Thursday, September 29, 2005
Whose side are u on?
Everyone wishes to be on the good team. You know... the one that is the best, the winner. In certain cases, the underdogs that finally win. Nobody wants to be in the bad team. Nobody wants to be the snotty highschool cheerleaders who bully not so good looking girls, in the movies. Everyone wants to be righteous, everyone wants to be right. But what happens if you are in the bad team and you don't know it?
This thought just hit me in the face today. Certain events took place and it got me thinking. I'm pretty sure everyone has their own cliques. Especially so in the office situation where there are mini wars taking place between departments =
- Sales hates marketing becos marketing keeps questioning sales;
- IT dept hates sales for bullshitting to the client and then leaves the impossible to IT;
- Accounts hates marketing because they feel that marketing is a waste of money;
- Customer service hates IT becos IT does a sucky job of simplifying technical jargon, leaving them to do the lengthy job of explaining to end users (who can be complete idiots at times)
So there u have it. World war 3.
My company is no exception. We have various departments and hence, politics are abound. It just occurred to me that my department may be the most hated department! I think other departments must be thinking that we must be a whiny group of people who only cower under the protection of our Manager. Every little thing, we make noise and blow the matter up. Our manager takes over from there and barks at the responsible individual/s in order to see things get done. If we do it on our own, nothing will get done! Once the manager barks, we get priority. These people are afraid of our manager only because he knows other key people in the company.
Doesn't it sound like we are bullying others? You may say that it's a necessary evil. You can even ask me to wake up to the REAL reality. That's how life is. And the irony is, we may not see it. We probably think that we are doing the right thing and it's ok. We don't see that we may be affecting other people who were right to begin with. They may have been doing their jobs fine but because of our unreasonable requests, they get harpooned and get an increase in workload. And we are super supportive of this manager. We are willing to fight for him. It didn't occur to me that we could be made use of in the process.
Sigh.. call me jaded, wet behind the ears or whatever. Having mixed feelings here. But I guess this is life. I also assume that these is how terrorists act? They believe they are right and they have a lot of faith in their leader. But who is to say that they are wrong? I guess it's just their beliefs. The terrorists probably think the US is the bad person. The US thinks the terrorists are the bad person.
open thy eyes Xallista.. open thy eyes...
This thought just hit me in the face today. Certain events took place and it got me thinking. I'm pretty sure everyone has their own cliques. Especially so in the office situation where there are mini wars taking place between departments =
- Sales hates marketing becos marketing keeps questioning sales;
- IT dept hates sales for bullshitting to the client and then leaves the impossible to IT;
- Accounts hates marketing because they feel that marketing is a waste of money;
- Customer service hates IT becos IT does a sucky job of simplifying technical jargon, leaving them to do the lengthy job of explaining to end users (who can be complete idiots at times)
So there u have it. World war 3.
My company is no exception. We have various departments and hence, politics are abound. It just occurred to me that my department may be the most hated department! I think other departments must be thinking that we must be a whiny group of people who only cower under the protection of our Manager. Every little thing, we make noise and blow the matter up. Our manager takes over from there and barks at the responsible individual/s in order to see things get done. If we do it on our own, nothing will get done! Once the manager barks, we get priority. These people are afraid of our manager only because he knows other key people in the company.
Doesn't it sound like we are bullying others? You may say that it's a necessary evil. You can even ask me to wake up to the REAL reality. That's how life is. And the irony is, we may not see it. We probably think that we are doing the right thing and it's ok. We don't see that we may be affecting other people who were right to begin with. They may have been doing their jobs fine but because of our unreasonable requests, they get harpooned and get an increase in workload. And we are super supportive of this manager. We are willing to fight for him. It didn't occur to me that we could be made use of in the process.
Sigh.. call me jaded, wet behind the ears or whatever. Having mixed feelings here. But I guess this is life. I also assume that these is how terrorists act? They believe they are right and they have a lot of faith in their leader. But who is to say that they are wrong? I guess it's just their beliefs. The terrorists probably think the US is the bad person. The US thinks the terrorists are the bad person.
open thy eyes Xallista.. open thy eyes...
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Hardy Har har!
Today is yet another episode of medical logs! yeah yeah.. On MC again.. this is getting ridiculous! And now on 2 day MC for suspected Dengue fever... If the fever doesn't go down tomorrow, I need to go for a blood test. So far exhibiting other symptoms of Dengue: aching joints, headache, diarrhea and cold among others. The only thing that hasn't appeared are the rashes.. keeping my fingers crossed that it's just my system going haywire again. Don't want to be admitted into hospital. Not only is it expensive (can you imagine? staying in hospital becos of a friggin mosquito bite!)... I have heard enough stories of what happens in hospitals in the night (for the uninitiated, I am talking about the supernatural here)
Ok ok.. moving on... was watching Russell Peters yesterday. The guy's damn good! I was laughing real hard and other half was thankful that it was only 45 mins (I wanted more). He commented that any more and it looked like I was having a fit! From what I have gathered, Russell Peters is actually Indian (or at least has some Indian ancestory in him) and probably brought up in Canada. The best part about him? He makes jokes about race!!! Yeah! but he does it with such panache that he can get away with it.
Sensitive yes? During the whole 45 min show, he was making fun of Indians, Chinese, Africans, Jamaicans, the Caucasian (I don't have his panache, so i better be diplomatically correct or risk being accused of being racially degrading to others. The SG government is watching blogs now you know...). If you are part of the audience, you are fair game of being used as material for his show. But yet, this guy is able to make people laugh on such a sensitive topic. He's able to make a mickey out of racial stereotypes and get away with it. And the way he imitates the different accents, he has it all down pat! Pure genius!
I guess he's able to do it becos he strikes the right balance. Sure, he makes fun of other races, but never to a degratory level. It's always about the mannerisms of the different communities (eg how the Chinese speak, how the Canadians and Africans act etc). And he takes the first step of making fun of his own race first (the Indian accents, Indian way of thinking). And he has a certain respect for other races when it comes to names. Sure, he made fun of how certain names sound, but he maintains that they sound "cool" or "wicked".
