中國之旅

My Delicate Delicacy left for China on Saturday morning. She will be there for 8 days, returning on next Saturday after 10pm. Half of the time there will be free & easy tour while the other half will be work purpose. Weekend is certainly not the same without her around.

I can't wait to see her again. One more week to go. Just another 6 more days...

$10 notes

My cash float of $10 notes was used up so I had to top it up. But I wasn't about to queue in a bank in the morning for 20 $10 notes. So I thought what the heck, just withdraw from an ATM. Each time just draw $40 so it will only dispense $10 notes. But I'll have to perform 5 transactions for it. Thus I had to make sure there was no queue behind me before I proceed. Picking a time slot of 11pm seems acceptable.

I started by drawing $500 first after which I started on the $10 notes quest. Everytime a transaction was completed I will check to ensure there's nobody waiting behind me. Coast was clear for all transactions. But just as I was about to collect the last batch of $10 notes from the ATM, an indian uncle sprung out from behind a wall & started hurling tamil abuses (some of which I quite understand). Initially I thought he had wanted to rob me but the size ratio seems more appropriate if I were the one robbing him. Nonetheless I gracefully apologised & hastily moved off.

First time receiving reprimand because of an ATM...

Ahem ahem...

It was in the news how 4 japanese, age totalling more than 2 centuries had their form of sexual pleasure in Thailand. 4 old men engaging sexual services of two 12 yr old girls. The quartet of perverts performed all sorts of explicit sexual stunts on the 2 little girls, including bondage & don't know what else. They went to such extremes that the 2 young girls couldn't take it anymore & 1 of them just jumped out of the window & plunged to her death while the other committed suicide by swallowing some drugs.

Exactly what were those 4 dirty old men thinking? Fancy having sex with a 12 yr old? Imagine screwing your own grand daughter? I have no qualms about men calling on prostitutes above the legal age but 12 yr old is too much.

In my humble opinion, a woman's vagina is there for the purpose of having sex according to the laws of nature. To pro-create. I too understand that by the age of 18, the organ is fully developed & ready for that purpose. But just how developed is a 12 yr old's genitalia? I guess perversed men enjoy having sex with little girls due to the size ratio of both party's sexual organ. But is that suppose to enhance the pleasure or pain?

I mean imagine putting a huge penis into a small vagina. Isn't that almost equivalent to suffering from constipation? The first is having difficulty putting in while the latter is cant find a way to get out. I don't remember knowing anyone who enjoys constipation but perhaps those sick men do. So I'd say the best punishment for them would be death, either by anal impalement or permanently sealing their anus & let them live out their remaining days.

Second in the news in the same papers was how a 40+ yr old men forced a 5 yr old girl to perform oral sex on him over a period of 5 yrs. The little girl is the daughter of his friend. Goodness, is it right to even use the word 'friend'? Due to her age, she had no idea what was she doing until she was 9 or 10 when she told her father about it. I was surprised the father only reported it to the police. I would have personally amputated his penis, stuff it in his own mouth & seal it up with silicon. If I remember correctly, he received 18 or 20 yrs imprisonment & was 'awarded' 8 strokes of the cane. I hope he enjoys his days in prison. I heard that there are special treatments meant solely for this category of inmates.

Just what is wrong with these people? I felt so sick after reading the respective articles. Is there still hope for the human race? Somehow the odds don't look that appealing...

Fellow Runner...

Today I just found out that a fellow rider passed away on 11th Sept 2005 in a bike accident. Although I was not close to him but nonetheless we were still aquainted & memories of him started flooding in non stop for the rest of the day.

Heard that it was a horrific accident along Mandai Road. Long skid marks means high speed braking. Hit the kerb & center divider. I hope it was over in a second.

Rest in peace my friend...

Buang...

It was just another day. The routine of waking up at 8am, washing up, read some news etc etc. Everything was just as usual & at 10am I set off for work. Travelled by the usual route that is Lornie Road into PIE exit Jurong Town Hall road towards Teban Gardens. Traffic was smooth & I wasn't speeding. As I was approaching the traffic junction at Science Centre, I saw the lights turn greenn. There weren't many cars waiting to move off & the distance between the cars wwas quite wide so I slowed down a little & tried to maneuvere between them.

Suddenly I smacked into the side mirror of the car on my right & I lost control of my bike & slammed into the taxi on my left before I dropped my bike & landed on all four. Funny but the 1st thing that came to mind was "Damn it! How much is it gona cost me this time?" At that precise moment the least of my worries was suffering any injuries. I slowly stood up & tried to pick up my bike. The driver of the 1st car together with the cab driver helped me. Once my ride was up, I told them to wait while I pushed my bike to the kerb. Once I mounted it on main stand I walked back towards them while reaching for my wallet. Nope, I wasn't gona make any compensation at that moment. Instead I fished my namecard out & handed 1 to each of them. I was deeply apologetic over this as I realise the 1st car I hit was a brand new Volvo. The mirror was still intact but the glass was dangling outside. The catch holding onto it had broken off.

The driver of the Volvo was a kind man. The 1st thing he said was "Are you ok? Are you injured? Is your bike alright?" Instead of replying to his question, I told him how sorry I was & that I was willing to cover the expenses for the repairs. I told him to call me as it wasn't that appropriate to hold a discussion in the middle of the road. The cabbie wasn't that friendly though. He grumbled on about how dangerous I was riding & that his mirror was spoilt too. I knew I was in the wrong so I wasn't about to argue with him although I saw that his mirror was fine.

So the 2 of them drove off while I made my way back to my bike & checked on her injuries. Other than 2 scratches on the side fairing, there doesn't seem to be any other damage. I thank myself & whatever's up there that I wasn't going fast. The only weird looking thing was how distorted my front wheel looked. The wheel was facing straight ahead while the handle was tilted all the way to the right. But this was easy to rectify. I just clamped the front wheel with both my legs & forced the handlebar straight again.

Once that was done I quickly moved off. I wasn't exactly that proud to stay there & let the passerbys recognise my face or take down my license plate number...

The owner of the Volvo called me a few hours later & again the 1st thing he asked was my well-being & how was my bike. I assured him both my bike & I were fine & he went on to disclose the cost of repair on his car. It costs $600+ to replace that bloody side mirror! Can you believe it? It is a fucking ridiculous price to pay! But then again, it was my fault & I stated firmly that I ought to pay for it. He seemed to feel quite bad to have me pay $600+ for just a mirror. As he was about to hang up, I asked for his contact number but he declined my request. Instead he said he will call me when he collects his car.

My mind was in a blank for the rest of the day as I wondered whether to disclose the accident to my other half immediately or to wait till we met up at night. Since I was ok & there wasn't much damage caused to my bike, I chose not to inform her on the spot as I did not want to distract her from work.

I'm sure that is the right decision although she will not agree...

绝对 Superstar 有你就有他!

I can't believe it! Now we actually have a blind superstar! I can't help but conclude that he won because of the pity votes. But I do agree that he has a nice voice. Still, I don't think we need a Stevie Wonder in Singapore...

It's not that I'm being discriminating, bias or prejudice in any form but how can a superstar be blind? Even though I'm still in shock at his win but during the process of the competition, the thought of him winning did cross my mind but never did I imagine it would turn real!

Now that it has become a reality, I hope he can play the role well & bring it to greater heights.

To the new Superstar, I wish you all the best!

