Friday, April 25, 2008
Screwy punctuation
Wow, I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden my apostrophies have gone screwy. I just corrected this month's and last month's posts. I could have sworn they didn't look like that before.
Argh, hate cleaning up!
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Powerless
So in all the infinite wisdom of the local electricity power board, they have decided to cut off all power supply to my place from 0800 to 2130 today. Today – Tuesday, 30 October 2007, a working day, during working hours. Something about fixing/upgrading the power cable.
So the staff have the day off and will come back on Saturday to make up for it. Meanwhile I am in quite a situation because there is no power at home AND at work so it means I can’t be at either place. That sucks. Considering my life at the present moment comprises my home and my work, and that all my friends are working - as they should be on a working day during working hours.
Yes, I’m upset. Well, kinda and yet not really. I had good reason to sleep to noon today. That totally rocked. Of course that’s going to kill my sleep pattern but who cares. How often do you get to sleep to noon on a work day and not feel guilty for it?
Anyway, I’m at a western café opposite my place and they have free wireless internet so that works for me. It feels a little strange not to be following my usual routine on a work day, and this isn’t my weekend routine either. I blame the power board for messing up my schedule…
I’m seated by the window and I’ve seen a few people walk their rat dogs by me. I feel so tempted to run out and punt those dogs but logic tells me that I shouldn’t. Because they wouldn’t fly very far since they’re still on leash.
We have new cabs on the street. The authorities have approved the increase in supply and Volkswagen has secured the deal so now we have a new fleet of green Volkswagen cabs on the street. Not dark emerald green, more like a brighter green with a silverfish tinge to it. The old cabs were just bright green or bright blue with yellow trimmings. The new Hyundai cabs remind me of baby whales in the sense that they’re not big cars (compared to the rest on the streets) but their shape is kinda whal-ish. The drivers of the new cabs also seem to be less reckless but maybe that’s the way with drivers of all new cars.
I’ve been watching people walk up and down the road outside this café. They don’t seem to be in any particular rush. I can’t tell if they’re on work errands or not because they’re all dressed so casually and don’t seem to be in any rush. I’m convinced that this is as fast as life goes in Chengdu. You can’t make them move any faster unless they’re trying to catch a bus.
Hmm, this guy just rode a motorbike up to the diner. Quite cool because I think his is the first motor bike I’ve seen in my time here. People seem to be more into bicycles and electric scooters. But his a real motorbike… with a rumble too. A foreigner who speaks Chinese. But he is seated too far away and I’m not in the mood to go up to talk to strangers just for the sake of making a new friend. Okay, he just took of his helmet. I stand by my decision… because he’s not cute. Besides, I’m not into bikes, it was just nice to see something different.
Have arranged to go for a massage tonight seeing as my friend also has no power at home. Yay. She too is suffering from the long power outage at home.
Five and a half more hours before I can go home. Time to do some work.
P.S. The staff is putting carved out pumpkins and decorations. It's Halloween tomorrow people! What will you be?
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tipping edge
When I wrote the previous piece “When you just don’t wanna hear” I actually wasn’t writing about myself. But it’s funny how life throws you curve balls, ain’t it? I’m in the dumps now.
It is hard to explain what is going on, but it’s concerning work. I’ve usually picked myself up but this time I’m really hurting. I can’t seem to get back up again. I’m in a bad place. It doesn't matter whose fault it is (and i'm definitely part of the problem), doesn't matter who started it, doesn't matter what it's about.
Previously when similar events like this occur, I’ve always leaned towards the “hang-in-there-tough-it-out” side. But now I’m on the tipping edge. I wanna pack up and go home. But if I go home now, I would not have achieved the objective of coming over in the first place. Then 2.5 years of my life, and the sacrifices that were made during that time, would have been for naught? Then what would I have been working for? And if I leave now, wouldn’t I be an irresponsible person for starting something and not finishing it?
I know, I’ve learnt so much in during this time, so it’s not a meaningless 2.5 years. But that’s not a tangible achievement. Anybody who really wanted to could go out there and live for a couple of years. They would be bound to learn lotsa stuff too.
I can’t continue this post anymore. God I feel like crap.
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Thursday, September 20, 2007
Recruiting pains
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but it’s really hard to recruit IT talent over here. We are currently recruiting website designers and it’s been an uphill climb. I’ve gone through thousands of resumes already and we still haven’t even found the one we want.
Between the not-willing-to-come-interview type, there is also the no-show type. And then there are those who do come with a resume boasting of their ability but when you actually test them on the spot (like do some artwork based on a certain theme), they’re stunned or churn out crap. But that part of the pain isn’t mine. That’s for my tech team lead to handle.
My part of the pain is finding suitable resumes to make the first shortlist. I go through submitted resumes and recruitment websites. Here are the few basic principles I use in general (not limited to IT positions):
1. Tell me about yourself and what you can do. Given the standard format on resume posting websites, it’s not longer a problem about having a tidy or stylish resume. All you need to do is provide sufficient content (a.k.a. your work experience and skillset) so that I know what you can do so that I might want to contact you in the first place! I mean, I see things like 3 years experience in website designing, but then there is no description of the employer, the website, the tools used, or the type of project either.
2. Spell properly. For a position that requires proficiency in Photoshop, surely you can spell the name right. I see things like “potoshop” and “phtoshop”… ARGH. Even using the acronym “PS” would be much better. I don’t buy that Chinese people can’t spell English names properly, I think these people just don’t care. Heck, even spell check would catch that typo.
3. Your resume is effectively the first impression you make on the recruiter who uses online options. So please put a good picture of yourself! I’ve seen…
- Mugshots of unkempt boys... please note messy hair is neither cool nor artistic.
