Hey there! Welcome to my humble blog and hope you'll have a pleasant stay. Oh, and tag before you leave!
Who's Behind the Blog
Summary:
Music's my life, traveling's my passion and fun is what I desire.
Character:
Carefree, mall-aholic, outgoing, open-minded, optimistic, good listener, joker and soliloquist.
Embraces:
Movies, CSI, Dr. Gil Grissom, Bones, Dr. Temperance Brennan, partying, music, skateboarding, badminton, cycling, slick gadgets and the Internet
Punches:
Backstabbers, assumptions, brats, snobs and harm dealers
Dreams:
Explore every inch of the world. Own a dream house. Writing a book. Fulfilling my wishes.
Motto:
Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday so live it without fear.
Ok, alright, I'll admit that I haven't been devoted to my blog lately. I'm sure everyone, by now, would've noticed the time lag between this post and my previous post. Well, I'm just gonna blame life for that. Boring, repetitive and nothing to write home about -- need I say more?
Anyway, that aside, let's divert our attention somewhere less...somber.
So, as though sucked into a wormhole and out, I've been in the NS Section for close to six months now and things are still exciting as ever. From putting up with the prehistoric creature, Auntiesaurus, to the countless ordeals with some major 'S.O.B.s', every single day is like a brand new chapter of an adventure novel filled with surprises and...more surprises.
However, none of the surprises were much of a surprise when compared to this -- a treat to a buffet dinner at the Pan Pacific Hotel after our superior, Mdm Tan, saw a 44% off ad on the newspapers. Immediately after she suggested this, we spent our lunch time on Monday researching on the hotel and its restaurants. Practically drooling over the menu offered in the restaurants and its alluring promotions, Mdm Tan proceeded to ring up the hotel for a reservation. To her dismay, most restaurants' 44% promotion were fully booked out and all that's left for us to choose from was the Global Kitchen, an international buffet restaurant. After much consideration and thorough calculation, we thought why not just give it a shot and take it as some sort of cohesion gathering. Without much dates left to pick from, we settled for August 27 at 1830 hrs.
After much awaiting, August 27 -- today, finally came and when the clock struck 1730hrs, we secretly put our plan in motion since the notorious Auntiesaurus wasn't invited. Well, no elaboration required there since no one likes her. Fortunately, she left before us and we drove directly to the hotel. Since we arrived there earlier than Mdm Tan, who went home to drop off her 'baggage', we seated ourselves down first.
Then, after we were done hunting for food from the buffet table, Mdm Tan arrived with her husband. We chomped down on the vast selection of food for approximately 2 hours before moving to attack the dessert corner and heck, there were so much to choose from. I, myself, had some chocolate-coated marshmallows and strawberries from the chocolate fountain while my 'dessert-malnourished' friend/colleague, Desmond, took on every single one of the cakes. He basically took a slice of everything, which I guess is because they are all bite-sized. Or he could be really really craving for some desserts.
After desserts, we were all filled and satisfied but surprisingly, Mdm Tan and her husband were still scouring the place for more stuff to sink their teeth into. So, we stayed and chatted about funny people and events at the office.
Carried on chatting for an hour or so before we went to the dessert corner again for some ice-cream and damn, those ice-cream were ice-hard. Trying to get a scoop out of the tub was like mining for coals in the mine. After that, while the lovely couple proceeded to the dessert corner to try out the desserts, we carried on with our talk.
Anyway, since we managed to get a group shot, might as well introduce y'all to the members of NS Section, starting from the most senior. On the very left of the photo is Mdm Tan, our superior. She's right above the Auntiesaurus in terms of ranks but is less annoying than her, though she can still bug us to a level. Don't see eye to eye with the Auntiesaurus but still plays along as they have to work together. Extremely calculative, both in life and in work. Next, we have my upper-study, Mr Vadi (Indian guy) aka. the Dark Knight. Got the nickname of 'Dark Knight' from his ex-colleague due to his skin tone and his character of trying to set everything straight. Knowledgeable and is the famed upper-study of everyone currently in NS Section. Hates the Auntiesaurus after the suffering she made him go through. Refers to her as 'the clown'. Completed his service in June but signed on for a year as our supervisor. Next in line, we have Cher How (striped polo beside Vadi), who succeeded Mr Vadi's previous position and is the leader of our pack in NS Section. Loathes the things he has to do but still does it so that he can dump it in the face of the Auntiesaurus. Funny and goofy guy but holds the busiest position in NS Section. Up next, we have Mason (black polo), our medical clerk. Funny guy with a good sense of humor, albeit a little sarcastic and lame at times. Loves calling Vadi 'black' and all things black 'Vadi', to make fun of him. Very responsible despite being easily stressed. Hates the Auntiesaurus more than any one else, referring to her as 'bitch'. Last but not least, we have the newcomer Desmond (extreme right), who will be leaving in January with Cher How but is considered my junior. He was downgraded from his previous vocation and came to our section 3 months ago. Studied a little under Vadi, followed by our ex-colleague Alvin but I ended up teaching him most of everything, based on what I've learnt myself. Easily stressed and annoyed by the Auntiesaurus, leading him to absolutely detest her and following me in calling her 'monster'. Always targeted by both Cher How and Mason, who always jokingly makes fun of him for being a bit slow despite graduating from Catholic Junior College. A little naive and childish at times.