Deh, ask me how I feel, my true love was true... Ohh~~

Some deh visited my shop today & asked for the price of Nokia 6260. I quoted him $330 & I downed the price to $300 after he repeatedly asked for a cheaper price. But he wasn't even satisfied with that price so I asked him how much does he think I should quote him. Guess what? There's a saying called 狮子开大口 & indeed this deh really did it. Fucking black lion! He asked for $200! What the fuck again? He think he's at Chattuchak? $200 for a Nokia 6260? Dummy set? I immediately put the mobile phone back into the showcase & told him if he can find another shop selling that phone model at that price, please tell me. I will buy ALL from them too! He had the nerves to say "Ok boss, I raise my offer. $210 last offer". Is this meant to be a joke? Am I on candid camera or what? This is a fucking waste of time & it is putting my blood on slow cook. He said if I don't agree to that price then he will never patronise my shop again. Fucking idiot! I hate to be threatened & what makes him think I'll be intimidated by him? I didn't say much but just 1 word. Bye.

I did not expect him to return again anytime soon but I was wrong. He came back in less than 20 mins although not to buy that mobile phone but to sell his Siemens C65. At least I gained something in the end but spare me of such customers in future. I don't have the tolerance for it. Oh how I love & hate them...

The End

First it was bubblemunche & now it is wonkytong. Seems like the blogs I read will eventually close down 1 by 1. I dare not think about which is the next to shut down...

Actually I do wonder is it because I patronise their blogs. Now that I think back, when I was working with a telco company, we had our company dinner & dance at the now closed Funky Town. It was quite a havoc & fun night then. But 3 days later that place shut down. Next was a nightclub which my colleagues with that telco company & I visited as 1 of them was getting married the next day. The so called bachelor night guy kinda thingie. Not long after that nightclub closed down too.

I was joking with them that our company staff were jinxed. Everywhere we go that place will eventually die off, just as effective as a plague. But now that I've left that company for so many years & this blog thing occurs, I can't help but wonder is it me?

I sure hope not that I have such powers for the next might be my very own...

The Bridge

I think I need some cardio workout. Just 1 overhead bridge alone left me panting & perspiring all over. But yet I have the feeling that the workout will kill me instead...

Damn it! Come to think about it, the last time I seriously exercised was like 8 years ago? That's the cons for not having any reservist. Is this something to be envious about? I think not...

I need some exercise I need ALOT of exercise...

Loyalty Reward

It wasn't until these few days that I've started riding at 80km/hr on the highway. Everybody else seems to be in such a rush. Riding couldn't be more enjoyable than to cruise at a speed where you can still take your eyes off the road in front & enjoy the scenery for a while (which there isn't much actually, but still it's a pleasure).

Business has been so-so. Quiet during most of the time. If it wasn't for the TV & VCD player, I don't think I can stand being in the shop for 10 hours.

Today is the 1st time a customer traded in his mobile phone, which he bought from me 2 weeks ago for another model. Such loyalty must be rewarded although not too generously. But still I gave him a higher trade in price for the old cellular & a discount for the new. I could tell he left my shop a happy man. I love it when customers appreciate my service. Such joy is simply unable to be put into words.

Kidneys & Peanuts

$600,000 per annum is not peanuts & it is definitely not a joke. But a 1 year bonus?!?! That's totally absurd! That is ridiculous! Why should a CEO of a NON-PROFIT organization be paid such an astronomical bonus? Because NKF manages to raise millions of dollars everytime they host a charity show?

I guess things wouldn't have turned so ugly had Mr T.T Durai been more low profile about it. So what if The Straits Times published an article about an alleged "gold plated tap"? Now we know what a bad idea it is to sue SPH, or any other organizations of such magnitude.

But did Mr T.T Durai withdraw all charges because he saw "no purpose served in continuing litigation & acrimony with The Straits Times"? Or was he pressured into such a decision by other factors or people of higher authority? That, perhaps we will never know as a supposedly "10 days court case" abruptly ended on day 2.

Then again, what if CPIB suddenly decides to intervene? Will more dark secrets be unfolded? I shudder at the thought of what the board of directors are receiving at their end based on what Mr T.T Durai has pocketed in the past 3 years.

Now the cat is out of the bag. The fleet of 8 cars with chauffeurs, the Mercedes Benz & what was that again? $600,000 is peanuts? I tell you, $600,000 can buy alot of peanuts!

Leaving on a jet plane...

My Delicate Delicacy left for Indonesia this morning. Although she will only be gone for 3 days, but

我好想你...
在这三年里虽然我们的感情没经历过什麽大风大浪，但小波折到也发生了不少。
最庆幸的是我们的感情实终没受影响。
事到如今你也应该了解你对我有多麽的重要。
我也西望你知道和了解我所做的一切全都是为了我们的将来。
虽然现在我们只能在周末向见，但无时无刻我都在想着你。

汕， 你是我的一切，我的全部。我正等着你回来，等着再见到你。

風水

Since the opening of my shop in June, business had been slow for that whole month. Perhaps it was due to the location or maybe it was because of the design of my shop. Hmm...

Anyway, had a light conversation with a customer today who so happens to work for a geomancer. Although he himself is not a geomancer but I believe more or less he did pick up a thing or two from the master. As per what enlightenment he offered, my shop seems to be too red. Geomancy or 風水 is about the 5 elements, that is 金，木，水，火，土. Red symbolises 火 & in retail, customer is 水. As the theme of my shop design is mainly red in color, he said that in overall it is too fiery for the water to penetrate, which could possibly be the reason why business is so slow. Then again, it is up to the individual whether to believe in it or not.

As I wondered on about this geomancy stuff, I thought about the sales on Saturday. That was perhaps the best since opening day. As compared to today at that precise moment, I was experiencing the worst. But everything seemed to change as the sun sets. Businesss did pick up & all in all, I did manage to capture 1 last customer before closing time. Profit margin is not my main criteria at this moment, rather awareness & customer rapport is.

Now that I'm moving into the second month of business, I hope sales improves so I can have a better sleep at night.

Private Limited

You are making me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry.

Maybe I should have said this to the person with a very private & limited vocabulary plus how very narrow minded he can get.

As what Gil Grissom said in C.S.I., think outside the box.

Yeah, probably he will eventually if he can find the opening, that is.

Yes! You! You are the 1 I'm talking about. Don't try to pretend, you know who you are.

Anyway ride safely all you riders!

Nudge Nudge

To the lady rider on a Phantom 200 who bumped my rear tyre last night, I think you need to have your brakes checked or you might need a pair of glasses.

Anyway it was just a friendly nudge. No big deal about it. But please do ride carefully in future. Do enjoy your ride & last but not least, your P plate is very glaring. Hehe.

No to fare hike? Get a bike then

Lately we've been hearing so much about public transport company contemplating on raising fares, primary reason being they have not done so for the past 2 years -- NOT because they are running at a loss. In fact they are rolling in profits in the millions! Why is there still a need for a fare hike then?

Of course every commercial organisation expects a raise in profit annually but should that be the case for a public transport module that is supposed to be of the lowest cost to the general public?

Let's take a closer look at which class of people will suffer the most. The unemployed definitely will be screaming their hearts out. Before they can even secure a job the transport cost is already bleeding them dry.

