Journey to the North

Got a scare this morning!

They had to choose yesterday to float the yuan. They could do it months ago; they could do it tonight, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or next week, but NO, they chose to do it the day before I was getting it.

Luckily it didn't rise too much; found the best rate at 4.82 to the Sing. Heard that it was about 4.9 previously...

And when I was at the Arcade at Raffles Place changing the currency, I got caught on a Mediacorp News camera. They were probably doing a news segment on the currency float. Urrgh.. hope you won't see me on tonight's news bickering with the Indian money-changers and counting a wad of the RMB.

Ah.. so I'll be off tomorrow morning to the Northern Capital and the Fragrant Harbour for a week. Even till now, it hasn't really dawn on me yet. And guess what? This is actually my first real vacation in 18 months! I know.. it's true, I work too hard. ;)

This would be a good time for me to clear my mind, reflect upon life, wake up my ideas, and rethink how to get rich because whatever I tried before has obviously failed miserably.

Jokes aside, though, I really do need to get away from things that have taken a toll on me recently.

A song keeps playing in my head, and on and on it goes:

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone..

...

- Green Day, Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Fire at Lau Pa Sat

A fire broke out at Lau Pa Sat just now as I was about to leave the office at around 7pm. Snapped some pictures on my T630.


I saw the attap roof burning, but it wasn't really that serious. Still, there were 4 fire engines, an ambulance, some police running around, a minor jam along Robinson Road, and many kaypohs like me standing there watching or, even worse, taking photos.

The first picture was taken from my office, while the rest from across the road. As you can (or rather, can't) see, the camera isn't that fantastic. Hmm.. time to get a better camera phone.

K750i? :)

ICE - In Case of Emergency

Maybe we should start inserting an ICE entry into our phones as well.

Afterthoughts

I felt the urge to write this after I ran into an ex-colleague last night. He was one of those who got 'restructured' last month, and the most unfortunate one I'd say.

What happened was, four of the members from the other team in my company got laid off. My company's really tiny, so that was like over half that team and 20% of our Singapore office. And they were all doing that one single pathetic project until it got cancelled by the client unexpectedly. It didn't really involve me at all, but still, I was seething for over a week after it happened. The injustice was there for all to witness.

The warning signs were already there a few months earlier. Things were rosy then, and the company went happily recruiting. It brought in three new members for that project from February to May, with the view that it would last the next year or so, simply because the client asked for more manpower. But amongst us, we were already questioning the wisdom of such a move. I've seen such myopic practices in my previous company, but while my previous company has the resources to stomach unforeseen hiccups, this current one doesn't. So it seems.

Or maybe we're just viewed as tools, with a 'Dispose After Use' label at the back.

The manager who made the decision and picked the victims didn't even bother to explain his rationale to the rest of their team, nor did he explicitly say who was affected. On the other hand, my direct boss did, right there and then, to our team. So there was a communication breakdown that morning. Imagine that I was the one actually telling some of them at that time that they were safe, at least for now.

I was subsequently assured by HR, which is just a single lady, that it was a re-deployability problem, rather than just cost-cutting. That's pretty much crap to me. You recruited the person based on his skill-sets in the first place, and you're responsible for re-training them subsequently if need be.

So back to this ex-colleague I was talking about. He had barely joined the company for a month. If that wasn't bad enough, he's on an employment pass and has yet to receive his PR. So he had to find another one quickly or the EP would be voided, or something like that. And to top it off, he had quitted his previous job, which paid him better and offered him free housing, to join us with the hope of better prospects.

I barely know him, yet I was so relieved to hear that he's found a new job. So that's a little closure there.

Another one is currently working as a temp in a restaurant. But he's planning to further his studies, so he's ok. We haven't heard from the other two.

As for that manager, it shames me to admit that I still say hi to him whenever our paths cross. I wish I have the guts to ask him to f**k off and stop messing around with people's lives.

Blogging on Digital Life

Today's issue of Digital Life in the Straits Times has some coverage on blogging, in light of the recent Bloggers.SG conference. Seems like blogging is quite a big thing in Singapore indeed.

Some local bloggers were quick to point out that in mentioning that infamous Rockson blog, Digital Life unwittingly printed the CB word in the URL, as you can see in this scan on the right. Oops.. haha.

Coincidentally, a friend told me last night that blogging is a 'bo liao' thing to do, and that bloggers have too much time. While I certainly do have a lot of spare time these past few weeks, I don't really agree with the 'bo liao' part. Well, to each his own I guess. To me, at least, it doesn't take a lot of time to write something, and it sure beats sitting in front of the tv whole night or playing computer games for hours.

