Ever had an event where everything just turned out wrong? Felt that you could go apply for redundancy? Felt unappreciated for efforts, that amounted to nothing much anyway?
yup... it was that kind of a night.
prologue
it was a while since the 9 of us did something adventurous, so one of us suggested reliving old memories by having another night cycling. despite some insistence there was no need, i thot we shd hv a safety vehicle for the following reasons:
- ok i admit it... i was doubtful my body could handle it reasonably.
- with some of us working already, not used to staying up all nite. we could take turns on the bikes.
- i was afraid of accidents involving us and drunk and/or speeding drivers.
a few incidents got me scared of this kind of thing, but the one that really stands out was alvin's... (for those who dunno) a drunk driver hit him from the back of his bike and he landed on his head. it had almost been two yrs since he passed on... i only spoke to him once, but (unfortunately) he taught me the frailty of life.
so, i turned up a little late with my car at ECP last nite coz i needed to sleep more before staying up. it started pleasantly enuff with me having dinner alone at mac while the rest got their bikes and moved off 1st... small, but a sign of things to come, on hindsight. one of us was supposed to join me in the car, and another was contemplating abt it, so at least i wld hv company. but the first one didn't come coz she was tired; without knowing that, the second decided otherwise - he wld cycle.
so i drove down the unfamiliar expressways and got lost, at one point finding myself at changi airport, and then at changi village. thankfully, i managed to catch up with the cyclists but they had already started on the roads instead of waiting for me to cover the rear... which was wat i thot i was supposed to do. at least i did once i caught up.
being sianzed at the thot of being alone the whole nite, i wasn't in best of moods. so i called to see if there was anyone who was bo liao, free and nice enuff to join me the rest of the nite... thankfully it only took 2 calls. 1st callee didn't mind, satisfying the criteria but didn't know the rest. 2nd callee, CS, who knew the rest, decided to be a wonderful fren and sacrificed her sleep to accompany me. only problem: she stayed in sembawang.
so i left the rest at changi village and picked CS up... meeting them at tampines mall and again they had rode the roads without me guarding. i don't blame them for moving on, i feel guilty at not being there.
after a rest, they moved on and i took some time to take a leak and get back to the car... by then they were far off. i caught up with them at bedok, but they were on the pavement, thus i cldn't and there was no need to slow down. unfortunately the route wasn't firmly agreed upon, so i cldn't find them and only caught up at chai chee... only after the last man had an egg thrown at him by 2 brain damaged turds on a motorbike. if i was there they wldn't hv dared, or i wld hv run over them. but i wasn't.
i followed them til geylang when the traffic was too heavy and i had to move on. so i wasn't there yet again. and when they left geylang they took an off road route soon after... so not only i had a delay going back to the car, i lost them 10secs after i found them. thot indoor stadium was on the route... went there only to realise it wasn't. it being late (5am), i decided to top up petrol and send CS back to sembawang. at the kiosk, petrol came up to quite a bit but CS made up for it... by sleepily trying to enter the wrong car!
so after sembawang, i zoomed to catch the cyclists from esplanade back to ECP. once again for the umpteenth time, i went round in circles trying to find them as they cycled, kept moving. finally found them at mountbatten rd and managed to do wat i was supposed to for a short while before they turned into the park. it being late (or rather early in the morning, 7am) and me being in a lousy mood, i promptly gave them their bags from the car and returned home.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
A Sianzed Nite Cycling - My Thots
In reference to "A Sianzed Nite Cycling - Wat Happened"
On the surface, i felt... unwaited for. i always had to search for them, chase them and catch up to perform my protective role, only to lose them to the pavement. i know i shdn't hinder them, but it felt as though there was no need for me to be there. not much acknowledgement from them except the last man anyway, that my vehicle was there.
So i started thinking: shd i have even turned up with my car? they seemed to be having so much fun on bicycles, hardly giving a damn abt me, no serious accidents happened, and i didn't prevent any. and the one who didn't think a safety veh was necessary wasn't talking to me much. if not for CS chatting with me the whole nite and the bags deposited in the backseat, i wld hv just gone home.
so why did i turn up with my car? a lovely fren had told me i was paranoid a few occasions. maybe i am... like wat they say in chinese, "not scared ten thousand, just scared in case". i even brought my 1st aid kit with me... i'm that kind of guy: if i see something that needs to be done and i hv the ability, i'll do it. and if anything happened to these close frens of mine, i dunno how i'll react.
maybe coz we are close frens... so they didn't think was i did was anything out of the ordinary, or maybe i placed too much expectation on them. but simply put, all i wld've liked is some form of appreciation, just a "thanx for being behind" or even "having fun in the car?". was that too much? felt like my role was largely ignored.
or maybe i had gotten to used to YEP, where i was always thanked for just simply doing my job, which i felt there was no need (coz it's my job mah). here i took on the risk of my car getting rammed by a drunk speeding driver but petrol costs... when i cld hv just thot abt having fun and cycled for $8. maybe only from my pt of view its different. or maybe the same and i expected same gratitude.
probably it has to do with my expectations that there wld be appreciation from them for sitting in an air con car while they are pedalling like crazy. expectation is such a perception shifter... i will get disappointed with close frens who i hv expectations of, and will get pleasantly surprised when frens, who i do not dare to hv expectations of, overdeliver in their concern and appreciation of me.
as yet, i might hv too high expectations of long time close frens, or none at all. i'm sorry, i'm currently trying to revise them into just appreciating when i do something for u guys. so to help me along... when u feel appreciative of me, pls do let me know. i promise i'll take it as graciously as i can. if u know my expectations of u are too high or are getting higher, let me know too; i like frankness, and will adjust accordingly.
so, to end off, a note to...
CS: thank you for being a wonderful fren last nite. staying up the whole nite toking cock with me even though u felt sleepy and had to go ur bf's place the next morning... thank you so much.
the last man: thank you for showing appreciation and acknowledging my prescence as a safety veh... even though i wasn't there most of the time. and apologies in the repeated calls abt location; i kept calling u was coz i felt u appreciated.
the one who didn't show up: no worries... i know u're tired from work. sianzed but dun blame u at all.
the one who didn't think a safety vehicle was necessary: yup, i'm the idiot who brought all this trouble to myself... no useful contribution watsoever. fine... i know wat to do next time.
the rest: sorry if my lousy mood affected u guys or the general mood.
self: stop giving frens unreasonable expectations. and stop doing unnecessary things. no one appreciates nothing contributed but trouble.
On the surface, i felt... unwaited for. i always had to search for them, chase them and catch up to perform my protective role, only to lose them to the pavement. i know i shdn't hinder them, but it felt as though there was no need for me to be there. not much acknowledgement from them except the last man anyway, that my vehicle was there.
So i started thinking: shd i have even turned up with my car? they seemed to be having so much fun on bicycles, hardly giving a damn abt me, no serious accidents happened, and i didn't prevent any. and the one who didn't think a safety veh was necessary wasn't talking to me much. if not for CS chatting with me the whole nite and the bags deposited in the backseat, i wld hv just gone home.
so why did i turn up with my car? a lovely fren had told me i was paranoid a few occasions. maybe i am... like wat they say in chinese, "not scared ten thousand, just scared in case". i even brought my 1st aid kit with me... i'm that kind of guy: if i see something that needs to be done and i hv the ability, i'll do it. and if anything happened to these close frens of mine, i dunno how i'll react.
maybe coz we are close frens... so they didn't think was i did was anything out of the ordinary, or maybe i placed too much expectation on them. but simply put, all i wld've liked is some form of appreciation, just a "thanx for being behind" or even "having fun in the car?". was that too much? felt like my role was largely ignored.
or maybe i had gotten to used to YEP, where i was always thanked for just simply doing my job, which i felt there was no need (coz it's my job mah). here i took on the risk of my car getting rammed by a drunk speeding driver but petrol costs... when i cld hv just thot abt having fun and cycled for $8. maybe only from my pt of view its different. or maybe the same and i expected same gratitude.
probably it has to do with my expectations that there wld be appreciation from them for sitting in an air con car while they are pedalling like crazy. expectation is such a perception shifter... i will get disappointed with close frens who i hv expectations of, and will get pleasantly surprised when frens, who i do not dare to hv expectations of, overdeliver in their concern and appreciation of me.
as yet, i might hv too high expectations of long time close frens, or none at all. i'm sorry, i'm currently trying to revise them into just appreciating when i do something for u guys. so to help me along... when u feel appreciative of me, pls do let me know. i promise i'll take it as graciously as i can. if u know my expectations of u are too high or are getting higher, let me know too; i like frankness, and will adjust accordingly.
so, to end off, a note to...
CS: thank you for being a wonderful fren last nite. staying up the whole nite toking cock with me even though u felt sleepy and had to go ur bf's place the next morning... thank you so much.
the last man: thank you for showing appreciation and acknowledging my prescence as a safety veh... even though i wasn't there most of the time. and apologies in the repeated calls abt location; i kept calling u was coz i felt u appreciated.
the one who didn't show up: no worries... i know u're tired from work. sianzed but dun blame u at all.
the one who didn't think a safety vehicle was necessary: yup, i'm the idiot who brought all this trouble to myself... no useful contribution watsoever. fine... i know wat to do next time.
the rest: sorry if my lousy mood affected u guys or the general mood.
self: stop giving frens unreasonable expectations. and stop doing unnecessary things. no one appreciates nothing contributed but trouble.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Yet Another Charity Show!
Currently Playing: I Just Wanna Live by Good Charlotte
In spite of the NKF fiasco 2 weeks ago, for this sunday, there's still yet ANOTHER charity show involving celebrities singing, dancing and doing other death defying stunts. It's the President's Star Charity Show! *Canned applause and wolf-whistles*
Don't worry good folks, I'm betting that the organisations involved in this show won't be up to any (expensive) monkey business... thanx to the NKF shooting themselves in both feet. And also, the Patron (unfortunately, a dirty word nowadays) is none other than our esteemed President! Obviously, there won't be any pocketing of money coz the Istana ALREADY HAS gold taps and designer bowls. (It's meant to be a joke, Mr President Sir... please please PLEASE do not sue me; my family does not own a peanut farm. I support your running for a 2nd term wholeheartedly.)
We all also read on a local tabloid newspaper that actually the celebrities on these charity shows were TOLD to cry (of coz, they're actors) and make all those phone dialling actions and act pitiful and sympathetic while doing crazy stunts forced upon them... If my earlier posting had shone any bad light on them, i sincerely apologise - they were just unhappily and blindly following instructions.
To show my remorse, I have decided to join into the charity show fray (there were 6 last year)... Yes, next year TV audiences will have yet another forced down their throats and into their phonelines - The Rockie's Star Charity Show! It will be organised for what the name really means... yes, it's a Star Charity! No more fake crying and no more fake concern and no more fake sympathy... the money collected will go to helping the star celebrities themselves!
Dear Readers, I see your shock and concern. "Do we really want more golden toilet furnishings?" Hear me out, please. After a recent study done by an uninterested engineering student from a local university, it has been found that the majority of individuals who suffer from Unfortunate Name Syndrome (UNS) in the Asia Pacific Region are in/or are connected to the showbiz/music/entertainment* (pick one) industry! Samples range from the unpronouncable ("Fann" pronounced "fun", "Ix") to the obviously-spelt-wronngly-somewhere ("Nnadia", "Ezann") to the non-humanoid noun (Fish, Noodle, Apple)
To help these celebrity victims and sufferers of UNS, the Rockie's Star Charity Show(RSCS) will endeavour to raise S$4.2m to help 7 victims change their name. Why so much money, yet only 7 victims, you ask. Well it so happens that recently a stat board found out that it costs S$400,000 to change a name back to the same one! Therefore, the board at RSCS realised that to have an actual name change, more money would be needed - their patron casually commented that each name change would cost a peanut. So thus only 7 victims can be helped, with no peanuts going into patron and board member pockets.
