Fourth and last day of training at StarHub

Today is the last day I'll see those girls and a guy at training, everyone will be split up to all over the island to carry on with what we came to Haw Par for. To promote i-mode for StarHub.

After today's training, I find that it's really stressful to sell this service! So many things to remember, must be able to persuade the customer well and not offend and a lot more things to take note, waH! I'm going to start work tomorrow and I'm super unprepared! So scared!!!!!!!

Had Matthew to teach us how to sell the product. Hope I can get the hang of things faster, everyone seems to be getting it! I'm only at the gist, whereas others who showed what they could do during role-playing today and I was quite impressed! Sigh.

I screwed up my role-playing today and it really affected my morale, like how come when I was so confident of speech in secondary school I lost all my skills totally. It seems like it's so hard to por people with my words now. It was so easy when I was back at Cartel, perhaps it's food so it's easier. Now with all these product...if you say the wrong things, that's it! A sale gone! ARGHHHHHH.

Yi Xin SMS-ed me today and told me she got posted to Blk 503 Tampines Central 1, Ju Ling got posted to Paya Lebar. I'm just glad that I didn't get posted to Tampines Central, it's the place I'm dreading to go to now. However considering the transport fares at only $1.28 a day for me, I'd consider. I'm paying $3.08 a day, that's more than twice.

After training today took a lot of photos with the girls.

I look spastic in this photo, but nevertheless we still looked like we had special effects of light. It's just reflection of the box that we put the cameras on
Tsz Ching, me
Cindy Chen, me
Me and Tsz Ching trying to be...well, I look at myself and think I'm cranky
Me, Jessica
Geraldine, me
Feng Ni, me
Cheryl, me
Chariene, me
Fiona, me
Me, Yi Ting
Me, Cindy Phua

There are only 17 of us in the group photo, because the other 3 of them left for Centrepoint since they are sent to the shops, as in the main StarHub shops. The rest of us sent to the retailers.

Pray for me ok. Hope my day tomorrow will go smoothly, make me have a good start to this job.

Some animal personality test

Did another personality test, this time it's in Chinese. However I think my test results are so unreal though I answered as closely as possible.

It says I'm an antelope. Erina. Antelope. Come on la... I roar!

RAWRRRRRRR!!!



積極而友善是你最大的特色。在工作上你有著強烈的好奇心，而且積極地把握每個機會去學習及展現能力。你也是個友善的工作夥伴，是同事心中的模範teamplayer。在愛情方面，你勇於示愛，而且善體人意，是個不可多得的愛情EQ高手。

優點： 即使叢林的生活不時有些險惡，你仍不改心中那股生活熱情。面對周遭的人事物，你總是用正面而體諒的方式詮釋，因而你鮮少憤世嫉俗，更不易庸人自擾。你 的熱情活力感染了周圍的人，跟你在一起工作會是很愉快的經驗。同時，在愛情中，你很注意對方的情緒需求，也有著極佳的衝突處理能力，是個體貼而懂得尊重另 一半的好情人。

提醒：你對人總是心無防備，在你眼中，每個人都是好人，然而叢林中有時危機四伏，難免有人會不懷好意，提醒你在必要時也該發揮警覺心，嗅出異樣就該掉頭，用你優雅的羚羊跳躍，遠離叢林中的危險。

I'm like the total opposite of what it is saying. 差别好大！我个人觉得我根本都没有那么积极。<因而你鮮少憤世嫉俗，更不易庸人自擾> 好不对哦！！！

Here's the link! http://cola.sina.com.tw/

Saw Joan on TV

Joan told us some time ago that she'll be doing line dancing, sort of a calafare, on Ch 8's Love Concierge. That serial at 9pm on weekdays. I don't watch it, but was online when Yi Xin called and told me the line dance group appeared at that moment and I ran to the TV and I saw Joan! =D So amazed to be able to see a friend there, because it's either my neighbour or auntie whom I usually see as calafares. Joan so cute she just kept smiling while she was dancing hahaha.

Reply from MOE

I forgot to mention that I received a mail from the Ministry of Education telling me that I am registered with them in the Relief Teacher's list or something. Like now then reply. Haha. 'Cos I applied for this Relief Teacher position through the Internet in late December. I applied for Primary and Secondary School Mathematics. Quite happy that they'll at least put me in la, but I think when they need people and call me I won't be around for them haha because of work.

Third day of training at StarHub

Today's the best hands-on experience I had ever tried! We tried i-mode phones! So COOL! i like. i-mode.

Before I rant on about it, I need to tell you people that i-mode is exclusively for StarHub subscribers ONLY. StarHub got the rights to be the sole distributor but I guess soon the other telcos will also be able to provide the i-mode service.

We were given an i-mode phone each to try during training today. It's really convenient! It's just one press of the i-mode button on the keypad you'll be at i-mode! After you'd activated the phone to i-mode you get to do a lot of things, like email, iMMS, websites, blah blah blah. i-mode can support cHTML content only, so there are sites that cannot be accessed properly because they are HTML.