Then there is the blue collar working class. This working class belongs to paid enough only to make ends meet and not forgetting the hard labour & long hours put in for that extra over time pay. Owning a transport of their own is something beyond most's reach so the next alternative is the public transport again. So this class is another leech on for the fare hike.

Up the ladder is the white collar category. These people spend most of their time cocooned in an air-conditioned office, in a chair with a desk & a desktop computer in front of them. Surprisingly, some of these people are paid ridiculous salaries. Personally, I used to know a few who make astronomical figures annually. Now these smug assholes high profile people generally have their own mode of transport. Why? Because they can afford it, simply that. Obviously the fare hike isn't going to affect them one bit. So the rich will only get richer while the poor is slowly being sucked dry. Well, life is so that no one said it's fair.

There was a 7 years lapse in my life which I had to depend on public transport. Over that period of time I've witness a fare of $0.15 for a feeder bus service raised to $0.60 abt 3 years back. Then there is the transition from farecard to ezlink card. Now that's when the money REALLY started rolling in for the big guys. Ok, I admit that I used to purchase the cheapest fare even when I was taking the longest ride on the bus. But who doesn't do that? Now that the new ezlink system is in place, the tables have been turned. The big guys are the ones cheating fare prices on the public. We've seen it all in the papers. Consumers complaining that they were overcharged 10 or 20 cents more for the same journey. It will take 3 or 4 working days to get a refund of that amount if you decide to make the trip down to some specific location to lodge a complain. All that hassle & more travelling expenses just to retrieve 10 cents. Hmm, that seems to be a hell of a strategic growth plan for the big guys. I take 10 cents more from you & i'm willing to give it back to you only if you spend more money on me. Smart move!

It cost me about $5.00 a day to travel to work & back. $5.00 for 2 single rides on a bus to the train station & another 2 rides on the North-East line. I was working 24 days a month so that addes up to $120.00 a month on transport alone! I'm not sure about other people but that is 1 hell of a price to pay for supposedly the cheapest form of transport!

Now that I'm riding again, let's do some simple calculation yet again. My ride travels 26km per litre of petrol. That's about $1.70 for every 26km travelled (No complains about that since I chose to pump the most expensive petrol - V Power!). The distance from home to workplace is only about 12km so it actually cost me less than $1.70 per day to & fro. Let's just take it at $1.70 per day multiply by 24 working days, my monthly transport fee is only $40.80!!

What is wrong with this country's transportation system?

Lady Rain

Rain rain go away, little children want to play.

Lady Rain put me under house arrest today. She started pouring down on me from morning till now & somehow I feel that she has no intention of stopping till sunset.

There goes my plan of getting the name cards printed.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better sun shine day. I wish myself goodluck once again.

Erm... What's Bitmap?

Just finalised the design for my namecard & I saved it in Bitmap format. I brought the design down to my partner's shop & showed it to him. He was quite pleased with it & we decided to get it done at a newly opened print design shop nearby.

A man of approximately 40 years old or so attended to us & enlightened us on the prices & quality of their work. $48/= for 300 cards on dual sides. Damn! We had intended to print on single side only to cut cost but since we'll still be charged the same amount, what the heck? We went back to my partner's shop & I started work on the design.

20 minutes later I was done & we proceeded back to the print design shop. The 40+ man attended to us again & this time, he asked what format is my design in & I said Bitmap. He gave me the clueless look & I started sweating from my forehead. Another lady approached the counter at this precise moment & I repeated the same word "Bitmap". Another lost face. What kinda print design shop is this? Who the hell doesn't know Bitmap format? She even had the audacity to ask me what program did I used to create my design! But I kept my cool & I said Microsoft Paint. Again, both of them had no idea what program that is.

Erm... excuse me but what kind of computer literate people don't know what is Microsoft Paint?

Anyway both of them were really lost & I asked what format do they want it to be in & the lady said preferrably to be done using Macromedia Freehand. Ok, if I could afford to buy Macromedia Freehand I don't think I would have done it using Microsoft Paint. Nonetheless, I told them they could use their version of Freehand to open my Bitmap design & save it under Freehand format. That sounds easy right? No! Not to them! The 40+ man said they don't provide this service & insist that I get it done myself. Marvellous! I said I'll come back when I get it done & I said I'll bring the laptop over the next time in case there's anymore changes to be made.

But of course I had no intention of patronising them anymore. I seriously doubt their knowledge in design & their prices are not exactly that cheap too.

I'm going to check out other print design shops tomorrow. Hope I don't meet anymore of such crappy people. I wish myself goodluck.

Go go go!!!

What is wrong with drivers nowadays? Are they really in such a hurry? Is there really a need to drive that fast? I thought safety first? Just because their cars have the latest technologies & safety protection doesn't mean they can escape unscath in an accident. And that speaks only for them. What about the other party involved?

Earlier this afternoon, I was travelling on the expressway in the extreme right lane. I was trailing behind a taxi at a speed of 100km/hr. Out of the blue a Nissan Skyline appeared behind me & was so close there's barely enough space to slide a dental floss through. Then the driver began flashing his headlights repeatedly. Being a model citizen, I gave way & changed to the next lane. If he had been any closer I would not have been able to blog this entry unless there's wireless connection available in the morgue. Anyway, after I gave way the driver with a heavy foot accelerated right away & began tailgating the taxi. I couldn't tell if he was flashing his headlights again as I was slowing down & preparing to exit the expressway.

My personal opinion is that matter how rush he is in, travelling at 100km/hr does not really make a difference to going at 120km/hr or higher. It's just a matter of a few minutes. As the saying goes, better late than never. Nonetheless, it is not a smart move to block his way either. If he suddenly decides to bump my rear fender I wonder where I would land & what shape I would be in then.

Tedious Procedures...

Now that we've actually confirmed on the location, next arduous tasks are all the legal stuffs.

Firstly, the landlord has to seek approval from HDB for the erection of a partition wall to segregate the premise into 2 sections. According to the contractor this process will take 3 weeks & only upon approval can renovation work commence.

Secondly, registering a company is actually quite simple & it takes only a day or two. It's just a matter of whether is the name taken or not. The thing that takes a much longer time to process is actually the 2nd hand license. That takes about 2 weeks. It seems that they have to do some screening on the person who is applying for this license. Perhaps applicants of unfavourable past will be denied of this trade therefore my partner & I unanimously agreed that we shall use his name to apply.

Third up is finalising & signing the legal contract of sub-renting the premise. This will be done upon confirmation of approval from HDB for the partition wall.

While waiting for that HDB approval, we'll carry on with thinking of a company name, registering a new company & applying for the 2nd hand license. There's also renovation works to discuss & consider, furniture & accessories to buy, goods to purchase, etc etc...

As the day draws nearer, there's definitely more headaches to come...

A New Start

Lately I've been busy travelling around searching for a place to start some small business. North, east & west. Distance is not an issue because close proximity does not equal better profits.

As we will only be running a small business so naturally we are only sourcing for a small space, preferrably half a shop.

My partner and I sort of set our eyes on this place in Teban Gardens. Yes, you heard me right. Teban Gardens. A small little stand alone neighbourhood. Not much activity & not much variety of retailers there too. The shop that is looking for sub-tenants is a hair salon with a rather clean & classy design. First impression was really good & the space they offered although rather small, seemed sufficient for our operation. I checked out the surrounding retailers & was quite pleased that there isn't any competition within that area. Everything look good indeed.