So yeah.. if only everyone appreciated such things and won't get so worked up about race, the world might be a better place :)
Ok ok.. moving on... was watching Russell Peters yesterday. The guy's damn good! I was laughing real hard and other half was thankful that it was only 45 mins (I wanted more). He commented that any more and it looked like I was having a fit! From what I have gathered, Russell Peters is actually Indian (or at least has some Indian ancestory in him) and probably brought up in Canada. The best part about him? He makes jokes about race!!! Yeah! but he does it with such panache that he can get away with it.
Sensitive yes? During the whole 45 min show, he was making fun of Indians, Chinese, Africans, Jamaicans, the Caucasian (I don't have his panache, so i better be diplomatically correct or risk being accused of being racially degrading to others. The SG government is watching blogs now you know...). If you are part of the audience, you are fair game of being used as material for his show. But yet, this guy is able to make people laugh on such a sensitive topic. He's able to make a mickey out of racial stereotypes and get away with it. And the way he imitates the different accents, he has it all down pat! Pure genius!
I guess he's able to do it becos he strikes the right balance. Sure, he makes fun of other races, but never to a degratory level. It's always about the mannerisms of the different communities (eg how the Chinese speak, how the Canadians and Africans act etc). And he takes the first step of making fun of his own race first (the Indian accents, Indian way of thinking). And he has a certain respect for other races when it comes to names. Sure, he made fun of how certain names sound, but he maintains that they sound "cool" or "wicked".
So yeah.. if only everyone appreciated such things and won't get so worked up about race, the world might be a better place :)
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sir, u Pinis I clean....
Today was one of those days which I wished I had a maid. On other days, the reason why I wished I had a maid, was due to the nature of my job. At least I can understand their behaviour and psyche and hence come up with better marketing ideas. But today is purely for personal reasons... I decided to pack my room so that it won't be a last minute job when I shift.. god.. It's amazing what a person can hoard in her room after.. wat? 16 yrs??? Didn't help that I have been skiving during all those Chinese New Year spring cleaning.. "it's ok, just sweep it under the carpet" mentality... well, it's coming to haunt me know.. damn
But on second thought, I don't think I can be comfortable with a maid around. I find it very intrusive. Umm... nothing personal to those people who have maids, but I just find it weird having someone else cleaning up my own mess. No doubt, they can be a great help and care taker to the young and old. But growing up without a maid, it has made me a very independent person. Maybe a little too independent! Ha ha.. something which i think my parents regret now. Dad's probably thinking whether he should enforce a curfew on me again and mum's always complaining (direct translation from Mandarin): Wings grow hardened already, now can fly ah! Ha ha ha! :)
Even when I have my own home and kids, I probably won't have a maid. I have heard a lot of horror stories about maids.. Maids abusing children. Children becoming lazy. Children becoming too attached to the maid. Maid killing madam. Husbands having affair with maid. There was one which involved a little boy with a penchant for jam; a horny maid; jars and jars of jam and loads of licking. Use your creativity. I shall leave it to your very ADULT imagination.
Well, maids are in the news again. This time because of the murder of a maid by another maid. Newspapers reports say that the murder was a result of a love triangle gone horribly wrong. Reporters have gone down to the 2 home towns of the suspect and the deceased to interview their families as well as showcase both maids' background. For the article on the deceased, they report that the husband had an affair when she was in SG. Now, he and his mother-in-law are disputing on where the wake should be held (where she was born or where she was currently living before coming to SG). For the article on the suspect, they depicted her life one in poverty. Her husband is in SG for the trial. Her family is praying for her back home and her two boys are pining for her. Other articles in conjunction with the murder include whether maids should have off days at all and also Singaporean and foreign men who are target maids for sex.
Here's my take on the issues:
1) Maids should/should not have off day.
Some of the employers say that maids should not have off days because during these off days they meet their boyfriends, go wild etc. I'm all for maids having an off day/s. How would you like it if your boss told u that you have to work everyday from 6.30am - 10.30pm with no rest? Maids, like us, are human and need rest. The more you prevent them, the more they will rebel. It's a case of self fulfilling prophecy. And don't generalize, not all maids are sex crazed and horny.
2) Singaporean men and foreigners who target maids for sex
Kinda sad that these men have to do that. They are preying on the maids loneliness. On a given sunday, u see the same men walking around Lucky Plaza hoping they can score.. and there's always loads of activity going on in the stair wells.. I was joking with my manager that they should open a budget hotel in Orchard.. definitely make money. But yet, I don't blame these maids for indulging in such trysts. They are human and they are lonely. They crave the companionship. Imagine you are alone, in a foreign country. Even if you don't like it, you can't return. Your family back home is depending on you for survival. You can't quit. Hence, most maids make the best out of a bad situation I guess?
3) Deceased's husband has an affair when wife is in SG
Well, once again, I don't blame him. He is lonely. Doesn't help that his ego is bruised, in the sense that he cannot support the family and his wife has to go overseas to supplement the income. Worse, his wife earns more than him. I am not sure about the culture in Philippines (is it an accepted norm?), but I am pretty sure that the male ego is the same everywhere.
4) Story on the suspect
I'm not sure if the media is trying to give the suspect a more sympathetic angle? Well, all I can say is, if she really did murder the other Filipina, it is the greatest mistake she has made. In moment of passion, you have done something really reckless and irresponsible. Not only has she harmed her family, she has harmed another family as well. I wonder if she was blinded by the bright city lights of Singapore and forgot her responsibilities back home? What's going to happen to her children now? And more interestingly, why hasn't the man in question been found? No news about the central figure who may shed some light into the whole saga!
Yupz.. so there... my room is still in a mess and no maid to clean it up... hmm...
Fairy god mother.. where art thou?
I am tired and u r not around!
Pack my stuff in a jiffy
make everything clean and spiffy
so that moving my house
will be easy!
Yeah.. right...
