hehehehe... I've resorted to playing old games..... and i mean really old Dos-age games. Been playing Might & Magic: World of Xeen recently and I wonder how many people really remember this one....
Hahaha....
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Adventures of the missing notepad
Often in our lives, we face situations that require quite a bit of courage to confront and face up to. It doesn't even have to involve encounters with people in power, in terror or even encounters of the third kind. It can be a really mundane situation where one fails to find their courage. And my little notepad went on an adventure today that serves to show just that.
Came into my office in the morning and everything looked fine on my desk. Having booted up my computer, i went to get my daily dose of Kopi-O. By the time I came back 30 minutes later with the intention to prepare for an external meeting, I noticed my notepad went missing. And it's not a small, post-it pad sized thing. It's hardcover A5 sized notepad with quite a lot of pages on it... and obviously my scribblings of notes from other meetings and projects.
I clearly remembered I didn't attend any meetings the day before and it was still sitting at its usual position when I left the office the previous day. Where did it go? If someone had borrowed it, at least leave a note or something? My entire morning was burnt up in angry fumes... because I was frustrated that my notes could be gone. And I still needed some of that for reference for the projects I was doing.
Sent out a mass mail to the entire office asking that if someone had borrowed it or taken it by mistake to please return it to me. No news for the entire day and I was resigned to start a new one.
Two hours before knock-off time, it came back... by proxy, with an innocent looking post-it sticker on it saying someone left it in the boardroom. Someone?? hello? Is that person trying to make it seem that I misplaced it?? I wasn't even near the boardroom for 2 WHOLE DAYS as I was busy working on something at my desk. And the boardroom is situated way AWAY from my desk... at the OTHER wing of the building?
Come on... it doesn't hurt to just own up to it... whether that person had intentionally borrowed it for want of writing materials or taken it by mistake. But committed the act and then leave it in a meeting room pretending you don't know how it got there... that's just plain, absurd cowardice.
Came into my office in the morning and everything looked fine on my desk. Having booted up my computer, i went to get my daily dose of Kopi-O. By the time I came back 30 minutes later with the intention to prepare for an external meeting, I noticed my notepad went missing. And it's not a small, post-it pad sized thing. It's hardcover A5 sized notepad with quite a lot of pages on it... and obviously my scribblings of notes from other meetings and projects.
I clearly remembered I didn't attend any meetings the day before and it was still sitting at its usual position when I left the office the previous day. Where did it go? If someone had borrowed it, at least leave a note or something? My entire morning was burnt up in angry fumes... because I was frustrated that my notes could be gone. And I still needed some of that for reference for the projects I was doing.
Sent out a mass mail to the entire office asking that if someone had borrowed it or taken it by mistake to please return it to me. No news for the entire day and I was resigned to start a new one.
Two hours before knock-off time, it came back... by proxy, with an innocent looking post-it sticker on it saying someone left it in the boardroom. Someone?? hello? Is that person trying to make it seem that I misplaced it?? I wasn't even near the boardroom for 2 WHOLE DAYS as I was busy working on something at my desk. And the boardroom is situated way AWAY from my desk... at the OTHER wing of the building?
Come on... it doesn't hurt to just own up to it... whether that person had intentionally borrowed it for want of writing materials or taken it by mistake. But committed the act and then leave it in a meeting room pretending you don't know how it got there... that's just plain, absurd cowardice.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Ello one and all....
Yes, I'm still alive and I still remember I have a blog... As for whether I'm kicking or not... feeling a little low on energy after a long day (or rather a couple of weeks) of draining my brain juice to write some content for my work.
Recently I find I have a rather acid tongue... when it comes to vendors that perpetually stalk with daily phone calls to chase for the deal. While the offering may look attractive at first, daily calls pestering for decision to engage them can have quite a detrimental effect on that attractiveness. In fact, in the case I'm encountering, the negative impact the calls had on the deal has grown inversely proportionate to how attractive the offering seemed.
