Of Game and Life

Occasion: Singapore VS Thailand,

The 1st-leg final of the ASEAN Football Championship, formally known as the Tiger Cup.. tensions are high, expections too.. Singapore and Thailand are the only countries to have won this competition, the thais have 3 to their names, and Singapore, 2, the latest being the 2004 victory

Final score for 1st leg? Singapore 2 -1 Thailand

A great victory? Much media coverage will be talking about the controversial penalty that lead to Singapore's penalty lead when the teams were levelled at 1-1

But what disturbs me was the reaction by the Thai team.. to be honest, it was a downright disgrace to the Thai Soccer Team, pardon me, for i have great respect for this southeast-asia powerhouse as the constant threat to Singapore dominance..

This was what happened:
Ref awarded a penalty after judging that a Singaporean player was pulled back in the penalty box after a cross was floated in.. tv replays shows that the decision might not be justified, i think it was a damn stupid decision, so the thai players protested and decided to walk away from the pitch and whine with their coach.. the team manager joined the team and it took forever for them to get their bloody idea back and carry on with match..

now football is football and decisions can come or go your way, you have every right to be upset when you feel injustice, but be professional to continue the game instead of whinning and trying to revolt..

there is still lots to play for in the return leg at Bangkok on Sunday

this is not a offensive against the Thais, this is not about your country, your soccer team, but these players who were playing against Singapore on the kallang pitch today should be ashamed of yourselves as footballers for you have bought shame to yourselves in front of a international(or, maybe just asian) audience and that you made a mockery of a Final Match at an ASEAN-level competition, what a shame, what a disgrace

And for all your monkey acts, you denied the grand old dame of Singapore of a glorious end and a hell of a football match






To this soccer team from Thailand tonight, shame on you

Of Service or Slavery?

Time : 3.16pm
Location Office

Ms P: xxx, xxx are you there?

As she ask the question she walks towards xxx's desk

The unfortunate and innocent new guy comes along

Ms P: Hey new guy, can help me get a drink for the candidate? Do u know where to get it? Blah blah.. thanks!

New guy goes and take water for Ms P..

simple situation?


Water Location -->8m-->where P arrow new guy -->6m-->P's office


Is it so difficult to walk that extra few meters to get the water herself? She's given the answer by her actions




Service or Slavery?

Of another day in office

29 Jan, monday
Location, office meeting room

Someone "junior": you want to use the table?
Someone "senior": No thanks, i'm not so ego, i don't need the table

What the f is this..

Just as life seem to settle down back in office work, the need for technical support has once again arise.. feeling more and more like a floor manager for an events company, but hold on, managers makes decisions about stuff he thinks is best, i don't.. so i'm just a floor person.. how crappy is that?

Having problem coping with the in-out of office lifestyle, having difficulty following up on the payments and emails that are flying around, emails with request are flying in, car needs servicing, people waiting for their payments, new guy waiting to be inducted, seminar logs and IT to be tested, colleague's morale to be managed, fats to lose, recall orders to serve, bills to pay, administration for studies to settle, fish tank to clean, office cubicle to tidy..

hmm, there just don't seem to have much that are closely linked to PROJECT coordinator, coordinator what i ask..

been troubled by the performance of certain person in office, i know i can be quite demanding when it comes to work related stuff, more so from people who i believe should be performing well after a acquiring a certain level of education, but what does qualification mean? I can already have a promoted Bachelor holder that cannot make it.. what else should surprise me?

A close friend once commented, as you age, you will mellow.. you will learn to take things easier.. will i? have i? or am just a dormant volcano waiting to awake once more and rattle the peaceful life that surrounds the "rosy" half of the circle?

Its hard to motivate people who sees the same problem with you, are we victims of our own competence? How then do we appear less competent? Are these colleagues of mine playing the same game to "siam" work.. how then can i encourage an outstanding performer to do the same and more when all he sees is more work coming his way despite his low pay and low recognition?


Is that the correct way forward? Why is it so hard to keep my mouth shut, accept things the way they are and just get on with it? Why do i think so hard, so much?

Its a bad start to a monday by my standards, sure, i got work done, but where's the satisfaction? Or has the satisfaction been missing since i started sharing my negative thoughts with fellow sufferers?





May tuesday smell nicer than monday

Of Wireless Mooching and Stupid Neighbours

Much has been discussed in the blogsphere and local newspapers on the issue of Wireless Mooching:

In Brief this is what happened:

17 year old teen wants to use internet but mum says "No"
At some 3am, teen walks around estate, stops at roadside
and uses his wireless card to tap into a unsecured network
A nothing-better-to-do neighbour who was driving past found him suspicious, an arguement ensued and here we have a court case


So is tapping into a wireless network without permission an offence?

Yes, says SG law, the 17year old kid could have been jailed for 3years or face a fine, both acts resulting in a criminal record.. instead, he was sentenced to probation..

What an unlucky kid..

Now now, if you have a wireless network in your home, please have the cow sense to just do a simple level of protection, such as using the basic function of WEP.. this will prevent some neighbour from reporting another kid and making him appear in court..

