Leaving Germany

Full of anticipation and eagerness, I started on my one year's journey to Germany. Friends and family were sad and tearful at my leaving, but as for me, I felt only a strange feeling of zest and impatience, to kick off my next chapter of life. I left them behind me, in the departure hall of Changi Airport. It seemed like yesterday, when I first set foot in Germany. Has it already been one year?

Everything went by so fast, that it became so surreal as if it had never happened before. Mainz, the dom, the meandering streets of the old town and the Rhine river, then to USA, the quiet little town in Massachusetts, the harrowing drives to Niagara, to Landshut, the Bruecke, the Christmas Market, the little shopping street which I loved so much, and then poof! I am back in Singapore. Soon I will ask myself, "Have I ever been there?", then I will start to forget the names and faces of the people whom I have met here, then the feelings, memories......

I am going to miss all these -- the quiet moments beside the river, the messy little apartment, the mindblowing bicycle rides, the solo moments to myself. Soon these will be replaced by the bustling activities of the city, dinners, movies, friends, family and slowly they will fade away. I will never come back here, as part of the town. Instead, I will be back as a visitor, an observer, detached from the people and places.

I should be intoxicated with happiness at the very thought that I am going back into the embrace of my homeland and the familar warmth of family and friends. However, strangely, I have felt a perpetual ache in my heart, since the last day of work, knowing that I will miss this town, the people and most of all, my tranquil life and brief taste of freedom. I wish that all these do not need to come to an end, but sometimes the choice is not mine.

This will be my last night in Germany. WIth this last entry, I close the page for this chapter of my life. Auf Wiedersehen!


You will miss this place,
But will it miss you?
Ah Wei
23th December 2002

refreshing o'blogs

I have just added a new section "refreshing o'blogs" on the left sidebar. I have come across some rather interesting blogs. However, since I do not know their owners personally, I have grouped them into a section, separated from the flogs. Pleasant reading!

Bringing Ironing to New Heights

The link to Extreme Ironing has been given to me by Tripps. He has never ceased to amaze me. He has been able to conjure up various links related to the subject we talked about, all in one minute. He claimed that he had a troupe of little green men on his payroll, searching for these links! Haha! Try harder, Tripps!



Anyway, coming back to the subject on Extreme Ironing. According to the website, it is "a new outdoor activity that combines the danger and excitement of an 'extreme' sport with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt. It involves taking an iron and board (if possible) to remote locations and ironing a few items of laundry. This can involve ironing on a mountainside, preferably on a difficult climb, or taking an iron skiing, snowboarding or canoeing." (Totally ripped off from the FAQ of the website. Am I infringing some copyright laws here?! Hmm...)

Well, I am not too sure about that. In the first place, I hate ironing! If I get to go to one of these exotic places, why would I bring along an ironing board?! Or perhaps I can do this on Singapore's tallest mountain, Bukit Timah Hill, standing at 163.63m. Now, wouldn't that be REALLY EXCITING?!

Incredible Feat

New Year Resolution: I shall endeavour to complete all my tasks way before time. Hey! Doesn't this sound familiar? Yeah sure! I have made this resolution every year, for the last 20 years.

It is 8am now, and no, I didn't wake up early to blog. I haven't had my owed sleep yet!!!

I should thank my dilly dally nature for it. I have enrolled into a writing course, spanning across 3 whole months. Yesterday was the drop-dead deadline for all submissions. Yikes! I was going to fail my course! Therefore, I had to cram 1 and half month's worth of homework into one night. The whole of last night was spent squeezing words out of my saturated brain and *hugging the Buddha’s familiar leg (We are buddies! I have done this same task for more than 20 years! SO you can imagine the kind of friendship we have!!). I am sure my *GP tutor will be doubly proud of me, knowing the number of essays I have churned out in record time!

Tragically, I am a person who can only work under time pressure and I am probably the most ill disciplined human being, I have ever met. I confess to this sin. Then again, I must never let my boss read this article, or else, I will have short deadlines for all my projects, thus causing my blood pressure to rapidly increase, bursting my brain and finally grey matter will flow out of my ears. Eeewww.. Gross!

Anyway, I am beginning to sound incoherent. I need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. I calculate that last night’s activity has led to a deficit of 8 hours plus 50% interest from the sleep bank. I have a loan shark for a sleep bank. Sigh….

*Hugging the Buddha’s leg comes from the Chinese phrase "hugging the Buddha’s leg during the last minute", meaning… that one keeps procrastinating doing one's work, until it is too late and so has to hug the Buddha’s leg, hoping that help will be given.
*GP = General Paper = English

Last Day.....

Today is the last working day before a 2 weeks long holiday. Usually, last days should be a big celebration (Yep! We partied with red wine and gourmet food, in the office!!) and all. Yet, today, I felt a tinge of nostalgia. The regrets which accompany the impending departure from Germany were deeply felt. As I shook hands with half the people in the plant, wishing people a Merry Christmas (half of which were heartfelt), and received well wishes of having a safe flight back, hope to see you again etc(Which I am sure, only half of them was sincere, as well), it suddenly dawned upon me, that I would never work here as a regular staff again.

I waved goodbye to the friendly security guard and walked out of the gates. I turned and stood there for a full 5 minutes before I made a note in my heart and reminded myself that a subchapter of my life is closed.

Waiting at the bus stop, I took in the scene of a busy bustling street, people rushing around, doing last minute Christmas shopping. I simply wondered, "How many of these people have lived in this little town for their whole lives? Have they ever left this place? What kind of emotions would that stir up in their hearts?" Would I ever come back here and live as I had, again? Probably not. The bus passed by the landmarks which I have rode past on my bicycle, over the last few months. I would never ride here again. I realised that I was more sentimental than I have ever thought myself to be.

I hope I would look back on this entry, years later, and still be able to remember the passion I had once felt. I dedicate this page to everyone whom I have worked with, smiled with, in this little town, beside the Isar River.

Today is.... Virgin Snow day!!!!

They must have heard me up there! I have been lamenting to my colleagues that I would not get to see snow before I leave... blah blah....

Today, just as I stepped out of my front door to get to the laundry place (Ta dah!!!), snow fell lightly from the sky and the ground was blanketed with a thin sprinkle of it. Yikes! "Virgin SNOW!" I yelled. Dropping my laundry, I ran upstairs, called my friends in Singapore (They don't get snow there. *evil cackle*) and bragged about it. After being blasted by their envious swears and curses, I hung up the line with much satisfaction and snatched up my digital camera from the midst of my mess and hopped outside for a photo mania! Anyway, I finally remembered my forgotten mission and made my way to the laundry place, dumped my clothes into the automated washing machine and ran outside for another photo snapping spree! The trees were really a pretty sight, especially the Christmas tree look-alikes. I walked around a little, letting the white flakes settle upon me. Bliss!!

The darkness came really swiftly in winter and that put an end to my joyride. Since I had to wait for 2 hours, for the slowpoke machine to be done with the clothes, I decided to drive home, instead of loitering around the streets in the dark. The light snow has become heavier by the second by the time I returned to the car. The innocent white layer on the roads has become killing machines. Besides, I suspected that they have not fitted winter tyres onto the car! As I made my first turning, I could feel it skidding to one side, onto the opposite incoming traffic! I hurriedly swerved it back again (perhaps a little too hard and sudden, which incur another skid!) and decided to go really slowly. However, it went totally out of control, whenever turns on parts of the roads, where the snow was thick, were made. I was a bundle of nerves when I finally crawled up the steps of my apartment. I was a newbie to all these difficult driving conditions - winter, driving on the wrong side of the road.

I dreaded the time when I had to collect the clothes. After 2 hours, the streets have become horribly dark. Even in Singapore, where the streets were brightly lit up, I had difficulties with directions at night. Somehow, to me, everything looked totally foreign in the dark. I had to manoeuvre through the darkness, slippery snow (skidding a few times, after which, it didn't look so pretty anymore!) and the lack of road lanes (they have been covered by the snow).

Touched down at home base half an hour after I left for the 2nd trip. Phew! Still in one piece! If I were a cat, I would have only 1 life left after all those heart stopping skids (I counted!!!) Anyway, I'd better return the car to the company tomorrow, as it is a really cranky antique piece. It died a few times on me today, due to the extreme cold. Car towing doesn't quite appeal to me.

bulogs -> flogs

I think I am a failure at naming things and, therefore, will leave the difficult task to experts out there. JH emailed me about my 'bulogs', and said it sounded like 'bollocks'. I made a search in the dictionary and this word has 2 meanings - nonsense, or a certain organ of the male anatomy. Ooppsss....

Ok ok, FLOGS it shall be.

New Bulog!

Added Etel's blog to my bulog section. Christmassy look for a warm season in Singapore. Love the snowflakes falling off the page... Hmm.. shall ask her how she did it. *scribble reminder onto notebook.*

Reordered my bulogs. Nana's goes down, considering that it hasn't been updated for 2 months.

Toilet Tussle! Ack!

Ah Wei's list for Top 3 Most Important Rooms in an Office


1. Office (Of course! I spend about 1 third of my waking hours there!)

2. Toilet Meeting Room (Ok ok, I am shifting the toilet down the list, since I have tonnes of meetings. Hey! Is this MY list or YOURS?!)

