work. No excuse. I know, I know.

Anyway, I noticed a certain issue this week. We had a new buyer coming in to help with Aquarius. WA was, of course, over the moon to have someone to throw more of her work to and it’s a younger (more NORMAL, according to D) guy!

He was here since last week, under training from the previous buyer but now that he (the prev. buyer) left, it was left to him to continue on working. This particular guy, Leo (not his real name but close enough) was a buyer outsourced from another company and I find it strange D and the gang didn’t ask him for lunch with us. I mean, they asked me when I was new to the company. They asked A (who was temporarily replacing P who had gone on 2 weeks leave). They didn’t ask him.

Feeling curious, I asked B.

“Eh… Better not ask him out for lunch with us. He’s not in the same department.”

O_O “ But I’m not in HR either. D & I are in Procurement.”

“Er…. Anything lah. I anything de. You ask R.”

To my disbelief, even uncle R shook his head against asking Leo for lunch with us.

I asked VH and he wasn’t keen on the idea of Leo joining us either. Strange. He was usually the friendliest one out of all of us. As a final resort, I asked D.

“Of course don’t ask him lah. He different company from us leh. U, me and everyone else are Seadrill people. He from NOV. Different case mah.”

… … I wasn’t aware that just because he is from a different company, we are not allowed to have lunch together.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not interested in him romantically. I just know what it is like to be new and alone. I sympathize with him for having to go lunch by himself. That’s all.

But still, I didn’t know something like this actually occurs in the working world. Is it normal?

The Greatest weapon of the 21st century

2008-08-30T01:15:00.000+08:00

Today has nothing to do with work but with my travel experience.

Somebody farted in the MRT…

… And it stinks enough for the people surrounding me (& me included) to smell the poison gas. =_=

All of us (discreetly) covered our noses and tried our best not to faint.

Why would anyone need an atomic bomb when we already have a living nuclear bioweapon? =_=

Oh My God!

2008-08-28T21:05:00.002+08:00

Big News at work today! The big boss, Mao Mao (His real name’s HD, but I call him 毛毛. His full name is 亲爱的毛毛) announced that the Deepwaters Unit will be closing at the end of the year. Most (alright, some) of the staff will be transferred to other units. I wasn’t privy to this meeting, only the permanent staff.

No wonder WY was so distracted. Either you got retrenched (That’s the truth!) or you got posted overseas, namely to Houston or wherever they put you.

As For WA? She asked for a transfer to Houston and seemed so confident it will be successful. She even went around telling everyone about retention bonus.

I wondered why she seemed particularly hardworking today. =_=

… Since I was the one who suffered from her bout of enthusiasm at work… I wonder if WA ever thought about her 3 kids when she asked for a transfer…

On the plus side, I won’t be affected much since I’m only a temporary staff. Nevertheless, I was saddened. It was a (relatively) good company with awesome renumerations (for the permanent staff) and office welfare.

What company provides its staff with 2 types of coffee made with real coffee beans (excluding all other types of instant coffee which was also provided), milo, green tea, chrysanthemum tea, lipton tea and even different types of canned drinks in the fridge? Let’s not forget the 2 types of biscuits (excluding packet crackers) and the weekly Thursday fruits. Not to mention the globetrotting expats have a tendency to bring back snacks from overseas all the time. I was literally spoilt for choices for food, really.

I remember the pantry in my previous workplace (I shall not name the place!) had only blackcurrant cordial that I have to steal to drink.

Haiz… T_T

Work's a Bitch

2008-08-25T21:42:00.002+08:00

Just when I thought a certain woman couldn’t get any worse. She just did. Not in seduction of men, but in the way she dumped her things onto others to do. Never mind her dumping things onto others, her way of doing work that is completely and utterly ludicrous.

E.G 1:

For RFQ (Request for Quotes) to be sent to suppliers, the supplier number will be keyed in – any amount of suppliers. A particular supplier refused to supply us (long story) and we turned to supplier B. Logically, we should just add in Supplier B’s number and just send the same RFQ to Supplier B. We already did just that and now she told me she just set up another PR to be convert to RFQ to be sent to Supplier B. Did she forget that we just send the RFA for the same items to Supplier B already? I wonder what will be Supplier B’s reaction to find out he has to quote for the same 430 items, albeit in a different RFQ. Oh did I mention there’re 430 items? One can die doing it ( I did). Not her, obviously, she dumped it on someone else (1000 SGD says it’s going to be me. Bets, anyone?).

E.G 2:

She complained she didn’t know how to search the Purchasing system. What the hell? She’s a buyer. Ow can she not know? And she was there 1 year longer than me! And somehow or another, she managed to push buying for West Orion (new ship) onto WY, who already has West Gemini (another new ship) while she took over Eminence (half done ship). In short, she gets to handle a half done ship while WY have to handle 2 new ships. -__-

EG 3:

The requisitioner asks for 2 cans of oil, how on earth did she manage to convert it until 400L? when it clearly states in the description 1 can is about 18L. -_-

All I can say is: I Salute Her. If a person like her is a buyer, I think I have more capabilities to be one.

Of babies and Gossips

2008-08-21T23:14:00.000+08:00

I went to visit I and her 1 week old baby, in her home today. Of course, I accompanied P, our Big Boss’ Secretary, and WY.

P has always struck me as a charismatic woman who is both capable and diplomatic. She runs our division and did a good job for it.

Anyway, back to the topic, I’s baby was CUTE – but so small and looks so fragile. Nevertheless, for a week old baby, he certainly was vocal. Yes, it’s a boy, weighing at 2.5kg. For a baby, he certainly is small. But SO cute~! *_*

We stayed a short while and gossiped among ourselves. Rather, me and I listened and chatted a little bit while P and WY gossiped.

And I certainly heard A LOT. The amount of gossip was more than Microsoft’s turnover and even juicier than Hainan chicken rice.

WY and P manage to gossip all the way until 9 plus at night, over dinner at Novena. And the topic? Well, I have STML (Short Term Memory Loss) and hence couldn’t remember much. Talk about WA, J, WA, Company, WA, the Accounts Department, company, etc. To tell the truth, I lost track, but I know that the main topic was definitely WA – and her behavior at work today.

This afternoon, the rig manager for Capella, G, I think that’s his name, was talking to WY and WA. I was there awaiting some authorization for some documents. Apparently, he was complaining of shoulder pain. WA immediately tugged his hand to get him to sit on her chair – and start massaging him. O_O

I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen, she really did that. As a citizen of a cosmopolitan society, I wouldn’t blink an eye regarding social manners that require close contact. Eg: hugging, etc.