- Pictures taken from the webcam i.e. you’re not really looking at the camera, you’re actually looking at the screen. The problem is, when the picture is taken, your eyelids are covering your eyes and they make you look sleepy.
- Side-profile shots, or pictures taken from an angle. It’s your face I want to see, show me your face!!!
- Poorly sized photographs. Typically you should just upload a 2” photo of your face. Don’t resize a full-body picture into that small space. It’s ridiculous.
4. Relevant experience and information only please. Do not fluff up your resume with irrelevant social experience. I know that in school we were told that since we have no work experience, we should try and fill it up with other things. If you’re applying for an IT job, then perhaps your coursework and project work info would be useful. I don’t really want to know that you were a delivery boy for a fast food shop or that you helped out in the old folks home.
I know that you’re trying to tell me that you were independent and a helpful person, but that isn’t going to get you hired if you have nothing else that is relevant. It is maddening to spend time reading a resume all the way to the end only to find out you’ve wasted your time because this person has nothing that you want.
Yes yes, I know I sound like a heartless bitch. All this resume sifting has left me quite mad. If you’re guilty of any of the resume no-no’s listed above, please do something about it. Sometimes the only chance you have is a 2 second glance at the electronic version of your resume by a heartless bitch, so make sure those 2 seconds work for you, not against you.
If you do get called up for an interview, never say no unless it’s a position you really don’t want to do. For example, if you’re an accountant, and somebody calls you regarding an accounting/finance position, go check it out. You have nothing to lose. The company isn’t going to think less of you for trying to discover better options for yourself.
Finally, if you do agree to go, make sure you show up - don’t get yourself blacklisted by the company. And please dress properly. I had this guy show up in t-shirt, shorts and slippers for the position of a developer. My local GM tried to explain that developers have quirks, but seriously, that’s one big fat strike against you. I’m not saying wear a suit, but be neat and tidy. Surely that’s not too much to ask.
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Friday, August 03, 2007
Mother of all bugs: Aftermath
I took more medication this time round than I ever did for all the times I did in the past 2 years. This was most definitely the worst bug ever.
I don’t even know what bug it is. I had really bad fever, heavy head, aching body felt incredibly weak and my system shut down. But I didn’t cough, or sneeze or have a sore throat.
I am pretty much back to normal, but am still recovering strength and physical energy.
I never did see a doctor because here, going to the doc means going to the hospital. These are the only places where they are found. There are no general practitioners or family docs here. And typically, docs here put everyone on drip. I knew if I went in I’d be on drip + more. I don’t want some Chinese thing piercing my skin or some Chinese person picking drugs to enter my system. I just don’t trust the level of healthcare professionalism here enough to entrust my life to them.
It really really sucks to be this sick when you’re alone. It’s almost a struggle to get water, get meds, prepare something edible. The lack of emotional support makes you feel even worse. I could not tell my mom of course, she’d be worried silly. (I have told my mom about this, now that I’m well)
Having had no appetite for the food that she cooked for me (she only comes in on weekdays), Auntie Yin told me Tuesday afternoon, that I had lost weight being this sick. I think she was very happy to see me eat up the big bowl of noodles today.
Had a short conversation with Papa on Tuesday night before I fell asleep. Other than my condition, some friends had been on my mind and I shared how I felt about them. I knew I could trust him to take care of them. And I also shared some really basic feelings about my relationship with him.
While you may say that I was bound to get better and it was about time, when I woke up Wednesday and knew the bug was gone, I knew Papa had done a little something for me during the night. To me, that’s like him saying, “I heard you kid.” And that’s probably part of what making me so happy that this mother of all bugs has vamossed.
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Thursday, August 02, 2007
Mother of all bugs: The war
Mother who?
Normally when I fall sick, my system shuts down for 1 day. 2 days tops. This one took the cake. I battled the worst and fiercest bug for 4 days and 3 nights starting Friday night.
I knew when I wasn’t really enjoying Pirates of the Carribean 3 on Friday night that something was wrong. By the end of the movie, I had a fever. Did what I normally do. Fedac + 2 Panadols. That should do the trick, I think. Oh, and I put on a sweater too. Because I know I need to sweat out the fever to get it out fast.
Wrong.
Saturday I wake up feeling even worse. Suppose to hang with Matt before he leaves Sunday morn but I feel so dead I can barely move and my head is so heavy. Bad fever. So I cancel Matt and forbid him from coming over to bring me food or come anywhere close to me. I am KO-ed for the whole day, waking up only to pee, take more medication or drink water. Still breaking out in sweats which is very awful, but I feel relief from the fever after I wake up from a sweat. Remember consuming 2 pieces butter cake and half a bowl of instant noodles.
Sunday morning does not see me in better shape. I sleep in. Around noon, I’m feeling better, so I get up and online. Feve tries to skype-call but I kill his calls because I don’t trust myself to talk and listen properly, head still hurts some. It’s easier for me to see what he’s saying and what I’m saying. Later in the afternoon, even though it’s so hot outside, I start feeling cold (even though I already have a sweater on) and my fingernails have turned blue. Time to take meds and hit the pillows again.
Wake up from nap feeling better. Even go out to grab some porridge for dinner, walk a bit. Watch a little TV. Go to sleep.
That night was really bad. Was delirious. I kept tossing and turning in my sleep because my brain was on overdrive. It was driving me crazy. It kept dreaming up these 3d puzzles that I had to solve they’d go away. And then there was the damned construction noises that kept banging periodically in conjunction with the puzzles snapping together. I can only stop thinking about the 3d puzzles when I open my eyes, but they don’t stay open long. Then comes the part where my head hurts so bad that I start knocking my head with my knuckles because that made it hurt less. I’m crying out for Papa to stop the insanity and I somehow drift to sleep. Another sweaty night. Break fever, dammit.