But on second thought, I don't think I can be comfortable with a maid around. I find it very intrusive. Umm... nothing personal to those people who have maids, but I just find it weird having someone else cleaning up my own mess. No doubt, they can be a great help and care taker to the young and old. But growing up without a maid, it has made me a very independent person. Maybe a little too independent! Ha ha.. something which i think my parents regret now. Dad's probably thinking whether he should enforce a curfew on me again and mum's always complaining (direct translation from Mandarin): Wings grow hardened already, now can fly ah! Ha ha ha! :)
Even when I have my own home and kids, I probably won't have a maid. I have heard a lot of horror stories about maids.. Maids abusing children. Children becoming lazy. Children becoming too attached to the maid. Maid killing madam. Husbands having affair with maid. There was one which involved a little boy with a penchant for jam; a horny maid; jars and jars of jam and loads of licking. Use your creativity. I shall leave it to your very ADULT imagination.
Well, maids are in the news again. This time because of the murder of a maid by another maid. Newspapers reports say that the murder was a result of a love triangle gone horribly wrong. Reporters have gone down to the 2 home towns of the suspect and the deceased to interview their families as well as showcase both maids' background. For the article on the deceased, they report that the husband had an affair when she was in SG. Now, he and his mother-in-law are disputing on where the wake should be held (where she was born or where she was currently living before coming to SG). For the article on the suspect, they depicted her life one in poverty. Her husband is in SG for the trial. Her family is praying for her back home and her two boys are pining for her. Other articles in conjunction with the murder include whether maids should have off days at all and also Singaporean and foreign men who are target maids for sex.
Here's my take on the issues:
1) Maids should/should not have off day.
Some of the employers say that maids should not have off days because during these off days they meet their boyfriends, go wild etc. I'm all for maids having an off day/s. How would you like it if your boss told u that you have to work everyday from 6.30am - 10.30pm with no rest? Maids, like us, are human and need rest. The more you prevent them, the more they will rebel. It's a case of self fulfilling prophecy. And don't generalize, not all maids are sex crazed and horny.
2) Singaporean men and foreigners who target maids for sex
Kinda sad that these men have to do that. They are preying on the maids loneliness. On a given sunday, u see the same men walking around Lucky Plaza hoping they can score.. and there's always loads of activity going on in the stair wells.. I was joking with my manager that they should open a budget hotel in Orchard.. definitely make money. But yet, I don't blame these maids for indulging in such trysts. They are human and they are lonely. They crave the companionship. Imagine you are alone, in a foreign country. Even if you don't like it, you can't return. Your family back home is depending on you for survival. You can't quit. Hence, most maids make the best out of a bad situation I guess?
3) Deceased's husband has an affair when wife is in SG
Well, once again, I don't blame him. He is lonely. Doesn't help that his ego is bruised, in the sense that he cannot support the family and his wife has to go overseas to supplement the income. Worse, his wife earns more than him. I am not sure about the culture in Philippines (is it an accepted norm?), but I am pretty sure that the male ego is the same everywhere.
4) Story on the suspect
I'm not sure if the media is trying to give the suspect a more sympathetic angle? Well, all I can say is, if she really did murder the other Filipina, it is the greatest mistake she has made. In moment of passion, you have done something really reckless and irresponsible. Not only has she harmed her family, she has harmed another family as well. I wonder if she was blinded by the bright city lights of Singapore and forgot her responsibilities back home? What's going to happen to her children now? And more interestingly, why hasn't the man in question been found? No news about the central figure who may shed some light into the whole saga!
Yupz.. so there... my room is still in a mess and no maid to clean it up... hmm...
Fairy god mother.. where art thou?
I am tired and u r not around!
Pack my stuff in a jiffy
make everything clean and spiffy
so that moving my house
will be easy!
Yeah.. right...
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Taxi Drivers
I guess by looking at the title, you know the tirade that's gonna come! Yeah.. Taxi drivers.. love them or hate them (usually the latter) you are at their mercy once u are in the cab! They are a menace on the roads and a threat to public safety! If you are a cab driver, or who have friends that are cab drivers, I apologize. But unfortunately, I have been in one to many cabs which have given me bad experiences! In a total of two weeks, I have already accumulated 4 incidences:
1) Was going to Fort Rd from work for blading. So naturally hailed a cab as it was the most convenient and time efficient way. OH MY GOD... the cab driver thinks he is in 2 fast 2 furious. He speeds even when it is a short distance. The constant change in inertia was enough reason for me to want to puke. Doesn't signal and cuts into lanes. Knows that we are going to make a turn but waits till the last minute to cut 3 lanes (I'm talking less than 50m away from the bend). And the ultimate: He drives in on coming traffic. I was literally breaking out in cold sweat and hanging on to my seat! Made me appreciate life more when I alighted...
2) Was at Sim Lim buying 2 amplifier microphones. After much waiting, managed to hail a cab. I opened the door to load up the microphones first. Closed the door and walked at the back of the taxi to board via the other door. And guess what? Blur uncle drives off without me... with goods in tow... Only consolation? He stopped about 100 metres away. Me? Chasing after a bloddy cab in 2.5 inch heels with a crowd looking at you at the Junction of Sim Lim is not exactly my idea of FUN...
3) had to go to Hill Street to buy stuff.. Uncle doesn't even know where the place is.. goes for a few rounds, gives up, decides to drop me and my friend off at Chijmes (we had to pay the full fare btw). FYI, in the end, the place was a stone's throw from my office...
4) Had to go to Mediacorp studios for a recording session. Took a cab. When he arrived at the lobby, the fare was S$7.80. I gave a fifty and asked for a receipt. He wrote the receipt and returned me the change. Guess what? in the receipt, he wrote it as $8. When I pointed out to him that the fare was $7.80, he mumbled something (I can't hear, must be the thick mustache, he's a Singh). And gave me the $0.20. At this point, my friend who had alighted was wondering what's the hold up. She asked "Is everything alright"? Mr Singh replied irritatedly "Ya ya, just that she wants her $0.20. F@#k u. I am not a charity. I don't see why you have to earn that $0.20. You fetch 50 customers and pull the same stunt, u earn $10 just by taking ur own sweet time to return change. If you want to make it convenient to return change, why don't you just round down?