Unfortunately the Asia Pacific Region has more than 7 victims of UNS, so riding on the popularity of voting reality shows on every local channel rite now, the RSCS board has decided to change the charity show format: the full name of the show would be "The Rockie's Star Charity Show: Unfortunate Name Idol"! (it was supposed to be called "Unfortunately Named Idol" but apparently local TV does not care for grammar)
So now instead of risking neck, life and limb doing stunts, those who will be benefitting from the Show would perform for the show! TV Audiences would vote via SMS who should get the funds to cure UNS. for transparency sake: each SMS would cost $1, with 20 cents going to telcos, 20 cents going to organising the show, 20 cents for marketing the show, 5 cents going to the unfortunate celebrity voted for and 15 cents going to paying auditors for making sure the rite amt of money goes to all these ppl.
The format of the show would be as follows:
The 2 possibly-retrenched hosts of the possibly-axed NKF show would intro each contestant, who would talk abt how hard it was growing up with UNS, how much he/she suffered and a short re-enactment clip would be played.
Sample Script: *Sepia tones, pitiful music, sympathetic voice-over* Fat boy sits down on old-style canteen table full of other kids carrying a bowl fishball noodles and an apple. loudly announces "You all look! I'm eating *insert name*!!" Camera shows many many kids standing in front, pointing to camera and laughing loudly. scene suddenly changes to kid giving pirated Ru Lai Shen Zhang to bigger kid, ends up being beaten, kicked and pee-ed on. a little girl offers lollipop, but kid runs off. hmmm seems familiar... *pitiful music fadeout*
TV then shows hosts and contestant drying their eyes with ever present tissue. host asks "so what will you be singing for us tonite?" reply: "i hate my childhood/name/parents/fat kids/lollipops* (pick one) which can be found in my latest CD, even though i can't sing well and should just stick to acting, which i already suck at."
Repeat umpteen times for each contestant each weekly show, kicking out one contestant every show until 7 are left. After the celebrities have all been cured of UNS, themed variations of the show can be done... like ordinary ppl suffering from UNS (Premier League Soccer Teams). Eg. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester, Chel...
Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: the above posting is solely for entertainment purposes; it is not meant to defame, insult, or ridicule any individual or organisation, dead or alive/disbanded or functioning. the events depicted are also purely fictional and from the author's imagination, or can be found in local newspaper reports. the author sincerely hopes anyone who may be adversely affected by his work sees the humour beneath, for no malice is meant. the author does not own any designer toilet bowls, gold taps, peanuts, or company cars which can be sold for legal costs in a defamation suit.
In spite of the NKF fiasco 2 weeks ago, for this sunday, there's still yet ANOTHER charity show involving celebrities singing, dancing and doing other death defying stunts. It's the President's Star Charity Show! *Canned applause and wolf-whistles*
Don't worry good folks, I'm betting that the organisations involved in this show won't be up to any (expensive) monkey business... thanx to the NKF shooting themselves in both feet. And also, the Patron (unfortunately, a dirty word nowadays) is none other than our esteemed President! Obviously, there won't be any pocketing of money coz the Istana ALREADY HAS gold taps and designer bowls. (It's meant to be a joke, Mr President Sir... please please PLEASE do not sue me; my family does not own a peanut farm. I support your running for a 2nd term wholeheartedly.)
We all also read on a local tabloid newspaper that actually the celebrities on these charity shows were TOLD to cry (of coz, they're actors) and make all those phone dialling actions and act pitiful and sympathetic while doing crazy stunts forced upon them... If my earlier posting had shone any bad light on them, i sincerely apologise - they were just unhappily and blindly following instructions.
To show my remorse, I have decided to join into the charity show fray (there were 6 last year)... Yes, next year TV audiences will have yet another forced down their throats and into their phonelines - The Rockie's Star Charity Show! It will be organised for what the name really means... yes, it's a Star Charity! No more fake crying and no more fake concern and no more fake sympathy... the money collected will go to helping the star celebrities themselves!
Dear Readers, I see your shock and concern. "Do we really want more golden toilet furnishings?" Hear me out, please. After a recent study done by an uninterested engineering student from a local university, it has been found that the majority of individuals who suffer from Unfortunate Name Syndrome (UNS) in the Asia Pacific Region are in/or are connected to the showbiz/music/entertainment* (pick one) industry! Samples range from the unpronouncable ("Fann" pronounced "fun", "Ix") to the obviously-spelt-wronngly-somewhere ("Nnadia", "Ezann") to the non-humanoid noun (Fish, Noodle, Apple)
To help these celebrity victims and sufferers of UNS, the Rockie's Star Charity Show(RSCS) will endeavour to raise S$4.2m to help 7 victims change their name. Why so much money, yet only 7 victims, you ask. Well it so happens that recently a stat board found out that it costs S$400,000 to change a name back to the same one! Therefore, the board at RSCS realised that to have an actual name change, more money would be needed - their patron casually commented that each name change would cost a peanut. So thus only 7 victims can be helped, with no peanuts going into patron and board member pockets.
Unfortunately the Asia Pacific Region has more than 7 victims of UNS, so riding on the popularity of voting reality shows on every local channel rite now, the RSCS board has decided to change the charity show format: the full name of the show would be "The Rockie's Star Charity Show: Unfortunate Name Idol"! (it was supposed to be called "Unfortunately Named Idol" but apparently local TV does not care for grammar)
So now instead of risking neck, life and limb doing stunts, those who will be benefitting from the Show would perform for the show! TV Audiences would vote via SMS who should get the funds to cure UNS. for transparency sake: each SMS would cost $1, with 20 cents going to telcos, 20 cents going to organising the show, 20 cents for marketing the show, 5 cents going to the unfortunate celebrity voted for and 15 cents going to paying auditors for making sure the rite amt of money goes to all these ppl.
The format of the show would be as follows:
The 2 possibly-retrenched hosts of the possibly-axed NKF show would intro each contestant, who would talk abt how hard it was growing up with UNS, how much he/she suffered and a short re-enactment clip would be played.
Sample Script: *Sepia tones, pitiful music, sympathetic voice-over* Fat boy sits down on old-style canteen table full of other kids carrying a bowl fishball noodles and an apple. loudly announces "You all look! I'm eating *insert name*!!" Camera shows many many kids standing in front, pointing to camera and laughing loudly. scene suddenly changes to kid giving pirated Ru Lai Shen Zhang to bigger kid, ends up being beaten, kicked and pee-ed on. a little girl offers lollipop, but kid runs off. hmmm seems familiar... *pitiful music fadeout*
TV then shows hosts and contestant drying their eyes with ever present tissue. host asks "so what will you be singing for us tonite?" reply: "i hate my childhood/name/parents/fat kids/lollipops* (pick one) which can be found in my latest CD, even though i can't sing well and should just stick to acting, which i already suck at."
Repeat umpteen times for each contestant each weekly show, kicking out one contestant every show until 7 are left. After the celebrities have all been cured of UNS, themed variations of the show can be done... like ordinary ppl suffering from UNS (Premier League Soccer Teams). Eg. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester, Chel...
Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: the above posting is solely for entertainment purposes; it is not meant to defame, insult, or ridicule any individual or organisation, dead or alive/disbanded or functioning. the events depicted are also purely fictional and from the author's imagination, or can be found in local newspaper reports. the author sincerely hopes anyone who may be adversely affected by his work sees the humour beneath, for no malice is meant. the author does not own any designer toilet bowls, gold taps, peanuts, or company cars which can be sold for legal costs in a defamation suit.
Monday, July 25, 2005
First Day of School Tml! Will it be my last?
Currently Playing: Nothing. It's a school nite and i dun want my mummy to know i'm still awake at 2am!
Aiyoh... first day of school TODAY. hopefully i grad this sem. really been dreading this... been putting off going to sch for FYP... rather stay at home and nuah. the past 2 days been spent running ard getting things in order. at least packed my room, bought a new hamster cage and cleaned out the others, managed to meet frens.
BUT... didn't bring hamster girl to see vet abt her balding, still hvn't totally unpacked from YEP, didn't spend time on the treadmill like i told myself to. and i badly, badly need a hair cut.
besides doing FYP and juggling 6 subjects, i'll also need to handle "curious" acquaintances...
Acquaintance, whose name i probably forgot: "Eh?? I thot u grad liao?!"
or: "Eh?? U hvn't grad ah?!"
or: "What happened to you?!"
To which I would reply: "Nope, my course 4 1/2 yrs, u dunno meh?"
or, if it applies: "No... I see you've decided to extend as well."
of coz, my course is Engineering for Uninterested Students (EUS)
well... those who matter to me already know, so doesn't matter to me much. just something i hv to deal with. but in any case most of my non-lesson and non-eating time wld be spent either in FYP lab or library. recently, I told someone this coming sem wld be siong... she told me dun think it is siong, but think that u must chiong... hahhaa how true.
but feel free to come look for me if u happen to be in sch... always hv time for frens, esp when i shd be doing something else.
need to fall asleep fast... will read a chinese picture book to do so. ;-)
note to self: work hard to end it this sem! and for goodness sake go cut ur scruffy hair!
Aiyoh... first day of school TODAY. hopefully i grad this sem. really been dreading this... been putting off going to sch for FYP... rather stay at home and nuah. the past 2 days been spent running ard getting things in order. at least packed my room, bought a new hamster cage and cleaned out the others, managed to meet frens.
BUT... didn't bring hamster girl to see vet abt her balding, still hvn't totally unpacked from YEP, didn't spend time on the treadmill like i told myself to. and i badly, badly need a hair cut.
besides doing FYP and juggling 6 subjects, i'll also need to handle "curious" acquaintances...
Acquaintance, whose name i probably forgot: "Eh?? I thot u grad liao?!"
or: "Eh?? U hvn't grad ah?!"
or: "What happened to you?!"
To which I would reply: "Nope, my course 4 1/2 yrs, u dunno meh?"
or, if it applies: "No... I see you've decided to extend as well."
of coz, my course is Engineering for Uninterested Students (EUS)
well... those who matter to me already know, so doesn't matter to me much. just something i hv to deal with. but in any case most of my non-lesson and non-eating time wld be spent either in FYP lab or library. recently, I told someone this coming sem wld be siong... she told me dun think it is siong, but think that u must chiong... hahhaa how true.
but feel free to come look for me if u happen to be in sch... always hv time for frens, esp when i shd be doing something else.
need to fall asleep fast... will read a chinese picture book to do so. ;-)
note to self: work hard to end it this sem! and for goodness sake go cut ur scruffy hair!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Being Different
Currently Playing: 1985 by Bowling for Soup
Yet another lovely fren shared with me her blog address. to date, i've been able to access abt 6 blogs of my frens... and all but 1 is abt feelings, emotions, what happened. Got me thinking... i'm not a blogger, i'm a columnist. haha! sounds so professional... so which magazine/tabloid is going to pay me to write?
but seriously speaking... y dun i write abt feelings? maybe coz that wld somehow make me more vulnerable? maybe coz feelings and emotions come and go? maybe coz i'll get embarassed abt reading how dumb i was few mths ago? (i realise this is not restricted to just emotions) maybe coz thots, that hv been maturing for some time now, have more credibility to last longer? maybe coz i'm looking for a writing job but need a fricking load of practise?
hey... i AM writing abt my feelings/thots/emotions. DARN! there goes my writing job!!
anyway... thank you, dear readers, for visiting my little spot in cyberspace so regularly. the praises i get for jabbering away at things that peeve me. the pride u guys give me when u mislead me into thinking i can actually write well. thank you and your comments are more than welcome. i really appreciate ur readership.
note to self: finish all entries before cyberspace time runs out! and stay different, coz i am.