While sales gurus will encourage sales personnels to remain optimistic and follow-up with their customers / contacts regularly to catch an opportunity, I think they forgot to teach them when to lay off. Imagine I had to say things like "Don't turn stalker on us" or even "Your daily calls are certainly not helping the cause... we're getting peeved."
Hmmm.... bitchy? Maybe... but sometimes neccessary....
Recently I find I have a rather acid tongue... when it comes to vendors that perpetually stalk with daily phone calls to chase for the deal. While the offering may look attractive at first, daily calls pestering for decision to engage them can have quite a detrimental effect on that attractiveness. In fact, in the case I'm encountering, the negative impact the calls had on the deal has grown inversely proportionate to how attractive the offering seemed.
While sales gurus will encourage sales personnels to remain optimistic and follow-up with their customers / contacts regularly to catch an opportunity, I think they forgot to teach them when to lay off. Imagine I had to say things like "Don't turn stalker on us" or even "Your daily calls are certainly not helping the cause... we're getting peeved."
Hmmm.... bitchy? Maybe... but sometimes neccessary....
Monday, May 12, 2008
Clueless where to start
I hate it when I have to pick up a project right from the middle.... and worse if it entails something that is already in use and requires massive re-write.
Supposed to revamp the website but there's so much to do!! Every part of the website and its component is in use and being constantly updated at the moment, but the revamp entails a whole re-structure of the site as well as adding in new applications, systems and when "lived", training of people to handle the content updating and management too.
Grr.... this is one colossus of a project and I just dread lengthy projects....
Supposed to revamp the website but there's so much to do!! Every part of the website and its component is in use and being constantly updated at the moment, but the revamp entails a whole re-structure of the site as well as adding in new applications, systems and when "lived", training of people to handle the content updating and management too.
Grr.... this is one colossus of a project and I just dread lengthy projects....
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Warped movie experience....
Back from a long hiatus and finally getting back in pace with everything...
Went for a couple of movies recently. Saw Iron Man and Forbidden Kingdom. Iron Man was pretty good... and pretty cool. Loved the effects and Robert Downey Jr was pretty good as a different sort of hero.
Forbidden Kingdom... well.. the action sequences were good... and highly anticipated for Jet Li and Jackie Chan fans... but seriously I felt it was very warped experience... Seeing a whole bunch of Chinese actors dressed in elaborate period costumes speaking English to one another... rendered me speechless. It was totally WIERD!! Especially when the scenes came to Jet Li and Jackie Chan speaking English in mixed Chinese and HK accent.... eeewwweee....
Think there is a Mandarin version around... just not shown here I think....
Went for a couple of movies recently. Saw Iron Man and Forbidden Kingdom. Iron Man was pretty good... and pretty cool. Loved the effects and Robert Downey Jr was pretty good as a different sort of hero.
Forbidden Kingdom... well.. the action sequences were good... and highly anticipated for Jet Li and Jackie Chan fans... but seriously I felt it was very warped experience... Seeing a whole bunch of Chinese actors dressed in elaborate period costumes speaking English to one another... rendered me speechless. It was totally WIERD!! Especially when the scenes came to Jet Li and Jackie Chan speaking English in mixed Chinese and HK accent.... eeewwweee....
Think there is a Mandarin version around... just not shown here I think....
Monday, March 24, 2008
Loss for words...
Basically that's my family and friends are feeling at the moment. And I don't blame them for the decision that I have come to has got long-term ramifications which friends and family that care about me are screaming "NO" against. Yet for some illogical reason (yes illogical because even I can't place it exactly), I'm still going through with it.
Sorry for all the hurt and heartaches I'm causing you guys.....
Sorry for all the hurt and heartaches I'm causing you guys.....
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Definition of a cat
Come on... we all know what a cat is. Who would really go to the dictionary to find out all the meanings this little word has?
Happened to come across it when I was flipping the tome for something else.... and some of the meanings... well, it just makes you wonder if the originator of that was a vindictive man....
