Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Adventure Racing...

Should I?

---

As usual, the queen of cabs is looking for a cab this morning at 0830. What can be more irksome than 6 - 8 cabs that are neither hired nor on call pass you by, refusing to pick up a pretty gal like me as their passenger?

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 12:57 AM with 0 comments

Monday, February 27, 2006

New Year Resolution

It ain't new year. My time is all warped. First, I thought Wednesday is weekend. Now, I think end Feb is New Year (good time to spring clean).

I refuse to clean out my room for the CNY. Here I am, cleaning out my room in the middle of the night. Right now, I'm in the mood of rearranging my room, again.

Throwing things out has a therapeutic effect on me, probably many other people too. I shall attempt to think about how to reduce clutter in my room. This is especially after seeing how compact the room of the goddess of the ant is.

Rules to live by: (aka, new year resolutions to break)

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:34 AM with 2 comments

Friday, February 24, 2006

Over the weekend....

It was mid-weekend for me. I have done so many things in 1 day I thought a weekend had passed. It has been a fruitful one.

I attended the wedding of a friend I have known since more than 6 years ago. I see from the pictures, she is a happy bride. Time really flies and the girl I once knew has grown and blossomed into a beautiful woman. It is wonderful being able to witness this transformation. And like all married women, moving well on their way of what I call, domestication. It was the first Catholic church wedding I attended. Very different, very elaborate. Good experience. It was a pity I had to miss parts of it.

The videographer was terrible, fairly young chap, he must have wanted so much to be part of the fun that he gave the brothers all the clues as to where we hid the stuff. The photographer was a friend of an old time friend. The sisters spent the night drooling over how cute/cool/whatever he was.

I hate weddings. I hate having to pay for an expensive meal, a meaningless evening and too much unwanted calories. That is true of 90% of the weddings I attend. But for strange reasons, the weddings of your closest friends do remind you of the love in this cruel world we live in and that it exists so much so they have chosen to brave the unchartered waters called marraige.

My boss's boss boss, when he found out about my day's leave, just had to make this cock remark/s. Where got people have wedding on a weekday? Where got people have church weddings at night? Ask your friend to get married another day bla bla...I felt like strangling him. Either he's a toad or he's a toad. It makes sense to know that he is unmarried at this ripe old age.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 11:11 AM with 0 comments

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Bachata

Quite weird. The basic goes like 1 2 3 hip lift & drop. I even thought it was quite dumb to move like that. Sometimes the very deliberate attempt at hip lifts is quite comical, I have to restrain myself from laughing. Anyway, I ended up doing it because I have another 3 more lessons from my cardio salsa which I cannot attend anymore. The teacher offered me to join another class and yesterday was their 3rd. Like most social dances, its has a male lead female follow routine, which explains why I could pick it up fairly fast even though I still stepped on his poor foot twice. And some other times, looking very lost, following the guy without knowing what I was really doing. The class was small with only 2 couples there when I arrived. Before another guy (who ended up being my partner) joined the class, I started off dancing with the teacher, the same one who taught cardio salsa. I like her and she's really good.

Interestingly, my partner was a decently young chap when I was really expecting a bunch of older folks. He was tall (still obviously taller than me in my heels), lean and tanned. It has been a long time since I last danced with a stranger. It feels weird even though he has been relatively nice and patient. It was also scary dancing with him because he had a gaze that seemed to pierce right through you. I tried as much not to look at him and pretended to be thinking very hard, the dance steps. It's my first lesson afterall. And so, I spent a lot of time looking at the collar, because it was the easiest target to look at without lifting my head.

Although I think this is a dance with weird moves, I does still look quite nice and class when danced with a partner.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:35 AM with 0 comments

Friday, February 17, 2006

IT Engineer & Engineer Engineer

It never occurred to me to think about the difference between the two until recently. Afterall, most of jobs I took on took me far from computer sciences and information technology. I work for the technology arm of a relatively big corporation now. And I'm surrounded by...engineers! Erm..I'm not going to talk about how cute they are because none of them are.

But the stark difference between the IT engineer and engineer engineer is great. They speak, talk and think differently although they are thinking of the same thing.

The IT Engineer says
  1. User Requirements
  2. Design
  3. Development
  4. Testing
  5. Implementation

The Engineer Engineer tells you

  1. Study
  2. Construction
  3. Implementation
  4. Operations

A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with my manager, an EE by training. He casually asked how things were going. And what I thought of things. I asked, "what if, one day, we have to revamp all our applications?"