Back on topic, alas, all things have to come to an end and we left at 2210, 20 min before the restaurant closes. Took a ride back on Mdm Tan's minivan but was given the back seat, which feels and looks more like a cage than anything else. Since she was nice enough to give me a ride back, I shan't disclose more on her ride.
Though I seriously wished we could have done something else after we left, it's just too bad that we had to work tomorrow and everyone's worn out after a hard day's work. Well, I certainly hope that this will not be our last dinner outing since it's simply kick-ass and even better without the Auntiesaurus around.
For now, I'll just have to look forward to our next event on September 1, which is our sports day. Till then, fingers crossed and hoping that it'll be fun. Signing out!
Last Updated @ 9:11 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
S-whine flu
Due to the recent H1N1 virus pandemic, everyone at the office's whining away at the various preventive measures that have been drawn up by our superiors.
Over the past few weeks, the number of reported cases have been escalating like a thermometer placed in boiling lava. Basically, one can say that the pandemic is widespread and ravaging out of control. Till date, there's still no sign of a cure or vaccine to stop it from rampaging down a path of mass destruction.
Hence, to keep it's spreading to a minimum low, our superiors came up with a geniusproof idea of pure stupidity by dividing the entire office into 2 cohorts. Okay, that might actually sound feasible but hear this -- we're still working under the same roof albeit in different rooms. Furthermore, it's an enclosed air-conditioned workspace we're talking about. What good would it do if one of us was infected and the virus managed to spread via the air vents? Another problem with this planning is that Team A is supposed to arrive 30 min earlier than Team B. 30 min!? Come on people, it's an arduous 10 min walk from the entrance to our office and everyone depends on the minibus for that matter. F.Y.I., the minibus isn't very punctual either. If you're from Team A and you miss the bus, you're more than likely to bump into people from Team B. Besides, both Team A and B would be sharing the same minibus since there's only one. What are the chances that you wouldn't get infected if someone infected was on board that same bus earlier? Pfft, we're all sooo gonna be infected.
Last and most definitely the stupidest idea of all, they stationed a few 'liabilities', aka. people without much use, outside our office to keep visitors from setting foot inside. Should anyone not from our department wish to enter our office, the 'liabilities' are to have them sign in a logbook and state their purpose of visit. Then, they'll issue the visitors a mask before allowing them entry. *Jaws drop* Seriously! That's it?! A mask is able to keep the virus from spreading? Geez, what gives?! I mean, what are they trying to accomplish with this? Even if you have that guy sign-in before he enters, what are you gonna do to him if he did spread the virus to us? Charge him? Put him on death row? Sanitize him? Gawd, is it redundant or what?
I bet by now, anyone reading this would be facepalm-ing in horror at their stupidity. Most of you would also be asking, 'How on Earth did someone who came up with such a foolprone idea manage to get a superior position?' Well, honestly, that's what we'd like to know too and until then, it's something for us to whine about too.
Last Updated @ 7:58 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
'Congratulations, you've been WoWed!'
'That's it! You're going down, green-skin! I'm gonna make you wish you'd never ran into me.'
Well, at least that's what I'd like to say when I'm flailing magical bolts at orcs and trolls -- or when they're running behind me with their gigantic cleavers swinging wildly in the air.
It's been almost 2 years since I've last stepped into the realm of Azeroth, or more widely known as World of Warcraft. It's been such a long time that I've lost touch with most of the stuff in there with the crazy rapid updating they've been doing. Heck, I'm not even sure if I should be happy to see a member of the opposing faction or cower and turn tail.