But still, you can download videos, ringtones, pictures etc from i-mode, and surf around! Subscribe to the Straits Times at only $3/mth, and a lot more things you can do. Very hard to tell about this la, if I were to say more I'd be like working now. Haha. Enjoyed today though. Just can't get enough. I mean, soon I will la, but it's so new and I got to try it (usually I'm the last few to try out new technology in Singapore). I will definitely get an i-mode phone, but not now I guess, because the phones out aren't really my cup of tea and there should be functions that will become better and good for everyone to use. Of course there are disadvantages about it, but don't worry, costs aren't really a big problem if you use it well.

But anyway... Last day of training tomorrow, it's on sales! Scared leh. Haha. Like how to sell the i-mode service... Never mind la. I'll get the hang of it.

Second day of training at StarHub

Today's training session is more fun, it's more hands on to the StarHub services available like Gee! and 3G. Started off about the Gee! part, we went online to explore. We were also given phones to try out and Miguel taught us how to configure our phones for Gee! services online. Heh. Used the Sony Ericsson Z800i or something, it's a 3G phone. Shared with Jenny.

After break or something we were given phones again to try out (by the way the phones and their SIM cards belong to StarHub so the bills don't go to us) and we are allowed to download games and pictures and tones into the phone we were holding on to. I was holding on to this other Sony Ericsson phone, can't remember the model but it is some old models. Shared with Geraldine. Then because my Nokia 6220 phone can only hold polyphonic ring tones, I can only download those type of tones and perhaps send through infra-red into my phone. But due to complications I didn't get those Narnia tones that I wanted. Never mind... So I used the StarHub phone to send pictures to my phone. Heh. Sent 4 pictures.

We also tried Video Streaming, which is you get to watch channels like CNN and some fashion shows etc online! I saw the CNN news through the Sony Ericsson 3G phone which was clearer than the Motorola phone. Miguel also let us experience how it is like to video conference. After the call was connected and you can see each other through the camera we could see each other through the phones when they passed the phone around! Very fun! This 3G technology has not taken off though, due to the cost that we have to pay.

Had the 'Proof of Learning' today. It was fine la, open book one, and I think I got a few questions wrong though I don't know where because we didn't get our papers back. So I passed. And everyone else passed. OK la, no one ever failed before in so many batches.

Met Yi Xin, Joan and Jing Yi for dinner after which JY went home and the remaining three of us went for a haircut. My hairdresser doesn't seem to let me have a new hairdo leh. I mean, the problem is i want to change my fringe some way or the other, but then it is like I still want to tie my hair so that I'll look neater. Sigh. Never mind lo. But I have to think of new hairstyles asap if not I'll just be wasting my money for her haircut.

Shopped a bit, tried on a shirt, but still not quite satisfied though I quite like it. Yi Xin told me about it, she saw it. I'll keep that in mind first, then go shop again with her on Friday. Ya I'm very fussy and I hardly get sizes that fit because I'm too big. So I always take a very long time to find appropriate clothes that I like.

That's it for today, I'm super tired and I really need the energy for tomorrow. It's i-mode training tomorrow, which is very crucial to my job. Hope I can listen properly so I won't be wasting my time!

First day of training at StarHub

I'm so beat. My eyes are so red now. Haha. Very shagged after today's long training. It's not hard, it is just like a lecture... Except that the room only has 20 people plus the trainer 21.

I woke up at around 0630hrs and left the house about an hour later. Saw the bus at the previous stop and ran while holding my egg mayonnaise sandwich (I made it myself!) and a packet of HL milk. Bear in mind it's the 1L packet ya. Because just left a bit of milk left so I intended to finish the rest. When I reached the bus stop I was horrified. I hardly reach the bus stop at such a time, and I was taken aback by the many people there. When I reached the train, even more people there! Practically like squeezing. Some office workers were even sleeping while standing and holding on to nothing.

I reached the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station at about 0820, and walked towards Haw Par Centre, where the training was to be held. It was 0830 and I was soooo alone. After that I saw this other girl wearing the same Giordano polo top as me and I reckoned she's going for the training too. Talked to Yi Xin, and a while later this other girl told me we could enter already.

Training started almost promptly at 9am, this RJC girl, Cindy, was sitting on my left and Jenny from VJC was on my right. Made friends with both of them. After a while I got to know Cheryl from TPJC. And many many others too, just that I don't know them as well. There are 20 trainees in my batch (we're so-called the 1st batch) and all of us are girls waiting for our A level results except for the only guy there who just came back from Perth and waiting for enlistment. Poor guy, so lonely.

Before training started the lady who interviewed us, Hazel, came in and gave us a piece of paper each printed with where we were posted to and the address. I saw the name of the company of the shop and it says Star5 for the outlet I'm supposed to go. I felt a bit sian because it felt like I'm going to some normal handphone retail shop instead of the StarHub outlet. I went back to the Compass Point website when I got home and saw the same address belonging to StarHub. So is that shop a neighbourhood-like handphone shop or is it really a StarHub outlet? I hope for the latter, but if it turns out to be the former, it's ok also la. I remember seeing a StarHub outlet there though.