Yet another lovely fren shared with me her blog address. to date, i've been able to access abt 6 blogs of my frens... and all but 1 is abt feelings, emotions, what happened. Got me thinking... i'm not a blogger, i'm a columnist. haha! sounds so professional... so which magazine/tabloid is going to pay me to write?
but seriously speaking... y dun i write abt feelings? maybe coz that wld somehow make me more vulnerable? maybe coz feelings and emotions come and go? maybe coz i'll get embarassed abt reading how dumb i was few mths ago? (i realise this is not restricted to just emotions) maybe coz thots, that hv been maturing for some time now, have more credibility to last longer? maybe coz i'm looking for a writing job but need a fricking load of practise?
hey... i AM writing abt my feelings/thots/emotions. DARN! there goes my writing job!!
anyway... thank you, dear readers, for visiting my little spot in cyberspace so regularly. the praises i get for jabbering away at things that peeve me. the pride u guys give me when u mislead me into thinking i can actually write well. thank you and your comments are more than welcome. i really appreciate ur readership.
note to self: finish all entries before cyberspace time runs out! and stay different, coz i am.
Am I That Approachable? Part 2
Currently Playing: Distractions by Zero 7
Just as I was saying frens who hv become MLM agents or "financial planners" using frenship to earn money... I caught another one over MSN! this guy did IA in the same company... but we hardly spoke over MSN after that. only said hi when we met in sch.
Fren: yo
Me: hey wazzup?
Fren: how's life?
Me: liddat lor. u? working as? (i knew something was up)
Fren: financial planner
Me: hahahhah
Fren: how many subjects next sem?
Me: eh dun bother selling me anything... i got plans liao
Fren: (proceeds to ask me abt my work load next sem, doesn't say anything abt his job nor my "dun bother" sentence) ........
was he genuinely asking abt me? or looking for a potential victim? a close, rather intellectual, fren once told me i'm damn cynical, shd give others the benefit of the doubt. yup, like in this case, i give him the benefit of my doubt... hahahah
on an unrelated note... i wonder why has this song by Zero 7 been catching my ears lately... wonder why i can't seem to settle down to get things done... wonder why things seem less fun these days... wonder why i feel so... distracted.
note to self: get a hold on yourself!
Just as I was saying frens who hv become MLM agents or "financial planners" using frenship to earn money... I caught another one over MSN! this guy did IA in the same company... but we hardly spoke over MSN after that. only said hi when we met in sch.
Fren: yo
Me: hey wazzup?
Fren: how's life?
Me: liddat lor. u? working as? (i knew something was up)
Fren: financial planner
Me: hahahhah
Fren: how many subjects next sem?
Me: eh dun bother selling me anything... i got plans liao
Fren: (proceeds to ask me abt my work load next sem, doesn't say anything abt his job nor my "dun bother" sentence) ........
was he genuinely asking abt me? or looking for a potential victim? a close, rather intellectual, fren once told me i'm damn cynical, shd give others the benefit of the doubt. yup, like in this case, i give him the benefit of my doubt... hahahah
on an unrelated note... i wonder why has this song by Zero 7 been catching my ears lately... wonder why i can't seem to settle down to get things done... wonder why things seem less fun these days... wonder why i feel so... distracted.
note to self: get a hold on yourself!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Am I That Approachable?
Currently Playing: Nothing. It's late at nite.
It all started with a YEP fren telling me he just came back from business. since he seemed eager to make conversation, to humour him, "what kind of business?" i casually asked.
BIG MISTAKE. he was in a cosmetic selling MLM. i am neither interested in the products nor sales method. yet he proceeded to rattle on over msn trying to recruit me into his fold and/or sell me cosmetics. i am unable to quote him becoz i ignored the msn and went out.
when i came back home, my hp was full of his SMS - asking me when wld be free to meet to discuss abt the business or even if i wasn't interested in the business his gf (also went YEP, also in the business) was looking for ppl to practise her demo (read: sales) talk on.
i replied that i wasn't interested and wld be too cynical to encourage his gf. anyway all the best.
since Plan A: Innocent Requests for Help failed, he put Plan B: Emotional Blackmail into action, by saying it's ok he understands but his gf wld be so disappointed to know that her good fren from YEP didn't want to help her out...
oh come on... i hardly spoke to her during the trip unless it was abt work or health. so i replied he was being pushy (he claimed he wldn't on msn earlier) and told him i was too cynical to be affected by emotional blackmail. gdnite.
so out comes Plan C: Guilt Trip! he smsed saying he did sms his gf abt it and she really got disappointed but he told her she had to respect my wishes as a fren and in seemingly no connection whatsoever, proceeded to thank me for a job well done during the trip and told me i am really a good fren to have.
i mean, no offence, but becoz he has MLM up his sleeve, i take all his words with a large dose of salt. i wldn't know if he was saying those things coz they were true and he meant it, or it was just a sales pitch. precisely y i dun like selling stuff to frens and dealing with salesppl who are frens... you don't know when they are using the friendship to earn extra cash.
i hv a good fren (since sec sch) who also came to tell me abt MLM... either with or without the guise of passing me lecture notes. i endured abt an hour of sales talk and he endured an hour of cynical questions, afterwhich neither convinced the other. but at least we kind of agreed to disagree, and we never mentioned abt it again. at least we're close enuff for me to be straight fwd and tell him no, but know our frenship would still be as strong. KB, i appreciate that. thank you.
my cousin and his sis are into MLM as well... 3 of us used to be very close when young. all it took was a happie birthdae sms from me to him for the sales talk to begin. my 2nd sms told him i wasn't interested, but thanx. last i heard, they're not doing too well, having a dearth of customers.
besides frens in MLM, strangers approach me as well... either churchy ppl or insurance agents/financial planners/life planners/whatever they are called now
used to give the religious ones a chance... thot they mean well. until this guy claiming to be a major in the air force approached me when i was a young naive recruit in BMT and talked to me from 11pm to 2am, robbing me of my precious bookout time. which recruit dares to tell a major to stop wasting his time? i never gave them a chance to do so again.
and now, i have lots of fun handling insurance agents. used to such say "no" to their questions and try to walk away... but i've learnt to identify them from far... those ppl wearing office wear (sometimes with a red lanyard) standing at busy bus interchanges with a clipboard while everyone else rushing ard has better things to do. (those with no clipboard are the religious ones) among my best rejections are:
(when the agent approaches expectantly)
- stick my hand out in front of her like a traffic police stopping a car and saying "no! not interested."
- agent: "would you like to help me do a simple survey?"
me: "about insurance rite?"
agent: "no, it's abt financial planning..."
me: "insurance lah!" (walks off)
- smile sweetly and ask "insurance? not interested" (just happened few hrs ago!)
- (agent walks alongside me at my speed, which was quite fast)
agent: (breathlessly) "hi."
me: (cheerfully) "hello!" (still walking moderately quickly)
agent: (still breathless) "would you like to stop for a while?"
me: (still cheerfully) "no, not really."
the short, sharp interactions thus end, saving me and the unfortunate agent time to pursue more rewarding encounters. it is a pity i never turn around to witness their reactions; but my main motivation is not malicious, it is not to damage their egos. although i admit it can be fun, i also do this so that i do not waste any of my valuable time on futile sales talk. i only have so many years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds... none to spare for salesppl i will nv see again... i feel no empathy for them - they chose their own career.
note to self: Never get a sales job!
It all started with a YEP fren telling me he just came back from business. since he seemed eager to make conversation, to humour him, "what kind of business?" i casually asked.
BIG MISTAKE. he was in a cosmetic selling MLM. i am neither interested in the products nor sales method. yet he proceeded to rattle on over msn trying to recruit me into his fold and/or sell me cosmetics. i am unable to quote him becoz i ignored the msn and went out.
when i came back home, my hp was full of his SMS - asking me when wld be free to meet to discuss abt the business or even if i wasn't interested in the business his gf (also went YEP, also in the business) was looking for ppl to practise her demo (read: sales) talk on.
i replied that i wasn't interested and wld be too cynical to encourage his gf. anyway all the best.
since Plan A: Innocent Requests for Help failed, he put Plan B: Emotional Blackmail into action, by saying it's ok he understands but his gf wld be so disappointed to know that her good fren from YEP didn't want to help her out...
oh come on... i hardly spoke to her during the trip unless it was abt work or health. so i replied he was being pushy (he claimed he wldn't on msn earlier) and told him i was too cynical to be affected by emotional blackmail. gdnite.
so out comes Plan C: Guilt Trip! he smsed saying he did sms his gf abt it and she really got disappointed but he told her she had to respect my wishes as a fren and in seemingly no connection whatsoever, proceeded to thank me for a job well done during the trip and told me i am really a good fren to have.
i mean, no offence, but becoz he has MLM up his sleeve, i take all his words with a large dose of salt. i wldn't know if he was saying those things coz they were true and he meant it, or it was just a sales pitch. precisely y i dun like selling stuff to frens and dealing with salesppl who are frens... you don't know when they are using the friendship to earn extra cash.
i hv a good fren (since sec sch) who also came to tell me abt MLM... either with or without the guise of passing me lecture notes. i endured abt an hour of sales talk and he endured an hour of cynical questions, afterwhich neither convinced the other. but at least we kind of agreed to disagree, and we never mentioned abt it again. at least we're close enuff for me to be straight fwd and tell him no, but know our frenship would still be as strong. KB, i appreciate that. thank you.
my cousin and his sis are into MLM as well... 3 of us used to be very close when young. all it took was a happie birthdae sms from me to him for the sales talk to begin. my 2nd sms told him i wasn't interested, but thanx. last i heard, they're not doing too well, having a dearth of customers.
besides frens in MLM, strangers approach me as well... either churchy ppl or insurance agents/financial planners/life planners/whatever they are called now
used to give the religious ones a chance... thot they mean well. until this guy claiming to be a major in the air force approached me when i was a young naive recruit in BMT and talked to me from 11pm to 2am, robbing me of my precious bookout time. which recruit dares to tell a major to stop wasting his time? i never gave them a chance to do so again.
and now, i have lots of fun handling insurance agents. used to such say "no" to their questions and try to walk away... but i've learnt to identify them from far... those ppl wearing office wear (sometimes with a red lanyard) standing at busy bus interchanges with a clipboard while everyone else rushing ard has better things to do. (those with no clipboard are the religious ones) among my best rejections are:
(when the agent approaches expectantly)
- stick my hand out in front of her like a traffic police stopping a car and saying "no! not interested."
- agent: "would you like to help me do a simple survey?"
me: "about insurance rite?"
agent: "no, it's abt financial planning..."
me: "insurance lah!" (walks off)
- smile sweetly and ask "insurance? not interested" (just happened few hrs ago!)
- (agent walks alongside me at my speed, which was quite fast)
agent: (breathlessly) "hi."
me: (cheerfully) "hello!" (still walking moderately quickly)
agent: (still breathless) "would you like to stop for a while?"
me: (still cheerfully) "no, not really."
the short, sharp interactions thus end, saving me and the unfortunate agent time to pursue more rewarding encounters. it is a pity i never turn around to witness their reactions; but my main motivation is not malicious, it is not to damage their egos. although i admit it can be fun, i also do this so that i do not waste any of my valuable time on futile sales talk. i only have so many years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds... none to spare for salesppl i will nv see again... i feel no empathy for them - they chose their own career.
note to self: Never get a sales job!
A Missing Entry!