Go ahead and call me a hypocrite for being so “conservative” but there is really something definitely wrong when a woman in her 40s start massaging another male COLLEAGUE with her boobs touching his back.

Oh, you mean I didn’t tell you that? Well, now I did. And she even started messaging his lower back, his neck, his head, basically everywhere. =_= I was so disgusted at her behavior and judging WY’s vocal gossiping about it later that night to P, she was as well.

G seem rather embarrassed and who can blame him?

It seems like WA is not very well-liked by her colleagues, not just by WY and P, from the amount of gossip that flew through the air in the company.

On a lighter note: POLARIS LEFT SINGAPORE AT 5PM TODAY ! HORRAY!

Life's not easy...

2008-08-20T22:24:00.003+08:00

If I had thought that last Thursday was bad, I hadn’t seen worse. Last night, I OT-ed with WY till 10pm. All because Polaris, the Drill Ship that came to Singapore, was leaving on Friday.

Hence, WY and me was swarmed with last minute requests. Scratch that. We were literally BURIED by last minute requests. Poor WY has yet to clear her email, which already had 200+ (close to300 actually) emails for just 4 days of leave. O_O 200+! 4 days! Would you believe it?

I didn’t until WY showed me her email inbox. ><

Surprisingly, and not a bit thankfully, WA hadn’t given me any work for the past 3 days.

This was the first time I OT-ed so long, and hopefully, this will be the last time. I really don’t want to repeat the experience. M gave up at around 7 plus and left me and WY to clean up his ass.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Polaris was HIS job – HIS reason to be here in Singapore and not Jakarta. WY was supposed to have handed over the rig to him and concentrated on other rigs, namely, Capella. But no, she has to help M.

And M just Upped and left. In the end, me and WY tried to clear up as much as possible. Good thing is, the rig manager for Polaris, NW, was there with us. PRs and POs has never been authorized so fast. I think he remained just to authorized all our paperwork for Polaris. ^_^

It was all I could do to crawl to my bed when I got home. Thank God the taxi ride back was paid by the company.

Surprisingly, today, word of me OT-ing till 10pm spread around like wildfire. Was it really that shocking? The wide eyes of all my colleagues seem to make it so. Even Eileen came to ask me about it. No doubt D, my fellow asst, must have spread it around. She is quite a gossiper.

But the best thing today was the drama that occurred at work. Everyone was working quietly when suddenly a loud "NO!" reverberated through the air.

Startled, I looked over my cubicle only to see DA (Polaris' TSL) agitatedly waving his hands and NW (Polaris' Rig Manager) banging his head against the wall. O_O Wth?

"Wow, Drama! Should we send in some rope?" WA murmured. D and I snorted with laughter.

Apprently, Polaris is scheduled to leave on Thursday instead of on Friday and we are rushing everything. She needed some fittings and nobody can get them done on time. WY managed to cajole a machine shop to do them specially for Polaris somewhere in the early afternoon. NW and DA had been so relieved.

In the late afternoon, one of the Crew Leader called and informed WY that the measurement she had was the wrong ones and asked to change. Boy, was the Machine Shop Owner pissed at this. I heard the conversation between WY and him and it sure ain't pretty.

WY had no choice but to ask the Polaris Manager, NW, and the TSL, DA, who are sitting in the meeting room. And this resulted in the Big Drama.

The whole scenario was so much funnier than what I can describe. Not for the Crew Leader, though. He got fired left and right for his mistake. DA was SUPER PISSED. NW just had a "somebody-kill-me-now" expression on his face.

>_< Oh Dear....

My Savior returns~!

2008-08-15T22:20:00.001+08:00

YES! WY’s back! I could kiss her! And She bought chocolates! 1 entire bar of chocolate for me! Solely me! Mine! XD

And since’s she's back, I made things clear to her. I will not make any decisions regarding what to buy and everything. I tried that yesterday - and nearly died in the process. I will only be in charge of doing paperwork and reports.

“That’s what you’re supposed to do what! Who say you have the power to purchase stuff?! You're not the purchaser leh. Me and WA are!”

WY, You have NO idea how glad I am to hear that. That’s means I don’t need to make any decisions and can go back to being a small fly in the company.

Thank you, God! For sending WY back so soon! At long last there will be governance in the department.

Gossip Girl~~

2008-08-14T21:11:00.001+08:00

I nearly died today.

I have to go off for a C-Section ahead of schedule. Apparently she was supposed to have given birth earlier but she took suppression pills because our Head of Purchasing Department (in my opinion), WY, was on leave.

But apparently, she can’t suppress her birth much longer and went off Wednesday afternoon, leaving me in her role as Purchasing Assistant, and holding the forte for the time being. The other Purchaser, other than WY, was WA.

A fat load of Good she was. She hardly knows the status of her Purchases and all her paperwork, as well as checking, was done by yours truly. And yes, I admit out loud, I DON’T LIKE HER.

The 3^rd one, M, a male from Jakarta, well, I have no idea what’s he been doing. And apparently, he himself have no idea what’s he has been doing either, from the way he’s asking I, and when I left, ask me. =_=

Hence, today passed by in a haze of panic.

I was surprised I didn’t get any heart attack. Thank God WY is coming back tomorrow.

PS: For anyone who is interested in What’s What:

WA and WY are the 2 Purchasers in the Company. Buyers for my company purchase what they want through them.

I is the Purchasing Asst that I’m supposed to take over for the time being until she comes back from her maternity leave.

I can't believe it~!

2008-08-13T00:04:00.000+08:00

I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it! I ABSOLUTELY can’t believe it!

My older cousin, Guo Jian Kor Kor, proposed to his girlfriend on 8^th August 2008 at Sentosa. He announced this news on the family portal yesterday…

And I just found it out.

I can’t believe it… Will some kind soul hand me a shot of tequila? Make that 2. Scratch that, even a whole bottle of Tequila is not enough to calm my nerves or 压惊, as the chi call it.

GJ kor has always been the quiet, serious and cautious type who did not ever strike me in my mind to be the type that will propose to his GF. Heck, more like his GF has to propose to HIM. SO right now, I’m still reeling in shock that HE proposed to his GF.

Maybe I’m just over-reacting. But he has always been my bro and right now I still think that I’m a kid. But apparently, everyone did some growing up and hence, it was a big shock to find out that in a blink of an eye, they are about to get married. Looks like they’ve all grown up, getting married and all. NO longer “kids” but now we have joined the legion of “grown-ups”.

How I wish to be Peter Pan…

That aside, AHEM! Time for the festivities to commence! Chi believe 8^th August 2008 or 080808 is an suspicious day for getting married because “8” sounds like “fa” which means riches.

