I am going home.

Damn, I just have to say something good, and bad things happen to me.

4 person at the doctor's ahead of me. Usually less than 2.

Took 1 day MC.
Back to office, my boss is back !

Ok, so time to go home now, as there is nothing to enjoy anymore.

Terrible Day...

Last night, I couldn't sleep again.
This morning, I woke up with diarrhoea, and I actually had to stay in toilet twice before I had the energy to shower and come to office.

Why not see a doctor, I can hear you ask.

I am a workaholic. A little diarrhoea is not going to stop me from performing my office duties. At least, even if I suddenly cannot control my bowel movements, I am driving now and will not be embarrassed like The Last Time.

At least, it will just be a tough job getting smelly stains out of my leather seats. No need to rob people of their toilets.

Yeah, right.

Actually, the reason is that I do not want to see the doctor nearby. As I know it will be crowded in the mornings with everyone trying to take MCs.

Secondly, I always preferred the doctor at my office. And I always visit after lunch. Hardly any queue. And anyway, I do have pills for diarrhoea on my own. Nothing the doctor can do to make me well instantaneously.

Thirdly, once I arrived in office, I realized that my boss is not in, and probably will not be in in the afternoon, so I better enjoy another day without my boss on my back.

Fourthly, I have such wonderful colleagues that keeps me happy and uplifted, that I will have separation anxiety if I take one day's MC.

Hahahaha...

Oh dear, need to go release more water again...

The Name of the Game.

The game is : http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/damn_birds.shtml

And no, I am not having difficulty sleeping because of this game.



Today, I failed my IPPT, again. 23 seconds in my 2.4km run.
I have one more month to pass it. I can try and try until I pass, or pass away.

Unable to sleep , again !

I am not able to get to sleep again.
I do not know why...

This is tiring.

I had steak last night...

It looked like the map of Singapore.
With Sentosa and Airport Runway. (Click on the photo to see the notes)

Flustered

I don't know why, but I have been feeling flustered these few days.
No mood to work. I even feel restless at home.

A colleague of mine recently pointed out that I hadn't taken a long break this year, compared to my previous years. Probably I need some time to relax and re-charge ?

At that time, I thought nothing of it, dismissed the idea. But today, I think I really need some time off.

Or am I just pressurizing myself too much, trying to do all that I set for myself to do within the next few months ?

Or am I just sick and tired of the environment here with some of my colleagues and bosses, that I just don't have the motivation to work anymore ?

Probably I still have to learn how to idle and not set too high expectations for myself.

Update of my friend who has gone to USA

Read this to remind yourself.

Just got an update that he is drafted to serve in the US Army. They will be shipping him to Iraq in a few weeks time.

Probably will be jacking up his pay and allowance.
Wow.

Just hope he will be back safe and sound.

Banyan Tree - Finished

Ok. So my President's plane seat having no TV was a mistake. It was just faulty.

After my previous entry, I headed down for the official opening dinner. In our pre-dinner entertainment, there was fortune telling.

I had my fortune told. I will put it here, so that next time I can check if he is accurate. Hahaha.
It was by Tarot cards.

I remembered my first card was The Devil. 2nd card was The Fool (About my wealth, he told me.)

Now I can't remember all the cards, but essentially, he said I have no problems with making money, but I need to watch my budget, as my money is "easy come easy go". He probably saw through this with the Bvlgari ring I had on my finger, and an expensive looking Seiko watch on my wrist ?

I will make good career in the entertainment industry (like being an actor or something). Me ? Gosh. When he asked what job I am doing, I told him IT. He said then I should be doing more outbound, travelling kind rather than desk-bound, to progress in my career.

Told me that my career is good, good promotion in 2 years time if I am not already at senior or management level.

That I will get a sum of money around December. (Its the year-end bonus that he's referring to , I guess.)

That my love life will have a slight down-turn in February 2007.
And that my "girlfriend or wife" has some "manly" characteristics, (I think he is referring to stubborness, or just want to make decisions) and that may cause me to quarrel.

That my health is ok, but I should watch out for my liver.

Hahaha.

The dinner was nice and funny, with of course, my guests having a fun time trying to decide which were real girls dancing, and which were girls with adam's apple.

*~*~*~*~*

Next day, again conference in the morning and all the entertainment in the afternoon. Again, I tried to rest and didn't join any activity. Dinner was fun with "Pajamas party" theme at the restaurnant on the 59th floor. I think everyone enjoyed it, with sexy dancers and magician going around the tables.

*~*~*~*~*

Friday's conference was my turn to present, a short 15 minutes. Things were going smoothly. After the conference, I joined in the golf game. It was terrible, but that's not news.

Got dead drunk last night out partying after the dinner. This morning, woke up to a call in my suite (yes, after my CEO left, I took over his upgrade Premier Suite).

