A Week of Surprises

# IA Surprises #

Yesterday, my supervisor came to my help on her own! Maybe she saw me "pek chek" looking at the screen, trying to remove warning messages, which I'd been struggling for the entire afternoon. So 感动! She also got me another larger project. Maybe to help me kill time, haha.. Similar to current one, but start from scratch. 有的我忙了! Too bad, she's resigning soon in Sep T_T. Another 2 contractor colleagues contracts also ending in Sep. What to say? Just hope things won't get messier @_@

Lately, I kinda have "He Bo" symptoms. While ordering lunch, I mistaken "rendang mutton" for "rendang chicken" & took a bowl of soup, which I also mistaken "ginger soup" as "chicken soup". Maybe staring too much at screen until blur. But in rainy day, it kept me warm. So sinful*, I ate mutton twice in a week! *Colleagues sometimes say these when eating unhealthy food.

Oh yah, I got Prof Diamond Ring as my IA Tutor. Hope I can meet her expectations. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the IA Tutor List yesterday. A lot of "gum" combinations, especially THAT ONE :)

* An Unusual Dinner *

Tue after work, I had dinner with CS, JY & CK (Chee Keong) at a 小印度餐馆. Mutton, Naan & miscellaneous spicy food made me miss Indo food. The food was nice & price ok, thou feel the portions a bit less, haha... With CS & CK, the next stop The Cafe Cartel @ PS. Initial plan was to "have a drink", but later became to "have a cake". I ordered a Jamaica Banana Rum Cheese Cake. Nice neh! Somemore, CK treated us. Haha, how nice of him. It's a fun & refreshing evening, catching up with friends after a very tiring working day.

~ A Once-In-A-Blue-Moon Thing ~

I don't know what wrong with me today. Not long after dinner, suddenly have a "very loud & weird-sounding hiccup". Luckily, only me was at home, haha... Till now still there. Tried all sorts of remedies, but all failed. Haven't had this thing for quite a few years le...

How I wish the logbook is as easy to write as this blog. Oops, it's coming again... "Hic... Hic... Hic..." Arrgghh!

Ups and Downs of Life

It's the weekend again. Sooo tired...

Talking about work, some sad things happened. My supervisor hasn't been around most of the time, similar to last week. But this week, she finally joined me & another 2 colleagues for lunch, for the 1st time! Hmm, she kept talking about work with the rest & didn't talk much to me. From the time she sat down, I didn't have a chance to interrupt their conversation, as she spoke a lot & rather fast. As I finished my lunch 1st, I waited for them & also rested for a while. When I finally had a chance, she said "If you want to leave, you can leave first. No need to wait here", in a rather cold tone. I was stunned! I don't think that I was over-sensitive or what. I really "SENSED" that she really has bad impression on me. Althou my communication skills really sucks, but my 6th sense for this purpose is quite accurate. Since IA started, she talked to me only a few times. I tried to approach her to ask her questions, if not, even lesser conversation. Usually, she can joke & laugh out loudly with others, but not with me. I was wondering it may have been my sulky/tired face that cause all these problems. But others treated me well, laughing & joking, much better than I expected it to be. Maybe she dislikes my personality or maybe she doesn't like the way I work or maybe just 八字不和. I really don't know...

How am I going to work under her for another 20 weeks? It's so sad. I wonder why she accepted me. I'd rather she scold me for doing sth not to her liking or just reject me during interview. Now I can only try my best to smile more & more (thou I feel tired most of the time, dun ask me why, coz I also dunno) & find more opportunities to talk to her, esp. non-work related matters. I really cherished the opportunity to work here & I want to make it a memorable experience, but not in a sad atmosphere. Haiz, I'd better stop here, if not it gets more & more emo.

Talking about happie things, today the manager drove us to nearby Pioneer Food Village & treated us lunch. The food was very nice & fresh, thou rather expensive, similar to restaurant price. But, I seriously recommend it to those who work around Tuas Biomedical Park area, it's worth it! Ooh, glutton me =) This week has been slightly more productive. I've started on my mini-project liao. It's so interesting. There's so many things I don't know, plenty of things to learn :) Okie, I just hope that overall, things will turn out better. Of course I won't unreasonably expect everyone in this world to treat me well, but at least let me know what really happened or what aren't ok.

God bless!

First Week of IA

Hmm, how I feel about this IA? Too excited, to the extent that I couldn't sleep well for 2 days!

Okie, Day 1 started out with me racing against time to catch company bus @ Jurong East MRT Station. Luckily, I managed to "petrify" it at the last minute. Phew! Similarly for the rest of the week. Too sleepy I guess...

Erm, 1st day got bullet-train briefings from HR, GMP & EHS. Walk walk see see & get-to- know-people session. My mentors are friendly & nice chaps, haha... Then also got a ThinkPad for my personal use & had my prescription safety goggles made. Oh my God! Thank you so much, Pfizer!

