and looking longingly back.
Read More!Monday, May 29, 2006
Free Stuff I cannot do without: Online Chinese Input Method Editor
I think the Online Chinese Input Method Editor (IME) ought to have a name change. It is too unwieldy a name for such an efficient and powerful java programme. With this programme, which does not require any downloading as all the work is done online, you can type out Chinese characters even if you don't have a Chinese input programme on your computer.
Just type in the han yu pin yin (that is, the romanised Chinese), choose which character you want, and select the number. If the characters are part of a commonly used phrase, you could save time by typing the han yu pin yin of both characters together. I love this input method because I am brilliant with multiple choice (how do you suppose I passed Chinese all the way up to `A' levels?) so I can usually choose the right character from a list, while not necessarily being able to write it off the top of my head. :) I am brilliant like that.
This IME is actually a sub-page of a Chinese-English dictionary that is quite versatile. You can type in English (for example `flower') and it will tell you how to write it in Chinese. You could also type in Chinese characters, and it'll tell you how to read it and what it means in English. Very useful if you can't remember how to say something in Chinese.
I actually wrote a post in Chinese a while back but for some reason Blogger couldn't pick up the Chinese characters. That is why this post is in English, really.
It is a sleepy and discombobulated Monday
My CD is stuck in my computer. I think I will shut down my computer and go get some coffee now. I substituted my coffee this morning for a yoghurt with mango, lychee, bannana and nuts, which was really good and healthy and all, but now I look like I just got out of my bed: my eyes are puffy and there are bags under my eyes, and it is 12:50PM already.
Oh crud, it is the first day of the school holidays isn't it? Does this mean that the school canteen is closed? No 60 cents coffee for me?
Woe! Woe! Woe!
Update: Restarting my comp caused a corruption in one of my drivers, which I eventually resolved, but it also caused the loss of all my firefox bookmarks and custom quick searches. Pppth. It only goes to show how important having coffee in the morning is for lubricating the day's activities.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
On plugs and stuff
All the voltages and electric plugs in the world here.
The thing is, I remember frying my sister's US-made palm when she was in Singapore last, and I remember being so cock-sure about plugging it in only because I had plugged in Singapore-made appliances in US without any apparent problems. Am I correct? Is stepping down from 230V to 120V ok, but stepping up from 120V to 230V disastrous?
For Australia, a simple adapter is sufficient.
United Kingdom, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are our twin sisters.
Why does US and UK have to be so stubbornly different?
Saturday, May 27, 2006
The Lord's Prayer in the Original Greek
Our Father in heaven
Let your name be hallowed )
Let your kingdom come___) On earth as it is in heaven
Let your will be done_____)
Nurture us for your kingdom work
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Lead us not into testing
But deliver us from evil
The first word of this prayer puts us in relation with those around us, from the most distant aquaintence to our loved ones -- God is "our Father", and so we are "brothers and sisters", even if we are not all Christians.
When we pray "Let your name be hallowed; let your kingdom come; let your will be done -- on earth as it is in heaven", we are praying that we will be in that posture of life to make it happen. This means that every thing we do, every one we meet, every thought, every bit of us is for God and for the fulfilment of God's kingdom here on earth.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is really better translated "Nurture us for your kingdom work", because even as we pray the lines before, about wanting to be the vessel of God's work, we realise that we are woefully inadequate, so we ask God to nurture us every day.
"Forgive us as we forgive..." puts us in relation with the people in our lives as well.
The Lord's prayer ends with "Lead us not into testing," where testing refers to God testing the hearts of men, which we fail; and so we plead for God to keep us from the evil in our own hearts, the sin that is so close.
~ Adapted from Rev Dr Robert Mullholland's sermon Read More!
Regrets
Handsome brit: "Hey, could you make me more manly in the next section please?"
(what I should have said): *grin* "You're manly enough."
(what I did say): "Er, so I increase the `low' on the sound system, right?"