Yesterday I spent about 6 hours there to monitor the traffic. From 11am to 2pm & from 6pm to 9pm. The lunch crowd wasn't really up to my expectations but the dinner crowd was still acceptable. With Seng Siong supermart situated a stone's throw away, crowd was good from 7 to 9pm.

With our minds already half set on the location, now all we need to do is to confirm the weekend crowd. Frankly speaking, I have no intention to run a 5 day or 6 day retail business as that would raise my daily overhead.

What I'm most interested at the moment is the mosque standing right next to the hair salon, hopeful as we are that Fridays will be packed with muslims. As our trade is quite appealing to the malay race, their existence within the premises is a definite pull factor.

Once everything is confirmed, there'll be so much work to do. Liasing with contractors to renovate the place, buying of operation tools & miscellaneous stuffs, applying for a company & the license required, opening bank accounts, ordering of goods etc etc. It's actually a lot of work & it sure as hell takes a lot of time.

All we can hope for is everything runs smoothly. Any hiccups means more time & money wasted. I wish us good luck.

I am sorry, my love...

To Ericia my love,

You know no matter how much in love a couple is, sometimes all it takes is just a thoughtless little issue to turn things around. Then again to the perpetrator the issue might seem non-existent at all but in the eyes of the victim, it is the greatest blow.

I know this is not the first time that you are upset over this. I know you can never get over it too. I know how impossible this situation can work out the way I hope for. The saying is true, You can't have the best of both worlds. I lived my life being true to all my friends but I realised too that I have been so unfair to you. I know that I've not been the best partner you so deserve. I know that no matter how many times I apologise, I can never undo the hurt I've inflicted upon you.

I do not ask for your forgiveness but please believe me when I tell you that I know I'm wrong. After reading the letter you left behind, I gave it some serious thought. It never did occur to me that way but I guess you are right. The 3 of us can never co-exist. Now I dare not speak on behalf of her that she has no feelings for me, not that she does. But believe me. Other than friendship, I have absolutely nothing else for her.

You have all the reason to doubt me now & I can't blame you for it. I have only myself to blame for not thinking before I act. Yes, use kidney to think I also know that I broke my promise to you. Now all I can do is to try to make it up to you. At least give me the chance to do so.

Thousand apologies to you my love. I'm really very very sorry.

Love you always,

Reese

An Uneventful Day

You know sometimes you get nightmares & just wake up right before the worst thing happen in it? Well, that happened to me today. I can't remember what the nightmare was about except that I was gasping for air. I opened my eyes & sit right up inhaling 1 big breath of air like I was almost suffocated. Guess what? I had a blocked nose. Yeah...

It's a kinda weird feeling when you can neither breathe in or blow out through your nose. Like you're scuba diving where everything goes in & out of your mouth only. I tried blowing it out but other than turning my face as red as a tomato nothing came out. Great! Another fabulous start to a wonderful day.

I made myself some ginger tea hoping that would help. Indeed it helped. It starting my nose running. Mucus started to dribble out but damn, I still can't breathe through it. I tried squirting some water in. Oh yeah, more mucus flows out along with the water but it's still stuck. Hey! it's getting better! Now even my ears are stuck. I can hardly hear anything except my own pulse.

I thought leaving it alone & it might just go away. But it's just that difficult to work when you can't breathe & with all that mucus trickling out of it. It took me twice as long to do my work with the constant trips to the washroom to clean it up.

This started from the moment I woke up till late afternoon when I decided to try & sleep it off. A nap I took & 2 hours later I woke up with 1 cleared nostril. Yeah! It's a vast improvement. At least I could breathe through 1 of the orifices.

Funny how a blocked nose can affect my appetite as well. Basically everything I put in my mouth is quite tasteless. Did I catch a cold? Flu tablets certainly didn't serve their purpose if I did. Now I really feel like I'm a fire breathing dragon. The functioning nostril feels so sore & warm, like it is a blow torch with flames shooting out of it. Took another 2 more flu tablets & it's time to pick up my lady.

Today is an interesting day for her. Her company has this annual event where all the staff will go to this home for troubled kids & do volunteer work. They spent half the day there playing with the kids & some other stuffs. Heard from her that some of the teenage girls there were those typical CALs (read: chow ah lians). Why, where else would you find problem kids?

The day did not end just there, by evening they proceeded to Singapore Expo where they had their dinner & attended talks by the upper management people. There was a lucky draw too. Being the luckless couple that we are, it wasn't a surprise that she did not win anything of value except 2 bottles of Pringles. Yeah, at least this was something we both have a passion for.

When I reached there, I realise that my nose is cleared! Now that is something worth celebrating. But now that I'm back home it's starting all over again. Am I allergic to my own house?

Sunshine On A Rainy Day

It is not exactly an exciting day. Although I hate to step out of the house when the sky looks gloomy but I do have some errands to run. So here I go, ready to complete my errands in the shortest time possible before the rain starts pouring down on me.

1st stop is Ang Mo Kio Blk 500+. The sky was pretty sunny when I reach my destination but after about 20 minutes it started drizzling gently. Just a pathetic few drops. I checked the skies & my oh my! It's like an eclipse. Half the sky was bright & sunny while the other was covered with dark clouds. I decided to make a run for it

Just as I was about to turn into CTE from AMK Ave 5, it started raining cats & dogs elephants & hippopotamus. Fortunately I was not stucked at that traffic light long enough to get myself drenched. As I accelerated into the expressway, I raced ahead of the rain too. There's a kind of estatic feeling when the road you are travelling on is all dark & gloomy, compliments from the dark clouds above. Then you spot a clear area some distance ahead. A spot where the sun still shines & where it has not been devoured by the dark side yet. (Hmm... sounds remotely similar to "Luke, wa si lin lao peh!" & "Ahhhh! Bo ko leng!")

Anyway, back to reality. Although I'm riding just a scoot, but it ain't no ordinary scoot. It's an italian make, rather a distant relative of the Ferrari, maybe that's why the acceleration is so fast. I have no problem moving ahead of the rain & dark clouds. By the time I made my exit at Upper Serangoon Road, there was no sign or sight of a thunderstorm at all.

Bought my cheaper ciggies (read: cigarettes) from a source in Bendemeer area & made a trip down to a bikeshop that I patronised. Was telling the young boss to keep a lookout for me should anyone intends to trade in an Honda XR200. Yeah, my lady is interested in dirtbikes. Then he showed me a new model from Suzuki, the DR200. Doesn't really look that bad. Yellow colour, Not that high & seems just nice for my better half. $8,000 OTR (read: on the road). But as depreciation value for dirtbikes is rather high, we will have to take into consideration how long she intends to hold on to it as well. Anyway, intending to bring her down this Saturday to check it out & perhaps have a test ride too.

I was chatting with the mechanics when suddenly a flash lit the skies followed by a deafening thunder. I expected what to come next & sure as hell, when I looked up it was almost like after sunset. And again, I hurriedly made my move & sped off. As the long stretch of Upper Serangoon Road is paved with numerous traffic junctions, my pace is inevitably slowed down by it too. Every time I stop before a red light, the rain will catch up with me. I'd have to catch a few drops (a few times even more than that) before the lights turn green & off I go into the sun.

With the speed limit adjustments made recently, travelling along this road has been made easier on a gentle tone. At the very least I could concentrate fully on the road & travel at ease & not have to worry about some traffic police hiding in the bushes with a speed cam. (Am I suppose to thank the Traffic Police Department or LTA for this? Erm... wait hor... wait)

If It Ain't My Lucky Day...