Our trainer's name is Miguel. He's a real funny guy somehow la. Made the whole talk entertaining and not boring at all, because the sudden inflow of information about Starhub's international services etc can be very taxing. And there is supposed to be this 'Proof of Learning', in simplified terms a test, to be held tomorrow to test us on what we learnt during these two days. Miguel said it is going to be easy, just some MCQs and it is an open-book test. We're required to score 85%, if not, I don't know what will happen. I just do not want to spend too much time on flipping the book they gave us la. The book can't be accompanying me to work from Saturday onwards. Hope I can scrape through lo.

Throughout the training today I learnt of StarHub services (I'm a StarHub user) that I can fully make use of in the future. It is easier for me to understand too. Like those international services, now I know them better when they were like alien to me. Still, I am quite afraid of what will happen to me if I don't make it for tomorrow's test. Haha.

Anyway, when we ended I shopped alone at Plaza Singapura for my Chinese New Year clothes. Haven't got them yet, I have these few days left. If not when work starts I'll be dead meat. Wear old clothes to new year. Went to The Body Shop to look for Grace who has been working there with Yanni. Talked to Grace for quite long. After that I made my way back and chatted with YX over the phone during the journey home.

A second line interrupted, a call from home. My brother said my father wanted to try the Chicken Fantastic from McDonald's, though I'm already so tired I just went along and buy. Well, I wasn't expecting to wait. I joined the shortest queue and saw the manager using a calculator to calculate stuff on a receipt for this woman. The latter spoke English, and she seemed to be having a problem with money matters pertaining to the purchase. They took awfully long. The manager was like 'Ya you ordered this Chicken Fantastic meal, then you upsized it, ... ...' blah blah blah. Wah that woman damm kiam siap. Like that have to print the receipt out for her to check!

Finally it was my turn (I was jumping from queue to queue depending on which seemed to be the fastest), and I had to wait even longer because the burger wasn't ready. While waiting the woman came back with a packet of large fries and asked the guy who was serving me if the one she was holding is upsized. He took an empty regular fries container and large fries container and compared to her. In the end? She was like, 'How come so little?' when I thought the packet is satisfyingly full. She spoke fluent English for a middle-aged woman, and she behaved like she was so... I dunno, uneducated?

Anyway... I gotta go do some research on the StarHub website. And I need to sleep early. Seriously don't know when then I can settle down and read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince properly. Sigh. Ok. Hope I'll have the energy to blog again tomorrow!

Teh Glossary

This is the 4th post of today. Just post since I would like to share with you people part of this article I saw on the Sunday Times while reading it online. Don't know if you have seen it, but if you haven't, it'll be enriching! Especially because you are a Singaporean, proud of it or not. This article was regarding to teh tarik in Malaysia being a health hazard, causing diseases like stroke and the like. And the article ended up talking about teh tarik in Singapore, and introducing you the places where you can get teh tarik, some with roti prata around the clock too.

I reckon this teh glossary is also a small part of how you want to survive in Singapore, isn't it?

TEH GLOSSARY

Teh tarik
Tea added with evaporated and condensed milk, then 'pulled' to create a layer of froth. Other versions are kopi tarik and Milo tarik.

Teh halia
Tea is mixed with ginger juice, added with condensed milk and pulled.

Teh-si
Tea added with evaporated milk and sugar.

Teh-oh
Plain tea with no milk or sugar. A variation is kopi-oh.

Teh-cino
Pulled milk with a layer of tea on top, sprinkled with cocoa powder. Other versions are kopi-cino and Milo-cino.

Milo dinosaur
Milo drink topped with a heap of Milo powder. Other versions are kopi dinosaur, Horlicks dinosaur and Nescafe dinosaur.

Milo godzilla
Milo drink topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Milo eruption
Milk topped with a heap of Milo powder.

Neslo
Nescafe coffee mixed with Milo powder.

Almond susu
Milk added with almond powder.

This is Milo Godzilla
On the left is Milo Dinosaur and on the right is teh-cino

Optical Illusion

Aaron sent me an email, to do with optical illusion. It's really quite interesting, here you go.

You see, Mr Angry is on the left and Mrs Calm is on the right. Got it? Then you move backwards from your computer, about 6 feet or so, you'll see that they'd switched places!


See the point?

They changed their plans

Recruit Express called again around 11am plus, my agent gave me some instructions like to reach there earlier and when I reached there call her those sort of thing...

Ju Ling later on told me that her agent called her and told her she has been posted to Toa Payoh! Thats quite far, even if you have buses like 8 or 28 to take you there. However it's like the entire bus journey, either you vomit, or you pay an expensive bus fare, or both. And her training is not starting tomorrow but later and she don't know when!

And in the afternoon re called again, supposed to look for Yi Xin but she dialled the wrong number. Then I asked her about the training being split into groups, she said ya, and told me that Yi Xin is not with me for training too. I'm so sad! I actually thought of asking Yi Xin to give me a wake up call. I'm hopeless at waking up early. It's been so long since I wake up early!

