Common sense?

If your boss tabs certain pages in a particular file for your to photocopy, do you remove the tabs before you photocopy?

I would have thought that was common sensical, but apparently not. Someone took off the tab, pasted it at a corner of the document, and photocopied the document with the tab. It's not just 1 document, but one plus arch files worth of documents. And I'm still waiting for the others that were given to her like some 2 weeks ago.

Mental note: I need to tell her to take the tabs away and not paste it anywhere in the document when photocopying next time. Just like how I need to tell her to make sure the papers are aligned nicely before punching holes. I wonder if it's just me, or I really do have a "brilliant" graduate secretary. Nevermind, shall look forward to having dinner with Cailing this evening instead.

Thanks, Ms Tan!

Thanks for the sweets in the mail! I suppose that's my children's day present for this year =p

Still, thanks!! *grinz*

It takes many rights to right a single wrong

Despite suggestions from certain camps that I should live and let live, I choose to take action against the errant one. Those who truly know me would know what clear segregation I have for my likes and hates. Besides, do I need to get killed/hurt before I lodge a complaint? One wrong yesterday simply rewrote all my earlier experiences, making me one nervous wreak again. So why would it be non justifiable that the errant one be punished for his wrong? Yes, so I still think one time is still one time too many to play with my (not of much value) life.

That aside, lately, I realised a lot of wrongs require more than just a simple right to correct. Despite the influx of time, certain shadows will always remain.

Have you ever had friendship which you thought meant quite a bit to you, only to realise suddenly that things have changed overtime just because of a wrong? I never really noticed how significant certain (minor) events are, until certain conversation make me realise how much less the friend means to you. That one incident, sparked off by the lack of courtesy from a friend's friend (yes, she's NOT my friend) is probably the trigger to the irreparable damage. Even if you've never noticed it, I've never regarded her as my friend. My politeness was only because she was your friend. Still, I chose (brainlessly) to lend her something, only to have to publicise it on the world wide web before she would get you to arrange for me to meet her to get my stuff back. All this while without an apology. To top things off, you arranged so that I had to meet her at a place of HER convenience just to get MY things back after that million and one years. I doubt you remember, but you, in that fateful phone call, made it sound like I had no right to be pissed. It didn't occur to my consciousness then, but the fact is that that was the turning point. Even without me realising it, your action of siding the wrongdoer had caused the irreversible harm. Yes, I would still care to an extent, but no, not as condition-less as before. So much so that even if you do not want to share something, I can't be more bothered to find out either.

Why does that so remind me of Joanne too?

Anyway, recently one of my closest female friend remarked in her blog about her ability to pick up bad female friends. Well, if it helps, I'm not any better either. Just do up a list of the excess baggage I've never successfully rid myself of, and you'll realise that, hey, it's part and parcel of growing up to. So, cheer up cause what doesn't break you will only make you stronger, k? *hugz*

Disclaimer: The above post is a reflection of the author's thoughts for the day, and is not directed to defame, annoy, upset any characters. Any possible incitement of anger to any party is purely unintentional.

Persistence

After years of searching some people using Google, you would think that I would finally give up and stop this meaningless search. But no, I still insist on trying my luck every year.

In any case, Happy Teachers' Day, the teachers whom I respect, especially those whom I'm not been able to locate in any way (esp Mrs Leong). If not for all your guidance, the Yaofang today might have been a different one.. I don't know.

On another note, flipped through "My Paper" and noticed that 28 August was the date when Mr Ong Teng Cheong was first elected as our President. Had this feeling of "wah".. It's been that long. And the scene of Mr Ong's black and white photo on the TV screen whilst I was on the phone to check if Derrick was joking remains etched in my memory.

Braggart for sale

Or rather to giveaway. If anyone wants.

You are bloody rude when you tell your 2 colleagues to go away when they were "forced" to attend your talk (if you can even consider the nonsence you churn out as talk). And then you try hard so that your colleagues do not get to mingle with the participants. Not that they mind, but it was plain rude to do it blatantly.

Then again, we understand that you were there to brag. About things that were not done by you.