Anyone who has been into applications development will know that we need to revamp the systems every now and then. By that, it means, throwing away whatever you already possess and redeveloping a whole new application, because times have changed, business have changed and technology has changed. It is really a tedious process.

"Will that day come?" That was the royal answer I received.

IT Engineers build a software application to last for at most 5 years before deciding that it will be reaching EOL pretty soon. Engineer engineers build a building to last 20 years?

I can only conclude, that must be that must be the difference between engineers and information technology. Which is why I understand none of what they are saying only to discover that at the end of the day, we are referring to the same thing.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:39 AM with 0 comments

Do you have an email?

My BD director was as usual telling his jokes. Jcokes that we hear a thousand times but his intended recipients are prolly new to. I've heard it so many timses I can repeat it now. Here it goes..

A long time ago, there was a man. He was very poor, received little education and wanted to look for a job. At his best, he could only write his name. But he was very well versed in areas of cleaning agents and such. So he applied to M$ to work as a janitor.

During the interview, the interviewer asked him what he knew. He certainly knew a lot. And was given the job. M$, being one of the largest technology firms around asked for his email address so they could get in touch with him. But the man was so poor he could not afford a computer, let alone have an email!

Depressed, he left the company thinking about the email address. He suddenly had an idea. WIth his last $5, he bought all the oranges he could from a stall and sold them to other people by going house to house. He soon finished selling his oranges. And with the money he made, he bought more oranges and sold to more people. The cycle repeated.

Ultimately, he became a successful entrepreneur and was interviewed one day by a reporter. At the end of the interview, he reporter asked him for his email, so that he could send him the write up. To this, he told the reporter that he had no email. The reporter was shocked. "How can this be?", he said. "You are such a successful in your business, I cannot imagine what you would be like if you had an email."

"I would then be a janitor in M$.", he said.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:16 AM with 0 comments

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Valentine's Day

I feel so compelled, or rather, inspired to blog about Valentine's Day.In a wink of an eye, yet another year has past. My blog is that old. Last year, I wrote about the origins of Valentine's Day. This year...I'll talk about dreams & expectations vs reality.

I had a most interesting conversation with a new friend I met. He asked me what I was gonna do on 14 Feb. And went on to tell me how I should actually try to go out with someone special. I guess he was surprised he had to be the one to tell me "It's Valentine's Day tomorrow." Well, of course I know. But does it matter?

Do I really need to find myself a date and pretend to be a couple in the streets? They say, Valentine's Day is a day for friends too. True, but I guess there isn't a pressing need to need to see my friends on Valentine's Day and at exhorbitant prices? Even if prices were reasonable, I'd really rather stay out of the crowd. To the singles, Valentine's Day is just another day. When there isn't anyone special to spend it with, I'm happier spending it doing something I like.

So much for expectations.

I went BD on the very day itself. I had another interesting conversation with a classmate. Apparently, Valentine's Day is a day when the men are supposed to become the knight in the shining armour to sweep you off your feet.

She shared her revelation of Valentine's Day. About how the gals in her office would excitedly anticipate the grand arrival of their bouquets. Apparently at the same time, comparing who had a bigger or more beautiful bouquet.

And as if that were not enough. Mind you, sending a bouquet has its rules too. If you're going to send one, then ensure your recipient receives it in the earlier part of the day or your efforts would render useless. Why? Because a bouquet on your table has the ability to put a smile on your face the entire day.

Well, so what happens when the girl did not receive anything? She would call her better half in a bad temper and perhaps sulk, throw tantrums, whatever. "So where's my thing?", she said. The clueless guy would of course reply in shock, "What thing?". Afterwhich, will cause the girl to either flare up even more or make her upset.

Yet, there are others who hoped their partners would plan something special. Treat them like a princess and make them feel loved. Thank goodness I'm not born a guy.

To some, celebrating Valentines Day, means receiving presents and being pampered almost seems to be a given. I must have it, otherwise he doesn't love me. I reserve my comments. Me, I rather be an average princess EVERYDAY than to be the most beautiful princess for a day.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 12:53 AM with 0 comments

Thursday, February 09, 2006

YOYO Diet is BAD for health

Yoyo diet is bad for health, very bad.

