..:: 691. With Juniors Like This ::..

amidst the crazy work schedule and piles of paperwork, you hear your hp ring.

1 new message

"hey you have ab311 audit report? can send me? also include what grade you get. reply me even if you dont have. thanks!"

seems like i owe the person.

..:: 690. Get screwed ::..

never imagine being screwed by a footer.

so many pages, so many man-hours.

hope that oversight doesnt kill.

..:: 689. Eventful Work Day ::..

my colleague managed to borrow a car from her fren and decided to offer me a lift. jam break once and she was so apologetic. being an inexperienced driver, she was worried that i did not know how to reject her offer. overall, we had great laugh (plus the parking)

at work, one of the branch heads was looking for me frantically (or so i was told by the other department). i was so busy answering queries and making edits. finally ran over and heard the staff officers from that department giggling.

"John ar, take this" - said the other branch head.

i looked, it was a box of home-made mooncakes.

when i came out, the rest were laughing. my fren who drove me came over to my table.

"wah so good, my br head was looking for you the whole morning. we had to queue to see her but she said you all wait. i want to see john first. "

o_O. signal to blush.

"we asked why. she said cos you all not as cute"

yes. it was a female br head. still not used to the office "signals". but nevertheless, it's still good to be in someone's good books :)

the sad thing was that my dept had to work till 5am! it was quite a bonding session to OT. a few more hours short of working 24 hrs! sent a mail to my colleagues at 3am haha.

..:: 688. What holiday? ::..

helped my fren to cover his sunday duty. haiz. how to reject him? he used the technique of "a door in the step"...

"i help you cover your next weekend duty?"

who asked me to be single? i supposed being married one would want to use this long holiday.

while on duty... i texted my other colleague and he was like "oh you on duty? i am at duty free. haha"

haha, truly.

been super low-key in social events ever since i started work. from next month, should actively schedule to go out with frens once every week. this month's budget already max-ed out with the facial package.

my other fren just texted me to support his tanning salon. though the package is 1/10 of my facial but half of me wants that tan but other half thinks cancer. been assured that it is safe but these things u can never be sure for different individual.

for non-comedy shows, i really needed a cinema setting to enjoy. tried watching coco before channel and time traveller's wife through online streaming. sadly i never got past the fifteenth minute. yawnz.

on friday, our head office organized a mooncake bazaar. bought over 400 bucks worth of mooncakes which had my colleagues' heads turning.

..:: 687. Comex ::..

woke up super early for some volunteer briefing at ccab. yawnz. then went to comex aimlessly. netbook getting so much cheaper. arghz. to think i bought mine last year for 888.

bought a digital photo frame. cool-ness. another gadget to add to my office decoration. passerby alert.

watched the ugly truth for 2 of the hottest celeb. funny like hell and dirty jokes alert. but the girls enjoyed so i think it wasnt as offensive.

did retail therapy. shiok. bought menscience facial wash which is really good for minimising pores. then tried MOP Lemongrass Shampoo after the satisfying Billy Jealousy (yes, yash dont laugh) and lastly american crew conditioner.

..:: 686. Not the same anymore ::..

went for hr bridging day as a senior and found out that prof aahad and violet no longer with nbs :(

..:: 685. Mum's Call ::..

i was dozing off around 11pm yest night when the phone rang. i saw "Mum" flashing. i continued to sleep.

minutes later, sms came. it was from my sister.

mum's supervisor tried to call us. mum in hospital. suspected food poisoning.

i jumped out of my bed... called back and luckily she was able to talk.

this is what happens when u ignored calls from mum too often.

..:: 684. Its Not Funny ::..

my mum calls me as if i am in a call center. picks up the phone and yelling begins "why take so long to answer".

excuse me. i have a job and probably 10000 meetings that are more important than her phone call. knowing what she wanted to ask me.

"the photos we took at the graduation, ready anot?"

made me wish i have not taken those pics -_-

-------------------------------------------------------------

angry fits 2.

went to shop for my monthly fashion mags.

me: do you have the magazine titled "august"

indian shopkeeper: *looks frantically* no

me: *scans the shelf again as i saw it at clementi mrt stand*

indian shopkeeper: i dont think have. now already september. *grins*

me: *its not funny look*

they totally spoilt my wonderful image of indians back in india.

..:: 683. Mentors ::..

finally airasia replied and gave me a new voucher. fast to shut me up, leaving me no chance to demand free air tickets.

bumped into one of my ocs fren whom we never talked before. both of us recognised each other, he started asking "do i know u?". i was o_O. before we enter the train, he was smiling at me and i thought he looked familiar.

he is now in ntu final year in aero while i am back working. shared army stuff which was probably the only common thing we shared. still remembered our platoons were at loggerheads.

was sharing how i chartered my career and have many people to thank for all the advice. should count my blessing having to find quite a few mentors who not only provided direction but also created chance to make it all happen.

reason why i join the army - there are great people who have inspired me along the way.

