Maybe~

My dream was shattered with a disappointing email reply

But sometimes things happened for a reason

Maybe I should not venture into a new zone...

Maybe it was best that I stay and graze the current pasture...

since my path is still shining bright with great opportunities

Well... maybe~

Art of Peeling

Recently there had been some problems with creating new posts in Blogger... it's been almost a week and finally I manage to get some temporary solutions from the online help.

I was supposed to post my after-sunburn peeling on my limbs but after waiting for sooo long for Blogger to recover, the flaking process had finally ended. But I took some pictures at that time just to share the "Art of Peeling"...

Notice the super big piece of skin from my thigh... what an accomplishment!

Bubble-like peeling on my forearm

Rose-like pattern on my upper arm

The collection of "art pieces"

World of Warcraft (Part 3)

The itch is back~ (not talking about the peeling on my sun-burnt limbs)

I'm a Tauren Hunter this time...

But I'm not obssessed like before...

So no worries...

Close Shave

Yesterday's night shift was an interesting one...

1st of all, I got to know that two friends of mine were once a couple... for a short while, I heard~ and I had no idea of it even though I know he likes her. Well, that had became a sweet memory now and hope he could move on happily cos she already had~

Another interesting event was the 1st encounter I had during my 8yrs of work. It was a great learning experience and a critical one - made me wonder if I'm gonna get hurt in the process but luckily it didn't happen that way. Slow talk and calm tone does help in such situation... someone had to do it and there's no time to wait... forgive me if I made you guys worried about my safety *thanks* Anyway I wouldn't be standing so close (1m distance) if she's someone we dunno... cos uncertainties are scary~ and I do treasure my life...

My Babies...

I have a total of 4 babies from work so far~

Baby No.1
4 handsome on the outside but s*xually corrupted in the mind

4 dependable most of the times at work but occasionally had very poor health to report to Boss

4 recently obsessed with his new prawn-ing activity at the prawn farm

4 able to excel at work but dunno hiding his capabilities for what

4 still clearing the streets with me

Baby No.2
4 gangster-look on the outside but matured in thinking
4 street-smart and dependable at work too
4 accomplice in a case of Justice (and we're free from that now)
4 has a chipped tooth from his bike accident last year, which I also have one while swimming many years back
4 already got off our streets to ride on the road

Baby No.3
4 stylish young man with a decent plan of life ahead
4 expert in media designing so had him helped us in our powerpoint creation and video editing (which reaped us a total of S$950/= so far from the conventions)
4 interesting partner at work (so confirm dependable) and music supplier on msn (also very dependable on that)
4 also off from our streets to the Finance sector

Baby No.4
4 young adult-to-be (reaching 21 late this year) who LOVES playing basketball
4 1st baby to make me vomit blood on a few occasions within a month
4 self-claimed "horse" during a debriefing at work (heard he's found a "horse brother" recently - Kamaro)
4 funny guy who made us laughed when he spoke (esp. with his unexpected nonsensical phrases)
4 still learning how to clear the streets and improve on his communication skills to add more substance in it (he agreed on this part)

Waiting~

The thing had started a few days earlier than stated...

I had just completed filling up all the details...

The rest is to wait... for a good news hopefully~

PS: Pls pray hard for me...

Memoirs Of The 3 Days 2 Nites Trip

I'm back in Singapore!! But not that happy cos I'm back to reality~

Anyway the 3 days 2 nite journey was so short... went for a 1.5hr - 2hr snorkelling trip at the Marine Park at Pulau Redang for S$35/= per pax and it was a great experience for 1st-timers like us. The life-jacket and snorkelling masks are included in the package and you're supposed to snorkel on your own within a boundary (quite a big one thou... cos as you swim further, the clear sea gets darker blue in colour - meaning it's quite far from shore liao). I'm amazed by the vast number of fishes in the sea thou most of them look like the pomfret we eat... and I got nibbled at by one of the small fishes on my left upper arm (maybe my arm looks like the french loaf cos too fair liao~).

I also got to see a giant fish which is more than 1m long and 0.5m fat eating near the bottom of the seabed (scary)!! Well in case you dunno, I had this phobia of seeing big fishes swimming in front of my eyes and that's the reason why I dun dare to go diving... snorkelling was the best I can do~ Then there was this "someone" who got suddenly got freaked out by her own life-jacket's nylon straps which were black in colour with yellow stripes, and floating in the sea water around her (Note: this "someone" is damn scared of snakes... so she thought they had came to swim with her), which in turn also freaked me out by her sudden uncontrollable shrieks at sea~

The only bad memory was the sun burnt we got... on our thighs and arms... and we got those during the tender boat ride (those red and white boats hanging beside the ship) between Marine Park and Virgo. Now I can't stand straight on my legs cos those thighs hurt~ and they looked cooked...

When we returned to the ship, we had BBQ dinner at the poolside organised by Virgo~ and it was delicious... complemented with live band music. We also went to try out the new 2 cents jackpot machines (the previous 1 cent machines were gone~) and we invested S$20/= for its future developments.

Oh by the way, when we returned home and packed up our stuff, we realised that we had stayed in the same cabin as the one we went in 2003 - Cabin No. 9090. Amazing isn't it? Well... it was indeed an enjoyable trip and I would love to go again when my finance level had resumed~

Sunrise @ 0655hrs taken at our balcony (ahem... using my O2 Atom)

BBQ Dinner By The Poolside
(taken with my O2 again cos my useless Digicam spoilt)

Virgo~ Here I Come!!

Gonna go onboard "Virgo" in about... 4 more hours... and I haven packed my stuff yet!! Omg... I'm getting so excited about my 1st trip to Pulau Redang, although it's the 5th time on the same ship *haha*

Had always wanted to go Redang and enjoy the clear waters (as claimed by people), but had put away the plan due to the overnite coach journey (not nice to sleep wan~). Doesn't want to take filght there cos it's to expensive to splurge $$ juz like that... but then for cruise is different *haha* cos I can eat and sleep and relax and... do alot of stuff onboard!!