Yi Xin called me and told me that they haven't even posted her to anywhere yet.. Sigh. And re told her they'll call her some time next week. It is only Monday today and Yi Xin has to wait another week when she could just start tomorrow.

Anyway, I'll be starting training tomorrow. Hope that I'll make full use of today to enjoy my last day available before the physical and mental torment of work.

A dream or a nightmare?

I keep having the same dream over and over... It's always about you... 一直都是你遇见了你的另一个，她叫什么名字我也记得...但这真得是事实，或者只是一场梦？我的某一部分希望这只是个梦，也很害怕这是事实。已经好几个夜 晚了，我都在看你们的进展，让我好难受...是真是假，我不知道...Can anyone tell me the truth?

Second Practice at Mus'art

Due to some circumstances Hwee Lee, Xin Hui, Cheng Huat and I were late for the practice. I met them ma, and in the end I didn't realise that I was on the most losing end. I had to walk past the whole band in front of everyone (I didn't know that I could actually walk behind the percussion section but I had mental block, anyway) and walk past them again carrying the huge tuba. So pai seh!! By the time I was ready Hwee Lee they all already settle down liao lo. Whaha. I felt so kuku. But nevermind la.

Then Yin Xuan disappeared for a while as there is this other new tuba player who came in and YX had to get an instrument for him. I was the only one playing and I was damm scared. Not as if I'm playing at Hai Sing or MJ. I'll dare to play at these two bands. Plus I haven't warm up. And we were starting on Carmen, there were very little long notes, or even none. A lot of bouncing notes all that, they are really difficult to produce if you have not warmed up. Ya la I stupid haha.

However after that practice was ok... seems like I can sight-read slightly better liao. Not as slow as always. Whahaha. Enjoyed the practice somehow, though I can't go there anymore till later.. Guess I will not have much of a chance of going back... Lack of instruments I think. Because I was using the remaining available tuba... Oh man. Sigh.

I actually quite dread take the train again. Like all the way back to Tampines from Jurong, and like I hoped Mrs Chua offered to give us a lift home. Yeay! And they dropped me at the bus stop at my place here. The ride home was quite fun la, a lot of things to talk about.

I saw the information booklet for the National Band Competition or something like that. I heard that Mrs Chua should be bringing all her bands there. I saw the score for Jupiter Rock Version, and also that for Dragonstea Din Tei. Mrs Chua said Anglican High played that for their encore. So that was the secret encore Mr Chua was telling Hai Sing.

Reached home about less than an hour after the practice ended! Haha. Felt great, if not I'd reach home at about 7 plus. Hope I'll still get to play after I finish the job on June 31.

I don't feel any mood for festivities

Can you all feel the Chinese New Year mood in any way? I don't. In fact I quite dread it coming... Some things that I planned cannot take place anymore... And the never ending CNY songs playing overhead in shopping malls irk me. Arghh. Never mind. Next next CNY will be better.

Calculations

Because I'm using adult fare so I'm getting rather picky about the price of transportation. So expensive! I remembered a number of years ago adult fares were $0.55 per ride basically. Now it's $0.64!! Ya ya ya, call me auntie if you want. Heh.

I'm supposed to work at Compasspoint in days to come, assuming the buses I take are all air-conditioned buses, then since the trip from my place to the bus stop before Tampines Regional Library costs $0.64 as it is a TownLink bus (flat fare), and from that bus stop to Blk 240 in Sengkang (argh) takes a difference of 11 stages so that makes it to be about $1.15. Minus the rebate of transferring of $0.25 that makes $0.64 + $1.15 - $0.25 = $1.54. WAH! So expensive!! Then calculating to and fro, it is $3.08 per day!! WAH! So expensive!! I could have a nice plate of chicken rice with that. and give the $0.08 to the uncle as tips.

I work typically 8.5 hours a day, and with $7 per hour, that makes $59.50 a day. I got a compulsory lunch break, so let's take it that I spend $5 a day for my meals. Then deducting the above, I'm left with $51.42 a day only!!! WAH! So little!! And CPF!! Then I'm left with $41.136 a day after deduction for CPF!! WAH! So little!! It's making me not wanna eat at all, or pack some sandwich instead.

I'm afraid to eat at the food court alone. Oh man. Never mind la, just don't eat those meals type of food. There's always Cold Storage. But I don't know if it has sushi there. Can't remember. And the hydroponics salad. But I can't possibly be having those everyday. There's Old Chang Kee. I'd die from eating it. Doing some research of the mall now. There's Breadtalk but it is expensive. To me. There's Mr Bean, I can buy tau huay from there. Either those quite high-end bakeries or fast food restaurants. Sigh. I shall do my own if I have the energy. Save costs!

Anyway, I work 5 days a week, and I get $10.50 per hour on the 6th day if I'm not wrong. OT also that amount I think. And on the 7th day if I'm not wrong I get $14 per hour! Public holidays too. Ok, I don't mind sacrificing all these if I have nothing on. Earn more, earn more!!