I am not condemning all taxi drivers. I have met taxi drivers who are really nice and good. Some I even talk to them like old friends. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of them around. And with the government training taxi drivers to be tour guides as well... I don't know if tat's such a good idea after what I have been through...
1) Was going to Fort Rd from work for blading. So naturally hailed a cab as it was the most convenient and time efficient way. OH MY GOD... the cab driver thinks he is in 2 fast 2 furious. He speeds even when it is a short distance. The constant change in inertia was enough reason for me to want to puke. Doesn't signal and cuts into lanes. Knows that we are going to make a turn but waits till the last minute to cut 3 lanes (I'm talking less than 50m away from the bend). And the ultimate: He drives in on coming traffic. I was literally breaking out in cold sweat and hanging on to my seat! Made me appreciate life more when I alighted...
2) Was at Sim Lim buying 2 amplifier microphones. After much waiting, managed to hail a cab. I opened the door to load up the microphones first. Closed the door and walked at the back of the taxi to board via the other door. And guess what? Blur uncle drives off without me... with goods in tow... Only consolation? He stopped about 100 metres away. Me? Chasing after a bloddy cab in 2.5 inch heels with a crowd looking at you at the Junction of Sim Lim is not exactly my idea of FUN...
3) had to go to Hill Street to buy stuff.. Uncle doesn't even know where the place is.. goes for a few rounds, gives up, decides to drop me and my friend off at Chijmes (we had to pay the full fare btw). FYI, in the end, the place was a stone's throw from my office...
4) Had to go to Mediacorp studios for a recording session. Took a cab. When he arrived at the lobby, the fare was S$7.80. I gave a fifty and asked for a receipt. He wrote the receipt and returned me the change. Guess what? in the receipt, he wrote it as $8. When I pointed out to him that the fare was $7.80, he mumbled something (I can't hear, must be the thick mustache, he's a Singh). And gave me the $0.20. At this point, my friend who had alighted was wondering what's the hold up. She asked "Is everything alright"? Mr Singh replied irritatedly "Ya ya, just that she wants her $0.20. F@#k u. I am not a charity. I don't see why you have to earn that $0.20. You fetch 50 customers and pull the same stunt, u earn $10 just by taking ur own sweet time to return change. If you want to make it convenient to return change, why don't you just round down?
I am not condemning all taxi drivers. I have met taxi drivers who are really nice and good. Some I even talk to them like old friends. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of them around. And with the government training taxi drivers to be tour guides as well... I don't know if tat's such a good idea after what I have been through...
Sunday, September 11, 2005
My Life as of now
I've been quite easily irritated recently and I don't know why.
1) Lack of sleep? Maybe.. Feeling so tired and I don't know why
2) Work? Probably... is the daily grind getting to me?
3) Or just life in general? bored bored bored
Neko was saying how insignificant he was. Insignificant defined: Even if I died, no one gives a damn and I won't be missed. Am I famous? No one knows me. DC was writing something in his blog about what do you want in life?
I look at my life now, and ponder. Yup, mine is equally insignificant (as defined by Neko). No major milestones. I just completed my degree just so that I can be more competitive in the rat race. All the while, since young, it was driven into my head that education is important. That part was easy because the goals were well defined. Just make sure you get to the next level. It's like a game. Woo hoo! Each stage you passed is like a level up and increase in abilities (sorry, too much RPG influence here).
But what happens when you finish the quest? What next? At this current moment, I have no intention to level up again (in the form of Masters, I see no point right now). I am working, but for what? The only motivation for me to work is money, cos there are debts to be paid and expenses to survive. But other than that.. what else?
Kinda feel like Morpheus in Sandman. He had a quest of finding his items that were stolen from him. But once he found them and punished the perpetrators, he didn't know what to do. He too was lost and pondered about what next? But he decided to embark on yet another quest.
Should I embark on another quest? Should I take the risk? But here's the million dollar question: What is my next quest? Where should I start? What should I do? I guess that's what's been bothering me. I want to do something else but I don't know what. I guess it is fair to say that the majority of us have come to this crossroads before or will come to eventually. It's great if you find your calling and realize your passions and just go for it. But it's bad if u just keep pondering about what to do and stick to the same realm. I for one don't intend to keep pondering on what I am supposed to do.
And that's the thing. I am a Jack of all Trades but a master of none. I have no talent. And because I have no specific talent, I have no passion. With no passion, I won't get the satisfaction. That explains why i am feeling this way. Great.. I made some headway.. but it doesn't solve the big problem.
Looks like I have to ponder some more. ..
1) Lack of sleep? Maybe.. Feeling so tired and I don't know why
2) Work? Probably... is the daily grind getting to me?
3) Or just life in general? bored bored bored
Neko was saying how insignificant he was. Insignificant defined: Even if I died, no one gives a damn and I won't be missed. Am I famous? No one knows me. DC was writing something in his blog about what do you want in life?
I look at my life now, and ponder. Yup, mine is equally insignificant (as defined by Neko). No major milestones. I just completed my degree just so that I can be more competitive in the rat race. All the while, since young, it was driven into my head that education is important. That part was easy because the goals were well defined. Just make sure you get to the next level. It's like a game. Woo hoo! Each stage you passed is like a level up and increase in abilities (sorry, too much RPG influence here).
But what happens when you finish the quest? What next? At this current moment, I have no intention to level up again (in the form of Masters, I see no point right now). I am working, but for what? The only motivation for me to work is money, cos there are debts to be paid and expenses to survive. But other than that.. what else?
Kinda feel like Morpheus in Sandman. He had a quest of finding his items that were stolen from him. But once he found them and punished the perpetrators, he didn't know what to do. He too was lost and pondered about what next? But he decided to embark on yet another quest.
Should I embark on another quest? Should I take the risk? But here's the million dollar question: What is my next quest? Where should I start? What should I do? I guess that's what's been bothering me. I want to do something else but I don't know what. I guess it is fair to say that the majority of us have come to this crossroads before or will come to eventually. It's great if you find your calling and realize your passions and just go for it. But it's bad if u just keep pondering about what to do and stick to the same realm. I for one don't intend to keep pondering on what I am supposed to do.