Okie... gotta go pack up and prepare myself for the short getaway~ Adios... Til We Meet Again~

Thanks~

Listening to nice music does make a sick person feel better~ especially songs that makes you reminiscence about the sweet memories...

Thanks to everyone's concern, Ah Sze is recovering from her nitemare sickness... puking is always a horror for me and I had done that twice yesterday *yucks*... diarrhoea is a common thing for me thou *hehe* well anyway, I'm gonna be back at work tomorrow~ hope the days from now onwards will be filled with happiness... for me... and everyone else~

Just wana say some words to the following people when I'm down with the sickness~

Shirlene : Thanks for EVERYTHING!!

Lawrence : Sorry for spoiling the initial plan at the stadium~

Bro D : Sorry for disrupting the roster~ (thou I noe he'll never get to read this haha)

Weibin : Sorry for postponing the prawning activity again (You said twice liao... and I noe~)

Baoli & Adrian : Thanks for the Birthday programs before I got super sick on my big day~

Great pals who sms me to ask me how I am today : THANKS for the concern... that's really sweet of YOU!!

Happy Black Birthday To Me~

It's my birthday today... but I didn't get to enjoy any of it~

Been sick since early this week- diarrhoea, nauseous, giddy, headache, body-ache, vomit (damn weak now) Last nite shift was a torture for me~ sitting in the car makes me wana puke but I was lucky that my partner was "Cas-Caller", cos I can rest indoors.

Had to visit Dr.Tan today cos my sickness got worse. Got a jab on my left upper arm instead of the proposed butt (which I rejected) cos he said I'm too boney and it might be painful *haha* but I took it well. He gave me a MC for tomorrow's day shift... but I'm still considering if I wana utilised it... had already plan something with Lawrence so dun wana spoil it. Will see if I get better tomorrow morning.

Hmm... people can eat cake on their birthday but all I can eat are pills~ what a black birthday for me *sob sob* and the only thing that comforts me on this day... is that Someone is taking good care of me. Thanks~

For T.X...

I dunno if you would ever read this... but thanks for the Steamboat dinner treat earlier~

I had thought it was supposed to be a two person meet-up session but ended up being 4 of us *haha* but it was still a nice gathering thou~ with non-stop eating and chit-chatting here and there about winning lucky draws and other stuff.

Thanks again to you and Jo for the advanced Birthday wishes and the "incomplete" hug along the way *haha* We'll meet up next time and catch up with each other on whatever gossips we have k? Take care~

My 1st Yoga Lesson

Attended the 1st Yoga lesson of my life~ all thanks to Shirlene again.

The 1.5hrs workout was supposed to be a relaxing session for the mind, body and soul. But for me, it's not that relaxing for my body afterall... my legs went wobbly with some stances and my breathing speed was not in line with the trainer's. When he said "Inhale", I did... but before he could say "Exhale", I already done so and started to inhale again...

The best parts that I enjoyed most during the lesson were the 1st and last segment... cos the trainer asked us to lie down on the mat and close our eyes to relax~ and those were the only times I understood about relaxing the mind, body and soul.

Hmm... I still have 2 more months to "enjoy" the various group exercises at Fitness First (AMK Hub), and maybe by then I'll be a healthier Ah Sze.. and a heavier one of cos~ (dun forget I'm still on the weight gaining plan).

Tooth Decay

Who got a tooth decay?

It's FiFi... my poor rabbit~

Brought him to the vet today due to his seriously infected left ear, and the sweet-looking vet *ahem* told us that he got a decayed tooth at the back, which had caused all the stenching pus in his left ear. You can't imagine the amount of pus I had removed for the past 3 days~

I guess the decay had been there for quite long cos it was not the first time his left ear was infected... thou it was not as serious as now. But the previous vet at another clinic told us that it was JUST an ear infection and it was normal for rabbits. That statement itself had made my poor FiFi suffered since then without us knowing~ but the good thing was... FiFi could still eat non-stop and hop around like a normal rabbit. Wonder if we humans could still eat happily with our decayed tooth~

Anyway his next appointment with the sweet-looking vet will be on coming Friday... to extract the tooth. Hopefully he'll will be ok after that.

A Poem For Jehan

I had to hold back my tears
For the loss after so many years
Hiding the sadness with our laughter
Hoping that things will get better

I heard the speech from everyone
To the one and only ONE
For Jehan is our team's asset
But her heart with MOE has been set

I want to thank you for the hug
That slightly healed my broken heart
It was the first and the last
Which others find hard to ask

I'm sorry I couldn't stay for the breakfast
Cos I know it will prolong my sadness
Wishing you all the very best
In any upcoming tests

PS: Wow... I didn't know I have such flair in creating a poem... hehe... not bad for a starter~

Gonna Miss You - Jehan

After you leave the team, I'll be all alone by myself again... since I'm gonna be the only girl left.

We will miss your lovely smile~
They will miss your affectionate pinching~
He will miss your 'fast and crazy' rowing skills~
Some will miss your comfy massage~
One person will miss YOU... yes, everything about you I guess~
I will miss your precious company in the locker room~

Last but not least, no one will ever forget the one and only Jehan~

Here's wishing you all the best and happiness in whatever you do~

White Lies

White lies are sometimes used to protect ourselves... against rejection, conflicts, sadness and other unhappy consequences. If the World is free from discrimination and narrow-mindedness, there might not be a need to tell such lies.

Be an open-minded person: We should accept our friends for what they are... and respect their way of life~ (thou we need not join in their lifestyle). The freedom is always there - on who to choose as friends... If their lifestyle doesn't really have adverse effect on your existing friendships, why bother? We have our own life too~ don't we?

I Love Star Cruises!!