..:: 682. Blame Who? ::..

irritated.

tried to book my flight for sri lanka and wanted to use my e-voucher which was supposed to expire on 20 Aug. When I key in the details, the error msg was that the voucher has already expired..

wth.

called the operator who asked me to fill up the e-form and they will reply me in 2-3 days. if by then my voucher expires, who is responsible?

they better give me a free tickets to KL as the connecting flights.

..:: 681. Motivation to save ::..

went window shopping for cars with my friend since last week. in the end, last sat, decided to settle for cerato forte dark cherry. ultimate jealousy. the colour makes the car even more class-ier. back of the car looks like bmw. makes me think twice about getting honda fit. especially with the super low price.

today resisted temptation to shop. finally get to explore ion orchard. crazy crowd at uniqlo which i think its the biggest hit in singapore. knew it when i was shopping in shanghai and heard that they are coming to singapore. a better fit compared to H&M and topman, since the size is more fitted for asians. plus every few months they have new designers for the tees which are selling at affordable 19.90 to 24.90. quality is damn good.

wanted to buy a neoleather purple jacket which cost 99 bucks but on second thought i wont be wearing it that often, hence decided not to buy. popped by kiehls and saw a few facial and hair products which i love and wanted to try. but one bottle of cleanser 150ml, about 40 plus bucks o_O. buy 2 items then can get 20% discount. i avoided the temptation once again.

wanted to go clubbing. but decided to save the money and the cab fare.

saving money is definitely worth it. need at least 500 bucks per month to save for the car!

stuck in singapore. think of saving money. i should stop all the envy that most of my friends are not in singapore.

..:: 680. SMRT ::..

took train to work today and it broke down at clementi. saw the train crawl towards clementi station and then bypass it and stop at dover. all of us had to alight to board the next train. seen the crowd build up at clementi and buona vista. scary. then there was this lady, typical singaporean, must complain out loud about the train then she would feel shiok.

"wah my first time from pioneer to dover take one hr..."

the rest of her tone was as sarcastic and unbearable just like the way she looks.

"the people sitting in the train must be feeling damn shiok can sit so long..."

i was on the verge of asking her to shut up.

"i really tempted to take taxi"

if she complains about the train so lousy, then take cab la. that is why i get mad at people who grumble when people accidentally knocked into them in a crowded public transport like bus or train. if you dont want all these hassle then take cab la!

just that i was wearing the uniform, if not i would have drop casual comment.

tml department cohesion! at bishan park run 5km. what cohesion huh? everyone do their own run.

..:: 679. Nat Day Dinner ::..

something got me jumping for joy last fri. i saved people's careers. cant go into details but my boss congratulated and gave us a pat on our backs for saving some careers as we reviewed their profiles.

must agree to what my boss said, hr is a thank-less job. when you do well, no one will praise u but if something "screws up", all will point fingers at u.

wasnt feeling well in the morning but after i got better, accompanied my fren to go look for cars. window shopping for cars is exciting! currently looking at honda fit/jazz, price at the showroom is insane! about 10K more than those from parallel import. on average, the cheaper rate would see myself paying about close to 700 per month.

national day dinner at marine parade was quite an experience. firstly, it was graced by senior PM Goh and first time i have attended a community dinner indoor. Mr Goh's speech lasted 28 mins and he posted 10 challenges we would face, some of which he mentioned are perils of success. like the education system that has grown and molded talents has seen many moving and staying in other countries - brain drain and also females concentrating on their careers - low birth rate.

was quite amazed at the speed his speech was being broadcasted. after the dinner, i got on to the car and heard the radio reporting about his speech. one of the MCs for the event was an ex news broadcaster.

it was funny to see senior people waving their flags and singing "stand up for singapore" at the volume that i last recalled hearing in primary school. my table had 2 senior doctors and you could get an overview of what is the latest in the medical field by just hearing them talk. across the table was another lady who was heading a few boards and president and ceo of Raffles International, yes you got it, ms jennie chua. for a matter of fact, if you have degree from cornell, you could strike a conversation much easier, seeing quite a few of them have such connection, if not raffles institution would suffice.

then i understand why mr goh didnt want to talk about the achievements of singapore for the past year. stating the challenges left the whole ballroom talking about the issues throughout the dinner. being the only young generation rep for the table, when they talk about getting married and have children, they look at me. talk about education and brain drain, they point at me. mention about dealing with the greying population, they look at me and ask how am i going to deal with people like them.

