..:: 518. The One With Fiona Xie ::..

The pic speaks all :) they were in NTU for filming of Hey Gorgeous! and we caught them before their bus came. How lucky!

..:: 517. The One With Random Thots ::..

been a hectic week. just finished meeting after sub com recruitment at 12am, i had to rush to finish my readings for my 830 class the next day. slept at 3am :(

have you heard about the queuing up for primary 1 places at tanjong katong primary school? so crazy, people in spore queue almost for anything...

btw my frenz in my comms class said i looked like i am from acs or cat high :X haha flattered.

today another hectic day, went down to HQ for interview then rush back to school at 1130pm to meet my committee... shack out.

oh just got back my grp assignment for bh223 compensation and benefits, my grp got a A- :) so happy... cos the seniors said he rarely gives A...

not feeling very well though. haiz...

..:: 516. The One With Flag Day ::..

today while travelling to jurong point, i saw a few secondary school students doing flag day. I was rather disturbed by the fact that their attitude kinda sucked. It seemed like they were forced to be there doing compulsory CIP... Even in their uniform, they tucked out their shirts, guys and girls alike. I would not donate by the look on their faces too. The places they stood were qutie inappropriate. Some charged up right to the exit of the bus at the bus interchange. How do you expect people to donate when they just alighted from the bus? Worse, some did not even do any greetings and just shove the tin can in front of u...

I saw a few girls sitting on the pavement which was so unglam. If you cant stand for long then go rent a wheelchair. Some even stand beside the less fortunate people who were already there begging for money. I mean standing beside them just feels so wrong... of so many places why do they have to stand beside the poor man. They would gather in groups and i found it hard to weave through the crowd...

I remember when i did my red cross flag day, i would go to my fave spot with just another friend and we would separate ourselves when we are there. Your purpose is to raise as much funds and not there for companionship. Too many people standing together, you would not get much money... I stood at the cross junction between the wet market and the coffeeshops... your attire must be presentable and it always helps by smiling and greeting people before you can get them to donate. The aunties, old folks and young children are always the people who donate... even the uncle beside the chinese medical shop gave me free drinks and dropped a 10-dollar note every year i was there...

i really wish the young generation now can find purpose in fund raising...

..:: 515. The One With Hon Treasurer ::..

yippee... after a long night of rally and elections, i have been elected as the honorary treasurer of the 14th Management Committee :) Never expect myself to be in the humanitarian network, especially since i am already in my 8th year with Red Cross.

My competitor was a yr one girl from China. Most international students joined RCHN mainly because the club does not discriminate. I thought my chances were slim as the candidates come with their friends and i was alone in the theatre. Before the rally started, i got to know other candidates and tried to befriend them, my competitor appeared only in the midst of the rally, giving me opportunities to win some votes. in the end, i got 78% of the votes and she left even before the results were announced.

By the way, during the rally, i got to know a girl who was actually from the same jc and was my batch. no wonder, we both seemed to know each other and we being singaporeans (oops) clicked instantly. The wait for tabulation was long, she thought her chances were slim as the other candidates for fund raising officer were equally capable.

Moving on, i do feel like playing sports, perhaps volleyball for inter-hall... looking back at my previous hall, it was rather sad that it has just been my accomodation, nothing more ... hope i can go supper with my neighbours soon...

haiz.. work starting to build up. all my modules have mid term quizzes... 4/5 have projects. fri went for driving and i have not touched the steering wheel for like more than 6 mths... scary but luckily the private instructor was patient with me...

..:: 514. The One With China Wine ::..

If the title has not rung a bell to you, have you just returned from mars? he yeow sun, the pastor's wife released her hot hot video. i was pleasantly surprised she could dance so well. only thing bugging was throughout the whole video she kept 'china wine-ing' a lot. she was aka geisha. i guess easier for the western audience to remember her.



Anyway i was happy that i was short-listed for the post of honorary treasurer... Friday is the rally cum election day. Hope i own the other candidate. I was thinking of running HR Club Biz manager... something i have never done before.

..:: 513. The One With New Habitat ::..

i miss home :( i miss those movies trip... talking about movies, i have caught 2 movies recently. excluding rush hour 3 on national day period.

secret by jay chow. i was not THAT excited about watching his show as much as i dont really listen to his songs. but i must say he was quite natural and as usual being cheeky teasing his girlfriend... reminds me of someone... the twist got everyone talking... but i guess it was nice not as i expected the gal would get some disease and die. it was more than that. jay's on-screen dad was funny, break the slow and sad moments in the show.