3. TOILET!!!

Oh yeesss! I spend loads and loads of time in the toilet. Naturally the squeaky clean kind, with good ventilation, comfortable temperature, soothing level of lighting and the list goes on..... What? What can I do in the toilet?! Answer nature's calls, what else?! *gasp* You do it in the flowerpot beside your desk?! How delightful! *giggle*

Besides the normal peeing and shitting business, toilets can be rather conducive for :
1. Day dreaming
2. Catching up on lost sleep
3. Eavesdropping on gossips (Statistics have shown that the toilet is the best source of information! Want to know who backstabbed you? Go shit! Want to know who stole the credit for your project?! Go Pee!!! )
4. Excuse for getting out of a sticky situation in a meeting
5. Folding cranes with the toilet paper

As you can see, toilets are of utmost importance!!! So far, lucky ME have spanking clean and friendly toilets, but ever since I moved into this building (I suspect that it is the oldest one in the company estate!), going to the toilet has been a nightmare! It is no longer a delight that I look forward to, everything is done in a hurry. Run in, push the door open (making sure that it is empty first. Oh yes... you will be surprised!), finish the business, wash hands, back to the sanctuary of the office -- all in a 5 minutes dash. If there is some kind of toilet dash competition, I am sure I will secure the first place. Rushing in and out of the toilet can be really depressing and detrimental to productivity. Can you empathise with the agony of a worker who cannot enjoy her daily business in peace and serenity?!

Let me tell you the reason why a toilet lover like me has to stoop to such underground levels. A corridor leads from my office to the toilet. There is a door at the end of the corridor, it usually blocks the cold wind from entering and thus keeping the passageway reasonably warm. Once you go past the door, brrr... an instant change of 10 degrees, just in a matter of split seconds. Then you open the toilet door, thinking, oh great! A warm toilet to escape from the cold. Suddenly, the icy blast of air hit you. All negative 5 degrees Celsius of it. First you flick the switch on, (they practise energy saving here), the 'cheery' lights illuminate the sparse place and then sputter into oblivion, then you go by a weird sink with iron bars across it (I suspect that it is used by the cleaning lady) before entering an icy cubicle. Have you ever tried sitting on a frozen toilet seat!? It is so cold that it literally freeze up the pelvic muscles and nothing can be released, prima! As a result, you have to wait a few seconds more, while shivering in the cold, for the business to come. Then you wear your pants with the then numbed fingers and turn right for the sink. There you see it! The window is opened, letting in the sub zero air! There is a huge heater there, but the little dial is turned to the snowflake sign! The rationale totally escapes me. In a fury, I punch the window shut and turn the dial of the heater to full blast (all after I have washed my hands of course! What were you thinking of?!) Grinning in glee, I anticipate the next warm toilet excursion.

2 hours later, with visions of warm toilets, I go to my 3rd favourite room. Brrr... cold! Isn't the bloody heater working! Stomping to the heater, I glared at it, preparing to give it a few of my famous Weeeii kicks to get its ass moving. Argh! The dial has been turned back to snowflake! AND the blasted window is opened AGAIN! %$@@^ Who is the fricking idiot who has done this! With a vengence, I slam the window shut and again turn the heater up to max! I WILL PERSERVERE! WE SHALL SEE WHO HAS MORE PATIENCE!

This morning, after 1 week of intense battle, cursing and swearing, the toilet was warm and it was my FIRST toilet expedition of the day. *triumph*

Section Renamed! Kaboomz!

I tried very intense dreaming last night, but still no earthshaking ideas on my new blog layout. Therefore I have to content myself with making mincingly minor changes. I changed 'my buddys' to 'bulogs'. Sounds a little like Sandra Bullocks' blog though. Anyway, that is not what it meant. I have come across newly coined terms for blogging, some really innovative ones, like Flogs... Sounds cruel yeah? But take the F and the logs apart, it evolves into a new term for Friend's Blogs. I wanted to incorporate Buddy's and Blogs together, but by taking the first letter, I would end up with the same name, not too constructive there. Next attempt - Budlogs. Errh... sounded like Buttocks when it was read quickly. Last try, Bulogs. I figured that, being mistaken for certainly Sandra beat references to asses (unless they are yummy pert ones *wolf whistles*) hands down.

Rather sick of this doggy layout, still massaging my head, hoping that this will help generate ideas and initiate the flow of my nonexistent creative juices. Maybe the new layout will come to me in my dreams (or nightmare, whatever..). Next, I will have to set up the whole new template. Looks dubiously at calendar. 5 essays to finish, one whole room of junk to pack up, skiing trip to be planned, workplan for the next fiscal year to be set up (Take note! Work comes last!). Arghgh! Why can't there be more than 24 hours in a day, or more accurately, I wish I don' t have to waste my time sleeping. THen again, that would mean that the new ideas won't come. They come only when I dream or daydream (I have managed to perfect the art of daydreaming during work. Perfect!). Life is a contradiction.

World Class Companies

Have you ever wondered, why companies create websites and print brochures? The most obvious reason to me, is to spread the names of their firms to the whole wide world and then.... that's it?!

Then why have they stopped at that point? Why spend tonnes of money on advertising, when they neglect (or forget) to leave their addresses, fax, emails, websites, etc behind? What is the rationale behind the beautiful glossy pages, mind boggling websites (with flash) and all, when the customers cannot locate which hole they have been buried under? The advertising companies or, perhaps, the people who have given these projects the green light, ought to be shot! They have brilliantly helped their firms lose potential customers and millions of dollars from sales, just because, they are idiotic enough, not to leave their contact details behind! Looking on the bright side, maybe it is a good thing that they have accomplished that, for who knows what they will do with the tooling if they are lucky enough to clinch the deal. Or even better, they might keep the tooling but misplace the machine. DUH! Oh great! Just great!

I have been complaining to Ern about these morons, for wasting my precious time, hunting around for their bloody blackhole. A smart quip from him, "Oh! This is a perfect chance for you to join them and transform them into world class companies!"
"Yeah, so where can I send my resume to?!" *Roll eyes*

Light Bulb, Procrastinate, POOF!

Light bulbs burst over my head umpteen times (at very inappropriate times e.g. daydreaming while I was working, taking a break in the toilet, walking in negative 5 degrees conditions) a day. Yes! Surprise surprise! I do have aspiring ideas for my blog in every single hour. Righto dude I will write it, the very first thing I will do, I swear, when I touch base tonight. Awww....! I am hungry, no wait, gotta do the daily routine to halt the lateral growth. Huff Puff! Can I make it 3 sets?! Oh forget it. Squeezing the latent muscles, that should be enough. Time to encourage the growth. Cook (consists no more than popping instant food into the oven), eat, surf net, watch vcds, laze around, on my back, on my belly, watch the minute hand on my watch tick away, argh.. wash the plates just in time to prevent the flies from breeding. Look at laptop screen, groan, mind blank, time for bed.

My pathetic attempts at blogging every night!

Parting...

There! I have done it, I am the heartless animal owner. I have given Hammie away to one of my friends, who is staying in Munich. Somehow, along the way, I have grown attached to the little bundle of problems and its ingenious disappearing acts.

It has, finally, started to respond to my touches and caresses. During its good hair days, it would let me pat it and scratch its fat belly, while reclining in bliss. Not only that, I have begun to recognise its eating patterns as well. The pesky rodent simply adored sunflower seeds, hated the healthy nuts and practically went crazy at the sniff of the sinful Nutella.

The space where its cage had been, seems emptier than ever. Sigh... I am going to miss the brat.

(I hope it is not giving its new owner a difficult time. It had managed to escape in the darkness of the very first night of my ownership. Its escapades will go on, but it has been passed on to yet, another unfortunate soul.)

The ending of a love-hate affair.....

In some mornings, have you ever slept for 8 hours the night before, and yet does not feel recharged in every way? Simply sitting there, staring but not seeing, thinking but have no thoughts running across the mind, feeling yet not feeling anything. Just remain motionless on the same spot as everything flows by.

Spoiler :
The next time you glance at the clockface, argh! You are terribly late for work!

Looks rather zen eh? Well, it is definitely not part of my meditation routine.

Kinky Ironing Board

Something to cheer myself up with... oooh Kinky stuff... *whistles*

This link was enthusiastically contributed by Pig, who is extremely well-informed of my perverted preferences. Presto! An Ironing Board! Specially tailored to the needs of my domestic skills, I am set to become one of the top "ironers" in the world. The "What the **** is this confounded crease doing on the other side of the shirt! Heck! No one will see it there anyway! *pretends that the crease is not there*" statement will never spill out of my mouth again. Not only that, I will industriously create creases, oops, and iron them out again, all because of this wondrous board. I wonder how long it will take for the novelty to wear off.

Anyway, as I was telling him, I prefer the Asian look. For a Bae Yong Jun/Louis Koo board, I will gladly resign from my day job and become a professional 'ironer'!!

Life Sucks!

Call it PPPMS (Pre pre... Menstrual Syndrome)... call it winter depression, the underlying statement is still - Life SUCKS, in fact, it sucks big time! Maybe some of you read my site for the entertainment of the day in your busy lives, sorry about this lousy, ugly, depressing piece. Well, people who know me (or maybe they do not really know me at all), may not believe it, but I am not optimistic and cheerful for all 365 days for the past 20 odd years. I succumb to the occasional depression BUG too. This piece of truth bothers me, yes, it is like the splinter in my thumb, I can feel it, but am unable to get rid of it.

However, in actual fact, I am already luckier than a lot of people in the world. I am not living in a war torn country, nor am I starving in poverty. Living in an almost developed country should give me freedom in my choices in my miserable life, but have I? Most of the time, I am living my life based on obligations. Well, it is unfair to accuse the people around me of forcing their expectations on me. In reality, I am the one who is binding myself down with it. So, who do I have to blame? I do make my own choices. Yet, I am sick, SICK of doing the right things, at the right time for the right people. I want to be wrong and well, absolutely, extremely terribly wrong. Being the coward that I am, I will never be able to accomplish it.

As I am writing this piece, I experience an unexplainable wave of numbness, tired of feeling for anything and everything around me. The constricted feeling around my heart just refuses to go away. I feel the urge of leaving everything behind and escaping into oblivion.

