Postponed Meetings

Picture this, you're preparing for a meeting, the kind where you need to update your biggest boss on what went on in the last quarter and what is going to happen in the work year. So you prepared like mad, killed countless trees (read print and reprint drafts) and you are all ready. Then the meeting gets postponed. So you're relieved, a bit, because you want to go ahead with the meeting and get it over and done with.

So now imagine it has been postponed twice, and each time you need to prepare like mad for each meeting. Incremental updates don't take much time, but it doesn't mean no effort is required. It becomes a hassle, a time sink, something that eats and swallows resources. And you go, "Someone is going to get hurt real bad if the meeting gets postponed again."

Words don't quite capture the frustration at the time spent. But they at least help vent a bit of it, and make sure cobwebs don't grow on this blog ^^

(45 minutes later...)

And guess what! The meeting got postponed again!!!! Someone's going to get hurt real bad..... >.<

Taxi Drivers

I don't know, maybe it is just me. But I find that taxi drivers don't really like to pick me up in certain parts of Singapore. I find that these parts of Singapore tend to be near areas where they (taxi drivers) can earn an extra $3. The taxis can be nice and green (meaning empty and available) and then they suddenly become busy. And there are those that just b-l-a-t-a-n-t-l-y drive past you without even slowing... even if they are on the lane next to you.

Maybe I should just show them the middle finger next time they do that. After all, if they didn't "see" me, I don't suppose they will be able to "see" my middle finger too ;)

Finding a Book

Spent 10 mins this morning and 15 mins looking for a book.

And guess where it was? Right at the first place that my wifey suggested looking at, even though I *thought* I already looked there.

Moral of the of the story: Listen to wifey, especially when it comes to finding misplaced items.

I should have figured that out by now after living with my mom and dad for most of my life.

Thanks dear! =)

Long Weekend

Which is better? A long weekend starting on a Friday or ending on a Monday?

Seems that most people that I spoke to all replied 'Ending on a Monday'. The only exception reply was 'Best if never end'. Who said people weren't creative? ^^

My boss who was overseas forgotten that Friday was a public holiday. She was wondering why there were very little emails on Friday itself and thought that there was a tech issue. Luckily she self-remembered (if there's such a phrase) that it was a long weekend.

So, what about the weekend? Went to Sungei Buloh, saw lots of interesting stuff like migratory birds (no, they are not "foreign talent" birds, they are just away from their home countries for the winter), buaya (animal kind, not human kind) and crabs (yea, just crabs, what do you expect?).

Did household chores... yea, the unglam part about owning a home... bet the housing agent didn't tell you that when you were buying your brand new 3 storey house right? :p Nah, I only stay in a cosy pigeon hole, so nothing to worry about there.

And guess what? It's Sunday tomorrow and the long weekend is almost over!!! Makes you wish wonder whether there's something to the answer 'Best if it never ends'

Quick Trial

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1090757/1/.html

What do you know, police arrested the four people and they will be on trial this Wed (3 Nov). Talk about swift work.

Intended to title this post swift juctice, but then realised that we operate on an 'innocent until proven guilty' model. Let's see whether the police got the right people ^^

Kid dies after staring incident

I'm like duh... kid dies after staring incident during Halloween. People confused whether it was for real or not.

Come on... stare until want to kill others? Trust me, those young punks who killed the kid ain't going to get much sympathy from me if they hang...

People who should know better

To all the Australian MPs who talk about SG's human rights record: Tell that to the aborogines -.-

A Complaint Letter that should be sent a thousand times over

On a lighter note, here's an EPIC complaint letter that should have been sent a thousand times over, but alas... it didn't.
>>>
Dear MP and Town Council/HDB/NEA/Whoever has jurisdiction over the courtyard at xxx Avenue,

Have you ever gotten annoyed with that neighbour with an expensive surround sound karaoke system who decides that having his family as an audience is not enough and he HAS to air his singing for the benefit of everyone living within a 500m radius of his house?

Well, I have.

Except it's not just an innocent karaoke session at a flat where I can go up to, knock on the door, and tell the owner what I imagine Simon Cowell would say about his singing.

