what color shall it be?

from my last post, we didn't know the gender of child yet, because the little one refused to open its legs.

it invited plenty of speculation. and because of the mounting suspense due to child's reluctance to open its legs (and twice at that).

anyways, there were many votes for a boy. these creative folks made their predictions from:

1) the shape of my tummy, cos it is quite sharp
2) my navel because it protrudes out proudly
3) how i look (although no one really told me in the face that i look uglier and have a bigger nose)
4) calculation of some weird formula of the EDD of child and our birth dates (i still don't know how it works)
5) the divination of the fortune teller down in holland village (he's gone missing now)

only one person said that child is a girl. and she even betted on it, against one of her friends.

well child, u defied all odds and proved everybody except one wrong! even i thought u were a boy, from the position in which u were made... haha... i must admit, i was a little upset when the nurse announced the "3 lines"

in anyways, pink or blue, u are still my sweet baby child... but i guess u have to put up with some of the blue rompers we have for u... haha

parking

it's been quite a while...

...since i've posted anything here, and quite a while since the "it's been quite a while" posts started.

it seems like drastic things happened everytime i make these posts. the last time i got a new job. this time round, i'm married and pregnant.

well, things happen. my 2 biggest fears came through in a span of 3 months. that's the lousy part is. the best part is, it's not as bad as i thought.

i'm not going to blog about how married life has been so far. instead, i've decided to keep a journal of my pregnancy. i hope that when child grows up and come across this, it'll be fascinated at what it did and did to me when it's still in me. that is, if i keep up on the postings.

plenty of "it" because the little teaser refused to opens it's legs the last time we went to the gynae. so child, if u don't want to be addressed like an animal, please cooperate when we visit dr tham's tomorrow.

i missed jotting down anything for the first 4 months, but it's never too late u know. besides, things only begin to get really interesting during the 2nd trimester. the first is just a lot of puking and plenty of toilet rituals. child, i don't want to bore u with these, u'll probably hear plenty of it whenever u piss me off anyway. haha.

i chanced upon this little piece of...

...work i've written in the month of nov '03, and i thought it was pretty good. i just started my first real job and i was having a rough time. stuck right at home in the mire.

"I buckled in the office on Friday. It was the worst break downs I have ever had in the office. I didn’t want it, but I couldn’t help it. I was just too tired.

Recently, I have lost all will to fight. It was just too tough for me. I have been hanging on for so long, but now I just feel there is nothing for me to hang on anymore. The FMP program seems too remote now, and I do not feel involved in the on-goings of the team, let alone the department. My boss and colleagues have all been very nice and encouraging, but they are the ones whom left me out of the discussions. Maybe I have not been proving myself capable of participating in the meetings, or maybe I am just taking it too personally.

I have to change my mindset, or else I will go crazy and lose out. Doreen is one good example. If I keep thinking this way, sooner or later, I will follow her footsteps and leave in a stain in my career and life. The environment is tough, but this is the ultimate test of my endurance. I have to win. I cannot quit. This will mean that I have lost. After all, I am doing all this, working so hard, to prove to the world that I can do it right? That I am just as capable, just as outstanding right? You know why?

Because I am a winner."

cute.

it spells innocence all over. i mean, what am i hoping for? to take part in discussions when i'm only 6 months into the job, a graduate fresh to the corporate world? anyways, i admire the spirit.

it feels like i was telling those treating me like dirt to watch my f*cking dust. haha.

it's been quite a while...

... since i've posted anything here.

this was what had happened:

• i've got a new job with a 20+% increment in monthly pay
• i was given a new 15'' PowerBook, a Mighty Mouse and a 23'' Display to play with
• i got a cube with high walls at the back of the dept
• the cube is equipped with a printer within an arm's reach
• i made a 28% gain on one of my stocks
• i've removed about 15% of clutter from my room

if only the following hadn't happen as well:

• the new job does not come with variable bonuses
• i really would very much rather use the PC and Windows OS
• the cube is not mine. it belongs to a guy with so much crap* i hardly have space to move my Mighty Mouse. i might just throw his stupid things** away
• not to mention the printer taking up space, and people coming all the time to pick up their print jobs. i cannot surf or use my msn messenger
• i made a 22% loss on another of my stocks
• i spent about a week to remove that 15% and my room still looks as cluttered as ever

_______________________________

*rubbish found include: some food, a paper plate, 2 cans of tea leaves and a tree stem.