THEY came and THEY went. Over the span of the 4 days, we either ate a lot, non stop, or didn't eat. You know how the Chinese LOVE food. Any visitor from overseas definitely gets a taste of Chinese hospitality. On Wednesday, we took them around for our version of the Singapore City tour to the award winning Tampines new town, Sungei Api Api, the bomb shelthers, carparks, sustainable design technology NLB and showed them many other things.

We were kinda short of time. I had some milk in the morning. Earl grey at 11am and teh-si at 5pm. The first meal I had was actually at 830pm. My goodness, I was so hungry I felt the faintness creeping in on me. I literally had no energy to even talk.

I was so hungry that all I felt like having was junk food. I was craving for Macs. So I got a double cheese burger from there, topped with a berry nice yoghurt. After my meeting, I went back home and ate half a 'nian gao'. To think that I cannot usually take anything more than a Macs meal.

The bad eating habits continued the next day. I had lunch at 330pm. There was the morning tea this time since it was in the office. Had a tiny apply pie and teh-si this time. Still, lunch at past 3pm?!

Boss ordered the most unhealthy lunch of chicken rice, rojak, carrot cake, orr-lua and sugar cane juice. He wanted to give them a taste of how the local people eat at a nearby hawker centre. I am about the only person there finishing the food...because I just wanted to eat. I really think its because of the hunger the day before.

It's really bad because your body starves and metabollic rates drop. So when theres food, it tries to eat as much as possible because it thinks it has to stock up. And when you're so hungry, you just want to eat junk food..I felt every bit of it.

In this company, you either eat a lot or you don't eat. Tekan.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 12:19 AM with 0 comments

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

ADMIN

"THEY" came today. And, what a pain...

I don't mean that "THEY" were nasty people. They are in fact quite friendly people, and at worst, just polite. That I wouldn't know. I will be PR officer for a day. Admin jobs are really a full time job in itself. A look at what I did today includes...

Oh, the dinner at Long Beach was all the way at ECP. Didn't know they have a whole string of seafood joints there now. It was pretty crowded on a weekday and Monday night. I'm so surprised. There were people blading and jogging still. Food was only ok, really. I think my mum cooks better crabs, and better rest of the food.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:47 AM with 0 comments

Monday, February 06, 2006

The Shopping Queen Strikes.

The Shopping Queen Strikes again.

After the CNY frenzy. You would have thought that shopping should have ceased. Damn where I work now that I think its causing me to spend and for creating an excuse for me to spend when previously I was just very happy in my frumpy old clothes, some were bought when I first started work - and I didn't start working only last year.

Sales are everywhere, even more than before. I am the proud owner of 2 blouses and 1 cardi from Frontieer and The Little Matchgirl. All items 20% off.

The PS Frontieer is lousy. They lie through their teeth and tell you that you look very nice in whatever you are trying on when the fitting is just not right. They do not know their stuff well at all.

Me: What other colours does this come in?
Her: Just this.
Me: (I'm pretty sure I saw the orange one out there).

---

I sent my Casio for repair. Somehow its just dead. The girl told me that probably the solar backup battery is dead and needs to be changed. When I bought the watch, it supposedly claimed not to require battery changes since its solar powered u know? And I have been wearing it all the time.

The girl at the counter was lousy. All she could do is to repeat that its the solar backup battery that needs to be changed. Doesn't get what I'm driving at.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:23 AM with 0 comments

10 Things To Irritate People... at the GYM

  1. For some reason, you stink.
  2. Sweat profusely and fling your sweat at people (knowingly or unknowingly)
  3. Leave your sweat on the equipment.
  4. Hog the machines, blind to the people waiting to use the machine.
  5. Hog the machines, blind to the people waiting to use the machine and yet not know how to use the machine properly.
  6. Show off (either your muscles or the weights you are lifting or your figure), worse ifyou have nothing worthy
  7. Talk on your mobile in an class such as yoga or pilates.
  8. Come late for class and squeeze into someone else's space, expecting them to make way for you.
  9. Be a smart aleck and do a routine different from what the instructor is doing.
  10. Be a poser or acting cool.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:32 AM with 0 comments

Sunday, February 05, 2006

A little about abs....

Pure Ab Facts after 4 days exercising...