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What happened? well i was banging away furiously to post an entry abt my waterfall trek with ODAC orientation camp, and especially abt the guy who turned my headache into a full blown migraine when my internet connection died on me... resulting in complete loss of the post. since i as a writer believe in literary integrity (read: laziness) i shall not attempt to re-write my 1st hand thots as every time it wld be different. so the blank space above is for u, my dear readers, to imagine the horrific true account that would hv been...
but no worries... the account (with some liberties taken) will be the subject of a book i shall be writing in the near-future. from my recent market survey, children and adults (with child-like interests) seem to go crazy over certain books with titles of little variation. in that light, i shall name my book "Rokky Panner and the Half-Wit Who Wouldn't Stop Talking"
In this episode, Rokky, the young "magician" (read: street con-artist) and his 2 young frens (who have no real role whatsoever, and are only there to make up the numbers so the lead doesn't seem like a social outcast) meet the Half-Wit within the long windy corridors of NTU where the Half-Wit talks the 2 frens out of their minds. Rokky, as usual, after various encounters, saves the day and the world from destruction by locking the Half-Wit in a soundproof room with LOUD chinamen who doesn't understand english. Everyone in the room dies from too much bleeding from the ears.
Wow. from a mere explanation into a full-length entry. this thing is addictive.
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What happened? well i was banging away furiously to post an entry abt my waterfall trek with ODAC orientation camp, and especially abt the guy who turned my headache into a full blown migraine when my internet connection died on me... resulting in complete loss of the post. since i as a writer believe in literary integrity (read: laziness) i shall not attempt to re-write my 1st hand thots as every time it wld be different. so the blank space above is for u, my dear readers, to imagine the horrific true account that would hv been...
but no worries... the account (with some liberties taken) will be the subject of a book i shall be writing in the near-future. from my recent market survey, children and adults (with child-like interests) seem to go crazy over certain books with titles of little variation. in that light, i shall name my book "Rokky Panner and the Half-Wit Who Wouldn't Stop Talking"
In this episode, Rokky, the young "magician" (read: street con-artist) and his 2 young frens (who have no real role whatsoever, and are only there to make up the numbers so the lead doesn't seem like a social outcast) meet the Half-Wit within the long windy corridors of NTU where the Half-Wit talks the 2 frens out of their minds. Rokky, as usual, after various encounters, saves the day and the world from destruction by locking the Half-Wit in a soundproof room with LOUD chinamen who doesn't understand english. Everyone in the room dies from too much bleeding from the ears.
Wow. from a mere explanation into a full-length entry. this thing is addictive.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Looking for Job? I got Lobang!
Currently Playing: Nothing (coz scared my mum wake up and scold me for being online so late)
First of all, finally i'm back online!! Dear readers, sorry for making u guys wait so long... u can all thank my very first fan (she read finish all my entries in one sitting!) for dragging me to starhub to apply for broadband... if not i'd be sleeping right now.
Anyway, back to the current topic. Updates on YEP can wait...
Frens who hv just graduated, are you still looking for a meaningful, well-paying job? look no further than our local charitable organisations!! it's true!! usually ppl hv the concept that being a social worker means little pay, no perks, and working with sickly, old, problematic ppl. not true!!
nowadays, charitable orgns are likening themselves to publicly listed companies, and are willing to pay their employees matching salaries!! wat's more, the orgn will value your privacy and not disclose your pay package. so u can continue to act poor in front of free loading frens!! first pay just treat them 40 cent you tiao can oready! then say u nv bring out enuff cash for dou jiang... and when they ask u why u urself never order? smile sweetly and say u're full oready. the smarter ones will get the msg.
not only they match salaries, they match perks and benefits as well!! ensuring comfort locally and when abroad, each employee has their own personal toilet with fittings in the colour of their choice!! (but dunno y, now least popular is gold colour) when travelling overseas, employees are given a choice of the best airlines... or a choice of taking the lousier airlines and get a free upgrade in seats!! those who choose to travel by land may rent the whole bus for themselves as well!!
and how abt the ppl at work? no worries!! now the scope of employees have changed. last time, employees were volunteers, made to run circles round the beneficiaries. now, employees make volunteers run round in circles! what's more, now the "volunteers" are pretty faced hunks and babes under contract by their company to do wat the charitable orgn tells them to do, so no more 1/2 past 6 volunteers! can make them juggle dice, stand on eggs, and even stand on each other!! (see previous entry) so fun!!
so what are you waiting for?? sign up at your nearest charitable orgn outpost todae!! just take a quik peek at the list below before doing so...
Do's:
-Let your frens use ur lovely office toilet... i've got requests for mine already
-Maintain a not-so-well-to-do image (eg. using 10cent public toilets, giving cheapo treats, taking economy on flights)
-Sue anyone who thinks otherwise, preferably with good lawyers
Don'ts:
-Let your beneficiaries or donors know about ur lovely office toilet
-Hire kaypoh contractors who will blow ur not-so-well-to-do image
-Sue print companies who hire even better lawyers
First of all, finally i'm back online!! Dear readers, sorry for making u guys wait so long... u can all thank my very first fan (she read finish all my entries in one sitting!) for dragging me to starhub to apply for broadband... if not i'd be sleeping right now.
Anyway, back to the current topic. Updates on YEP can wait...
Frens who hv just graduated, are you still looking for a meaningful, well-paying job? look no further than our local charitable organisations!! it's true!! usually ppl hv the concept that being a social worker means little pay, no perks, and working with sickly, old, problematic ppl. not true!!
nowadays, charitable orgns are likening themselves to publicly listed companies, and are willing to pay their employees matching salaries!! wat's more, the orgn will value your privacy and not disclose your pay package. so u can continue to act poor in front of free loading frens!! first pay just treat them 40 cent you tiao can oready! then say u nv bring out enuff cash for dou jiang... and when they ask u why u urself never order? smile sweetly and say u're full oready. the smarter ones will get the msg.
not only they match salaries, they match perks and benefits as well!! ensuring comfort locally and when abroad, each employee has their own personal toilet with fittings in the colour of their choice!! (but dunno y, now least popular is gold colour) when travelling overseas, employees are given a choice of the best airlines... or a choice of taking the lousier airlines and get a free upgrade in seats!! those who choose to travel by land may rent the whole bus for themselves as well!!
and how abt the ppl at work? no worries!! now the scope of employees have changed. last time, employees were volunteers, made to run circles round the beneficiaries. now, employees make volunteers run round in circles! what's more, now the "volunteers" are pretty faced hunks and babes under contract by their company to do wat the charitable orgn tells them to do, so no more 1/2 past 6 volunteers! can make them juggle dice, stand on eggs, and even stand on each other!! (see previous entry) so fun!!
so what are you waiting for?? sign up at your nearest charitable orgn outpost todae!! just take a quik peek at the list below before doing so...
Do's:
-Let your frens use ur lovely office toilet... i've got requests for mine already
-Maintain a not-so-well-to-do image (eg. using 10cent public toilets, giving cheapo treats, taking economy on flights)
-Sue anyone who thinks otherwise, preferably with good lawyers
Don'ts:
-Let your beneficiaries or donors know about ur lovely office toilet
-Hire kaypoh contractors who will blow ur not-so-well-to-do image
-Sue print companies who hire even better lawyers
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Update from 丽江古城阿酷咖啡推荐
Currently Playing: Crappy BSB CD from the Lijiang Old City Haku Cafe
Hey hey faithful readers!!
Been trying in vain for the past 3 wks looking for an update?? here it is!! a short summary of wat i've been doing so far.
Spent the 1st 15 days in rural village in the mountains... did a little construction for a pri sch (carrying stones and soil ard), did a little interaction with the kids (it took a while to get used to their lack of bathing), did a little trekking (climbed a nearby mt twice, went to a scenic valley twice), did a little field work (toilets are self-dug among trees, goats, sheep, pigs, etc), and had fun with my teammates (i hv to say they're nice ppl coz 1 of them is looking over my shoulder as i type this now)
unfortunately the 3 girls i'm with hv discovered i'm banging away on my blog so i hv to describe them now. but since at this moment they are discussing bargains so i cont. typing.
in the village, i had to take care of the sick and injured... fun at 1st but soon i got a bit overworked... but at least i didn't mess anyone up. food was kinda bland but at least we could request to the cooks (2 young local girls) to cut down on oil and salt and etc. one thing to note: crapping in the wild is LIBERATING!!
yes, crapping means shitting, as one of my frens found out from me in this trip.
had 3-4 days of R & R... but it was kinda more like Rushings & Restrooms. we were rushed from attraction to attraction on tourist bus and by foot... walking dunno-how-many km to some china uni... slipping off wet rocks on western hills and caves... and lots of ppl were going toilet every hr to release the unhygienic, oily food.
now i'm in lijiang for my trip extension... in a grp of 11 - 6 guys 5 girls. all are fun ppl, and we hv lots of fun together... only 2 problems: we were kinda ambitious, planning to cover all tourist attractions in these few days and a grp of 11 is large and slow to move/decide... not a problem with the ppl, but the number. it's something i didn't plan on... oh well. there'll be other opportunities to travel. anyway, i'm more or less over china.. hahhah
will return to kunming tml nite, leave for bangkok the next day and return to sg on 1st july. my flight touches down at 9.20pm, if anyone is interested *ahem ahem*
well... i dunno abt this trip. on one hand it's great to be in china... but OTOH i'm kinda tired of being in a big grp, and feel a bit aimless liao....
my 3 girl frens with me are hungry liao... so gotta sign off. anyway to indulge them... they are cute, fun gals... great to be with... simply irresistible...
dear readers.. u know i didn't type those words.
Hey hey faithful readers!!
Been trying in vain for the past 3 wks looking for an update?? here it is!! a short summary of wat i've been doing so far.
Spent the 1st 15 days in rural village in the mountains... did a little construction for a pri sch (carrying stones and soil ard), did a little interaction with the kids (it took a while to get used to their lack of bathing), did a little trekking (climbed a nearby mt twice, went to a scenic valley twice), did a little field work (toilets are self-dug among trees, goats, sheep, pigs, etc), and had fun with my teammates (i hv to say they're nice ppl coz 1 of them is looking over my shoulder as i type this now)
unfortunately the 3 girls i'm with hv discovered i'm banging away on my blog so i hv to describe them now. but since at this moment they are discussing bargains so i cont. typing.
in the village, i had to take care of the sick and injured... fun at 1st but soon i got a bit overworked... but at least i didn't mess anyone up. food was kinda bland but at least we could request to the cooks (2 young local girls) to cut down on oil and salt and etc. one thing to note: crapping in the wild is LIBERATING!!
yes, crapping means shitting, as one of my frens found out from me in this trip.
had 3-4 days of R & R... but it was kinda more like Rushings & Restrooms. we were rushed from attraction to attraction on tourist bus and by foot... walking dunno-how-many km to some china uni... slipping off wet rocks on western hills and caves... and lots of ppl were going toilet every hr to release the unhygienic, oily food.
now i'm in lijiang for my trip extension... in a grp of 11 - 6 guys 5 girls. all are fun ppl, and we hv lots of fun together... only 2 problems: we were kinda ambitious, planning to cover all tourist attractions in these few days and a grp of 11 is large and slow to move/decide... not a problem with the ppl, but the number. it's something i didn't plan on... oh well. there'll be other opportunities to travel. anyway, i'm more or less over china.. hahhah
will return to kunming tml nite, leave for bangkok the next day and return to sg on 1st july. my flight touches down at 9.20pm, if anyone is interested *ahem ahem*
well... i dunno abt this trip. on one hand it's great to be in china... but OTOH i'm kinda tired of being in a big grp, and feel a bit aimless liao....
my 3 girl frens with me are hungry liao... so gotta sign off. anyway to indulge them... they are cute, fun gals... great to be with... simply irresistible...
dear readers.. u know i didn't type those words.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Leaving Day After Tomorrow!!