You are not exactly endearing yourself, but you'll get by. Good luck to you, the guy who was the first person in Singapore to be tried for illegally using other people's password, Mr Phan. (http://www.landfield.com/isn/mail-archive/1998/Jul/0079.html)

Just a short note..

Survived yesterday's lesson relatively unscathed. Probably because of the instructor was nicer. Either that, or Mr Tan's assurances and his narration of his own experience made me slightly more assured. Whatever the case, thanks Mr Tan! Really...

逆风时就当成在冲浪

The final time I'll have to take a cab home just for a particular file, for quite a while at least:

Bye, Muhlbauer!!

******

On another note, 五月天 seems to come up with new songs quite frequently lately. Not that I'm complaining, since my (and my sis's) ringtone gets updated ever frequently now (ie. everytime a new song of theirs come up). In fact, 开天窗 is so lively and happy, it'll be a better alarm music then ringtone.

如果你 活的有一点悲伤

答案是 用力丢掉鲸鱼 用力甩悲伤

Well said, 阿信! To my dearest friends who are feeling down at the moment, jia you!!

顺风时就展开双翅飞翔

逆风时 就当成 在冲浪

没有风的时候那就让我 开开天窗

Disjointed Reverie

Earlier this week, a long-lost (kind of) secondary school classmate smsed me to find out if I was available to attend her wedding some time in September. This was a friend whom I sat with during most of my lesson (we had the floating classroom system in sec 4), and one of those people I gossiped/stuck with during the painful Chinese Orchestra practices. Someone whom I exchanged numerous notes with during 1st 3 months, and then subsequently stayed in touch through infrequent letters for the rest of JC. Somehow or rather, everything stopped after that, just as how my letter exchanges with Kailing also ceased. Hmm.. How time seems to fly. And I couldn't help but wonder if Joanne and Nicholas are married. Even if I consciously chose to take a step back from our long friendship, I still hope that she's still well somehow in some part of Singapore.

In any case, congrats, Daphne!

******

Was supposed to meet Peiqi at 6.15pm today. Of course I didn't since it's almost impossible for me to leave office on time, whether we have an extended timeline or not. Luckily for me, RT was nearby and popped by to collect something, else I would probably not be able to leave even after 9pm. You see how much I dread making dinner appointments? It almost always means I'll be starving my friends. Makes me sound like a super bad friend huh? Thanks for popping by and saving me, dearest RT! And thanks for waiting and not complaining or scolding me for being 3 hours late for our dinner appointment, Ms Tan! For the rest of my friends whom I've been making empty promises about meeting up, I'm sorry I'll find some time somehow, and ensure as far as I can that you don't have to starve to death whilst waiting for me. Or at least I'll try to the best of my ability.

******

Frankly, I still think I'm being surrounded by childish monkeys. And to a certain extent, I do feel guilty toward Mr Koh for all the antics that he has to put up with. Despite all these, and despite him being on the other side, I'm still grateful that he has taught me quite a bit during this trial, much more than any other person involved in the matter. I can't believe this is the person I couldn't stand during attachment and then pupillage. Oh well, opinions of people do change along with time, and changes to the person. So even if you'll never know this, thank you, Mr Koh.

Cannot Grow Up?

Despite suffering from a lack of sleep (again) this morning, the sight of the following package on my piano jotted me awake to prepare for the start of another day..

Thank you, Mr Tay! You know, your cards will always make my day, so no need for chocolates, k? Cause I'll still not bear to eat it. haha.. =)

人有悲欢离合　月有阴晴圆缺

Typing that never fails to remind me of the DPM cum President that I admire most. It feels almost like yesterday when he was reciting this phrase during the passing of our then First Lady. Or how he was to attend this dinner organised by the Children Society but missed it just by a week.

It's hard to grasp the importance of existence, at least until the existence itself then becomes a question. Who would have stopped to appreciate how the existence of MediaWorks in changing the media in Singapore? Or would you stop to even notice the existence of the DHL balloon just right outside your window?

