Jeffirean Stories
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
SOBZ! Week 2 already so tiring.... not by school work, but by the upcoming SMU Official Paegant and Freshmen Bash, named EUPHORIQUE 2006! To do some advertising here, if any of you are interested to come for the bash and pageant, please feel free to look for me before Wednesday! Each ticket is $14 and comes with a goodie bag and free drink. Get your khakis and join in the RnB environment on Thursday~~
Here's my review of the other courses I'm taking.
Supply Chain Management
========================
This course is pretty interesting. Until now, the emphasis is still qualititative, not too sure when the numbers will start swarming. But the professor is pretty interesting. My introduction in class isn't too convincing... sigh, and need to find a team to do project. One of the most troublesome task for me.. Nonetheless, supply chain management is an important course to learn and hence I hope to be absorbing as much as possible.
Italian
=======
I tell you, this course is a real destressor! I mean we have so much fun in class despite the teacher being quite strict. Haha. Glad I made the choice to take Italian instead of procrastinating to wait for the next Spanish class to be run. As the professor has taken a mental note of my unique name, she seems to be aiming me quite seriously.. sobz. I must buck up! Forza Jeffire~
Retail Management
=================
Too bad the original professor who was supposed to teach us went on medical leave, and long term. His replacement professor is kinda a. out-dated b. talkative c. draggy. Yet sometimes his class is interesting because of the subject matter. Shopping in the perspective of the retailer is another game altogether from the consumer's viewpoint. I guess this course is another great steal I bidded. However, if the professor keeps on harping on some long-winded issue, and remains outdated, I would fall asleep every lesson..
Ah well, these days are really really busy. I hope you guys are doing well into the first third of the term. Jiayou jiayou!
Oh, anyone of you heard of the latest hit in town? It's by our PM wor! Go and read mrbrown's blog and listen to the 'mee siam mai hum' clip. LOL, since when did we have 'hum' in mee siam??!
"Mai hum mai hum~"
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
12:26 AM
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sobz.. kena the virus and down with cough and flu. Kept coughing in class and felt really bad. Nonetheless, the class started pretty well, given that the lecturers are interesting and the topics are really of interest to me. Let me give a close-in on them:
#1 Human Capital Management
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This module is regarding the study on management techniques of human beings as capital - asset to the company. Personnel recruitment, selection, monitoring, benefits and compensation will be some key topic studied in the module. The lecturer is an interesting lady named Ms Chia. She is very animated in class and does provide some useful insight into the local human resource world.
#2 Experiences in Small Business Consulting
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This module is one interesting module taught by a real consultant, Mr Eugene of Sirius Consultancy. The studies focus on the issues normally faced by small and medium enterprises, and how we could help to address such issues. Profiling, case studies and field research are key stuff we may need to do in this module. Look out for reports, reports and reports! While the work sounds scary, I am sure this module will help me to understand my dad's business better and also may assist me in the future in the set-up of another.
Will update on the other classes as I take them in the later part of the week. But this term feels much less intimidating or saddening than before. Not to be too early in my words, I hope this momentum will be maintained and acceralated in the latter half of the term.
Last week Grand Patriach of the Imperial Anime Library had his birthday dinner at Manhattan Fish Market (incidentally the topic of my marketing project last term). The food was fantastic! I would definitely gladly go down again to savour the garlic butter rice and the platters. Too bad we didn't get to try the smoothies as we were all too full with the sumptous spread. As usual many photos were taken but I don't have any of them. Hahaha.