One more thing...

Eh! Comment (constructively, of course!) leh! Or else, email me leh! No response, very de sian leh!

*leh (Singlish) - just a typical slang at the end of every sentence.

2 Different MEs

My friend commented, "Interesting. I nearly couldn't recognise the voice, you sound like you're in a different world and living a whole different life. I almost couldn't recognise it." (Sorry Ed, I plagarized it from our email.)

I read through every single entry, wondering if I really sound different from the ME in real life? Then again, is the ME in reality the real ME, or is the blog ME the real one? Confusing issue, when it comes down to one's own identity.

Well, probably the ME here is twice as insulting and sarcastic as in real life with triple extra dosages of courage to write things I might not have dared to express in front of everyone. Of course I might be sued if I am not careful, but scribbling it out on a computer monitor is much easier than saying it out LOUD and CLEAR. Evidently, I am turning into a computer nerd. After tete-a-tetes with the computer for 9 hours at work everyday, I come home joyfully into its arms. No-lifer, people would have commented.

Or probably, it is just this ME who is living far far away from people I have known for my whole life. And, the different way of living and culture is being reflected in the way that I write (doubtful but still...). Therefore, logically, I should revert back into my old self when I return to Singapore (willingly or reluctantly).

Hey, buddys (or is it buddies?!) do I really sound UN-ME here?

The Ultimate Puzzle!



Ok ok. I have seen this riddle some donkey years ago, but have just received it again by email. I love puzzles and this is a personal favourite of mine, so people, start your heads cracking!

This is supposedly a puzzle set by Einstein! You know the brilliant guy who dreamed up the relativity theory? Here goes...

There are 5 houses located in a row, in 5 different colours. In every house, lives a person with a different nationality from the rest. The 5 of them, each drinks a certain type of beverage, smokes a unique brand of cigar and has a different pet. No 2 owners have the same pet, smoke the same kind of cigar or drink the same beverage.

The mind boggling question... ssshh... *whispers * Who owns a fish????

Here comes the clues!
1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps a dog as pet.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the left of the white house.
5. The owner of the green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes the Pall Mall rears a bird.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The guy who stays in the house, in the middle, is a Mommy’s boy, he drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes blends lives next door to the one who has a cat.
11. The guy who owns a horse lives next to the Dunhill guy.
12. The Bluemasters smoker also drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next door to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water. (Personal opinion : anyone in the world who doesn’t drink water?? Duh!)

According to Einy, 98% of the world can’t solve this riddle. Well, apparently the world has changed. Anyway, I belong to the 2% of the old world! Not bragging here, but I have to solve it before I can verify the answers that you will send to me, right? I wouldn’t have the audacity of posting an unsolved riddle and risk physical violence from all of you out there, although I hardly think that you will be able to find me. The world is big!

Deadly Stares

Don’t people know that it is impolite to stare, with 2 eyes (oh yeah, luckily humans have only 2) unblinkingly at others?!

I can understand that I am some sort of a novelty when I visit little rural villages in Europe and probably, most Japanese tourists (Oh yes, I am sick of the ‘moshi moshi’ that locals smartly throw at me! Let me clarify, I am definitely not a Japanese!) do not trek through these dirt tracks. They do stare, very briefly at me before looking away. Well, at least they have the decency to shift their line of sight and manage to look guilty for it.

As for my reaction, that really depends on my mood, whether it is a joyous day or a bad hair day (which is more often the case, figuratively and literally, when they defiantly persist in unruly curls and haphazard spikes, which tonnes of water, gel, brushing can never discipline.) On a smiley day, I will ignore them, IF, it doesn’t reach an excessive level. On the days when I get off the wrong side of the bed (you see, my bed is against the wall, so there can only be one correct side and to get off by the other way will produce disastrous results.), they will receive a double (or is it triple? I can never be sure.) dosage of rude stares back, with raised eyebrows and insolent tilt of my eyes (Believe me, I have had years of practise with it. Ask Nick.) Right there and then, a glorious battle of stares will take place. (Lethal staring is a high possibility for fist fights) I will stare till the other party drop their eyes and scuttle away in defeat. The triumph simply makes my day. Ah! The little joys in life!

Recently, I visited a trade fair in Munich, an international one. A weird phenomenon – I received stares from the Asians and not from the rest of the world. Is it because Asians simply have an insatisfiable sense of curiosity that extends to the looks of their fellow ethnic group members? Don’t I have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, one mouth, the same slanting eyes and black hair (ok ok it is a little reddish, but that can’t account for the total number of stares). I hate it when people stare at me, have I grown horns on my head or mushrooms on my face? Hardly not, since I am a regular humanoid and I do bathe everyday.

Therefore, I can only conclude that Asians can be so very rude and the best thing is, they do not seem to feel any remorse in this impolite act! As you can imagine, 8 hours of walking through the halls (and still unable to cover all grounds), 40% of the people were Asians (be it exhibitors or visitors), I had the time of my life practising my piercing stares (I am sure, by now, I have mastered a module in the art of ESP – Eye power, and be able to drill a hole in steel with a flick of an eye. Now, let me find a sheet to practise...). It sort of relieved the weariness from the endless trek through the uncountable halls. There! I derive joys from the pains of others. A perfect definition of a sadist. But, I LOVE IT!

Globetrotting

Really late now, supposed to be in bed. However, I will not be around for the next 2 days, so it will be better for me to pen it down, before random amnesia kicks in.

Sitting crosslegged on the bench in the terrace just outside the deserted Herreninsel museum (in Chiemsee, a really beautiful town with a clear sparkling lake) (no one, except me, was insane enough to brave the winds and leaves swirling in the air and ground), the realization of my change in mentality struck me.

The old me would never have done that. Before reaching a destination of interest, a schedule would have already been planned beforehand. Then I would march from one place to the next with sheer willpower (usually after I start feeling numbness in my legs) and determination. The motto was 'Cover all grounds or drop dead'! With singlemindedness, I combed the entire town til near exhaustion. Scorning at the people sitting around on benches and drinking coffee at the cafeterias, I stalked on with conviction.

Perhaps I have more time for exploration, as compared to the short 3 weeks I had during previous travels. Now, I have the luxury to pick the season and weather to brave my adventures. Or perhaps, my new found (hopefully not a 3 minutes interest) hobby of photography has allowed me to look at trees, blades of grass in a different light. There are times when I simply stand around, roam aimlessly and shoot at anything that interests me. Sitting at a sidewalk cafeteria, sipping a cup of hot chocolate and observing the people around me, has ironically become my favourite pasttime. Now, I find the prowling tourists amusing and feel a sense of deja vu. Nothing beats having the idleness of afternoon tea and scribbling thoughts (evil ones as usual *cackle*) in my notebook or diary.

People may think I am so atypical but yes, castles are rather special to me. I simply love sitting on a bench, looking out at the far scenery (if it is possible) under the shade and muse about what great kings thought about when they were lounging there (or perhaps, the benches were not there in their era, but nevertheless....). Well, it doesn't have to be kings, any normal person of that time would do. What would they be thinking and doing? How was life before the invention of electricity and modern equipment? Were they contented with their lives for most of them had to work til they died? Nah, don't worry, I am not going crazy, yet.

Those are the joys of solo travelling. Some people looked at me in horror and exclaimed, 'Isn't it boring?!' Well, truthfully, it is a totally new experience for a person like me. Perhaps, my subconscious self is more introvert than I realise and sometimes, not having to make conversation can be happiness in itself. Instead of expanding my brain power on conversations, it is turned inwards on self reflection and generating new thoughts and questions. If I were to confess that solo travelling is totally fun, there will be 2 kinds of conclusions derived by people around me. 1. I am totally mad. 2. I am totally selfish. What am I? A mixture of both, or none at all? I like to believe that it is just me.

Homecoming

After almost a year in Germany, I am going home in 1 month's time. I am experiencing a mixture of feelings -- reluctance and eagerness.

I have looked upon this one year as a reprieve from my hectic life in Singapore, as I have time, a lot of time to myself, indulging in activities that I have been too busy for, in the bustling city. Reading books, surfing the internet, watching movies and vcds, walking in the park, taking photographs, writing my thoughts, and something unimaginable... simply sit back, do nothing and daydream and the list goes on. I will miss the 4 seasons, the serenely white winter, the blushing spring, vibrant summer and solemn autumn. Down to the more mundane things, the freedom to leave my mess on the floor, on the table, in the cupboard (you name it, you get it). Eating horribly cooked meals and still enjoying them as if they are platters from heaven. This time represents freedom to me. As I look back and think, I am going to lose all these. I will lose my assuring anonymity, my lack of responsibility and a small part of me, which has always yearned to break free.

On the other hand, I am looking forward to my return to my homeland. I have made plans, dreamed up fantasies, just waiting to burst free, the moment I step foot on Singapore. Whether they will succeed or fail, I can't tell, not until I have executed them. This will be a back-to-the-reality time. To put behind me all the sweet memories of freedom and prepare to bound myself in the chains of responsibilities and burdens. Yes, I can understand that this is part and parcel of life. I am already luckier than most, having had my brief taste of the free air. What about the rest who would never have the chance to experience it like me? Are they still living their lives out to the fullest, knowing what they have missed? Right now, I am mentally preparing for the challenges that I would meet as I leave this unreal world and hurtle back to practical Singapore. I swear that I will never look back and yearn for the life here, my brief fling with freedom. I must never live in the past, as some of my friends, who would never recover from the shock of moving from tranquil studying world in Europe, back to the harsher one in the little city, does. ANyway, I can foresee that I will be kept so busy that I probably would not have the time for regrets or reminiscing.

So much for the PEP talk. Chin up, face the world, Singapore, here I come!