Oh yeah, they are getting married 2 years down the road. Haha! I WANNA BE BRIDESMAID!

That said, can I faint from shock now? *faints*

Military Humor

2008-08-06T23:25:00.003+08:00

I saw this from a website that I can't remember. But it's utterly hilarious!

“Military operational tactics (Snake model)

Infantry:
Snake smells them, leaves area.

Airborne:
Lands on and kills the snake.
Armour:
Runs over snake, laughs, and looks for more snakes.
Air Force:
Has GPS coordinates to snake. Can't find snake. Returns to base for refuel, crew rest and manicure.
US Ranger:
Plays with snake, then eats it.

Field Artillery:
Kills snake with massive Time On Target barrage with three Forward Artillery Brigades in support. Kills several hundred civilians as unavoidable collateral damage. Mission is
considered a success and all participants (i.e., cooks, mechanics and clerks) are awarded Medals.

Special Forces:
Makes contact with snake, ignores all Ministry of Defence directives and Theatre Commander Rules of Engagement by building rapport with snake and winning its heart and mind. Trains it to kill other snakes. Files enormous travel settlement upon return.

US Navy SEAL:
Expends all ammunition and calls for naval gunfire support in failed attempt to kill snake. Snake bites SEAL and retreats to safety. Hollywood makes fantasy film in which SEALS
kill fanatical extremist snakes.
Navy:
Fires off 50 cruise missiles from various types of ships, kills snake and makes presentation to MOD Appropriations Committee on how Naval forces are the most cost-effective means of anti-snake Force projection.
Marine:
Kills snake by accident while looking for souvenirs. Local civilians demand removal of all military forces from Area of Operations.
Marine Recon:
Follows snake, gets lost.” – Military Humour

XD Locked, Cocked & ready to Rock!

Happy Birthday~!

2008-08-04T00:00:00.001+08:00

Happy birthday, Shi Hui~!

Am I the first one to wish you happy birthday? Haha!

One of my best friends, Shi Hui, is turning 20 years old today. So yeah. She's a Leo and is currently studying in NTU for a degree in Psychology. Smart, eh?

Anyway, here’s a shout out to her!

Hey SH, hope that things goes smoothly for you in your social life, school life and Ahem! Most definitely your LOVE life~! XD

All the best in the upcoming year~!

Bye bye bro~!

2008-08-01T20:41:00.000+08:00

Bro flew back to Australia today. His flight was at 7pm and I rushed all the way down from my workplace in Tanjong Pagar so that I will be able to make it in time to see him off. It really was my first time taking the MRT to Chang Airport and it was cool~!

Anyway, Bro did not shift the modem back into my room when I reminded him to do so. After all, He shifted it to HIS room in the first place. ROAR~!!! Teme~!!!!

In addition, today marks the start of another month at my workplace. Hence officially, I worked there for 1 month already and I will be getting my pay soon. Yippee~! I can’t help getting excited to know about that. After all, Payday is the only reason why anyone is working, isnt’t it??

Come to think of it, I hadn't really blogged much about my new workplace. When people read my blog, they compared my new workplace, SD, with TP. Often, they commented that SD is so much uneventful compared to TP. Well, Truth to tell, there're times when it gets really boring but there're times when things get really interesting. I just didn't blog about it.

Such as the tale of the French guy who used the Ladies instead of the Gents. And he wasn’t even embarrassed about it. Poor Si Ying. She got such a shock when she opened the door only to find Mr French Man serenely washing his hands.

“Erm, this is the Ladies’ toilet…” SiYing had said after an awkward moment of silence (after she got over her shock of course).

Mr French Man had apparently stared at her with a “So?” expression. Are the toilets UNISEX in France? O_o

Si Ying had told Daphne who, in turn, told me. Haha... Daphne had definitely told someone else who in turn spread it to someone else. You know the drill of gossiping. XD In the end I think all the Singaporeans in the company knows about it. That’s about half the total number of people in the company. The rest’s made up of Ang Mo expats, none of them good-looking. =X

So that’s it… For now… Will continue to update this blog. Ciao~

P.S: Read my previous blog entry about W again after I calmed down. Think I have been a tad too harsh on him. ><>

The Moronic idiot

2008-07-28T21:47:00.005+08:00

I was treated to lunch today during work. Reason: W²’s birthday. Actually, There’s no reason why W²should treat me given that we are both working in different divisions. Him in Management and me in DeepWaters. I think the only reason why he invited me along was because of Eileen. If I didn’t go, I don’t think Eileen will go either.

Yup… Poor guy’s in love with Eileen who is, if you guys read her blog, in love with J. My my, what a love triangle. It was amusing to watch…. Until it crossed the line.

I hadn’t mind going to the lunch (Hey! it's free!) and at the end of it, I was bloated. So when W suggested Teh Halia, I declined. Come on man, you want me to explode? Eileen rejected as well but W was persistent in getting her to drink. Finally she gave in and ordered a Teh Peng but I can see she was not happy.

Imagine my surprise and irritation when it turns out I have a Teh Halia. I SPECIFICALLY asked NOT to have one. Which idiot ordered it? Need I say it out loud?

Yes, I know he did it out of what little goodwill he still has in his heart. But when I rejected, Common Sense as well as Courtesy and EQ knows to leave me the hell alone. Nope, apparently W lacks all 3.

I didn’t even drink beyond ¼ of it. So did Eileen. Ah well… this is just a minor matter… After all, I didn’t pay for the drink. And you know my motto: Anything that's free warrants no complaints. But W went even further for Eileen.

Apparently, after lunch, he called Eileen to ask her for breakfast tomorrow morning. Eileen, rejected saying that she was having break fast with J.

W: “The day after tomorrow?”

E: “W, I have a boyfriend already. And I’m spending as much time as possible with him before he leaves for China again. Besides, if you want to ask me out, you have to ask my boyfriend.”

W: “Then can I have your BF’s number?”

That imbecile really called J to ask: “Hey, Can I ask your GF out for breakfast tomorrow?”

Obviously, J replied, “ No.”

“What about the day after tomorrow?” You have got to be kidding me W really asked this.

“No. and are you going to ask her until next year? If you continue like this, We aren’t brothers anymore.”

W put down the phone and a while later, called J again.

“Since you’re going back to China next week, Can I ask your GF out from next week onwards?”

… … … I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen, he really asked J this question. Should I applaud him for being so fantastically insensitive or should I envy him for having a skin that most probably could withstand a missile attack?