Here's what I want to say to the person who gave the authorization for an AMATEUR KARAOKE COMPETITION for SINGAPOREAN IDOL UNCLE WANNABES to be held at the courtyard at xxx Avenue on a Sunday night when 60% of those living in the blocks of flats surrounding the said courtyard are trying to watch the President's Star Charity on TV, 20% of whom are attempting to finish their homework or study for the upcoming 'O' or 'A' levels examinations, and 19.99% (which includes me) of whom are trying to have a restful Sunday evening before the harried rush of work in the week ahead, and only 0.01% of whom are actually attending the said event itself:

"Censored"

Did you REALLY think that a courtyard (and in case you don't know the definition of "courtyard", it means an OPEN AIR space) is a suitable venue to hold a KARAOKE competition, and not just ANY KARAOKE competition, but an AMATEUR KARAOKE COMPETITION which the organizers did NOT think it necessary to have any screening process whatsoever?

Like, REALLY?

When there's a community centre with an AUDITORIUM (and in case you don't know the definition of "auditorium", it means an ENCLOSED space, usually an air-conditioned facility) just less than 100m down the road?

Notice I DIDN'T care when you authorized 歌台s or fundraisers (which at least invited paid singers), or processions with their bands of drums, cymbals and gongs
that kept repeating their motif for 4 hours and wasn't music to my ears at all,
to be held at the said courtyard.

Notice I DIDN'T care when you authorized these events without actually monitoring them to check whether the organizers abided by the STOP ALL NOISE BY 10.30PM rule.

But I care, I CARE when the majority of those uncles at the said karaoke competition cannot even carry a tune, and one of them actually wondered why he waited for his absent lover until 花兒也榭了?

I CARE when such karaoke competitions are not held anywhere where I can at least CHOOSE not to be part of the audience. When they are made into TV programmes I can switch channels anytime or be amused by the comments of the judges;

EVEN THEN, did you know that the producers do multiple rounds of screening
and when tone-deaf people actually DO end up performing, It's actually INTENTIONAL and carries some ENTERTAINMENT VALUE?

When they are held at shopping malls I can walk out of the mall anytime, but when it's held at the said courtyard, HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE I exercise my right to choose not to be part of the intended audience?

Did you REALLY think that ALL those who sign up for karaoke competitions ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO SING?

So I implore you to PLEASE THINK (and in case you don't know the definition of "think", I quote dictionary.com "to employ your mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or dealing with a given situation") and consider the mental well-being of all the residents in the blocks of flats surrounding the said courtyard the next time you decide whether to authorize an event to be held at the said courtyard.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Very irritated and disgruntled resident

Patches and more patches

Back again, now the count is two blog posts.

Yesterday I sorta wasted 1+ hours waiting for a Civ V patch to download. How did I spend that time? Updating blog and playing Starcraft 2. Well, I knew that there was a patch coming, so fine... I could live with that.

But today, just as I wanted to play Civ V again, I got stuck with another patch! Again??? I was like at the climax of a saved game and now I'm stuck waiting for a patch to download?

Patches are good, they are like updates to the game to fix bugs in the game play. But too much of it is not good. Imagine buying a car and then 2 months later you need to go back to the distributor because there is a 'new update' to the braking system. And then you need to go back another 2 months later because the seat belt needs to be 'upgraded'...

Go figure.

It's... Alive!

Yes... after four years of hibernation, I have decided to revive my blog.

Maybe the resurrection of the blog can be measured by the number of posts (i.e. 1) before the momentum runs out, or it could be measured by years. Who knows... hah!

Of course, you may ask why do I want to revive my blog. Off-hand these are the reasons that I can think of.

1. Bored (yea rite!)
2. Sometimes, facebook just don't quite cut it when you want to post stuff longer than a short paragraph... who's going to read that wall of text on your profile anyway?
3. Somehow, I'm coming across more things that simply screams "Comment on me". And so, I shall =)

And... that's it for the night! After clearing all the dead links in my previous blog (bloggers attrition rate can be quite high) and selecting a new template, I feel just quite sian at the thought of having to blog other stuff :o

Till we meet again... ciaoz!