Dunno what to say now, mabbe I should go sleep soon. Hahaha. Nitezzzz~~
Acknowledged my existence at
10:35 PM
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Well, nobody bothered to answer the riddle posed, but here's the answer: 2^8-1 is equal to 255~ So this post is the 256th post. =p
So the Singapore Fireworks spanned over the last week beginning on the 5th by Team Italy. My position that day, as mentioned, was near the staircase leading to Esplanade Drive from Esplanade Park (opposite the Esplanade). The cheorography was with slow, sensual Italian music which ended with a rumble. The second run, by Team Singapore, on the 8th, was cheorographed with National Day songs. I was standing in front of Esplanade, in the middle of Esplanade Drive. Hahaha. Wasn't too bad by their usual standards. The third run, by Team New Caledonia (I don't know where is that) was fantastic as we were there early and had a great slot. Right smacked on Esplanade Drive, above the waters, on the Esplanade Drive pavement. Of course leaving the place was a horrible experience too. Nonetheless it was worth it as Team New Caledonia adorned the skies with vibrant colours and bright sparkles. The music was rightfully synchronized with the bom boms in the sky. Heh. The last one by Team France was worth remembering as well as we saw the fireworks from its side. We were at the park near to the flyover at Raffles Boulevard. The music was absent, so the blasts were raw and really close. At some moments I pondered if the remnants of the sparkles would fall on us as I peered into the brightly lit skies. Haha, and the snaky flares that jumped on the sea! They were like jumping nearer and nearer to the shore, making you feel really excited to be so close to the fires. Too bad the music wasn't there, and the crowd was really too much, making us sweat as if in a sunny afternoon. The bus trip on the way home was long and tiring, for the jam in the city area nearest to the finale of the fireworks were long and stagnant. The roads were swamped with people. I supposed we spent 1h40mins on a trip which was supposed to be 40mins long. Hahaha. In all, it was just so worth the time and effort despite each show being only 15mins long.
The other significant happening in life is my visit to NUS today. Had lunch with Charles in the business canteen as he said he wanted to meet me to pass his present. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the loot I brought back from Bangkok for him. Lol. Anyway, the weather was wet and my abdomen was on strike (probably down with stomach flu, though not very serious, just uncomfortable). Yet I still had a ramly burger while waiting for him (bought at the bazaar at the central library, it sucks and is expensive). Queues in the area were aplenty, in the bookstore, for the NUS diary, for the course packs... Soon Charles arrived from the Arts canteen after meeting his PS Society (Political Science, not PlayStation). Added the fish and chips from the business canteen to my NUS food exploits, haha. That was indeed nice and real affordable $2.20 only! Too bad no salad came with it. I also managed to speak to dear Kenneth's parents, whom I have not seen since CNY (i think). Then on the way back to Charles' upcoming class, managed to be caught by Grace. She commented in the aftermath that Charles doesn't look like an alien (sounds like a compliment). Haha. They should spend more time looking at each other =p =p =p. Then finally after bidding Charles goodbye, I saw the SuperCheckerMan at the bus stop. Too bad I didn't manage to talk to him as the bus was just waiting there, I wanted to catch it before time caught on me. Miraculously, by his standards, he actually returned my wave! First idea in my mind was "Wah, so he remembers the great o Jeffire', then followed by 'So he does wave back', rather than his usual squirreling away to hide from talking to people whom you used to know but no longer get in touch. Hahaha, maybe I should go visit NUS more often to check up on my old pals and friends.
That brings me to a question: 'Do you ever acknowledge seeing someone while on the way?" Some considerations jump up as I ponder:
a. the person was your mate (from whereever you like to think) last time and you are not sure whether it's him/her, as time shared together was too little, and he/she has changed in the looks department
b. the person was someone you know and recognise, but you don't like him/her and equally, he/she has certain dislike for you too (in your view, which may not be true)
c. you are in a mess now and you don't want that person to see the messy side of you...hehe.
d. you are just too afraid to be embarassed if you got the wrong person or you are afraid he/she is actually waving at someone else..
Yeah, hahaa, that ends #256 and all the best to all who have begun school! I have 5 days more to play =p
light-hearted
jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
8:14 PM
Monday, August 07, 2006
Doubt most people out there will understand what the above means. Here's a hint, it's got something to do with 8-bit machines. And it depicts the number of entries since the blog began 3 years ago.. heh.
Not to worry, I'm still with my old number and that Pika has lent me an old phone to use temporarily till I get a new one. Am looking out for nice numbers out there! (den mabbe sign a new plan to get a new phone with a new number) In case you are going to message me, just put your name/nick in the front or the end of the message, ok?
Went to do my new concession card again. This time I need all the suggestions in the world to safekeep it until I finish my life as a student. Come, put forth your golden advices, my friends!
Recalling my birthday weekend, both happiness and unhappiness both cast their spells on me. I shall start with 5th August...