Finally I submitted my application for a new passport online yesterday morning... yup... sooner or later I still have to do it mah... but have to see what motivates me lah~ (definitely not because of my previous post: Sooner or Later)

And the motivator goes to... SuperStar Virgo!! Haha... let me count the number of times I had boarded the same ship for the past few years... 1,2,3... ahem... 4 times!! Ya... I think I had kena the "Virgo Virus", and this will be the 5th time I'm boarding it *hahaha* But it's the 1st time I'm going to Pulau Redang for the 3 days 2 nite trip @ S$451 per pax to stay in 9th storey Balcony room wor~ (normal price is S$699)

Alot of people feel that it is a waste of $$ since all you do is rot on the ship, and maybe you will disembark for a short on-shore trip during the journey, so it seems nothing interesting. I was an anti-cruise person few years back, and thanks to somebody, I'm now infected with the "virus".

Virgo was the most relaxing getaway trip for me so far~ all (6) meals are provided free everyday, and you wouldn't have to make up your bed when you wake up from your sweet dreams... basically it's very suitable for people like me~ who loves to laze around and enjoy life in my own pace. Suddenly I feel like a promoter for Star Cruises *haha*

If you are wondering if I had tried the other cruises under the company, yes I did. Superstar Gemini lor~ that was my 1st and last in year 2000... Why? Cos it's so much smaller than Virgo (if you ever see both of them side by side, it's like father and son), although I was upgraded to their Junior Suite for free at that time (should be due to low occupancy rate). Other cruises like Aquarius, Aries, Pisces and Libra... never try cos so far I dun have the money to explore them - you have to board them in other countries like Hong Kong and even India! Maybe next time when I earn alot of money (S$5k a month?) den can consider bah (dream on Ah Sze~)

Oh by the way, I have to thank Ah Tatt for his X'Mas wish list which he had posted in his blog on 23rd Dec 06, cos it came true. Here's an extract from his post...

12) Please grant peisze cheaper cruises every year

True Love~

Does true love ever exist?

Yes it does... but it doesn't exist for most of us... unless we're lucky~

But what is true love actually?

It touches me when I see aging couples still holding their hands together while walking on the streets (most are caucasians though)... but maybe it's just their culture~

Couples get married when they feel that it is time to start living together as a family... (but do they really love each other?)

Many people say that kids complete the picture of a family... (but in fact they are there as an excuse to "hold" a couple together when their love for each other has faded...)

The meaning of True Love is not predefined by Anyone or Anything... it's purely based on genuine feelings and the determination to keep it going and strong... complemented with other factors definitely~

Sometimes you may think you have found the One True Love of your life... the two of you sharing each other's thoughts and feelings, spending intimate moments together, having dreams of the same future~ and then one fine day... feelings changed... just like a snap with your fingers, you're single again~ but time will come when that special someone will appear once more in your life...

The important thing is not to lose hope in your life... and this post is dedicated to a friend whose heart had been broken twice recently by 2 heartless persons.

*Hope that you will be happy and well taken care of soon~*

Sooner Or Later...

Why would someone make such a big fuss over two passport expiry dates?

Imagine that you had asked your friend for her passport expiry dates, as well as her friend's. She told you that she had not renewed it but would do it soon, as her friend had been extremely busy at work. She then gave you a date which would most probably be near to the actual date of renewal... Would you say these to your friend then?

"Why can't you just get it done and over with? Sooner or later you still have to do it."
"Is it so hard to just take a photo and renew the passport?"
"What's the point of me giving you a deadline when you can't keep your promise?"

Is there a need to say such things to your friend? It is true that sooner or later we have to renew our passport... but certain things had to be delayed for more urgent and important matters to deal with at that period of time. So can I quote my own example to tackle her "philosophy"?

"If you had planned to start a family in the future, might as well you find someone NOW and get married since sooner or later you still have to do it. Why can't you just get it done and over with so you might become a grandma at a younger age compared to others?"

It's just two dates to provide to the tour agency... what's the big deal anyway? Don't try to exceed my tolerance level, my dear friend~ but I do hope you could step out of the dark shadow that had been encompassing you for the past few months. Wake up from your "group"...

Self-Respect

Humans are really contradicting and complicated creatures...

How many times have you come across someone diving back into a bad relationship which he/she managed to get out eventually? It's like you finally climbed out of the shit hole that you had fell into, and after that chose to jump back into the same shitty place. Why?!

When you broke up with your partner who was all along undeserving for you, your friends tried to console you and hope you could carry on with a better life... all because you were sad over the "loss"~

Then you "listened" to your friends' advices on the surface and everyone else thought they had finally made you see the light... and their effort paid off~

And what happens later? You patched back with your undeserving ex and told your friends the "disappointing" news and hope they could "bring" you back to reality again. HELLO~~~ stop wasting people's time on you when you don't even appreciate their effort. Learn to protect and love yourself and stop being a slave to others~ you have the freedom to choose your own future... but don't ever lose your self-respect in the process!

* Nobody Can Take Away Your Self-Respect Unless You Let Them To *

P.S: This post is dedicated to a (should I say immatured?) friend of Shirlene, who made me "vomit blood" after hearing his case for the countless times.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

Recently I attended this course on "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People" and I learnt alot from it. This is based on the self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey, and for those of you who wished to know more about it, here's a link I found online - http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/7-habits/7-habits.htm

Basically I just want to share with everyone on something useful which we can apply in our personal life, not just for work-related matters. Good things must share mah~ but if you're not interested then it's ok lor... Anyway, the 7 Habits in sequential order are as follows:

1. Be Proactive
   (you are free to choose your response to whatever happens to you)
   
   
2. Begin With An End In Mind
   (know what are your objectives)
   
   
3. Put First Things First
   (evaluate where you spend most of your time - The Time Matrix)
   
   
4. Think Win-Win
   (improve or maintain good relationship with others)
   


5. Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood
   (using empathic listening when listening to other people)
   


6. Synergy
   (1+1 = more than 2)
   
   
7. Sharpen The Saw
   (take time to rejuvenate and relax your body, heart, mind and spirit)

The Chat With HIM

I finally told HIM my plans just now when I was still at my workplace earlier at 11am plus.