Celebrity Review 1 - Floppy hair, droopy eyes...



As the credits of Nottinghill rolled out 5 mins ago, I tried to recall, a time when everyone around me was gushing over the show, over Julia (This I can understand) and over Hugh Grant. Floppy brown hair, droopy blue eyes, clipped English accent. 10 years ago, I had believed that he was irresistibly cute as he blundered through a funeral and 4 weddings. So did the rest of my girlfriends. "Oooh, he is sooo cute. Why did Liz leave him!? Why isn't there any Hugh-lookalikes in Singapore!" groanings echoed in the wake of Nottinghill.

Have I ever consider him cute? The floppy hair looks lame to me now, so do the droppy eyes. Have I outgrown my schoolgirl fantasies? Because life is more real right now, with room for more problems, but less fantasies. He looks so ordinary to me, Nottinghill feels so normal too. What has happened to the magical feeling of fairy tales of princesses falling in love with commoners? Have I misplaced it as I trudge through the chores of everyday? Nah, I have grown up and left Hugh behind, in the era when I was still 17. BUT, I still love his sexy, clipped English accent, over the drawling American ones. Ab-so-LUte-ly Se-xy! Some things just never change! Wink!

Computer Blips

Idle surfing brought me to this article.

Let me see, 11 hours, I have spent on computers today. Therefore, that makes me a cock-eyed, erratic, bad tempered hunchback!! Imagine this -- a whole world filled with psychopaths like me. All in all, it makes a perfect excuse to get off work and make time for more tea breaks! Cheers! Gosh! I am a perfect crackpot by now, time for tossing and turning in bed.

Back with a Vengence!

One week of holiday and it takes me another one week to get my steam back. I guess all that whirlwind of activities went over my head. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, good news, bad news, accidents and what-have-yous. Everything seems to pass me by in a zap. One short zap and everything is gone. There goes 2 weeks of my insignificant life.

A pleasant surprise I had, when I checked the webcount. 920 hits for a website that has been dead for 2 weeks. Not bad, I would say! (Psst! *holding up 2 fingers* I swear that I have not been hitting the pages myself! I have not logged on to the internet for the 2 whole weeks! I swear I swear! *squeak!*) I thank all of you for the encouragement and support (even though there might have been accidental hits. I have read that finger cramps happen often to heavy computer users.). *Bow head in appreciation*

Anyway, here I come again. *crack knuckles* Be prepared for a steady flow of sarcasm and idiotic antics! The morons win the day!

O'Sweet Advice!

I really ought to be packing my bags for my long trip back home, but what am I doing now?! Scribbling on my blog. Duh! Just want to take this down, before it pops out of my mind and this happens really frequently now. I wonder if my brain cells are degenerating.

I have frequently distributed advices to my friends (of course carefully thought advices, not irresponsible ones!) and well, sometimes, they do not really need it, but for a second confirmation. Oh, my advices are great -- practical, logical, morally and politically correct. Great advices!

But, when the misfortune falls on me, will I have the guts and will to carry out my own advices? I can self righteously declare, yes yes, thou shalt not sin, blah... blah.. the 10 commanments. When it really happens to me, can I take myself mentally out of the fit, reconsider all my choices and act upon the best. Frankly speaking (My negotiation class lecturer would say, you mean you have been lying all along? Well, I have not!), there is a possibility that I cannot make good my own advices.

Therefore, here comes me to my conclusion :
Advices are freely given but not easily practised.

A Loner in the Crowd

As I sat in the Chinese restaurant, fidgeting in my seat, sweeping my eyes across the room, I realised that, every table was occupied by either couples, duos or large groups. Huddled in my seat, I was the only loner.

Funny how I stayed at home all day and not feel a wee bit lonely, but sitting there in the middle of the crowd, I felt like I didn't belong. Which person would be insane enough to eat in a 'family' restaurant, alone?! I picked at the tablecloth, feeling very self conscious, thinking desperately for something to do, to drive away the L monster. No books handy as I wasn't really prepared to eat my dinner out. Yes, I could always fritter some time away by writing in my diary. Therefore, I hurled out my.. little... diary book and started scribbling. People started staring, totally curious about that Asian girl at the next table, alone and furiously writing away. I took down my little observations (When I forget my book in the *MRT, I like to observe people secretly. Discreetly of course, for I have no wish to be beaten up for a split second eye contact.), how some of the Germans insisted on using chopsticks... with plates, a wonder to me. How could they ever manage to eat properly like that, for chopsticks go with bowls and plates are just too shallow? Or perhaps, they were more Chinese than I ever was, for I used a plate, fork, spoon and knife just now. How amazing, the easterners striving to become westernised and the westerners busy imitating the habits of the easterners.

However, I have deviated from the purpose of this passage. Things always do not turn out the way I want them to. THe point I want to make is, when I am alone, the more people there are in the same room, the lonelier I feel. Whereas, alone in an apartment does not invite loneliness. Is this strange? Am I strange?

*MRT = Mass Rapid Transport in Singapore = Subway in UK = S bahn in Germany

The Hamster Escapade Part 3

The slimy moron is now back in its prison! Muahahahah....!!!

All it took was a cookie box (Danish Butter cookie, for that matter!), a bowl of food, a stick that was made of little fruits. The cookie box propped up by the fruit stick and the food bowl placed strategically in the middle, that made up the trap. Tired of sitting, waiting, chasing after it the whole night, I decided that, there would be no more hide-and-seek with it. There are tonnes of places to hide in my apartment, and 90% of them are unmovables.

That fateful morning, it had the audacity to run around the room, AND even over my lap under my very nose!!! Pissed, I assembled the trap and left for work.

Later that day, as soon as I stepped into the door, I scrambled into the living room, to check on my ingenious trap! The box was down, the trap had sprung! However, the question was, did I manage to capture it? Circling the box, I cautiously knocked on the top of the box. No squeak, no sound.... Disheartened, oh well, it probably was smart enough to escape from its fate, since it had, still has, such an intelligent owner. I picked up the box, preparing to clear the mess. Lo and behold, it was sitting there, peering at me with its black round eyes. Oops. I have never been faster. I slapped the box right over the same position. Readying its home box (by taping tonnes of paper over the hole, a hundred miles of adhesive tape, and another tonne of paper on the outside of the box), I flipped the cookie box and all its content into the box. Caught but unrepentent, til this night, it is still scrambling around, searching for another nook to escape from.