**after i sieve through for freebies. there's a very nice pair of earphones.

my fav emoticon...

... is supposed to keep shaking it's head.

hmm... not sure how to get it to work

this is one of my fav emoticons

it's been quite a while...

... since i've posted anything here.

even my brother is walking fine already. he doesn't need his crutches anymore, but he can't do anything too strenous yet. sometimes i forget tho'. make him run after the bus or cross the road quickly cos there was a car coming.

well, to start the new year off, here are some highlights of the day:

• went to lao yu sheng with the RA happy gang. the whole lunch cost 56 bucks per head. the yu sheng better work.
• went to meeting room 2 to bua kiao. lost 2 bucks. Han the banker set the lousy rule of having the option to quit if his deal is 15 points.
• my dear drove me back from work. i saw his sms wishing me happy 6th months' anniversary first thing in the morning. so sweet. only drawback is that he told me he went to get my valentine's day gift already. and since we won't meet each other on Sunday, i can probably do some shopping.

... ...

spoiler. but it's okie.

my brother is due for an operation...

... for his broken ligaments in his legs on Dec 5. how i knew was through email sent by my father:

Operation is scheduled on the morning of 5 Dec 2005. Hospitalization stay is approx. 2 days. I am taking leave on the 5/12/2005 as I have to sign the deposit charge. We may require to take leave to settle his lunch after his discharge. Alternatively, I may ask my mother to assist.

formal email with with clear instructions to all. no casual addresses to me, my mom, my grandma and my brother. it was sent to my bro, cc-ed to me and my mom, with proper attachment of the documents. i'm sure if my grandma is tech-savvy enough, he'll keep her in the loop instead of calling her. he signed off with "best regards", along with full name, designation, and contacts.

i replied him my proposal to how to fetch my brother. he was in my room at that time.

cool. i always knew my family is a tad different from the regular ones.

goods news!!

yesterday, one of the fools from HQ left our little family for another.

to commemorate this special day, i put together some of the conversations i have to put through with her:

#1: "11 months shipment is more that 12 months shipment"

me: and "FY05 Note" is the full year actuals?
the fool: not full year actuals, ABC is July forecast figures for full year supplied by C, others are Aug YTD multiplied by 12/11.
me: therefore "FY05 Note" is annualized?
the fool: yes
me: then how come the annualized figure is less than Aug YTD for ABC?
the fool: ABC is July forecast figures for full year supplied by C (she actually reiterated the point like i'm the fool)
me: oic... he just supplied 252K is it? which is less than330K, which is ABC's shipment up to Aug? (i'm mocking her)
the fool: during July forecast , yes. (it was already September, why she used an outdated forecast which did not make sense does not make sense to me either)

#2: "SEA task uploaded in system, but not in SEA"

me: regarding the change in plan from 5278K to 5223K
me: you mentioned that it was per K's email*
me: but per system, it is still 5278K
the fool: because, D asked me to adjust it in Asia Pacific task level*
me: since it is AP task, it won't be uploaded to the system?
the fool: it is uploaded to system, but just not in SEA. you know, SEA has 4 countries, how to allocate?
me: since it is only 55K out of 5278K, why not allocate proportionately? (actually i meant to say since it was only 55K, why waste time with a task? D's a fool too.)
the fool: I have to follow my boss' instructions*

#3: this is my favourite

the fool: Can I call you up now?
the fool: sorry, are u still there?
the fool: hello?


well, P, if you're reading this, you know i'm just playing. haha.