Friday, May 26, 2006
Free stuff I cannot live without: Konfabulator
Except it is not called Konfabulator ever since Yahoo bought over it. It is now called "Yahoo! Widget Engine". Konfabulator rolls off the tongue so much better though, but thanks to Yahoo!, Yahoo! widget engine is almost exactly the same as Konfabulator (just with a few name changes) and it is FREE.
Why can't I live without this nifty programme? Because of a widget that pulls out my events and to do list from outlook and puts it on my desktop. This is a screenshot of my desktop.
This widget, formerly known as PIM overview, is my personal secretary. It reminds me of lunch appointments I've forgotten about, little things that I need to get done, and with one click of a button, tells me the schedule for tomorrow as well. I am atrocious about keeping track of what day and date it is, so by pressing F8 once, it brings all the widgets to the front, including my calendar widget.
There are as many widgets as there are personality types. Folks are constantly creating new widgets: you could get one for itunes, a werewolf monitor (that tracks the phases of the moon), the weather, a fancy wastepaper basket, all kinds of clocks, RSS news headlines, notepads, blogpads, and practically anything, really. What I would really like to see is a Chinese input widget, but unfortuantely, neither my programming nor my Chinese is good enough. :)
Have fun!
(Tip: To adjust the opacity of the widget, right-click the widget and select "widget preferences". I think translucent widgets are cool.)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
How do you measure a day?
"Remember to eat your food today."
"You are going to eat my food? Huh?" I asked, incredulous.
"No, I said, remember to eat your food."
"You mean the pantry is still at the back of your car?" (Don't even ask)
"No! Remember to eat your food! Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner!"
"Haha! I get it. What a lot of food!"
"NOT AT ONE GO! Breakfast, then a few hours later, lunch, and a few hours later, dinner.."
"Oooh. It sounds like a good day already." :)
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Singnet Broadband now only $29.95
I've been waiting for the price of unlimited broadband to fall under the $30 mark for possibly 4 years now. It is now (drum roll) 5 cents less than $30! Whoopeee! That's quite a deal, considering my last month's dial up cost me $48.
I'll probably wait a few months to recoup my losses with my $5 dial-up plan before signing up.
It can only get lower right? ;)
[Check it out here.]
The History of the Siege of Lisbon, by Jose Saramago
I don't have very much to say about this book because I didn't have the patience for all that history so I leafed through it and read only the choicest parts, and I'm not telling which I consider the choicest parts, but the choicest parts were really good. Read More!
The best western food money can buy
Is found at Ang Mo Kio Central S11.
For $7, I had the Sirloin Steak which came with coleslaw, baked beans, french fries and a piece of garlic bread. Every bite of the succulent steak sent me to seventh heaven. This steak had practically no gravy, but it was so well-marinated that every piece oozed with taste and tenderness. I ordered it "ban shou" (auntie gave me two choices: "shou" or "ban shou", i.e. well-done or medium) and it was perfect! Pink in the middle and slightly crusty brown on top. Ooh... Can I go back there again tonight?
My doctor friend says that is too much meat to eat in one day 'cos you are supposed to consume only a palm-sized amount of meat, while the serving at Ang Mo Kio was palm-plus-fingers-sized. My doctor friend also tells me that the rich rind of fat is not good for my heart, but I know that if I wasn't so concerned about grossing my doctor friend out, I would have eaten the entire rind, lock stock and barrel. But I didn't and now my dear rind of sizzling fat is being eaten by a stray cat somewhere. Boohoo.
The chicken chop is really good too, by the way, and it costs $5.50. You can get your chicken chop with spagetti for $6 and lamb chops for $6.50. They sell fish and chips too but I didn't check the price because I am not into fish. All the above comes with the best sides you can get at a hawker centre. The coleslaw and beans were not watery and the garlic bread awesome. The only thing that wasn't worth gushing about were the french fries, which were just okay.
I love the Hainanese people!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Keep passing the open windows
I was afraid last night. It is funny how at night, fear feels so tangible, corporeal almost, but in the light of day, it evaporates like a bad dream. I was afraid of losing my mind and jumping out of the window, so I slid them shut, and lay under two pillows, cocooned in my pink room.