Due to the superior intelligence of the owner, this episode ended with an amazing speed, with minimal effort!.

~~~ Who me?! My one cent worth of thoughts!! ~~~

Shout outs = Comments!

One last thought before I turn in for the night. Why aren't there any comments written, ever since I have enthusiastically added in my comments script. The enthusiasm has died down somehow, when night after night, I exuberantly checked my website, just to find the comments box empty. But, then again, if there aren't any constructive remarks, then it is a better idea to leave it blank. (Take note, Wenjie!) I can only think of the following reasons on why my comments columns are blank :

1. People have not realised that the little blue words 'shout outs' = comments. Yes, that is right. That is the link to the comments box!
2. Everyone do not have any constructive comments to make.
3. Nobody ever takes my writings seriously or even read them with a heart. No heart = no comments.
4. I must have twanged up the 688 hit on my page myself, therefore, I am the only one reading my own articles and hence, no comments from anyone else.
5. Busy working schedules have drained all my readers of their brain juices.
6. I am just another link in somebody's favourites. Sob.

The Hamster Escapade Part 2

That is to teach the bloody cat a lesson for shrieking its voice out for 2 straight nights! Can't it perform its sexual acts to some other secluded areas?! Cats have no sense of decency just like hamsters do not have enough brains for gratitude!!

The Hamster Escapade Part 1

I simply cannot believe it!! I have sealed up absolutely every hole in the box, so how did that slimy bastard get out of it? I simply could not understand. Could my devious dwarf hamster have teleported itself out of the box?! Nah, I must have been reading too many sci-fic. Refusing to believe that it had disappeared, I combed through the wood shavings and yes, its droppings, 3 whole times! GONE!!

Still pondering over this mystery, I headed for the shower. I am not sure if this happens to everyone, but showers work wonders for me!! I have solved iq questions, brain teasers in the showers! The questions absolutely boggled my mind for the whole day, but everything seems clear in the shower! Darn! Could it have gnawed its way through my paper security ?! (I have sealed the holes with 8 layers of thick 80 g paper after its previous escape!!) After my shower, I dashed to the kitchen and examined the box and sure enough there was a little hole bitten through the paper at the back of the box, just big enough for that little bastard to crawl through!

To think I had even contemplated on sneaking it back to Singapore and in the process, breaking every single customs law in my country. I swear I am going to poison its food and chop the ungrateful rodent up into micon pieces!!! !@%#@%!& There!! Are you going to report me to the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Association?!!! I will chop it up and cook curry with its meat and feed it to my neighbour's cat if it is the last thing I will ever do!!!

Ripped this off YY's blog. Memory game - nice yummy japanese food. However I got everything right at the 5th try. My memory is deteriorating, talk about senility. Hmm....

Sorry for the long absence. It is kind of hard to think and type what you think when you were busy sneezing all over the keyboard.

There! I learnt how to link images today! Thank you Wenjie!!!!!

OK, I am up!

Seminar for 3 days. Hurray! A brilliant excuse to get my butts off work.

The curry is eating into my pot, dusts are beginning to 'dustball' literally.... The latest effort in beautifying my apartment are the additions of an air freshener and a wc cleaner. At least, when I hit the door 3 days later, the place will smell good, sniff sniff, even if it doesn't look less like a war ravaged location. Not much of a homemaker I am. I swear that I will wilt and be reduced to ashes if I ever have to be a professional homemaker. My sincerest admiration for all the homemakers out there.

Now, where is my travelling bag?!

~~The Flustered Procratinator.....

It's 2am and I am still alive.

Uploading my dearly outdated photos into the Yahoo album.


My Favourite Photo - Doesn't it show lots of potential? ;)

~~The Sleepy Procrastinator....

Scream 4 (Or is it 3?)

Lots of stories tonight. It seems that every crappy thing happens to me.

Still on Yahoo Messenger with my friend. "BRRrriiiinnggg...!""BRrriiinnngggg!"
Darn! The doorbell at this hour?! It can't be the postman!
I had, initially, thought that it might have been my friend, who lived, and still does, in the house beside mine. Wierd, he would, usually call me first. I put on my sweater, slipped my feet into my slippers and waddled to my door. All this while the doorbell rang, yet another time. I tore down the stairs to the front door.

I live at the top of a double storey house and my neighbour lives at the bottom and we share the same front door. The front door opens to a large yard and the gate stands in front of a long driveway.

I switched on the lights and flipped my front door open. It was pitch black in the yard. For some reasons, there are minimal streetlamps in Germany. Standing at the door, I couldn't make out if there was a person standing at the gate. There was a chilly wind blowing, as it had rained for the better part of the day and it was nearing winter. I made a dash to the gate. Nobody was there. I stood there for a full one minute and peered into the darkness. Still no one. Shivering a little, I made my way back to the front door and realised that I had left the front door and the door to my apartment open. Oh great. Thinking of the movie, Scream, I chided myself. This is how the victims are killed!! Darn! How could I have been so careless! It felt like a scene taken from the movie. THe doorbell rang, the victim went to the door, but no one was there. She went back inside, horror of all horrors, the psychopath was in the house!!! While she was watching television, he stepped out of the shadows and stabbed her to death. Whatever, I have only watched it once, but being a horror fan, I probably took all the scenes from every movie and rolled them into one.

I closed the front door softly and cautiously crept up the stairs. At my door, I snatched an umbrella from the stand. Great weapon har!?? Better than nothing! I left the door open and sneaked into every room, checking the dark corners and looking behind me . (The victims were usually killed from the back! Duh!)

Nothing. I heaved a sigh of relief, closed the door with a double lock. Phew!

Who knows, maybe he is still in here somewhere, webbed to the ceiling like spiderman, as I checked the rooms. Right now, he may be behind me, while I am typing my blog. Eeeh oooh ehhhh oooh....... Eeerie music from *the Ring floats in.....

*The Ring is one of the most successful horror movie, that I have ever seen. Adapted from a book, it is a simple, back-to-the-elements, but horrifying effective movie. 5 stars.

Lego Boggle!

Diving, rollerblading, book collecting.. I was ticking off my hobbies with my fingers and toes to Wenjie, who was keeping me company despite the 6 hours time difference and triple visions of the monitor. All for a starbucks coffee.
"Have you heard about Mindstorms?"
Thinking that it was another of those rpg computer thingy, "Mindstorms? I have not heard about it yet. WHat is it about?"
"It is not a computer game, it is something from Lego."

Oh, Lego. The joys of my childhood and my parents. Images of colourful blocks flashed across my mind. I vaguely remembered my father carrying a large box, wrapped in bits of colourful paper. "Your birthday present!" "Mine mine!" My eyes were as large as saucers and I stretched out my arms for it. Anything that was wrapped up, I would be interested in it. I spent the next few minutes, thrashing the carefully wrapped box, mutated bits of paper all around me. At the end of the project, a large white box with colourful pictures of blocky figures sat among the mountain of torn paper. Different blocks of colourful plastic pieces could be seen where parts of the box were plastic. "Oooh!" I reached for the blocks and promptly poked a hole through the cover. My father reached for my little hand and placed it at the box opening. Prompted by the action, I pulled the top of the box apart. Rows and rows of shiny blocks sat uniformly in the plastic dishes. Father pulled out a little booklet from the bottom of the case and pointed to a little car. Within a few seconds, a spiffy little car sat in front of me. I hate people doing things for me. In the next minute, the car was back in its elements. Flipping the little booklet, I peered at the little figures. By the way, I was a bookworm and still am. Anything that is found in a book, catches my attention. I decided to embark on the most difficult project - a neat little bungalow. As usual, I liked the most provocative task, and still do. I embarked on the mission immediately, that took a few days, sitting among the little blocks. My parents were relieved for the next few days, as I had been the biggest challenge in their marriage. I was kept quiet by lego. I completed the little house, for throughout that time, I could only think lego, sleep lego, eat lego. Within the next week, I finished every single item in the booklet and embarked upon other challenging projects. Lego kept me quiet for one whole month, the most successful toy ever.

"Ah yes, what about lego?"
"You can make robots from this set and even program it to do some simple tasks. Have you ever heard of the Aibo?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course!!"
"Well, a guy managed to make a robot, even more intelligent than Aibo all from lego blocks."
"SERIOUS! I love legos!! And a lego robot?! THat sounds absolutely cool!!"
"Yep, I just splurged 400 bucks on one."
"So what can your robot do now?"
"Erm... just making a few turns."
"I thought you said, it can be more intelligent than the Aibo, why is yours only making a few turns!"
"Give me some time! I just bought the thing and am still learning how to intelligentise it!"
"Is there such a word! Oh great! I think I will get one when I get back to SIngapore. I don't think I want to buy it here, not too interested in a German robot. Ok, when I get mine, let us compete on whose lego robot is smarter!" (Arh! My competitive streak again! )
"Ok, that is, if you get back! You still owe me a Starbucks coffee!"
" Hey! Good idea! Why not, let's go to Starbucks and you bring your robot along and let me play with it, while you drink your coffee!"
In a pained voice, "We shall see......."
"=p"

Took out my hobbies list, scratched another hobby at number 100.

Suay! (Bad Luck!)

First time in Fuessen, 2 months back : We managed to catch the Hohenschwangau on film, but missed the Neuschwanstein because it started raining, by the time, we sent off for Castle N.

Second time in Fueseen, this morning: The minute I laid my tiny little feet on the Fuessen soil, it started pouring. That didn't look promising at all. Of course, it lived up to its promise, it poured from the moment I arrived and to the second I left. What a waste of time, I might as well, stay at home and watch vcds for the whole day. Unwilling for the whole trip to go to waste, I bravely went up the mountains. At the bridge, I managed to snap a few shots of Castle N. But, I am not too optimistic with the final products
1. It felt like the whole world was on that bridge, so as you can imagine, there were people jostling me, elephants stomping on the bridge. Not exactly the perfect environment for masterpieces.
2. There was a steady drizzle throughout the whole day, causing a slight mist to rise, fogging up the breathtaking scenery. I wonder if there will be mushrooms growing in my camera after its bath.
3. The skies were a gloomy grey, not an ideal background for any photos, unless you are taking black and white.

The only heartening beauty spots, were the autumn colours of orange and red, dotting the green tops. It is not a full blown autumn yet. However, to a *san gui like me, all the 4 seasons were fantastic. In my homeland, it is summer the whole year round. The Germans went, "Oh wow! You must love your weather! Summer all year round!" You could practically see their drool seep out of their mouths. Maybe it goes by the theory of " The grass is always greener on the other side."

Anyway, I have decided to stay at home for the rest of the holiday. It seems that when I coop myself up at home, it is bright and sunny outside and vice versa. I think I must have offended some weather god or goddess. Now what?!

Added the comments form.

Oh great! 2am! Ah Wei, be prepared to sleep at the stairs of Neuschwanstein tomorrow. So much for the bedtime 10pm resolution....!!

Not bad! 2 long articles at one go! There, I have fulfilled this week's quota! See you again next week!

Oops! An opening for more hate mails....

Headaches of the Employers (Or is it Employees?)

Due to the much talked about topic of uncommitted employees in Singapore, there has been a survey conducted on this issue. "What makes a Singapore Boss ticks?" Interesting, interesting. The article pointed out that this syndrome was caused by bosses with poor people management.

Well, to a certain extent, I agree with this statement, for I have seen too many an example. Brilliant technical people come to a fork in their career paths. In foreign companies, there will be usually 2 options, to become a technical specialist and move up in that aspect, the other, to move in a resource (usually people) management post. Perhaps, due to the limits of the small offices in Singapore, these choices are not usually available. Therefore, you have the scenario of superb engineers thrust into the uncomfortable positions. "Either you become a manager or else, too bad, you will just remain in your current position til you are 60!!" Not much of a choice here, any sane person will pick the former. Therefore, you have on your hands, a very unhappy manager who is a square in a circular hole, with totally undesirable people management, a whole village of dissatisfied employees which results in an unproductive department. That doesn't sound much like a win-win situation to me. There you have it, a troupe of grasshoppers, jumping to any available, attractive field. I can really empathize with them, for I, myself, have been a scrapegoat of this system as well.

Another great reason, in my opinion, has to do with the culture and environment that we have grown up in. Singapore is a meritocratic society. When you have straight As, you are Mommy's blue eyed boy, just one F, you will be dropped from grace. The society is just so pragmatic. We have been encouraged to strive for good results, because that is equivalent to good job opportunities, high salary and a promising career. The "I want to be on top and have the best!" mentality has been cultivated since young. This applies to the expectations of a job too. People go from job to job, searching for the best one, chasing after the pot at the end of the rainbow, a fantasy. Employees no longer take crap as they used to, for they think that there is a better job out there. Besides, one day this industry may booming, the next day, totally gone.
"Why should we live for tomorrow? Live for today! Grab the best! Be the best!"
Therefore, once they smell the scent of a greener pasture, they move on.

Society has made us so, why push the total blame onto the bosses? Besides, most of these bosses are Made In Singapore products, nurtured by this very society. Think again!

Obsession...

Darn! Who is the idiot pressing my doorbell as if it is mousey's left button?? Leaving behind a pot of boiling soup and a pan on fire, I grabbed a coat, struggling with it, as I slipped my stubby feet into the slippers and rolled down the stairs in E=mc2 speed, across the front yard, right to the gate. The postwoman was waving a package excitedly, while I rolled up my sleeves to kill her. "Pooosttt...!!! Unterschreiben Sie hier bitte!" sang the victim. I swung the pot at her puny head and murdered her on the spot!

Well, of course not, being my usual hypocritical self, I plastered an engaging smile on my face, gently took the electronic device from her, signed with a flourish.
"Viele Dank!!!"

I stomped up the stairs, to find my whole kitchen on fire! Oh well, that was an exaggeration. Please ignore me.

I tore the wrapping off and ta da! The long awaited broadband password and software! Deprived for a long time for fast speed internet access, I connected all the hardware in an amazing speed, for a slowpoke like me. As people put it, when they meet the loves of their lives, they have never looked back since. Me too! Now, that was Friday. It is Thursday today.

Since last Friday, I have been obsessed with it. Aha! My Kazaa (the most popular p2p software, ever since my beloved Radiogalaxy was dissected by those hated American copyrights people. R.I.P.) can finally come into play. Download MP3s, movies, animes, whathaveyous... Every minute, every second, I was searching, downloading, watching... And before I know it, it is already Thurday!. Har?! Where has the whole week gone?! No blogs written, emails unread, plates and clothes unwashed, unironed, floor uncleaned, hamster unfed! I just checked it this morning, still alive, just looked a little skinnier though. There is another story to that stupid hamster... next topic.

Basically, there was nothing in my life for the last 1 week, but internet work, eat sleep, internet work eat sleep.... Gosh, I have turned into one of those geeks I despised during my schooldays! No way!

Internet limit per day : 1 hour, hmm.. nope, 2 hours.. ok ok 3 hours ! Last offer, no bargaining! 3 hours then.

Sticky Sticky!

You put a bunch of people and a lot of tape together, what do you get?! VOILA! You get human lizards! I wonder if 3M will turn this 'innovation' into money churning business.

Computer, multitask! -ROGER-

Sometimes, I marvel at my own multitasking skills. Although, they are not as well-honed as a typical Pentium 4, but too bad for flesh and blood. Unless I am a cyborg then. (Argh! Too much Science Fiction!)

2 tables of internet mahjong, eating grapes, listening to mp3, writing blog. Therefore, as you might have guessed, I am not doing too well a job at any of them. I have lost miserably at one of the mahjong tables. Luckily, the other one looks rather promising, with me leading for the last 3 rounds.

Arh! What a lousy entry.... I guess I can't really multitask when there is a need for depth of thought. (Right, you never knew that I am a person of depth?!)