Recent news announced successful studies on the skin of a “Dinasaur Eel” that can help in future designs for bomb proof armor (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080728/tts-science-military-fishes-offbeat-c1b2fc3.html). Apparently, it’s not needed at all. We already have a bomb-proof moron here.

Call me biased but if anyone does the above, I think it warrants instant “firing”. Besides, a lot of things happened which I personally experienced that did nothing to give me a good impression of him. This would even be an understatement. In addition, W called P a bimbo which I think is highly inaccurate. I think P is one of the more capable ladies in the company.

I pity Eileen... really...

Ramblings

2008-07-21T21:19:00.002+08:00

It had been 13 days since I last updated my blog. Not sure why but I just can’t seem to find the inspiration to write. Things has been monotonous in my Company since one of the drill ships, Polaris, had set sail. The next ship, Capella, is due to set sail in Dec so right now, things has been pretty dull. I have been reduced to doing filing in the absence of work. Not that I mind, considering I’m allowed to listen to my mp3.

My bro has been back for exactly 13 days, then. Most of the chocolate he brought back is still sitting in my fridge. I have no idea why but I lost the appetite for it since, well, since my bro came back. Maybe the large amount of chocolate he brought back became a large turn-off. Oops. ><

Haiz… Forgive my ramblings but I’m so bored sometimes I just have no idea what to talk or write about. Right now, I’m updating for the sake of updating just because I can’t stand the thought that all my friends have things to blog about and I don’t.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY MUSE?! WHERE ARE YOU, MUSE?!

*Ahem* Anyway, to my Japanese sensei (you know who you are), When are we having our next jap lesson? We have been procrastinating so much that I think I forgot all my jap le. Sobz… money-making plan already half in action so I guess it’s half done. Which means, Operatin JPN is in progress… And as for the rest of my goals? Half blown to hell. XP oh man…

P.S: Heard from my friend that my life in TP seem much more eventful than right now. Hate to say it, but i kinda agree. It's not everyday you get water chillers erupting hot water.

Surprise~!

2008-07-08T23:18:00.004+08:00

Bro’s came back home at about 11pm plus. Best of all, he didn’t let us know. WHAT THE HELL? HE DIDN’T LET US KNOW!

To think I was looking to go to Changi Airport for a look see… Anyway, bro knows how to appease me by buying LOADS of chocolates! Yippee!

Check them out!

And some sauces he bought for my mum:

All these in addition to the 5 packets of chocolate that is still lying dormant in my fridge. XD

Haha! Great to see ya again, Bro! Welcome back to Singapore!

lesson 1: Warding off insurance agents

2008-07-06T01:08:00.005+08:00

The Return of the King had aired on Channel 5 tonight and being the die-hard fan that I am, I definitely watch it even though I seldom watch TV.

During the commercial break, I saw this advertisement about Dakota residences. This suddenly refreshed my memory about a certain group of white-collared workers: financial consultants. Sounds big and cool, don’t they?

For those of you still in the clouds about who they really are, let me simplify their job into 2 words: Insurance Agents. Does this ring a bell now?

What strikes me (and almost everybody else) about insurance agents is that they are relentless in trying to get people to buy their policies. One devious tactic is to ‘pose’ as a surveyor and ask you to fill up a form. If you consent to fill it up, you’re fair game for the next step: their pitch for a new insurance plan or whatsoever. That’s when we have to sit through god-knows-how-long of explanation about this plan and the fat lot of good it did.

I must have the word “Sucker” on my forehead because the agents always seem to approach me. And being the Sucker that I think I am, I fell for this trick for a hell lot of times before I wised up and learnt NOT to fill up anymore forms just because I pity the surveyors.

ANYWAY, the point of this blog entry is that I learnt some ways to shake off insurance agents who prowled the MRT stations. Here goes, in ascending order:

#3: Go as a couple. Apparently, if you are a lovey-dovey couple, male insurance agents are disinclined to approach because then the boyfriend will assume you are hitting on his girl. If it’s a female agent, then the girlfriend will assume she is hitting on HER boyfriend. Never knew if this trick works because I have yet to experience it.

#2: Never dress up in office clothes. In shirt and jeans, I seldom get caught. The one time I went for an interview dressed in formal wear, I got caught. -___-

#1: NEVER EVER make eye contact with any of them. The few times I got caught even if I’m dressed like a student was because I decided to look at them curiously and made eye contact with 1 of them.

Any other times I got caught by the agents were due to my stupidity to fall for their “I-am-doing-a-survey” trick.

SO yeah, a few tricks for you guys. Oh yeah, Pray that my cousin is not reading this. He is becoming a Financial Advisor (AKA insurance agent) for Prudential. If he sees this entry, I’m dead.

Ah, speaking of this, if you wanna buy any insurance policies, drop a comment and i will pass you my cousin's contact. In addition, he's SINGLE and AVAILABLE. So calling out to all LADIES~!!

First week of my new job

2008-07-04T20:57:00.002+08:00

Week 1 of my new job is over. I can’t really believe it . I know I did say that I will report on my first day of work but apparently my first day of work had nothing to talk about. Even up till now, I still have nothing to talk about my work except that there’s a hell lot of paperwork to do and lots of ang-mos around.

The paperwork’s staggering. Now I finally understand why people begrudge them so. >_<

At any rate, I find myself having to OT 1 ½ hrs today. On one hand, I’m glad to be able to earn extra cash from the OT. On the other, I'm super irritated because I have a dinner with my mum, jap lesson at night and in addition, I’m down with flu due to the uber-powerful air con in the company. With an air con like that, we can really stop global warming and glacial melting in the poles. I kid you not.

Gods… OT really couldn’t have come at a worst time. Nevertheless, I managed to finish my work (Hallelujah!) and I high-tailed out of there. I got a feeling that I’m going to OT a lot more times in the coming future. >_<>

In any case, I’m going to have to prepare a winter coat and scarf because I’m pretty sure a normal jacket is not going to be enough.

Freedom at last, God Almighty! Freedom at last!

2008-06-30T13:16:00.001+08:00

I can’t really believe it. The day that I have been looking forward to since 2 months ago is finally here. At last comes the last day of my temp contract with TP. At last comes the day when I can finally claim my pay and get rich (slightly). At last come the day when I will finally be 1 step closer to my Operation JPN trip.

And god, does it feels good~! Today was a day of slacking and celebration. Granted there are things to do and I manage to compete most of it. I also had a very nice lunch at Bistro Walk with Alyssa, Charmaine, Royston, Lester and 2 other lecturers whom I have the pleasure of meeting during lunch.