And then I dreamt of death. Of a 21 year old girl who suddenly collapsed after a bout of simple fever. Of the frantic madness of her family. I dreamt of this fever spreading, insidiously felling everyone I love. An old frail woman was hooked up to beeping machines in a cold white room staring at the back of her eyelids as her children and gradnchildren wept.
Perhaps it wasn't a dream.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Running matra #4
About 7pm today, I ran past this long line of tired-looking people with groceries waiting in line for the taxi, and my first thought: "Don't queue lah! Come run with me!" And then I realised they couldn't, because they were carrying too much stuff. Which is the inspiration for running mantra #4:
"The less you are carrying, the less encumbered you are."
Between my sweethearts
I thought of them before I fell asleep last night, and of them again on the way to work, and I am tempted to dump them both. I am afraid that having too much information will spoil the romance of the run, and the experience of the run will be reduced to a mere statistic. Will I be distracted from the "here and now" if I have a constantly changing number on my wrist, yelling "Speed up! Too slow! Too short!"
There is the "science" of running: speed, distance, hills, repeats, time, improvement; and there is the "art": the breeze, the sound of the foot on gravel, the sweat, the regular breathing, the feeling of your heart as you push yourself just a little harder. Runner's World has a column "Waddle on, friends" for those who take it slow, and in the last issue I read, the columnist was emphatic in saying that no two runs are every alike, the way you can never put your foot in the same river twice. That is what I am afraid of losing.
I think I think too much.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
A happy quandry
My sister wants to buy me a birthday present, and she wants to get me either the Garmin Forerunner 201 or the Polar RS200sd. I've been drooling over these two watches for possibly over a year now and now when it looks like my dream is coming true, I suddenly can't decide.
Which sweetheart should I choose? The Garmin who would spit out elevation and tell me exactly where in the world I am, or the Polar, who knows exactly how my heart beats? Do I want a sweetheart with links with outer space, or a down-to-earth girl tied to my shoe? Do I want square or do I want round?
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Blogging Anonymous
While crafting this morning's post in my head on the bus, it suddenly struck me how I'm beginning to need to blog every miniscule, insignificant thing I come across. I mean, I posted FOUR times yesterday! This blog is becoming an extension of my insignificant life!
So I've crafted four questions to answer for Bloggers Anonymous:
- Do you feel like you need to post something in the morning before you can start your day?
- Do you feel offended if someone tells you that you are blogging too much?
- Do you blog alone?
- Do you feel like you are blogging too much, and that maybe you ought to cut down?
My answers to those questions are: yes, probably, all the time, not yet.
I will be taking applications. Recovering bloggers, please include your answers to the above four questions in your application, thanks. Meanwhile, I'm going to go offline and get myself a drink. Read More!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Running mantra #3
Running mantra #3 is brought to you by Hill Repeats.
"Some runs are for fun; Some runs are for pain."
The Ministry of Reconciliation, by Robert J. Schreiter
This is nothing short of an astounding book.
Sometimes when I look at the state of the world, I want to bury my head into a hole and say: "Sorry, things are too messed up. Nothing I do or say or believe can possibly help in your horrible situation." History shows the worst of human nature: during the Rwanda genocide of 1994, up to a million people were killed in 100 days. Did you know that in the 1930s, Rwanda experienced a great Christian revival, sweeping great numbers of the Tutsi aristocracy into Christiandom, so much so that Rwanda became known as the "Christian kingdom"? In 1994, the year of the genocide, 90% of the population belonged to one Christian denomination or another. How could something like this happen in such a context? What did we do wrong? What can we do now?
This slim book by Schreiter gives a person hope. I can't begin to describe the impact of this book. He uses the resurrection stories in the Bible to forge a way of reconciliation for us in the 21st century, with the understanding that when Jesus died on the cross, it was to reconcile man to God. Through the resurrection appearances, Jesus gently and wonderfully initiates reconciliation to a people truamatised by guilt and despair, thus showing for us a way of reconciliation today. He appeared first to the women, then to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Thomas, to Peter and the disciples, and to many others, and then he went away.