The reason why I quit previously was because I didn't know a single player out of the millions in there. I was a lone wolf prowling the world, slaughtering any enemy that falls in my way. As time went by, the aimless roaming of the lands grew tiring and as a result, I quit, leaving my character in there to age and accumulate dust. Didn't even bother to look back.
But, now, I have colleagues who are WoW players and huge ones at that. Most of the time, they'd be talking about the raids or quests that WoW has to offer and some of the epic adventures they went through. At first, I didn't really listen much but as it went on, the interest I had began to surge. I started checking back on what they've done to the game for the past 2 years and damn, I've really missed out on a lot. It equates to having been put into a state of suspended animation in reality and then only waking up 50 years in the future to find everything so different and distant. However, all that I did was just purely information gathering. I did not step back into the game...yet.
It was until my colleagues learnt that I used to play WoW and invited me to join them did I really set foot into the game once again. I dumped my previous character aside and started out afresh since almost everything has changed within the time lapse. One of my colleague also started a new character with me and for once, there was actually something to look forward to in WoW. I competed with my colleague to see who'd level faster and I had an aim to shoot for the top, where I can then join my other colleague in his raids and stuff or help out some newcomers. Besides that, there was also social interaction, rather than just running about and questing in silence. I mean, you might as well become a bot.
Ok, so I started leveling all over again, spending hours each day grinding through the levels and as much as I hate to admit it, getting killed countless times in the process. Well, whaddya' know? I'm a priest. Priests are weak. They can't take hits like a warrior in plate does. A small prick from a dagger would send you screaming for help, whereas a warrior could stand stabs from it without faltering. But well, that was just for the starting phase of my character. Right now, I think I can handle 2 to 3 mobs at a time. Then again, against an enemy player, I might as well turn tail and run cause I'm not geared for player versus player. I have much too low health to survive continuous attacks from them. Right now, I'm 3/4 up the ladder and hoping to reach the top by the end of next week. Hah, brace yourselves, greenskins! I'm gonna come get y'all!! For the alliance!!
Great, and here comes the part where I tell myself, 'Congratulations, you've been WoWed -- again!'
Wow, never thought I'd be hearing that again...
Last Updated @ 8:05 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Umbrella party
The first impression anyone would get from these two words is partying with umbrellas. Well, I'm gonna say guess again. Or guess yet again if need be.
The day before yesterday, some foreign VIPs were stopping by our base and an umbrella party was required. Meaning, we needed a group of people whose job is to hold umbrellas for VIPs in the presence of a stormy weather. Ok...sounds funny. Scratch that, it is funny. Enlighten me on this but I can't figure out why we have to be the one holding the umbrella. It's illogical and impractical. Just because they're some big-assed VIPs, we're supposed to get ourselves wet to keep them dry? Seriously, I don't see no sense in that. How taxing can holding an umbrella be? Don't VIPs have limbs? Rather, do we have to do everything for them? Say, like feeding them , speaking for them or even, visit the toilet for them? No, no and no. They can do those perfectly fine. Now the only question that remains, what's so not to like about holding an umbrella? Besides, it's easier to shelter oneself, as compared to someone else, with an umbrella. For all you might know, the VIP might have longer legs than you and as a result, will be striding so far ahead that being pelted by the rain is unavoidable. So, what would make more sense? Holding an umbrella yourself or having someone hold it for you? I'll gladly pick the former option.
Anyway, I was one of the volunteers cause I figured, what's sacrificing a few hours of your weekend in exchange for a day off of work? The umbrella party was forecasted to last from 1400hrs to 1800hrs and assured us that they'd have a transport ready for us. You see, the only problem with our base is that to get from the entrance to our office, it's a 15 minutes walk. Frankly speaking, no one would want to walk that distance, even more so under the relentless scorching sun. So, they promised us that there'd be a minibus to ferry us in but after much waiting, we were still stranded at the entrance, awaiting the messianic arrival of the minibus. Finally, a call was made to the 'Auntiesaurus' and I quote from her idiotic reply, 'Oh, you must've missed the bus. Maybe you guys can walk in and if you see any cars coming in, flag them down and ask for a ride.' Good idea, why didn't we think of that? Umm...hello...it's a Sunday! There's like zero cars going in cause those involved in the event are already at the office. Anyway, it was a blessing that one of us drove on that day, although he came a bit later while we were halfway through walking. Then, at the office, I was dumbfounded by the stupid instructions they gave. 'Make yourself scarce unless it's raining.' Actually, I had the urge to reply, 'Gladly and with honor. In case you didn't notice, the temperature out there is approximately 32 degree celsius with the sun blazing wildly over you. Figuratively speaking, enjoy baking yourselves.' Hence, we spent the entire four hours hiding out in the office, chatting the time away. Not that I wanna complain but I think we caught ourselves a huge bargain!