And that's the thing. I am a Jack of all Trades but a master of none. I have no talent. And because I have no specific talent, I have no passion. With no passion, I won't get the satisfaction. That explains why i am feeling this way. Great.. I made some headway.. but it doesn't solve the big problem.
Looks like I have to ponder some more. ..
Friday, September 09, 2005
Test yer IQ
Received an interesting email. It's meant to test your IQ. The idea is that you are trapped in a room and u need to escape. So u look for stuff around the room to aid you. There are a total of 13 items to be found. The amount of stuff u manage to find = your IQ. I didn't set this, this was sent to me in the email (so dun kill the messenger if u find the gauge insulting! I didn't write it)
If you found:
0-6 items, your IQ is very low, total idiot
6-8 items, Low IQ, u r an idoit
9-10 items, u r normal
11-12 items, your IQ is high, above the average.
13 items found and get out of the room, there are less than 4000 peoplein the world can do it.
http://flash.qbol.net/pl;p/youxi/images/04042203.swf
I managed to find 12 items, but am so close to escaping but I... now.. giving it away won't be fun right? Try it out. It's quite interesting. It's nice to know that I have slightly above average IQ.. heh heh.. but seriously, with patience and inquisitivity, u will manage.. now.. just the last step!! ARGH!!!!
The creator has a website with other games, including other rooms that you can escape from. It was pretty addictive... :) Check out his website:
http://www.takagism.net/
If you found:
0-6 items, your IQ is very low, total idiot
6-8 items, Low IQ, u r an idoit
9-10 items, u r normal
11-12 items, your IQ is high, above the average.
13 items found and get out of the room, there are less than 4000 peoplein the world can do it.
http://flash.qbol.net/pl;p/youxi/images/04042203.swf
I managed to find 12 items, but am so close to escaping but I... now.. giving it away won't be fun right? Try it out. It's quite interesting. It's nice to know that I have slightly above average IQ.. heh heh.. but seriously, with patience and inquisitivity, u will manage.. now.. just the last step!! ARGH!!!!
The creator has a website with other games, including other rooms that you can escape from. It was pretty addictive... :) Check out his website:
http://www.takagism.net/
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Rest
Hmm.. this is really going to be the medical blogs.. on MC yet again. But this time due to cramps... Ouch... kinda makes you wonder why u were born a woman... and if this is painful.. I can't imagine childbirth! No wonder I hear stories of females, in labour, cussing everything from God, to their parents, to the guy who got them preggers, to the kid. It's like the whole world is against them! Ha ha ha
Speaking of births, today is the birthday of my cuz! Happy birthday ah de! Congratulations on ur birth 24 years ago! Ha ha!
So the day was spent proning face down on my fav blue couch in the living room to quell the pain. Felt better once the medication kicked in, which explains why I can be typing away right now. I miss days like this... not working.. relaxing, doing what I want to do. Kinda regret taking those student days for granted (yes.. I know many of you are saying "i told u so")
Was reading the papers and it was really depressing: Katrina in USA, the plane crash in Medan, Typhoon Nobi in Japan... death and destruction everywhere.. god knows what will happen next. It's things like these makes u appreciate safe little Singapore. But it is because of safe little SIngapore that we take things for granted.
I feel that the people of SG are too pampered and selfish because of the environment that we are brought up in. Everything is planned for thanks to the government. I am not dissing the government because of that, but rather the people are too over reliant on the government. Cannot find job, there's WDA. Cannot buy flat, there is CPF. No money for medical fees, there Medisave. Quite frankly, if not for these provisions, I doubt that Singaporeans will have money to pay for anything or save up for their retirement.
And i really feel that Singaporeans are selfish. When things happen to others, we just don't care. You want to cite the tsuinami incident where Singapore sent helpers over? Well, would it have been different if there were no SG people involved there? Dun you find it ironic when a disaster happens, the first thing that goes on is to find out whether any Singaporeans are involved? And when they report "There were no Singaporean casualties", everyone heaves a sigh of relief and gets on with their lives? It's like, whatever happens in the other country is their "pasah", not ours (and by the way, its the "gah ment" who sends over the help to the other countries, not by the people themselves).
One really wonders if the people of Singapore were able to survive in the face of adversity, be it from human attacks or mother nature??
Ok.. enough ranting. Going to do some research. By the way, I also found the fight between Google and Microsoft interesting! Gonna see how it develops. And no prizes for guessing whose side i am on!
Speaking of births, today is the birthday of my cuz! Happy birthday ah de! Congratulations on ur birth 24 years ago! Ha ha!
So the day was spent proning face down on my fav blue couch in the living room to quell the pain. Felt better once the medication kicked in, which explains why I can be typing away right now. I miss days like this... not working.. relaxing, doing what I want to do. Kinda regret taking those student days for granted (yes.. I know many of you are saying "i told u so")
Was reading the papers and it was really depressing: Katrina in USA, the plane crash in Medan, Typhoon Nobi in Japan... death and destruction everywhere.. god knows what will happen next. It's things like these makes u appreciate safe little Singapore. But it is because of safe little SIngapore that we take things for granted.
I feel that the people of SG are too pampered and selfish because of the environment that we are brought up in. Everything is planned for thanks to the government. I am not dissing the government because of that, but rather the people are too over reliant on the government. Cannot find job, there's WDA. Cannot buy flat, there is CPF. No money for medical fees, there Medisave. Quite frankly, if not for these provisions, I doubt that Singaporeans will have money to pay for anything or save up for their retirement.
And i really feel that Singaporeans are selfish. When things happen to others, we just don't care. You want to cite the tsuinami incident where Singapore sent helpers over? Well, would it have been different if there were no SG people involved there? Dun you find it ironic when a disaster happens, the first thing that goes on is to find out whether any Singaporeans are involved? And when they report "There were no Singaporean casualties", everyone heaves a sigh of relief and gets on with their lives? It's like, whatever happens in the other country is their "pasah", not ours (and by the way, its the "gah ment" who sends over the help to the other countries, not by the people themselves).
One really wonders if the people of Singapore were able to survive in the face of adversity, be it from human attacks or mother nature??