If time machines were not a product of imagination, would it enjoy a overwhelming popularity? The strains of music that accompanied me after work today somehow invoked the soon blurried images of familiarity, and made me long for the comfort-ness of those long serious chats at the staircases, the carefree-ness of whinings and assurances, the safety in the belief in the company and the dependability in spite of the frequent cold wars. And I couldn't help but miss the safety and cheeri-ness of falling and getting up together with my dearest of dear friends. But growing up, we must. And so, each of us takes our own paths forward, at times crossing and at other times, diverging.

***IMPORTANT: NOTE DIGRESSION***

Anyway, happy 26th birthday, my dearest dearest friend! We may have grown up over the years and embarked on our own journey in life, but believe me, your birthday is always worth remembering simply because it has added a whole multitude of colours into my otherwise [bland] life. And so, on this really important day of the year, your most adorable little "granddaughter" just wants to say... "Happy Birthday, Guoxing! May you always be surrounded by loads and loads of happiness!"

走火入魔

It's not a good thing if you doze off on the couch upon returning home and wake up in the midst of the night to have a not-exactly-favourite-voice booming "I stand guided by you on this, your Honour" booming into your head non-stop. Or wake up intermittently to ask yourself, "are the transcripts in?" "I need to get them to Prof Tay tonight".

Contrary to all the hype surrounding the matter, when the trial finally started, a lot of the issues really felt like non-issues. With 5 witnesses of fact cleared within 2 and half days, there was 6 days left to deal with just 2 expert witnesses.

But, things never go according to plan, and after 2 days of grilling, our expert witness continues to be grilled again later today.

The toil of the trial is getting to me. Just on my way back from Clementi, I struggled to stay awake in the cab and succeeded as much as to wake up intermittently. Certain things, I'll never understand, like how a bunch of guys would need the only female to carry boxes after boxes with significant weight whilst they throw their weight around. Looking over at the other side, I can't help but feel a tinge of envy. I don't suppose they would get screwed for every minute thing that happens. Or rather, they wouldn't have a royal highness who complains about how last minute you are behind your back, when he jolly well remembers that he had volunteered to be in charge of something. In fact, I've learnt not to believe when he says he would deal with something. Chances are, he'll remember it as much as a goldfish would remember its route, no offence to the goldfish here.

Still, there are times when I really can't help but feel bad. Just like today. Somehow when things want to go wrong, they do. Like how they always end up getting the crappy documents. I'm really really sorry, Mr Koh. I really didn't mean to let you all have the Bundle that wasn't paginated, or rather, I didn't even realised there were any that weren't paginated. Still, the whole episode has just demonstrated the extent of fakeness royal dumbness is capable of, especiallyafter how he tells us that we should not care about the state of documents to the other side, and then kicking up a huge fuss in front of the other side about how it's our fault for not double checking.

Whatever the case, it's a good feeling that the end is finally in sight, hopefully. No more "Greenwood Terrace" (Thanks, Derrick!) or "Clementi Crescent" to haunt my nights.

Happy Birthday!

If my memory doesn't fail me, I think it should be your birthday today. Happy 27th birthday, the senior-whom-I-look-up-to-a-lot! Can't help but wonder how you've been (should be really successful now, right?)or wonder what you would say about me breaking my bond. Hmm...

You can't get a better boss who...

Asks your colleagues eary in the morning "So did anyone get red spots? Everyone came to work right?" Well done, boss. You just made me like you even more today.

The Flip Sides

By right, being on "Hospitalisation Leave" as a result of chicken pox shouldn't be a bad thing, unless you've an urgent matter to attend to, and you trust the person covering you as much as you trust that it won't rain despite the dark clouds. Thankfully, it helps when you have a boss who's so thoughtful that he doesn't even want to walk past your closed doors, asks your secretary whether he should disinfect your room once you've left. All these, just because you wanted to ensure that nothing goes wrong for him whilst you're away. That's when you think "What the heck? It's none of my problem."