HIM = Big BOSS (Uncle P)

It was an unplanned casual chat when he walked around and asked me if I was ready to go to another unit in due time. So I started with the usual "erm..." and smile back at him. Then I decided to let him know officially since there is a chance to do so. After I told him that I would be applying for the new post in May 07, he said "Apply lor, last time our Stanley (SA) also working there now". It was nice to hear him say that~ There was another nicer thing that he said:-

Uncle P: Anyway you still young mah, still can try out other things (actually I think he was talking about me going to THAT other unit soon). You now 25 right? So....

Before he can continue further, I interrupted him.

Me: Ah... no lah I where got 25? (but actually inside abit happy *hehe*) I already 28 leh...

Uncle P: (smiling) Aiya... 28 still young mah, I think before 35 you should be able to be an I*** (the upper level post).

Omg... 35?! Unless I have no choice but to stay back, ya~ 35 should be an acceptable turning point bah~ but it's like... almost 7yrs more!! He asked me to think about it, which I had been doing all these while... and the FINAL Decision~~~~

Just Do It in May 07!

Life Is Full Of Surprises~

The Case 6
I cant find my house key as I was packing my bag and ready to go to work, which means I'm stuck at home! There was no other extra key at home and my mum will only be back from work after 9.30pm... whereas Shirlene was out shopping with Baoli at Marina Square~

The Cause 6
Shirlene had accidentally took my detached house key that was placed on the table, which she thought it was hers. But in fact, her own key (detached as well) was all along in her coin pouch!

The Consequences 6
I was "virtually shot" over the house phone when I called my boss to tell him what happened, and I had to apply for urgent leave (my boss say he feel like shooting me *haha* jokingly of cos). I can't resist laughing when I apologised to him cos it wasn't any plan of mine to skip work, though it was nice to take the nite off to rest at the expense of my precious annual leave. Furthermore, now that I'm stuck at home, I guess I'll have to eat my favourite "出前一丁" instant noodle (sesame oil flavor) complemented with "Tulip" chopped ham for dinner.

Was it a misfortune or a blessing? Guess it was both bah~ you gain some, you lose some. This is LIFE, remember?

Coping With The Boss~

The 2 days course "MBTI Approach To Working More Effectively With People" had ended and it was one of the most enjoyable course I attended so far. Well I learnt alot... mostly about how a supervisor should manage his men.

Another interesting point during the course was on "Coping with the boss"... there was this graph that shows the severity of problem with the boss vs level of risk involved, and when the problem becomes seriously severe, we're supposed to Oppose the boss and the last resort is to FIRE - meaning to tell your boss face-to-face on what you think and let him know the consequences of ignoring your thoughts. However, this does not apply to ALL problems lah, if not wait you sure kena FIRED by your boss at the end.

Anyway, I juz heard from my colleague that there had been some problems with my boss recently. Things are getting worse, with tightened controls and loud naggings (dowan use the word 'scoldings') almost everyday. Yes~ he is great in his supervision and vast knowledge, and sometimes we were wrong... but some people up there doesn't realise that too much control is unhealthy at work. This is reality~ and it is also a reality that our bosses dunno about that or simply refuse to acknowledge that fact. Our guys' morale had been shaken once again, although there was an initial surge when he came.

I guess it's time for me to speak up on behalf of them (espcecially on the loud naggings), since I'm much more senior in age (sigh) and experience~ but I shall wait awhile more, since his big day is approaching soon somewhere near the end of March. The time has come for each and every one of us to share our thoughts again... before things get to the brim of the bottle and start to ooze out like the champagne-opening session during celebrations (but this one is not). Well, let us keep our fingers crossed and hope our unsettled morale can be uplifted once more.

Appeal For Weight Gain Tactics

I juz checked on their website and there is this new section on minimum requirement which wasn't there previously... and I saw the killer criteria - min. 45kg for female~

Omg... I'm 3kg lesser and I need help to increase it to at least 45kg by May 2007! Ya... I know some of you might think it's as easy as ABC... but not for me lor~

I still remembered facing the same problem 8 years ago when I applied for my current job. I was 1.5kg lesser at that time and I was rejected during the 1st application. I was so devastated but finally I managed to overcome that hurdle... if not I won't become Orang Lama (old bird) in my department now liao~

Well anyway, can any kind soul please post some comments here to share some valuable and "hopefully-will-work" tactics for me to gain some weight within these 2-3 months? Thanks... I'll give you guys a treat if I succeed and get accepted in the new post~

When??

Juz heard from one of my colleagues that she's been accepted by MOE to be a Home Econs Teacher, and she's going for a training session on 23 April 07. Meaning... she's gonna leave us for good~ omg... when will it be my turn? People have been coming and leaving like nobody's business after their contract is over... and here I am, still hanging around with never-ending opportunities waiting for me (which is a good thing actually~)

Like I mentioned earlier, some things happened for a reason... I had been doing quite well in my current post, and prospects are considered good. Maybe "Someone" wants me to stay back for a while more to wait for an auspicious time to leave later... cos immediately after I got my RB, the application was temporary closed til May 07. So my plan had to be delayed.

Well well... I'll wait patiently again~ til the time is very ripe but just before it turned mouldy for me. Gotta make some initial preparations in the meantime thou. Hope to share some good news with you guys soon~

Someone Somewhere

Today I feel like I'm being "taken care of" again by "Someone Somewhere"~ a moment of head-cracking problem had been instantly solved earlier in the noon. Here's the story~

I was supposed to go for a one-day Teambuilding event in Malaysia with my colleagues (it's a MUST go thing) on 12th March early morning. But suddenly I remembered that my passport has a validity of only 3 months while working last night!! I have exactly 3 days (including today) to make a new passport, and in order to expedite the process and get it done by Saturday, I have to go to ICA personally to speak to the officer for the special request. I was told by the ICA operator that Monday is the earliest to get my new passport. So the plan for my 1st off day had been drafted out as follows...

