Oh crap.

It occurred to me a few months ago when I was standing behind the tripod, filming a yearly recurring student event (Yeah, I work for a university), that it was the third time I was filming it. Surely, the batches of students are different, as each year they progress in their level of studies, and then move on to graduate with higher qualifications than I do.

Shit. The students have moved on, but I'm still doing the same damn thing.

IT knows how companies function.

I was thinking about it: IT people have great advantages in their jobs.

We are the ones who have to understand business processes and build solutions for it. We may get to understand a function ( example: accounting, purchasing ) in the company so well, that we could actually take over the job function in the time to come. Or even quit our jobs to start our own outfit, if we are brave enough.

But not everyone in another business function can do our jobs, unless they took the effort to learn.

There are times I'm so glad I chose to study a technical course instead.

I guessed this is why it's good to do cross-function jobs sometimes.

--------

Additional points (18/02/2011)

I guess having some marketing knowledge would be brilliant as well, so perhaps you want to try to work with the marketing team to understand their processes? :)

What Ah Bee told me

Hi Ah Bee,

In the short days which I've known you, this is what I remembered from what you told me.

You said your son was skinny "like a cat" during his teenage years, and you made him drink loads of milk as part of his diet to fatten him up. Your reference to a cat being skinny is weird. Surely you saw Meow-mi, the fat, pampered stray cat that was hanging around Rowell Road?

You told me of your days in Lasalle. Those art students and staff who were in the old campus probably remembered you as the uncle selling Western Food + Chinese Food. You had to prove your worth to take over the Western Food stall by cooking up a feast for the staff members with a budget of $300. You also had a tin can heavy with 5 cent coins (or was it 1 cent?) which you had accumulated over the time you manned the canteen stall. It was stolen, probably 20kg of it. You also spoke of the generosity of the school founder Brother McNally, who paid the school fees of students who couldn't afford to pay.

There was a black angel fish kept in a tiny fish tank in Food #03. It was going solo in its small living area : it bit the fins of other fellow angel fishes, so they were removed to save their poor lives. You often demonstrated to me how the fish recognized you when you approach the tank. And it always did swim towards your direction.

You spoke of your time in Japan; you mentioned it was a short stint in the restaurant. You could speak some Japanese after some time. The usual pleasantries. And you told me that they like their curry sweet.

You related to me horror tales in the kitchen. About a cook you knew that loved to slam the back of the knife into the food. One fine day he slammed his hand into the sharper side of the knife instead. You also told me not to put a carving knife on a top shelf, in case it drops and "slice open my belly and have my intestines flowing". Ouch.

You told me about fishes you caught in Sembawang, with bellies so thick. You indicated its size by holding your thumb and your index finger apart by around 3-4 cm. Your fridge was stuffed full with your catches for awhile, because you thought your friends wouldn't appreciate it even if you shared it with them.

You told me that you loved your coffee with a little something extra: a small bottle of hard liquor which you got from home. "Shiok ah!"

You told me you were supportive of the the CPF scheme where they give you monthly payouts. Said that you wouldn't want to have too much money in your hands.

At that point of time when I met you, I still can't figured out what I wanted to do in life. You told me to "just do it" and "not think too much", because life is short to "think too much".

Somehow, it still feels unreal that you're gone. You went away quietly.

It is hard to put a time-code to the little anecdotes which you related to me, you never told me when it happened.

Recently, Tien has dung up pictures of your wrestling days. I never knew that was what you did in your youth. No wonder they referred to you as the "Wrestler Chef"!

I supposed there are many others who you've met in your lifetime will have other anecdotes of what you've told them. It'll be interesting to hear them.

Your pasta and your stories were yummy.

Thank you, and good bye, Ah Bee.

The mornings, they are

the most dreadful.

7:30 am.

Dad: Good morning!

Me: -heavy sigh-

Dad: No choice lah, we have to work lah. That is part of life. Too bad you not rich like Lee Kwan Yew, else...

Me: Lee Kwan Yew also must work mah.

Dad: Oh yah ah... he cannot don't work.

Excuse me, is this a test?

7pm.

Video-Editing is a pain; I was listening to footage from a *gulp* Wealth Management Conference. A footage 5 hours long. It's interesting how sometimes through your job, you pick up knowledge you never gave a shit about earlier. PRIVATE BANKER, CLIENT, SAVVY, MILLION DOLLAR ASSETS, CAPITAL MARKETS. I could hear these words in my sleep nao.