What Schreiter says sometimes takes you completely by surprise, the same way Jesus takes us by surprise in the gospels. You would think that the wrongdoer would have to repent first before there can be forgiveness and reconciliation; Schreiter says instead that reconciliation is the beginning: a point of transformation by God's grace, equivalent to the fall of the Berlin wall, or the release of Nelson Mandela. Reconciliation begins with the victim! It actually makes sense in an upside-down kinda way.
Schreiter emphasises that reconciliation is first and foremost a "spirituality" rather than a "strategy", yet in the stories he uses in this book, you can catch a glimpse of how to be a peacemaker in today's divided world. The two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus were trying to escape from Jerusalem, but no matter far they went, they carried their burdensome story with them, re-telling to each other the terrible things that happened. Jesus came by to listen to them tell the story, then he retold the story within the larger context of God's work in Israel. Schreiter points out that in reconciliation, stories need to be listened to, and then retold in a different way. Jesus pointed out that his death was not the end of the road! It was the beginning of a remarkable transformation. Jesus was so transformed that nobody, not even his closest disciples, recognised his face.
Reconciliation is about making things new, not about going back to the way things were, which is why it is so difficult to imagine its possibility. It is 2 Cor 5:17: "The old has gone, the new has come!" It is a process driven by God, and tasked to men.
How to create a Sepia tone with Photoshop
Tip courtesy of Jennifer.
1. Open photo in photoshop.
2. Choose Image> Mode> Grayscale.
3. Choose Image> Mode> Duotone.
Ink 1: EB8B23
Ink 2: 000000 (Black)
4. Change back to RGB Color.
5. Change saturation to -40%.
There you have it:
Trivia, also courtesy of Jennifer: the word `Sepia' is greek for cuttlefish. Online etymology dictionary says:
Sepia
"rich brown pigment," 1821, from It. seppia "cuttlefish" (borrowed with that meaning in Eng. by 1569), from L. sepia "cuttlefish," from Gk. sepia, related to sepein "to make rotten" (cf. sepsis). The color was that of brown paint or ink prepared from the fluid secretions of the cuttlefish. Meaning "a sepia drawing" is recorded from 1863.
Therefore, to create a sepia tone in your photo = I make your photos rotten. Read More!
Not really
I am not really awake. I have not really gotten over the euphoric hang-over of the long weekend. I am not really ready to tackle all the work I conveniently forgot about over the weekend, that is now hitting me in my face like a ten-ton truck. I am not really ready to deal with a cranky server.
Actually, I am really in bed dreaming that it is only the morning of Vesak day, and what a gloriously laid-back weekend I'm gonna have. I'll bring my parents out for xiao long bao and la mein (steamed dumplings and noodles), go for a beautiful run at MacRitchie, sort through my old letters, buy extra storage for under the bed, hang out at Jamie Oliver's way past midnight, get my mum an avocado for Mother's Day, have a lazy, warm and fuzzy Sunday breakfast with my buddy, read a little, and talk a lot.
If only.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
MacRitchie Jog
Taking a risk
Went for a jog at MacRitchie yesterday evening with Smole. It takes me a good 45 minutes to get to MacRitchie and when I boarded the bus, it was pouring. But we steeled ourselves with Joan's mailman adage, and took that risk.
The rain stopped. Phew. :) So we didn't have to test how strong-willed we actually are. It continued to drizzle ever so slightly, but the weather was perfect: cool, not humid, with mist over the reservoir.
Drama at MacRitchie
When we were walking to the lockers, I heard a man say loudly in Hokkien, "Aiyah this girl went and got lost in MacRitchie, and they still haven't found her, now I cannot go home." Oh dear. I really hoped I misunderstood him, but it turned out that I kinda did, but didn't.