And so it is, that marked the start of a slack week off from work. In fact, my sis actually made a relevant comment earlier, "Will this affect your bonus?" Truth be told, it might, given that his reason for a lower bonus for some was cause of their absences from work. But then, if you slog really hard and die at work, do you think you'll be thanked for that? Frankly, I doubt so.

Anyway, on a brighter note, even though chicken pox is supposed to make you feel ultra uncomfortable, thankfully, it hasn't been that bad. *touch wood* In fact, thanks to it, I've finally received a sms from someone I haven't heard from in almost half a year, despite my boliao smses occasionally to attempt to get a response. Seriously, other than asking your good friend how you've been, I really have no idea what you've been up to lately. In fact, I don't even think your good friend actually answered my question... hmm.. right?

And so it is, there's a flip side to everything, chicken pox or not..

******

Was watching some variety shows on Youtube last night. Someone from a Taiwanese group made a comment on how the singers from an era would affect the students of that era, who would then affect the society when they grow up. Apt?

Which led me to read the blog of a particular singer I used to listen to a lot in the past. The song that was playing on his blog immediately transported me back to the corridor outside 6 Love, or even the 6 Faith classroom (I seemed to be with my friends from 6 Faith a lot more than my own class huh?) I wonder how HuiJun is... how Huihui is now... Hmm.. Anyway, I love the following paragraphs from the blog I was reading:

"人生最幸運的事情
就是遇到好的朋友。

好朋友會為了你好跟你說實話
會原諒你的過錯 給你空間
會花時間了解你 感受你 看懂你 陪伴你"

For those who fit the description, thank you. I don't think I would have been the person I am without you all.

Theory of Relativity

When do you consider someone your "close" friend, as compared to one who's not?

Unlike nouns, adjectives seem destined to belong to the "grey" area, the area where the seemingly simple idea of relativity resides. If you haven't kept in touch for almost a year or so, is that a definite example of "not close"? Whatever it is, I chose to believe that the sms meant that you believe that I'm a closer colleague, and not just a fellow member of the bondbreakers club.

On another note, I'm glad to have met up with Mr Tan again today when I was intending to rot for a moment or so. Seriously, I still think the 2 items are nicer than the last item. =p Forgot to add, I'm getting Mr Tay to help me get stuff too, so I'm sure my shopping may just make me end up like you today. Haha.. In any case, I'm still grateful for Mr Tay offering to help me get everything and anything under the sun in US. Seriously, you're there to work and explore, not to help me get things, yah? Still, thanks, Mr Tay!! =)

What do you do when you need to squeeze a cupboard-ful of documents into your already packed room?

You stack them up!

Apparently, our (new) accounts person is coming in soon, so we had to clear out the entire cupboard, plus drawer filled with documents relating to our favourite file. Since according to the director's "You shouldn't put it there in the first place" plus the fact that we couldn't possible store them in the conference room or our director's room, the only possible warehouse was, of course, MY room *curtsies*

And so, to deal with the problem, and our manager's disbelief that everything could fit into my overcrowded room, I amazed myself with my sense of innovation:

Looks like I can consider working as a warehouse supervisor in future, given my "experience" in this field.

Through the Looking Glass

Time flies. Before you know it, you move from one side of the equation to the other side of the equation.

Had that feeling when I watched the NJCO concert on Thursday. It may not have been as "wah.." as last year's, or Wanhui's batch, but I couldn't help but wonder if we sounded like this back then. Watching them from the audience, I wondered if this was the same feeling Mr Tek had when he was watching us back then. Afterall, the age gap was pretty similar.

Even if it wasn't the greatest, it was still their hard work. For that, they deserve another round of applause.

MayDay Concert: Singapore vs Taichung

Even if I vehemently deny being a crazed fan of 五月天, this post would unlikely support my assertion.

Anyway, the past few months flew by in a crazy mess. Having to be subservient to one extra royal dumbness's whims and fancy did little to ease the stress and burden of the humongous load of administrative work that was related to the matter. To prove my point, just picture me having to stay till approximately 5.30am, Saturday to do photocopying and binding. To top that off, I was back in the office before 10am again to continue facing the voluminous stacks of paper, just so that his royal dumbness may collect his possessions by his last-minute self appointed time in the afternoon. Of course, royal dumbness never turned up, and I was left to DHL the possessions to his highness's palace.