*gulps* and i thought i was just there for the food.

..:: 678. NBS Convo Ball 2009 ::..

glamour. nothing short of that, well maybe except those who didnt plan to dress to impress. i couldnt even recognise some of the girls with all the dresses, hair and make up. come to think of it, it was my first official "prom". skipped my sec sch one cos i went on a cruise. jc no affinity.

food was ok, given we paid "student price", fish for our table tasted like rubber (even others who came to our table to try said it), everyone was busy walking around to take pics and catch up, so much of the food was left untouched.

animosity. pretty obvious. took pic with everyone except me. the hair and dress were nice but i withheld my comments as i didnt want to appear overly friendly or seen as being hypocritical. it was sad that even till the end of the convo ball, our "issues" were unresolved. i guess when a person dont like u, it stays that way no matter what you do.

anyway, i guess the main highlight was the MC. he was charismatic and funny like hell. all the MTV from the different races and the sexy dance and the "pong pong pong" for the ladies.

joy and laughter. that will be the memories i have for NBS.

..:: 677. Things You Do When You R Desperate ::..

bought some velvet cloth off arab st, only to find out that they were not the right material to be made into blazer.

decided to try costume rental shops. google became my best friend and saviour. called a few shops but they didnt have the colour i wanted. while i was on my national education (NE) tour, i made several calls to enquiry about their closing time and the availability of my chance of getting best dressed. lol.

most of them close at around 6-7pm. i finally reached bugis about 5 plus. quite a mad rush but luckily the costume shops were located within the bugis area. north bridge road to aliwal road to mayo st. finally found one purple velvet.

when i asked my other fren steph wat she will be wearing, she replied "nothing". lol. true, nothing will get best dressed too, so why spend $. but may end up not being conferred on monday :X

blazer - checked
tailored light blue shirt that accentuates my waist - checked
crystal ornaments - checked
goldlion pants to accentuate my legs - checked
goldlion red tie (quite a steal @ 20 bucks) - checked

i hope the hotel is safe for us to have dinner.

went on a NE tour, visited newater factory (insanely boring with occasional chemistry terms). johore battery (interesting to know gen percival was quite dumb). changi chapel (the place that i have been too many times)

at the end of the day, our CO (big boss) asked us to reflect on one thing, what we want to remember and what we want to forget. one officer was picked to "set an example" but he was one of the funniest and wackiest you would ever find.

"i have learnt to grow our own rice"

everyone burst out laughing. then he explained, "40 years ago, people say we dont have our own water, now we do. so the next step is to prove to them we can grow our own rice"

does that warrant a good officer reply? i am sure everyone will remember his answer.

..:: 676. Eclipse ::..

hurhur. is it eclipse or is it dark clouds cos its raining and i dun feel the freaking eclipse.

taking trains to work in the morning rush hour can be a pain in the ass. i secretly wish i could stab those who stand on the right at the escalators.

sunday was spent taking pictures in convo gowns. pictures turned out great. we tried something different. took pics at a busy clarke quay area and had eyes looking at us. we are closeted attention seekers!

mon went hunting for my velvet cloth to make blazer. chinatown has only bright red, pink and yellow while the shops at arab st closed when i got there.

managed to get it tue after work. so cheap. 20 bucks for 2 metres. hope it turns out nice.

..:: 674. awaiting convo ::..

wearing the convo gown and mortar board, i feel like i am beginning the next stage of my life.

finally met up with my mum whom i hid from her that i went india, until she called 2 weeks before my trip ended :P my mum's pretty traditional- those kinds that think everywhere is dangerous and everyone is out to harm me. i always tell her stay at home even boredom (or a spoil ceiling fan) can kill me.

told her my convo plans. take studio pics. treat my relatives for dinner at the hotel she is working. the big big question on my head is WHAT is she wearing. she is known for her lack of fashion sense. meet me wear sleeveless, collarless, shirt and berms with different colour patches. O_O

i decided to go shopping with her, help her choose what looks good in the EYES of others and not what she feels is nice. fleshy at the shoulders, she really needs collar to cover up. she loves sleeveless cos its cooling but i dont want to be reminded of flabby stuff. it was challenging to find something that suits her. in the end got her something like batik which was colourful so that the picture will look nice :) i didnt get to see her (so as she claimed) korean black pants. i hope they are not hideous.

seriously, what is the female equivalent of lounge suit? i got a special ticket for either my mum or sis to sit in the vvip row!! :P power of networking eh. haha. should ask my sis to sit at least she can take a closer shot for me. my mum. hurhur, she couldnt even use sms on phone. sad. i should start a course for her and prob her friends.

it was quite a heart warming meet up cos initially she bought a lot of food (as usual when she sees me). but after a while she stopped eating, and i ask why. too happy to see u that i cant eat. awww... i feel i have let her down somehow, not spending more time with her. k new year resolution.