Near the ranger's station, a policeman stopped us to ask if we had seen any lone men while running on the trail. He said that he was looking for a single Japanese man in white shirt and brown shorts who went missing earlier. Oh dear oh dear. We saw very few people along the trail and none of them fit that description.
Smole and I kept a look-out throughout the rest of the hour long run, but all we saw were runners like us. I hope they found him or her before it got dark... Does anyone know? It is actually quite difficult to get lost in MacRitchie if you stay on the trail. All of the trails run into each other, and eventually, a runner will pass you whom you could ask for directions from. But I suppose, you never know. My father had a childhood friend who was found dead in a shallow creek in MacRitchie. He was only 16 and had gone there to run. So you never know...
Sigh. I really hope they found him.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
1 big 2 small
Nope, not toto.
That was the number of rounds I did at botanic. There is a particular stretch that I like. It is the downhill (what else?) curve around around the big field with the large outdoor stage. Everytime I run down that stretch, I want to run down it as fast as I can with my arms outstretched.
That was the reason why I did 2 small rounds -- I got to run down that stretch twice for the same distance!
I love running.
Distance: 9.8km | Time: 62mins
Vanity
I find so many things in life vain. Hierarchy, shirts, ties, power dressing, philosophy, arts, management, politics, nationhood, church programmes, opinion, scholarly or otherwise, movies, music, grown-ups, `stepping on my turf', fast cars, fast computers, short mini skirts, jewellery, the games boys and girls play, even words, even this post. Everything is either remarkably stupid or remarkably fleeting.
----
Globalisation accentuates this emphemerality and stupidity. Fashion changes faster than you can say `last season'. Words are reduced to catch-phrases without meaning. Sentences are replaced with images, and not even still images, but images flickering on your screen at a rate of 1 per 5 seconds. If that image of the starving, bloated Ethopian boy doesn't grab your attention in 5 seconds, it isn't worth it.
-----
And that is exactly what I've become: a consumer who thinks things vain. Who lives for a plate of well-cooked bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttered toast, not forgetting the perfectly brewed coffee, and I want it now. You remember
-----
I want to be someone who can look at a space in the wall and say, "You need a screen 10 by 7 feet." To be able to say that a handheld mike will give less feedback than a clip-on mike because while the handheld is uni-directional in picking up the voice, the clip-on is omni-directional. I want to be able to drive a truck, set up a make-shift tent, build a computer, cook a meal, tell you which cable to use, wire a plug, unplug a toilet, fix a TV. I want to be technical.
-----
I am, after all, a vain child of my time. Read More!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Would you like some punch?
I need something to punch. Please may I have something to punch?
At the final kickboxing lesson, the substitute instructor had a glove-like thing for you to aim at and punch. I got to punch it twice. What joy.
Right now I want to punch it and rip out my sleeves. Or bite something very very hard. Wham! Pow! Knock-out!
Aik Cheong coffee bags
Aik Cheong coffee bags are the bomb. Just add hot water and sugar, and you get a cup of aromatic local black coffee. The coffee bags come in a huge plastic container -- there must be 50 in there, but I don't know how much it costs.
Oh better watch out, the coffee high is about to hit me.............. NOW! :)
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Free stuff I cannot do without -- Protopage
One.
Protopage.
I use protopage to keep me on the same page in between work and home. It is a nifty tool to keep links, lists, and what-nots, like a big online notice board with lots of sticky notes. This is a screenshot of my protopage. The sticky notes are retractable too: if you roll over the black tabs on the left, the content of the note appear.
Sometimes I am anal so all my sticky notes line up in a grid, but if you wanted to, you could overlap them to your hearts content, like this. Personally that would drive me nuts.
They have weather widgets and email widgets too, but I don't care too much for either. In my opinion, even the calendar isn't up to scruff. For my calendar needs I use konfabulator, which will feature in "Free stuff I cannot do without, part II".