___________________________________
* blind followers doing things without understanding are also fools. but i must admit, it's pretty convenient. for queries you can't answer, just blame the boss.

faux pas - part ii

this time the faux pas was not committed by me. it was my boss.

we were going through my performance review yesterday when he wanted to share something personal with me. he started off saying something like: "this is off the records. i'm sharing this with you as a fri..." before he stopped short and said "as a co-worker" instead.

hmm... i wonder how i should take this. i postulate:

1) he's the regional director, therefore it is necessary for someone his position not to get too personal with his direct reports.
2) he feels that there's no such thing as friendship in the office, therefore it will actually sound insincere to call me a friend.
3) friendship to him means much more, therefore the term "friend" is not to be used too loosely.
4) i'm female, he's male, therefore there no such thing as platonic friendships between opposite sexes.

i'm taking it too seriously... hahaha

life mysteries - "鱼圆" or "鱼丸"?

i was walking back to my office after lunch one day when i noticed a fish ball noodle stall.

the stall's board wrote: "鱼丸麵".

the question: is it "鱼圆麵" or "鱼丸麵"?

faux pas - part i

i made a faux pas yesterday, thanks to my lousy memory (again).

i noticed a 'batman begins' poster outside a vcd shop, and without thinking, i asked my boyfriend if he watched the movie before.

"huh?!?!?" he looked at me, appalled.

it was the very first movie we watched together.

the most dangerous fools are those who think they are not

yesterday, i had an encounter with one.

i had difficulty breathing. i thought i was going to have a heart attack.

an approx. 5 min conversation with this fool shortens life considerably, units = days. and i tried to talk to him for almost 20 min. my time and life wasted on a fool.

the repercussions are unimaginable. i'm still thinking about it now.

aaargh.

i went to Beyond...

...The Story Live 2005 concert yesterday. i don't really know much of their songs. i went to experience the mood, for fun, and it was the very last time they are performing as Beyond*.

during one part of the concert, in memory of Ka Kui, they showed a short excerpt of some appearances he made, but mostly of the things he said before.

some of his words that strike a chord in me are:

"to me, music is not entertainment. it has to be appreciated. music is an art."

and also,

"i can't imagine one day without music. i really can't imagine the world without music. without music, i would die. i would really die."

words from a person who had passion. his passion was so strong it lives till today. so strong i feel wrong using the past tense. and it is shared with the rest of band members and fans.

his passion moves me. because i have none. and because i've never met a person passionate about anything before. i trudged through my life doing what is expected of me. or to pursue materialistic things to match the monetary status of others. i say what i want to do without true conviction burning from the bottom of my heart. those are "dreams" i chased with "short-lived passion".

if i really have passion, it won't be short-lived.


____________________________________
*mostly because it was free

quote of the moment

That's the penalty we have to pay for our acts of foolishness -- someone else always suffers for them. --- Alfred Sutro

bad customer service - part i*

scenario:

last weekend, i went to a thai restaurant for dinner with my boyfriend. it was very crowded, so we had to queue.

we only waited for a while. soon, we were led to one of the tables. A waiter was still cleaning it with a cloth before laying the table. the waitress stood there with us.

while i was waiting, one of the waiter asked me to excuse him, indicating me to give way.

fool analysis:

fool #1: the waitress. she shouldn't have led us in while her co-worker was still cleaning the table. don't let your customers wait like fools, alongside with you.

fool #2: the waiter cleaning the table. he was made to join the ranks by the waitress. he shouldn't let us wait. he should clean faster, at approx. flash speed. and his butt was facing me. offensive. oh yes, and he made a remark. he asked the waitress why she was so eager to let us in. such remarks should not be heard by the customers. it degrades the team. also, she's eager to let us in cos she didn't want us to wait outside for long. the onus is on you, waiter. you should clean faster.

fool #3: the waiter who got excused by me. never ask your customer to give way. take another route. otherwise, don't say excuse me. i won't excuse you. maybe smile or say something friendly or apologetic. anything but ask me to excuse you in a deadpan tone, when i'm already standing there waiting for your fellow fool to finish cleaning the table, and feeling like a fool myself. therefore don't make it worse by making me feel like an obstacle as well.

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*part i cos i foresee more to come. esp from a country like mine**, and especially from a consumer like me

**surprisingly, we were ranked 6th in the world for good customer service. i can't imagine what the rest of the world have to put up with

i started this blog to...

... create a virtual dumping ground to air all my views, before i suffocate my mates. i still need them around to listen.

so there. fools@work.