We ordered so much food each because we didn’t know that each serving is so large. I was supposed to share my desert waffles with Alyssa but she has to leave before it arrive. -_- Too bad. I guess I have to let it go to waste until Lester suggested (sabo-ed) Royston to eat it. Wakaka

You got to hand it to Royston. Single-handedly, he demolished a total of 1 bowl of cream of mushroom, 1 ½ plate of Fish & Chips, 2 brownies, 1 ½ waffles, and more fries. O_o Let me take this opportunity to tell you that the portions of food are NOT small at all. Practically all the food servings are like American-sized.

Anyway, Lunchtime pass by swiftly. The company was good as everyone chitchat with one another. Now this is the type of lunchtime I liked. Good food, good company, good atmosphere.

A little sad that soon I will be leaving. Tomorrow onwards, I will be working at Eileen’s company. Hm… will that be good or bad?

Yay~!

2008-06-29T00:17:00.003+08:00

I’m in a good mood today. Good luck seems to have befallen on me since Thursday.

Thursday:

- Found the temp access card that I have lost for 1 week.

- My cells seem to have grown without contamination

Friday:

- Found a $2 on my way out

- Mr L treated me to lunch just when I don’t have any money.

Today:

- Manage to get Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien.

- Watched Wanted (even though it’s not nice)

The atmosphere during lunch with Mr L was awkward but I appreciate his treating me to lunch. And I donated the $2 that I found to Charity. Hey, it’s not mine. No use spending it. Who knows when Karma's coming back biting my ass doubly hard? I have enough experience of Kharma and it's sister, Irony. Thank you very much.

And I got the lastest book by Mr Tolkien - Children of Hurin! Sobz... Finally~! Now all that’s left is the History of Middle-Earth. God, I’m SO going to go broke. T~T

Broke & beat...

2008-06-25T20:37:00.000+08:00

I’m beat, having to support 3 classes of practicals consecutively… You got to hand it to the kids. The amount of trouble they get into is unbelievable.

1^st) They (nearly) spoiled a fermenter that costs 100,000. Now something’s wrong with the heating element and I have to answer to my boss.

2^nd) They sit on the bench tops that are used for experiments only, not for resting their butts.

And my fave:

3^rd) They opened a bottle of concentrated Hydrochoric Acid – those fuming, extremely corrosive kind – with their bare hands, when the bottle’s clearly labeled “HCl – CONC 37%”

… What are kids learning in school nowadays?

In addition, I lost my access card to the labs. Now I have to make a police report and pay the fines. Heard from 1 source it’s $200 but I don’t think it’s that expensive. But it’s not going to be cheap either. >_<

Adding to this fact is that I’m Drop Dead Broke. So how am I going to pay for the fines and my meals till end of July?

Oh hell…

Repos dans la paix

2008-06-23T21:36:00.002+08:00

I had a busy day today. Accompanied mom to the hospital for her routine medical check up and send her back before heading out to an interview at Eileen’s company. I got the job, thanks to the timing – they need a temp and I need a job. I need to leave right when their perm comes back from maternity leave. So Thanks to Eileen for recommending me this job! Don’t say I never say Thank you wor…

The moment I came back, I was all tired out from the whole day and mum informs me that our TV had passed away due to old age. Huh? Since when? Apparently, she couldn't manage to switch it on as per normal. -_- In the end I have to go to Hougang Mall with her to get a new one.

So right now, I’m so tired my eyes are drooping. Haiz… I still have work tomorrow and my new job at SeaDrill starts the next day after I end my contract with TP. I GET NO REST! Sobz… 5 months… Tahan 5 months… Then it’s off to Japan or Bangkok. Haha

Oh ya, a dedication to my TV who served us loyally and doggedly for 11 years: Rest In Peace, TV. We won’t forget you, even though we already gotten your replacement and forget what model you are.

Much ado about shifting...

2008-06-19T21:24:00.001+08:00

I woke up late today. Super late. I woke up like 1 hr late.

Damn, and my new office’s right under the Deputy Director’s nose, who loves any excuse to kick up a fuss.

What a bad start… Thankfully I made it to school by 8.45pm, and I did not encounter any personnel as I entered the Zoo that I shared with fellow residents Roy, Siti and Alyssa.

Hehehe, the reason it’s called the Zoo (or Aquarium) was because the room was paneled with 2 windows, instead of one like the normal offices, to allow the office personnel walking by to check in on the SIP students using the room. Hence, it’s called the Zoo. And we, being the users of the Zoo, are now known as the Zoo Residents.

-_-ll Barely a day shifting into the Zoo had all 4 of us known as the Zoo Residents, by all the lecturers and TSOs in the level 4 office block. What the Hell? Didn’t know we are THAT famous.

So Today is Shifting Day as all the TSOs from my former office shifted their stuff to their new offices. Everybody was making a hell lot of noise and complaints and I agree with it. I mean, what’s up with shifting D to sit in E’s place; E to sit in F’s place; F to sit in G’s place; and G to sit in God-knows-where, when you can actually shift D to sit in God-knows-where and save a mountain load of trouble for everyone?

...When the Higher-ups are making decisions, it’s the lower-downs who suffers – badly...

In addition to shifting all of my stuff to the Zoo, I still have to take care of my disciples, Ruzaini and Zhen Jie. They are definitely slackers. Yesterday, they could have made the cell agar, spread it on agar plates and grow the cells. But no, They make the media and when I came in today, they just started spreading it on the agar plate. O_o?

Who cares. If they can’t finish their Major Project, it’s their loss. I have to run outside to purchase some stuff for them to use and do as well.

At the end of the day, I’m beat – and PC-less again. When I rushed for the 72 home, I was just millimeters from reaching it. But like all bus drivers, this particular bus driver did not see any need to look at me and instead look the other way. -_-lll In conclusion, I missed it and have to queue up. Since I’m near the head of the queue, and there’s only 2 people, I tried cutting from front to the back, only to have the 2^nd person offer me his place in front instead.

So I became queue person # 2 while he dropped from #2 to #3. Talk about chivalry. I didn’t know it still exists in this age… In SINGAPORE, of all places! But nevertheless, it does brighten up my day …. ^_^

GRATZ, Ah Beng Kor Kor

2008-06-15T23:53:00.001+08:00

Hehe… First and foremost…

CONGRATULATIONS, AH BENG KOR KOR! For finally getting married!

Yeah, I just came back from his wedding dinner. He was half drunk when the night is over. Haha… I look forward to his Ang Bao the following year! XD

Now the next question: I wonder which one of us cousins will be next to get married. Definitely not me, though. Not possibly my bro as well, call it the 6^th sense. Big Cousin – Sis is already married. AMK sis is also married, with 2 kids. I bet it will be Shi Ya Jie Jie (Chi for Older sis) or Guo Jian Kor Kor.