Protopage loads up quickly and seamlessly with firefox, even on a lousy dial-up connection. There are many preloaded colour schemes to choose from; you can load your pics from flickr in a sticky note or as the wallpaper, and choose what colour you want each sticky note to be.
The best part? It is as private as you want it to be. You can password protect it so that only you can view the page, or you could click on a little "lock" icon on the bottom right to make your page public. Just a piece of advice: remember to log out after you are done if you are on someone else's computer because it doesn't have a time-out function like yahoo or hotmail.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Running matra #2:
Today's mantra is sponsored by the letter, J; and words Outstanding, Ace, RuNner:
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night shall keep me from my appointed rounds."
Polling day
More than twenty years ago, I was featured in the Chinese newspapers being carried by my father and casting a vote for the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Twenty years later, today, I wave at the same man from my flat, awed by his presence, as he drives by with a loudhailer transmitting a pre-recorded message in English, then Mandarin, then Hokkien, then Malay, then Tamil, then all over again:
"Thank you for your support for the PAP."
I am a little surprised at my interest in politics. There are so many things I want to say now that it is over, but I don't know how to organise it all, so I'm going to give it in a list:
- James Gomez has been detained. Why? The PM says "the young has misunderstood the Gomez affair". That would be me.
- The Worker's Party won 33% of the votes in PM Lee Hsien Loong's ward.
- Across the constituencies, PAP garnered 66.6% of all the votes. The opposition won 2 seats out of 84, Hougang and Potong Pasir, keeping the status quo.
- PM Lee actually said the words: "fix the opposition" at a lunch-time rally.
- Kopitiams are the bastion of the opposition. It gives me a heady feeling to watch them toast with beer and chant: "Worker's Party Worker's Party" and/or "Chiam See Tong Chiam See Tong".
- I stayed up till 2am to watch the election results live.
- PAP should be gracious and offer to Hougang and Potong Pasir as much as they are offering the other constituencies because it is the taxpayer's money anyway. After all, who was it who said, "Whoever we voted for, let's put it behind us, and work towards a better future for Singapore together"?
- People vote on a very gut level.
Technorati tag: prisongotnobroadband Read More!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
best laid plans
It is 7:30am. I have drunk a cup of coffee, eaten two Jacob's breakfast biscuits, put in my contacts, got into my running gear, vaseline'd, decided the route I want to run, and....... it is raining.
Tsk. Now I am stuck at home with all this coffee in my system so I can't go back to bed.
But I am happy with being here right now. I love it in the mornings.. it feels so fresh; the day screams with potential. Shall I run? Shall I read? Shall I meet a friend? Shall I work? I once had a pastor who said that when he had a particularly bad day, he would just go to bed, because he had used up the day's mercies and "his mercies are new every morning." That's a bit literal way of looking at things, but that's how I feel in the mornings (on the weekends): refuelled! raring to go!
Of course right now I can't go anywhere and you are stuck with me.
I have the song "Flood" by Third Day playing on my comp (`Rain rain on my face/ Hasn't stopped raining for days..")
Friday, May 05, 2006
An old photograph of a frangipani tree
Tonight while walking home, I saw a frangipani tree. It has been there for as long as I remember, but today it looked so familiar that it looked different. It must have been the angle of the light from the moon... The leaves looked almost black, and the effect of the white flowers on the black leaves made it look like an old faded photograph. It was in front of a faded red brick wall, and the building and guard house in the background looked as if it was transported from the early 80s.
It felt like I was looking at that same frangipani tree 20 years ago, when I was still a child, but now I look with 29 year old eyes.
Ever wonder why we think of the past in sepia tones?
Calloused hands
There is something romantic about being part of the working class. Those who earn their keep by the labour of their hands follow the ancient tradition of the first Adam who had to work the ground for a living. I think about their hands, gnarled and calloused, moving skillfully, unthinkingly almost, keeping the world we live in from falling into chaos. I think about their skin, tanned from the sun; the wrinkles extending from their eyes, the unpretentious, simple smile, eyes that know that every human being, regardless of class, needs a good meal, familiar company, some money, and a good bed to fall asleep on. Life is pretty simple when you boil it down to that.
