Blog on Saturday

Don't know what happened last night. Feeling kinda bored and frustrated.

Also knocked into a bike's handlebar while trying to park. And that bike was STATIONARY.
My mirror broke. Becos the wire was still attached inside and it was pretty late, I could not remove the mirror assembly.

Today I went to get the spare parts from Ah Boy. Heard he sells reasonably cheap. Now I feel I still gota give that statement some discount for a fact. And a little poor salesmanship and service too. People just tolerated. Standing beside me was a big man who kept gritting his teeth. Could think of a couple of ways how that shop could do much better but heck... definitely none of my business. I just needed my mirror assembly. BTW, $165 per piece!

Quite interestingly, managed to find some interesting stuffs also for my next project. Next aluminium bars! After that, my very own customised travel bag! Yeah!

Chew Kim came at around 5pm to help fix the brake lights. Very nice! Will have to paste some more reflective tape to alert other road users who tend to follow too close. Then we went to Phin's. According to him, the steak was good. hmm, will try that 1 day.

Just now Yen prayed for us so earnestly. I am really thankful for the way God arranges everything for us. But I really miss her so much. Anyway, baxa, He who has already begun to do a good work in you, will carry it on till the end. This is our God, who is, who was and who is to come. Amen.

Back to my tub.....

Urban Zen

"When you see the Sun, do not look down on the moon
For there is one thing which the Sun cannot do but the Moon can
- Shine in the dark."

"The moon does not seek its high position among the celestial bodies.
Neither does it complain about the Sun.
Nobody ever says the moon is too hot
Nobody feels the moon is too far."

The competitive delights to win and gain
Someone will advertently share the blame
Meekness is often mistaken for weakness
Fake humility is often deceitfulness.

Beware of the friend who comes close but who cannot bridle his tongue
Because in the end the tongue will betray them both

Do not quarrel with an angry man
There is no answer for a man who does not ask
But lose every argument if it will bring you a friend

The Story (Part 2)

Soon, minutes seemed like hours. She had never done anything so sneaky like this before in her entire life. In fact, she had already regretted her decision to stay back that evening as all hundred and one things she could have otherwise done flashed across her mind. Yet, her curiosity had apparently glued her to the spot beneathe her desk, which was actually at a distant corner in the room. Nobody would figure there was a young lass hiding below her own desk after office hours. However, if she were ever caught, it would be unthinkable what kind of things would befall her and her future. She really felt stupid but I think she was pretty brave! (My kind of girl!!)

Anyway, of course, the Director came back to work as usual. A tall and tanned gentleman, and rather solemn-looking one. (Maybe that's the thing with after-office hours shifts: there was nobody to greet him, make him smile or get him angry.) The gal crept out from below her desk and tried to look at her mysterious boss. He would not be able to see her with his back at an angle to her. Besides, she was very clever to have chosen the perfect spot to observe him from. Under the silhouete, she was very well camouflaged. Unless, she ...... sneezed!

Another Story

There was once a young lady who got a job through a local newspaper advertisement.
At the interview, she was told that by the HR Agency's rep that she would be employed based on her application, and also because her prospective employer had already done sufficient background checks on various aspects of her life before the interview. She was agreeable to the sum, although she was still puzzled and impressed by the amount of effort this company invested on new candidates.

During the first few weeks on the job, she thoroughly enjoyed working at the new setup among her colleaques and her seniors. However, soon it dawned on her that she had never really met the company's Director before after having worked so long. It puzzled her even more as the days grew and the Director's office was always vacant, except for the occasional visits by the secretary who would leave stacks of documents for him to review and sign.

As her curiosity grew, she became adamant to know who the boss was and how he was like. He seemed to be shy and prefer working when everyone else had gone off for the day. He would leave behind new work instructions on the the desks of those whom he wanted to do anything for him the next day. So, she hatched a plan to try to catch that glimpse of the Director one evening by pretending to go to the ladies and hide there until everyone had gone back. Then she would emerge from hiding and sneak back into the office.