Monday I’m still no good. Wake up around noon. Weak, but can move around better. Don’t remember much of that day. Managed to get peaceful sleep though.
Wake up Tuesday morning around 6. All is quiet in my head at last. I wonder if it’s over. I get out of bed and the head pain is suddenly back. I’m so mad!!! I shout “My head does not hurt” repeatedly, trying to will myself to beat the damned headache. It actually works while I’m saying it but comes back when I stop. I’m basically KO-ed again. Meds. Break into another sweat, wake up around noon.
Better. I think the fever’s gone now. But still weak, though not as bad as yesterday. Do a few things here and there. Nothing meaningful. Creed thinks its time I take some Chinese meds, offers to bring me some the next day.
Wednesday morning (i.e. yesterday). It is over. I know it. The Mother Of All Bugs has left. YES!!!!
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Friday, May 18, 2007
Irritated
Today I just want to gripe about some things that irritate me.
First, free movie and music downloads. Someone recently introduced me to what looked like a Chinese version of napster. I refused to download the software because I think there is value in such entertainment and we should pay something for them. I don’t know which is worse, buying pirated stuff or not paying at all – these seem to be the only two options here.
Second, making cheeky comments during an emotional moment during movies. Like when I was watching Glory (which is a great movie by the way), someone noticed I was crying and kept saying, “Why are you crying? It’s just a movie you know.” Damn it. I know it’s a movie. It’s a great story, great acting, great music – just let me enjoy the moment why don’t ya? I’m fine with people making such comments when the show is over, and I’ll even laugh at myself too, but just let me be when I’m watching the movie ok? Hand me a tissue or something…
Third, fiddling with document formatting in my presence. There are some people who like to adjust or format documents, presentations, excel spreadsheets to make it look perfect. Which is fine, just do it in your own time. We are here to discuss, not for me to watch you move text boxes up, down, left or right, nor am I here to watch you amend column widths and font sizes. I know you like things pretty and all neat and tidy, but could you please do it later when we’ve ended our meeting?!?!?
Fourth, really poor quality ads on Chinese TV. I'm not even talking about the uniqueness or memorability of the ad. I'm just talking about poor sound quality (the kind that sounds really sharp and irks your ears) and those 5-second ads (saying the name of product and slogan) that are played back to back thinking that if they play it often enough, people will want to buy their stuff.
Anyway, I just needed to get that out of my system.
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Somebody changed the rules!
It’s so irritating. The powers-that-be over here have put back the internet restrictions again. This means that I cannot access my usual websites directly. All blogspot blogs (and even my own blog) have to be accessed via a proxy.
For a short while, after the internet cable damaged by that major earthquake in December last year, all the internet restrictions were undone. Now it seems like somebody has had time to put the rules back on and and they're even tighter than before.
Now I can’t even file my taxes, with or without the proxy. Damn!
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Where have all the spices gone?
The Bak Kut Teh (pork rib soup) spices I brought back from Singapore a week ago are missing!!! I have this nagging but unverifiable suspicion that Auntie Yin has taken them... sigh
Afternote: I did ask Auntie Yin if she did see them, and to help me look for the spices. I found them under my bed the other day. I think I might have kicked them in there accidentally while I was unpacking. It would be crazy to think that she planted them there after I asked her about them...
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Saturday, September 02, 2006
AARGH
If I were to really write what I feel now, I know that I would regret what I say because everything would be written in a fit of anger. Also no need to write things that might offend the 1.5 billion people - reduces my odds of survival in this land.
But the things that happened today really pissed me off. Between the landlord pursuing his claims without bothering about contractual procedure and our reply, and my OA tendering again without honoring contractual obligations, I am so incredibly mad!!!
It is raining pretty heavily tonight, lots of thunder and lighting. Reflects my mood.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Calm before the storm
Just a quick post here. My GM just returned. He brought his older daughter Megan with him. Michelle and my GM's sister will be coming at the end of the month.
My GM's working style is very different from Jose's. I realized that the last time they were both in town. Now they are both in town again. I cannot help but anticipate upheaval in the very real and immediate future.
Crossing my fingers and toes.
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Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Honeymoon's over
I do not think I came with rose-tinted glasses. But everyday I am learning more that this country may be more than I ever expected. Last two weeks, when I was sick and incredibly stressed, I was so ready to throw in the towel.
I broke down when I spoke to my mom two Sundays ago, I told her I wanted to come home, but she told me to hang in there. And I had some really good encouragement from Jaimacando too.
I know I said before, “Even if it does not work out, at least I could say that I tried.” Yet as bad as it was and can be, I just will not actually quit because I do not want to come back to Singapore defeated. I have too much pride, am too stubborn, and I still believe we can do this.
Today, my company (the project which I am now on has evolved into a registered trading company, www.5ok5ok.com ) submitted our first tender for supplying office stationery and equipment. We are worried that our suppliers are over charging us, but we do not have the experience to tell if their prices are competitive or not.
My boss has given instructions that we have to secure this deal but really, it is not within my control at all. The scary thing is, apart from worrying about our suppliers overcharging us, I know that if we make it through to round two, the customer will negotiate on prices again… and we have little room to move. But I will deal with that when that comes… if our current prices are even competitive enough to make it beyond the first round.
You are probably asking what has office supplies trading got to do with healthcare (the original industry we came to look at)? Well, healthcare takes time, right now, we must find generate revenue to sustain our operations. This is a first step in a long journey. It will all come together later.
