There is nothing more satisfying than to be able to finish your work on time, and going home on time.
I used to work as an engineer at Chartered Semiconductor. Being a wafer process engineer in-charged of thin film metal layer deposition is a nightmare.
Basically I was 24/7. Off work, I would be sleeping on a cardboard undernealth my cubicle. My handphone beside my ear just in case there is any emergency.
I would be working on holidays as well.
Nice pay but no life.
Long Distance Call
If you have not been using MSN or Skype, you are missing a lot in life... well, not exactly in life, but in, you know what I mean...
We just ended our conversation over MSN, and this friend of mine was in Shanghai for a holiday and was using the system that belongs to another friend who is staying in Shanghai more or less permanently... we have not seen each other for years and a short holiday could do wonders....
He has been working in ST for a total of 9 years and is recently transfered to advertising design from editorial illustration and cartoons. For 9 long and bloody years, he said, he has been working from 3pm to 11.30pm and over weekends and OT to rush deadlines and so on... now as he is transfered...it is time for him to relax and enjoy life....
Wonderful! Life is not just work and no play. Though that did not make him a dull boy.
Well, it is really good to hear from him again...
Was it bad service?
Location: Suntec City Mall Basement Fountain Food Terrace
Time: Morning
Presently there are 2 favourite stalls among the office people working in Suntec. First the roti, coffee and eggs stall. The second which is relatively new, is the chinese breakfast tim sum stall, which opened after Tong Heng closed down a couple of months ago.
When I approached the coffee stall, there was basically no queue and I was the second in line. The coffee uncle was making coffee for another person in front of me and was chatting away with each other. Even though I was the second in line, I waited more than 5 minutes for my coffee to be ready. The coffee uncle was simply taking his own sweet time to prepare 2 ice-coffees and another hot coffee to be taken away. I was ok waiting for them to finish so I waited patiently for my order to be taken. My point is, fortunately I was the second in line... I pitied those who joined the queue later on and I did notice the queue was getting very long.
Subsequently I went to the tim sum store to ta pao some chwee kuei for breakfast. I ordered 4 chwee kuei, which I usually do. The stall keeper said that according to their promotion, they are selling 5 for $2. I told them I only need 4 and they would cost $1.60 in total. In my heart I felt that there was no promotion at all. The stall is just trying to sell more to the customers by selling 5 at one go. I persisted to just order 4.
The chwee kuei(s) were passed to another stall keeper who is in-charged of collecting money and adding sauce or in my case, "chai po" to the chwee kuei. I handled her the money while she told me that next time if I wanted to buy again, I have to buy 5 at the same time. I politely replied I could only eat 4 and 5 are too much. Instead of accepting that, she said even if I cannot finish, I should purchase 5. At this moment I was a little "fired" but remained calm because I did not want to kick up a fuss. I did not need a "lecture" in a morning like this.
When the naggy auntie handled me the packet, she asked for the payment which I have already given to her. I told straight in her face that I have paid but she insisted that she did not received and pointed to the cashier that the amount was not keyed. That was her business right. I could not contain myself anymore and shouted at the top of my voice (so everyone in the food court can hear) that I have paid, and if she was not happy, she could ask her boss to see me. I left the stall while she kept quiet, surprised that someone would shout at her.
What stupidity!
Sweet!
Another Thai delicacy
What on earth!
Something as edible as this would mean that nothing can stop the person from eating anything...or any other things... if I ever survive on this, it would mean.... I cannot imagine eating this at all... yuurk!
What if one of them is alive and it starts crawling in your stomach..can you stomach this?
Say it decides to lay some eggs...
You will save on eating larvae... (:P)
Publicity Game 2
This is how it looks like when opened up. Remember the game we used to play in our childhood?
Publicity Game
A simple publicity game that I created for my comix course.
Good Morning Coffee
Most of us cannot live without this first thing in the morning!
Pix of my lovely wife
A pix of my lovely wife at the airport...
We stumble upon a nice furniture piece and without hesitating, we took a shot... and as always, she would find a creative pose for it!
Thinking about life
Have been thinking and pondering about life in Singapore... what really makes life so stressful here? Besides the famous rat race, life here is basically running in and out of work and having Sundays spent in church to chill off. Even if one chooses not to be in the rat race, he wouldn't be spared from the onslaught of opinions and suggestions that would flood him over from time to time. Personally I was not spared, ever since from day one, when I was born to what I am now. The flood keeps coming. In my childhood, they, my parents and my relatives would prefer not to ask, but insist that I would be a medical doctor or a lawyer or an engineer when I grew up. So I have to study very hard for it because position like that is hard to get, especially getting into the university, where competition is steep. Henceforth, when I decided to be an artist instead, we had a hard time reconciling with each other. A big argument was inevitable. And even though we don't quarrel over it again, my parents would still ask me what am I doing now. Am I having an income or am I am having a proper employment. Questions like these are frustrating enough. They would irritate me even further by asking how much I am earning. Such is the chinese culture. What they are really concern over with is not my welfare, or how am I faring. Their chief concern is whether I have enough money to take care of them when they are old.
I respect them and I would like to honour them with my substance. But I choose not to be imprisoned by the thought that I have to earn enough, not only for myself and my family, but also for them in the future. Can you understand that?
In Singapore, peers and friends can make much influence on your life too. Friends are very important in the sense they can make or break you. Bad influences are not only bad habits like smoking and drinking or even drug abuse. They can be subtle hints that you are not earning as much as them, or not living in a house as luxurious as theirs, or even not driving a car as big and fast as theirs. Soemtimes you wonder why the conversation changes so fast when you mentioned that you are not in a managerial position during a reunion. I hate reunion because I am always subjected to their fierce scruitiny. I am not a prisoner to their opinions and thoughts but words can cut. It is still quite difficult to find back the broken pieces after you are cut, even though you tell yourself again and again that you do not mind being cut into pieces. So avoiding that is wise, I think. I have the right not to subject myself to bad treatment right. If the service is bad, I would walk away. Why should I stay to be slain like a piece of meat?
I am saying all these because I am not stressed by the nature of my work. In fact I enjoyed my work and I will enjoy it forever. It is the people around me that stress me out each day. They can be christians and non-believers, but they do the same thing to you everyday. We are in an unredeemed world, where humans still have flaw and being imperfect. I understand their shortcomings and so on... even I myself is not perfect too. Therefore in a fallen world like this, there is no doubt that hurt would be produced....