Ok.. enough ranting. Going to do some research. By the way, I also found the fight between Google and Microsoft interesting! Gonna see how it develops. And no prizes for guessing whose side i am on!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
And they lived Happily Every After.... or did they?
Was reading a few of my frens blogs and everyone seems centred on marriage and divorce. Kame's blog was writing something about husbands offering public apologies in the Chinese newspapers because of their infidelity. Another fren was writing about a song of unholy matrimony from Rammstein (I have no idea who they are...). And DC was at a poly gathering on Sat afternoon. Apparently one of his female poly mates was divorced for a year already. Which was surprising because she was just married about two years ago when we visited her flat for new year!
What is this world coming to?? (cue black eyed peas: where is the love)
And yet, on the Sunday papers, they were actually covering the Phenomenon called: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
Love at First Sight?? Sounds cliched. Even to me, a die hard sucker for romantic movies! It hasn't happened to me.. (yet?). Even to friends around me, none of them fell in love with their partners at first sight. All of them got to know their other halves through time and got to know their other halves better before taking the plunge. Even for my case.. I only got together with other half after knowing him as friends for more than a year. And even up to till this day, we both scratch our heads and go... how did we end up together?? So the notion comes across as: is it even possible? I always thought it was the stuff in movies, books, the like... but in real life?
But my main grouse is with how the report was written. It seems kinda skewed. All 3 interviews on how they met each other and fell in love, all 3 pairs are doctors! It kinda makes me want to conclude that doctors do not have much social life and hence, when they see a female/male, they fall for them (ok ok... unfair). There was only one which was more credible, being married for more than 20 yrs with 2 kids blah blah. The other 2 interviewees were recently married (after knowing the other for 2 or 3 months btw).
Another point which they failed to highlight was: how many of these love-at-first-sight couples actually stay together? No figures reported. For all you know 90% ended in divorce. And divorce is on the rise.
hmm... wish love was less complicated. Why can't it be simple? Ha ha.. just thought of how love is like during the ages:
Grandfather's time (scenario 1): guy meets girl, girl meets guy (both 7 years old), fall in love, becomes childhood sweethearts, grow up and get married, have kids and live happily ever after
Grandfather's time (scenario 2): guy doesn't meet girl, girl doesn't meet guy, both finally meet on wedding day, have kids, over the years fall in love and live happily ever after
Father's time: guy meets girl, girl meets guy, both fall in love, pak tor for 10 years then get married, have kids and live happily every after
My time: guy meets girl, girl meets guy, guy likes girl, girl likes guy, but girl also likes guy 2, so goes out with both guys. Marries guy, but still sees guy 2. (Please replace girl with guy and guy with girl accordingly for the other side of the story).
So if the love-at-first-sight phenomenon happens to me, I will be sure to tell u.. it will be an interesting experience. Oopss... other half is reading... for the smart ppl, find my other blog!! :) Ha ha ha ha
sigh... gonna turn in now... having major headache.. someone's playing my left & right brain like they were bogo drums...
What is this world coming to?? (cue black eyed peas: where is the love)
And yet, on the Sunday papers, they were actually covering the Phenomenon called: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
Love at First Sight?? Sounds cliched. Even to me, a die hard sucker for romantic movies! It hasn't happened to me.. (yet?). Even to friends around me, none of them fell in love with their partners at first sight. All of them got to know their other halves through time and got to know their other halves better before taking the plunge. Even for my case.. I only got together with other half after knowing him as friends for more than a year. And even up to till this day, we both scratch our heads and go... how did we end up together?? So the notion comes across as: is it even possible? I always thought it was the stuff in movies, books, the like... but in real life?
But my main grouse is with how the report was written. It seems kinda skewed. All 3 interviews on how they met each other and fell in love, all 3 pairs are doctors! It kinda makes me want to conclude that doctors do not have much social life and hence, when they see a female/male, they fall for them (ok ok... unfair). There was only one which was more credible, being married for more than 20 yrs with 2 kids blah blah. The other 2 interviewees were recently married (after knowing the other for 2 or 3 months btw).
Another point which they failed to highlight was: how many of these love-at-first-sight couples actually stay together? No figures reported. For all you know 90% ended in divorce. And divorce is on the rise.
hmm... wish love was less complicated. Why can't it be simple? Ha ha.. just thought of how love is like during the ages:
Grandfather's time (scenario 1): guy meets girl, girl meets guy (both 7 years old), fall in love, becomes childhood sweethearts, grow up and get married, have kids and live happily ever after
Grandfather's time (scenario 2): guy doesn't meet girl, girl doesn't meet guy, both finally meet on wedding day, have kids, over the years fall in love and live happily ever after
Father's time: guy meets girl, girl meets guy, both fall in love, pak tor for 10 years then get married, have kids and live happily every after
My time: guy meets girl, girl meets guy, guy likes girl, girl likes guy, but girl also likes guy 2, so goes out with both guys. Marries guy, but still sees guy 2. (Please replace girl with guy and guy with girl accordingly for the other side of the story).
So if the love-at-first-sight phenomenon happens to me, I will be sure to tell u.. it will be an interesting experience. Oopss... other half is reading... for the smart ppl, find my other blog!! :) Ha ha ha ha
sigh... gonna turn in now... having major headache.. someone's playing my left & right brain like they were bogo drums...
Monday, September 05, 2005
I had a funny dream last night... funny in a sense that i cannot phantom what it meant (but then again, most of my dreams don't seem to have meaning). And in my dream, guest starring Hippo & Neko! Let me try my best to recall it (wish I had the time to write it out before it eludes me, but had to rush to work.. darn)
Three of us were at a convention of sorts. The place looked like the White House (yeah, THE White House, not the supposedly haunted one at Joo Chiat). We were surrounded by army personnel. Everything seemed pretty regal, serious etc. Seemed that everyone was there to discuss about the threat of terrorism and security issues. As for the three of us, it seemed like were were normal civilians, something like journalists covering the event.