A voice told me that I am supposed to check out and meet at the lobby at 8am.
I said ok.
She said "It is now already 8am."
I said "Ok. Coming down."

I jumped up, washed up and showered, THREW everything into my luggage back, put on some clothes, and went down to check out. 8.20am.
All with a throbbing headache. Argh ! Hang over !

Aww man ! I haven't gotten this drunk since a similar conference 5 years ago. That time, I slept through all the alarm clocks and phone calls. Someone came to my door and BANGED at it real hard and loud for 5 minutes before I woke up.

Had I been that state in this morning, I am sure I will not be able to hear the doors banging. (Yes, that is how big the suite is.) They will have to break the doors down. (Noticed I used the word "doors", because the entrance is w-i-d-e.)

I think overall, it was quite successful, and everyone is happy, I think. Have yet to hear any major complaints.

Ok. Time to recover, probably more admin work to settle, and the beginning of a new set of challenges.

Updates from Banyan Tree

*sigh*

Finally can have a short sigh of relief for a while.

Yesterday has been hectic, but luckily I had outsourced most of the hard work. I have people flying in from morning all the way till past mid-night :

1. Ensuring everyone gets on their proper transport,
2. Ensuring everyone checks into their rooms,
3. Ensuring everyone has their customized welcome package with T-shirts and name-tags in their rooms,
4. Hearing about how my President's economy seat is the only one on the place that has NO TV set (is that even possible ?)
5. How he has to be the lucky one to get that seat, if it is indeed true.
6. How my President changed his room because it faced the main road and he is afraid of noise, (And how my CTO stays just 1 level above, but he said the room is quiet).
7. How my President is anxious that his boss (my CEO) arrives nicely and well taken care of, try to book a masseur for him, etc,
8. Still chasing some presenters for their slides,
9. Touching up their slides to ensure readability in large conference room,
10. Ensuring that more food is prepared as many feedback (including from my CEO) that fingerfood, though free flow, is not filling,
11. Ensuring that the Thai delegates (who didn't have visa from their wifes to stay in hotel) gets their packages before they leave the welcome cocktail,
12. Putting up seating arrangements for 96 seats,
13. Ensuring a spare notebook with all the slides updated and ready to replace the primary notebook in case of failures,
    
14. Very glad that I was asleep when my organizers were welcoming 21 guests at 2am and changing T-shirt sizes of those who couldn't fit into their XXL.

And today, I think the opening of the conference ran ok, except my President was sitting beside me and asking me lots of questions that he would have the answers to, if he bothered to read our painstakenly-produced guidebooklet for all.

The conference overshot by 45 minutes, had to rush the golfers off to their course. Now, I am just hoping that they can make it back in time for dinner plans (at 8pm). But I guess, with the traffic, and the late start, I am asking for too much. I just hope they are not too late in joining us for the offical opening dinner.

Re-arranged the seating arrangements for tomorrow, ensuring everyone has opportunities to sit with their respective sales people (and it has to be fair, because some customers are easily jealous of competitors being the "favoured") and ensuring everyone alternates between sitting near the screen and far away from the screen.

Now I am in my room (finally !) a couple of hours of breather, hopefully I can catch a nap, while I hope tonight's events turns out well.

2 and a half more days to go...
A hundred and one things can go wrong...

I still have yet to memorize and rehearse my slides for my presentation on Friday...
2 more presenters on that day have yet to give me their slides...

My Official Banyan Tree Trip

Ok.. After my recce trip a month back, tomorrow I am setting out for the actual conference.

Already, stress level of big boss is quite high, with some being passed down.

Then a colleague had to be an ass and assume many things, and just because the conference happen to be in Thailand, he can just invite anyone he wants, from Thailand, without even checking with the organizers (that's my department, in case you still do not know).

Still had the cheek to say that we didn't make it clear who we are NOT inviting. I mean, come on. If I didn't invite them, it means I didn't invite them. If you want to invite them, please check with me first. Don't assume that the seating capacity will be enough, and only tell me today that I didn't make it clear that they are not invited.

I will wait till he gives a house warming, and then I will invite some people that I think he ought to have invited. Then tell him, he didn't tell me NOT to invite those people he didn't invite.

But then, don't think a parsimonious like him will hold any house warming party, anyway.

Still have many things to do : seating arrangements for 2nd day is not done up. I still haven't gotten the slides of all the presenters. Still have to buy wine when I reach BKK. And I hope nothing crops up, nor any of the guests have any complaints.

*sigh*

Wish me luck. Mission starts in 12 hours.

The day I was stuck in the toilet for 3 hours

Was relieving myself in a public toilet, and was there for 3 hours, after reading this sign :

My Daily Dose of Cheerfulness

Looking at this in my rear view mirror always brightens me up.