My work covers Administration, HR, some Finance/Accounting and overseeing the trading company. So there are much room for error, and I am humiliated by the kind of mistakes I have been making – especially in numbers. Thank goodness the full-time accountant will be start in May and I hope to pass the number crunching to her. I do not want to say it is too much work because I would not have learnt so much if I did not try all these things. Many and careless mistakes have led to much admonishment and man, that is hard to take. The honeymoon’s definitely over.
To end on a upbeat note, my boss returned to Singapore this Sunday just past, and my stress level has definitely decreased significantly. I now have time to read – which is really de-stressing. I have missed that so much. And I have my plane ticket by my bed. I am coming home soon. YES!!!
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Saturday, April 15, 2006
Damn, it's cold!
This week has been really cold. Like it is winter again. Which really sucked because the day after I decided that it was warming up for real and sent my winter jacket for dry-cleaning, the cold front came. I was without my winter jacket for 2 days and that may explain why I think I am going to fall sick. Even the locals cannot figure out the weather. Argh.
It has also been cold in other ways. Like me and my communications with people. Work is pretty rough these days. Got my ass kicked recently. Not really something that I feel like talking about because it would just be me whining and that is boring. But like I have alluded to before, I tend to shut down on people when I am stressed.
It is like there is so much work that needs to get done that I put all my energy into work, so there is little left to talk, chat or even SMS. I have seen some of you on MSN messenger and some of you have emailed me, I apologize for my distance. I do like chatting on messenger because it helps me catch up, but then it is hard to do it when my mind is clearly on something else. My communications beyond the scope of work (both international and domestic) are few and far between, so nobody is getting special treatment.
I feel the cold not just in the air and in my bones. It is a deeper feeling of being cut off from the world, and I know it is a direct consequence of my lifestyle (try working almost 7 days and nights a week) in the past month. So if you ask how I am, the truest answer would be that I am just hanging in there and trying to make things work.
I am not making excuses for myself. I know that I do not want it to be like that. But I think the only way I can make things improve is to I can clear the workload so that I get to be freer to do the things that I want. So in the meantime, weekly blog postings will have to do. Please bear with me.
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Friday, March 31, 2006
My brush with the law
Today three people from the local Commercial Administration Bureau (CAB) Investigation Department showed up at our door and totally scared my office assistant to bits. They told her that someone had lodged a complaint against our company and they were here to investigate. She came to me extremely worried.
I asked for their identification papers and recorded down their details – they refused to let me photocopy their papers. But I had no way of checking if they were for real. I asked what they were investigating and they said that someone had complained that we were operating without a legal business license and that we had violated the law. They wanted to see our business license, financial books and understand our purpose of business. I explained to them what our company did and highlighted that we had just moved in, may I know what was the name of company the complaint was lodged against? (It could very well have been the previous tenant.) They said the complaint was lodged against the occupants of our address, and they could not give me a company name.
Now I have to confess that I was a little intimidated by the big guy among the three. The bug guy was really tall and looked like a gangster. The other two were ladies (although one looked like a gangster too), so they probably brought the guy for intimidation purposes. I called my GM but he had left his cell phone in his room. And he was not upstairs in the apartment either. Fortunately he happened to return to the office else I was not quite sure where to look for him. My GM did not want to release any information or documents to these people, it made us look shady.
Jose had gone out for golf in a place far away. Unfortunately Jose’s phone was off, but we managed to get him through the other person who was playing with him. Jose said that he would arrange for our lawyer to come down. But when I called the lawyer, he said that he was in a meeting and would come after that. I called Jose back and he said he would talk to the lawyer again.
In the mean time, those CAB people started walking around, touching our things and documents, talking to our staff, scaring them shitless (sorry, i just cannot find a better description right now) and walking around the place.
My colleague was stupid enough to open the accountant’s room door to look for some information then, and they walked in and wanted to look at our books. He even started showing them stuff. Staff should never enter the accountant’s room at any point unless authorized! I wanted to strangle him.
Finally, our lawyer showed up and he mediated for us. The short of it is that the CAB people were probably investigating the previous tenant. It was a bad coincidence that of all the tenants on the floor, only our door was open, so they walked to us. It did not help that we did not display our business license prominently as required by the CAB (we did not know that was a requirement). So anyway, they left after taking a copy of our business license and rental agreement.
We briefed our staff after lunch but I bet they speculated about our business during lunch. I certainly did not need this additional episode of stress. I am exhausted.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Working my ass off
Work has been insane. I know I always say that, but really, just when I think work has peaked out, more comes.
We are on to another project now and we launch next week. I have been working my butt off for the past three weeks and we are making progress, but man, this is tiring! I feel like there are many things that need to get done and there just are not enough hours in a day to make that happen.
I need to relax my brain a bit, so I am writing this post now. But I cannot help but feel a little guilty like I should be doing my work even though it is 9 at night. The funny thing is, my mind keeps getting distracted from writing and starts thinking about work. ARGH!!! How can that be possible? I must be stressed.
Yes, that must be it. Yesterday, I walked into this glass door because I was thinking about work and not really looking in front of me. It did not help that there were no stickers on it cautioning me that there was a glass door in front of me. When I banged into the door, there was this loud resounding “Dong…” and everybody in the room looked at me. So embarrassed. I now have a bump on my forehead to show for it. Silly me.
I was just looking through my music. I am putting The Bodyguard soundtrack on now. Please do not laugh. This soundtrack is surprisingly conducive for me to work in. Go Whitney! Oh man, I must come off as supremely tacky…
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Pain, pain, pain
I still cannot figure out what it was but today I was in such incredible pain. It might have been food poisoning but then I did not have the usual prolonged visit to the bathroom. My GM gave me some Po Chai Pills (it is a well known Chinese medication in Singapore for stomachaches and stuff like that) but that did not seem to have any effect.