Your abdominal muscles are more commonly referred to as abs. Usually, we only think of our big fat bulging tummies when we think of our abs. But it actually consists of 4 main muscles. Your rectus abdominis (the longest one that starts from under your ribs to your pelvic), internal obliques, external obliques and transverse abdominis (this is a belt that wraps around you like a belt keeping all your insides in place)

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 3:17 AM with 1 comments

Chingay2006

Today is my 4th day (with tomorrow being the 5th) in a row I've been gyming after my successful procrastinations over the festive season. I desperately need to put my cardio back on track. In case you're wondering whether I have gone mad. No, I haven't. This is in preparation for the following week when I will become SA turned Public Relations Officer and tour guide. My nights are literally burnt. And I'll be spending ALL my lunches and dinners eating and eating. The thought of it is enough to make me sick.

---

It was drizzling slightly before evening came and the ground was wet. Still, a queue snaked from the entrance we were to enter. Got a spot not very fantastic, so it wasn't that easy to capture any good shots. The performance was so so and somewhat similar to the previous year. I noticed some of the materials recycled from the previous year. Some of the floats were really good, though. Somehow, the government has this inate ability to maintain everything in an orderly manner. The mess left behind was cleared so quickly. Traffice resumes so quickly. I am quite amazed. Though you can really see better at home on the TV (which I don't even if I'm at home), the atmosphere there is really better (minus the fact that they kept asking you to move inwards).

---

Have you ever gone out with people, only to feel alone? You asked, they pretended not to hear, changed the subject or played hard to get. Yet, bring subjects unknown to me right there and then. I think I don't really have to be at future meetings if there is no absolute need. Am I back at square one? The place can function well without me too.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:29 AM with 0 comments

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Fitness Test

I took a fitness test (for the fun of it) a few Fridays ago... here's my analysis of it :)

Took my height and weight (and suspect something is wrong with the machine). I turned out much taller and much heavier than I had known myself to be. Darn..time to shed some weight.

I was asked to lie down on a mat while he stuck a sticky pad to my left hand and leg. It was a body fat analysis test which at the same time, magically tells you your blood pressure, resting heard rate, lean muscle weight, fat weight, water content. I also think something is wrong with the machine also. My RHR is way too high (its higher than when I first started exercising 5 years ago!!) and body fat way too low, which indirectly means all other weight measurements are probably "wrong".

Then I did a sit and reach test. The sit and reach test is for testing your flexibility. But in reality, it only tests for flexibility in your hamstring and lower back. I passed with flying colours.

The step test was next. I was given a step board and asked to step up and down for 3 minutes. Rate of stepping, up to you. In my mind I thought, if you step slower, you work less, you step faster, you work more isn't it? And if you work harder, you probably have your heart beat faster. Anyway, your recovery heart rate was then taken. How fast your heart recovers is an indication of your cardiovascular fitness. I did badly in the test actually... :P But while the step frequency wasn't monitored, I was also talking to the tester! Haha. This is a very simple test that you cannot underestimate. Seems like a simple exercise, but your heart rate can really soar by doing it!

"Strength" test is next. The push up test. It may be for "strength" but its quite "endurance" actually. Ladies do it on knees. I managed quite well simply because this is something that is done quite often after the combat classes for conditioning.

Finally, came the sit up test. It's a full sit up. Actually, has anyone ever told you that the sit up is a bad exercise to perform? Simply because it adds unnecessary strain on your lower back. Still I managed with fair performance. This is the first time I'm doing sit ups every since leaving school more than 10 years ago! This exercise is supposed to test your endurance (in this case, abdominal endurance). But if you really ask me, doing a sit up with someone pressing on your feet, you don't really use yours abs a lot.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:52 AM with 1 comments

Friday, February 03, 2006

Avocado Milkshake

I first got my hands on that yucky, green coloured, sticky, gooey thing perhaps 5 years ago. You either like it or you don't. But for those who liked it, they were so hooked despite the known fact that it was made of pure fats.

I tried to make it finally after years of procrastination. Turned out...not bad!

---

I was going home from TPY today, the usual. Someone offered to send us all home. That's nice. :)

There were 2 guys (1 fairly big sized, not fat, just big sized) and 3 ladies, 1 driver. As we all know a typical car normally seats only 5 comfortably and 6 if the 4 behind somewhat do not take up a lot of space. If anyone had half an ounce of a brain, you would probably have the biggest sized person sit in the front.

BUT. SOME PEOPLE are just PLAIN INCONSIDERATE.