Nevertheless, I felt a tad disappointed upon hearing that. Maybe I should read more and write less... :(

Selective Reading

I've not been reading since I got back from Iceland, but was eager to start again. So, that day at Borders when I was buying the half-blood prince for the round-headed one, I took the opportunity to get at 30% discount this book called Middlesex.

You might have heard of this book; it's the 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner. I don't read a whole lot of books, so I tend to be more selective. Since I read Angela's Ashes a few years back (still my favourite!), I started to look for such award-winning novels. Not that I want to appear really sophisticated, but these books usually aren't that bad at all. And you get a good dose of different authors with different styles. Besides, I think I've had too much Jeffrey Archer and Sidney Sheldon when I was younger. Other than that, sometimes I try classics to see just what the fuss was all about.

Middlesex may sound a little X-rated, but it's actually the story of a hermaphrodite (ok, the theme is rather adult-oriented). I'm still less than 100 pages into it, but it's certainly promising. As I don't buy books often, mainly because I don't know what to do with them after I'm done, this one's better be good!

Maybe I'll write more about it soon. Meanwhile, check out these other award-winning books I've read in the past one or two years:

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - nice, cute and easy reading
• Vernon God Little - funny, dark satire with profanity in every page
• Life of Pi - I'm not that into this, but interesting believe-it-or-not story nevertheless

Keep reading! :)

NKF Affairs

Finally found those nkf videos. Thanks to the eng one for sending me the links.

http://www.tohzhiqiang.per.sg/downloads/nkfaffairs_CW.wmv
http://www.tohzhiqiang.per.sg/downloads/nkfaffairs_pt2_CW.wmv

If they're down by the time you see this, ping me. I've saved them down. :p

Hilarious!

Oh's Trusty Teva

(circa 1999 - July 2005)

Today, i bade farewell to my trusty pair of teva's, which has been faithfully serving me for the past 6 years. Throughout this period, we've been through mud, sand and water, and we've never walked alone.

Due to my reluctance to let it go previously, it had been to the cobbler several times in the past few years to have its soles glued back. But alas, this time i went a step too far and one of the soles cracked beyond repair. I was left with no choice but to go out today and buy the nearest matching pair i could find in both looks and design.

It is a sad day today, and i seek your understanding if you find the language herein corny or distasteful.

May its soles rest in peace.

(Body is resting by the shoe cabinet at home until Mum's patience runs out and dumps it down the chute)

Uniquely Singapore

J, the only person in the world who faithfully reads this blog everyday (thanks!), sent me links to some interesting singaporean blogs/posts:

• Mr. Brown - that Today columnist
• rockson - that infamous ultra-vulgar blog
• and this funny post from minority man

I was also told that this video is funny, but i haven't been able to access it. If you could, save a copy and send it to me. ;) (Update: refer to above post NKF Affairs)

So you see, i dun just write a lot of nonsensical stuff; i read them too.

Squat Toilets

I was checking out beijing on the web when i ran into this site: http://www.beijingtraveltips.com

Pretty interesting site; it seems to be aimed at westerners visiting the chinese capital. But what really caught my attention was this article.

The first few lines go,

What can we say ? .. This kind of toilet is still in abundance in Beijing and there is no sign of it going away very quickly.

That really left me bemused. I had no idea the kind of toilet you have is a sign of backwardness, or whatever you call it. But given a dirty squat toilet and a dirty toilet bowl, i'll have the squat version anytime (no, actually i'll rather hold). And dun get me started on the toilet bowl; i think it's one of the worst inventions EVER.

The article finishes with this advice:

Unless you're insanely curious. We would recommend you give this style of toilet a miss. It requires a great amount of effort and leg muscle to use. Hold it till you get back to your hotel !

That probably explains why my legs will never grow fat. Yes, I have a squat toilet at home. And from now on i'll think twice about letting any westerners into my house, lest they think we're really really ancient people.

Just one more week to go! :D

Omens

I've been noticing them around lately.

Today, while i was walking to my office, i actually saw 2 of them at the same spot by the pavement. Then during lunch, there was one high up on the wall at the lift lobby. This one at the lift lobby has been appearing on and off for the past few weeks. And the other day, there was another, again at the lift lobby, at my house when i came home after midnight. Somehow, when you least expect it, you'll catch one out of the corner of your eye. The strange thing is, they're all big, brownish and motionless, and look identical. Yes, you've guessed it, it's the Giant Moth.

I've heard people say abt what it symbolises. Some believe it means someone has just left us. Others say the spirit of the dead is visiting its loved ones, as we approach the 7th month. Pretty creepy, i say.

Except that it's complete tosh. C'mon lah, you really believe those stuff?? It's just a seasonal thing lah, dear.

The NKF Debacle

So it seems like the nkf vs sph saga is coming to an abrupt end just when the storm looks to be brewing nicely. I was eagerly anticipating!