Read More!A meme
Tagged by the lovely titania, here is a meme.
i am: more frail, weak, despicable, and mortal than you can imagine
i want: a chance to prove myself.
i wish: that dreams do come true.
i hate: milo breath.
i miss: my grandfather's face.
i fear: losing those i love; i fear mediocrity; i fear death; i fear life.
i hear: the sound of a mynah outside my flat and it makes me glad
i wonder: how many times must a canonball fly, before they're forever banned?
i regret: not being farsighted.
i am not: normal.
i dance: not.
i sing: like a Wesleyan.
i cry: only when I'm alone.
i am not always: so efficient.
i make with my hands: this blog.
i write: because it reminds me of who i am.
i confuse: in Chinese, left with right, buy egg with pay bill.
i need: a metanarrative.
i should: be more courageous.
i start: and then i drink some coffee, then i start again, then i drink more coffee
i finish: and it isn't any different from if I had never started.
i love: the way your eyes twinkle.
i remember: your stories.
i tag : you
I am...
... stupid.
Really. No kidding. At the interview at the restaurant yesterday where I was offered my first waitressing job, the boss said that I would be paid "Five five", and "Six" after I got trained. I heard it to mean I will get $550 a month, and it was only later while reading my book late at night when it hit me like a ton of bricks, "He meant $5.50 an hour!"
So my ngiao (cheapskate) brain quickly kicked in and punched up the numbers for a full day's work on Sunday: S$35. Minus cost of white long sleeve shirt ($15); minus opportunity cost of lazy Sunday afternoon = not really worth it leh!
So now I don't know whether I want to call them to say, "Erm, sorry I'm a stupid college grad who doesn't know anything about real life and so thought you were going to pay me $550 so I don't want to work anymore," or if I should say, "Erm, sorry I'm a stupid ditzy girl who had stupid romantic ideas about waitressing but I like my lazy Sunday afternoons too much and so I don't want to do it anymore."
Either way, I am stupid.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
I am...
... a waitress.
On a whim this morning, I applied for a part-time waitressing job. The secretary called me back this afternoon, arranged for an interview this evening, and I start this Sunday.
Gosh, what in the world have I done?
He asked me twice why I was doing this when I have a well-paying job, and I could only mutter something about experience, or life, or some other nonsensical stuff.
The truth is, I probably applied because of the pent-up frustration I've been having at work, and the need to do something; anything. I was in a reckless mood at work today and did a few things I will probably regret in the future, one of them being that I now have a job waiting for me on Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
There goes my Sunday. Why did I think that this will make me feel better about myself? I don't know. Why?
I don't know.
Coffee at the Wiener Kaffeehaus
Just hearing the word `coffee' makes me smile. `Coffee' is to me as the bell is to Pavlov's dog. It excites, rejuvenates, and promises.
I had coffee at the newly established Wiener Kaffeehaus this past weekend. The coffeehouse is decorated in the art nouveau style, with a grand picture of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss (see above) on their walls.
For $3.50, I had their Einspaenner (single horse carriage). The Einspaenner is a Viennese blend coffee topped with whipped cream. And why is it called a single horse carriage? It is because it is served in a glass with large handle, since the horse handler needed one hand for the horse's bridle. The mug of slightly sourish coffee was served over a dolly, with cubes of sugar and a small glass of water.
We also had the Sachertorte, a chocolate cake. I was wondering why it tasted a little tangy, until I saw the orange seep from in between the chocolate. It is a good old-fashioned fairly dense cake, but the orange threw it a little off for me. In any case, cake is not my thing so don't take my word on this.
Quite a good experience, though the service could be a little less gruff. Granted they don't charge GST or a service charge, but the place is done up so nicely that the least you can do is smile and be polite.
But go and patronise. The owner had to apply for 20 permits from various authorities just to install the roaster in a restored shophouse. As Jamie Oliver puts it, "No wonder there isn't good coffee in Singapore!"