1. take instant passport-sized photo at AMK Central Bridal Shop
2. go home bathe
3. go ICA queue up and try to get my new passport done by Saturday
4. go home zzzz.... (which is dunno what time liao~ so maybe this luxury will be omitted *sigh*)
5. wake up for dinner appointment with Seok Wai (to pass her some documents for despatch to someone in her Office Tower)

So basically the day is packed, and I dun look forward to it... but Bo Bian~ who asked me to be so busy til I forgot to get a new passport before the event?

Anyway, when I reached the bridal shop at 11am, it was closed and would only opened at 1pm. It was a wasted trip (initial thought)... and I had to walk home like a zombie under the scorching sun after my night shift. I then took a short nap and decided to wake up at 12.30pm for the photo-taking at 1pm, but my precious napping session was interrupted and thus I changed my waking alarm to 1pm.

And here comes the turning point - my handphone rang~

On the other side was from the Human Resource Dept. He told me that my 2 days course had been brought forward to 12th & 13th March, and I immediately say "OK". Hahaha... this means I can continue with my sleep and do not have to go ICA today, since I dun have to go Teambuilding liao! Omg... I cant believe how lucky I can be... all thanks to that "Someone Somewhere" who had been taking good care of me, to stop me from the 1st instance outside the bridal shop so that I cant proceed with step 2 and so on.

Hmm~ this reminds me of the movie "Final Destination" where certain things happened for a reason. Well, I do believe in this phenomenon cos it has always been around us in our daily life. Take some time to observe and you'll agree with me~

Silence Is Golden?

Let me share a funny experience of service recovery I encountered today...

Shirlene and me had gone to a Japanese Restaurant for our late lunch cos her friend told her that the food was nice. Both of us then ordered our food with the waitress when she came to our table. I had ordered a set meal with some kind of noodle in thick curry sauce, and Shirlene had specified on my behalf to have the noodle type as soba (thinner in width) instead of udon (thicker). While repeating our orders, the waitress had stated udon instead of soba, so Shirlene corrected her, which she acknowledged.

After waiting for 10-15 minutes, my set meal finally appeared. Before I took a closer look at the huge bowl of noodles, the waitress realised that the noodle was udon and immediately remove the bowl and apologised. So I waited...

A short while later, a waiter appeared with the bowl in his hands and explained to me that the noodle type was wrong and I could request for a change if I wished to, but actually the taste of the udon will go very well with the curry sauce compared to soba. Without raising my head to look at him, I said "Ok, nevermind" monotonously without any facial expression. I was actually looking at the table and listening to his explanation. The waiter then left and I started to eat the udon. The taste was not bad although I was disappointed with the mistake.

In less than 5 minutes, the same waiter appeared again and said that he had checked with the chef and he could help me change the whole bowl of noodle. Once again, I used the same tone and body language, and said "Nevermind, it's ok". I continued with my food...and he left. Well for your info, I'm an easy-going person so normally I dun flare up with stuff.

I dunno if my silence and expressionless reaction was too weird for them to handle or what... that the waiter came over the 3rd time and asked if I wanted to have any soft drink for free. Finally I took a look at him and said "No thanks", and I returned my attention to the food. Shirlene told me that the waiter had smiled awkwardly at her after that.

Both of us thought that the issue was over since we managed to finish our food in peace. But then it was the waitress' turn now. She had apologised to me whenever she appeared to clear our crockery and refill our ice water... and I told her it's ok with a smile. I mean it's so funny to receive such treatment when I didn't even make a big fuss out of the issue like some customers would. When we asked for the bill, I was surprised with the amount... cos there was a 50% discount on the set meal that I had ordered. Realising that I had noticed the discount, the waitress told me that it was for the mistake earlier. I then paid a round figure and waited for my change as the waitress left. Shirlene and I were so amused by their service recovery and finally when I thought I can get my change and leave, there were 2 pieces of S$2 meal voucher for our next visit enclosed with my change in the black rectangular folder (dunno what's that called).


Well, both of us can't wait to get out of the place cos it's really too much for us. After the incident, we wonder how they would react if I were to reject the discount or left the meal vouchers behind. Would they come chasing after us and asked us why? Hahaha... anyway I felt it was something worth sharing cos I had learnt the following:

1. When I dun smile, I looked scary to some people (validated by Shirlene)
2. You dun have to make a big fuss to show your unhappiness (Silence is Golden)
3. Some service providers are really sincere in apologising (so we must appreciate)

Story of A Young Man

This is a fictitious story of a 20 year-old young man.... but the photos are genuine~

One day, a young man fell asleep after a hard day at work...

When he woke up, his devilish friend (in red of course) offered him half a glass of "wonder drink", telling him that it is something similar to "Tongka Ali" and will help him get stronger. The young man looked at the suspicious drink but still gobbled it up anyway... since young men always wanted to get stronger in "some way" (especially with "Tongka Ali").

After finishing the 1st glass of "wonder drink" offered by the devilish friend, the young man felt "shiok" and wanted more... (cos once is always not enough for young men). So he asked for more~ and the devilish friend had to find two other devils for the extra stock. Finally... the young man drank another 8 glasses of half-filled "wonder drink". At this time, he had already gone bonkers... and holding the 10th glass up high, he put a toast to his new found soul-mate.

And the story ended... with the young man "pouring his woes" to his soul-mate. Well, he didn't drink the 10th glass since he already had too much of it... and the 3 angelic devils had to take care of him.

Moral of story : Too much of everything / anything is bad~

Movie-Marathon

Just returned home from a movie-marathon earlier. Watched 2 movies one after another from 5.10pm til 11.30pm *hehehe* maybe I had too much "Ang Pow" $$ to spare on 3rd day of Lunar New Year?