I'm becoming more like what I was during my days working at The Cafe Cartel. I can work the whole day from opening to closing and so that makes 16 hours a day and I pocket $120+ for that public holiday alone. To get the advantages of working on days that I'm not supposed to work, actually. Heh.

Hope I'll be a good employee. And have a good environment to work in. =D

CHEY!

Chey. I don't really know if this is that 'chey', but nothing very unlucky happened today. Unless you count that mocking from Felix during band practice today when he told the J1s of the tuba section that I'm MAN. The other 'chey' thing is that there aren't 9 new tuba players, there are 7. Still a lot though. I don't know what else to say, but the scores they read today were very interesting. I'm so jealous. I also want to play for the MJ concert in May. Sigh. After band practice I chatted with Ms Sia for a while (quite a long while actually) and then Felix carried my bag down (oh man) and we went to Whitesands for dinner.

Hmmm. I didn't mention that there's this J1 guy in my section who actually farted during practice. And you know, when you fart there'll be this vibration with the chair and so one 'poooooot' came out. I am so turned off by all these. Haha.

Hai Sing band practice was so-so.

No. It was more than just so-so. Because Mr Chua was talking to them in a way I'd never experienced him talking to us before. Maybe he did but I didn't remember. He was talking to them like they were small kids and that was worrying. He was like 'Do you all like this piece?' Oh man. You mean they had this sort of liberty? But never mind. Just that my juniors are really quite slow, or too slow sometimes.

Never mind again. They still have hope ma. They're hardworking. Heh.

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th and I got a pretty unlucky start to the day. Recruit express called me and told me that I'm posted to Compass Point for my Starhub job. I said during the interview that I'm fine with working at the north side of the island but I didn't think that the woman took my words for real. Actually I merely said that to secure a job for myself. Haha. But was prepared that if I were to get a position anywhere at the northeast then do lo. And really get ah!! I mean, it is quite ok since i can take bus 27 there...but the stop which I'm supposed to alight...well, unhappy memories and I'm going to live with it for another 6 months. Sigh. I prefer going further down to Hougang Mall, but I will still be passing by the bus stop. Argh. Too bad, can't change the location. An unlucky morning. Hope later when I go Hai Sing or MJ nothing bad happens to me, like falling off the stairs or something. I've never believed in Friday the 13th that much in my life anyway. Will post again later on I guess, going to have dinner with Hong Wei they all.

希望我不会在那里遇见你。不要靠近。

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Eons after the Chronicles of Narnia came onscreen, I finally went to watch it today with Yi Xin. Wanted to watch today because tickets are only $7. Yes yes, I'm cheapo. Whatever.

The pre-movie advertisements were awfully long. After that when I thought that the show started but instead I saw war fighter planes on the screen, I asked YX if we were in the correct cinema. The tickets were with me, I confirmed that we were in the correct cinema. Haha. Yes later on I saw the characters of the movie so I knew I was in the correct one. For a moment I thought I missed the show.

But anyway, the show was good. Visual effects blah blah blah, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Aslan (the lion) was soooooo handsome and charming and great I almost fell for him. Whahaha. The whole story...I'm not really sure what the moral of the story is, but I know it's quite a lot about loyalty or something, even to the bad people. The White Witch was...I dunno, cool? Yes she is because she caused Narnia to be in winter for 100 years. But the way she swung her staff (which works as a wand too) is quite cool. Like very smooth action. And the lion...waH! Can't stand it. Whahaha.

The war part was exciting! Like you see the army of both sides from the bird's eye view is magnificent. Doesn't look fake to me. And you get quite scared if the lead was going to die (even though you know he won't). A good show la, worth the $7.

I think due to the long while after it came out then I went to watch, there were very little people in the cinema. Very very little. So sometimes when there are funny parts I just giggled and didn't really laugh out loud, guess i'd have caused the cinema to have echoes. But anyway.

That pair of contact lenses

I don't use lenses, but there is already this quite new product which is making me sick. I cannot mention the brand in case I get into trouble, however I'm sure you all know about that product which enhances your eyes by making them look bigger and brighter. I know I'm being mean and bad and unrefined and perhaps going against the law now but I really want to criticise about it.

The thing is, it doesn't make your eyes really physically bigger, but it is that the lenses have got this dark rings on it that define your eyes so that your iris (the coloured part of your eyes) look bigger.

See?

However, I sincerely advise those with very small eyes (though you may be the ones who need it most) that you don't use it.

You see, because your iris will be bigger, it will be covering more of the white space (do you call it conjunctiva? I can't remember) and so if your eyes are small they'll look all black. Aren't you afraid that if you try it you'll look like 贞子 (Sadako, think The Ring)?

Seee? Sadako's eyes aren't really big.

Notice too that the model that the manufacturer used to advertise this product has got big eyes. Then why does she need more of this eye-expanding thing? And her eyes are nice enough. True?

