NKF Gives Charity Organisations a Bad Name!

Current Mood: Somewhat-pissed-but-couldn't-give-a-damn-but-still-want-to-whine-mood

Alright, you must be thinking, so whats new? Why am I flogging a dead horse? Well, thats cause I've e-mail prove that some big f**k from my company feels that charities are not a good thing. And it kinda pissed me off!

Here's an e-mail i received from another big f**k in the company.

Dear All

The effort and time spent by you and the Committee is for a good cause and commendable. Charity comes from the heart and not from the mouth. We should not be afraid of doing what is right.

I had a discussion with CEO this morning on some concerns that Old Mr Lee* has.

(a) CEO suggests the Committee to keep it low profile, i.e., don't be so "loud" about the activity.

(b) Let's not send out email to "Everyone" from now on. Send emails to the relevant people where necessary.

(c) Old Mr Lee* doesn't want staff to spend unnecessary time during working hours for non-office works. Let's do whatever we can after office hours. Please check if the visit can be done in the afternoon on 21/1/06.

(d) Old Mr Lee* is not in favour of Ren Ci because he has the perception that Ren Ci like NKF received a lot of donations from the public through the media. They don't need any donation from us. I told CEO that we may not be able to change because you guys may have contacted Ren Ci and agreed on the date of visit already.

Let me know what I can help. Please do not loose heart in doing what is right and good for the society, company and yourself.

Warmest Regards
Amy Yip*


(*Names of parties have been changed to protect the identity of the children, er, I mean company.)

Do note the parts which I have hi-lighted in blue.

Ok, to start with, the CEO wants the Committee to keep a low profile. Alright, how the f**k are we going to keep a low profile if we are suppose to collect donations from everyone from the company? From the beginning, we were told that the company would donate a dollar for each dollar that a staff donates, up to a maximum of $5,000. So obviously we want to try the best to reach at least a $5,000 target right? And how the hell are we going to do that if we do not involve everyone in the company? For your information, the company has a total strength of about 500, of which about 300 plus are factory workers. You do the mathes.

Point number 2, send the e-mail to the relevant people and not use everyone. Alright, can someone enlighten me here? Unless I got it wrong, this is a company thing right? Bloody twats. The next time there is a donation drive, I'll expect each of those big f**ks to donate a thousand quid, that way, I would only require to send the e-mail to these few 'relevant' people.

Lastly, and the most damning of all, is that Old Mr Lee has the perception that Ren Ci hospital is like NKF. I suppose that one swallow makes a summer and a single snowflake makes a winter eh? Jeez... Which goes to show that TT Durai and NKF has done a superb job of brainwashing Singaporeans into thinking that charities that rely on the media are money grabbing organisations.

Imagine this, if charities were to not use the media as a form of publicizing their cause, would anyone give a damn? Maybe all the volunteers in a charity organisation should go from door to door and ask for donations, yeah, that would be a really quick way to raise money for that kid that requires a heart transplant urgently.

For Christ sake, we're living in the 21st Century! We've got technology! We've got communication capabilities! Bloody use it! Whats the point of not relying on the media, when it can help you achieve your task in a shorter period of time? Maybe Old Mr Lee should walk to work cause his Mercedes Benz pollutes the air? Or he might consider sending his mails using the post office, cause e-mails will make poor Mr Postman out of job?

Sheesh... The more I think about this the more pissed I become. Bleah... Better end this entry while I still can. And just in case you're wondering why I named him Old Mr Lee, check out the photos below.

Big F**k and LKY, separated at birth?

Even their mannerism and history are almost identical. Pioneer of the company/country and very unwilling to let it go. Of course, to call either of them a despot would be asking for a good rollicking eh? Hehe.... Ciao for now...

Seasonal Migrations

Current Song in Head: Losing My Religion, R.E.M.

Here's something interesting I heard recently. Last Thursday, I paid a visit to Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre with the intention of ironing out the final details of my company's coming visit to the Hospital. The first thing I noticed there was that there wasn't any golden taps, I guess they aren't doing as well as NKF then. Haha...

Anyway, I was warmly welcomed by Alison, the Ren Ci representative, who showed me around the ward, as well as the office. While I was in the office, the other Ren Ci staff were quick to share various tales from the crypt, I mean various interesting tales.