"Just a peek would do. No need for contact!" She reminded herself, as excitement welled up within her and she could feel her heart thumping so hard she became suddenly became afraid that it could be heard. Instinctively, she quickly pressed her hand over her chest.

What A World It Would Be (Joseph, Story of a Dreamer)

Everytime I see a smiling face,
I wish it'd rub off and set a pace
To chase the world around
That hate could not be found
And left no trace ...
Everything in harmony, what a world it would be.

I wish the entire human race
Each day would feel a tender warm embrace
Have shoes up on their feet
And have enough to eat
Live happily
If only man and woman were free
What a world it would be.

(bridge)
If everybody had a mutual goal
One language and one destiny
If every man had peace within his soul
The way it was meant to be

There's a hope that dwells within my mind
That each and everyone of us could find
A place without despair
If only we would dare
Sometimes, somewhere
If all of us could find the key
What a world it would be

(bridge)
I know that in my heart
I feel as if a part of me can see
A world in perfect harmony
What a world it would be

A better place for you and me
What a world it will be
What a world it will be

Seasons of a man

I am the Springtime, when everyday seems so fine.
Whether rain or sunshine, you will find me playing.
Days full of pretending and a dime is a lot to be spending.
It' is when life is just beginning.
I am the Springtime.

I am the Summer, when the days are warmer.
(I forgot the lyrics....)
Girls are of full mystery when you are barely passing history.
(forgot the lyrics....)
I am the Summer.

I am the Autumn days. The days are getting longer.
Looking back, I stand amazed. O' time has passed so quickly.
Love, is more than feeling. It's fixing bikes and painting ceiling.
It's when you feel a cold wind coming... I am the autumn days.

I am the Winter. The days are cold and bitter.
And the days I remember number more than the days to come.
You ride, instead of walking and you barely hear them talking.
And goodbyes are said so often. I am the winter.
.....
But when I shall see them again in Heaven
It will last forever.

Opayasom is basically about choices one makes: be it choosing your teams or just choosing a particular colour of your tie that you think will make you a professional. As life gets longer, the thinking processes tend to get more complicated. Too many alternatives? Sometimes, I feel it could have just been a matter of getting better acquainted with ourselves, and knowing our own likes, dislikes; our true inclinations and future decisions that we will make, subsequent to the next one; and also knowing how likely we will be committed to these after the decisions have been made.

I could have made most of my decisions in a split second each time and yet not know them. For instance, have you tried standing in front of the fridge one day and ask yourself, 'Am I hungry?' Sometimes we may also linger a bit longer just to go around in circles. If I am not wrong, the commoner reason for the fridge opening is probably out of sport, and not hunger.

Many do choose instinctively too, but while they hope to make good choices, they do not count the costs. These are like buying on impulse, and hopefully not when building a relationship or a career. Just like my opening the fridge door when I wasn't really hungry, it became evident when you see them changing their minds - depending on whatever else would reveal themselves when the door is opened. True intentions, or new intentions, there is really nothing wrong in having to finetune our decisions once more options start to present themselves. Life is like this; a journey that lets you discover new opportunities. But I am disappointed by those who lie about their true intentions.

It is evident that those fair-weather friends tend to be more fickle than someone who will stand by you through thick and thin. But we can't blame them, really, if you had allowed yourself to be used. There've been circumstances so far. Unfortunately, it has taken me donkey years to learn to tell if I get sported. Normally, by the time I feel so, I will just thank God we are not yet business partners.

I do have a phobia which is about being retired old and lonely, or, becoming old and hungry.
Some friends may stay and come visit me. Once I hit the autumn of my life, I wish I will know whose hands will be holding mine. If that question has quickly passed through your head just now, you should already know if those hands are going to be yours. Hey, I will still be thankful.