Wahaha. I told Shi Ya Jie Jie already. When she gets married, she should make me one of her bridesmaid. XD Shi ya Jie Jie agreed and so, it’s a deal!

Anyway, the older generation was reminiscing about how fast time passes and how we are already grown-up. This prompted me to ask: How did they meet each other in the first place?

Haha, My mum and Dad met in a workplace and things snowballed from there. Mum’s a secretary in charge of handling the admin part of the renovations and Dad’s the foreman in charge of handling the physical parts of the work.

Auntie Annabel and Uncle Gilbert were 21 when they first met, at a party. Auntie Annabel’s classmate was Uncle Gilbert’s army mate. Apparently, Auntie Annabel missed the last bus back at Serangoon Gardens and Uncle Gilbert sent her home. Before she left, he got her contact number. After numerous exchanges (ie. Letter writings and dates), they got married. Aww… How sweet~~

Auntie Laura and Uncle Larry couldn’t remember how they first met. I asked Uncle Larry first and he couldn’t remember. Haha, all of us joked that he’s going to get interrogated back home by Auntie Laura, who also sheepishly answered that she couldn’t remember at all. Aw man…

The way Uncle Bob and Aunt Susan met each other are the strangest. They didn’t meet in Singapore, even though both are Singaporeans. They met in Tioman. Haha, considering that they are both the outdoors type, it isn’t surprising that they clicked, I guess.

Fate has a strange way, hasn’t it? Had Auntie Annabel managed to take the last bus, would she still have met Uncle Gilbert? Uncle Bob and Aunt Susan met outside Singapore when in Singapore, they didn’t and they are both Singaporeans. And I also remember the daughter of Uncle Sado ( Mum’s colleague) meeting her current husband overseas in London when they already knew in Singapore. She left for overseas studies. They lost contact. 2 years later, he flew to London and they saw each other on the streets. Talk about fate…

Are such things destined? If it is, are there gods and higher powers? All things (love, supernatural, luck, etc) point to that. But if that’s the case, why do we bother striving so hard for, since things may be destined? How true is the saying “Believe in yourself, and you will succeed” comes about?

Ah well, I’m feeling instrospective… or as Alyssa says, feeling super-emo. ><

Bad day AGAIN

2008-06-11T22:56:00.005+08:00

I have the absolutely worse luck this week.

Monday: emo-ing and had a fight with my friend.

Tuesday: Had an extremely bad day even though it was amusing now that I look back but I still remember the stress and agitation at that time.

Today: Sucky day as usual. Experiment that was supposed to be performed on Tuesdays is not still run by today due to contamination.

What’s up with God making this week extremely sucky? Nothing’s going according to plan at all. It’s like Murphy’s Law with a vengeance. Anything that could go wrong goes wrong and things that should NOT go wrong at all goes wrong as well.

Isn’t it enough to drive someone crazy? Once again, I have to say, each time I even consider renewing my contract as a temp TSO, something pops out to make me re-consider.

For lunch, I brought home cooked food and microwaved it for too long. Hence, The rice taste like cardboard; The fish cake taste like rubber; the chicken taste like pork and the hotdog has the same texture of biscuits (it is CRUNCHY! Like biscuits!). Nevertheless, I finished the lunch.

The one good thing was that Alyssa brought her family’s mee siam to share with everyone in the lab. I got some as well as 1 whole egg. Alyssa kept it for me. Thank god she did that, it was the one thing that managed to lift my spirits up a little. =)

I complained to Alyssa about my sucky week and she reminded me about something: Experiments don’t always work the way we want. Why else would they be called EXPERIMENTS? It’s better to have done everything wrong than to have done everything right and end up with sucky results…

Oh, I remember this… I encountered this in one of my experiments when I was in Thailand. =X

Anyway, I have to OT on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, I have a wedding banquet to attend on Sunday night. Hopefully, I can get the experiment up and running tomorrow and things will be OK from then on.

Though given my luck this week, I got a feeling it will be sucky as usual and that the experiment will be delayed once again.

Whichever God up there, please stop tormenting me… I really had enough…

A whole series of shocking events... Literally

2008-06-10T20:46:00.003+08:00

Today was one of the suckiest days in the whole history of my working life.

In the morning, while we were washing the fermentation tank, Ruzaini accidentally poured fermentation media onto my jeans and shoes. I had to walk around with a stench like vomit. =.= Thank god Ruth was kind enough to lend me her skirt and Elizabeth her shoes.

Roy had immediately teased me about my wearing a skirt (‘Wah Seh! This is the first time I’ve seen you wear a skirt in the whole 3 years that I know you’). T_T What can I say? The stench of the fermented media sucks more than the skirt. The moment I went inside the lift, the students inside complained of a vomit-y smell. >.<

The heart attack came in the afternoon. Or rather, Heart attacks. We prepared a fresh batch of media for fermentation. When we wanted to sterilize it, we realized we forgot to add in a certain component. Hence, we switched off the sterilization mode to cooling mode and switched on the cool water valve from the chiller to induce chilling (sterilization involve heating).

Unfortunately, we did not switch open the drainage valve, causing the water to route back to the chiller. In other words, MAYHEM!

The increase in water pressure caused the water to erupt from the chiller via the pressure bulb (which is like a plastic water bottle on top of the chiller) like Mt Vesuvius on a high.

And it’s not cold water, it’s HOT water! I can still remember all of us pressing the panic button. AHHH!!!! /\ToT|\

“It’s hot! It’s hot! Not cold water! It’s hot water!” Ruzaini was screaming away.

“It’s a chiller! It’s supposed to be spewing cold water, not hot water! What the hell? What do we do?? What do we do?!” Zhen Jie was looking at me in desperation.

“What the hell are you guys looking at me for? I have no idea! It’s not supposed to be spewing out water in the first place!” I was wringing my hands and look ready to murder someone if it could solve the problem. Already, I can feel my heart failing with the stress.

All 3 of us ran around the lab like headless chickens, tearing the hair from our skulls and screaming like rabid monkeys… Ok, that’s an exaggeration. Onwards with the truth…

Since I was the Technical Support Officer (TSO), I was the ringleader, so to speak. I HAVE to know what to do, even if I really don’t. I traced the water pipes to the drainage valve and open it, praying that it will solve our problem and stop the “Wa-lcano” eruption. After all, for the water to enter, there should be an exit, right? Where better than the drainage valve?