~~~ My 1/2 cent worth of thoughts!!~~~

* Only half a cent left.

Complaints Complaints...

I have just gone through my last few posts. Gosh! A whole lot of complaints! I am not really such an unhappy person, am I?!

New resolution of the year : Think happy thoughts, write happy posts, be happy!

This day would have been perfect, if not for the freezing temperature of 5 degrees outside (it should have been at least 15 degrees!!), tonnes of work... ooops. I mean.. What a beautiful day this is, look at the little birds, so enthusiastically freezing in the cold. A lot of work is good, so that my brain juices can be kept flowing and I wouldn't be senile in my twilight years..

Gosh! Ain't I cheerful today?!

My First Fan Mail!

Ah Hah! A mail from the blog website. Oh well, usually, I receive only insulting mails from friends or questionable ones from anonymous people, who probably have horrible names and are too embarrassed to put them down. The mails that I hate most, second to spams, are anonymous mails! What is wrong with these people!? Do they have an unspeakable past, present or future?

Ok, ok, enough about them. Today, I received my very first fan mail, from a stranger named Diana. Thanks Diana! You have made my day! I shall endeavour to write more undepressing (har?! Is there such a word??) blogs, throw myself into work with abandon and be a good employee for today.

Drama-mama

1. Open one eye... feel around the refridgerator.. waffles waffles... where are you? Grin stupidly. There you are! Sluggishly tug the bag... Jam jar slide, slide, sliding... Oh Shit! Open both eyes!... piang!! %@%!%#@ Totally awake now... Pick up the glass bits.. curse and swear... wipe the floor.. pray that there are no more glass splinters on the floor.

2. Damn damn! stupid jar! 10 minutes late. At the door. Stare at empty space. My driver drove off without me. Drizzling, cold. Sigh big time. Ride bicycle to work. Hands freezing, me wet.

3. Stupid computer, still drunk from the coke it drank last Friday.

4. Great. They have finished assembling my parts. At least one thing did not go wrong today. Hum happily. Pick up the fixture. Pins, glass and eyelets start trickling through the gaps. Sheisse! Ah Wei, you bloody idiotic moron! Find the nice lady who assembled the parts for me smoking at the stairways. In broken German, Erm.. I .. didn't know that .. .. the parts fell out... erm.. sorry... Manage to look utterly pathetic and apologetic. Nah.. Don't worry! I will assemble them again Brighten up! You.. you will? Phew.. If I have to assemble them myself, that will probably take 8 hours. Wipe sweat off brow.

5. Relieved, walk to the stairs to go back to the office. Aaarrhh... ouch.. !!! Slip and fall. Sit on my ankle. Look wonderously at twisted ankle. This is really my day. Same old ankle which I sprained 3 weeks ago and still hasn't healed. Pick up ankle, twist it back into place. Stagger down the stairs.

6. Yes.. Lunchtime! Dig around the bag. Pour content of bag onto table. ARGH! Where's my lunchbox!! From the corner of my eye, I see it still lying on the kitchen table. Prima!

I can just see the beginning of a great new week.


NB : The above story and characters are purely not ficticious.

This•is•just•great! My•laptop•said•it•was•thirsty. So, being•a•kind•owner, I•satisfied•its•demands. See•what•happened… It•got•so•sick, that•it•became•dysfunctional!!! This•is•agonizing, forming•words, character•by•character, with•a•mouse•and•the•charactr•map. Moral•of•the•story — Never•give•in•to•a•computer!!!

Thursday Night Movie

This is an amazing little town, the one I live in. They do not have self operated washing machines at all, except for the laundry shops which charge about 3 euros for washing one shirt. Duh!!! I will probably be so broke that I have to hike back to Singapore on foot.
"Does everyone have one at home?? I asked my landlord, "Are you going to bring a washing machine here?"
"No..."
"Are there any washing salons in this town?"
-Blank Look-
"So what do you suggest I do with my clothes?" Fold arms.
"You can use the washing machine in my house."
"So.. Where do you live?"
He pointed to some *ulu location on the map. "There!"
Ok, great, that would be one hour's bicycle ride from here. Just great.

So what do all these have to do with the Thurday night movie? Be patient, the best things come last.

That solution didn't really appeal to me, so I ended up handwashing my clothes everyday! Yes, me! You can't believe it? Neither can I! This must be retribution!

A guy, I knew from Mainz (the town where I first worked in), came along and moved into the house next to mine. As you could have guessed, he didn't have a washing machine as well. They should do something with the rental contracts in this town!!! Anyway, after a wild goose chase in vain, we decided to request for the use of the washing machine (one and only one which is coin operated) in the basement of the building in which the company apartment was located.(Please do not ask me, why they didn't put me there in the first place, to save me all the trouble!).

Thursday, yesterday was Thursday. There was only one machine between the 2 of us!? Each cycle takes about one hour!!! Resigned, we sat down on the laundry room's floor. Stupid me didn't bring any entertainment, all I had in my bag was washing powder, a few coins and my cell phone. Thank goodness, the radio on the cell phone worked. He read an Ikea magazine from head to toe, left to right, whatever for at least 30 minutes. I was going to borrow the mag from him and read for myself, what was so interesting in it. Not only that, It didn't help, that the laundry room was in the basement, stuffy, smell of washing powder, wet clothes, cold floor etc...People kept popping their heads in and giving us wierd looks, wondering what 2 idiots were doing, one reading an Ikea mag, the other playing games on the cell phone.....in the laundry room.

Next week, there will be 2 loads of clothes and that will take 2 hours at least! *Shiver* I have decided to make a contribution by bringing my laptop and vcds. We have decided to entertain ourselves by watching old movies .. IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM! So tune in next Thursday for 'You've Got Mail!' (I have watched this like 3 times already!!!!!)