Cat: (noun)
1. A small four-legged animal with soft fur and sharp claws
2. an animal related to this, such as the lion or tiger
3. a mean unpleasant woman
Happened to come across it when I was flipping the tome for something else.... and some of the meanings... well, it just makes you wonder if the originator of that was a vindictive man....
Cat: (noun)
1. A small four-legged animal with soft fur and sharp claws
2. an animal related to this, such as the lion or tiger
3. a mean unpleasant woman
And that is the definition courtesy of Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English printed in 1998.
Mission Impossible??
Some course that I've attended recently got me thinking about how people work or even communicate with each other. Of the many comments, reasons or excuses I've heard before, one that comes up strongly is a classic case in its own league.
Worker A and Worker B are doing the same marketing functions, but in separate cities for the same company. The company expects them to be able help each other market the products in the other person's company. Worker A complains that he doesn't know what is required or how the process works, while Worker B complains that there is no communication from Worker A, even though both workers are connected via internet, emails and internal communication channels. And at the end of the day, it becomes Worker C's responsibility to make the two of them talk.
It just makes me wonder... what is stopping Worker A from communicating with Worker B and vice versa? Is it really so hard these days to talk openly with a fellow worker? What about the media options that are available to facilitate communications? Is it really that hard to use them? And what's stopping them from sharing info, knowledge or even become friends using these options?
Or is it a case that they fear that "Big Brother" (in this case, the management of the company) is watching? If it is, wouldn't that make Worker C's job near mission impossible?
Worker A and Worker B are doing the same marketing functions, but in separate cities for the same company. The company expects them to be able help each other market the products in the other person's company. Worker A complains that he doesn't know what is required or how the process works, while Worker B complains that there is no communication from Worker A, even though both workers are connected via internet, emails and internal communication channels. And at the end of the day, it becomes Worker C's responsibility to make the two of them talk.
It just makes me wonder... what is stopping Worker A from communicating with Worker B and vice versa? Is it really so hard these days to talk openly with a fellow worker? What about the media options that are available to facilitate communications? Is it really that hard to use them? And what's stopping them from sharing info, knowledge or even become friends using these options?
Or is it a case that they fear that "Big Brother" (in this case, the management of the company) is watching? If it is, wouldn't that make Worker C's job near mission impossible?
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Passion for something....
Attended a course recently and one of the key points a presenter talked about is having passion. If one doesn't have the passion about his / her job, there's no way one can do a proper, authentic blog about his/ her job and expect others to believe it....
I agree.... and at the same time, I ask myself. What is my passion? I found that things that I'm passionate about... well... either the resources are beyond me or my passion has changed over the years. I used to be passionate about music but I've let that taken a backseat... now that life's realities had forced me to take a good hard look at what keeps my ricebowl intact. I'm passionate about history, exploration and helping others, but the resources to do it at will is just beyond me.
So what is passion to the typical Singaporean trying to strike a living in the ever increasingly realistic and pressurising society....? Or has passion been substituted by something more familiar with us... i.e. Skepticism.....??
I agree.... and at the same time, I ask myself. What is my passion? I found that things that I'm passionate about... well... either the resources are beyond me or my passion has changed over the years. I used to be passionate about music but I've let that taken a backseat... now that life's realities had forced me to take a good hard look at what keeps my ricebowl intact. I'm passionate about history, exploration and helping others, but the resources to do it at will is just beyond me.
So what is passion to the typical Singaporean trying to strike a living in the ever increasingly realistic and pressurising society....? Or has passion been substituted by something more familiar with us... i.e. Skepticism.....??
Monday, January 28, 2008
New office... new furniture.. same ol' me... haha
Been rather busy lately so that explains the drought of postings... anyway been busy preparing for the photoshoot (finally over on Friday) and also packing and moving stuff from the old office to the new.
The new office is bigger, brighter and what i like most is the new furniture. Finally i get a proper table-top that is functional... not those swanky designer stuff that has hardly any space left once you've placed a computer on it... hehehe
The new office is bigger, brighter and what i like most is the new furniture. Finally i get a proper table-top that is functional... not those swanky designer stuff that has hardly any space left once you've placed a computer on it... hehehe
Monday, December 31, 2007
An ending to an era....