Anyway, we had initially wanted to watch "Just Follow Law"... but then there was a handwritten paper pasted on the ticket booth window stating "Just Follow Law 5pm Full". We were there at 4.10pm and with a 2nd choice on mind, we chose "Ghost Rider" instead. I guess that was the 1st time I saw so many people hanging around at Jubilee, cos the cinema for the latter movie was also 90% - 100% packed (too dark can't observe much).

After the movie ended at 6.55pm, suddenly there was an urge to watch a 2nd one - "Just Follow Law" (maybe we have the 'Never Say Die' attitude or the ugly way of saying - Kiasu). Then we saw the same signboard on the booth window again~

"Just Follow Law 5pm 7.15pm Full".

Omg... but this time we decided to choose the next slot at 9.30pm *haha* how determined can we get? So we loitered at the vicinity and had our dinner before we finally got to watch the movie we wanted.

Generally it was a nice movie~ and I was able to feel a link to it - all the email thingy, rules and regulation compliance, cost-cutting and many others. But it was not just applicable in the public sector. Who dares to say that the private sector wasn't affected by all those nonsensical stuff? Raise your hand high up lor~

Oh by the way, for those who had watched the movie, who was your favourite character? Well, my vote definitely goes to "Muthu"!! Reason: There was unexplained humor whenever he spoke, and he put so much pride in his 'VIP Lot' duty although he was just a security guard.

Lunar New Year

It's Lunar New Year today!!

Woke up at 9am this morning and was so busy playing with my 2 beloved nieces aged 6 and 4 the whole day~ can't help it... since they both love me (I'm an over-aged kid ya know) *haha*

The 1st day of Lunar New Year was also a day for my relatives (dad's side) to come my house to eat, play poker cards, laugh, chat and basically just get together once a year (better than none). It's nice~ to be able to see my cousins and chat with them... and they had all grown so big now (mostly taller than me *haha*). Here are some cousins who are more interesting to mention:

1. Priscilla - the young lady who has a stomach capacity comparable to the universe. Able to eat 3 bowls of rice and she said she loves rice~ glad she's still able to maintain her figure *phew*
   
   
2. Minghui - the tallest and most macho guy among my cousins, where all of us except his elder sis, will try to refrain from standing beside him. I think my height is until his armpit bah~
   
   
3. Serene - the most demure lady who were busy entertaining my (our) nieces when the rest of us were engrossed in the Blackjack Challenge. I know it was hard work~

I'm actually damn tired right now, and I can "confirm plus chop" that if I were to lie down on my bed this instance, I'll be in my dreamland the next minute. By the way, thanks to Lawrence… for exchanging your leave with me for the night shift. Otherwise I can’t imagine how “stone” I’ll be at work tonite.

Here’s wishing everyone a Prosperous & Joyous Lunar New Year !!

The Truth

12th February 2007 - the day has finally arrived... no more postponement... and I had a feel of the solemn seat in the tensed Board-Room~

Questions were posed to me... which were more or less predictable~ it seemed like a scene where people always see in the TV or movie. I can't help but smiled to myself when I thought about it (lucky Mr. J didn't notice it).

I handled it well... since I was just telling the truth. On the other hand, he denied it... and he had someone to help him out. No big deal for me anyway~ but maybe my confidence was too overwhelming... that his helper doesn't know what else to ask me. I admitted my own lapses to Mr. J... (but I didn't tell him that I had since learnt how to protect myself after that fateful incident). Mr. J then asked me if I was aware of possible punishment against me~

"Yes Sir... I know..." (and I dun care about it anymore~ I just want to get it done and over with... this is wasting too much of our precious time... and like most snobbish fellas always like to say - wasting the taxpayers' $$)

But I was glad~ and certainly relieved... that it was over~ (I think so)

Beware of your back~ cos you won't know when people will start to stab you from behind~

Good News!!

One good news to share with everyone~

I finally got my R Bonus!!! S$4.5k wor... supposed to be mine since Sept 2006~ but some stupid system "kidnapped" it from me... and I could bet with you... they earned the interest on it during these 5 months... damn~ but nevermind, I'll treat it as a charity.

Anyway, I'm a step nearer to my goals now~ but still must clear whatever debts on hand 1st...

&&& Patience Is The Key To Success &&&

The 50-Meters Sprint

Today I made a 50-meters sprint along the pavement at Ave 9, and cruelly showed my practicality nature to the "Cas-Caller" (no real name is used in order to protect the involved party) *hehe*

This was what happened...

After our night shift which ended today, "Cas-Caller" waited for me to finish up with my audit emails cos usually he would prefer to have company since we're taking the same bus (72) back to our individual home (must specify properly). So finally after I settled my stuff, went to change, and met up with him at the lobby, we crossed the road at Ave 9 to the opposite side. We only exchanged a few words along the way... cos I was quite tired after a busy night~ Suddenly I heard someone shouted "Sze!!"

I looked straight ahead and saw two handsome guys (haha my colleagues lah~ Bin & Ta) standing about 50 meters in front of us. Within a second, I noticed they had flagged a taxi... and then the words appeared... a FREE RIDE HOME!! A sudden surge of energy immediately made my tired body run like hell towards the taxi door... and the only phrase I said to him as I darted off was "Sir, I take taxi home. Bye". I wonder how he felt... hmmm~

Well anyway, I was glad when I hopped onto the taxi... cos it actually killed two birds with one stone (for me) *haha*

I can be a Devil sometimes, you know~

The Isolated One~

This year's Annual Retreat (referring to some kind of gathering for team-bonding purpose) was somewhat different from the previous years - no presentation by us - just games and food = NICE~

Apart from relaxing and enjoying the moment, I kept my observation throughout the event...