Currently Playing: Nothing by In The School Library
OK... just HAD to sneak in 1 more entry. my word... this thing is addictive.
been 1 hectic past week... had camp at ubin, spent 2 days packing and moving out most of my stuff, met up with some impt frens and removed my little monsters from hall over the wkend, getting little sleep in the process... average is probably 5 hrs a day. wish i could spend time with other impt frens though... last nite with ally, kok and cyclist at BT prata was great... had so many laughs i dun even know wat we were talking abt.
returned the keys to hall just now... had a long lingering look at my sanctuary of 2 years... now that it hits me, kinda will miss the place. i looked at the empty room and pictured the various furniture in their usual places... some emotional attachment to the place after all. oh well... time to move on. but the bad thing abt packing up and leaving is that it makes me feel i've graduated already! hahahahah
oh abt packing up and moving out last nite... i met old-man-angry-with-his-job security guard again... in fact walked past him a few times. 1st time didn't look at him. 2nd time he pretended not to see me. 3rd time our eyes met and we stared for a glancing while. 4th time i was returning from the car after depositing little monsters and he gives me a "eh boy, where u going?" in an ah-beng fashion. imagine a old 60-70 yr old security guard acting like that! so amusing. but i didn't bother abt him and returned an equally bengish "go where? go home lah" while not slacking on walking speed. passing him and his security guard fren (superior?) the other guy remarks "finish already... pass out already..." and i walked away responding with "yah yah pass out already" didn't want to waste time talking to them. 5th time passing them they were talking, i didn't bother to stop although i did make one last disdainful eye contact at the old-man security guard.
was thinking of telling him off or complaining/commenting to hall office abt his poor attitude towards students (he's supposed to protect the premises, not act as a CSM)... but wat the heck, i'll never see him again and it's a waste of time. besides, he's not that significant... just provided me with an amusing episode... so heck it.
most impt pt in this post... i'm leaving day after tml!! finally the excitement sets in just thinking abt it!! or is it caused by my full bladder? no matter!! yesterday chal asked me if i was excited... i gave a nonchalant shrug. but todae i wake up and realise it's day after tml... so near liao!! woohoo!!! day after tml i'll be in china and thailand for a mth!! YEAH BABY!!!
still got so many things to settle before i leave... things to buy, bags to pack, ppl to spend time with, my own grooming (i BADLY, BADLY need a hair cut) extremely excited & rather stressed.
note to self: STAY CALM!! and post something when there's a chance.
OK... just HAD to sneak in 1 more entry. my word... this thing is addictive.
been 1 hectic past week... had camp at ubin, spent 2 days packing and moving out most of my stuff, met up with some impt frens and removed my little monsters from hall over the wkend, getting little sleep in the process... average is probably 5 hrs a day. wish i could spend time with other impt frens though... last nite with ally, kok and cyclist at BT prata was great... had so many laughs i dun even know wat we were talking abt.
returned the keys to hall just now... had a long lingering look at my sanctuary of 2 years... now that it hits me, kinda will miss the place. i looked at the empty room and pictured the various furniture in their usual places... some emotional attachment to the place after all. oh well... time to move on. but the bad thing abt packing up and leaving is that it makes me feel i've graduated already! hahahahah
oh abt packing up and moving out last nite... i met old-man-angry-with-his-job security guard again... in fact walked past him a few times. 1st time didn't look at him. 2nd time he pretended not to see me. 3rd time our eyes met and we stared for a glancing while. 4th time i was returning from the car after depositing little monsters and he gives me a "eh boy, where u going?" in an ah-beng fashion. imagine a old 60-70 yr old security guard acting like that! so amusing. but i didn't bother abt him and returned an equally bengish "go where? go home lah" while not slacking on walking speed. passing him and his security guard fren (superior?) the other guy remarks "finish already... pass out already..." and i walked away responding with "yah yah pass out already" didn't want to waste time talking to them. 5th time passing them they were talking, i didn't bother to stop although i did make one last disdainful eye contact at the old-man security guard.
was thinking of telling him off or complaining/commenting to hall office abt his poor attitude towards students (he's supposed to protect the premises, not act as a CSM)... but wat the heck, i'll never see him again and it's a waste of time. besides, he's not that significant... just provided me with an amusing episode... so heck it.
most impt pt in this post... i'm leaving day after tml!! finally the excitement sets in just thinking abt it!! or is it caused by my full bladder? no matter!! yesterday chal asked me if i was excited... i gave a nonchalant shrug. but todae i wake up and realise it's day after tml... so near liao!! woohoo!!! day after tml i'll be in china and thailand for a mth!! YEAH BABY!!!
still got so many things to settle before i leave... things to buy, bags to pack, ppl to spend time with, my own grooming (i BADLY, BADLY need a hair cut) extremely excited & rather stressed.
note to self: STAY CALM!! and post something when there's a chance.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Youth Expedition Project
Currently Playing: Untitled by Keane
so is it a expedition or a project? sounds kinda funny doesn't it?
anyway, rite now major issues in my head are moving out of hall and the upcoming YEP trip to Yunnan. I shall be permenantly moving out of hall tml, so this blog will be stopping for a while. i will be overseas in China from 1st june to 1st july, so this blog will be stopped for a long while. but since i won't be plugging in my comp again til after i come back from the trip and will be tired after that, most prob there will be a delay and this blog will be stopped for a longer while. so sorry dear readers, but if i get internet access in the meantime i shall post something.
sitting w/ my 1/2 packed boxes and 1/2 empty room... my predominant thot is....: I WANNA GET OUTTA HERE!!! the dust is clogging my nose, irritating my eyes and driving me crazy. shall be moving everything else tml.
another 6 days i'll be going on the longest overseas trip of my life as yet... another exciting adventure. dun really know wat to expect, but i'm keeping an open mind abt it... i wanna go there to experience the life and culture, and hopefully do some trekking, take some great photos while i'm there. the interaction and helping ppl is secondary. kind of selfish, sorta going for the wrong reasons... but i got chosen for this coz i can contribute effectively to the project... and i will. although my motivations are not the best, my efforts will always be.
so fast... dunno if i'm mentally really prepared for it... hvn't even looked at the equipment list to see if i got everything... just joining ppl in buying stuff i know i dun hv. a little apprehensive abt wat i leave behind for a mth as well.
most missed will be parents, brother, and my dear, dear frens. but i dunno if i can spend enuff time with them... i'm sometimes too busy for my family, and frens sometimes too busy for me. frens i can a bit bo chup if dun get to spend time, but family cannot. even more so when i know how fortunate i am now (see previous entry).
would like to thank the following ppl:
- parents and brother for not objecting, being supportive of me running away for 1 mth.
- cream for taking care of my little monsters for that mth.
- zz, chel, qz for studying for exams with me and making studying less boring.
- my grp of 8 frens(adsports2), for loving me so much as a fren.
- tan kuku, chalsee, and ally, for supporting this blog. will be back in july!!
Time for another Great Adventure!!!
so is it a expedition or a project? sounds kinda funny doesn't it?
anyway, rite now major issues in my head are moving out of hall and the upcoming YEP trip to Yunnan. I shall be permenantly moving out of hall tml, so this blog will be stopping for a while. i will be overseas in China from 1st june to 1st july, so this blog will be stopped for a long while. but since i won't be plugging in my comp again til after i come back from the trip and will be tired after that, most prob there will be a delay and this blog will be stopped for a longer while. so sorry dear readers, but if i get internet access in the meantime i shall post something.
sitting w/ my 1/2 packed boxes and 1/2 empty room... my predominant thot is....: I WANNA GET OUTTA HERE!!! the dust is clogging my nose, irritating my eyes and driving me crazy. shall be moving everything else tml.
another 6 days i'll be going on the longest overseas trip of my life as yet... another exciting adventure. dun really know wat to expect, but i'm keeping an open mind abt it... i wanna go there to experience the life and culture, and hopefully do some trekking, take some great photos while i'm there. the interaction and helping ppl is secondary. kind of selfish, sorta going for the wrong reasons... but i got chosen for this coz i can contribute effectively to the project... and i will. although my motivations are not the best, my efforts will always be.
so fast... dunno if i'm mentally really prepared for it... hvn't even looked at the equipment list to see if i got everything... just joining ppl in buying stuff i know i dun hv. a little apprehensive abt wat i leave behind for a mth as well.
most missed will be parents, brother, and my dear, dear frens. but i dunno if i can spend enuff time with them... i'm sometimes too busy for my family, and frens sometimes too busy for me. frens i can a bit bo chup if dun get to spend time, but family cannot. even more so when i know how fortunate i am now (see previous entry).
would like to thank the following ppl:
- parents and brother for not objecting, being supportive of me running away for 1 mth.
- cream for taking care of my little monsters for that mth.
- zz, chel, qz for studying for exams with me and making studying less boring.
- my grp of 8 frens(adsports2), for loving me so much as a fren.
- tan kuku, chalsee, and ally, for supporting this blog. will be back in july!!
Time for another Great Adventure!!!
YEP Pre Expedition Camp
Currently Playing: Everybody's Changing by Keane
On Monday-Wednesday, I went for the YEP pre exp camp which i volunteered to help organise,. even though my position is "medic" in the project.
Mon morning we met at chinatown to do a kind of amazing race game for 3 hrs. had lunch, then went to tampines to buy food, after which travelled to pulau ubin by land and sea. From the jetty, we hiked to a kampung where we spent the nite. Next day we went to the highest pt in ubin, had lunch at town and took minibuses to noordin beach. after a wet nite there we packed up and went back mainland to hv a debrief and lunch at changi village.
This little camping trip has been very significant... as a project team we really bonded roughing it out and sharing each other's life stories as part of the itinerary. we were supposed to share the significant moments in our lives with others and we all learnt everyone's past. i learnt that many had problematic childhood/families and realised i am very fortunate. i am VERY FORTUNATE. also, it gave us an opportunity to know y so-and-so sorta behaves liddat, etc. I myself rambled on abt myself quite a bit. darn... lost the piece of mahjong paper which i drew and scribbled on for thots.
other things significant to me are that the guys have realised i can cook, i am quite competent and do take my post as medic seriously, and i can be authoritative when leading. i cooked my signature kung pao chicken for the 1st dinner, french toast for 2nd breakfast, pasta n omelettes for 2nd dinner. got quite busy with ppl getting bee stings, muscle strains, stomachaches and emergency simulations. when setting up camp in the rain i kinda raised my voice a bit... but they probably also realise that i'm not too organised as well. well at least i'm making an impact... helping in this is enjoyable and beneficial.
but most imptly, we have really bonded as a team, as frens. now i hv a "brother", a buddy, a dance partner, a fellow medic, and so many other frens. so far i dun think i've pissed anyone off yet.
note to self: treat these nice ppl well!! and always remember how fortunate i am.
On Monday-Wednesday, I went for the YEP pre exp camp which i volunteered to help organise,. even though my position is "medic" in the project.
Mon morning we met at chinatown to do a kind of amazing race game for 3 hrs. had lunch, then went to tampines to buy food, after which travelled to pulau ubin by land and sea. From the jetty, we hiked to a kampung where we spent the nite. Next day we went to the highest pt in ubin, had lunch at town and took minibuses to noordin beach. after a wet nite there we packed up and went back mainland to hv a debrief and lunch at changi village.