2nd show got me giddy and having a headache after the screening. bourne ultimatum ... the fighting and car chasing scenes are so shaky...

i want more movies! school work is starting to pile up. i add-drop so many times this sem but i got a wonderful timetable at the end. had to make sacrifices and made my frenz unhappy cos i changed class and the group may have to disband :(

learning driving again this fri... after so long -_-

fri after hp102 lecture (psycho research methods), i emailed the prof to ask her whether the textbook is different from the previous sem and is it still usable... this is the reply i got

Hi John,

I assume that you didn’t attend the lecture.

No, it is entirely a different textbook.

XXX

Name is replaced to protect her identity. As usual, i got defensive and shot her this...

Hi Prof,

Just to clarify I did attend the lecture but perhaps I did not catch the part on the new textbook as the sound was a little muffled through the microphone. However, I did hear something about the second book on stats useful for the people who are majoring in psychology as it would come in handy throughout their course.

Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

Regards,
John

And her final email,

Hi Jonh, <--- I think she typed too fast, bottom line is she dont re-read what she typed before she sent...

No worries, weather you attend the lecture or you don't it is totally up to you anyway.

You cannot use the textbook from the previous semester.

I mentioned that the students who are majoring in psych are going to use the same statistics book next semester in another module. Other than that I recommend to purchase the books for this semester as we're going to use them all though the course. If students wish not to buy them, they can study at the library. I will find out if more copies can be reserved in the library.

Enjoy your weekend,

xxx

reads: whether , i guess she typed too fast again. Her tone doesnt sound friendly. Who ask her to assume in the first place...

..:: 512. The One With Good News ::..

yeah today seemed to be my lucky day. woke up really early to attend the psychology class... i think after i have emailed the prof, she opened up few more slots and i was able to get the module i wanted!

during my strategic hr class, we got to play a game, using cards to build structure. it was fun and we even took a group picture. upload the pix later. so happy that my prof quoted me saying that one thing we have to look out for is safety as HR practitioners ... an answer that was different :) then he talked on and on about how safety is important :)

then i checked my mail and saw something that made me glee :)

..:: 511. The One With New Semester ::..

yeah, finally school started. btw i am in human resource consulting, my business specialisation. love the modules i am taking... no maths involved. haha. i totally abhor maths. i am taking compensation and benefits, strategic HR and consulting as my 2 main core and i am intending to take up a year 3 core, learning and performance development since it is non-examinable module.

bid for forensic science but did not manage to get it. damn. so i took up my minor module - intoro to psychology and the lecture was interesting without the professor talking, video will do. she cant speak properly and half the time she speaks like those with speech defects. no offence but that is what everyone is giggling at the back of the lecture hall.

today for comms class, i had to do an intro and we were supposed to say something that make us 'memorable' to the whole class. i dunno what got into me to say that i have fetish for branded goods and my favourite brand is dolce and gabbana. sooner than i thought, we had to come up with group names and guess what became the theme for the class? brands... in the end we have, LV, D&G, Guess and Prada. Someone blurted out bossini and i almost fell off the chair. well, my tutor doesnt know what is D&G though. -_- she really needs some marketing lesson...

just something for me to remember when i choose my modules for my HRC and minor in psychology...

remaining modules:

Yr 2 sem 2:
AA102 - Accounting II
BH225 - HR Research
BH227 - Selection & Assessment
BH326 - HR Metrics

For overseas exchange (Yr 3 sem 1):

AB311 - Strategic Management
HP203 - Social Psychology

Yr 3 sem 2:
BH331 - Cultural Intelligence at Work
BH333 - Leadership in Organisation
BH324 - Employment Law

For my minor:

HP203	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY	4.0	PSY(HSS)
Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
An individual's behaviour, thoughts and feelings are influenced by other people and by the social environment. This subject examines topics such as interpersonal attraction, attitudes, social influences, social cognition, perception of the self, others and groups, altruism, aggression, conformity, and antisocial behaviour.

HP306	PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE	4.0	PSY(HSS)
Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
Psychology has practical applications to the workplace at the individual and organisational level. Organisational culture and development, employee motivation and leadership, team dynamics, work satisfaction and organisational influences on work behaviour are covered in this subject. Special emphasis is placed upon organisational behaviour in contemporary Asian societies.

sem 1:

	HP207	ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY	4.0	PSY(HSS)
	Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
	This subject aims to build a broad foundation for the study of psychopathology by covering a whole range of abnormality described in the DSM-IV. The main aim is to acquaint students with the etiology and treatment of psychological disorders through the major paradigms of abnormal behavior. Students learn to appreciate the multifarious factors that lead to mental illnesses. Case studies are used consistently to reflect the clinical approach adopted by the field in understanding mental illnesses.