I noticed the slight isolation somewhere~ but on the other hand, some of them were closely bonded together in their "mathematics revision group" using poker cards. Food and Games were supposed to bond EVERYONE together, which it did~ temporarily.

I shared my views with someone on the gist of being a good supervisor. Both of us concluded that the isolation might be due to the flaws from the self-assumed leadership qualities. Nope... I'm not referring to myself~

This is what I feel about being a Leader/Supervisor:

1. Don't be cocky or arrogant
2. Always respect your men, if you want them to respect you
3. Command is a must... but do it with politeness
4. You won't die if you use "please" when asking your men to do something (eg. "please be reminded that..." or "please refrain from..." etc)
5. Results are important, but so are your men
6. If you lose the respect from your men, you are only a Leader in name

I can't say that I'm a good leader... but I am sure I'm not a bad one~

Team Bravo 2007

Knowledge of Body Parts

Today I heard a real-life joke from my buddy about her female colleague~ it was damn funny...

The Senario 4 Both of them were having their Yoga lesson after work as usual.

The Yoga Warm-up 4 To place the left ankle across the right one while standing.

The Responses... (these pictures are only for reference)




77 The correct posture by my buddy... and everyone else

77 The totally wrong posture by her colleague....




The colleague had mistaken ankle for elbow, and was still seen swaying left and right with her arms crossed when my buddy noticed her outstanding posture among the rest... both of them eventually burst into laughter~

Sometimes it is very important to know your body parts in English terms...

Short vs Long

Some people like it short... some like it longer... how about you?

Haha... dun let your thoughts wander too far - I'm talking about the length of my blog posts lah~

Well I received feedback that some (or should I say most) of my posts are lengthy, and thus hinder them to read it further (or even start reading it). On the other hand, some readers commented that they preferred a more detailed one cos it'll let them "catch the ball" better. For me, I just want to share my life and thoughts with people here... just in case the unfortunate day comes where I couldn't remember things anymore, but I could still read through my own life~ or when the worse day comes... where I'm no longer around, and my loved ones could still feel my presence as they read through each post...

Well well... sounds sad huh? Hahaha... nah~ it's not the end of the world yet. I still have alot to enjoy and venture in my life... even though there are outstanding debts to clear, work to be done, and stress to handle. I'm still cool~ as always~

Life Is Cruel~ But Sweet Enough~

How many times had you spent tons of hard work on something, and the end result only took up a few minutes of everyone's time? I guess the answer is... "Always"

A moment of fame/glory at the expense of sweats and hunger~

Finally I managed to deliver the presentation earlier (5th Feb @ 1740hrs) to the Big Shots after completing my 3-days preparations. The "glorious" moment only lasted for 10-15mins. But it was a relief for me~ and I felt a huge sense of satisfaction after slogging for the past week. I guess everything went well... they were nodding their heads while I talked my way through, and I could answer almost all their queries... except for one question: "Which external auditors will be coming?" Seriously speaking, how would I know all the other big shots who would be coming over on 27th Feb 07? Moreover, I'm actually doing the presentation on behalf of my 2nd Boss, who was engaged in another activity. Nevertheless... I supposed I did a good job so far... and I treasure the chance given to me~

Before I left my workplace, I came across an email... a rather sad one... it's about a female colleague from another unit going for an urgent tumour operation at Mt Elizabeth, but the amount involved is about $90k (including $30k as deposit)!! Thus, we were all asked to help... I did... with only S$10/= available... (had been quite poor without the existence of my RB) and this is where Mr. Money showed us his ULTIMATE POWER~~

No $$ - No Talk

The world is such a cruel place to live in... and I am just one of its prey~

It's Now Or Never~

I feel happy today~

Got to see my Poly friends and finally had the opportunity to sit down and chat with each other, without the presence of their partners. Nah~ dun say I'm selfish... it's juz that sometimes I juz want to be ALONE with my friends. You dun have to worry about whoever's partner started to get bored from the non-related topic, or any couple engaging in their own world. Hmm... ok lah, you can say I'm selfish if you want to...

Anyway, we had our lunch at Vila'ge (pronounced as "V-Lah-J") Heeren, and then we went to PartyWorld KTV~ it's been so long since I last opened my golden mouth at a KTV (all thanks to Esther & Annie, the KTV Queens). Not forgetting our self-proclaimed KTV King - Errol, who indeed impressed us with his vast knowledge of songs... and nice vocals.

At Vila'ge
(Left-to-Right Top: Alvin & Ariane)
(Left-to-Right Bottom: Zhihui, Annie & Me)

At PartyWorld KTV - Room 59
(Left-to-Right: Me, Annie, Esther, Zhihui, Errol & Ariane)

Singing Halfway But Alert Enough To Pose For Photo

I would never forget the times when we played poker cards behind our Principal's office at TP - Grange Road Campus, during breaks. The whole bunch of us - Ariane, Esther, Annie, Shuzhen, Zhihui, Alvin & Errol would always hang out together, going to different Schools in TP to have our lunch, photocopying each other's tutorials when we were spilt into different tutorial groups in year 2 & 3, and copying notes when any one of us failed to attend lectures... especially me~ since I hate waking up in the morning. Well, everyone had their own life now, getting married, having babies, thinking of getting attached but haven yet~ haha... not talking about myself lah~ but all of us still looked the same - still friendly with each other.

Recently I realised I had been catching up with my old friends whom I had not met for months and even years. Guess I'm afraid of having regrets in my life...

Life is short... if you dun choose to meet them now, are you gonna see them at your deathbed instead?

Golden Opportunities

It's been another busy week for me... doing audit checks and documentation stuff.

I was given the chance by the Audit Chairman to lead a group of 6 men, going everywhere to do our checks, and instructing them on what to do, etc. I guess this was a great opportunity to prepare myself for the greener pasture in a few months time, provided everything goes according to plan.