This little camping trip has been very significant... as a project team we really bonded roughing it out and sharing each other's life stories as part of the itinerary. we were supposed to share the significant moments in our lives with others and we all learnt everyone's past. i learnt that many had problematic childhood/families and realised i am very fortunate. i am VERY FORTUNATE. also, it gave us an opportunity to know y so-and-so sorta behaves liddat, etc. I myself rambled on abt myself quite a bit. darn... lost the piece of mahjong paper which i drew and scribbled on for thots.
other things significant to me are that the guys have realised i can cook, i am quite competent and do take my post as medic seriously, and i can be authoritative when leading. i cooked my signature kung pao chicken for the 1st dinner, french toast for 2nd breakfast, pasta n omelettes for 2nd dinner. got quite busy with ppl getting bee stings, muscle strains, stomachaches and emergency simulations. when setting up camp in the rain i kinda raised my voice a bit... but they probably also realise that i'm not too organised as well. well at least i'm making an impact... helping in this is enjoyable and beneficial.
but most imptly, we have really bonded as a team, as frens. now i hv a "brother", a buddy, a dance partner, a fellow medic, and so many other frens. so far i dun think i've pissed anyone off yet.
note to self: treat these nice ppl well!! and always remember how fortunate i am.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Not Another Call-In-&-Win Charity Show again! (as earlier promised)
Currently Playing: Unwell by Matchbox20
Newspapers report we are suffering from charity fatigue.
Not surprising when newspapers hv also reported that the number of charities just keeps growing year after year. same goes for tv charity shows and number of flag days, looks like.
chialat... at home tsc artistes bug me to dial a 1900-number while doing irrelevant stunts. out in the pavements, waiting outside just-stopped buses in interchanges, outside mrt stations, shopping malls and cineplexes... sch kids eager to get their CIP pts which will eventually give them an edge when they apply for university and get a job, thrust their rattling cans at me with a tired "would u like to donate?" NO.
To me, it's akin to begging. "selling flags?" no way that little sticker anything more than 2 cents. swindlers! touts! who wants those little stickers anyway, besides little stickerbook hobby kids? i dun want any. and more than something u want to "buy", now it's become more of a rubber stamp that says "PAID" or "Screened". something u show those pesky kids so they stop bugging u. but u still hv to show it to every kids who comes to u in eager strides.
solution? "buy" a flag from every charity once, and stick in on ur ez-link card holder. enjoying urself silly by flashing ur card like the US cop every saturday. Or, my way. "NO. NO Thanx. NOT interested. get out of my way, my train's coming. will you STOP blocking me??? *short pause* stop whimpering, dammit, and it'll stop bleeding soon enuff. ARGH MY TRAIN!!!!"
now u know y i'm late if i'm supposed to meet u.
"wasn't it last mth i saw TV ppl doing crazy stunts for money? they're doing it AGAIN?" i've lost track of wat charity of wat show since 2 yrs ago. i can't even tell the shows apart anymore, and stopped donating long ago. why?
1) these are the big charities. if they can get national TV to pursue their cause, i dun think they need much help anymore.
2) with such publicity, there'll be no lack of ppl donating. so even if i sit out there's not much difference.
3) donating money to win a car is a winning, albeit contradicting, marketing strategy for charities.
4) the shows are all alike. celebrities doing stunts and making phone dialing actions while comperes gibbering away abt how dangerous the stunt is. after the stunt is performed, concerned, panting celebrity stammers its was dangerous and he/she was scared, but altruism pull him/her thru. and of coz, more phone dialing actions. Token wimpy singing/dancing/magic items performed.
5) advertisements cajole ppl to dial to donate and WIN! without telling ppl just how much they would be "donating" for that chance to win a car. or amount donated in fine print.
6) how much of the donations wld go to gold toilet taps for the respective head honchos? will we ever know?
all this while the poorer charities hv no means to garner for funds coz they didn't hv any to begin with. and no one knows they exist, everyone's mistaken them for another of the hundreds of charities popping up every yr. is someone breeding them like rabbits?
so that's it. i keeping my money, thank you very much.
Newspapers report we are suffering from charity fatigue.
Not surprising when newspapers hv also reported that the number of charities just keeps growing year after year. same goes for tv charity shows and number of flag days, looks like.
chialat... at home tsc artistes bug me to dial a 1900-number while doing irrelevant stunts. out in the pavements, waiting outside just-stopped buses in interchanges, outside mrt stations, shopping malls and cineplexes... sch kids eager to get their CIP pts which will eventually give them an edge when they apply for university and get a job, thrust their rattling cans at me with a tired "would u like to donate?" NO.
To me, it's akin to begging. "selling flags?" no way that little sticker anything more than 2 cents. swindlers! touts! who wants those little stickers anyway, besides little stickerbook hobby kids? i dun want any. and more than something u want to "buy", now it's become more of a rubber stamp that says "PAID" or "Screened". something u show those pesky kids so they stop bugging u. but u still hv to show it to every kids who comes to u in eager strides.
solution? "buy" a flag from every charity once, and stick in on ur ez-link card holder. enjoying urself silly by flashing ur card like the US cop every saturday. Or, my way. "NO. NO Thanx. NOT interested. get out of my way, my train's coming. will you STOP blocking me??? *short pause* stop whimpering, dammit, and it'll stop bleeding soon enuff. ARGH MY TRAIN!!!!"
now u know y i'm late if i'm supposed to meet u.
"wasn't it last mth i saw TV ppl doing crazy stunts for money? they're doing it AGAIN?" i've lost track of wat charity of wat show since 2 yrs ago. i can't even tell the shows apart anymore, and stopped donating long ago. why?
1) these are the big charities. if they can get national TV to pursue their cause, i dun think they need much help anymore.
2) with such publicity, there'll be no lack of ppl donating. so even if i sit out there's not much difference.
3) donating money to win a car is a winning, albeit contradicting, marketing strategy for charities.
4) the shows are all alike. celebrities doing stunts and making phone dialing actions while comperes gibbering away abt how dangerous the stunt is. after the stunt is performed, concerned, panting celebrity stammers its was dangerous and he/she was scared, but altruism pull him/her thru. and of coz, more phone dialing actions. Token wimpy singing/dancing/magic items performed.
5) advertisements cajole ppl to dial to donate and WIN! without telling ppl just how much they would be "donating" for that chance to win a car. or amount donated in fine print.
6) how much of the donations wld go to gold toilet taps for the respective head honchos? will we ever know?
all this while the poorer charities hv no means to garner for funds coz they didn't hv any to begin with. and no one knows they exist, everyone's mistaken them for another of the hundreds of charities popping up every yr. is someone breeding them like rabbits?
so that's it. i keeping my money, thank you very much.
Authority Figures
Currently Playing: This is the Last Time by Keane
I was confronted by the security guard and ordered to return to my room abt 1-2 hrs ago. but first, some background.
Staying in the same place for 4 yrs, i've seen these jagas come and go... I appreciated their presence, coz in the 1st 2 yrs here there were chinaman orgies and masked perverted running around the hall. grew chummy with 2 of them, the guy in yr 2 and yr 3. Recently there was some reshuffling and the usual jovial malay dude got replaced with a sullen malay uncle.
Out of habit, coming back late at nite i'd pass the guard table and try to make eye contact, smile and say hi. but soon i gave up trying coz this sullen guy either never made eye contact or didn't bother to respond. never saw him talking to residents, and in the end i just didn't bother to look at him altogether.
So back to the very recent past, i was watching band of brothers (1am on channel 5, tuesdays) when at abt 1.45am sullen uncle walks past without stopping and mumbles something at me, showing a 'V' sign with his fingers. it took me a while to figure out he was telling me to switch off the tv at 2am.
This might have been a very reasonable request, if not for 3 issues:
1) BoB was only going to end at 2.15am.
2) I had the volume low enough not to disturb anyone, just enough for me to hear.
3) It being the holidays, i doubt there was anyone in hall for me to disturb on a tuesday nite anyway. besides, if u're staying in hall on a tuesday nite in the holidays, chances are u're not going to sleep til 3am.
So i continued watching.
Punctually, sullen uncle shows up at 2am and tells me i have to leave coz everything was supposed to be swtiched off at 2am. He adds that I shd hv been in my room from midnite coz all activities are to be stopped at 11.30pm, as written in the "standing orders". Of coz not in such proper english.
Really? Half amused, I remarked that this was a hall and not a military camp. He told me if i didn't believe it, i could go look at the notice board, where the "standing orders" were. As BoB was starting, i decided to sit down and enjoy the show. he asked me if i was yr 1. to shut him up i said yes, following which he told me to ask the yr 2s and 3s abt the standing orders, which apparently was something they knew very well. "you don't believe me ah, boy?" was something he repeated at least 3 times. u're rite, i don't. even if it was true, i don't care coz i know i'm not disturbing anyone.
Anyway, itried to appease him by telling him nicely my show will end at 2.15am, after which i would switch off everything. he told me something to the effect of i'd better do it, coz he could just switch off everything as he liked. that i hv no doubt, but most prob i wld just switch everything back on again. he ended his show of bravado by telling me the hall counsellor was a woman (dunno which he's talking abt, the head hall counsellor is a man btw) and would come and check. if she found the lights still on at 2am, she would give sullen uncle trouble. as he turned round, he added if he got into trouble, he would make sure i got into trouble.
Was that supposed to be a threat? now really amused, i smiled. he saw me smiling and got more dissatisfied. he came back to me asking me for my student card. i said i didn't hv it so he asked me for my room number. i gave him a bogus one and watched the rest of the show in peace. after the show, i went up not looking his way and closed my door, which has remained since.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of a sullen uncle dissatisfied with his mundane job and misguided by the fact he has some form of power, i'm just the sort of guy who avoids unnecessary confrontation. for his sake as well.
His position is already compromised coz he didn't enforce his "authority", "gave chance" in a grudging manner and threw up an empty threat. classic hallmarks of someone who trying to act that he has authority. i know; i've been there before.
Don't forget, this is hall... the security guards role is just that. to provide security for residents, and since they're there, switch off the lights. no authority over resident unless someone complains/pao tos. but if he did switch off my TV, i'd complain to the hall office. oh no, not abt the TV incident, but just casually remark this security guard doesn't seem too frenly... and i've never seen him walking on my corridor on patrol once. (this is true)
So if he does find me and realise i gave him a bogus room number and wants my student card? hahaha like i'll give it to him. it's my property, wat if he doesn't give it back? unnecessary inconvenience. nice try, but no. my name is written quite clearly on the door, he could use that. if he steps into my room to grab my card? that's trespassing. these security guards aren't allowed in our rooms unless campus security or hall office is with them. if he grabs me to get my card or my attention? that's criminal force isn't it? oh man. i am so evil. since young i've never liked authority unless i AM the authority. esp despise those who think they have some and bully others.
Brings to mind another incident in malaysia, the recent angsi trip. before the shopping ctr next to the bus interchange opened, we went and asked the old malay security guard if we could go in and wait for the breakfast stalls to open. he gave the green light and we all went in, heading for the toilets and sinks by the tables to wash up. some of us sat and chatted, while an indian security guard positioned by the toilets and lifts eyed us from time to time. i was the last to use the sinks by the tables, when he decided to show some authority.
He loudly asked me wat we were doing here. i explained nicely the guy up in front let us in. he then had an outburst shouting the guy was old and didn't know anything; that we were not allowed inside here; and we should not be doing any disgusting stuff at the sinks near the tables. well since he found brushing of teeth and washing of face disgusting, no way i was going near him. i turned and continued cleaning up in nonchalance, and this guy skulked back to by the toilets repeating that we were not allowed in there. of coz, we ignored him and he did nothing. did not enforce "authority", and "gave chance" in a grudging manner. he didn't bother us after that as well.
i guess they wanted to show some authority after being blatantly ignored... but the show of bravado just made it worse. even if the ignoring part wasn't on purpose before, now it was.
no i'm not finished... this brings to mind something else. not necessarily related.