Woke up around 930am and began to crawl out of my slumber before forcing myself to move faster than ever because I needed to get to work by 11pm. Yes, WORK! As a professional person, of course I did not push my work away to celebrate my birthday. Therefore, spent a gruelling 6 hours serving people. Oh, the gruelling part is not serving people. It's in my blood to serve, but trying to follow an obstinate, inflexible and naggy superior does prove to boil my blood. Luckily that part only constituted 1/3 of my time in the library. The warming part inside those 6hours was a moment of 'a gift of coal within the snowy times'. Yeah, it was unexpected but definitely touching. (shall keep you guys guessing =p) And of course, I have to thank the endless queue (in spurts) for helping to pass time faster.
So after working slightly overtime, I tried to contact Pika and company in view of the evening CO session but was told that they were in Bugis. I decided to go PS to get my replacement SIM card and maybe we could meet up en route to the CO session. Surprisingly, after spending 1.5hrs at PS eating and waiting, the plan was altered to catching the first run of the Singapore Fireworks Festival. I decided to walk my way to Esplanade Park. Well, a pleasant surprise in school was unexpected: there were so many people in school! I met my BIZCOM friends who just finished their rehearsal for the bash pageant and had a short chat to them. When asked what I was doing and going, I used the word 'wandering'. Yeah, that summarises my feelings at that time. Being alone on your birthday does somehow sound forlorn..
Eventually I reached Esplanade around 8pm. The crowd was thronging in droves but fortunately, there was security in place. Esplanade rooftop was closed though, perhaps in view of the uncontrollable crowd within the small enclosed area in the Esplanade. I proceeded to the library as there was no news on where to meet-up. Initially my idea was to meet in the library for it was not so crowded; it would be easier to find one another. However, as the library was closing, I decided to make my way out as I was very sure they did not want to miss the fireworks at all. Phone calls were fast and furious. Pika mentioned that they were on the bridge leading to Fullerton. As a driver, I did not think of Esplanade Drive as a bridge, but the one on Connaught Drive, Andersens Bridge, was what I had in mind. As it was only minutes till the start of the fireworks, I panicked. Pika said I could watch the fireworks alone and then meet up later. But, in my mind, my thought was, 'what's the point of watching the fireworks alone?' I suppose he was not alone, so he did not understand my feelings at all at that moment. I ran across the Esplanade Park/Lim Bo Seng Memorial to a segment near to Fullerton and under Andersen Bridge but did not see them and panicked even more. So I made another call and he sounded irritated but eventually I got the idea. They were on Esplanade Drive, opposite the end of Esplanade. It was already announced that the fireworks show was starting, right after they greeted Mr President and Mrs President. I sprinted another 50metres in despair and saw a flight of stairs leading up to the road. Flew up the stairs and saw so many many people! Again, I felt my senses tinge and yeah, finally I found them. My goodness! Maybe I have Fate to thank for, as the fireworks didn't seem to start on time and only began after I found them. As I shouted 'sagashita!' (means found), the first bom bom sound rattled the sky! Yeah! It finally began!
Smiling like I won a million dollars in my lottery, I got my magical birthday experience~! Hehe~ You don't get fireworks on your birthday, don't you. And 5th Aug isn't any special day wor! So it must be fated =p. Had an enjoyable night since and forgot all my stupidity and troubles as we had a good rest at TCC Boat Quay..
Alright, let's move on to Sunday. I was supposed to have my Rabbit Gang Royalty Birthday High-Tea Buffet at LaoBeiJing (LBJ) Novena Square. (I will use Royal titles here) But I was very tired the night before (mentally), so I only woke up around 11odd. By the time I finished dressing up, it was already 1pm. Waited a jiffy for the bus but still reached Yishun past the presumed meet-up time, because of the late departure. Fortunately, as I walked towards Prince of Dreamland 's block, I saw Princess Pooh and HRH walking towards the MRT station. As cheeky as I could, I simply followed them behind to see how far will they walk before discovering I was only 5 steps behind them =p. And well, the fumbling Prince eventually detected me as he kept turning to take out his handphone. Lalala. =p
Interesting, 6 of us were on the same train but none found another on the train. Haha. But we sure had it easy to meet up. Some of the Royalties dressed up, some stayed usual, true to taste. Eventually we had all ready for the feast. I tell you, chinese food is sure tinkered with plenty of oil! Guess we didn't had value for money in terms of the value of food we ate (not enough, didn't pick the expensive stuff either) but the entertainment value was fantastic. Hahaha. The staff provided excellent service, justifying the beautiful bill. Since I didn't bring my camera nor had my camera phone anymore, the photos are all over their phones and cameras, so I guess you gotta wait a while to see the grand feast. And yeah, you would be pretty green in the eye if you saw my presents. They were absolutely fantastic! Clap clap to Prince of Dreamland, Princess Pooh, Goddess of Trouble, Princess Cow and all for the brain juices and brain/leg cells shed for the presents. *wide grin*
The post-feast event was to go shopping at Suntec despite the short time left as there was a yoga session in the evening. Yet it was pretty fine. New season targets include watches and NUM products (flip flops) haha. I am in awe of the endless target list of Prince of Dreamland and Princess Cow. Hahaha.