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
A letter to the Singapore government
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Heeding the PM's call to the young to become more involved in the politics of the nation, I've sat down and thought about things, and come up with a list of things that matter to me.
My list of important things:
- Integrity
Leaders must have integrity, character, and moral fibre, and under no circumstances, accept a bribe or place their greed above the people's interests. - Compassion
I expect a government that looks out for those who need more help -- the poor, the disadvantaged, the elderly, the uneducated, the people without a voice. I expect a government to keep the cost of basic amenities affordable to the poorest among us. - Intelligience
Erm, I mean, good intentions need to be backed up with smarts and sweat so things get done. - A gracious society
Ultimately, I want Singapore to be a decent place to grow up, live in, and grow old in. My Malaysian colleagues say that Singapore is a good place is make money, but not to grow old. That is very sad because I know what they mean. - A place to belong
Well, that's my list so far. This is the first time I'm thinking this through so this list may change.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Nomer
Technorati tag: prisongotnobroadband Read More!
Upcoming elections
Alright, I'm embarrassed by my apathy towards the elections just because I don't need to vote this year. Tym, who doesn't need to vote either, has gone and stood in the the wet fields of two rallies held by the oppostition party already. All I've done is read a few well-argued posts at Singabloodypore, listened to a few "persistently non-political" (hahaha!) podcasts at mrbrown's, flipped through The Straits Times with disbelief at the unfolding Gomez saga, and that's about it, really. But how does a person size up the opposition in a week? Michael Backman of Asia Online is right: PAP has an astounding track record... Why does it have to act so kiasu?
My teacher in secondary school said to us that although we were all anti-PAP, anti-establishment then, when we grew up and went to vote, we would all vote PAP anyway, because of what they have given us in our education and lives. I've yet to prove this theory of hers. With any luck though, I may never get to vote.
Btw, this post is persistently non-political too, and I am just as kiasu as the PAP.
Technorati tag: prisongotnobroadband
Love the new Apple Ads!
Ads here. Go watch, it'll make you smile. :)
(via Eric's "Awesome Apple Ads Astound And Amaze And, Ah...Attest" alliterative post) Read More!
Like a red yellow yolk
It is election season in Singapore, in line with the theory that we are a democractic country. Effectively, we are a single-party socialist state, where politics is dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP), the party of the pre-eminent Lee Kuan Yew, the man who single-handedly raised Singapore from the gutters of the third world, or so they say.
The present Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, is the son of the pre-emininet Lee Kuan Yew. Goh Chok Tong was the Prime Minister in between the two Lees.
Rumours of nepotism aside, the system has actually worked for us so far. The PAP prides itself in being a party without corruption, and I think it is this single characteristic that has steered Singapore away from money-grubbing politics, and firmly placed the country in the path of progress.
I haven't been too in touch with the wayang (Chinese opera) of this year's election for a number of reasons, the primary reason being the TV isn't working, but since I don't actually get to vote this year, it doesn't really matter. I'm curious to know if the PAP will be elected back into parliament with such a resounding victory as in the last election, or if the electorate has changed and wants different things now. I'm also steeling myself for the inevitable price and tax hike after election season. Sigh.
Update: Did you see the size of the crowd at that Worker's Party Hougang rally??
Tym's account here and here. Trends on what people are talking about the elections by nexlab here.
Technorati tag: prisongotnobroadband Read More!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Five Things
Five things I hate on Tuesdays:
1. Mambo, who thinks it is smarter than me.
2. Mambo, who kicks me out of the system before I can save my work.
3. Mambo, who inserts and removes tags at will.
4. Mambo, who refuses to let me into its brain.
5. Mambo, who is probably smarter than me.
Help! I am becoming a communist!
First, I greedily consume a novel by an avowed communist and didn't know it.
Then I stumble onto this quote:
“[People] make their history… not under circumstances chosen by themselves but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living.” ~ Karl Marx
and I think it is the truest thing I've read in the last week. Read More!
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