Yesterday night was the night the Chinese Orchestra held its 20th anniversary concert and to mark the milestone, the concert was held at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
Well, as a community centre orchestra comprising all amateur players, there are constraints on how much audience we can draw, even if it's held a professional venue like The Esplanade. But it was a fitting ending to an era, sort of.
In particular, it was the marking of an end to my personal era.... I was one of the pioneering members in that orchestra and yes, I've been in the troupe for 20 years. In fact, I've been playing my instrument for 22 years. Have seen a whole load of good... and crap that went on in the troupe through the years, and ups and down in my own performance "career path" too.
I started out as a rookie player in 1987, barely 12 years old and just out of my PSLE when I decided to follow my then-instructor to join the troupe. Afterall, I defied my parents to join Chinese Orchestra in primary school and having spent money on my own personal instrument, I was not about to give it up that easily. And over the years, have gotten to know a lot of friends, people in the orchestra, and in the learning process, developed better skills at it. Had the honour of learning from the best too.... the national "grade" players and representative of the instrument I was playing.... when they came to singapore to perform and also when we went to Beijing for the first time.
I think I peaked in my 20s.... when I was good enough to play solo pieces and was pretty much playing a leading role in the section. That was a decade of performances every year, sometimes two per year because I was in the Uni's orchestra as well.... and was really actively mastering my skills and playing new songs.
Yesterday I realised I've come down from that peak... sad but to think that it lasted 10 years, it was worth it. The young ones are picking up much faster than this old brain can... and work and other commitments that I have nowadays mean I don't have the kind of energy and time to devote to the practice like what I used to. And 10 years ago, the orchestra troupe started its series of annual performances with a solo performance.... mine. And this year, it ended its decade with another solo item from me.... sort of like wrapping up what I started... and there's a good feeling abt it. Considering my solo piece miraculously went smoothly without error only at the actual performance.... hahaha... what an end!
Well, as a community centre orchestra comprising all amateur players, there are constraints on how much audience we can draw, even if it's held a professional venue like The Esplanade. But it was a fitting ending to an era, sort of.
In particular, it was the marking of an end to my personal era.... I was one of the pioneering members in that orchestra and yes, I've been in the troupe for 20 years. In fact, I've been playing my instrument for 22 years. Have seen a whole load of good... and crap that went on in the troupe through the years, and ups and down in my own performance "career path" too.
I started out as a rookie player in 1987, barely 12 years old and just out of my PSLE when I decided to follow my then-instructor to join the troupe. Afterall, I defied my parents to join Chinese Orchestra in primary school and having spent money on my own personal instrument, I was not about to give it up that easily. And over the years, have gotten to know a lot of friends, people in the orchestra, and in the learning process, developed better skills at it. Had the honour of learning from the best too.... the national "grade" players and representative of the instrument I was playing.... when they came to singapore to perform and also when we went to Beijing for the first time.
I think I peaked in my 20s.... when I was good enough to play solo pieces and was pretty much playing a leading role in the section. That was a decade of performances every year, sometimes two per year because I was in the Uni's orchestra as well.... and was really actively mastering my skills and playing new songs.
Yesterday I realised I've come down from that peak... sad but to think that it lasted 10 years, it was worth it. The young ones are picking up much faster than this old brain can... and work and other commitments that I have nowadays mean I don't have the kind of energy and time to devote to the practice like what I used to. And 10 years ago, the orchestra troupe started its series of annual performances with a solo performance.... mine. And this year, it ended its decade with another solo item from me.... sort of like wrapping up what I started... and there's a good feeling abt it. Considering my solo piece miraculously went smoothly without error only at the actual performance.... hahaha... what an end!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Back home and feeling desperate...
Yes.. Finally finished my last round of work-related travels and settling down... only to find that I'm desperate.... because Christmas is on Tuesday and I haven't done any Christmas shopping!!! Argh...!