Then I thought it might have been cramps but then it was not that time of the month. I just felt really queasy, my abdomen was kinda churning and cramping, and there was this sharp pain in my left lower back (near the waist). At some point I was almost ready to keel over and die. Even lying down hurt – I just could not get comfortable. It was a horrible feeling.
I went home to rest, but had to kinda babysit Michelle too. (It helps my GM focus at work when he knows he can leave her in the apartment under somebody else’s care. Otherwise she comes to work with him and she is a distraction there.) But I was in so much agony I did not do a good job.
My accountant called in the afternoon. On hearing my symptoms she said that I might have caught a cold, and that I should take medication for that. Now I have had colds before and it has never been like that, so I did not quite believe her. But I had just about had it with the pain, so I took some Panadol for pain relief (and as a preventative measure for any upcoming fever) and went to bed.
It would have been wonderful to have had uninterrupted rest, but that seems to be rare commodity during office hours. But as the calls came in, each time I woke up, I felt a better and now I am back sitting upright and working on my laptop. I still have no clue what that episode was about.
It is kinda freaky really, being out here without any GP or family doctor to visit. If I had gone to the hospital, they would have put me on the drip immediately (that seems to be their cure for everything.) And I am not even sure if that would have solved the problem. Anyways, it is good to be back in working condition.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Crazy crazy
“Crazy crazy.” That is a phrase my friend and I use very often. It usually follows either a description of an incident with the locals that frustrates or does not make sense to us, or after a comment about our busy work schedule, or just something that we cannot figure out.
For example. Two of three of my interviewees did not show up the other day. They did not even have the courtesy to call to say that they were not coming. It turns out this is a pretty normal occurrence here. I should count myself lucky if I even get 50% attendance. I barely have hopes for finding the right candidates now. You would think that basic courtesy would at least prevent you from getting blacklisted by the company. But maybe over here, there are so many people, and so many jobs that such no-shows think that they would not be penalizing themselves in anyway. ARGH! Crazy crazy.
I was in meetings the whole weekend. By that I mean Saturday morning till evening. And all of Sunday afternoon and night. Last week, I was in meetings practically half the time! Crazy crazy.
The weather has turned colder. My friend told me that it was supposed to get warmer after Spring festival, but that is why the word “supposed to” was there. Crazy crazy. And I do not know why his comment to the extent that I brought summer clothing back with me this time. It is not as if it is going to get that warm that soon. And I would probably be back home again before summer comes, so what was I thinking? Crazy crazy.
Anyway, it has been crazy since I got back this time round and I have little time to relax and write anything decent. But I am excited because Mr. Microsoft is coming to visit this weekend, so that will be great!
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Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I share the same hairdresser with the aunties
As usual, I had to pop by the hairdresser’s for my much needed hair maintenance. I have not let anybody in China touch my hair (i.e. cut or color) for fear that they may really mess it up and I would have to live with the mistake. But my stays in China are getting longer and longer and I will have to find somebody I can trust to handle my hair.
So anyways, last Friday I spent more time than I had expected at the salon. I have to say, Christopher is doing really good business, even for a weekday. Which is great, considering that I do not have to worry about him going out of business which means me having to look for another hairdresser I can depend on.
But when three aunties walked in to the salon today during the course of my stay, I felt a little funny. I guess it is hard believing that my hairdresser whom I believe is in touch with the “right” hairstyles for young women like yours truly, also is in touch with the same for old aunties. And for a few seconds there, I wondered if I would end up having the same hairstyle as one of the older ladies. Which would be a truly bad thing.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps they were so satisfied with Christopher’s skills that they kept coming back. Which was a nice thought. Then I noticed that they all had the same short curly ‘do. Which made me wonder if he would give me the same hairdo when I grow old. Egads!
I was promptly brought back to the present when the girl was done blow-drying my hair. I really liked the red that Christopher had put in. And then I knew that he was good enough for now and I could always trust his hands and eyes. And since he was probably slightly older than me, he would have retired by the time I was due for that short curly ‘do. See, It all works out. :)
21:30 Posted in Gripes | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: haircut
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Why the locals make my life miserable
This is one of those Gripes posts, so I am going to make lots of extreme and sweeping statements and grammar mistakes. Excuse me please. You may skip this post. If you’re charitable, then you’ll view this as my second installment of lessons learnt.
1. They don’t line up.
They just push their way to the front to get what they want. Who cares if you patiently lined up. So you do the same to get what you need done. Which makes you feel really low because you’ve lowered your standards and become like them.
2. They spit.
Anywhere and everywhere. Spitting on the streets seems to be common behavior and I’ve learned to accept that. I was sitting at the back of a double decker bus on the bottom level. Tired, I nodded off. When I woke up, I looked at the window right beside me and saw this spit dribbling down my window, really near to my face. It was on the other side of the window of course and it would never have touched me, but it was a horrible sight to wake up to. You’d think with all the experience of spitting, the guy sitting above me should have been able to spit further instead of just spitting onto the exterior surface of the window. Or perhaps it was the guy from the other bus next to mine. He spit from his bus over to mine. Either way, the thought made me shiver.
3. They don’t understand the concept of quality and making samples to ensure customer satisfaction.
I wanted this printer to make a sample. I told him I wanted to see 1 sample. If I approved it, then he could make the rest of the order. When I came to look at the sample, it was unsatisfactory, and then he told me he had made all the 100 pieces. He had already incurred the cost and refused to return me my deposit. He even had the cheek to tell me that I should not be the judge of what is acceptable or not, rather we should seek another printer’s opinion of whether the result I had expected was reasonable, and whether his good were within the “industry’s accepted range of variance”. Bullshit.
