March 19, 2009
After reading the letter circulated on the death of Allan Ooi, I was once again confronted with mortality. A sense of helplessness, so familiar.
After a week, I popped into office and was told by my colleague that a M&E consultant of one of my project had passed away last week of lung cancer. I was shocked. He looked perfectly fine during one of recent site meetings tha tI attended and spoke with so much vigor and zest, though I wonder at times on his balding head.
My boss attended his wake. A quiet and lonely one, he told me.
I watched E news yesterday and was reporting that Natasha Richardson had a ski accident and was hospitalised. I liked Natasha Richardson when she played ‘The Parent Trap” with the young Lindsay Lohan. I watched it over and over again.
And while browsing through the internet today, I read that Natasha Richardson had passed away!!
A sad day…..
March 9, 2009
Its really easy to put on a smile…but I wonder how many people does that…
Last week, I was running so much errands and had to bring my mom to the hospital, I was like a mad dog! But in the midst of being a mad dog, I had done things that put a smile on my face.
(1) A very simple giving up my seat on the train. The elderly man looked into my eye and thanked me. As simple as that….I smiled back.
(2) An elderly man was finding his way at the hospital while I was at the cashier paying for my mom’s medication. The man approached the cashier but the cashier, being a philippino, has no idea what the old man was uettering in Mandarin.
I asked the elderly man where he want to do and he showed me his card….which only wrote “B2″….I had no idea either. So I brought him to the information counter and the concierge there showed him the way. The elderly man says “Xie Xie” to me……and I smiled back and said “Bu Yong”.
(3) This time and elderly woman trying to top up her EZ-link card stopped me on my way. She got ready her ATM card but the machine is not accepting it. So I looked at the machine and realised she hasn’t pressed on the amount she wanted to top up. I asked her the amount she wanted and helped her press and so forth…..she completed her top up and thanked me…..I smiled backed at her.
Its easy to forget simple things I did, very simple. But they put a smile on my face. And most times, we just didn’t realise these simple things can really help perk up our lives….rather than dwell on the ‘economy downturn’, ‘financial crisis’, ‘retrenchment’…there are still things that can make us smile, which we often times gives too little credit to.
March 3, 2009
For the first time, we brought Hero to the dog run at West Coast. Because its our first time, we were cautious. Didn’t know what havoc Hero will do and react to.
Well, turn out to be just fine. He got along with other dogs really well. Even when we took out the tennis balls and 2 chocolate labradors came running towards him, push him aside and snatch his balls away, he was fine. And he made friends with ‘Parker’ – a adopted cocker spaniel.
We left the park and my worst fear happened….I was attacked!! I yelled and jumped! It crawled onto my leg!! Eweeeeeee!!! That black slimey lizard!!! Eweeee!!!
It was raining tonnes by the time we were home and my ‘Ang’ had planned to bring me to the new Marina Barrage for my birthday treat. And here it is, my birthday dinner….warm to the hearts while it is pouring out there….
We took a stroll at the Marina Barrage but I think the lightings are lacking. I can’t even see what I was stepping on! Not romantic at all leh…..
Some pictures I snapped….wished I had a tripod with me.
February 24, 2009
I have been feeling the giddiness, nauseousness and headaches for some time. Its like my whole head is really heavy…..and in a daze. Until on weekend, the pain got to my neck and my right shoulder. I couldn’t even stretch my right arm.
So yesterday, popped into a polyclinic and waited like 1 hour before my turn.
Here’s how the conversation goes with the doctor…
Beerkaki: I have been feeling giddy and nauseous recently….on and off…
Doc: Are you pregnant?
Beerkaki: … [before I can answer]
Doc: Are you married?
Beerkaki: Yes.
Doc: When was your last menstration?
Beerkaki: Erm….[thinking] ……
I thought the chronology of the doc’s questions is a bit “Toh Balek”…..
The next thing I knew…..I was referred to the hospital to see a neurologist!!
Everytime I start a new job, my body goes on strike.
February 13, 2009
Damn!!