It seems that we bloggers have a new bane... some chairman of some govt body has decided to take it upon himself to rid s'pore of irresponsible blogging. he has publicly announced something to the effect of using weapons of mass destruction on anyone who belittled his govt body or himself. that's y i'm being careful here... i do not want to fall victim to his signature finishing move, which incidently is the same of another guy with the same famous surname... but that guy i respect a lot. this guy? i dunno.
for some reason his name keeps popping up in cases when a govt body does something bad to some rich studying guy who has run away and/or made some noise. this guy has also publicly announced he thinks better of young foreigners and young local girls over young local guys. (to work in the orgn he heads lah, wat u thinking)
sure his orgn does good work for the country... but it gets kind of old to see his name popping up in controversial news reports. he makes himself the face of the orgn, like a civil service Trump. wat will happen when he leaves? but more imptly, why? is he chasing controversy to shine more light on his orgn? or on himself? or is he just enjoying hunting down rich studying guys? i dunno... u decide for urself. one thing's for sure, i dun wanna work in his orgn. scary.
i'm not trying to influence anyone, but come on, it's just a blog... some guy's ramblings. ppl with intelligence would see blogs as just an opinion, not necessarily an educated one. so take stuff with a pinch of salt, and lighten up.
note to self: no names! and continue laughing at jagas with high self-importance.
I was confronted by the security guard and ordered to return to my room abt 1-2 hrs ago. but first, some background.
Staying in the same place for 4 yrs, i've seen these jagas come and go... I appreciated their presence, coz in the 1st 2 yrs here there were chinaman orgies and masked perverted running around the hall. grew chummy with 2 of them, the guy in yr 2 and yr 3. Recently there was some reshuffling and the usual jovial malay dude got replaced with a sullen malay uncle.
Out of habit, coming back late at nite i'd pass the guard table and try to make eye contact, smile and say hi. but soon i gave up trying coz this sullen guy either never made eye contact or didn't bother to respond. never saw him talking to residents, and in the end i just didn't bother to look at him altogether.
So back to the very recent past, i was watching band of brothers (1am on channel 5, tuesdays) when at abt 1.45am sullen uncle walks past without stopping and mumbles something at me, showing a 'V' sign with his fingers. it took me a while to figure out he was telling me to switch off the tv at 2am.
This might have been a very reasonable request, if not for 3 issues:
1) BoB was only going to end at 2.15am.
2) I had the volume low enough not to disturb anyone, just enough for me to hear.
3) It being the holidays, i doubt there was anyone in hall for me to disturb on a tuesday nite anyway. besides, if u're staying in hall on a tuesday nite in the holidays, chances are u're not going to sleep til 3am.
So i continued watching.
Punctually, sullen uncle shows up at 2am and tells me i have to leave coz everything was supposed to be swtiched off at 2am. He adds that I shd hv been in my room from midnite coz all activities are to be stopped at 11.30pm, as written in the "standing orders". Of coz not in such proper english.
Really? Half amused, I remarked that this was a hall and not a military camp. He told me if i didn't believe it, i could go look at the notice board, where the "standing orders" were. As BoB was starting, i decided to sit down and enjoy the show. he asked me if i was yr 1. to shut him up i said yes, following which he told me to ask the yr 2s and 3s abt the standing orders, which apparently was something they knew very well. "you don't believe me ah, boy?" was something he repeated at least 3 times. u're rite, i don't. even if it was true, i don't care coz i know i'm not disturbing anyone.
Anyway, itried to appease him by telling him nicely my show will end at 2.15am, after which i would switch off everything. he told me something to the effect of i'd better do it, coz he could just switch off everything as he liked. that i hv no doubt, but most prob i wld just switch everything back on again. he ended his show of bravado by telling me the hall counsellor was a woman (dunno which he's talking abt, the head hall counsellor is a man btw) and would come and check. if she found the lights still on at 2am, she would give sullen uncle trouble. as he turned round, he added if he got into trouble, he would make sure i got into trouble.
Was that supposed to be a threat? now really amused, i smiled. he saw me smiling and got more dissatisfied. he came back to me asking me for my student card. i said i didn't hv it so he asked me for my room number. i gave him a bogus one and watched the rest of the show in peace. after the show, i went up not looking his way and closed my door, which has remained since.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of a sullen uncle dissatisfied with his mundane job and misguided by the fact he has some form of power, i'm just the sort of guy who avoids unnecessary confrontation. for his sake as well.
His position is already compromised coz he didn't enforce his "authority", "gave chance" in a grudging manner and threw up an empty threat. classic hallmarks of someone who trying to act that he has authority. i know; i've been there before.
Don't forget, this is hall... the security guards role is just that. to provide security for residents, and since they're there, switch off the lights. no authority over resident unless someone complains/pao tos. but if he did switch off my TV, i'd complain to the hall office. oh no, not abt the TV incident, but just casually remark this security guard doesn't seem too frenly... and i've never seen him walking on my corridor on patrol once. (this is true)
So if he does find me and realise i gave him a bogus room number and wants my student card? hahaha like i'll give it to him. it's my property, wat if he doesn't give it back? unnecessary inconvenience. nice try, but no. my name is written quite clearly on the door, he could use that. if he steps into my room to grab my card? that's trespassing. these security guards aren't allowed in our rooms unless campus security or hall office is with them. if he grabs me to get my card or my attention? that's criminal force isn't it? oh man. i am so evil. since young i've never liked authority unless i AM the authority. esp despise those who think they have some and bully others.
Brings to mind another incident in malaysia, the recent angsi trip. before the shopping ctr next to the bus interchange opened, we went and asked the old malay security guard if we could go in and wait for the breakfast stalls to open. he gave the green light and we all went in, heading for the toilets and sinks by the tables to wash up. some of us sat and chatted, while an indian security guard positioned by the toilets and lifts eyed us from time to time. i was the last to use the sinks by the tables, when he decided to show some authority.
He loudly asked me wat we were doing here. i explained nicely the guy up in front let us in. he then had an outburst shouting the guy was old and didn't know anything; that we were not allowed inside here; and we should not be doing any disgusting stuff at the sinks near the tables. well since he found brushing of teeth and washing of face disgusting, no way i was going near him. i turned and continued cleaning up in nonchalance, and this guy skulked back to by the toilets repeating that we were not allowed in there. of coz, we ignored him and he did nothing. did not enforce "authority", and "gave chance" in a grudging manner. he didn't bother us after that as well.
i guess they wanted to show some authority after being blatantly ignored... but the show of bravado just made it worse. even if the ignoring part wasn't on purpose before, now it was.
no i'm not finished... this brings to mind something else. not necessarily related.
It seems that we bloggers have a new bane... some chairman of some govt body has decided to take it upon himself to rid s'pore of irresponsible blogging. he has publicly announced something to the effect of using weapons of mass destruction on anyone who belittled his govt body or himself. that's y i'm being careful here... i do not want to fall victim to his signature finishing move, which incidently is the same of another guy with the same famous surname... but that guy i respect a lot. this guy? i dunno.
for some reason his name keeps popping up in cases when a govt body does something bad to some rich studying guy who has run away and/or made some noise. this guy has also publicly announced he thinks better of young foreigners and young local girls over young local guys. (to work in the orgn he heads lah, wat u thinking)
sure his orgn does good work for the country... but it gets kind of old to see his name popping up in controversial news reports. he makes himself the face of the orgn, like a civil service Trump. wat will happen when he leaves? but more imptly, why? is he chasing controversy to shine more light on his orgn? or on himself? or is he just enjoying hunting down rich studying guys? i dunno... u decide for urself. one thing's for sure, i dun wanna work in his orgn. scary.
i'm not trying to influence anyone, but come on, it's just a blog... some guy's ramblings. ppl with intelligence would see blogs as just an opinion, not necessarily an educated one. so take stuff with a pinch of salt, and lighten up.
note to self: no names! and continue laughing at jagas with high self-importance.
Monday, May 09, 2005
My (Hopefully) Last School Holidays!
Too tired, busy to play anything.
These holidays will be busy busy busy... just the way i like them. but of coz that means i will be here less often. just the 1st monday and i feel tired already. here's a rough guide to my next 3 months (for my reference as well):
9-15 May: FYP interim report / YEP Medic Course / YEP meetings (2) / Mothers' Day Dinner / Fren's Wedding Dinner.
16-22 May: FYP Interim report / YEP Meetings (4) / YEP Shopping for Med Supplies / YEP Children's Home Visit / Campus Interviews (not sure if going) / Dinner w best buddies
23-29 May: YEP Pre-Exp Camp / Moving out of Hall Officially / More YEP meetings forseen
30-31 May: YEP Final briefing / YEP Packing
1 -19 Jun: YEP programme proper
20 - 27 Jun: Getting lost in the wild in China! hopefully can go trekking (by myself?)
28 Jun - 1 Jul: Hanging out in Bangkok
2 - 20+ Jul: Doing FYP in SG
That's it.... got ppl come into my room tok cock and irritate me liao. gotta entertain her...
note to self: don't burn out!
These holidays will be busy busy busy... just the way i like them. but of coz that means i will be here less often. just the 1st monday and i feel tired already. here's a rough guide to my next 3 months (for my reference as well):
9-15 May: FYP interim report / YEP Medic Course / YEP meetings (2) / Mothers' Day Dinner / Fren's Wedding Dinner.
16-22 May: FYP Interim report / YEP Meetings (4) / YEP Shopping for Med Supplies / YEP Children's Home Visit / Campus Interviews (not sure if going) / Dinner w best buddies
23-29 May: YEP Pre-Exp Camp / Moving out of Hall Officially / More YEP meetings forseen
30-31 May: YEP Final briefing / YEP Packing
1 -19 Jun: YEP programme proper
20 - 27 Jun: Getting lost in the wild in China! hopefully can go trekking (by myself?)
28 Jun - 1 Jul: Hanging out in Bangkok
2 - 20+ Jul: Doing FYP in SG
That's it.... got ppl come into my room tok cock and irritate me liao. gotta entertain her...
note to self: don't burn out!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Last Man Standing
Currently Not Playing Anything.
Last exam for this sem in another 7 hrs... and i'm probably the only guy left... almost all my frens finished earlier than me... this wouldn't be so depressing if not for the nearly empty library (no chairs full of chinabags anymore!) and the empty canteen... at its peak i made up 16.67% of its entire population.
library..... almost empty
tutorial rooms... vacant
canteen in late afternoon... sparse
canteen at dinner.... quiet
canteen at midnite... empty
hall... now... silent
preparation for tml's paper.... unfinished
state of mind... finished
note to self: go to sleep.
Last exam for this sem in another 7 hrs... and i'm probably the only guy left... almost all my frens finished earlier than me... this wouldn't be so depressing if not for the nearly empty library (no chairs full of chinabags anymore!) and the empty canteen... at its peak i made up 16.67% of its entire population.
library..... almost empty
tutorial rooms... vacant
canteen in late afternoon... sparse
canteen at dinner.... quiet
canteen at midnite... empty
hall... now... silent
preparation for tml's paper.... unfinished
state of mind... finished
note to self: go to sleep.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
I am a Published Online Writer!
Currently Playing: Boondock Saints Theme by the Boondock Saints
My victory song! hahhah yes dear readers... you have not made the wrong choice by stumbling onto this blog... the author has had a piece of work published online! it is now entombed in cyberspace at a satirical, (very) Singaporean website as of 1st May 2005.
I am now a published writer!! WOOHOO!!! one small step towards my writing/phototaking/violin-playing/travelling/farm-boy/waiter/no-commitments dream!! WOOHOO!!!!!