Then it happens. Because all the important people are there, it becomes the perfect place for a terrorist attack. The first explosion happened in the West wing of the White House. I remember ducking for cover because it was very close to where we were. Everyone was at a loss of what to do and everyone was held hostage in the White House. The terrorists had taken over the place and demanded that their demands be met or the second explosion will take place.
The rest of the dream involved trying to find a safe place in the White House. Because we didn't know where the second bomb was, we kept deliberating if our chosen spot was really safe? What happens if we were actually hiding right on top of it? So we kept running from room to room. Other fuzzy recollections include proning with Hippo on the floor to avoid gun fire and falling debris. And squeezing with Neko in the bathtub to hide (So Hotel Rwanda)...
Ultimately, I am not sure whether I completed the dream or it ended abruptly when the alarm rang.. So don't ask me about the outcome, I am as clueless as you are.
As for what could have "inspired" the dream? God knows. Supressed fears and insecurities? Or maybe just too much influence from watching Appleseed last night?
Btw, Appleseed is pretty good. The animation is fantastic, although the 2D on 3D takes some time getting used to. And the lead character really kicks some serious ass! You go girl!
(Warning: I am going to do a brief intro of Appleseed. If you are not interested or have seen it, you may want to skip this part)
The gist of the story is about a not so distant future where most of the world is wiped out in war. The earth's last remaining city, Olympus, is the Utopia that humans have long forgotten. Everything in utopia is perfect. Olympus is run by an AI called Gaia created by the late Dr Gilliam. There are 7 elders who run the city and they "debate" with Gaia over issues pertaining to what is to be done to the city. In order to help restore some balance in the system, Bioroids were built. These "cyborgs" were meant to balance the human race. Hence they are suppressed: They feel no anger (so they cannot start wars), they know no love and they can't have sex (their reproduction capabilities are suppressed as well). But there are factions in the city who detest the Bioriods, because they don't like to be run by machines (The President of the City is a Bioroid by the way). So highlights the underlying tension within the perfect city.
So how does our lead character come in? Deunan Knute is the ultimate soldier, nicknamed the Warrior Princess. Her father, Carl Knute, was apparently a very well known fighter and most of the Bioroids have some of his DNA in him (just his characteristics, not the fighting part). Deunan gets accosted in the battlefield. When she awakes, she is in Olympus. She is then enlisted in the ES.W.A.T force. This begins her entanglement in the whole big conspiracy theory and makes her remember a past which she has forgotten.
There is one poignant scene where Deunan is reunited with her boyfriend soldier Briareos. She was seperated from Briareos 2 years ago when he left for another battlefield and never returned. The Briareos she last saw was flesh and blood, and the one that stood before her now was machine... U can just see the shock in her face.. and also feel the despair in his voice... sigh... sad...
Ok ok... enough yakking. Interested in appleseed? Here's a link to find out more.. bedtime for me
www.appleseedthemovie.com
Three of us were at a convention of sorts. The place looked like the White House (yeah, THE White House, not the supposedly haunted one at Joo Chiat). We were surrounded by army personnel. Everything seemed pretty regal, serious etc. Seemed that everyone was there to discuss about the threat of terrorism and security issues. As for the three of us, it seemed like were were normal civilians, something like journalists covering the event.
Then it happens. Because all the important people are there, it becomes the perfect place for a terrorist attack. The first explosion happened in the West wing of the White House. I remember ducking for cover because it was very close to where we were. Everyone was at a loss of what to do and everyone was held hostage in the White House. The terrorists had taken over the place and demanded that their demands be met or the second explosion will take place.
The rest of the dream involved trying to find a safe place in the White House. Because we didn't know where the second bomb was, we kept deliberating if our chosen spot was really safe? What happens if we were actually hiding right on top of it? So we kept running from room to room. Other fuzzy recollections include proning with Hippo on the floor to avoid gun fire and falling debris. And squeezing with Neko in the bathtub to hide (So Hotel Rwanda)...
Ultimately, I am not sure whether I completed the dream or it ended abruptly when the alarm rang.. So don't ask me about the outcome, I am as clueless as you are.
As for what could have "inspired" the dream? God knows. Supressed fears and insecurities? Or maybe just too much influence from watching Appleseed last night?
Btw, Appleseed is pretty good. The animation is fantastic, although the 2D on 3D takes some time getting used to. And the lead character really kicks some serious ass! You go girl!
(Warning: I am going to do a brief intro of Appleseed. If you are not interested or have seen it, you may want to skip this part)
The gist of the story is about a not so distant future where most of the world is wiped out in war. The earth's last remaining city, Olympus, is the Utopia that humans have long forgotten. Everything in utopia is perfect. Olympus is run by an AI called Gaia created by the late Dr Gilliam. There are 7 elders who run the city and they "debate" with Gaia over issues pertaining to what is to be done to the city. In order to help restore some balance in the system, Bioroids were built. These "cyborgs" were meant to balance the human race. Hence they are suppressed: They feel no anger (so they cannot start wars), they know no love and they can't have sex (their reproduction capabilities are suppressed as well). But there are factions in the city who detest the Bioriods, because they don't like to be run by machines (The President of the City is a Bioroid by the way). So highlights the underlying tension within the perfect city.
So how does our lead character come in? Deunan Knute is the ultimate soldier, nicknamed the Warrior Princess. Her father, Carl Knute, was apparently a very well known fighter and most of the Bioroids have some of his DNA in him (just his characteristics, not the fighting part). Deunan gets accosted in the battlefield. When she awakes, she is in Olympus. She is then enlisted in the ES.W.A.T force. This begins her entanglement in the whole big conspiracy theory and makes her remember a past which she has forgotten.
There is one poignant scene where Deunan is reunited with her boyfriend soldier Briareos. She was seperated from Briareos 2 years ago when he left for another battlefield and never returned. The Briareos she last saw was flesh and blood, and the one that stood before her now was machine... U can just see the shock in her face.. and also feel the despair in his voice... sigh... sad...
Ok ok... enough yakking. Interested in appleseed? Here's a link to find out more.. bedtime for me
www.appleseedthemovie.com
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Snubbed
I was snubbed today. Yeah, u heard me right. The place in question: Citigems (branch name has been withheld to still give them whatever dignity they still have). The suspected reason (Do I dare assume?): I was shabbily dressed.