SOMEONE. Despite staying in such proximity (ie. not last to alight, last to alight was Bedok), insisted on the front seat and "snatched" it on the pretext of "giving directions" the driver (and not very successful at it). And refused to get off despite what the rest say. The reason was obvious. HE did not want to be packed like sardines and be squeezed with the rest and would rather other people suffer than him.

I don't know what to say. Personally, I think such behaviour is pretty unbecoming and just plain ugly. For now, I can only shake my head and sigh.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 12:44 AM with 2 comments

Thursday, February 02, 2006

MEN ARE IRRITATING 4

A different HE: Did you take the minutes just now?
ME: (stares blankly) huh? No one told me to take the minutes!
HE: Nevermind, I took down some notes just now.

Had a meeting today with professor. He was to share his ideas on "Green Technology" to us.
The way the memo was sent out, I had thought it was only just the people from my company and Prof. Alas, I was surprised by the whole gingang that turned up, filling the room till there was no seats left.

Nevermind. I'm an SA right? No one told me that I was required to take minutes. I don't remember seeing it in the appointment letter too.

WTH. They think we are there to take minutes for you. Its a favour that is out of scope and out of MY scope. They don't get it. The men, apart from not getting it, take things for granted. So, don't be too nice to them.

He got his NEW CAR of 2 months scratched while coming back from lunch. It was scratched while travelling down the multi-storey car park. Orbi-good. MEN are not such fantastic drivers too.

I think I'm beginning to turn into a MANHATER.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:20 AM with 0 comments

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

How's Your Job?

Got job? Just do. I spent the last couple of days answering the "How's your job" question. To my lovely surprise, I discovered what I say echoes the sentiments of the ex-CLians. Got job? Just do lor. Doesn't matter what job. It sustains yours lifestyle; pays your bills & installments. That's about enough.

True enough, nothing is quite concrete nowadays. The line between a contract and a perm job is just a hazy blur. And the iron rice bowl no longer stands. With that, employers can't really expect us to just fall in love with our job or show some form of loyalty towards the hand that feeds us, can they? Well, they possibly can, but that is far from reality. After moving around a little, we have come to the conclusion that, its about the same everywhere. And in a matter of time, we will play "blow wind blow" and the cycle repeats.

I learnt something from my cousin. Its not necessarily a good thing to LOVE your job? Why? Because then, you'll turn into a workaholic and have no time for anything else.

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:36 AM with 0 comments

I TOLD YOU, MEN ARE IRRITATING 3

He: Do you know how to write minutes?
Me: No. (Of cos I do, but I'm not your sakateri)
He: (explains at length what MOM is for and the format) You don't know what minutes look like?
Me: I think different companies have different requirements and formats, uses etc.
Me: I'll redo it for you. (duma$$, if you know what u want, say so in the first place)

Damnit. He just used the S word on me.
*looks at my name card*
It says Systems Analyst. (I'm getting really anal now)

Cheapskate place thats too plain cheap to employ proper people for admin functions.
I've seen PAs in the company. There's corp comms and HR around.

If you need a PA, employ one, you're an MD.
If you need to entertain your guests, get your CC and HR.
Getting me to do it is just a very expensive way of doing things.

Sure, things get done, albeit, unwillingly.
Not trained + Zilch passion and heart while at it.
I'm sure the visitors are not 1d10t, they'll be able to tell.

Back to MOM:
If you already know what your MOM should look like and how you want it to be, then jolly well say so. It wasn't exactly a meeting in the first place. There were only 3 people in his office (not even a meeting room), there was no agenda. I only know about it less than an hour before the actual time. And he obviously has no idea what GIGO means.

Fine, I'll re-do the minutes.

Next thing I discovered, a memo cc-ed to the entire world in such a delightfully polite manner. Who cares. I'm an SA. Not sakateri, I have an excuse for being lousy at it.

Might I add, he's just so nosy to want to poke his nose everywhere, telling me I am what I eat and that I'm eating too much oily food, which explains why I'm breaking out. Do I have to tell you every detail about myself? And your limited knowledge is only about oily food and breaking out I'm sure. Some men, just don't get it.

"EXPOSURE", "PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT" - Don't give me this sh!t.

In this company of mostly men, the female of the species (especially if you're younger, prettier, a little more presentable) are just decorations.

I HATE THE OLD FOEGY. GTH!

Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 1:03 AM with 0 comments