There was this little documentary I saw on Animal Planet (I think). The life of the piranhas. The seaons come and go along the Amazon river and its tributaries. You see, the birds eat the little piranhas. And the bigger pirahnas eat the birds if they fall into their realm. Ouch! The water would quickly turn into a little whirlpool of red while fishes were snapping on various parts of the bird - alive- in their feeding frenzy. Such hunger, or anger or revenge, I don't know. I was wondering what would kill these fishes then.... Soon the sky gets drier and the dust fill the air... Smallest tributaries quickly turn into small puddles with fishes gasping for air. That's the fate of it all. Fishes that do not know the seasons as they come. So it is, my friend, I gather that life in this urban society we live and work in is about the same. Jobs created now may probably not last the next few years. The internet bubble came and got busted. Many who studied IT looking to eat that pie are probably left with maintenance work, crawling under CEOs' and office workers' desks tying up cables. Likewise for student radiographers who came in with the hope of getting that hospital job even before getting that graduation papers. Times have changed. The workplace where I have been heading for a while now is also slowly drying up. It will still be there, of course. The advanced training is going to come from somewhere else where the specialists are. These experts will probably come and do a much better job at providing that service - providing high-end CT scans for emergency patients. An author has said this before, that Technology has overtaken the Expert. Put in another way, if the government decide to swap all the F14s to Stealth one day, only those who have been trained to fly stealth will get the jobs. So what if you have been trained to fly the F14s? Training and upgrading of skills is definitely such an important issue now in my industry. If you do not train up, be prepared to be trained by your student. I can safely bet that in these days, even managers, supervisors, and lecturers will have become out of touch with the technologies they have to buy for their department. They have to become increasingy dependent on the true experts - those who work the machines on the ground day and night - to provide the services. Meaning, who is less dispensable now? There is a season for everything under the sun. All is but vanity, and a chasing after the wind. Move on, and find your river that will never dry up.

I met up with 2 old pals finally. Interestingly, we all share the same surname!
I do not know if they have noticed it but definitely, the life and work experiences we've had are different. One used to be a deputy COO at a local VWO. Cool (and handsome) guy! The other is in some manufacturing line - producing masks for the impending birdflu! For one thing, we are still related because of the healthcare industry. I somehow feel that their future looks brighter than mine. Afterall, mine is just walking up and down a small corridor trying to justify my existence. Wonder when my head will finally roll off! Anyway....

I am very happy to have met up with them this evening because there was so much to learn. Full of interesting bits here and there and one learns what's happening in the real (and sometimes, cruel) world. Both were telling me about their bosses and ex-bosses and bosses' bosses, etc... Plus all the good old days when SGH was still considered civil service. But those times when, if compared to what we are having in a modern civilisation, were not so "civilised". Like what they said, "when the police were still in their shorts" and 1 bowl of prawn noodles would only cost 10 cents." But I realise, modernisation brings complications!

Hmm.. maybe I should be penning more about childhood days. By the way, I am a rather sentimental and nostalgic person. I always tend to recall - les I forget. Because I am so afraid I may forget. But when I remember, there's so much to recall. Used to kill cockcroaches, rabbits, fishes, ants, lizards, houseflies and mosquitoes ... and cats. I'm probably No.1 on their wanted list. Although I think they couldn't hurt me and my science teacher would have been happy about my zeal during biology class, I now live with regret. Sometimes I wish I could be a vegan, but unfortunately, I have already been too deeply cursed with a love for steak, sambal prawns and chilli crabs! Sedap!

Back to these Tans! The ex-COO is now GM at a company dealing with healthcare workers' skills training and certification courses. We chatted at McCafe and there, it dawned on me that again, I am stuck doing what I have been doing for the past donkey years. While my friend may be wondering how he and gal would patch back, I think the future in my occupation may actually affect how things will affect my family. For their sake, I will toil on and work the best I can. But deep inside, I don't think I am happy now. I love clinical work but managing well will also allow more people and patients to benefit at one time. For selfish reasons, I would rather just work and go home and mind my own business. Why should I be made to answer for someone else's problem???? They call it "ownership". Yea, and when that fails, they ask "you are AM for what?" I wish life were simpler. Back to the good old days when one could just eat fresh fruits from fruit trees!

Oh Adam!! Why you listened to EVE!!!!