..:: 510. The One With NDP Preview ::..

lucky me. i got a pair of NDP tickets from a lucky draw by AC (Plans) from G5. on wed, i broke record by working in the office till 11pm. didnt even know which exit to take, have to call my boss and ask.



the ndp show is definitely better than in kallang. the view, the sea breeze, made the performance even better.



as usual, the parade segment with the troops forming 'ndp 07'... after that 'ns40' to celebrate 40 years of national service.



this year was especially enjoyable as we get to see water effects. from commandos rappelling down the bridge.



there were flames also... water fountain spurting to the rhythm of the music. behind the stage, the water fountain had images too...



of course, the highly anticipated fireworks. this time from the buildings near esplanade too... there were stunts from the police rescue boats, Chinook ...

..:: 509. The One With Impression Mgt..::

wah power just tripped and i was half-way thru my blog. dunno who so blur, dunno the circuit in the house got prob.

anyway my hk posts have to put on hold, i guess not many are going during this period also. too many pictures, hard to load also..

yes, sharon, i will tag with ur grp if i can ever get out of office.
maktsz, girls were of cos inclusive of u, unless u r biologically different that i dunno about.

on fri night, i had a movie date at 10pm. unfortunately, that night my superior asked me to stay back late cos she would go back to the office after her course. everyone had left by 8pm, and we were the only ones still working. i enjoyed working with my superior and even up to that time cos she has been nice to me.

however, i was a little peeved when we had our conversation while making our way out of the camp. she told me that actually the branch head was feeling that i was disengaged from work ever since i returned from the hk trip. i understand where they are coming from. i leave the office at 530pm almost everyday and i used to work till 8pm with the rest.

but they have to understand that, now orientation and school stuff are filling up my schedule, of course i cannot stay so late nowadays and it has nothing to do with my hk trip. my branch head has been unhappy like i mentioned before, of me taking such a long break from work.

the vibe i got from my superior was that i had to work late and to show that i am working hard and rushing for the project. apparently, leaving at 530 was not a norm now even for me as a vacational attachment officer. working long hours does not mean that one is efficient. i left early was also due to being able to complete my work. I know i can do more and contribute but i also have my own commitment.

i felt that there was this underlying msg, 'this is the life of a regular, u have to accept and adapt to it sooner or later'... i know i will be having this kind of lifestyle later, that is why i want to enjoy my 'student-life' as much as i can now. i know there is a lot of work to be done, but i also should have my fair share of time for my school activities. i do not need someone to tell me that work is more important than my school activities, worse, i do not need to see someone's unhappiness over my overseas leave. FYI, i used my no-pay leave also.

i may seem to be the bad player in the team, but if i were a 'full-time' staff, u can find me as one of the best team player u can ever find. just hate it when i have to appear in front of a boss, showing that i am working... work late = work hard? i understand some of them have to sacrifice their family time with their wives and kids, but does that mean i also have to follow suit? so now i must juggle my time and show face in front of my boss, so much for impression management. such old school mentality.

anyway move to something more light-hearted. watched 'invisible target' by nicholas tse, jaycee chan (jackie chan's son and that the camera seemed to just zoom onto his nose) and shawn yue. a must-watch i feel. shant have spoiler here so go watch and have a good laugh. the stunts were more believable than die hard.

besides the movie, had a great supper and it has been very long since i enjoyed a great date. didnt take pic though, wasted cos i pretty jealous of a cute pic taken but i was not inside!

taking dance classes this sun at LA connections. anyone? gonna take 5 classes in one day :)

school starting i cant wait. and sports camp i so wanted to go.