Another time, I wanted some caps made. I gave them the company logo to embroider. He said that he couldn’t make samples but he was confident he could do exactly what I wanted. It was a horrible mistake. The circle on my logo had become an oval, and instead of being centralized, they were all off-centre and to the left. The difference between the logo I gave them and their work was appalling. They kept insisting that the customer wouldn’t know the difference. I’m the customer damn it, and the difference is bloody obvious. So don’t tell me the customer doesn’t know and that it doesn’t matter.
4. Their feet stink.
It’s wrong to say that only sweaty feet smell. It’s winter now so feet don’t sweat that much (like feet do in Singapore). When we have some repairmen or delivery boys come to our apartment and they have to take off their shoes to enter our house. An instant odor fills the house and hits you in the nose and gives you a headache. It also makes you wonder if you’re the one with smelly feet. It makes you check your feet, wash them and then finally realize that it’s not you. And it makes you go out and buy air freshener to spray in the house after they leave. Why don’t they wash their feet or socks?
5. Suits don’t mean a thing.
Everybody wears suits. From the repairman to the CEO. To find out their true hierarchy ranking, you have to observe the quality of the suit, the way they carry the suit (e.g. do they roll up the sleeves), how dirty the suit is, the type of shoes they wear, how they walk and if their feet stink (if that information, that is.) As a result, my nice suit drops in value – wearing them in Singapore used to represent a special occasion; here it just makes you look like everyone else.
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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Sick as a dog, chicken, whatever
Damn, should have thought twice about those chocolates. I was at the grocery store on Thursday, taking a walk after lunch. Passed by the sweets section and the entire shelf of chocolates called out to me. Those chocolate folks sure put in a lot of thought into their packaging. I could not resist.
Three chocolate bars later, I had this throbbing headache the whole afternoon. It was not the full-blown-I-think-I-could-die type, but it sure was making its presence known. Is it possible to get headaches from eating too much chocolate? There must be something wrong with me.
I woke up with a sore throat on Friday. Definitely induced by the chocolates. Falling sick always has the same pattern. Starts with a sore throat, and then the flu and fever hits, and it ends up with a cough. So I took half the day off to come home to rest. Only to wake up around five, dying to get out there and play some ultimate. It looked like it was going to rain, but I went anyway, needed to get some exercise. No game but at least I got to toss the disc some.
So, it seems like there is a big bad flu bug going around. In their words, Jukebox is “sick as a dog” and Han is a “sick chicken”, and some other friends are down as well. It is Saturday and I am still fighting off my bug, we might win this battle I think. I shall keep eating these nasty tasting lozenges to prevent this little monster of a sore throat from turning into The Thing. (Although I have to admit the nice thing being down with the flu is that you get lotsa TLC. Tons. But that is the ONLY nice thing. The rest is just plain misery.)
The process of falling sick is the worst part: you are not exactly bedridden yet you are not at your best either. Nothing you can do to save the sinking ship. Not ill enough to justify a visit to the doctor’s to get him to send you home for the day. So you just hang around at work and infect the rest of the people. Worse still if the bug hits when you need to be at work so badly. So there you are, feeling miserable as you sit at your desk, trying desperately to get stuff done when you just want to curl up in bed. Work that you cannot bring home because the material you need is confidential and must be kept within company confines, or it is an urgent assignment, or something like that. Everybody around you inhales your germs and gets sick too. Sneaky buggers, these flu germs/virus/whatever.
I refuse to succumb to the flu. I went down to town today. I shall go out and play ultimate tomorrow afternoon. I shall drink lots of water, eating my lozenges and vitamin C, and get enough sleep tonight. No bug is going to spoil my weekend.
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Sunday, July 03, 2005
Missing wheels
I have been without a car for about two weeks. My dad finally scrapped his car so he started using my brother's car (the one I was using). My brother came back yesterday, so this means my dad will be car-less too. Until his new Toyota comes in. Today I really remembered what it was like to be wholly dependent on public transport again. By public transport, I mean buses and trains. Cabs do not really count - they are a luxury.
I have become a brat in the one year I have had the car. I miss my personal space. I miss deciding what music I want to hear, what conversations, smells and faces I want in my surroundings. I do not want to feel sick after an hour's ride with the bus-driver from hell. I do not want to be drawn to stare at the toenails of the people sitting opposite me in the train. I do not want to be pushed and shoved like cattle. I want to take my route. I want a head rest. I want air-conditioning blowing in my face when I feel like it. I want peace and quiet. I want a seat. I want to sit beside a cute guy, if not, next to no one. (Ok, that last one was a joke)
You get the idea. Taking public transport can be tiring. Physically, mentally and emotionally. I am winded after today's travelling - and it was not even that far. I am so not cut out for public transport. But I must say that I am so glad that Singapore has an excellent public transport system. You can get pretty much anywhere using it, for reasonable price too. Of course when I say "anywhere", you cannot count in the estates where the rich people live because lower/middle-class public transport is "banned" in suburbania - it devalues the property i think.
Anyway, reality bites and I have to get used to public transport again. I can use the exercise, the car has made me soft. If only we could cool down the weather a bit. I hate carrying umbrellas - I look so uncool.
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Parking ticket
I love this parking spot opposite the neighborhood shopping centre (Siglap Centre). It is so convenient, I just have to cross a small road to get to the shops. It is a hot spot with the drivers so I count myself lucky when I get a space. However, it is illegal to park along that street from 7am to 7pm, which is the period during which I swing by to get stuff or eat there. My take is this: if the driver is not obstructing traffic, why does it bother the authorities so?