Citigems was having a 40% storewide sale, so i decided to pop in to take a look to see if there was anything interesting to buy. I was dressed more casually than usual in Tshirt & Bermudas, lugging around the usual backpack. The shop was quite crowded but not to the extent of maddening. I took my time to look around, from display to display. Time check: 5 mins, no sales person bothered to come up and serve me. I thought they were busy and brushed it off. But then doubts started to arise when I raised my head and looked around: there were 2 sales people who were free.. Hmm.. Ookay... then came the ultimate insult! One of the two sales person who was free, walked passed me, went to the entrance, and then invited a couple who were looking at the outside window display to come in and take a look. Woah.. WTF? Prime time to vamoose. Saw something I really liked there, but since no one was interested to serve me, I left the shop. Lost sales for them = savings for me
Sounds sad? But hey, that's reality in materialistic Singapore. The salespersons are trained to go for the big kill: Well dressed = more money = bigger commision = go slaughter the lamb (interesting that they dun think it this way: shabbily dressed = miser = hoarding loads of money = slaughter an even bigger lamb! Whoo hoo!). They probably thought I was just a browser and can't afford anything. Would it have been different if I were better dressed? I think if I were dressed in Louis Vuitton, i would have the whole hoard kissing my feet (but then again, if I could afford Louis Vuitton, I won't be shopping there!)
Apparently, SG Prime Minister has been questioning the service standards in SG. I dun read the news. Serious. I don't have access to the newspapers (Dad takes it to work with him, so by the time it gets back home, it ain't news no more). I hardly watch TV. I do listen to radio but the radio only reports major news. So, I usually get my news through friends.
It was on Thursday that Hippo was feeding us news about the Prime Ministers speech about service standards in SG. There are 2 reasons why SG service is less than stellar: the first being the service providers being a pain in the ass; the second where the customer is the pain in the ass. Hippo was telling us a hilarious analogy of the former reason, where a lady asking for no chilli, less oil and more tow gay (read: beansprouts) in her char kway teow. He saw this in a video during the Prime Ministers speech and it was produced by Nanyang Polytechnic students. Impressive!
So with sales people being so judgemental, it is going to be hard to up the service ante. And I think SG has a really long way to go. Or more like we lack a lot of individuals with patience for the trade. When was the last time you had really good service? I can remember mine. It was at the X:odus store at PS and I was served by a really sweet girl named Felicia (see, I can still remember her name). The store was crowded because of the ongoing sale. She had to man the cash register and serve customers at the same time. But yet, she still patiently helped me get 3 different pairs of shoes with a smile, apologized to me sincerely when she couldn't get the size, and didn't complain when I didn't buy any of the shoes (Can't be helped.. the shoes didn't fit well, didn't mean to torture her). Sadly, she isn't there anymore.. sigh
So yeah... I wait for the day that service is greatly improved in SG. Till then I just have to take all the snubs. But hey, at least dressing this way has let me avoid all the Credit card promoters/ questionnaire fillers etc (see, even they are judgemental). Heh heh heh
Citigems was having a 40% storewide sale, so i decided to pop in to take a look to see if there was anything interesting to buy. I was dressed more casually than usual in Tshirt & Bermudas, lugging around the usual backpack. The shop was quite crowded but not to the extent of maddening. I took my time to look around, from display to display. Time check: 5 mins, no sales person bothered to come up and serve me. I thought they were busy and brushed it off. But then doubts started to arise when I raised my head and looked around: there were 2 sales people who were free.. Hmm.. Ookay... then came the ultimate insult! One of the two sales person who was free, walked passed me, went to the entrance, and then invited a couple who were looking at the outside window display to come in and take a look. Woah.. WTF? Prime time to vamoose. Saw something I really liked there, but since no one was interested to serve me, I left the shop. Lost sales for them = savings for me
Sounds sad? But hey, that's reality in materialistic Singapore. The salespersons are trained to go for the big kill: Well dressed = more money = bigger commision = go slaughter the lamb (interesting that they dun think it this way: shabbily dressed = miser = hoarding loads of money = slaughter an even bigger lamb! Whoo hoo!). They probably thought I was just a browser and can't afford anything. Would it have been different if I were better dressed? I think if I were dressed in Louis Vuitton, i would have the whole hoard kissing my feet (but then again, if I could afford Louis Vuitton, I won't be shopping there!)
Apparently, SG Prime Minister has been questioning the service standards in SG. I dun read the news. Serious. I don't have access to the newspapers (Dad takes it to work with him, so by the time it gets back home, it ain't news no more). I hardly watch TV. I do listen to radio but the radio only reports major news. So, I usually get my news through friends.
It was on Thursday that Hippo was feeding us news about the Prime Ministers speech about service standards in SG. There are 2 reasons why SG service is less than stellar: the first being the service providers being a pain in the ass; the second where the customer is the pain in the ass. Hippo was telling us a hilarious analogy of the former reason, where a lady asking for no chilli, less oil and more tow gay (read: beansprouts) in her char kway teow. He saw this in a video during the Prime Ministers speech and it was produced by Nanyang Polytechnic students. Impressive!
So with sales people being so judgemental, it is going to be hard to up the service ante. And I think SG has a really long way to go. Or more like we lack a lot of individuals with patience for the trade. When was the last time you had really good service? I can remember mine. It was at the X:odus store at PS and I was served by a really sweet girl named Felicia (see, I can still remember her name). The store was crowded because of the ongoing sale. She had to man the cash register and serve customers at the same time. But yet, she still patiently helped me get 3 different pairs of shoes with a smile, apologized to me sincerely when she couldn't get the size, and didn't complain when I didn't buy any of the shoes (Can't be helped.. the shoes didn't fit well, didn't mean to torture her). Sadly, she isn't there anymore.. sigh
So yeah... I wait for the day that service is greatly improved in SG. Till then I just have to take all the snubs. But hey, at least dressing this way has let me avoid all the Credit card promoters/ questionnaire fillers etc (see, even they are judgemental). Heh heh heh