I'm not gonna bash nkf here; i think there's enough of that going on everywhere now. To be honest, i wasn't really surprised to read abt the $600k salary, 12 mth bonus or first-class travel. But what really comes as a shocker to me was the revelation that the reserves could last 30 yrs, instead of the stated 3. We've been had!

The whole episode looks really silly on nkf. It teaches you not to go around suing others when you can't stand up to public scrutiny. Against big brother sph somemore. It has the power to influence the whole nation. With 2 full pages yesterday and 3 today in the ST, it made sure everyone sees your dirty linen (love the hilarious exchanges in court, haha). And in the next few days, we can expect to see letters in the forum calling for the ceo's resignation.

Just my $0.02 as usual.

Bart's Blackboard

I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS
I WILL NOT BLOG DURING OFFICE HOURS

The Case for Tissue

If it's your first time lunching at the shenton area during the work week, you might think that they're giving out free tissue to entice you to patronise their stalls at the hawker centres and food courts.

No, you can't be that naive. It's pretty obvious that people are using tissue packets to reserve their tables. Now, i know that many people are also against this practice. They feel that it's not the right thing to do, but i disagree. I do it all the time and, in fact, i think everyone should too!

Let me present my take in 2 scenarios. We assume here that it takes 10 mins to buy your food and 15 mins to consume it.

Scenario I
0 mins: Bob the Chopper and his lunchmates find a table. They proceed to buy their food while Bob the Chopper stays to fend off outsiders.
10 mins: Lunchmates are back and start eating. Bob the Chopper goes to buy his lunch.
20 mins: Bob the Chopper is back and starts eating.
25 mins: Lunchmates are done eating. They're kind enough to sit around and wait for Bob the Chopper to finish. Meanwhile, they're tempted to eat more (but we'll not complicate things here).
35 mins: Bob the Chopper is done. They leave and give up the table.
Total time: 35 mins

Scenario II
0 mins: Bob the Chopper and his lunchmates find a table. They leave their nifty little tissue packets on the table and go off to buy their lunch.
10 mins: Bob the Chopper and his lunchmates start eating.
25 mins: Bob the Chopper and his lunchmates finish their lunch. They give up the table and go shopping.
Total time: 25 mins

Get my point? With hungry workers coming in droves, we need a quick turnaround time. It benefits everyone.

Ah.. i hear you say.. Bob the Chopper could ask his lunchmates to buy for him. Sure he can. But if he's gonna do that 5 days a week every week, pretty soon he and his lunchmates will get tired of compromising on what to eat.

I think we shouldn't be too narrow-minded here. If everyone abides by the same protocol, all will be well. Just make sure you indicate well how many seats you're taking. Besides, i dun really see much difference between using tissue and asking Bob the Chopper to reserve your seats. If you want real fairness, then everyone should buy their food before getting a table. But we know that would result in pandemonium.

So you see, besides wiping your mouth and ass (separately, of course!), there are other uses of tissue. But if you prefer using handphones, sunglasses or wallets (to reserve, not to wipe your ass), by all means!

I rest my case.

Women, cont'd

So they finally note your existence and you talk it over. Yup, you've said something really nasty and apologise as you should (dun ever do it again!). Besides, your jokes are not funny and only make it worse.

And then the past incident gets brought up. In this past incident, they did something you dun really like during an outing. So you told them nicely abt it after that, and you weren't even angry at all. Alas, they didn't take it too well, and you spent the whole time salvaging the situation. But that was that.

At the end of it all, they comment that you're very petty for a man, and you go ??!!

Dun you just love them women? ;)

(oh, in case they're reading this and you didn't make it clear, you're really really sorry. And you won't be petty again. And everything here is just another lame attempt at being funny.)

Women

Some gals just amaze you. They ask you if you're angry, and you say you're not. You even try to joke with them to avert an argument. But somehow, all you've managed is to offend them. The next time you meet, they can act like you dun exist at all. Now what do you make of that??

Of course you must have said something wrong. But isn't it better to talk it over?

Inflation and Curry Puffs

I learned what inflation is since i was just a little kid. Since i was in primary school, i have been a great fan of those famous tip-top curry puffs in amk central. Without a doubt the best in spore, you really dunno what you're missing if you haven't tried them.

These curry puffs cost 40 cents each back then. Over the years, the price has increased by 10 cents every few yrs. Right now, it's 90 cents each. I think another increase is due pretty soon. And with each increase, the size of those puffs would shrink as well. Goes to show that inflation is a double-whammy; you pay more and get less.

Still, being the sucker that i am, i just can't stop eating them. I can only grumble about it. :s

New Home Yet Again

This blog has moved again. I've shifted all my posts from LiveJournal here since there ain't that many. The original friendster blog is here.

Looks even better here than LiveJournal! :D