To sum it all up, I like how 'umbrella party' sounds but hate what it actually meant. VIPs are not 'very important people', they're more of 'Verified: Intellectually Paralyzed'.
Last Updated @ 7:32 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Speechless beyond words
Sometimes, winners of reality shows such as the overhyped 'American Idol' or it's lesser-known counterpart 'Britain's Got Talent' aren't really all that, well...talented, or to a lesser extent, as good as the public make them out to be. Simply looking to siphon cash from its viewers, these shows have veered off its tracks from a talent competition to a 'if-you-like-me-vote-for-me' competition.
The true gems, however, are always hidden away elsewhere in places where most people divert their sights from. Sadly though, because of the fame and power these reality shows have gained, most people have developed this twisted mindset that singers/performers that aren't in these shows, are not talented whatsoever. To me, it seems like blatant discrimination over the assumption that a person with more fame is in a way, more talented.
Anyway, the reason why I'm even posting is because, well, during my routine weekly iTunes Store browse-through, I found myself repeatedly playing a 30 seconds preview of a particular song by a certain artist named Charice that I've never even heard of. I was so hooked on to it that I immediately opened up my browser and did a search. Now whaddya know, she's only a 17 year old teenager who instantaneously got her name resonating through the web after a performance on Oprah. Even with my biasness against shows like 'American Idol', I don't mind that she gained her fame from Oprah cause unlike 'AI', people can't vote her off just because they don't like her. Besides, she's horrifyingly good for a 17 year old. Check it out yourself since words just can't describe it:
There's a Hi-Def version of it at Oprah but I'd leave it to you all to decide if it's worth watching. In my opinion, the song itself is both meaningful and powerful while Charice just made it all that more amazing with a voice that is overflowing with emotion. Furthermore, from her performance, you can tell that she sang it from the bottom of her heart and that it meant a lot to her when she seemed almost ready to break into tears.
Damn, I sure hope that her single will fill up the shelves at my local CD shop so that I can wrap my fingers around it. I'm definitely looking forward to more of her work and I guess it's safe to say that we'll definitely be seeing more of her in the future. Fingers crossed.
Last Updated @ 7:48 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Don't sneeze, don't cough, don't burn
'Sweet-acular', the week is. I can say it a million or a trillion times but here's what, it's never boring down at the office; always brimming with life and pranks and all sorts of what-nots. Only downside to all these? I guess that'd be the infamous 'Auntiesaurus' but I'll just let that slide since she's been kept on a tight leash and behaving well these past two weeks due to the crapload of work she had to do, courtesy of the swine flu aka. mexican flu aka. H1N1 flu virus. Call it whatever you want but it's that nasty pandemic that's been spreading around the world.
Now that reminds me. Because of that, we had to go through this stupid temperature taking routine each day while having to update our everyday whereabouts in a movement record book which, in my opinion, is the epitome of pure senselessness. Wonder where they even got these ideas from, 'Gaga-land' perhaps? I mean, think about it, what's the point of giving us these logbooks when we can just refuse to update it by simply stating that we were home all day. They might be intending for us to work hand in hand but in this seemingly rebellious point in time, can't they come up with something more foolproof, rather than foolprone.
Pandemics aside, on Monday, I finally got to play a major part in 'checking-in' the guys who are called back for their training, partly owing it to the flu -- once again. Like I said, because of the flu, various regulations and guidelines have been set up to prevent such infections, should there be one, from spreading. One of them was for us to take the temperature of the guys before allowing them to check-in. Needless to say, I was tasked with that responsibility. Though it's a tad different from what we usually have to do, it's an amazing experience -- though it tends to be overwhelming at times when a bunch of guys swarms in on us. It kinda feels like you're a doctor when you're really not. Other than having to monitor their temperature, we also have to make sure that they fill up a declaration form as to wether they have been overseas for the past 2 weeks. Oh right, that rings another bell.