Looking at the issue from yet another angle, if tapping into such unsecured network is indeed criminal, would the wireless signals from other modems being found in my room be a sign of trespass? I would then like to sue the 7 users of wireless modems that distribute their signal into my airwaves and thus results to less space for my wireless connections!







Secure your damn networks, it might save a kid

Of Life and an Old Man

From a friend:


A man of 92 years, short, very well-presented, who takes great care in his appearance, is moving into an old people’s home today.

His wife of 70 has recently died, and he is obliged to leave his home.

After waiting several hours in the retirement home lobby, he gently smiles as he is told that his room is ready.

As he slowly walks to the elevator, using his cane, I describe his small room to him, including the sheet hung at the window which serves as a curtain.


"I like it very much", he says, with the enthusiasm of an 8 year old boy who has just been given a new puppy.


"Sir, you haven’t even seen the room yet, hang on a moment, we are almost there. "




" That has nothing to do with it ", he replies.



" Happiness is something I choose in advance. Whether or not I like the room does not depend on the furniture, or the decor – rather it depends on how I decide to see it. "

" It is already decided in my mind that I like my room. It is a decision I take every morning when I wake up. "




" I can choose. I can spend my day in bed enumerating all the difficulties that I have with the parts of my body that no longer work very well, or I can get up and give thanks to heaven for those parts that are still in working order. "


" Every day is a gift, and as long as I can open my eyes, I will focus on the new day, and all the happy memories that I have built up during my life.


" Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw in later life what you have deposited along the way. "

So, my advice to you is to deposit all the happiness you can in your bank account of memories.

Thank you for your part in filling my account with happy memories, which I am still continuing to fill…



Remember these simple guidelines for happiness.
Free your heart from hate
Free your mind from worry
Live simply
Give more
Expect less





Safekeep memories, for they grow in old age

Of expectations and happiness

What have i learnt from my 1 year and some 2 months of working with a special bunch of people?

(1) Expectations
(2) Prudence

(1) Expectations
In order to be happy working here, need to adjust expectations, simply put, expect people who are earning about 2 times my salary to be performing at a lower level, expect that people will travel out of office to seek remote email access and then complain that they have lots of work to do, expect that people will ask for things as though funds drop from the skies, expect that everytime someone talks nicely to you, they are asking you to help with things that they are able, but unwilling to do..

so, when i lower my expectations from this group of "higher educated" and "special" people, i will feel better.. do not expect people who have worked in the force for 5 years to know certain things, do not expect graduates and Masters holders to know how to throw a cup into the bin, do not expect people to have some common sense, do not expect people to not ask stupid questions..

so feel better..


(2) Prudence

This is about finding the middle point of things, about like Buddha's concept of "put the string too tight and it snaps, too loose, and the fish escapes"..

meaning if i want to make a point felt, i cannot reflect that truth, i must adjust my thoughts and pull it towards the median.. for example, if i find that the event planning by Person XX deserves a 2 out of 10, i cannot say so..

why?

because people will think i am bias.. a bad planning will somehow still deserve a 4-5 out of 10, a 2 is an extreme figure, it is a outliner, it does not deserve a 2

So, i will have to adjust my view and give it say a 4 rating, so that people will feel that i am still a reasonable person and that this 4 is easier to swallow then a 2..

a 4 is ok, a 2 is ignore.. damn

but for the sake of reviews and things, i wonder if i can make my point when maintaining my view and rating of specific actions? sadly, the answer is i have to compromise if i want my point heard, so fake, but necessary prudence?


So much so for lessons learnt, useful in life? depends on how you look at it, 2 years of suffering beckons if no sunlight shines on my path.. till then, a better 2007 i hope







Worked and working harder for my Jan07 pay.. damn

First Post in 2007!

The first post for 2007 goes to.... Me! wahahahhaaa

What a first weekend for 2007.. finally took some practical step to get out of the shithole that's PPSD.. went ahead for a walk-in interview.. cabin crew for SIA no less..

an early sunday morning, with darling in hand.. wah, so many people waiting liao... so many guys.. must admit i'm quite surprise.. feel quite short actually as i got into the q.. the stoopid uncle also reminded me "don't put your hands in your pocket!" in his accented english.. may his balls rot in hell.. muahahaha

already knew that they'll be like 7 stages.. and up first round.. grp interview.. 10 guys in a grp.. just some brief intro about yourself to 2 interviewers... think i did well enough to get through.. and indeed i did, with 3 others from my group 42..

waiting, with hunger.. for the 2nd round.. had a bad feeling as i saw a face i cannot connect as i walked into the interview room when my turn cames.. questions here and there, everything is about service, give examples, why u think you can make it.. so boring question.. and i gave boring answers..

maybe i just tried too hard to show that i was Service Orientation.. actually i'm not lar.. i'm just in it for the potential 3.5K salary.. hahahhahaa..

if i ever would to attempt the same type of questions again.. i will bravely declare that i know nuts about service and i would welcome SIA to teach me how.. and pay me at the same time.. wat a bargain right.. duno what the interview will think though..

perharps i was just not right for the job, an issue about job matching.. maybe in my heart i could hardly leave my darling at home and fly to various parts of the world to "enjoy" the sights.. maybe i was just not good enough.. oh well

life goes on, and i have my darling ; )