Anyways, I went for lunch near Siglap Centre the other day and I was pleased to find a space and eagerly left my car there. Much to my dismay, I found a $30 parking ticket stuffed under my windscreen wiper when I returned. The offence I was guilty of was for putting insufficient parking coupons at a carpark in some other area in lot 411 at a time before I even arrived at Siglap Centre. I decided to question the ticketed charge.
I went to the website to check on the fine and could not find the offence registered to my car. So I called up the authorities, and they told me that the ticket was actually issued to a van, not me. I was told to write in and return the ticket. Two weeks later, I got a reply saying that my "appeal" had been rejected and I still had to pay the fine. What the...?!?!?! I was not appealing, damn it.
So I called up the authorities again to explain that I was not at the said car park at the said space on the said date and time. Then this woman had the cheek to get sarcastic and say, "Oh, so are you saying that someone broke into your car, drove it to somewhere else, got a summon and then drove it back?" NO STUPID, ALL I AM SAYING IS THAT I WAS NOT THERE.
So they say that they will check with the attendant where he was when he issued the ticket and give me a written reply. Great I thought, so it is your guy's word against mine. Excuse me if I have some issues about the fairness of that kind of verification. Is your staff going to admit to issuing a wrong ticket?
Sure enough, a letter came in last week telling me that they had checked with their staff and verified that it was my blue Nissan that was found "guilty". Of course you would know it is my blue Nissan. Did I also not tell you it was a blue Nissan when you asked me what make my car was? Did I not write in to give my license plate number which you can then use to check with the Registry of Motor Vehicles what make my car is?
Five weeks, two letters and much frustration later, I decided to pay the $30 fine on Saturday or risk being hauled to court. How can I beat the system? There is no way I could explain how the ticket could be physically stuck on my car if the parking attendant had not seen my car parked in that car park in that lot at that time, even if I was telling the truth. How could they believe that their staff, probably bored to hell with his job, hot and tired from staking it out under the hot sun, came to the park across Siglap Centre to take a nap or catch up with his friends during office hours, and decided to issue a ticket to a Nissan, in the shade of blue he disliked, on his way to make rounds in the "zone" actually under his juristiction? Who knows maybe he had a number to make?
I am so convinced he was slacking and just wanted to have something to show that he was working instead of having breakfast. The other day I saw a group of these parking attendants lounging in that park. Honestly, I am not trying to escape a ticket. I have paid for other offences I am guilty of (speeding and other parking fines). I do not get a kick out of making a fuss. I do not have so much free time that I feel the need to give them civil servants something to do.
While I can consider this paying my dues for occasional illegal parking, it does not make the bitter pill any easier to swallow. At least nail me for something that I did do. Argh!
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Monday, June 13, 2005
Hello passenger, welcome to take my taxi
That is what I hear in English each time I get into a cab here in China these days. It is part of a standard greeting that starts when the cab driver activates the meter. The English message is preceded by a Chinese message welcoming me to XXX Taxi Company, thanking me for taking this taxi and reminding me to fasten my seatbelt. I found the truncated and grammatically incorrect English version amusing initially, but now it symbolizes my language difficulty here in China.
My Mandarin is functional for basic small talk such as introducing myself, talking about movies, my hobbies and family. Today, I went sightseeing with Mr. King and his family: they are Hongkongers who can speak mandarin. We had a great time chatting about various things: from the speeding ticket the driver got, to China's one child policy, and even a little about Singapore. I truly enjoyed their company, beyond the opportunity to have extended conversations in Mandarin and have them teach me some new words. Unfortunately, not every day is Sunday - my language problems start coming during business discussions.
I like having meetings because it means that we are gathering more information for our business decisions, but I hate them at the same time because I am forced to face my weakness. My boss understands and speaks some Mandarin but sometimes requires me to translate the portions he does not understand or does not know how to convey. More often than not, I find myself swimming in dark and deep waters. The Chinese words used are beyond my comprehension half the time; so my translations lose at least half the speaker's meaning. Other times I lack the vocabulary to express what my boss wants to say and so I lose half of his message too. I hate it that I am a provider of truncated and grammatically incorrect translations! Argh.
Add on the fact that I am new to this kind of work - business development and planning, and due diligence - so not only do I have to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge, I have to already start using them in a Chinese context!
I feel so lousy about being such poor help, and I know now that I should have paid more attention in Chinese class. I guess I always thought I would be working in an English speaking country, never here. I bought an English-Chinese dictionary, but it barely helps. We will be getting a translator soon; but I really need to improve my mandarin anyway.
They say that you learn fastest when you are in a community which speaks that language. But between Chinese behavioral protocol (i.e. sometimes only the bosses should speak), the lack of opportunity to go out and make friends (not much of a social life here), it is hard to find a conducive environment in which I can make mistakes, and have people who will come alongside me to help me learn. When I return to Singapore, I am so happy to be speaking English again that I rarely use my mandarin.
Mr. King shared about his own struggles to converse with Australians in English. He learnt English in school but never got to use it until his 60s, so he too was fumbling in communication. His takeaway from the experience was that it was only in being brave and continually trying that they finally understood each other. (His English also improved, of course.) "Better to make mistakes so that they can be corrected, rather than shy away from these situations and continue to be a novice in the language." It was really encouraging to hear that and it could not have come at a better time.
Tomorrow, my meetings start again, and it will be "Lost in Translation" all over again, but I know I must be brave. I just have to keep trying.
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Thursday, May 19, 2005
Pity party
Have been hanging around in the past lately. Questioning and second-guessing. No answers, just one big pity party. When it rains, it pours.
I hate pity parties because they are so self-centered. You think the world is all about you and your issues and everyone should accomodate your moodiness and sour face. People who care enough will take it for a while, but it gets old, quickly. Then you are back to a party of one... which makes you feel even worse. The truth is, mucking around in the mud does nothing for you. I need to snap out of mine.