The thought of weaving through throngs of people in the middle of Orchard Road defeats me. Think it's time to do some smart shopping.... drawing up a list of people to shop for and desperately hoping that alternative shopping venues are less crowded...
*Fingers crossed!*
The thought of weaving through throngs of people in the middle of Orchard Road defeats me. Think it's time to do some smart shopping.... drawing up a list of people to shop for and desperately hoping that alternative shopping venues are less crowded...
*Fingers crossed!*
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
............
I can't sleep. Not at all... despite the fact that my body and mind is tired as hell. I lie in bed tossing this way and that and my eyes are still wide open. My pulse is racing, my chest feels tight and I find it a labour to breathe. It just feels so uncomfortable that I almost wish I can be disembodied from my physical body.
Why? I'm too stressed to sleep. My mind can't stop churning and I thought I won't have to say this of my job for a long time but I was wrong... I actually dread falling asleep to wake up the next day and find myself having to go to work. And when one starts dreading to go to his/her job, well.... it says something about how much longer one can put up with it....
Why? I'm too stressed to sleep. My mind can't stop churning and I thought I won't have to say this of my job for a long time but I was wrong... I actually dread falling asleep to wake up the next day and find myself having to go to work. And when one starts dreading to go to his/her job, well.... it says something about how much longer one can put up with it....
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Good Ol' Days??
**Warning: Random ramblings below....**
Sometimes I hear my favourite songs on the radio and start singing along with it. There was one such incident when I was singing along with a song and a friend of mine commented that it shows how old I am.
I, for one, have no issue about telling people exactly how old I am. And come to think of it, a lot of the songs that we've heard in the "good ol' days" have much more meaningful lyrics and meaning in them than the ones that are fed to us over the radio these days. Not to mention, many of the old time singers are MUCH, MUCH BETTER singers.... than the wannabes we see (and try not to hear) these days.
Listening to senseless droning of songs that go "my hump my hump" or worse... I wonder sometimes whether in this day and age of technology superhighway, are we running out of ideas that make for good, meaningful content? What happened to originality? Creativity? Imagination? even just simply, a recounting of one's experiences and opinion in life?
Fortunately, there's still hope... and I place mine in books. At the very least, they remain the one constant source for ideas... particularly for the movie industry. Exciting a movie may seem, reading the written word and imagining it all happening in my head.... well, nothing beats the power of the human mind.
Sometimes I hear my favourite songs on the radio and start singing along with it. There was one such incident when I was singing along with a song and a friend of mine commented that it shows how old I am.
I, for one, have no issue about telling people exactly how old I am. And come to think of it, a lot of the songs that we've heard in the "good ol' days" have much more meaningful lyrics and meaning in them than the ones that are fed to us over the radio these days. Not to mention, many of the old time singers are MUCH, MUCH BETTER singers.... than the wannabes we see (and try not to hear) these days.
Listening to senseless droning of songs that go "my hump my hump" or worse... I wonder sometimes whether in this day and age of technology superhighway, are we running out of ideas that make for good, meaningful content? What happened to originality? Creativity? Imagination? even just simply, a recounting of one's experiences and opinion in life?
Fortunately, there's still hope... and I place mine in books. At the very least, they remain the one constant source for ideas... particularly for the movie industry. Exciting a movie may seem, reading the written word and imagining it all happening in my head.... well, nothing beats the power of the human mind.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Another one to the list
Someone decided to console me by saying that I have an international face.... one that blends... and I think perhaps a little too well....
latest addition to the list of mistaken identities - someone commented I look like a Vietnamese and started to converse with me in Vietnamese...
sigh....
latest addition to the list of mistaken identities - someone commented I look like a Vietnamese and started to converse with me in Vietnamese...
sigh....
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
HCMC.... 14 years later
Reporting to you from Ho Chi Minh City....
Some people may think that it is no big deal... but for me, it is. Afterall, the first time I came to HCMC was 14 years ago, before Vietnam officially opened for tourism. That was as authentic an experience as one could get of old Vietnam...
