Rockin' On

These days I'm occupied with a home-based full time position of Job Seeker. It often comes with long unpaid OT hours and feelings of  'I can't see any light at the end of this tunnel, dammit'. However there is no supervision or micromanagement from a higher authority and there is flexibility to manage tasks as I please. There is no need to dress up each morning to fit in with new trends in society. There is no need to walk to the station and fight for a place to stand while using public transport. There is also no need to make awkward small talk in the mornings with colleagues. Results and success, as I understand, are based purely on 1. one's own efforts and determination and 2. a resume that would get noticed among thousands of others and 3. other variables such as luck, probability, timing, prejudices of recruitment personnel.

I have more observations to add on the Singlish phenomenon. Perhaps I was too rude and insensitive the last time I mentioned it, a couple of blogs ago, so I elaborate more. It is a struggle for one to hold on to one's grammar and accents in a society that uses a different style. The most challenging part is to make yourself understood, and in the process most of us, might acquire bits of the local accent, unknowingly or unwillingly. Also I noticed that there is a distinct 'melody' in the Singlish accent that'll eventually creep up on one's sentence delivery. Sometimes, I think it's a personality thing. I know a few people who have lived here for years, yet speak without a traces of the local accent. And then I know many others, who have acquired it less than an year into their stay here. Nothing wrong with it, of course. I'm just an observer, for now.

I like train rides here. I dislike sitting on a 'reserved seat' because I can't fall asleep or take off my adrenaline induced alert-mode for fear that someone who is entitled to it might step into the train (yes, I know I'm selfish, but few like to give up on a cozy seat especially on a long ride or on a tiring day) or that I won't notice someone entitled waiting for the seat or that I notice only after I have got several rude stares from other passengers. But otherwise, if I have a well-earned seat, it can be a good time to tend to a variety of hobbies like reading, listening to music or playing games. Actually tending to hobbies, is the only way to go. Without a hobby one might find it difficult to 'pretend to sleep' because there is no head rest, or find it too boring to look at the lastest shoe and dress fashions, or awkward to stare into the eyes of the passengers sitting opposite or even more awkward to stare at the crotch of the passenger standing in front of you.

The only other career of mine that is flying off at the moment is Guitar Rock 2. I am now touring as a rock guitarist in glamorous places like New York, Miami, Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles and even Japan. And I proudly admit that I am getting good with my touch screen-for-a-rock-guitar substitute instrument!

The picture below has kept me amused for awhile now. I think it might be because the one time I tried yoga in a crowded class, I felt exactly like the white/yellow kitty and didn't like it.

"This is why I like to be in the front row at yoga"

Another weekend

Thursdays at work are exciting. We now have an "end of the week incentive". We are allowed to leave any hour early, in return for cutting short our lunch break by half hour. Fair enough.

It is not surprising to get persistent calls from banks trying to give away "free credit cards". But today, I had another interesting call.

Ring Ring...
Shu: Hello?
X: Hai
Shu: Yes hello? Who is this?
X: Hai
Shu: May I know what this is regarding?
X: Friendship
Shu: No thanks, I'm not interested. (hangs up. $^&*@@@.)

This caller has been saved as "Asshole 3" in my contacts. Just so I remember not to pick up any calls.

I've spotted a rather skinny (and possibly pregnant) cat in the office car park several times. So now, believe it or not, I carry two tins of cat food in my bag, waiting for the day I spot her again. Uh-oh Shu, you're turning into one of those old ladies who feed strays!

I sit next to one of the network printers. In a day, many people come and go past my desk as they collect their printouts. One man (heavy user), however, seems to think I am the sole guardian of this printer. Whenever the printer runs out of paper, he ask me "No paper?". And I think loudly,  "Does it look like I have a stash of paper hidden away especially for you, moron??". Also, in the many months I have sat there, not once have I seen this man walk a few extra metres to get a few extra packs of paper, for the convenience of others. I've been tempted ask him several times, "Why don't you go down and get some extra paper, for a change?". But I've kept my mouth shut, fearing repercussions.

Rihanna is slowly growing on me...



On a positive note, I've moved to the Town of Digby in Mousehunt to catch the Digby Dirt Dwellers and I have not been disappointed! So many new types of mice!

The Cultural Divide

They say people learn from mistakes. Sometimes it takes more than one mistake of the same type to learn.

This morning didn't start so wonderfully. For one thing, I lost my frameless spectacles while touring. So I wore my geeky black framed spare pair from University to work. I'm a self-diagnosed sociophobe but even that didn't have anything to do with the way people kept looking at my eyes when talking to me. It would have been a lot more unnerving to me if I attached a "SPARE SPECS" tag to the frame for those who wondered about it. So yeah, back to the point. I was called to a pre-audit meeting on very short notice. I was the last to enter the room, where the external auditor was introducing himself. I walked in with a jolly mood and extended my hand after introducing myself. Again, I caught several people staring at me ("Must be the specs, I thought"). He then passed on his business card to everyone present. Halfway through the meeting it hit me! This man was a Muslim, and I am in a Muslim country, 'Men species' and 'Women species' associate with much caution, and women NEVER initiate a handshake. I felt faint everytime I remembered it. Oh well. It isn't even the first time this happened! I'm pretty sure I got rejected from an interview when I went and extended my hand to a Muslim interviewer at the beginning of it. I distinctly saw that he was shaken after it. What to do? Even if one finds such small things ridiculous because of a different upbringing, one must respect the traditions in a country where one is merely a guest.

Facebook is an endless source of entertainment. Today I saw someone leave a comment on a friend's picture of her (adorable) pet guinea pig: "What breed of dog is this???"

Last weekend, I had a fantastic (unplanned) cruise along the beautiful of fjords of Oman. Details of this trip will have to be recorded later, when I have photographic evidence.

Also received a touching message from a junior today, which completed my day:

Happy birthday! Hope you have a really good one :)
by the way, it's my graduation ceremony today! so happy that I'm successfully done with it! thanks so much for all the support you gave me at the start of university! really appreciate it all :D

Never thought I'd post a clip from a game like this on my blog, but here it is, beautiful and worthy of admiration.

Presenting....Alice (from a wicked Wonderland)!

Ratatouille

I had my first taste of "ratatouille" today and I loved it (at first). I ordered a side dish of it, and having finished it, ordered the main dish, to realise the only vegetarian main dish in a French bistro was eggplant stuffed with ratatouille and baked with cheese. I think I've had enough for awhile. So THIS was what the Remy in the animated movie, Ratatouille, managed to cook and impress the critic with!

Nearing 7 months, Mousehunt (http://apps.facebook.com/mousehunt/) has become a daily part of my routine. It just involves clicking on a horn to try and attract different types of mice to your different trap setups in different quests. The game is brought to new life for special occassions like Christmas, Easter and Valentine. Each player progresses in the game with ranks that sound cool (Novice --> Journeyman --> Master --> Hero --> Knight --> Lord). It is a very creative game, with a lot of time and thought gone into making it. The best part is, it is not the end of the world if don't log into Facebook for long hours and play it (unlike Farmville, where your plantations can die if you are away for extended periods of time), the horn sounds automatically each hour for the time you are away, so you still progress in the game without having to stay hooked on it for 24 hours. You can even send gifts and gold to friends and sell things on the market for rip-off prices. Never thought I'd like it, but it has been certainly interesting and has won my admiration.