Most of the time I was reading manuals until seeing **(O_o)**. Most people are sooo busy, I didn't dare to disturb them too much. 真可怜, 一只苍蝇也没有! Tell me, how to kill time??? I WILL YAWN after staring at my manuals & screen after some time... Arghh~~

But yesterday, I attended a meeting with my supervisor, sth on 1 of my projects. Yeah! I finally got sth to do le. It's sooo informal... Every now & then, everybody would just joke & laugh out loudly. Such a 轻松的 meeting. But learned quite a bit of "Office Politics in Pharmaceutical Industry" & a crash course on "How to Survive in Pharmaceutical Industry", haha... After that, she briefed me on my IA programme scope. Yeah, finally!

IA PROGRAMME SCOPE

* * PROJECT 1 * *

Assist in the computerisation of hose-management system by compiling user requirements specs (URS), validation (validation plan, validation test protocol, IQ/OQ/PQ), commissioning & qualification (C&Q), final testing & launching the system

* * PROJECT 2 * *

I/O ports allocation, control-interface graphics & code development (i.e. control modules, equipment modules, interlocks), testing control system & writing test reports, loop checks & handover to production.

I like the 2nd project! It sounds sooooooo interesting!!! Hmm, today started a bit on Project 2 & read a thick GAMP Guide. Grr~~

Amidst all the boredom & excitement, somehow I felt lonely & lost, even thou everyday sooo many people accompany me to work & off work. Maybe I was the only IA student there. Hmm, then I also felt I somehow missed a few opportunities at work. Haiz, 我又胡思乱想了...

Okie, I'd better stop here. If not, it'll never end. 希望明天会更忙, so that I can FEEL myself more productive & efficient.

Nippon-philic Syndrome

Today I went support CS in The Japanese Speech Contest 2007 @ The Japanese Association of S'pore. The environment there was relaxing & people were very polite. Haha, when I reached there, just on time for the free buffet lunch! The food was nice, esp. the curry :)

The auditorium is not very big, Jap style, very comfortable. I only watched the Tertiary & Open categories. When the 1st finalist came up the stage & I was feeling "Oooh.. she looked like a Jap". Then when she started speaking, I was jaw-dropped. Sooo fluent & sooo Jap lor! Althou I didn't understand practically all of the speech.

Then after witnessing the rest, I realized it was so fun & cool speaking Jap. Haiz, I should have learnt it during poly time. Then now at least I'd be able to converse in simple everyday Jap. Now I can only try to appreciate it through self-interpretation of Ayumi's songs...

The Washi Paper

Interestingly, there was an Origami Session, explaining to us the origin of origami & a few origami artworks. Everyone was given 2 sheets of Japanese origami paper, known as Washi paper & an instruction sheet. The paper quality is very good ne.. We're shown how to fold an origami balloon. The origami teacher also showed us "Origami Fire-Spitting Dragon & Dinosaurs" & that took him 1 day to fold! But it looked so nice...

One of the most exciting part was the prize-giving ceremony. Weirdly, only 1st - 4th prize existed, while 5th & 6th ranked finalists received vouchers & a certificate.

4th prize >> Vacuum Cleaner [ sooo bulky! ]

3rd prize >> Portable DVD Player [ I want this...]

2nd prize >> A 20" LCD TV [ I want this too... ]

1st prize >> DVD Camcorder [ This is what I wanted most, haha! ]

But it's good to see at least CS got into the finals. He did quite well le, at least didn't forget his speech. Next year try again, we'll go to support you, haha..

Ganbatte!

KTV @ K-Box Chinatown

After IA story-telling session, ATP went KTV-ing. In the quest for S$10-Family KTV Outlet, we strolled around Outram area, searching for Smith Street. We passed by the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum. Curious, we went in to explore. 真的是大开眼界! Weird thing was that some of the things inside seemed to emphasise a lot on the material aspects, instead of the spiritual ones. Besides showing the price of some gold structures & statues, the description of Buddha Tooth Relic all focus on the physical construction/parts of the Tooth Relic Chamber & none on the significance of the Relic itself.

By the way, the above isn't a critic, but purely observations. I just felt that it's the thought that counts, not how much we spent to build the temple.

All those things aside, this visit somehow made me felt a bit guilty. Proclaiming myself as a Buddhist, but seldom go to temple to pray or chant, after I came to S'pore. 重点 was after exiting the temple, my mind felt very calm...

Today only 六个人 KTV-ing, as K-King (Liming) was too busy to hold his concert today & CS got some serious practice to do. Despite feeling tired & throat not really in tip-top condition (most of us felt so), I sang quite a few songs, although "zau sia" rather seriously. Yeah! I managed to improve my mike-holding skills to further project out my voice. Thanks to TK 师傅 for enlightening me. But, I still owed him S$50 for the tuition fee! Grrr, no discount despite GSS. Expensive leh!

Finally, JY & SZ held their own concerts, with SZ getting 怀旧, singing the oldies & JY as usual, with a mix of oldies & newbies & ZR singing more today. SZ, JY & ZR (aka S.H.E. of ATP) 挑战极限, trying to hit impossibly-high notes & they did it! And hor, somehow the duo (aka J.S. of ATP) getting more & more 暧昧, after singing a few duets. Luckily they didn't sing 暧昧 or else it'll give goosebumps! Hmm, looks like CS speculation may be correct after all... ~~Grrr~~

After whole-day activities, felt dead-beat tired. Still 3 days to the start of IA, have plenty of time to rest. Haha, Dean & Vice-Dean planning to hold "Reunion Lunch/Dinner" after 1st month of IA (i.e. when we got our 1st payslip). 好期待那一天的到来...