And I thought birthdays boys/gers are supposed to be lucky on the day itself. Woke up just before 7am to take a leak & replenish my water tank as well. Opened up my fridge & Hell Aye, my bottle of chilli greeted me by throwing itself to the ground. What a great way to start my day I thought.

With my eyes half opened, I gingerly picked up the shattered glass pieces & unknowingly cut my thumb. Damn that woke me up! The cut didn't hurt but the chilli reminded me that i was bleeding. Oh yeah! Nothing beats that feeling when half your senses are still in slumber land.

After clearing up the mess & regaining my senses, I refrained from touching anything else in the house. I am not subsidised with any form of financial aid to replace any broken objects within my humble abode.

It seemed that heaven pitied & cried for me the rest of the day. Started pouring in the morning & subsided to a gentle drizzle for the rest of the day till sunset. My better half & I shared the ride under the rain from Novena Square to Suntec City, with an extra cost of $0.75 for passing through The Forbidden Gates before 7pm.

Dinner was a tough choice to make base on the vast variety of food outlets there located in the dungeons basement. We settled for Fish & Co & browsed through the menu. The waitress took our order & we waited eagerly for our meal. The oysters were great. So were the soup, salad & calamari. Main course was a seafood platter. Portions were acceptable & it was rather filling.

After dinner & with an over-sized waistline, roaming through the retail shops in Suntec City is not an option but a journey we must take. As usual, our last destination is always Carrefour. we were strolling within the premises when I suddenly remembered that I had conveniently left my cashcard in the IU unit on my ride. Damn it! As expected, my money card is no longer there when I rushed to retrieve it. Unfortunate it may seem but there was only $1 left in it. Lucky I had yet to top up the value. Losing $1 is better than losing $21 (rather lame way of consoling myself but it certainly helped a little). Still, I hereby curse the thief that may he be blessed with an itchy ass & may his arms be too short to even scratch his waist. Nonetheless, we carried on shopping & bought some groceries before going home.

On second thought, it wasn't such a bad day afterall. I just broke a bottle of chilli, cut my finger & lost my cashcard within a 12 hour time frame. It could have been worse...

Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some -- Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

The Day I Stepped Into This World

Today is my birthday so I shall sing a birthday song for myself.

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me

To the couple who handed me into the arms of strangers, I pray that whatever's up there has mercy on you, for I don't.

Every year on this very day I will be reminded of how irresponsible the 2 of you are. 29 years ago you did not create a life. You ruined 3.

Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation -- Lois McMaster Bujold

l33t speak

As time passes & technology evolves, the language used on the internet & cellular phones are becoming more & more foreign. AFAIK, there is no absolute definitions to the abbreviations used but foremost, a salute to the nameless folks who came up with these short forms.

We all know that SMSs are limited to 160 characters per message. Anything exceeding your quota per month means an additional 5c per message. That unit price may seem negligible but trust me, you wouldn't know how much you've bled till you are dry.

I have a close friend who SMSed alot when he was living on his own. His first bill came & he almost choked on his own saliva when he saw the charges for his SMS. A whopping $130, & that is excluding his monthly subscription & talktime charges. $130 worth of SMS equals to more than 2500 SMSs in a single month. That is like slightly more than 80 SMSs per day! WTF?!?!

160 characters at times seems really limited & incapable of expressing your thoughts in 1 single SMS (if you abide strictly to proper english that is). But needless to say & history has proven wise that whenever we encounter a difficulty, we will always find a way around it.

If you have taken a look at your SMS lately, especially from young kids, you'll find unexplained symbols, characters and spliced up words. This is the latest form of l33t speak or should I say SMS speak.

Let me just list a few examples to update the ignorant ones while you dumb-ass twits poor chaps continue figuring out the rest of the alien language:

AFAIK - as far as I know
AFAIR - as far as I recall
BION - believe it or not
BTDT - been there, done that
CWYL - chat with you later
HUH - have you heard?
ICCL - I couldn't care less
in4ml - informal
KISS - keep it short & simple
KUTGW - keep up the good work
XLNT - excellent
NAGI - not a good idea
ONNA - oh no, not again
SWAK - sealed with a kiss

And the list goes on & on. I'm pretty damn sure there's a whole lot more unknown to me. Maybe network providers should compile a list of SMS speak & distribute it out to the general public. Yeah, dream on. I thought so too.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak -- Hans Hofmann

Ching Ming Festival

It is the annual event again. Paying respect to our beloved past family members. It is on such occasions that you can tell who respects the dead & those mother-fucking bastards who couldn't care less.

I feel exceptionally fortunate that my relatives value the kinship. Every year without fail we will pay respect to my grandparents and eldest uncle during Chinese New Year, Ching Ming & on their death anniversary. It is a time to remember & share memories of them & also for those still suffering alive to get together.

As usual, the day before is always the busiest. Buying ingredients & preparation of the variety of delicacies to be offered to the dead. I assure you that this is not an easy task as compared to some who just buy takeaways on the day itself.

Waking up at 7am to cook & pack the food then setting off & reaching the temple by 10am is the normal routine for this occasion. Parking is 1 big problem on these days. There are even Cisco personnels there to help direct traffic as the temple is situated in an area where the road is narrow & not many parking lots available. Needless to say, it is near impossible to park our vehicles just outside the temple. We'd have to relocate it to the next street or perhaps even further.

Valet parking is provided by my uncles while I carry the offerings in & lay it out on tables provided by the temple. Upon the arrival of all my relatives, we will each offer joss sticks signifying commencement of feasting.

My family's custom is that we give the dead 1 hr's time to feast. During which we'll just hang around & do some catching up among ourselves. Around 45 minutes later we'll gather the joss papers & other stuffs for burning, pack them up in paper bags, again provided by the temple. Last but not least, there's this little slip of paper to be attached to the bag. We will have to write the names of the dead on it in order for them to receive the items. Whether or not can they really receive it we will never know. But it sure eases our conscience by doing so.

When the time is up we will each offer 1 last round of joss stick before packing up & retreating to 1 of our relative's place to finish off all the food (this is on a rotating basis). This year it so happens that it is our turn so the 30+ men strong force invaded my neighbourhood for an illegal assembly.

As my humble abode isn't exactly meant for accomodating so many people, we have to take turns to gorge feast on the sumptuous spread. Since the day I was old enough to know what's going on around me, I remember there was never an instance where we could possibly finish all the food.

End of the day even after packing leftovers for each relative, there was still alot left for my family to clear. It is on such days that I feel so damn guilty because alot of good food is wasted. Think of those who cant make ends meet, who can't afford a decent meal. Haiz...

People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt -- Robert Heinlein (1907-1988)

April Fool's Day

It's April Fool's Day. Lucky for me nobody tried to pull a fast one on me. Even if anyone tried to they might not succeed. Hey, I ain't no fool (or so I think).

Managed to complete the work that my dad left behind for me before he left for his PRC trip. Although it was just a simple job of summing up total sales for the year, this particular client of his wasn't really the tidy sort. All in all, the sales are separated by 2 kinds of receipt books.