JY, can you make the video interesting? Can you make the video scroll? Special effects? Can we see the video nao nao nao? Deadline, Deadline!

Please. A wealth management conference? It's not a partay, and there's no hands in the air, Christians praising the lord kinda footage. I'm no miracle worker. And I certainly don't want to do a Michael Bay, where it's all INYOURFACESPECIALEFFECTS and no content. Real content is necessary.

*breathe*

At least there was female speaker, charismatic and blessed with that Hongkie accent which made her strangely more attractive. But the funny bits from her are so politically-incorrect, it'll sure receive a cut anyway.

10pm.

Time to pack up and leave. Let me deal with this tomorrow.

No one to talk to on the journey home, so I listened to the loud conversations between some students on the bus. Is it still considered eavesdropping when it's almost in your ear?

11pm.

Home. Mother is still sick. And whiny.

JY your brother doesn't care for me. He never ask me whether I'm sick

JY go iron some clothes

JY go take the clothes out of the washing machine

Oh god, ma, I just worked close to 12 hours, and now I must take on your job? Fine, you're sick. I'll cover your duties.

12am

JY go make me a Milo

JY your father don't want to make Milo for me!

Okay parents behaving like kids. I'm so not prepared for this.

Stepping on toes.

Was with Harlie at Lot One, that shopping mall in Choa Chu Kang, doing our "Mall-Rat" thing, the same activity we never got bored of, since we started in our Polytechnic days. We dropped by the games arcade and saw two teenagers on the Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) machine. Pretty surprised that the game is still around; it was the hype when I was a 14 year old. The two teens were match-made in Ah Lian & Ah Beng heaven.

For the uninitiated on how DDR works: your dances moves are steps, dictated on the video screen by multiple arrows in the Left-Right-Front-Back sequence, the speed of game play increasing alongside with the level of difficult of the game. Oh, and let's not forget the irritating soundtrack of techno songs that sticks to your head that goes ai-ya-ya I'm your little butterfly. (Wiki Link, Youtube link)

Not an easy game to master, really; If done nicely, the good dancer of the DDR is actually quite beautiful to watch, and a bad one, really quite funny to snigger silently at. You'll enjoy watching the synchronized moves, likening it to MJ and his zombies in Thriller, a Bollywood song segment, or retirees doing line-dancing. A good dancer usually rounded up audiences around the arcade machine, just like this Ah Lian + Ah Beng pair.

They chose a 2-player mode, where they each have a dance-floor and a different set of "moves". But these two chose to bring the game to another level, by hopping across each others' dance floors and fulfilling the steps of the other team mate throughout the song. Such finesse, such precision! Such a power-team!

Hahaha, imagine the amount of time they put in to practice to get to this level. (And the amount of $ they spent at the arcades :P). Channel the same amount of effort put into any other parts of their lives, and imagine what they could achieve!

Harlie was mentioning: one wrong move, and they will step on each others' toes, literally. They probably have done so, many a times before they got to this level. Ah Lian must have had her pedicure toe nails chipped many a times.

Same applies to our usual corporate work environment, I guess. We're going to be stepping on each other's toes when we work team. (In that non-literal way, obviously). It sure is a non-enjoyable, painful process, but somehow, we'll eventually learn about each other's good points and bad, and advice each other on how to get it right. Beautiful synchrony.

And those who don't enjoy being stepped on after awhile, or keep fearing on stepping on people, leave the team loh, rather than stay unhappy. That was something I didn't do quickly enough in my previous job(s). Lesson learned.

Funny that Ah Lians and Ah Bengs on DDR can get me philosophizing about work.

It's just work, lah.

I was overwhelmed by So.Much.Work. The to-do-list I scribbled to help me along the next few hours was accompanied by death-threat-doodles to 93.3FM Radio DJs. Annoying radio station. Accompanied by the drilling and the ding-dong-chiang-chiang noise from handy men doing things to the Air-Con and the door, and the soft mechanical zzzzzzzzzzzzz sound from the colleagues USB-operated fan. Oh the noise, the noise.