A Cruisie Weekend

After almost fully recovered, I went on a cruise last Friday with Gu-gu, Gu-zhang & A-ma. It’s a rather last-minute decision. Thanks to Gu-gu for sponsoring this trip. Hmm, took some pics with my handphone. The quality wasn’t that good, but better than nothing.

Star Cruises Fleet : SuperStar Virgo (I'm a Virgo too!)
Time period : 29 June – 1 July 2007 (3D2N)
Journey : Singapore - Open Sea – Singapore

Well, it’s quite an eye-opener. But, sth seems lacking. The ship has a Greek theme, but the feel isn’t really strong enough. Okie, I’d just highlight some interesting things there.

29 June 2007

I Photo-Taking Session

Our photos were taken along the way to board the ship. 2 pics per person, 1 with StarCruise Dancers & 1 with Penguin Mascot. There were photo key chains, wooden/rubber frame & normal photo.

I took a rubber frame one & it’s S$10.50!! Yeah, I know it’s very expensive, but I don’t have much photos to recollect, so I just grabbed it. It’s a such 难得 occasion!

I Music & Performances

The Grand Piazza Reception (Deck 7)

The Bellini Bar (Deck 8)

The Bar @ The Galaxy of Stars (Deck 12)

Show Area @ The Galaxy of Stars

Star Observatory Deck

Variety of performances by SuperStar Virgo Pianist, Show Band & Musicians there. It's rather soothing.

I Swimming Pools

There are 2 of them, one is Parthenon (for adults mainly) and Neptune's Wet N' Wild (for kids). Nice areas for relaxation.

The Parthenon Pool (Deck 12)

The Taveria Bar (Pool View)

Neptune's Wet N' Wild (Deck 12)

The Taveria Bar (Top Deck)

Sun-Tanning Area (Top Deck)

The Rear Area @ Top Deck

I Food & Beverages

Most of my dining took place here

Western or Chinese food & Mediterranean Buffet. Basically, eat till u drop!!! By the way, I saw Rong Zheng during supper at the buffet restaurant. 真是巧啊!

I Casino

The Famous Oasis

Hmm, while exploring different decks on Friday night, noticed something odd. Where have all the people gone?? Then when I reached Oasis, I found the answer. It’s 人山人海!!! Obviously, most people go on board for gambling. The majority was rich aunties & tai-tai(s), who bet like there’s no tomorrow. I found Roulette particularly interesting & also learnt how to play it. I didn’t bet of course, purely "eye power". Haha…

Some "eye-opener" observations.

1) An auntie placed multiple bets on 80% of the 36 numbers available & each chip costs S$10!! When her number didn’t appear, imagined the pain. Arrgh!

2) A tycoon-like person exchanged S$5,000 for S$100 chips & bet like the previous one. His number appeared & he won $11,000+. OMG!

3) There is a VIP room for people to make big bets. Min S$5,000 per bet!

Where on earth these rich people coming from? Sooo loaded to the extent that each chip is like 5 cents to them. If they have sooo much money to give away, why not give some to charities or maybe can give it to me too. I’ll make full use of it, of course not to gamble it away. Hahaha...

30 June 2007

I Dragon Beard Candy Making

It’s made using a 2,000-year old technique introduced into Imperial Court of ancient China. The China chef repeatedly stretched a mass of sugar & maltose & thousands of strands can be formed. Amazing!

可惜, I didn’t have chance to taste it, it’s snapped up quickly. I couldn't get clear pics here, so I took these photos from elsewhere.

I Performance by Huang Jia Qian (黃嘉千) @ The Lido

黃嘉千 (Pic not taken by me)

This was the highlight of the day. I watched her shows (超级星期天) before, normally dressed older than her actual age. But that day, she appeared in 玉女形象. She looked much better & younger. She sang a few songs, 点唱 & 自弹自唱, including 勇气, 月亮代表我的心, 新不了情, 风铃, 爱拚才会赢, a song in Taiwanese dialect. She’s bubbly & humorous. 看现场表演真爽! The ticket's S$20, with her poster! Hmm, at least better spent compared to gambling.

I Magic Show by Mike Michaels (Las Vegas, USA)

Sooo many people! Hmm, saw Rong Zheng sitting at next table & chatted a bit. Couldn’t really see clearly, but final part is interesting!

1 July 2007

After returning to Singapore, we all went to VivoCity, together with bro, sis & cousin. Had lunch at Food Republic for the 1st time, it’s also 人山人海. 好怀旧啊!

While strolling around, we saw 4 Japanese girls. They looked so IN! Worth highlighting is a girl with very short & an all-white hair & white eyebrows & whitish face. Her overall appearance & 神情 looked just like the character in manga!

It’s a well-spent weekend. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera, couldn’t take good pics. Hmm, for the sake of future outings, I must save enuff for a camera! IA must 加油 le!