*ulu (Malay) = Deserted (English) = Niao Bu Shen Dan, Birds don't lay eggs (Chinese)

~~~ Tune in the Channel Laundry Room for the hilarious comedy, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Please go to the IMDB Website for reviews. ~~~

Good Morning Good Morning Good Morning!

Yawn!

The morning is not so good afterall. Due to bleary eyes and shivering fingers.... here comes the pointy points...

1. Every morning, I swear to myself, that I will sleep at 10pm that very night, or I will be a $%§%$§%$" (You guess the meaning.)
2. 9.45pm Oooh! Another 15 minutes.... Surf net...
3. Hmm... The computer screen seems to be moving...
4. Looks up at the clock.. Oh damn! Midnight! When did it become midnight! It was just 9.45 a minute ago!
5. Power off, toilet business, brush teeth, wash face, remove my thick spectacles, plomp into bed (oh! I forgot the lights!), look at clock, argh, 1210!
6. Eyes shut, poof!
7. RRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGG!!!!!! BBBBBEEEEEPPPPP!!!!! BBBBRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! (The sounds made by 2 alarm clocks, 1 watch, 1 handphone, which includes vibrating).
8. Hhhuuuhhh.... It's morning already?
9. Brings clock within 1mm of eyes, force them open... OH SHIT! 6.20!! OH no Oh no... They are supposed to ring at 6!!!! Stupid clocks!
10. I swear to myself I will sleep at 10pm tonight or I am a %$%&§%$&§. That reminds me... get another alarm clock.

You and I, different??!

My dear friend commented on my style of writing for my emails. I go systematically in point form and followed the order of the paragraphs of the previous mail, so that they referred to each other sequentially. As for her, her thoughts are peppered throughout the whole mail. Looking at her blog (Nana's Tots), I tend to agree on that, we write differently too. She likes to focus more on personal feelings and emotions, on the other hand, although I do drop a few at times, but mostly, they are about more impersonal stuff.

I am beginning to observe the way my friends pen their emails and letters and am finding some sort of similiarities between the technical and 'arts' people. The technical folks write in order, in point form and stuff about the world and opinions, whereas the 'arts' kingdom expresses itself with more personal yous and mes.

Well, maybe the training we received in those 10 odd years have finally reconfigured our brains. I am trained in the technical field, but somehow, wistfully, I wish that I am able to express myself better with words and not with numbers and equations. However, in the country where I come from, we are labelled for life for the choices we made when we were 13. Once an engineer, always an engineer. Only a few managed to escape from this stereotyping. You and I, the differences stay with us til the end of our lives.

Walk of Silence

After provoking comments like "You walk like a dinosaur!" and strange looks from people as I thumped through the corridor, I have decided to make walking in silence the study for this week. Today, I have discovered the miraculous solution and from now on, I would walk as silently as an elephant, erm.. I mean, swan (wait a minute, do swans walk?!), well, you know what I mean and as gracefully as a flamingo. People will turn their heads around, to catch a glimpse of such a beautiful walker. I shall let all of you into this discovery....

1. Take mincing small steps (Walk as if your feet are bounded and will topple any time)
2. Slow is the keyword (An accurate pace would be to reach 100m in 10 minutes, then you will be safe.)
3. A deep breath before treading as though on air before each step (Although you will be short of breath for the first few tries, but practice makes perfect.)

There, now we will have a world of catwalk models. Although this is the secret recipe to graceful walking, I can't really stand torturing myself like that. Patience, my dear! I do so like to move quickly, get from point A to B in the shortest possible time route, drive at 50km/h above the limit, ride the speedboat instead of the slowpoke bumboat (gosh, I can never spell this word!). To do this every day will shorten my life by a few years each time. Therefore, to upkeep this image, I have decided to walk in slow torturous grace whenever I can. Along the corridor, as a door is opened and closed, thump thump thump, 3 big steps (under the camouflage of the banging of the doors), then small steps again. Life is a then, a little more bearable.

Along the Boundaries of Sleepland

To leave the warm bed every morning is pure agony. As I fall out of the blankets reluctantly, I berated myself for the late night before and solemnly promised myself that by *knock or by sock, I would hurl myself in bed for at least 8 hours' rest. Somehow, my debt with the sleep bank never seems to clear, in fact, interests grow amazingly quick. I guess, I will never be able to repay even my interest. At the promised bedtime, 10pm, there will always be tonnes of things to do -- loads of clothes to wash and iron, blogs to write, net to surf, video cds to be watched, books to be read, emails to be read and replied, bags to pack etc, neverending tasks. The next time I glanced at the clock, it would be 12 midnight!! Where has every minute gone? Should I wish that the day is longer, or maybe that I need less sleep? Both seem rather impossible. A very hugh sigh....

*eyes turning for a quick peek at the clock* Oh no! See! I told you so!! It is 10.51 pm!!!

Bed or Blog... Make your choice.

Apologies for this substandard entry. I am simply too tired to think coherently, see ya again tomorrow!


*by knock or by sock = knocking oneself senseless against the wall or socking oneself with own fist.

Read This from Bottom-up!

Mutter
Ok ok. Smile smile smile.
You are my sunshine, you are my sunshine. You make me happy, when days are blue....
Calm down, it is just a stupid part.
BUT I FEEL LIKE SLAMMING THE WHOLE THING AGAINST THE WALL!!! ARGH!!
I am not in the mood to do this anymore.

Procrastinate...
I shall do it tomorrow......

Why are there so many pins and eyelets on the floor!? You should have finished everything by now!

Silence. Black looks. Stare daggers. Mutter.
You just missed my multilingual swearing session.
Sulk
I accidentally tilted the fixture and the parts are now all on the floor.

So MANY!!!

I accidentally dropped most of them. I vented my anger on the rest of them... YES... DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!!!!?? I SWEAR THAT, WHEN I GET BACK TO SINGAPORE, IF I AM POSTED TO R&D OR PRODUCTION DEPTMENT, I WILL RESIGN ON THE SAME DAY!!!

F... fish!@W@%#%@!! Damn! Stupid idiot! A few hours of work wasted!!! SHIT!!

YES! Last stage!! Careful careful...

I HATE THIS!!!!

Shaky hands. Poor aiming. Bad eyes.

I am putting together more than a hundred teeny weeny parts... each measuring about 1-3mm. Wish me luck.

Sleepy Head

Burp! Too much carboloading during lunch. With a less-than-8-hours sleep per night, that really doesn’t help at all. I think the most agonizing thing in the world, is to brutally force yourself awake, when all you wan to do, is to throw yourself on the table and shut yourself out from the waking world.

Remedies (that sometimes work, but most of the time, not.)
1. Eat choc to pump more sugar content into your blood.
2. Drink Red bull. (Yucks, even the name sounds horrible. I have never tried it before, but some people swear by it.)
3. Drink Cola for caffeine loading. (I personally do not think it helps at all, but I do so like its taste.)
4. Drink a lot of water at 10 minutes intervals. ( This will lead you to the next point)
5. Get yourself into the toilet, shut the door, pull the toilet bowl seat down, plomp yourself on it and catch your 40 winks.
6. Talk to your colleagues. (Especially the good looking ones.)
7. Stick self drawn eyes on paper on your eyelids. (Personally I think no sane person, except for the much idolised *Stephen Chow, will do that. 2D eyes do not look too real after all. Try getting some glass eyeballs, you know, the kind that they use for stuffing animals. Stuff them into your eyes and pray that your real ones will not be displaced.)
8. Prop your eyelids up with toothpicks. (I have seen people piercing every part of their bodies. This might start a new trend of eyelid piercing.)
9. Slap your face. Ouch!
10. Throw water on your face. Works miraculously for 10 minutes. Ladies wearing makeup, especially mascara, beware! You do not need 2 black beauty streaks down your cheeks.
11. Take the day off and sleep comfortably in your own little bed. I think this should be the best solution of all. But for leave scarce people like me, this is unthinkable.
12. Drink coffee or tea. It doesn’t work for me and I do not really like the taste of coffee.
13. Write blogs. (That is what I am doing right now.)

* Stephen Chow is a highly acclaimed comedian in the Hong Kong movie scene. He is especially idolised by the men, old and young, in the world. The amazing thing about his films, is that, it has an hypnotic effect on the male species, who are able to quote the lines from any of his movies anytime. Males tend to have an inclination of rolling on the ground, laughing and clutching their bellies (it is amazing that they have not laughed their guts out.), during the screenings of allhis movies. His antics, e.g. talking to a cockroach, are generally imitated by the less fairer sex, but found to be in poor humour by the rest.

Change...

Just a little sick of the old look. Time for a Change!

*POOF*

Complaints! ACK!

Oh well, I have received complaints from my fans that the last few articles were too serious. They were looking forward to reading lighthearted and happy ones, but instead they faced morbid and pessismistic thoughts. Life is already hard enough, so why make it worse? Ok ok, I will write happy little muses from now on. First, they complained that the articles were too short, then, they complained that they were too sad. What next?! I wonder.

Superpower in the Making!

China is the biggest and most popular ground for investment, right now. In all the foreign companies, little committees have been specially set up, to look into the working culture and the value of investment in the country. However, whether it is feasible or not, companies from all over the world clamour for a piece of the pie. There is a fierce competition going on, on which company has the most number of subsidiaries and has stepped onto the Chinese soil first.

Short interview with a foreigner from a prominent MNC spearheading the operations in China :
AhWei : Good morning! I am reporter Ah Wei calling from the Daily Blab. I have read from the newspapers that your company is transfering key personnels from parts of Asia to your newly established office in Shanghai. Is this true?
Mr. X : Yes, you are very right. We are building up the headquarters, which will overlook all the operations in the China. Our key managers have already moved up to this office and all our functional units will be consolidated here.
AhWei : If it is convenient, can you give me a brief note on the reason of this relocation?
Mr. X : Well, right now, China has the biggest domestic market and its labour cost is one of the cheapest in the world. Besides this, our competitors have already established their Asia office there. We plan to move the labour intensive operations from other parts of Asia and consolidate them in one country. Since everyone is there, we have to be there in time for a slice of the pie.
AhWei : Mr. X, have you ever considered the possiblity that this pie may not be as ideal as everyone thinks it is?
Mr. X: I understand what you mean, but even if the pie is not ideal, we need to be there to monitor the market, in any case. A bad slice is better than no pie at all.
AhWei: China is currently benefiting from the huge amount of investment poured in by the foreign investors. The Chinese are intelligent people and their technology has increased by leaps and bounds within the last few years. Are you not afraid that once your techonology is transferred to China, the Chinese would improved it and claim it as their own?
Mr. X: There is always a danger that they will do that and I am 90% sure about that. But these are the little sacrifices that you have to make to penetrate its market. They are the biggest domestic market in the world and is edged on getting larger everyday as the spending power of the people increases.
AhWei : Some of the companies commented that China’s technology is still far behind Europe and USA. What is your opinion on this comment?
Mr. X: I think these foreigners are underestimating the Chinese. I have just returned from Shanghai. A few years ago, there were only a few high rise buildings around and now, there are skyscrapers everywhere. Many local companies have been set up, with links to the research institutes all over China. Not only that, the Chinese government is actively funding these institutes. 5 years ago, their technology was 15 years behind the western countries‘. But now, they have caught up with an alarming speed and it is only 5 years behind us right now. At the rate it is going and the investment injected by the government and the investors, they pose a very big threat to the foreign companies and other Asian countries. Therefore I would like to urge my fellow countrymen not to underestimate them. I think that is all I have to comment about growth of China.
AhWei: That was a great interview. Thank you very much for taking time off your work and sharing your insight with us.

With the growth of China, many companies have shifted their Asia regional headquarters from countries lke Singapore to Hong Kong or Shanghai. The local people in the offices only draw one-third the amount of what their Singaporean counterpart earns. Not only that, they understand their own local market very well.

The South East Asian countries which were riding on the wave of the electronics industry are now trailing behind the wake of China, after the crash of the Asian market in 1997. The largest country in SE Asia is Indonesia. Although the labour cost there is way lower than in China, the political unstablity frightens investors away. All the SE Asia countries depend on this giant to wake up and cease its internal turmoils. However, looking at this country, everything does not look very promising. Within a span of 2 years, 3 presidents have stepped up and down the Parliament. The present one has a difficult task to pacify the dissatisfied people, fight off the opposition parties, which jumped at every possible opportunity to dethrone her, restore law and order in her country.

After clearing the smog, which was created by the combination of the unusually dry spell and the clearing of land using fire, the country has pledged to solve this problem if it ever happened again. The smog is hazardous to the health of the people and it not only affects Indonesia, but also the neighbouring countries. Tourism was badly affected, billions of dollars was spent trying to get rid of it and on the medical services. People collapsed from respiratory problems and the tourism industry simply fell apart. However, with this freak weather across the world (USA is having the worst drought of all times and Europe and Asia are experiencing life threatening floods.), this smog problem arises again. Today, the government of Indonesia issued an apology to its neighbours, for the environmental issue that it was unable to solve. Reasons cited were :
1. Lack of funds
2. Lack of manpower
3. Lack of education for the small farmers.
4. Oppositions from the farmers and many other problems.

According to the experts, this smog will be as terrible as the one in 1997 and countries are expected to spend a comparable amount of money to solve this problem. Tell me, if the government is unable to even combat the smog and its source, how is it going to attract the investors to settle in the country again? This is not only Indonesia‘s own problem, but the headache of the region, for while the Indonesians are indulging in their inefficient firefighting, China is pulling the investments and market away from SE Asia. With the upward trek of China, the 5 tigers, so called tigers, of SE Asia will find that it is a tremendous efforts to rule the region again, or probably never.

Although it will make the ethnic Chinese people (e.g. my father) proud that China will rule the world one day, but it also means that business is getting scarcer in Singapore by that time. The foreign companies will shift their offices and investments to China, people will be retrenched, jobs will be scarce. Is it worth to exchange that for pride? Besides being an ethnic Chinese in Singapore, does not entail special provisions in business making in China, so what is the whole lot of point?

Der Höllesturz
Plagarising a part of the title of a morbid painting shown in the Alte Pinocothek in Munich, I, thus, call this little essay so.

The entire name of the painting is "Der Hoellesturz der Verdammt!", literally meaning, the fall to hell of the damned. Painted against a dark background with a red undertone, it depicted a scene from hell. Gruesome creatures, with horns on their backs and heads, sank their sharp teeth into the flesh of the fat succlent flesh of the struggling humans. They used to be the rich and powerful in the human world, but now, they were subjected to horrors that they could never have imagined. As to whether it was for eternity or not, I am not too sure, due to a shallow understanding of the religion.

Upon seeing this painting, memories of stories and photographs of the Nazi concentration camp, that I had visited that morning, flashed across my mind. To the prisoners in the camp, the tortures and ordeals seemed like eternity. In fact, death in itself was a form of release for them, for the living hell, which they were in. What gives a human meaning and hope in life, is a goal. However, they could not see the light at the end of the dark, neverending tunnel and their lives before this dreary reality were just dreams.

“You do not have human rights, are worthless and dirty. You are a pile of shit and will be treated as one!“ --- one of the nazi officers (*SS) at the Dachau concentration camp. There, humans were treated as animals. In the camps, the SS were the law there. Every single prisoner’s fate was laid solely in their hands. The tales of the mindless killings, the sadistic punishments drove horror and disbelief into every modern visitor’s heart. Horror stories, one after another, were recounted. It was hard to believe that all these actually existed in the 20th century.

The formation of the Nazi Germany seemed too dramatic to me. The political party, National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP) wielded the power and the prominent politicians from opposing parties strangely disappeared or died under unexplained circumstances. Every single channel of the media was controlled and used as a tool for propaganda spreading. The amazing thing was every citizen at that time, believed strongly in the policies of the government and fought with their sweat and blood in the war. Any antigovernment element was thrown into concentration camps, overnight, without a trial. Effectively, the Nazis had absolute control of the country.

On the walls, photographs showed the condition of the camp after its liberation by the American troops. One particular photograph caught my eye and would be engraved in my memory forever. Piles and piles of human corpses were lying on top of each other haphazardly. The images of opened eyes, unseeing and unfeeling, limbs sprawled in unnatural positions, tattered and rotting clothes on the decomposed bodies, white faces, thin and scrawny bodies starved to the point of death, replayed themselves over and over again in my mind. According to the description, they found 4 such rooms in the camp, corpses stacked together like firewood.

I am not sure if my description is good enough for you to imagine that scene, but you will have to be there to experience the waves of disgust and sadness sweeping over you. Although I have read about the horrors of the wars, but I could never have imagined the feelings it stirred when I saw them with my own eyes. Perhaps, I have lived in too sheltered a world and these are a lifetime away from me.

It is unimaginable for me to believe that people who lived just a few decades before me were manipulated to the extent of committing crimes without consciences and qualms? George Orwell’s animal farm does not only hold the truth for the Russian politics, but a reality for all times. Human beings remain true to their nature from the day they have been created. This brings me back to the context of Singapore. We are ruled by a one party government. So far, generally, it is doing very well for the country, the right kind of investments (Well, most of the time!) and the ideal type of policies. As it is doing very well, the opposition parties are seldom supported. Coincidentally, all the anti government individuals were ousted from the country, or they might have to spend the best parts of their lives on an island. Of course, the media stand on their own, therefore how is it possible for them to be controlled by the government, bearing in mind that one belongs to the national television corporation and the other the national newspaper. What a lot of competition.... It scares me sometimes to think, how perfect my country is, or is it really so perfect? Have I already been brainwashed by propaganda? This I can never be sure.... But like every normal person out there, I believe in my close to perfect world.

*SS - SchutzStaffel (Protection Squad)