So, we've been doing this check-in procedure at the hangar quite a few time and never once did the 'Auntiesaurus' tag along. Surprisngly though, like how the sun would never rise from the west, she decided to join us, claiming that she's going to supervise us since new regulations were implemented. Seriously though, do we really need supervision for taking temperatures? I mean, look at it, even a child knows how to handle and use a thermometer. It's not like we're operating a crane, bulldozer or those delicate robotic arms used in some operations, for crying out loud. As always, something our section loves to do is to second-guess her true motive and in this case, we came to the same conclusion. Instead of supervising us, we think it's more likely that she's trying to avoid her work. Exemplary, simply exemplary, even more so for a superior. Not. As expected, she was throwing her weight around and instead of helping us out, she's become more of a hassle hindering our work. As if that wasn't enough, she had to make this imbecilic decision for everyone to declare if they have been overseas, starting March '09. Ok, as we jolly well know, the flu only broke out about 2 weeks ago, 3 weeks at best, so why the heck do they need to declare where they've been over the past few months? I guess some people are just so doltish that they're beyond our comprehension.
Anyway, since WHO has already dropped the threat level to yellow, I guess we could say that the worst is in the past but well...we all know how unpredictable the future is. Let's just pray that this pandemic will blow off soon so that we can drop all these incongruous practices and ditch the vexatious 'Auntiesaurus' in the office, once and for all.
Last Updated @ 9:17 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
Monday, April 13, 2009
Man down, man down. Understaffed, understaffed.
In short, today can be summarized in a lot of ways. One word, hectic. Two words, particularly busy. Three words, taxful and challenging. Four words, all work no play. Five words, you get what I mean.
So, today, I reported in for work earlier than usual cause we have a bunch of guys who are coming in for their in-camp training and for our job -- which is kinda similar to the reception counter at a hotel, we have to check them in. Psyched and all fired up, I arrived at the office, anxiously anticipating how things would turn out.
Halfway through when I was sorting out the documents, I was interrupted by this caffeinated high-pitched voice from nowhere, asking if somebody was there and who it was. Like a slow-witted reaction, I didn't pay any attention initially but in a split second, I had this portentous feeling that it was someone I'd usually prefer not to see and a rough idea of who that might be. Obviously, in my excitement, I had totally forgotten about the existence of that ominous being who prowls the office and occupies the center cubicle. Just as I guessed, the clownish head of 'Auntiesaurus' bobbed out from behind the file cabinets and I thought to myself, note to self, never ever doubt your intuitions. However, it was all too late to hide and she immediately showed her 'I-have-work-for-you' grin after informing me that my senior was reporting sick. That instantly gave me the feeling that doomsday was just round the corner.
The ten minutes where I was alone with her in the office -- it was pure chaos. All the documents that she demanded, I had no access to cause I had already returned the access card to my senior last Thursday. She of course realized that and was also at a loss on what to do. As though lady luck was on my side, my very experienced colleague, Cher How, from our section came in just in time and everything was solved with a snap of the fingers. Pfft, talk about a supervisor who knows nothing about what we do and yet, still happily barking orders. Then, when he went out to the hangar to 'check-in' the guys who were coming in, I quickly followed behind. Purpose? To avoid having the 'Auntiesarus' dump all her work on me again. Truth be spilled, it was like the best decision I had ever made since I was posted there. Spent two hours or so in the hangar, awaiting the arrival of our 'guests'. While waiting, my colleague was surfing the World of Warcraft Armory site and we started chatting about it, admiring other players' masterpiece.
Like stepping into a mall and out, half a day has already passed us by. From there on, it was work, work and more work. It was an exceptionally busy day since our section is down to Cher How and I -- the two of us -- while my senior with two other colleagues were on medical leave and we're expected to cover up for them. As such, I had to handle stuff that I had no prior experience with and is pretty fresh to. Thankfully, the system isn't all that difficult to figure out if you're literate and there's this wonderful invention called the telephone/cellphone. In the end, I was able to cope with the mountainous heap of work and everything turned out just fine. In fact, I kinda like the experience since it's quite challenging and you get to learn stuff along the way. Stuff that even 'Auntiesaurus' don't know about. That ought to give you a huge advantage over her in any debate on work issues.
Lastly, even when it's clearly past knock off time, 'Auntiesaurus' still had me check up the absentees report and worst of all, wants me to deliver a mail for her on my way home. Gosh, persistent much!?
Looking nice on this picture but not so much in actuality
Does this resemble a spaceship command center to anyone?
Checkin' in! Reservation for seven!
The desserts prepare to attack...or be attacked...
'Chomp chomp, your cream puff comrade is delicious...'
The Great Wall of Desserts being targeted
The cruelty of a battlefield
'You're going down, brownie survivor!'
'Dang, how'd he manage to devour all the cakes?'
'I scream , you scream, we all scream for ice-hard ice-cream'
'I'll scoop you out no matter what'
Group shot!