My laptop needs reformatting!!!
It takes like ages for it to boot up and ages for a new page to load. Fonts look utterly weird too.
All my fault to configure yahoo mail to my Outlook, and partyly thanks to Vista. I keep having this “Enter Network Password” thingy that keeps popping up, doesn’t go away and doesn’t allow me to view my mails.
Then, I buey tahan, I googled to find the solution. But who knows I meddled with the registry keys which now makes my laptop half paralysed. TAMADE!!!
Brought my laptop to my IT support in office. But hor….these Indian Foreign Talent cannot help me!!!! TAMADE!!
Then I realised my laptop doesn’t come with a Recovery Disk!!! How can???
No choice, called the NEC help desk, realised the recovery disk is pre-programmed inside the hard disk, which takes up like 10GB of space!! Tried this tried that, until the tech support on the phone also have no more Doraemon tricks, say I must buy a copy of the Recovery Disk, which is $95.12, which takes about 5 days to reach me because the call centre is based in Penang!!! TAMADE!!
My less than 1 year old laptop ahhhhh!!! Warranty only covers hardwares!!!!
So how? Pay or no pay?
February 11, 2009
I realised it is not an easy feat to go back to office at 6pm when my office is located in Raffles Place!
I was in Orchard and decided to head back to office at around 6pm and I took a MRT. When I alighted, it was a nightmare.
Throngs and throngs of people were heading my opposite direction. I can sense wind when walked pass me. With thousands of people, the wind became a hurricane. Its knock off rush hour and most were rushing home!!
I am like a lone soldier, fighting my way against theirs. Some brushing my shoulder, some even gave me a hard knock with their folders or what not that they are carrying.
Then I secretly shouted “Chiong Ah!!!!” Machiam chiong sua like that.
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By the time I left office at around 10pm, Raffles Place is like a ghost town. I took a 1 hour journey train ride back home. Popped in to McDs, da bao my dinner, took it after a hot shower with Hero waiting for any crumbles to fall.
Before I went to sleep, I just had to read another chapter of the book I borrowed from the Library, accompanied with a background lullabied-snores from my “Ang”…..
This was my Tuesday.
February 8, 2009
After getting started in my new job, I find myself busy again.
Learning new things everyday seems to fill my life with a new purpose. I look forward with every question thrown to me and hurried to find the answer….and ultimately, uttering “Ooh……” , while circling my head. What a satisfaction!
Work brings freedom.
February 4, 2009
Every weekday morning, my Ang will bring Hero for his pee, poo and jog/walk at 6am.
By the time they are back home, I’m already with a cup of coffee. But one morning, besides the aroma of the coffee, I start sneezing to a strong smell of perfume. I traced and traced and realised it was from HERO!!!
Wah lau eh!!!
I pierced my look at my “Ang”…….”Oei, you got chio bu date every morning huh? Hero is your cupid issit?”
So whatever my “Ang” replied is up to you amd me to believe….
“Oh…there is this lady in the lift this morning.Very strong perfume hor. I also cannot stand it.”
January 19, 2009
An overwhelm of colleagues with numerous names to remember.
Another self introduction to the team, to the division.
With the beginning of the year, new targets are established, new projects are launched.
I got my laptop configured. I got my namecard printed. I got my temporary access pass. I got introduced to the PA, who is probably going to take care of me and my whereabouts.
With all these, they wrapped up my first day at my new work. As my co-worker shared with me today….
“Don’t Wrestle with the Pig”
January 16, 2009
It was a full 3 day course I attended. I pulled it through!
The class got smaller as days passed. 30 over became ultimate 16 who completed. All of us came from different backgrounds and all walks of life, thus making the understanding levels very diversified, and difficult at times. There were some points during the class that I wished we could have moved on.
But the lesson I learnt most…..dealing with people. As it is going to be, my next leap into the work force is going to very people oriented. Human Touch, Body Language, etc….. Reminds me on my training with Miller Heiman….
Going into the work force at this time….I think I’m going to get a few hard knocks…..