1st is categorised by companies (with payment terms) while the other is daily cash sales. I had no problem with the former but the other was kinda messy. No, let me rephrase myself. It was a total mess! Receipt books had no serial numbers & the dates overlapped each other. Nothing was in running order. There are booklets with dates starting from Nov '03 & abruptly jumped to Sept '04. WTF? Used the booklet for 1 month & then forgot about it till 10 months later?

Many of the receipt books had missing pages too. About an average of 30-40% loss. Maybe they made mistakes & tore off the pages. That I have no concern of. I only know the lesser the pages, the easier is my job. Hehe. Then there are pages where there's like 10 or more items listed with unit price but no total. WTF again? You mean you pricks people actually sum everything up in your head when you issue the receipt to your customers? Or do you guys expect the customers to do it themselves? Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. Whatever.

Ok, the thing that really really piss me off is the quality of the fugging receipt book. The pages seemed to be glued together & I had a hard time separating them. Even when I wet my whole hand I still can't split them. I had to resort to crumpling the whole receipt book. That certainly helped but I don't suppose they will want it back base on the state the booklets are in right now.

Seriously, accounting is not for those with a short fuse. There were oh so many times when I got so pissed doing it that I flung the receipt books all over. Some almost flew out of the balcony. Then there was my faithful sidekick, the calculator. Not only did the receipt books suffer from my abuse, but the calculator was not spared either. I pounded my fist on it when I miscalculated more than twice. My highest record for miscalculation of a single receipt book was 6 times. I could feel the arteries around my neck pulsating so violently I thought they were going to burst. Temperature was running high & I definitely could use a cold shower then.

But for all that is worth, I did get the job done. Nothing beats the satisfaction of accomplishing something which you think you can't.

We find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve -- Maxwell Maltz

Gahmen Revenue

With all the hoohaas about cab-snatchers, blog-thieves & the comments regarding the fatal accident in Buona Vista MRT Station going on in the blogging community, a change of events should take the attention elsewhere.

Although I'm a smoker myself, I had no idea there was a price increase again until yesterday. An informant (read:buddy) complained to me about a sudden $1 price hike. Damn! I've lost track how much a pack of smoke costs nowadays. But I sure know it is no longer a single digit price.

As a beginner since the tender age of 10, I vaguely remember that a pack of Marlboro softpack at that time costs $1.80 or so (correct me if I'm wrong). Now what's the price like? $11.50 or something right? That's almost a 1000% increase in the course of 19 years! I don't remember a raise in salary of that magnitude from that period of time till now. Not even close.

I think the cheapest brand of smoke right now cost at least $7 (again, correct me if I'm wrong). Not to mention that small packs of 10 sticks are no longer on sale. What was the gahmen's take on this? That stopping the sale of small packs would discourage people from smoking. Haha! What a joke! Friends of mine who used to smoke a small pack per 2 days have upgraded & increased their intake to a big pack per 2 days. So was the gahmen's decision a right move? Of course it is! Now we have same number of smokers smoking twice as much now! Bravo! That equals a 100% increase in revenue for the gahmen! A brilliant move I should say.

With effect as of 1st August 2004, our gahmen introduced gruesome graphic warnings carried on cigarette packings in what I would say as a futile attempt to discourage people from smoking. Singapore might have produced some smart-asses talents but we smokers ain't dumb either. I believe I can safely say that 99.9% of the smokers know more or less the harm & damages it does to us physically. We certainly don't need images such as a mouthful of decayed teeth, diseased organs, a limp baby & a smoker on his deathbed to remind us that.

The gahmen has already banned smoking in public transport, elevators, theaters, government offices, and air-conditioned restaurants and shopping centers. The ban also applies to queues of more than two people, such as at a taxi stand. Tobacco advertisements have been banned since the 1970s and just last year, government officials lifted a 12-year ban on chewing gum to allow the sale of nicotine gum -- to help smokers quit. (Does it really work? I sure hope so)

I've watched on TV lately that the gahmen is contemplating on banning smoking in public places such as pubs & coffeeshops. Personally, I agree with the gahmen on their move to ban smoking in public transport, elevators, theaters, air-conditioned restaurants and shopping centers. But in pubs & coffeeshops? Coffeeshops perhaps so as people do patronise them for meals. With regards to pubs, customers visit them for drinks while smokers does so for the other reason as well. There was this Irish pub which banned smoking within its premises last year in conjunction with the gahmen's campaign towards a smoke-free country. Business initially did improved but as of lately it has been so bad that the owner intends to lift the ban if sales do not rebound within the next few months. What does that signify?

Today, a friend told me that Australia sells the most expensive pack of Marlboro in the world at a staggering price of SGD$12.50. Our country is number 1 in this world for quite a few things. I can see that we'll be number 1 in another aspect as the clock ticks on (we are already so near to that benchmark so this record setting price should not take long).

So let us all be optimistic & hope that our gahmen will think otherwise & revert the price of cigarettes back to what it was in the 80's.

The basis of optimism is sheer terror -- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

R E S P E C K

As how Ali G spells it, R E S P E C K. Doesn't really matter how it is spelt as long we get the idea of what he is trying to say. Come to think about it, most of the time it is really kind of difficult to understand what he is saying. Do all Europeans sound that way or is it just him?

There are shows like 911, Maximum Exposure & other likewise shows on AXN channel. Many times it is about man vs nature. I've seen it countless times when man loses to nature & when the victims (most of the time they are the aggressors turned victims because they ain't no match for Mother Nature!) are interviewed, they always say something like everyone should respect nature, respect this, respect that, yadda yadda & the story goes on. How the hell do you respect nature? The suckers poor beings that turned victims usually don't have a high threshold for pain. Normally you see them squirming in pain after their encounter with nature.

Ok, then there are those situations like a house on fire. The occupants managed to make it out of the house & are watching their abode slowly being digested by the flames when the firemen appears. It is only routine to check & ensure that there are no idiots human beings within the premises.

Then someone goes like "Hey! My PIG is still in there! HELP!"

Well then what? You expect a human being to put his own life at risk for a PIG? I'm amazed (but not very impressed) at the firemen's stupidity courage for braving the fire to retrieve the domestic pet. What do they get for doing that? A sense of satisfaction? Proud that they saved the life of something that normally ends up on a dinner plate or inbetween a bun? What's wrong with these people? Putting a human life at risk just to save a main course? I know, every living thing has the right to live. But why risk the lives of others? Just because it is their duty to do so? Please...

Perhaps I'm being selfish by saying that. But do you think the PIG will put its own life at stake to save a human being if the situation was turned around? Hey, pigs are smarter than you think they are ok? RESPECK!

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals -- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Clocky

Every morning as usual, I would surf ST Interactive for my daily dosage of world & local news. But since the day they started charging I had to find other alternatives. I cancelled off the hardcopy subscription a few years ago because it was a simple waste of paper & at that time I could catch the latest & more important news online for free! TodayOnline seems a rather interesting choice (not forgetting that there's mrbrown & Mr Neil Humphrey on Friday & Saturday respectively).

I chanced upon an article from TodayOnline this morning & I'm rather intrigued by the stupidity thoughfulness of the product. Here's the article extracted from the news website.

Scientists in the United States have invented an alarm clock to get the drowsiest of sleepers out of bed. After the snooze button is pressed, Clocky, which comes with wheels, rolls off the table to another part of the room. "When the alarm sounds again, finding Clocky ought to be strenuous enough to prevent even the doziest owner from going back to sleep," the New Scientist magazine reported.