I could relocate temporarily to the quieter, open-concept office 2 storeys down, but thought better not, as the people there were the very same ones who have overwhelmed me with work.

I wanted to cry, fling something, die. This familiar feeling of helplessness.

"Ni!" went the phone. Ah, text message. Audrey asked me out for dinner. Oh happy, happy. I requested to use her condo's Jacuzzi. She said "yes".

60 dollars spent on a swimsuit + a fast food dinner. By 10 pm I was soaking in her pool, the stress from the hours before, melting away.

Never mind that in 2 days time, it's back to stress.

I apologize

Had a dream last night where I met my ex-boss from my first full time job after graduation, where I apologized to her for being a lousy to her. She smiled, in the dream of course.

That was weird because when I saw her at a friend's birthday party a year ago, I didn't acknowledge her presence. Neither did she tried to get my attention. Rude fucker, I was.

In my time of employment with her, I was rude, always late for work, and challenging her opinions all the time. We didn't really click: she offered to be a friend and a listening ear, but I didn't want that. In fact I found her annoying and ditsy.

But after working in other places for the past 3 years, I have to say that she's one of the nicer people around. Though I still don't think she is boss-material, she was (and probably still is) good-natured. She paid me on time. Most importantly, I had it easy as she did most of the work.

I'm sorry, K.

Of course I'm a better worker now lah. These things, it really comes with age.

They sounded too alike

A client was over at our office and was asking us whether we are able to handle projects that will require the use of Flash Lite. I returned him a blank look. Embarrasing, coz 1) I didn't know what it was and 2) the image of a similar sounding device was flashing in my mind.

I need a holiday. A sexy holiday.

Oh Hai, I haz real jobz.

When a (trainee) numerologist & tarot card reader offered to give me a free reading, I said "why not", because I'm helping him practice... and also, it was free lah. All he needed from me was my name and my birth date, and he "read" me pretty well, despite only knowing me as "the girl behind the counter", serving him food at the vegetarian restaurant.

From his analysis, 2008's a pretty sway year for me, and if I want to restart anything, he recommended that I should try in the months of October and December.

This year was odd-jobs year: wardrobe assistant for theatre, waitress, traffic-counter, Singapore Biennale tourguide, and a temp at NP. It was really fun because I had time to do things I enjoy, but it's totally irresponsible for a 24 year old to be earning less than 1K a month: it was enough money, really, because I don't really indulge (except when it comes to food), and didn't need to give to my parents, and I'm taking a break from paying back my education loan. And of course my parents are not happy lah!

So when the guy renting office space for his Web firm above the restaurant casually asked me if I knew any friends who are programmers and designers, I asked him whether he would like to see my portfolio: something I put together to get into the expensive Art School. He took me in as an intern.

So far, it has been pretty tough. Not working in the IT industry, despite graduating with a technical diploma in it, the technologies I learned back in school are almost obsolete. I haven't been in a deadline-driven environment for a long time as well. I was slow, I was missing my deadlines. The bosses they were generous with their pep talks, and they were nice enough to keep me around.

I do enjoy the odd-job days, but I live in the real world, and therefore I need a real job...that'll pay the bills. But it was fun while it lasted though.

Math is necessary!

Picture Source: J!NX T-shirt Design

I've started giving tuition since last week; Primary 5 Math. Giving tuition never really crossed my mind as a job to take up. EVER. I've subjected to the notion of "having to be good at something before you can teach it", and I'm not so much of the top-notch student back in my days in school. Plus, having uncontrollable groups of pre-schoolers in my old job teaching IT, I don't think I'm "teacher" material. But I'm trying, anyway: The Father said "go try it out!", and he always thought teaching is a good profession. And the extra money's good.

Tuition kid's one of my mom's ex-student. Well-behaved chubby-cheeks boy, very shy, apparently very weak in math: he scored 18 marks outta a 100 for his last exam! His mother wasn't demanding him to get an A after my guidance, just hoping that he'll "just pass". Low-expectations. Cool for me.

For the first tuition session (coincidentally, my birthday) I went through his textbooks and assessment books, going through the various topics. And the second session, I did exactly the same thing. I made him copy the times table hundred of times. He must be bored. I know I was.

The boy was shifting in his chair far too much, and so I popped the question: "Do you like Math?"

Boy shook head.