SATURDAY. shopping, tailoring for my convo ball on the 25th.

SUNDAY taking convo pics with my CHINA GIP friends. crazy bunch. must be damn happening. all our modelesque poses. *jumps for joy*

bought a few magazines to browse through and get ideas for what to tailor. headache.

harry potter was quite a letdown. this time more of preparing the big show down for the last installment.

..:: 675. A leader answers for his men ::..

the chimney finally blew. got chided (the word seems too mild) today by someone. fault and inaccuracy of data making "him" lose face, credibility and reputation (not that serious but the message was targeted as that).

i understand where his anger came from and he has the right to be angry. however controlling and dissipating it through other ways is as important. seriously "he" needs anger management. i dont see a need to shout and scold in order to get "i-am-angry" message across. worse when u are a senior reprimanding on someone so junior (not talking about me).

ultimately the responsibility still comes back to me and i guess the real challenge is to first accept mistakes of others as your own and stand up for them. You may feel angry at your own subordinates but i feel that is the distinction between a great leader from a good one, the willingness to put everything aside and "defend" and "educate" later. i am observing and learning to emulate such traits . not easy. it's so much easy to shift blame.

i have also learnt to use more "we" than "you". whenever my "boys" and I make misakes, i had to make a point to say "we need to improve... though we make this mistake, we should ensure they dont happen again, etc..." i hope the power of "we" makes them feel better.

mistakes. have i been too laxed? am i not training correctly? should i micro-manage? i think i need to be more meticulous. looking at 2000+ names and at least 15-20 fields... WAKE UP! arghz

..:: 673. SAFRA Mt Faber ::..

yeah. finally signed up for gym membership. 5 mins walk from my office. time to get buff up :) facilities are great. many machines, not so many people and wonderful shower facilities. even got jacuzzi and steam room.

was watching tv and saw this school in taiwan using electronic black board instead of our usual white board. it looks like LCD tv that is huge 100" and it's touch screen!

learn through 3D effects, learn how to sing using youtube videos. nice.

dilemma 2: should i disable my camera? hai. no point using BB bold for weekend huh? i love the tracking ball.

today in office, "lucky" was played on radio. i swear i giggled. thinking of our timbre gathering when they said they gonna sing lucky, all except yash think that its going to be britney. LOL. i bet yash was thinking "what kind of frenz i have"...

this time britney was on radio! :) cheers. jason mras step aside!

oh have a song that is spinning in my head. and i guess much to yash's disgust...

LOVE GAME.

let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
don't think too much, just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

let's play a love game
play a love game
do you want love
or you want fame
are you in the game

10 ways to drive yash crazy:

#1: bring her to lady gaga's concert

..:: 672. SYZ,PDA and dilemma ::..

SYZ concert was great! better than zhang hui mei's in oct. the stage layout was jaw-dropping, the effects were marvellous and the costumes were so out-of-this-world. totally against her usual image. the dance choreography was great. so glad my impulse buying was worthwhile after all. just woke up today and decided to buy the ticket. left only restricted view for 108 bucks.

the kallang mall has no POSB atm! arghz. couldnt buy food. could only go to supermarket and grab some chocolate.

while on the way home in the bus, there was this couple. arghz. PDA-ing. started to go so close to each other and whisper (what we will do for sex). no wonder everyone had their earphones on. the girl had to place her palm on the guy's chest and slide down to his pecs (or the lack of). get a room. didnt they know that foreplay in bus is not allowed?

but then again i think some would not mind, given that the girl was quite hot and the guy is a hunk. worse, ndp so the bus had to go through a diversion route and we got to watch the "extended" (fore)play.

DILEMMA! foolishly i went to sign up with M1, totally forgot that i called singtel to ask my UPGRADE availability and i thought that is when my contract expires. now my current number is only due NEXT YEAR AUG.

Choice 1: Use my M1 new number - the monthly plan with blackberry services is about 70 bucks per month under corporate plan.

Pro: Use my M1 card! which has a nice number.

Cons: Let my singtel card rot and pay the monthly charges like an idiot. Inform everyone of my new number.

Choice 2: Void my singtel contract to pay damages so i can port my number over to M1.

Pro: I get to use my old number and remain contactable even from my long lost friend. No need to pay monthly singtel for 1 year.

Cons: The liquidated damages could be a lot, i think about 500. which is about 40 bucks per month (which i think quite reasonable seeing that my bill always more than 40).

SO HOW?

i heard convo bells are ringing. :)