Many of us might have heard, read or seen on tv news about those little robotic mouse that is programmed to find its own way out of a maze. Who built those? Secondary & tertiary students made it themselves to participate in some inter-school competitions. Isn't this intricate little piece of work highly more sophiscated than a clock that can roll when you press the snooze button?

Now if you agree with me on that, it's time to think about this -- students who have only PSLE or GCE 'O' level qualifications can build a robotic mouse that is able to find its own way out of a maze. Scientists who have MBAs, PhDs & whatever other qualifications can only come up with a clock that can "roll off the table to another part of the room" when the owner presses the snooze button. Something is very wrong & mismatched here.

Well well well, I seriously wonder who funded this research team. For if I were one of the sponsors, I would be cursing & swearing cheering & applauding right in their faces at this very moment & NEVER in this era will this research make it to the news headline, & I mean NEVER!

Good Friday

How good can a Good Friday be? It was a disaster for me. Everything started out as usual. I performed my daily routine of emptying my bowels in the morning. But once I kickstarted the engine it just didn't seem to want to turn off. On & off from 8am to 7pm I made trips to the potty that can make the pilgrimage to Mecca look like a stroll in the park. I swear to whatever's up there that I almost crapped my intestines out. That burning sensation just didn't help make things easier for me. Getting on & off the potty was already difficult enough, much less talk about the journey from the room to the throne.

Had dinner at this coffeeshop near my place with my better half. I though porridge would be nice after the ordeal my internal organs went through. We ordered some greens, potatoes, steamed eggs & some duck meat. All in all that cost us $9.90. Wow! Talk about economic & I thought porridge was supposed to be cheap? Guess I'll be cooking it myself in future.

Yeah, I'm a scrooge. Tell me about it.

The New Lock

It's a hot day again. How I wish I don't have to step out of my 19 degrees room. The temperature outside must be almost twice of what I'm enjoying within.

Unfortunately, there are errands to run today. I had to take a cold shower before I could bring myself to leave home & I almost fried my own ass. The sun had baked my bike seat till it was glistening. It was as if it could melt at any instance. But then, a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

I was doing a friend a favour by paying a visit to the bikeshop he patronise on his behalf to make a payment. I had been to this bikeshop 11 years ago & I assume (it is not healthy to do this) it will not be difficult to locate it again. I was wrong, so damned wrong. I travelled in circles & circles. I passed by buildings that looked so familiar twice, thrice. My meter clocked in at 4 km when I finally found the alleged bike shop. 4 km travelling in circles. That's 1 darn big circle.

The supposed payment was for an amount of $199 due on 7th March. Yes, I was late & my friend (who is currently out-stationed) had conveniently forgotten about it till the night before he was to fly off. So armed with the $200 (Not from my own pocket that is) I strutted into the office & informed about my purpose. Marvellous, there's an outstanding $17 fine for the late payment. Obviously I was not going to pay him, so I tried to talk him out of it. To no avail was my effort & I did not insist as the reason he gave was quite satisfactory. "I don't mind waiving the fine but I cant make any adjustments to the system. I don't have the access level." Why am I wasting time talking to a low level office boy? I accepted that reason as he was the only person around at that time. Strangely, I don't believe the mechanics outside had higher access level than him.

It was a relief to be back on the road again, this time with a different quest. Yes, I have yet to replace the damn lock which I destroyed the night before. I decided to check out my neighbourhood town. Paid a visit to a drink stall which I've patronised since I was 13 yrs old & managed to squeeze some information. The retailer which I'm looking for is just next to the hawker centre that I was in. It was rather easy locating the hardware shop but the lady tending it did not seem that enthusiastic to make my sales. She kept pointing & pushing some Italy made locks that cost more than $25 to me. Why should I buy such an expensive lock if I'm only going to wreck it again in due time? I dillied & dallied, trying to make up my mind & then the answer I was looking for surfaced. She pointed elsewhere & stated those are China made. Yes! Exactly what I wanted. No consideration was needed once I saw the price. I paid for the merchandise & headed home to complete the task.

Hammering the old lock off from the door was relatively easy, but removing what's left of it requires a tad bit more skill. The wooden door was already scarred from my rage & I had no intention of doing anymore damage to it. It took me quite a while before I managed to change the new lock on & it worked fine. Best part of it was that the lock came with 3 keys. 2 of which I dutifully handed to my mama & secretly kept the last for myself. You never know when history will repeat itself.

The Lock

Since the day I was unemployed, life has been rather stagnant. Instead, I should say that life has stopped. I've practically lost track of which day is it now.

Maybe I should find something to do. Wait a minute, I do have things to do. All thanks to my dad. Upon hearing that last Sat was my last day of work, he & my uncle arranged a trip to China & Hong Kong on that very same day. Two days before he left, he had a nice little man to man talk with me. Not to find out what I intend to do with my life, but to order me to finish up with his accounting work as he won't be back till 8 days later. I'm cheaper than foreign labour. I'm free...

It has been like what? 5 days? & I'm not even half done with it yet. Well what do you expect in exchange for free labour? Do a good job & get a pat on the back? What else is free in this country now? Other than the very air we breathe in, I can't think of anything else.

The weather has been rather hot lately. I can't imagine having to sleep in my room without air conditioning, which almost became a reality. Ok, the layout of the power supply for the central air conditioning unit is a little weird. The main switch (for reasons unknown) happens to be in the master bedroom. Now that my dad is away on a (business or leisure?) trip, she decides to spend her nights at my sister's place. Not that I mind staying alone at home, in fact I simply love it. But we'll skip that part. The highlight of this topic is that she left her bedroom locked, with the air conditioning power supply OFF. I flew into a frenzy when I realise there's no artificial cold air for the night. Called up my mum & guess what she says? "You can survive without aircon for 1 night lah. Turn on the fan lor". Obviously she has no idea what it is like to spend a night in my room without air condition.

Thanks to my stubborn 'will-not-take-no-for-an-answer' nature, I made a trip from Hougang to Tampines for the key to my happiness.

Returning victorious & with the key in my right hand, I approached the door that is keeping me away from my slumber. The key slid into the hole just like they were made for each other. Feeling the adrenalin rush when I know that my very happiness is jux a turn away, I turned the key. Nothing happened.

What the fuck? Wrong key? I tried the rest of the keys & none of them were able to open this god damned door! As my blood started to boil, I started to behave irrationally. I started kicking at the door & swearing out loud. Other than creating a hell lot of noise at around 11pm, the door simply did not budge.

A tool. I need something harder than my fist & feet to pry this damn lock open. As I went through the forgotten toolbox hidden somewhere in a misty dark corner of the kitchen, something caught my eye. Yes! A Hammer! The absolute problem solving tool!

Returning to The Door with the Hammer in my right hand & feeling smug about it, I let out a barbaric war cry as I raised the Hammer high above my head & smashed it right on the door knob. The loud noise of iron & re-inforced aluminium clashing together echoed through the neighbourhood. Damn it! The bloody knob held it's position although there were signs that it has already weakened. A few more smashes should finish the job well. As I mustered up every ounce of strength I have left in me, the Hammer landed on the knob again. This time it finally gave way & it flew right off into the darkness of an unoccupied room opposite it. The sweet smell of victory still lingers in my right hand as I grinned at the Hammer.