*the audience groans in loathing at the estatic typer of a puny article bouncing around the room in glee*
OK OK... 1 hr after reading my work on the web, i have significantly calmed down (gleefully). true, it is just 1 puny article in a world of a gazillion trillion words... but to me, it is one of life's little accomplishments... like my 1st self-tied shoelaces(7yrs old), the 1st time i successfully used chopsticks(8yrs old), my 1st sports medal (15yrs old), the 1st time i washed my own clothes (20yrs old), the 1st (and only) time i cooked for my parents (21yrs old), etc etc....
Obviously, this blog is helping me with writing skills by providing me an avenue and an audience to practise. Therefore, my dear readers, you deserve some credit too. ok not that much, but still, some. well, here's to more to come, accomplishments large and small. cheers! (apple juice w aloe vera bits *glug glug glug*)
note to self: let this be one small, beginning step...
My victory song! hahhah yes dear readers... you have not made the wrong choice by stumbling onto this blog... the author has had a piece of work published online! it is now entombed in cyberspace at a satirical, (very) Singaporean website as of 1st May 2005.
I am now a published writer!! WOOHOO!!! one small step towards my writing/phototaking/violin-playing/travelling/farm-boy/waiter/no-commitments dream!! WOOHOO!!!!!
*the audience groans in loathing at the estatic typer of a puny article bouncing around the room in glee*
OK OK... 1 hr after reading my work on the web, i have significantly calmed down (gleefully). true, it is just 1 puny article in a world of a gazillion trillion words... but to me, it is one of life's little accomplishments... like my 1st self-tied shoelaces(7yrs old), the 1st time i successfully used chopsticks(8yrs old), my 1st sports medal (15yrs old), the 1st time i washed my own clothes (20yrs old), the 1st (and only) time i cooked for my parents (21yrs old), etc etc....
Obviously, this blog is helping me with writing skills by providing me an avenue and an audience to practise. Therefore, my dear readers, you deserve some credit too. ok not that much, but still, some. well, here's to more to come, accomplishments large and small. cheers! (apple juice w aloe vera bits *glug glug glug*)
note to self: let this be one small, beginning step...
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Pet Peeves: Inconsiderate, Rude Chinamen
Currently Playing: Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me by TISM
Inspiration for this entry: On my way back to study in school, just after 11.30pm, i passed a China couple, yakking away in mainlander mandarin so loudly i heard them long before i saw them.
As i crossed the road upfront, the bus rumbled past. the china couple broke into a run, and while passing me a spectacle case dropped from the chinaman's ridiculously wide-open bag. I picked it up, with an expressionless " excuse me, you dropped something."; and handed it to him with an equally deadpan "your bag is open." The prick takes back his case without a word and runs to the bus.
Come on man, even a fricking "xie xie" in ur mainlander mandarin would hv sufficed. I just saved you some trouble, and probably few hundred RMB in spec case and bribes back in your homeland. Not even a "thank you"? how ungrateful.
I'm not particularly affected by this incident, but it got me thinking: i encounter so many hundreds of chinamen in school... and not one of them has recently impressed me with polite, considerate behaviour, esp during exam period.
on normal days in normal conditions, they already irritate the hell out of me by speaking so, so loudly in normal everyday conditions. they speak as though their fren 0.2m away from them is 2m away and there's a train running between them. i am not adverse to noise, but not only would i like to hear myself think, the incessant chatter in loud mainlander mandarin likens to loud screeching - makes my skin crawl.
maybe it's alright in a crowded canteen, but imagine being stuck in a life with 2 chinamen shouting at each other: enclosed in 2m X 2m x 3m box with a speaker set at 80db screeching away. just inconsiderate. notice how we singaporeans (and some other developed cultures) do it? when we step into the lift with strangers, we lower our volume or stop talking completely. it's not to prevent eavesdropping, but more to show polite consideration to the other person; an acknowledgement that there's someone else in the space.
in the library during exam period, they show even more inconsiderate behaviour. i feel it's alright if u occupy one seat and ur bag occupies another: everyone needs personal space to move ard and place stuff. but these fricking chinamen place their stuff on one table and sit at another! i have already sat at these tables twice. both times the chinaman concerned ignores the table with his/her stuff completely, letting others looking for a seat hapless, thinking someone else occupies the seat. so while there is no extrinsic utility to the chinamen, they rather not let others have a decent place to study. maybe wat drives them is the hope that without a place to study, these other ppl would fail their exams and give them a higher grade?
also, you think chinamen shouting at each other in mainlander mandarin is bad enuff? wait til they WHISPER loudly rite in front of you in a largely quiet library. Extremely. Irritating. they push their voices higher but with no reduction in volume and rattle off in mainlander mandarin... likens to loud static in your headphones.
it's a long entry, i think i've said enuff for you guys to get the picture. there's lots more such annoying actions, and there's so, so many chinamen around. and there'll be more of them coming every year. but i'll stop here for today. i dunno how to solve this widepsread problem, besides telling these pricks off. you can bet i'm not going to any of those crowded, deafening, jostling, "developed" coastal cities in china anytime soon. probably never, with the noise i have to take in and the bribes i have to give out.
note to self: start telling these pricks off. but only when they're inconsiderate of rude, not just irritating. it's a fine line though......
Inspiration for this entry: On my way back to study in school, just after 11.30pm, i passed a China couple, yakking away in mainlander mandarin so loudly i heard them long before i saw them.
As i crossed the road upfront, the bus rumbled past. the china couple broke into a run, and while passing me a spectacle case dropped from the chinaman's ridiculously wide-open bag. I picked it up, with an expressionless " excuse me, you dropped something."; and handed it to him with an equally deadpan "your bag is open." The prick takes back his case without a word and runs to the bus.
Come on man, even a fricking "xie xie" in ur mainlander mandarin would hv sufficed. I just saved you some trouble, and probably few hundred RMB in spec case and bribes back in your homeland. Not even a "thank you"? how ungrateful.
I'm not particularly affected by this incident, but it got me thinking: i encounter so many hundreds of chinamen in school... and not one of them has recently impressed me with polite, considerate behaviour, esp during exam period.
on normal days in normal conditions, they already irritate the hell out of me by speaking so, so loudly in normal everyday conditions. they speak as though their fren 0.2m away from them is 2m away and there's a train running between them. i am not adverse to noise, but not only would i like to hear myself think, the incessant chatter in loud mainlander mandarin likens to loud screeching - makes my skin crawl.
maybe it's alright in a crowded canteen, but imagine being stuck in a life with 2 chinamen shouting at each other: enclosed in 2m X 2m x 3m box with a speaker set at 80db screeching away. just inconsiderate. notice how we singaporeans (and some other developed cultures) do it? when we step into the lift with strangers, we lower our volume or stop talking completely. it's not to prevent eavesdropping, but more to show polite consideration to the other person; an acknowledgement that there's someone else in the space.
in the library during exam period, they show even more inconsiderate behaviour. i feel it's alright if u occupy one seat and ur bag occupies another: everyone needs personal space to move ard and place stuff. but these fricking chinamen place their stuff on one table and sit at another! i have already sat at these tables twice. both times the chinaman concerned ignores the table with his/her stuff completely, letting others looking for a seat hapless, thinking someone else occupies the seat. so while there is no extrinsic utility to the chinamen, they rather not let others have a decent place to study. maybe wat drives them is the hope that without a place to study, these other ppl would fail their exams and give them a higher grade?
also, you think chinamen shouting at each other in mainlander mandarin is bad enuff? wait til they WHISPER loudly rite in front of you in a largely quiet library. Extremely. Irritating. they push their voices higher but with no reduction in volume and rattle off in mainlander mandarin... likens to loud static in your headphones.
it's a long entry, i think i've said enuff for you guys to get the picture. there's lots more such annoying actions, and there's so, so many chinamen around. and there'll be more of them coming every year. but i'll stop here for today. i dunno how to solve this widepsread problem, besides telling these pricks off. you can bet i'm not going to any of those crowded, deafening, jostling, "developed" coastal cities in china anytime soon. probably never, with the noise i have to take in and the bribes i have to give out.
note to self: start telling these pricks off. but only when they're inconsiderate of rude, not just irritating. it's a fine line though......
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Moving Out Soon
Currently Playing: Turning Japanese by Presidents of the United States of America
Will have to move out of hostel soon.
after 4 years in the same old (older than me) block of stuffy, warm, smelly rooms... it kinda grows on you. and not just the smell. after walking to the same stinky toilet for so long, i'm bound to sort of miss it when i no longer have the kind of freedom i do now.
sure, i like home... but in hall there's no one nagging at me to sleep, no one to worry abt if i switch on toilet lights or play music loudly (no complaints from here yet). I stock my fridge with my fav foods and leave the place filthy until i realise it is. kind of like a bachelor pad... but probably neater than most.
but the issue weighing most on my mind is the moving. having just moved house, i know there's a lot of junk to pack, to throw and to carry back home. then at home i gotta settle where to put all this junk. for certain, i'm going to give away most of my ntu t-shirts (some brand new, never worn coz i HATE black or red shirts.. too hot), probably to salvation army or some disaster services centre, and leaving my free FHMs in the lounge where horny neighbours can get them. but i still got so much stuff... my fridge, this computer i'm whacking away at, the clothes that i want, my bed items, my hamsters, a friend's bike which i disasterously rode last yr (2nd entry in this blog) and lots and lots of papers, stationery and books. amazing how much junk i have squirreled away after 4 yrs.
speaking of which... i have a terrible confession to make. even though i myself narrowly escaped the terrible asian tsunami by a last min change of travel plans, i failed to contribute anything to help. partly my fault because i procrastinated, but when i was all set to contribute my (brand new) t-shirts to the agencies, they had chosen to close their doors on that same day! well at least later i bought medicine for NTU WSC to bring over...
anyway i digress. who's got a lorry and professional movers to spare?
note to self: start throwing away junk! esp those usually empty chicken essence bottles... old, old food... never-been-used free gifts....
Will have to move out of hostel soon.
after 4 years in the same old (older than me) block of stuffy, warm, smelly rooms... it kinda grows on you. and not just the smell. after walking to the same stinky toilet for so long, i'm bound to sort of miss it when i no longer have the kind of freedom i do now.
sure, i like home... but in hall there's no one nagging at me to sleep, no one to worry abt if i switch on toilet lights or play music loudly (no complaints from here yet). I stock my fridge with my fav foods and leave the place filthy until i realise it is. kind of like a bachelor pad... but probably neater than most.
but the issue weighing most on my mind is the moving. having just moved house, i know there's a lot of junk to pack, to throw and to carry back home. then at home i gotta settle where to put all this junk. for certain, i'm going to give away most of my ntu t-shirts (some brand new, never worn coz i HATE black or red shirts.. too hot), probably to salvation army or some disaster services centre, and leaving my free FHMs in the lounge where horny neighbours can get them. but i still got so much stuff... my fridge, this computer i'm whacking away at, the clothes that i want, my bed items, my hamsters, a friend's bike which i disasterously rode last yr (2nd entry in this blog) and lots and lots of papers, stationery and books. amazing how much junk i have squirreled away after 4 yrs.
speaking of which... i have a terrible confession to make. even though i myself narrowly escaped the terrible asian tsunami by a last min change of travel plans, i failed to contribute anything to help. partly my fault because i procrastinated, but when i was all set to contribute my (brand new) t-shirts to the agencies, they had chosen to close their doors on that same day! well at least later i bought medicine for NTU WSC to bring over...
anyway i digress. who's got a lorry and professional movers to spare?
note to self: start throwing away junk! esp those usually empty chicken essence bottles... old, old food... never-been-used free gifts....