It did. The “Wa-lcano” eruption stopped. Hallelujah! T~T

You guys have no idea the relief I felt at that time. Or rather, the relief the 3 of us felt if I can go by the sighs from the other 2.

Now, the next problems: the water on the floor and the pressure bulb with the blown –out hole. Oh boy… How am I going to explain this to Mr L?

First thing first, we mopped up the water on the floor. That’s when we got our 2^nd heart attack: Dr X came into the lab.

“What’s going on here?” he walked into the lab gingerly, holding his pants up with one hand. All 3 of us froze, deathly white in shock. Dr X is famous for chewing out people. For more info, see my prev blog entries on 21^st May 2008.

Thankfully, I was behind the fermentor mopping up the water and I stayed there, leaving

Ruzaini to deal with Dr X. Ruzaini mumbled some answer that I can’t hear. Haiz, I can’t let him die alone. One for all and All for one.

“We made a mistake. We forgot to turn open the drainage valve. Can we do the fermentation tomorrow instead?” I said in a dejected tone, looking exhausted and sad, hoping that it will be enough to convince him. Hopefully, we can get out of this without a scolding. Zhen Jie and Ruzaini immediately copied me, looking like lost puppies that have been abused. Smart kids!!

Dr X didn’t look happy but he relented. He even said it’s OK to make mistakes, just learn from it and he left soon after. Thank god. Now what’s left is to break the news to Mr L.

That’s when the 3^rd heart attack came: Mr L called my cell phone. Shit!

I looked to the other 2 for help. They immediately picked up the mops and start mopping. Traitors!

“Hello, Mr L?”

“Eh, HP. You guys doing the fermentation now ah?” oh boy…

Gulping, I answered. “Erm… Mr L… I have something serious to tell you.”

“har? What thing?”

I promptly lost my courage and asked/yelled the other 2, “eh… You guys talk to him lah. I do the mopping.”

“You the TSO! You talk lah!”

>.<

“Erm. Mr L, we made a mistake…”

“You all never switch on the drainage valve, right?”

“Yeah, we did not... How do you know?!”

“I heard you yelling about mopping the floor. Next time dun wan me hear then cover the mouth piece lah. Anyway, nothing big lah. Just on the drainage valve, and mop up the water can liao. The water drainage system in our lab not very good. You never mop up then downstairs will kena.”

“Orh.. Ok Ok… Ok Ok… but sir, erm, the pressure bulb on the chiller has a hole” Incoming atomic bomb blast…

“hole? Oh, that one ah? That one is Jiu Fu make one. Nothing much de. Just fill with water as per normal” Wait, what? So it’s not our fault?

“Oh…ok…”

“Ok ah? Then bye bye.” Click…

Phew… Anyway, it was about 5.30 pm when we finally finished the mopping and collapsed onto the chairs. Mr L came in to check on us.

“finish everything le ah?.” He enquired. All 3 of us gave tired nods and he tried to suppress a smirk. Keyword: TRIED.

“Wah lao, Mr L. We just kena heart attacks… Now u smiling away.” I complained.

“ya lor…” and “ ‘cher! You sadist sia…” from Zhen Jie and Ruzaini.

Mr L, trying to look innocent but failing horribly, looked around at the damp floor and said, “Wah, flood like only half the lab. I remember Jiu Fu they all flooding the entire lab and beyond.”

It was a small bit of comfort to know that they, being the pros, can cause a flood worse than us. Looks like we’re not that bad, eh?

“You lucky Dr X never come and see. I remember he scolded Jiu Fu & Jian Lei until like dunno what.”

“No leh, He came and saw and allowed to postpone the fermentation till tomorrow.”

Ruzaini answered.

Mr L looked shocked. “Heh? He allow?! Wah, I remember he scold Jiu Fu & Jian Lei. He blow the matter up very big.”

“Big?” I asked.

“Ya lah, Big enough until even I heard it. Anyway, you guys just keep it on. Don’t worry about making mistakes, unless you guys blow up the bioreactors. Then you guys on your own. Ok? Now go back and rest and 压惊.”

Without a word, we trooped out after Mr L tiredly. What a series of unfortunate events… =.= I need alcohol to 压惊 or calm my nerves…

Over & Done: Round 2

2008-06-10T09:01:00.002+08:00

Aha… Looks like I ruffled a few feathers already… Make that a LOT of feathers from the same chicken. Erm, no other meanings other than the original one. Apparently,my CBox have just turned into a fighting ground…

Looks like I have to enforce 2 ground rules in my blog

#1 MY BLOG MY RULES.

#2 I SAY WHAT I WANT WHENEVER I WANT HOWEVER I WANT HERE IN MY BLOG. But Leen’s comments will be taken into consideration and noted. Don’t like it, feel free to say it out in the cBox and I will reconsider my opinion if your comments are constructive.

Leen, Don’t think your BF needs to impress me for anything. I ain’t your mum, I’m not going to ask you to break up with him or anything. If you are with him, it’s cool. You say that I’m being too straightforward and now that I think about it, it’s true.

But nevertheless, Look at ground rule # 2. You said that I’m being too straightforward and asked whether I considered other’s feelings with my comments. In the beginning, why did you even agree with me on my comments? O.o? You agreed in the first place and now you turn around and accuse me. Which is what?

I was confused about this until a person, Miss R, told me, “Granted you are their friend but since they’re a couple, they’ll still turn around and say, What does our relationship have to do with you? This is emotions. They muddle the mind the most. ”

A very good point: Never ever meddle in someone’s affairs, no matter how close they are to you. Alamak, Why was I so Kay-Po in the beginning? ><

As Miss R says, This is part & parcels of life and interaction. Interpersonal skills is one that I'm sadly lacking in and see no need to brush up on.

P.S: Don’t think I will take down this blog. Too much memories – This is my 1st blog and one that I set up in Thailand.

Over & done...

2008-06-09T14:36:00.002+08:00

Apparently, I just found now that my blog has the power to wreck B-G relationships, not mine obviously. Just this morning, a friend of mine complained that my comments on MY blog nearly wrecked her BG relationships. I thought about it and I would seriously like to clarify a few things:

1) My blog, my rules. Don’t like, don’t read. Nobody placed a gun to your head and forced you to read it.
2) An outsider’s comments are not enough to break up a relationship, if the bond between you and your guy IS STRONG ENOUGH. I heard this from 3 different sources. Don’t make your r/s problems sound as if I caused it.
3) I’m too straightforward, true. But if your BF decides to steal your cellphone to read your messages, shouldn’t you be pissed off with your BF instead? Why should you get angry with me just because I texted a few truths he won’t like hearing about?