Thankfully though, there was light at the end of this whole darkness. Even with negligible sleep and unbelievable weight carrying on that day itself, there was still one thing to look forward to - 回到地球表面! I can't believe how I managed to pull through, but I did! It helps too, to know that the seats I had were not too bad! =) A preview of how close we were:

Listening to loud music when you have little sleep is really very much a bad idea because you'll get a headache. Still, I loved the 360 degrees stage that brought the band closer to their audience. The "action packed" introduction added more thrill to the otherwise less interesting video. Choice of songs wise, I thought I preferred last year's. Still, with increased audience participation, the concert became more memorable and more scream-worthy. Totally value for money, and worth the anticipation.

One always thinks that what one sees is the best, until something comes along to better it. If I thought the Singapore instalment of 回到地球表面 was excellent self-reward for the hard work earlier on, then the Taichung instalment would probably be described as breathtaking.

Attending the Taichung instalment was never on my plans, unless you count my sudden whimsical comment of "Maybe I should just fly off on the last day of trial". Somehow by sheer luck (or unluckiness, depending on how you look at it), the High Court "overbooked" the judges, leaving none to hear our matter on the day of trial. Just imagine. 2 weeks of trial vacated just like that! Which also meant that I was free the very week of the concert itself! What followed just a last-minute booking of air tickets (would you believe that Silkair tickets were actually cheaper than Jetstar?) on Monday, and jet-setting on Wednesday morning.

To cut a long story short, Saturday saw me and my sister rushing to board the train to Taichung, and then rushing off in a cab to our first venue... the stadium! Being used to the system in Singapore, sis and I thought it would be too early to enter at 6++pm, and decided to go in only closer to 7pm. How wrong we were! The place was just like our National Stadium during NDP, and by the time we entered (which was past 7pm), we were relegated to the one of the higher rungs of the stairs!

That said, the concert really felt like it was plucked right out of our very own NDP. Rather than simply depending on special effects and rather tame fireworks, the Taichung concert could simply be a showcase of fireworks. The part leading to 五月天 appearing on the stage after a bout of intense fireworks at the end of the video was simply breathtaking, and the mood was akin to how it would be after the pledge was taken, the fireworks display was over and everyone would start singing songs like "We are Singapore".

Perhaps it was home ground advantage. All of them appeared more eager to please, and a lot more energetic. Even my sis agreed that the relatively subdued (at least during the Singapore concert) 石头 was way friendlier and would interact with the crowd more actively (He even sat down beside a little kid and strummed his guitar). The most touching was no doubt when Ah-Xin related the earthquake related story and the crowd broke into chorus and would not stop for a long while. Just imagine, floodlights off, blue lightsticks up, and approximately 50 000 people humming a tune together.

All good things must come to an end. With another fiery of fireworks and after the umpteenth encore (yes, they had to re appear on stage more than once), it was the end of a really pleasant experience. Unluckily for me, this has only served to whet my appetite for more overseas concert. Looks like I've to slog even harder so that I can enjoy such luxuries as and when my whims bring me.

The Day Reveriez Got Super Mad

As in angry... simply cause of unreasonable behaviour at work. But all felt better after I got to see whom I wanted to see:

A new beginning?

Our only paralegal (well, the other good-for-nothing one doesn't really count as one to me) left last Friday. My secretary gave birth to a really cute little girl last Saturday. All in all, it simply meant that starting today, both of them will not be in the office for me to "lean on".

It's a weird thing how people can grow closer or more accustom to each others' presence over the course of time. Granted, there were numerous times when both of them simply did (or rather did not do) things and annoyed me no end. Still, their presence is simply what makes coming in each day something not as daunting.

Much as I refuse to allow myself to dwell on it, and even if 天下无不散之宴席, and even if my secretary will be back in 12 weeks' time, I still can't help missing the two of them. A case of over-reliance, I guess?