..:: 507. The One With Hongkong Day 5 ::..

before talking about day 5... got some group pix that i found interesting.

being cheeky... it was time for more interesting poses, ok.





my frenz went for july 1 demonstration at wan chai. slept till 11am then went to harbour city shopping... but before that had a great dim sum at dao xiang... a must-go for dim sum... available at various locations... our hk fren, gordon, treated us, so nice of him...



anyway we went for high-class shopping. saw a bag i wanted in dolce and gabbana that was worth HKD 5k. real and full leather... too bad cant take a pic to show.

but we managed to found great discounts... from burberry



gathering to wait for the fireworks... must 'chop' a good place ... it felt great having such great company...



the buildings looked great with all the lazers and lightings... fireworks were so-so. everyone 'wah' at almost every effect. so we joined in.



most roads were blocked and we were packed like a can of sardines. we moved like zombies out of the area. wanted to eat steamboat but guess it was just too hot and far away, everyone was hungry... so we landed up at hard rock cafe.



after dinner, we went back to hotel to get changed so the whole gang went up our room which was super small. someone got a shirt put with prawn paste so lots of perfume had to be used.

we went clubbing first, free entry to this 'haha club'...



saw a celebrity but i cant remember what was his name... tasted their flaming lamborghini. quite a mouthful, definitely more than in singapore. cant take all at one sip. the girls looked shocked.



we left the club at about 2am plus where the music actually got better but nevertheless we split into 2 parties and headed for karaoke. it was such a crazy night. non-stop fun. everyone was still alive and we sang songs like 'superstar, friends'... got so hyped up and it was nice listening to the locals singing in cantonese. some songs were like a must-sing... like twins song and 'old love song' :X we all tried belting out tank's love song but as usual struggling... the girls sang very well.

it was 6am and you can see who barely made it :X

..:: 505. The One With Hongkong Day 4 ::..

our wonderful friends volunteered to be our tour guides. first time we got to know ruby's secondary school friend, Maktsz (as requested to change the name). together we went to tai o, in lantau island. some sort of a fishing village but definitely a great experience that you would not get it with a tour agency.

went to the central pier to catch a ferry.



learn some cantonese along the way and got to know each other more. but i fell asleep cos the ride with the breeze, simply good for 'concussing'



some interesting notices on the bus...



better dun ask for direction! you could be fined! haha...



vocabulary kinda limited, dun u think? how about 'beyond' for a change?



take pic to 'bookmark' the places we have travelled and that is our dear ruby who got so confused speaking english and cantonese interchangeably.

took a speedboat ride and saw this unique feature...



see the head, body of a figure?

pink dolphin in the wild. so hard to take a snapshot. they were fast but i guess my fingers were faster? :X



after the village tour, we headed down to causeway bay... went shopping at times square which is like our taka.



managed to find a great restaurant selling MEAT. a must-have 'yuen yang' - coffee plus tea.



and my 8-treasure rice which left everyone envy.. muahaha. i was a good boy and i listened to the auntie's recommendation. here is my reward.



then headed for my friends' university hostel. the chinese uni of hk even had a station for the school. that's how deserted it is...



that's not all, we left the hostel about 2 am plus. waited for taxi and attacked by stealth mosquitos ... strangely the taxis there are cheaper if you make a booking and travel late at night. discount up to 30%... Singapore, we would love to see that here.

we went green box, equivalent to our k-box. but much cheaper... can sing till 6am. and we did, the sky was surprisingly bright and we slept for an hour plus before we embarked on the next day's journey.

yes, we are crazy.

..:: 504. The One With Hongkong Day 3 ::..

could not help but laze on the bed till afternoon. had to link up at stanley market so we took a bus there from TST which was a mistake cos the bus went a big round around HK island and Aberdeen.

At stanley market... place where nothing much to see, just like walking down chinatown in singapore. Next time dun bother going there. so far yet nothing to see. unless u going repulse bay. the beach that is.



then we went to the peak. visited mdm tussaud wax museum. a day of photo taking and playing around with the figurines. had some innovative ways to take pix.

doesnt this pic look real? nicely shot right?



me with the twins. cant differentiate who is gillian, who is charlotte... anyway they looked so shiny like in a night club.



the morning view and night view...





took a cab down to have the famous beef brisket ... at sheung wan and they are really gd...



went to the clubbing scene to have a look... friday night supposed to be very happening. wasted we were not in our best attire so had to give it a miss.

..:: 503. The One With Hong Kong Day 2 ::..

before that must share something interesting. i went for an interview by TAFF - textile and fashion federation for a role in Singapore Fashion Week in Oct. No, i am not there to be model. If i can, i think a lot of pple also can make it ... apparently there are 3 roles i can take up.

first, host. basically you will follow the buyer around, fetch them from airport then remind them of their schedule, which fashion shows are on, bring them around to buy stuff. however, the challenge is you must know local brands which i hardly know. u ask me international brand, CK, D&G, etc, i know and can recognise. Local brands, only know Daniel Yam. Even price range is something a host must know.

second, as a helper. aka 'sai kang' meaning all the chores. but as the executive corrected me, every role is important. helpers do stuff like ushering, help out in guest registration, show prep... something i like to try but definitely not my first choice.

last, as a dresser. i saw the work scope and i got excited.