Big News

Kai Yan smsed me today and told me that there are 9 year 1 tuba players enrolling into mjc band. Oh my. That's a lot, when we only have like, 3 tubas? Including the j2s, there are 12 players in all. Even though it is only the 1st 3 (or less than 2) months, it's still something to manage about. Ratio of players to instruments? 4 : 1. How's that. Sigh. But it's great 'cos you get to know more about other players. However there is a lack of space for the tuba section in the band room and it's hard for KY to spread message around. Oh. And the number of mouthpieces...my darling PT-84!!! Sigh. I wonder how many girls there are in all though. I always feel I have the need to protect them from the pests (you know who you are=P) so I'm going down on Friday. Should be joining them for dinner afterwards, so it's fine. Yeay.

But...if I go down to college and KPO, well, that makes 13 players there (if everyone turns up). And it's Friday the 13th on...well, Friday. Are you superstitious? I'm afraid if I go means bad luck. Haha.

Why is the section so popular this year when we only had 3 players during the first 3 months last year? Must be because of me. Sigh. But KY isn't very attractive lo. =P I know...must be because as I leave, I left behind 福气 too. Whahahaha...

To refine myself

I decided that I want to type (talk) in a proper manner.

Why?

To make myself more 'refined'.

Does it help?

Well...

I suppose so.

'Yea right', you'd say.

It's ok. It's a great start!

And if you see any grammatical errors, do highlight to me by leaving a comment. Pardon the Singlish and the short-hand though. I can't wait to 'refine' myself.

Heh.

'Fat hope la, Erina!'

I'm already fat, so hoping fat-ly isn't that impossible. I don't refer this to everyone who is horizontally challenged.

Refine myself, yes.

spent the day at home

spent today at home...my brother woke me up, and then i went to cook pasta!

appetising right?

then i read harry potter and watched 大长今 after that started to tidy up my comp and this blog. nothing much today la.

personality test

did a personality test. here are my results!

Extraversion

Some people like lots of stimulation; they want people around them, activity and excitement, whilst others prefer to be able to focus on things in a calm and quiet environment. Most people prefer a blend of the two extremes and your answers suggest that you are quite comfortable in either situation. You can probably cope with things being a bit hectic or a bit quiet but, like most people, you may find extremes in either direction uncomfortable or annoying.

Confidence

Some people make decisions very easily and tend not to worry about them before or afterwards while, at the other extreme, some people are so careful and cautious that the decisions never get made! Taking a cautious approach can be a good thing (do you want to fly with a pilot that is so free from worry and concern that she never checks her controls and instruments and doesn't bother to communicate with air-traffic control?) and you seem to have described yourself as someone who does tend to be quite cautious and careful. This can be very important in detailed work or areas were mistakes can have a major cost although you may find yourself avoiding risks and many cautious people wish they were bolder.

Openness

While some people like experimenting with new things and ideas, others prefer traditional methods and taking a very practical approach to problems.

Your answers suggest that you may be reluctant at times to consider new approaches and ways of doing things, but that you understand the value of tried and proven methods and of lessons that have already been learnt.

Agreeableness

Most people want to be able to get on with others but to some it is the most important thing in the world, whilst others are quite happy to upset someone else if it means that things get done.

Your answers suggest that you can be firm with people when you need to be but that getting on with others is still important to you. Like most people you would rather avoid conflict but are not prepared to put up with being treated badly by others.

Conscientiousness

Some people like everything to be well planned, tidy and organised, whilst others prefer to deal with things as they come up and appear to work in absolute chaos.

Your answers suggest that, like most people, you like to have a little clarity about where things are but that you would rather cope with some things as they arise than spend too much time sorting out every single detail. This approach may help you when working with teams and also when having to deal with those situations that you just can't plan for.

This questionnaire can't tell you exactly what you are like; it doesn't go into enough detail and only helps you ask questions about the way you behave and make decisions in your occupation. Don't rely on it to tell you what your personality is like but use it to think about the different ways that people go about doing things. Read each description, ask yourself if it sounds like you (and it may not!)

signed the contract today

went to recruit express (re) in the afternoon to sign the contract...cant really reveal much, but then the consultant only told us that if we need to have any days free must tell our future supervisor. you see, i need to have my sundays free in may for the tuba choir, and there's a mjcsb concert on may 19. if there's alumni segment or whatsoever i will need (or i want) to play. haising concert should be late june, my contract ends on june 31. how now brown cow?

but its ok la. nevermind. hope my future supervisor will like me enough.

first practice at mus'art

quite worried to go for the mus'art practice because im afraid that i'll maybe provoke mrs chua a bit that i couldnt make it for practices due to that job (as if im such a big deal to her but whatever). went there with yixin and xinhui, and met a new friend cheng huat afterwards. quite a long journey..practices are at the jurong green cc and it was raining very heavily. we took a train to chinese garden and had to take another bus to the cc.

reached there and i was quite nervous la. first time into adult bands ma, a lot of experienced players there. actually the tuba section there quite dao. heh. yinxuan also never talk to me lo! only his tuba blaring at my ear that gave me a headache haha. he said they were like that too when he first came, but today they were like chatting non stop la. haha.