No matter how upset I get, looking at this fella every 10 seconds or so, while on the road, really keeps me cheerful.

Especially when it seems like this fella is waving at me, or doing some dance.

Now, that is what I call Driving Pleasure.

Fierce Lights

Haha. Today I just noticed that my car lights projected a fierce image, with its 2 front signal lamps.

Doesn't it look like a pair of eyes with very distinct eyebrows ? And a nose ?

Wasn't easy to take this shot, as the lights were the blinking hazard lights.

Photos of my Banyan Tree trip

Ok. Some photos from my free Banyan Tree trip.

This was my room :




This is the restaurant that we are having a function in :

Day Views -





Night Views -






Another Restaurant at Roof Top :

Day View -



Night Views -





Cocktail Place :

As Vertigo is too expensive, this is the alternative -

Snippets of Updates II

Changed my tyres to Dunlop Direzza DZ101. Looks good, though I thought it was a little quieter, I think it is just me.

Didn't want to waste money on the rims though, cos the current one is still good. Not sure that spending money on the new lighter rims will save much on petrol. Anyway, I ahve a long time to find out. Next change of tyres, I will probably change rims. Typical engineer mentality - change one factor at a time. See of tyres and Nitrogen makes a different.

(Ok. So some of you may say I a naive to believe that Nitrogen-filled tyres is going to make a lot of difference, but hey, comes "free" with the tyres, free top-ups of Nitrogen, free tyre rotation every 10kkm, free puncture repair, up to 5 times. Just take it and see if it really affects my FC.)

So problem solved.

*~*~*~*~*

Tomorrow, I will be going to Banyan Tree, Bangkok. Sort of business + leisure trip. So I will be enjoying myself the next few days. Ha !

Car Vibrations

For the whole of last week, I had to endure excessive vibrations in my car. Noticable at speeds of 50km/h and my car becomes a massage chair at > 70km/h.

Sent it for servicing today. Found out the cause : Bad Tyre at the rear left.
(Click on the photo to see details)



Am thinking of whether ot change my rims at the same time. Lightweight, probably look better and save a bit on my fuel consumption.. Petrol very expensive now.. Just went up by another 10cents per litre.

Hmmm. Rims + Tyres probably will cost me another S$1k or so. *sigh*

On the other hand, they changed for me my 2 front suspension stabilizer links. Now the knocking sounds when I go over humps and pot-holes have gone down by 90%. The remaining is either acceptable noise from high-speed-over-relatively-big-holes types, or the rear is starting to show similar symptoms.

Will get them to change it for free the next servicing. Afterall, that is what warranty is about...hahahaha.

EnerNorth

Right. Ok. I am not the first to find out or post about this.
Just interested to see what the verdict is :

Here

Wedding Concepts

My brother has just returned me the money that I had given him last year for his wedding.

When I asked him, his reply is that he feels wedding should be "parents give", not "brother give". My response was simple : It is a family gift. Elder brothers also got give ang pao one ma.


What is with "youngsters" nowadays ?

It is MY wedding. I decide who I want to marry. I want the things to go MY way. But money has to come from parents. Especially the parents of the groom.

What with the reason that "traditionally", Chinese wedding is paid for by the groom's parents.


Oh yeah, talk about tradition ? Traditionally, groom's parents DECIDES who their boy marries and who is good enough for their boy, why don't you follow this tradition as well ? Traditionally, the new family live with the parents and follow the male family rules. What about that ?

You want independence, you want to be modern, what with freedom of love and all. Totally against arranged marriage, believing that it doesn't work. Why not be independent all the way ?

So many couples I know of, they pay for their own wedding, including the dinner. What parents give are just gifts, bonus, extra cash. Yes, they may make concessions to parents when parents give money. But isn't organizing any large event the same ? Make compromises and try to make everyone happy (wedding couple themselves included).

They don't PLAN their wedding based on how much their parents are giving them, nor do they feel that their parents owe them for their own wedding decisions.

Wake up ! Don't expect the world to owe you everything. Want to be traditional, be traditional all the way. Want to be new age, be new age all the way. Don't be half-assed ! Don't choose things that are in your favour only and when you don't get it, blame others !

Some Updates

Work :
Getting rather tired. Don't feel motivated at all. I don't know why. I need to strike TOTO !

Family :
Brother still got married. Without our family's participation though.

Personal :
Feeling lethargic most of the time.

Hobby :
I think I found a suitable casing for my Car-Cam project. Lets see how things go.

New Words Learnt

I learnt a new word today : eproctophiles

That is all I am ever going to say on this topic. Don't ask me anything.

*~*~*~*~*

Another word : Vorarephilia

There is soft vore, and hard vore... hahahaha.

*~*~*~*~*