"No, you cannot not like Math. It's really useful!"

I asked him whether he knows what's a cheque book. He said his mom had one.

"You know why they made you "write the numbers in words" all the time? Because when you write a cheque, you'll need to write the numbers in words!"

Yes. Write $2303 in words. Two Thousand Three hundred and Three Dollars Only. They made us write those things repeatedly when I was the boy's age, but it's a 'skill' I only started using when I was working as an admin staff in my 20s: the 10 years in between of not needing this particular 'skill' had made me rusty when I had to use it again to write the salaries of ex-colleagues and bills.

"Do you have a DS Lite?" I asked. Ah, a smile from him. That got his attention, my attempt to be "one of them", to "fit in". I saw him fiddling around with a Gameboy earlier when I came over to his place.

He shook his head, but mentioned that his friend has one.

Do you want one? I asked, writing the numbers "320" on the paper, explaining that that's the estimated cost of a Nintendo DS Lite.

"How much pocket money does your mother give you everyday?"

"$4"

"Okay, let us see how many days of recess you must skip before you can get a DS Lite" I said. And so we did our math: $320 is 80 days worth of $4 pocket money. An estimated 20 days of school per month = 20 days of pocket money.

"4 Months without recess. Can you tahan or not?"

He shook his head, grinning shyly.

Gave him more examples to think about: what if he agreed to do household chores and his mom gave him $2 everytime he mop the whole house? Will the extra allowance bring him closer to his "DS Lite Dream"? I could also use the example of the frivolous plan Charis and I had in order to get us to Art School, but better not lah: that story will be more suitable when he's.. of age.

I hope I left the tuition kid something to think about after that particular tuition session. Of course, his mom and dad could just buy him a DS Lite easily without him having the trouble to go through the thinking-process of how to save up for the device. But hopefully he'll use it someday. Knowledge is not king, APPLIED knowledge is king, afterall.

Mao Mee The Cat

Met a cat while working at Food #03 yesterday. Boss & Wife calls her Mao Mee. Mao Mee the stray was allowed to wander around restuarant. In the late evening Mao Mee caught a mouse in her mouth, dropped it, mouse escaped, Mao Mee watched area intensely, mouse reappeared, kitty gave chase, caught mouse in mouth once again, wandered to another part of the small restuarant, dropped mouse from mouth(again), mouse escaped (again). Repeat the same sequence around 10 times and you would have probably figured: kitty didn't wanna eat mouse and just wanted to play "catch and release". All I could think at that point of time was THIS IS SHO KUTE & I WANT TO BRING U HOME!

Of course Mao Mee was "told" to continue her little game outside before the NEA come visit us.

Come visit us if you're not of the NEA, though. Healthy vegetarian food. A great alternative if you rather not have oily Masala Thosais in Little India for the night. WIFI included for those in Internetholics Anonymous! Laptops not provided though.

Food #03
Opening Hours: 5pm to 10.30pm (Closed on Monday)
Friday: 3pm - 12.00am
Saturday & Sunday : 12pm - 12am
Sunday: 12pm - 10pm
Other Times by Appointment*.
URL: www.food03.sg
Facebook Group

Was thinking about it,

All my life I've settled for the alternative, taking the easy way out, accepting my fate. When Art wasn't offered as an O'Level subject in my secondary school (there were only 3 of us who wanted to do it), I just accepted the fact. In Polytechnic, the 3D Animation class I wanted to do was so packed full, I didn't bother to try bidding for it. In the end they opened more classes to accommodate the overwhelming response. There was the School of Film and Media Studies as well,which many thought that I should be doing rather than my IT Diploma. They seemed to have far more fabulous modules, but the hassle of switching a course and starting all over again turned me off. When job offers came my way from friends, no interviews required, I took it up, simply to escape the painful process job-hunting and being given a rejection.

This horrible attitude ought to change. I have dreams, I have aspirations, but my actions so far didn't equate that I wanted them BADLY ENOUGH.

And now, I'm 24, a miserable looking resume filled with experience that wouldn't even contribute to what I want to do. Sure, I can type bloody fast and know how to answer bloody phone calls. But any screwup can do that as well. How to be a bloody freelance graphic designer or illustrator? Oh can you believe that I can't even use Photoshop, the most widely-used format in the industry? That I have chose to use Fireworks instead, because it was easier? I can't even use FLASH! 14 year olds can use Photoshop and Flash, they teach it in school these days, but fucking hell I'm ten years older than them and lack the fucking patience. I spent so much time fiddling around with Photoshop yesterday that I wanted to cry. Fucking steep learning curve.