but i love the pieces! very challenging and its sooooooooo different from the typical pieces i played in my 6 years of tuba playing. oh this is my 7th year already. heh. i love you darling tuba. heh. anyway, i'll want to join and continue playing because i want to improve further! the pieces were really cool...running notes...etc etc etc. just not those typical scores you play in school la.

in addition, yinxuan's girlfriend is the stringbass player, and the other 2 male and female in the section are a couple. so im like so extra. but i dont care la. heh. just afraid that i'll get left out cos like so weird. never been in a section like this. heh.

mrs chua is suuuuuuuuuuuper nice! love her so much! i told her about my problem, that i cannot join mus'art till i grow a beard (ie a long time later which is till june). she said its ok, dont worry, just go and play. waH! so 感动~! haha. i'll be back after june most prob, but then they'll be having a concert in july and i think i cant join that concert.

i dont even know if i can join the haising alumni concert in june. and the mjc concert in may. all because of work. bloody hell. i should have waited for that admin job i was waiting for. damm. sighhhhh.

cousin's wedding

today is my cousin maria's wedding. i dunno how old is she. but then her wedding is soooooooo good lo! i will also want my wedding to be in that manner, those photos and planning etc. and i think her husband is good, she's fortunate!

woke up at 5 plus to bedok where the tea ceremony etc is held. spent most of my time watching tv la, i dont really talk to my cousins much. they also dont talk to me. whaha. oh what i wanna say is the part where the groom has to go through tasks to get to the bride. haha. the sisters really wanna torment the groom. he had to eat things that are sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (酸甜苦辣), also had to peel bananas hanging on a bamboo pole, blah blah blah. he finally got into the house, but before he could enter the room, he and his brothers had to sing a song, cant take my eyes off you. the newly weds took a nice photo that is made into a poster with the caption 'too good to be true' and the lyrics of the song beside the standing couple. and its really those poster material ya. so they sang. the whole thing was really lively and enjoyable la, like the rest of us just see see also can laugh. haha. i didnt get the chance to sabo my brother-in-law because of time was tight.

blah blah blah, time to go home and rest first before proceeding to grand copthorne hotel for the wedding banquet at the grand copthorne waterfront hotel.

my parents and brother took the mrt there. i was very reluctant to do it, cos you make up blah blah and then take train like what only lo...so my sis and i took a cab there. shhhh.

in the cab along the way to the hotel
these are the ice carved swans outside the ballroom. so nice right!
this is the table and the candle plus the menu

the menu is not those typical printed on good quality paper type. its a very good quality folder with clips top and bottom of the spine and they printed a piece of paper and ta daa! the menu.

this is the stage with curtains as background. a bit different from the typical ballrooms, but still nothing much to me

before i stepped into the ballroom i scrutinised through the wedding photo albums. they were good! like the whole thing, how they took, very professional. there were some single shots of my cousin, and there's this very nice photo of the silhouette of my cousin and cousin-in-law against the sunset and they were holding hands. very nice! like you're flipping through some magazines and see the pictures and think that they're some stars in those magazines. really, those photos make you look very...very professional too. like those high society people (by the way my cousin-in-law is rich i heard. but he's a friendly guy).

the whole wedding was really impressive! the music chosen was good. when the couple first stepped in, they had their solemnisation on the stage in front of everyone! like so nice lo. moreover they also had to pay more to invite the solemniser over.

the curtains behind the stage were like usual decorations to me. in the end they opened to reveal a garden inside!!! they even put fake wind like so the plants were like swaying and it looked quite real la. except that you werent eating the delicacies on grass.

they employed this good photography firm to help them settle photos and videos for the whole day. during the dinner, there was something like this mini episode of the morning's activities. a very interesting video. the part i mentioned about the groom and the brothers singing cant take my eyes off you; the producer of the video added an actual song as background music and like the brothers singing along to it one...timing very good also! this is the best wedding banquet i've been to so far, i have to admit.

this is one of the 2 screens that are flashing the photos of the newly weds. this photo is that one they used for the poster
bro and me
thats one of the photos...very nice right this picture
the ballroom
the solemnisation
ta daa! the curtains were drawn to reveal the garden
me and mum
family

passed a job interview

an application & interview
supposed to go for a shopping spree with yixin for my new year clothes, and then i got a call from yixin in the morning telling me that recruit express called her and told her that they have a job for her...its for a position at starhub to promote i-mode...so i accompanied her to recruit express (re) to register. they didnt call me, i think its because of me having applied for another job with them and was still waiting for the call for an interview. but i waited for a few days liao still no news.

saw juling at re too. she came earlier than us and joined us, so i introduced yixin to her. they clicked really well lo. whahaha.

i was deciding whether i should apply too, then i asked my consultant there. she said can so she gave me a form and i was last in queue for the interview with the representative from starhub. after that my other consultant said i cannot apply because i didnt get the call and i couldnt be included in the queue. like sad lo. but he said he could help me ask if the lady will want to see me. she agreed! so i went inside and had an interview with her.