Earlier there was another challenge for us... we were told that the presentation was on next Monday 3pm, and most of the documentation hasn't been done yet. It was a busy week for all of us, packed with Thaipusam duties, Annual D&D and other operational stuff for some of the members... how do they find the time to juggle between our audit and their work? This explains for the delay on the documentaion work.... sigh~ since operational duties always come 1st.

Moreover, I was tasked to do the presentation cos my Chairman would be engaged in another commitment. It's going to be another "warm-up" for me, to stand in front of all the BIG SHOTS and talk my way through, which I might be required to do that quite often in the future.

Hmm... sometimes I wonder if I'm lucky or what~ that all types of opportunities kept knocking at my door... except for money... Anyway, I'm gonna treasure those chances and hopefully I'll be a better person from all these experiences.

Forgive me if I'm slightly quiet these few days... hahaha... cos my mind is fully occupied~

Psychological Test

I had always enjoyed doing those psychological tests... cos they're so funny and nonsensical sometimes. Here is another test contributed by Lynn~

Take a piece of paper and write down the answers.. The analysis is in the end....

Situation:

You are in a deep deep forest... as you walk on you saw an old hut standing there

(1) What is the status of the door?

(Opened/closed)

You enter the hut and see a table...

(2) What is the shape of the table?

(Round/Oval/Square/Rectangle/Triangle)

On top of the table there is a vase... in the vase there is water.

(3) How much water is it filled up with?

(Full/Half/Empty)

(4) And what is the vase made of?

[(Glass/porcelain/clay) (metal/plastic/wood)]

You walk out of the hut... as you carry on your walk in the forest... you see a waterfall from far... there is water running down...

(5) What is the speed of the water?

(Choose a number ranging from 0 to 10)

Some time after the waterfall... you step on something hard on the ground... as you look down... you see glistening gold in colour. You bend down and pick it up... it is a keychain chained with keys...

(6) How many key/keys you see hanging on the keychain?

(Choose a number ranging from 1 to 10)

You walk on and on... trying to find your way out... suddenly you see a castle.

(7) What is the condition of the castle?

(Old/new)

You enter the castle and saw a pool of murky water with shining jewels floating on it...

(8) Will you pick up the jewel?

(YES/NO)

Next to the murky pool... there's another pool... with clear water and money floating on it...

(9) Will you pick the money?

(YES/NO)

Walking to the end of the castle there is an exit... you proceed to walk out of the castle. Outside the exit, there is big garden, you see a box on the ground.

(10) What is the size of the box?

(small/medium/big)

(11) What is the material of the box?

(cardboard/paper/wooden/metal)

There is a bridge in the garden some distance away from the box.

(12) What is the bridge made of?

(metal/wooden/rattan)

Across the bridge, there is a horse.

(13) What is the colour of the horse?

(white/grey/brown/black)

(14) What is the horse doing?

(still and quiet/nibbling grass/running about)

OH NO!!! There is a tornado coming... some distance from the horse. You have 3 options:

(i) run and hide in the box?

(ii) run and hide under the bridge?

(iii) run to the horse, ride on and gallop away?

<<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

Here are the interpretations:

(1) The door:

>opened door - you are a person who is willing to share

>closed door - you are a person who is keeping things to yourself

(2) The table:

>Round/oval - any friends that came along, you will accept and trust them completely

>Square/rectangle - you are a bit more choosy on friends and only hangout with those whom you think are on the same frequency

>Triangle - you are really very very picky about friends and there are not many friends in your life

(3) Water in vase:

>Empty - your life is not fulfilled

>Half filled - what you want in your life is half fullfilled

>Full - your life is completely fulfilled and good for you! :)

(4) Material of vase:

>glass/clay/porcelain - you are weak in your life and tends to be fragile

>metal/plastic/wood - you are strong in your life

(5) Flow of waterfall:

>0 - no sex drive at all

>1 to 4 - low sex drive

>5 - average sex drive

>6 to 9 - high sex drive

>10 - gone case!!! super high sex drive!!! Can't live without sex...

(6) Keys:

>1 - you have one good friend in your life

>2 to 5 - you have a few good friends in your life

>6 to 10 - you have a lot of good friends

(7) Castle:

>Old - shows that your last relationship is not a good one and is not memorable to you.

>New - your last relationship is good and it's still fresh in your heart.

(8) The jewel from the murky pool water:

>YES - when your partner is around you, you will flirt around with others.

>NO - when your partner is around, you will stick around with him/her most of the time.

(9) The money from the clear water pool:

>YES - even when your partner is not around you, you will still flirt around with others.

>NO - even when your partner is not around, you will still think of her/him and and will be loyal to her/him, not flirting around with others.

(10) The size of the box:

>small - low ego

>medium - average ego

>big - high ego

(11) Material of the box (outlook of the box):

>cardboard/paper/wooden (non-shining) - humble personality

>metal - proud and stuck up personality

(12) The material of the bridge:

>metal bridge - have very strong bond with your friends

>wooden bridge - average bond with your friends

>rattan bridge - you are not in good terms with your friends

(13) Colour of the horse:

>white - your partner is pure and good in your heart.

>grey/brown - your partner is only average in your heart.

>black - your partner doesn't seem to be good in your heart and appears to be bad sign.

(14) Horse action:

>still and quiet/nibbling grass - your partner is a very homely and humble person.

>running about - your partner is a wild type of person.

This the last but most important part of the test. From how I ended the story... a tornado approaches... What are you going do? There are only 3 options:

(i) run and hide in the box?

(ii) run and hide under the bridge?

(iii) run to the horse, ride on and gallop away?

Now, the above is signified by these things:

>tornado - problems in your life

>box - you

>bridge - your friends

>horse - your partner

(i) So if you choose the box, you keep your problems to yourself whenever you are met with problems.

(ii) or if you choose the bridge, you will go to your friends whenever you are met with problems.

(iii) or lastly if you choose the horse, you seek your partner whenever you are met with problems.

Hehe... hope you enjoy the quiz so far~