I was at Jason's photography space (see hyperlink on left column under "Go here", or just click here) and saw some really beautiful pictures. Papa does wonderful work, and he provides gifts and tools to help us see.
Talking to Silly Doc kinda helped but we concluded there really is nothing to be done. Keep busy, he said - I think that is a good idea. It is the waiting that is the hardest, is it not? Waiting for the bloody battle to start, your mind starts running wild, while your body stays in forced paralysis.
If you are waiting, like I am, we need to whip our minds into shape. We need to stay strong mentally. Your body will consequently seek the strengthening it needs to prepare itself.
Get out of the dump, dude.
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Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Damn! Another blister?!?!
I have always thought that if I were rich enough, I would be able to buy new shoes that fit well right from day one. Unfortunately, I am neither rich, nor have I been able to buy new shoes that have ever fit well. So my poor feet are the long suffering victims of my retail therapy. Long suffering not because I buy a lot of shoes, but because it takes me eons to break a new pair in. Many blisters have I known.
Today I have six blisters on my feet. (Yes, since you are already here, you do have to know, and you might as well keep reading) Blisters are interesting. There is the "juicy" type - it does hurt, but it is puffy with fluid. There are the harmless ones - these are minor blisters that heal in a day. And then there are the killer ones. These do not have "juice", but they are located on areas with little flesh, so they hurt like hell. Every step you take is excruciating. I have been taking many excruciating steps today, and it is only 1025 in the morning.
I have so many blisters (One healing juicy one, five killer ones) because I have been taking walks to work. Usually I drive or get rides to work, but since Monday, I have been taking the 15-20 minute walk instead. Call it a change in exercise plans, or the desire to get some natural light, here are a few takeaways:
1. Beware the usual suspects. I wore a newer pair of shoes today. Should have known better than to take it out. It has already been through five wearings, but I still got five of those killer blisters from this morning. It is as if the shoes are saying, "Here's one for everytime you made us work."
2. Even older shoes can give blisters. Yesterday and the day before, I wore two of my favorite shoes. Got a juicy blister and a sore toe. Maybe they were saying, "Here's what you get for bringing in competition."
3. Drive, or be chauffered, if possible. Ladies working shoes probably are not meant for walking in. They are for working... sitting down. Maybe a short stroll to the pantry, printer, copier, washroom. Furthest you should go is lunch or to the train station or bus stop. Maybe you are supposed to wear sneakers to work if you really have to walk. Duh!
4. Walking can be tiring. I do consider myself reasonably fit. But man, the walking in the past two days has totally tired me out. 15 minute walk to the office, 15 minute walk to the train station, 15 minute walk from the train station back home. I am weak - that is what I have become.
Anyways, I found myself at the cobbler yesterday to get the soles of my older shoes replaced. I choose to think that the blister and sore toe were just them throwing a fit. I even called the cobbler "Boss" so that he would be nice to my shoes. I do like those shoes and want them around for longer I guess.
But back to reality - my feet hurt and I cannot change my shoes. So I will just have to walk slowly, in hopes of pulling off an elegant and effortless facade in a desperate attempt to avoid the pain. The things I have to do for my shoes. Maybe I just need to get rich, and buy shoes that fit well, right from day one.
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Saturday, March 05, 2005
Attack of the Killer Mandarins
It has been almost a month since the first day of Chinese New Year. I forgot to say that part of the customs of the season is to exchange a pair of mandarins (representing chinese gold ingots a.k.a wealth) with the host of the family you visit. So technically, all you need for the whole season is one pair of tangerines, and then you keep exchanging that with every visit.
Most people feel that you should not give away the mandarins that others give to you. So you have this "stock" of your own mandarins. When people give you theirs, you keep that, take two from your own stock and return it to them. My mom usually buys two crates of the fruit. As far as I am concerned, it just translates to the number of mandarins I have to eat.
So the same thing happened this year. My mom bought two crates, just before another two crates came to our place. They were a gift from my dad's colleagues. FOUR CRATES!!! I panicked. I desperately urged my mom to get rid of them but I knew I would be bleeding orange by the time I was through with them.
At first it is always alright. We ate the mandarins at the end of every meal. Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days technically, so it seemed fitting to eat mandarins. The mandarins were sweet for the most part, although a few were dried out by the time we got to them.
A week ago, I wanted a snack. Usually I raid the fridge and there are lots of fruits for me, but all I saw were mandarins. Looked in the cupboard for an unhealthy snack - we had nothing. Argh. So I just refrained from snacking - felt so miserable about it too. But I thought that my mom would pick up some more fruits at the grocer's. So I stopped eating the mandarins - Chinese New Year was over anyway.
It has been almost a month since the first day of Chinese New Year. WE STILL HAVE MANDARINS!!! A basket on the table, and two crate in the fridge. Somebody please rescue me. I fell sick on Monday night - I usually flood my system with water and fruits when I am sick. But I really cannot touch another mandarin. Yet that is all we had. Misery doubled.
So on Thursday, I finally begged my mom to buy some other fruit this week at the grocer's. She agreed. But something good happened last night. My mom said, "San, I got you an apple." Oh thank you thank you thank you. Yippee! The light at the end of the tunnel! So I saved it for this morning, and I went to check it out in the fridge just now.
It is a small apple. But it has never looked so good. It is nice and cold - what an escape from the hot weather we have been having. Its smooth pink-red skin - what a relief from the rougher orange skin of the mandarins. Its crunchiness - what a contrast from the soft flesh of mandarins... It is my hero, here to save me from the attack of the killer mandarins.
Excuse me while I go enjoy my apple now.
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