the interview was ok la, she merely asked what did i do at my previous job, and asked what i knew about i-mode. juling did research before she came and i got to know from her and yixin that i-mode is an internet service (rich content) for 2.5G and 3G phones. so i told the lady this. she added that i can do much more than wap if i use i-mode, cos if you go wap you cannot book tickets online those sort. with i-mode you can book tickets and even choose the seats. i was told that i have to promote this service along with the 2.5G and 3G phones to the public. ok la, im not afraid of talking to strangers.

there will be training sessions on the 17th to 20th. i work 5 days a week, but then i can only have the off days on 2 of the days during monday to thursday. compulsory to work on weekends.

so the 3 of us left to go shopping and waited for the call to tell us that we're in for the job. heh. juling had to go first, and she smsed me later in the afternoon at around 2 that she got the job! yixin and i were at katrina having our lunch and she was quite flustered, afraid that she wont get the job. a while later we got the calls! so we had to sign the contract on monday. so she was happier.

happy happy

a new problem surfaced
it occurred to me that i cannot join mus'art anymore. mus'art is an adult band i've always wanted to join, its conducted by mrs chua, my haising band conductor. moreover its her who asked me to join mus'art after my a levels. now i dunno if i can keep my promise that i will. mus'art practice is on every sunday and due to work i cant go anymore. also, in may, i have to keep my sundays free for this tuba choir. the condition is that you have to be available every sunday of may then you can participate. tuba choirs are quite rare in singapore, i've never heard of them anywhere and aaron already asked me to join, i promised him i'd. how now brown cow? moreover i wanna join the tuba choir too.

the contract for this i-mode job is about 6 months. sigh. i seriously dunno what to do.

shopped as planned
continued shopping with yixin, i tried everywhere and finally decided on this orange top and black skirt and yixin said they're ok on me, but they're not going to be matched together la. just that the more i look at that black skirt the more i think its so not me. whaha.



so i just have to wait till monday when i look at the contract, and ask around on what i should do because the problem is still bugging me.

a long awaited call + cookies

i applied for this admin job through jobstreet.com...recruit express posted the advertisement. i got a call and they asked me to go down to fill in some stuff and the like. so i had to wait till monday to know whether i get the job or not. felt happy that i got hope to get a job lo.

after that i went to ntuc to get ingredients for cookie baking...this is what happened in the end. i made cornflake cookies by the way. those crushed cornflake type.

i didnt do the heart shape on purpose. i found it while storing the cookies
my work

then for dinner my brother cooked campbell soup to add on to the rest of the dishes. he didnt cook it properly. however i found this.

the heart shape coagulated thing in the soup

i have an affinity with heart shapes today.

ouch

my chest hurts and i cant breathe properly.

i thought this year would be a better year for me. too late, bad things that occurred in 2005 were brought forward to this year. and its hard, its hard. can anyone comfort me?

why is it that im still jobless?

nevertheless i'll try to make this blog a happier blog - i'll try to remember things that are happy memories. a new start in 2006 for this blog. please let new year resolution no. 2 come true.

the first tears of 2006. new year resolution 1 and 3 down.

有时候，我真的需要依赖。

do i really deserve all these? perhaps it was something that i shouldnt agree last time...perhaps it was because of the way i handled the aftermath...but how come no one understands..how come i dont seem to understand the situation too?

lunch at mai's

mai invited us over to her place for lunch, before she set off back to london where she is studying there currently. i remembered going there quite frequently last time when we were really great pals, like spend all the time with her haha. we were in the same class in sec 1 and 2. jingyi, xinhui, cedric, daniel and i went. i bought hershey's milk duds and a teeny card for her. chocolate is in case she get cranky when she's hungry, tired or whatsoever. xh best. got a bar of toblerone. ced and dan more best. they got a sling bag for her. so nice right? ya they're nice. got me my first ever lion plush for my 14th birthday and i've been hugging it every night ever since. ok this isnt the point. heh. so here are the photos.

that's jingyi kissing that poor tiger she fell for at mai's place
and there's more than one
here's the swing that never stops creaking while ced, dan and xh are on it
here's what we had for lunch (from left): beehoon, fried platter of nuggets and the like, beef meatballs, and beehoon again. also had fruit juice that jy kept drinking
dan, me and ced
jy and mai
dan, mai and ced
me and xh
the koi at mai's place!
me and dan
ced and me
mai and me
oh thats me on the piano. look pro eh? that was a grade 2 recital book. sigh

i played this piece called the toymaker's song or sth on the piano, me on the bass clef part while dan on the treble clef part. we succeeded not-so-hardly. heh. after that i made out the melody for this mayday's song 知足. it starts on the C note. haha.

after that i didnt send mai off at the airport, xh went i think. ced and dan had to book in, i went home for dinner. yeP. but nevertheless...love ya mai!

its a new year

happy new year!!! yeP..happy happy..

new year resolutions?

1. i seriously can be happy.
2. get into university
3. 事事顺利

hope i can pass the next 7 months without thinking too much of the past.