And so the usual Sunday proceeded with the yoga session, the post yoga R&R and then the good-byes to the end of a fun week and hellos to the start of a brand new work week. Hehe.
Oh well, and today I had another board expectation fulfilled! Heh, see how many strikethroughs I have on the side bar!
SuperContented SuperHappy
Jeffire
PS: Love all of the pressies I got~~ any more? =p
Acknowledged my existence at
3:25 PM
Saturday, August 05, 2006
A short one to go..
I was happily enjoying the friday leading to my 23rd birthday, when a stroke of over-excitement coupled with forgetfulness landed me in wilderness..
Yes, my SEK750i, together with my concession card (again!) and my pooh phone pouch is gone.
I left it on the ledge at the toilet behind NYDC, Wheelock Place. Then forgotten about it when i finished adjusting my falling shorts. I guess what I ought to have done was 'LEAVE MY PHONE WITH MY DEAR FRIENDS'.
Now I lost the phone, the sms-es, my concession card, $21 to remake the concession card, and the phone pouch bought in Thailand. I really want to applaud the guy who was so fortunate to have found my phone and refused to return it to me. Dishonesty with a tinge of greed, yeah, you sure rock.
Things to follow..
a. I am going to change my phone number as planned (fated?)
b. I am going to buy the same phone again (anyone with an plan upgrade to spare?)
c. I believe something good will happen to me in return.
Talk about being positive.. haha. I continued having the great food in NYDC, though the chocolate milk drink we had wasn't anywhere worth the $6.95... yeah. Laughed and played on the way back..
5th Aug 2006, Happy 23rd Birthday Jeffire!
Staying Cheerful!
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
1:27 AM
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Nearly noon..
Some mornings when I wake up without any desire to do anything, I end up surfing the blogs of my friends. Unfortunately, many of these blogs are in hibernate mode, dormant for quite some time. Perhaps they are busy, perhaps they lack some writing inspiration, or simply perhaps they cannot go online without being swamped by information. By the time they finish processing those information, they end up mentally tired.
So where's everyone?
Even with the ease of communications these days, some people, like me, are simply not bothered to pick up the phone and make a call to check on our friends and buddies. Usually the key factor is a lack of topic, and maybe also the culture that glue ourselves to a few closer friends. Costs are an issue too. So when blogs became a rave in the cybersphere, I reckoned we could get in touch with blogs. This was pretty true last year, when it was much the in-thing to do. As en-masse, the usual topics were life and stuff. Whether they were written with or without good English, with or without writing skills, the entries represented an effort by the writer to communicate. Blogs are an avenue of up-to-date information, usually spiced with a huge dose of self-opinion, but they still communicate. And cheaply as well! You could just go online, type in the blog address and tada, there's the nuggets of information your friend recalled in his/her entry, and these nuggets of information are pretty useful for you to start a topic to communicate with that person. Even if you don't know the person, you could even leave comments or shout-outs these days. Such tools drive interaction. Interaction is very important to keep any relationship alive.
Yet, I could also find examples of dormant relationships that are easily revived by a simple sms and stuff like that. Like there are friends we only see once in a while, but still can chat as if there is no tomorrow. Such friends are much treasurable, aren't they?
With the internet, the world has shrunk to a mini global village where everyone can communicate with everyone else. Email, MSN, IRC, web forums, blogs, interactive news, video conferencing, Youtube (!) and the many many tools that have sprung up over the course of the internet age. We ought to be thankful to be born in this era.
Oh well, letters are still accepted though =). Hur hur.
Finally some thinking
Jeffire
Acknowledged my existence at
11:51 AM