This is one painful lesson to learn, and I learnt it the hard way. I'm planning to go back to school. I may only get that fecking degree only when I'm 27, but who really cares? But this time around, I'm just going to do something that I like, no matter what it takes.

Chesty Nutty Bang Me!

Go watch Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: Hairspray of the Phoenix!



I watched Chestnuts every year since 2003 with the male nurse. Last year Adi, Audrey and Fadhil joined us. This is the live parody show that could make a spoof of ANYONE or ANYTHING. Even the Lees. You know which Lees. It is amazing that they haven't got bashed up, or banned yet.

But this year, though I bought myself front-row tickets for the 2nd Feb, I wouldn't be there. Instead, I've a freelance stint backstage, sometimes found dabbing the sweat off Jonathan Lim with an old-school Good Morning towel as he does quick costume changes for the various short skits that makes up the whole show. That is the one big man that can get away with wearing a dress: he's a joy to work with and watch.

Till today, I've already watched 8 installments of this year's show from Stage Left, and the songs and the jokes have became a permanent fixture in me. I'm now that irritating kid who keeps spoiling the show for everyone else that haven't watched it! Audrey's complaining, and I bet Harlina (who watched the opening show, HALFWAY, I might like to add... stupid girl!) is pissed off.

Here's a chance to see Rodney Oliveiro playing with his cock (seriously lah!) and Singapore Idol finalist Go-Go-Gomez! in sexy shorts. And super cute Yeo Yann Yann! Ooops... I'll say no more. If you haven't caught the show, faster go and buy a ticket!

Only 5 shows left (31 Jan 2008 - 2nd Feb 2008)
Tickets at $40,$30,$20 available at Gatecrash.

As this blog post is hardly a synopsis and review, here's the link to Stages' website:

And here are a couple of links that have done much sucking up, erm I mean, flattered the show (bad ones I don't want to link up lah):
Flying Inkpot Theatre Review: Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: Hairspray of the Phoenix - It's given 5 Stars!
QueerCast #56: Chesty Nutty Bang Bang! (It's a pre-show interview)
Trevvy: Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: The Hairspray of The Phoenix

Feck you lah MYOB!. So painful to use you sometimes.

Somemore must pay to get technical support from you all? Six hundred dollar? Bastard siah.

Yayyyy!

Woo hoo! The colleague closed two big deals this week, and I might be closing one that's amounting to a five-figure sum! Things are looking up!


And yes, have I became a corporate whore? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps!

And I hate myself too...

Take over the world

I was standing on top of one of the buildings in the International Business Park, with wind blowing in my hair and all, thinking that I could take over the world... or at least, Singapore. Now, somebody please pass me my war paint, please. I need some of that eyeshadow to brighten up my eyes.

War Paint

I put on the war paint every morning before the daily war commences, but I'm usually not ready to fight the battle.

Give me instructions. Lead me, Commander-in-Chief.

Have we checked whether we're well-equipped this time round?

We don't have everything to start? Never mind. Go ahead. Time waits for no men.

Work

I've chosen to fight this bloody battle, so I should just continue fighting it.

And man, I haven't had so much fun working before! The challenges I face every single day everyday, intriguing colleagues and the boss that continue flashing that wide smile despite all the shite we had to go through.

We might be closing a huge ass overseas project soon that might pull us outta shite for awhile.

-------------

Yah I know I'm now writing boring entries because my life revolves around work, work, work now. I hang out mostly with my boss and my colleague now.

So here's a picture of the O RLY OWL! ( For the sake of pissing friends like Audrey off.)


O RLY?!


NO WAI!!!

Going to work on Monday

Even though I enjoy the work I'm doing, I found myself on most days, contemplating on taking a day off.

Below is the moving image of me going to work on most mornings, with a similar soundtrack. Same goes for my colleagues.



I get the thrill watching this over and over again as it's so funny in the dumb-dumb kinda way.

The boss said "Can you watch something more motivating?"

Erm got motivating things to watch on Youtube, meh?