And now 14 years later... so much has changed. The streets are cleaned up, more proper roads, tonnes more traffic... a lot more cars (as compared to last time when our tour minibus was among the few countable 4-wheeled vehicles on the road)... and as the plane flew over the city before it landed, I noticed with a sense of nostalgia that the paddy fields I used to see had changed into suburban city and industrial parks....
Large international brands are now visible everywhere and Espirit is in a prominent, new white building.... For those of you who have been here in recent years, you may have seen this change and felt it's nothing.... but for me, I think if I look back at the photos I've taken then, it's a world of difference....
For all I know, I could even sell those photos as heritage stuff or something....and even the locals are commenting that my last trip to HCMC 14 years ago was very very adventurous...
I feel a sense of achievement and a sense of satisfaction that I had seen it before modern globalisation colonised the place....
Some people may think that it is no big deal... but for me, it is. Afterall, the first time I came to HCMC was 14 years ago, before Vietnam officially opened for tourism. That was as authentic an experience as one could get of old Vietnam...
And now 14 years later... so much has changed. The streets are cleaned up, more proper roads, tonnes more traffic... a lot more cars (as compared to last time when our tour minibus was among the few countable 4-wheeled vehicles on the road)... and as the plane flew over the city before it landed, I noticed with a sense of nostalgia that the paddy fields I used to see had changed into suburban city and industrial parks....
Large international brands are now visible everywhere and Espirit is in a prominent, new white building.... For those of you who have been here in recent years, you may have seen this change and felt it's nothing.... but for me, I think if I look back at the photos I've taken then, it's a world of difference....
For all I know, I could even sell those photos as heritage stuff or something....and even the locals are commenting that my last trip to HCMC 14 years ago was very very adventurous...
I feel a sense of achievement and a sense of satisfaction that I had seen it before modern globalisation colonised the place....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Escapist again....
Maybe I'm hitting depression mode again.... there are some days where every single little thing just gets to you... making you frustrated. Like not knowing when projects are happening, not knowing what will be the outcome of your plans, or basically just feeling stuck because everything that you need to get things going is dependent on someone else.
It just brings you down and make you so unmotivated at what you do.... at least, that's what it does to me....
and on these occasions, I often catch myself thinking... even wishing.... that I can just disappear into the oblivion and forget about it all....
Yes... seems I'm slipping into the escapist mood again....
It just brings you down and make you so unmotivated at what you do.... at least, that's what it does to me....
and on these occasions, I often catch myself thinking... even wishing.... that I can just disappear into the oblivion and forget about it all....
Yes... seems I'm slipping into the escapist mood again....
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Blight
Stealthily it stalks,
inching its way to the core,
biting, gnawing
at healthy flesh
beneath the flawless skin.
Steadily it creeps,
breaking down the cells,
distintegrating, decaying
tissue and sinew
within the intact organ.
Silently it seeps,
permeating through the pores,
bleeding, soaking
veins and arteries
coursing through the system.
Feebly a flame flickers,
struggling to stay alit,
dying, smothered
in the ashes and debris
of this rotting shell.
inching its way to the core,
biting, gnawing
at healthy flesh
beneath the flawless skin.
Steadily it creeps,
breaking down the cells,
distintegrating, decaying
tissue and sinew
within the intact organ.
Silently it seeps,
permeating through the pores,
bleeding, soaking
veins and arteries
coursing through the system.
Feebly a flame flickers,
struggling to stay alit,
dying, smothered
in the ashes and debris
of this rotting shell.
Zzzz.....
Read storybook till 5 am again... and didn't manage to get to sleep till almost 6 am after tossing and turning....
*brain and eyes threatening to shut down*
*zzzzzzz.................*
Reading can be a health-hazard kinda hobby for me.... *heh*
*brain and eyes threatening to shut down*
*zzzzzzz.................*
Reading can be a health-hazard kinda hobby for me.... *heh*