-to help dress models backstage during shows
-to assist show producers in the prep of show collections/shows

but one question from the executive made me realise it was quite out of my league.

are u gay?

then i realised to dress female models, the guys obviously have to be gay. but i mean anyone could have lied just to catch a glimpse backstage? i wanted to see how the backstage and the craziness happening which you wont see on TV. by the way i am not so 'hum sup' to just see the models dress. i am there to learn something though and to know more about local brands.

anyway, the executives will email us regarding our roles for the fashion week. Will be getting their tee, bag, and lots of dining and shopping vouchers and of course allowance.

then talk about the 2 movies i have watched, transformers and die hard 4.0...

i just realised from someone that i have no childhood, cos i dun watch nor play with transformers figurines. but i enjoyed the show for their good plot (better than fantastic four), and the relationship between the transformers and humans. the robots were cute.

die hard 4.0 even better. the action scenes will leave your eyes bedazzled for a while. some unbelievable stunts that looked too good to be true. kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the show. wacky conversations and believable plot.

harry potter on friday better dun disappoint me.

now back to hongkong. 2nd day, we went to disneyland! we had breakfast in a shanghainese restaurant... very nice xiao long bao. so juicy, the bun exploded in my mouth with the gravy. heavenly.



then we had shanghai fried nian gao.



we took a train to disneyland. the drizzling has stopped! aint the train cute?



the entrance which we cam-whored for very long...



my frenz got interviewed by the local tv station on their views of the 10-yr anniversary of handover. lucky we know our current affairs...



wet weather programme. mickey/minnie/donald in rain coats. cute :)



awaiting mickey mouse show - the theme was some award ceremony where they featured almost all the disney characters even hua mulan, beauty and the beast, lilo and stitch... wonderful musical and props.



dinner tried something new not at disneyland. sea urchin!

..:: 502. The One With Hong Kong Day 1 ::..

it's been a month since i blogged. nothing interesting to blog, especially when u worked in the army. i feel like entering a cage every morning i go to work, with all the fence... finally waited for 25th June to come. Spent the night get myself hyped up, packed my stuff and heaved my luggage to my fren's place.

took SQ 866 and reached HK about 4pm. Quickly checked in and ready to explore. my last trip to HK was when i was in sec 3. surprisingly, it was rather easy to navigate in the streets of HK. stayed in Ramada Kowloon which was small! not much place to put our luggages... paid HKD 3500 for 7 nights. could have gotten a better hotel in my opinion.

Hence, this blog served as a tour guide to those who wanna visit HK... bookmark me!

dinner we went to canton road which was near tsim sha tsui (TST), happy valley congee and noodles. service sucks, threw a straw in front of me! but food was ok. just that their prawn dumpling nice. Canton road was opposite harbour city, biggest shopping centre in TST. should have earlier dinner and explore the shopping mall. most shopping malls close around 9-10pm.

we walked around and bumped into a dessert shop. not too bad. worth a try. if u have mango fetish or u are not allergic to mango.



fyi, read from the right.

morning we could not wake up. met my fren's fren and her sister close to 12. had lunch at one of the biggest malls in Sha Tin, New Town Plaza. It's like suntec in singapore. after lunch we went to have a hike up to see the ten thousand buddhas. if u are allergic to mosquito, you might want to give it a miss.





roads are not painted which direction the cars are travelling, so u have to look down and see this...



started to drizzle, so we dried ourselves at the museum... free entry on wed.



i cant help but pose for the camera.



cant help to look stupid either

went to the wishing tree.. or should i say the ailing tree.



cant throw our wishes, so have to hang... and there were a few aunties who were more naggy than my mum. keep asking us to buy this and that. say 'just hang no use, buy incense stick'... we pretend we dont understand cantonese.



at night, we had claypot rice. really yummy. the rice so sweet.



we cant help to get fat. dessert time again.



still not enough, we had gui ling gao. herbal jelly. it was so bitter, i think i gulped down a whole bottle of syrup just to finish the jelly. but good for my complexion, to take more gd shots, it was worth it la.



dont ask me why the cat is there. cats cannot like herbal jelly meh? maybe they use their tails to stir :X