~~~ My One Cent Worth of Thoughts!! ~~~

The Brick Wall

“I like talking to a brick wall, I find it is the only thing that never contradicts me.” – Oscar Wilde

I have stumbled across a website housing the famous quotations of Ah Oz. I shall refrain from mentioning his chauvinistic ones on women. I guess he did not like criticism much, since the brick wall was the only thing he could communicate with.

As for me, well, yes, I talk to brick walls too. However, it is all for a totally different reason. In the roomy big rooms, there is no one, but me. As soon as I step through the door, I switch on all the lights and turn on the television or laptop for some background noises. Probably, I am someone who cannot live in silence or isolation.

On some of the days, which are non-working periods for me, not a single word passes through my mouth. Sometimes, I even forget that I have a voice. The telephone rings, after 3 days of keeping mum, I manage to squeak a little “Hello”. Very often, I cannot remember what my very own sweet voice sound like. How tragic!

Friends will be surprised to hear this, for they think that I am one of the most talkative people in the world. With no company to converse with, I am starting to talk to the walls in my apartment. Much as I want it to hold a proper conversation with me, it never talks back, contradicts or even compliments. Why would any sane person do that? This probably came out of boredom and isolation.

Once I am done talking to all the walls in the rooms, I will start with the characters in the television. I guess they make better conversationalists than Bricky. Therefore you see, living alone is not exactly a bed of roses (Forgive my cliché!). However, it might be a good thing for me, because I am saving up my voice to plague everyone when I get back to Singapore. Ho ho ho!

The Tu Xin Cult

There are many different kinds of religion in the world – Buddhism, Christianity, Catholism, Islam, Hindu etc. However, none of these believers are more devout than the ones from the Tu Xin Cult. This cult is so ultrapowerful, that some of their disciples do not even realise that they are part of it and at times, fervently deny any connections with it.

Some of the symptoms include :
1. Take 1 hour to wake up (calculated from the minute the alarm clock rings) Take note : waking up meaning the opening of the eyes.
2. Take 1 hour to walk from the living room to the main door (usually the distance is less than 50m)‘
3. Take 1 hour to get to the car from the nearby shop. (incurring a fine because of it.)
4. Leaving a place 5 hours later than planned. (The Tu Xins usually have some unfinished last minute stuff or last minute change of plans.)
E.g. Planned time to leave the house 8am. Actual event : slept til 10am. Tried to get out of the house at 11am. Found that the front door was locked by the neighbours staying in the house. The self locking door back to the apartment was locked as well. Stuck at the stairway for 2 hours, before some good soul unlocked the front door for them. How come I have never had such excitement in my life? Sigh.

There are more of these, but I cannot recall them right now . However, worry not, as I will update the list as I go along.

* Tu = Taking your own sweet time, dragging your legs.
Xin = Shen, god.
Tu Xin = Slow poke

~~~ My One Cent Worth of Thoughts!! ~~~