The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. Seth’s right. Anyway, should I be flattered that my blog has such a great power to influence people? Since I obviously can’t write my own opinion in MY OWN BLOG, then I guess there’s no point keeping this blog.

Just like there’s no point keeping fair-weathered friends. Especially those who rather accuse her friends (who stuck with her no matter what) then her BF. So why do I stick by them? That’s a good question.

Most likely, this blog will either be taken down or made available to the select few, whichever suits me.

Life’s sucks. If there’s anybody who still wants to view what I’m writing in this blog, Leave your email in your comment.

God, I’m feeling so emo/bitchy today. Monthly PMS? I wonder.

Of students & sports

2008-06-04T22:38:00.003+08:00

2 new students came in on yesterday to start their 4 mth long SIP – Zhen Jie and Ruzaini. I cut them some slack yesterday but today, there’s quite a lot to clear. In addition to teaching them about their project, I had them to help clean up and re-organize the entire lab.

I had Zhen Jie be the washer man while I gave Ruzaini the task of making Sodium Hydroxide – Concentrated version. I left him to figure out where to find materials and equipment. After all, I’m leaving soon. It won’t do for me to coddle them at all. Meanwhile I helped Zhen Jie do the washing, which was rather a lot.

When we finished, we set off to find Ruzaini. “I wonder if Ruzaini will get scolded by Elizabeth.” I speculated aloud. Elizabeth was the TSO in charge of the rather large Microbiological lab of which mine was part of.

We found him in the Chemical Preparation lab. “Did you get scolded by Elizabeth?” I asked. He nodded mutely, causing me and Zhen Jie to explode into gales of laughter. Oops, I accidentally ‘sabo-ed’ my junior/student. XD

I also accidentally pranked Zhen Jie once as well. One of our experiment involved fermenting waste wood compose. So we dried the waste wood in the oven. As Zhen Jie spread the waste wood in the oven, Ruzaini tried to scare me.

“Who knows, there might be something creeping in the wood~~” He whispered in a creepy voice. Pseudo-innocently, I said, “What? Earthworm?”

Zhen Jie, who obviously hadn’t heard our conversation, paused in his work and said apprenhensively, “Eh? Where?” sending me and Ruzaini into laughter-land.

Of course, I accidentally pranked myself as well. I have to translate the conversation between Shah and Jian Lei, who was a china student. “Jian Lei’s a student in the degree of Biotechnology, specializing in Fertilisation” I had said when the correct field was Fermentation. =X Zhen Jie and Ruzaini and promptly started howling with laughing and I was not far behind. XD

Hehe, I actually did nothing much in the lab today, merely supervised. I.e: i asked them to do all the work and i just sat there shaking my legs. Hey, I'm just doing what my boss told me~ X-3 The best part is, Zhen Jie and Ruizaini have to obey all my instructions because (a) I'm still the TSO of the lab, (b) I'm older (c) I'm a staff.

God, It's good to be the boss.

Anyway, the main event to end the day was the Inter-School Captain ball competition which even my boss, Mr L, took part in. We were up against Engineering School’s team of TSOs and lecturers. I was late to the whole event because I wasn’t very keen and even tried to back out by giving the excuse I have work (which is true, by the way). Alyssa rectified the situation by handing her handphone to my boss.

“Harlo? The competition starting. Come here now. Leave the work for tomorrow.”

… … If my boss says Jump, I jump. And so I set off for the sports hall. In the 1^st half, I was reluctant to do much but jump around. That is, until one of the engineering lecturers stomped my right foot.

... Did I mention I’m paranoid about my right foot because it sustained a serious injury before? And the arsehole just stomp on it... This means WAR.

In the 1^st half, we lost 1:5. In the 2^nd half, I heck care about pain, injuries and harm to others. It’s WAR, damnnit. I got into the heat of the game and managed to wrestle the ball quite a number of times. Slowly, Applied Science school caught up. We won 11:6.

Muahaha, Of course, most of it is not my credit alone. If there is someone who can take the credit alone, it’ll be Wallace, a chemical engineering lecturer. He managed to throw the ball from one end of the court to another a few times, and each time, he scored a perfect throw. O.O

Still, pity we won’t be up against them next week. I’m looking forward to physically thrash them. Alyssa got hit by them a couple of times as well. I got 3 bruises from them. >=(

I wonder who we are up against next week…

Save the Earth~~

2008-06-03T09:45:00.003+08:00

Looks like my attempts to Save the Earth is beginning to produce fruits. Just now, I heard Lao Ma (or Loh Heang, her real name) complain to a supplier about paperwork and how cutting it down will help save the trees which in turn can help save the earth.

O.o? Weren’t those my lines? Just days ago, I complained to her about the mountain of paperwork needed to be done to make just 1 simple purchase. Of course I went one step further. I complained about how cutting down paperwork can lead to less effort on our part and better efficiency.

Wakaka, to know that my efforts to save the earth have been adopted by another person kinda inflates my ego a bit. Granted her lines are the exact copies of mine. But you know what they say, Plagiarism is the highest form of praise, if the most insulting. But I don’t feel insulted at all. No, I don’t. Of course I don’t. After all, we are all working towards a common goal here – Save the Earth! XD

And yes, I’m blogging during work again. I have work to do, but I’m not keen on it. My mind is still stuck on Maple Story, especially the new sub-game, Monster Carnival or MC for short.

Within a few hours, I leveled once. Isn’t that awesome? No more slogging for eternity to level a pathetic once. Yesterday I teamed up with this level 32 bandit who spends most of his time hiding instead of fighting. I have to solo the entire map. Never mind being humiliated by the other team. That bandit still have the gall to take his chair out and rest. Wth?

After just once I left party and Keuga AKA AngreNost was kind enough to party with me and help in my training. He was good. I remember a game where we were losing by about 100 plus CP in the middle and at the end of the game, we won by about 250+ CPs. O.O People like these are the pros….

Another pro I met was SharkJedi whom I spent most of yesterday with MC-ing all the way. He's another one with an affinity for tactics. He was level 42 and I was level 47. But we fought against 2 level 50s and we lose, only by about 40+ CPs. I had expected the other team to completely trash our ass. ^^ Thank god we made plans before entering. We weren’t completely humiliated and gave up a good fight.

In addition, we managed to win against 2 other teams whose average levels are higher than ours. Monster Carnival is Awesome~~

Oh ya, I added SharkJedi into our guild because he was the friend of Sharkrage and SharkAntibow who are also my fellow guildmates. So right now, there are 3 sharks in my guild.

It’s official. Sharks are taking over the guild.