As the adrenalin rush subsided, the thought of my mum screeching like a banshee in my ear crept up my spine. I started to break cold sweat. It seems that I wasn't going to enjoy my air conditioning after all. But nonetheless, I decided to enjoy what I have now & not think about what I have to face tomorrow.

The Tool

Isn't the Internet a wonderful tool? It brings strangers from all over the world together, not physically though. The moment we are connected to the Internet, we are all linked up in one way or another. Knowledge is shared, either free or for a fee (it's just a difference of one letter).

What happened to the days when the only thing we need to pay for was the internet access itself? Now almost every site that provides specific information requires registration + a fee. What happened to "When we care, we share"? Shouldn't knowledge be free? Wouldn't it be beneficial to the general public if it is made free? And what's with this copyright thing? Now most people I know are no longer downloading mp3s & movies, all because of the word "copyright". Guess the only thing free left to download would be "porn"? Don't think there's any copyrights to it. If that's so, why can't the rest be made like "porn"? Now we have to resort to buying pirated versions. Why? Would you pay, for instance, $1,000 for an original software when you can get a pirated version of it for jux $10 & it works just as well. Most pirated softwares, nowadays even comes bundled with updates, add-ons & additional related softwares. All that for just 1% of the original price.

Of course I shouldn't speak for those who wrote the softwares & retailed it. If I were them, I might be selling it at that price too. But shouldn't the price be at least made affordable to the general public? We can all see how monopolizing part of the IT industry has brought fame & fortune to a selected few. But what comes next after achieving that? How much will then be enough? There's this saying in chinese "Qu Zhi Se Hui, Yong Zhi Se Hui". It's all about giving and taking. But more seems to be taking & hording than giving & reciprocating.

We all know that money is afraid of the cold. Money will only go to where there is more of it. Therefore the rich will only get richer while the poor only dreams of getting rich. But why do we want to gain more than what we need? Why do we want to pursue more of what we already have?

I remember reading from somewhere an article about being contented. It goes something like this. There's this entrepreneur having a meeting in a club by the beach. During a break, he makes his way to the pier for a breather, where there is this fisherman relaxing under the sun. The man in the suit strikes up a conversation.

Entrepreneur : Wonderful weather today, isn't it?

Fisherman : Yeah, great to just laze under the sun.

Entrepreneur : Since the weather is so good, why aren't you out catching more fish?

Fisherman : Why should I be doing so when I've already caught enough for today?

Entrepreneur : If you catch more fish, you can earn more & soon you can buy another fishing boat & hire more fishermen. As time goes by, you will have an entire fleet of fishing boats and you don't even have to go out to sea anymore.

Fisherman : And what will I be doing by then?

Entrepreneur : You can sit back & enjoy the fruits of your labour then.

Fisherman : Isn't that what I'm doing now?

GM vs Microsoft

Again, this came through via email & it happens to be one of my personal favourites.
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For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the automobile industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon".

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating if GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to start, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, you car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Things I'd Do If I Ruled The World

I received this through email from a friend & I thought it is rather amusing
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1. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.

2. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

3. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

4. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.

5. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."

6. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.

7. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.

8. All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least have several rounds of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.

9. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.

10. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.

11. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."

12. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.

13. I will hire a talented fashion designer to create original uniforms for my Legions of Terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi storm troopers, Roman foot soldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.

14. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)

15. No matter how well it would perform, I will never construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible vulnerable spot.

16. No matter how attractive certain members of the rebellion are, there is probably someone just as attractive who is not desperate to kill me. Therefore, I will think twice before ordering a prisoner sent to my bedchamber.

17. I will dress in bright and cheery colours, and so throw my enemies into confusion.

18. All naive, beautiful tavern wenches in my realm will be replaced with surly, world-weary waitresses who will provide no unexpected reinforcements and/or romantic subplot for the hero or his sidekick.

19. I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by.

20. When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying rope and fetching keys happens to follow him around.

21. I will treat any beast which I control through magic or technology with respect and kindness. Thus if the control is ever broken, it will not immediately come after me for revenge.

22. No matter how many shorts we have in the system, my guards will be instructed to treat every surveillance camera malfunction as a full-scale emergency.

23. When my guards split up to search for intruders, they will always travel in groups of at least two. They will be trained so that if one of them disappears mysteriously while on patrol, the other will immediately initiate an alert and call for backup, instead of quizzically peering around a corner.

24. I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.

25. I will not tell my Legions of Terror "And he must be taken alive!" The command will be "And try to take him alive if it is reasonably practical."

26. I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 Stones of Power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more along the lines of "Push the button."

27. My vats of hazardous chemicals will be covered when not in use. Also, I will not construct walkways above them.

28. If I ever talk to the hero on the phone, I will not taunt him. Instead I will say that his dogged perseverance has given me new insight on the futility of my evil ways and that if he leaves me alone for a few months of quiet contemplation I will likely return to the path of righteousness (Heroes are incredibly gullible in this regard.)

29. My dungeon will have its own qualified medical staff complete with bodyguards. That way if a prisoner becomes sick and his cellmate tells the guard it's an emergency, the guard will fetch a trauma team instead of opening up the cell for a look.

30. Any data file of crucial importance will be padded to 1.45Mb in size.

31. Finally, to keep my subjects permanently locked in a mindless trance, I will provide each of them with free unlimited Internet access.

To Employ Or Be Employed, That Is The Question

To be employed is to receive a stagnant wage every month for doing the impossible & not owning the rights to it. But at the very least & generally speaking, employees usually only put in 80% worth of effort(or less) in compare to the 120% responsibility(or more) that they shoulder, for every dollar that they are "legally" paid. With regards to the retail industry, the same cannot be said. I shall not elaborate on that as many employees' ricebowls are at stake.

To employ is to supplement an expenditure every month to someone who might not necessarily be at your beck & call, to perform seemingly menial tasks which are "so not worth" the salary you are paying them for(from the employers' point of view, that is). And not to mention that they only put in that 80% effort(or less).

Is it better to employ or be employed?

Xiao Wan Mian

As what the name suggests, Xiao Wan Mian is really Xiao. I think the ENTIRE bowl of noodles made it down my esophagus & got lost somewhere in my stomach.

The digestive system sent signals up to the neuro centre informing that they had no work to do right after the noodles disappeared from view.

This can't be right. I just sent food down. Where did it go? $4 for some dough, pork, fish cake, an egg (or so I assume as I did see 1 whole egg yolk) & 2 tiny strips of greenish vege.

Or are those items only worth $1 whereas the remaining amount is for that STAINLESS STEEL pot holder with that little piece of solid fuel which burnt out somewhere during the journey from the stall to the seat. Talk about value for money. With such prices it will cost me at least $12 to fill up my tank in an AIR-CONDITIONED food court with such ABSTRACT chairs & tables.

With the gradual disappearance of good old hawker centres, I think we all need at least a 30% pay raise in order to sustain our daily food intake.

I remember watching on Discovery Channel that some tribesmen eat stones. Guess that is easier to fill up the stomach & not feel hungry sooner than expected.

On To A New Start

Today is the day I'm officially unemployed... AGAIN. There is always mixed feelings on the last day of work. The taste of freedom & that inevitable feeling of being lost.

Freedom -- Not having the need to answer or be responsible to anybody else but yours truly.

Not sure if that is a proper definition for freedom but it does so for me.

Next up is the question of where will I be heading to?

Ponderous... very ponderous...