There was one about a father who passed away a month after his son kicked the bucket. There was another about a granny who refused to kick the bucket. There was another story about 2 Malay buddies who both got involved in motorcycle accidents within days of each other. Both were paralysed from the neck down. Sad fact of life: Shit happens.

All these stories serve to show how lucky the rest of us are. Ok, what good is a story if it isn't interesting eh? Well, here's an interesting story, or rather, observation.

You know how holiday makers have a season to go on holiday. Or how birds fly south during winter? Well, the same goes to the human life. As observed by our dear friends at Ren Ci, there are more migrating souls during the Chinese Seventh month and during the end of the year. Yep, when you work with death everyday, you can observe really cynical things. Or rather, you have become cynical enough to make such observations.

In any case, an increase in the netherworld travels during the Seventh month could be explained by old Chinese superstitions, but why is there an increase in migrating souls at the end of the year? Hmmmm.... My guess is because the year end bonus is out, and so there is no point hanging around any more... Lousy explanation, but I guess that'll do for now. Can anyone on the other side care to enlighten me?

Crappy Blog Alert!

Current Song in Head: Tears and Rain, James Blunt

Here's a blog that We Y forwarded to me. Great stuff. Superb way of passing your time at the office. Haha... Especially on days where you gotta look busy and yet don't seem to have things to do...

www.cheekybynature.blogspot.com

Demotivators

I think I've just stumbled upon a pot of gold here.

You know how when you're young, you are taught to strive for the best, to put in your best effort and to be number one? And as you grow up, it gets harder and harder to achieve it, primarily because your competitors don't consist of the dumb hulking bully who picks on your during recess and the mute boy who muttered his first words at primary 4?

This is when you start to think, am I lousy? Why is it that everything that I touch don't turn to gold? In fact, why is it that everything I touch turn to dust?

Actually, the answer is much simplier than that. And don't be such an egomaniac, forever thinking that the reason centres around you. The fact of the matter is, not everyone is a winner. And to get our expectations right, here are some Demotivator posters to guide you along!

First up, how do we cope with defeat? In fact, if you've been a regular reader of my blog, you might remember me mentioning something like this in my Tuesdays With Morrie post...

Next up, for those of you who seem to have screwed up your life. I'm not being mean here, but as I type this, that Australian Vietnamese drug-trafficker just comes to mind...

And here's one for the kids. I'm sure we all have dreams when we were young. At some stage in our childhood, we might have dreamt of being a pilot or an astronaunt. Or in my case, a dinosaur. But the truth is...

You know that bloody over-achiever in your office? The guy that is only 26 years old and yet he stays in a condominium and drives a swanky Mini Cooper? Well, here's a warning to him...

The next one is one of my favourite. Its a wonder that all that Discovery Channel watching haven't thought me something useful. Thank goodness for this poster. And I don't think we should go against nature. A wise man once told me,"You can f**k around with anything, but don't f**k around with nature."

The next time someone calls you a lazy bum, prepare this retort for them...

The following poster confirms my suspicions. I've been observing this ever since I started work. Thank goodness I don't really feel pressure but there certainly are alot of basketcases around...

Sigh... Here's some advice for someone, might be a little late though...

The next one is pretty familiar. Wonder if there is any copyright infringement... Hmmm...

And here's my favourite. It pretty much explains why there are so many robotic looking faces out there...

Finally, this is probably the one that started it all. A kick in the groin for those dumb motivational posters...

More Demotivator Posters can be found at http://www.despair.com/viewall.html. Quite a number of gems there.

Faulty Human Radio

I have a colleague. Lets call him Frank. Frank is on the wrong side of 30, has a wife, a young son and is expecting another boy in a few months time. Frank is your typical programmer. He goes to work, does his programming and goes home to his family.

However, do not be deceived by what seems like a normal person, for Frank is a faulty human radio. Yep, he is the humanoid form of that radio which you can't switch off. For when Frank engages you in a conversation, he does not stop.

Frank will rattle on and on about his program, the difficulties he is facing, how he is going to solve it, how he is going to improve his program, what he did in his previous company, how he managed to fool his boss last time, how he organised activities, how he takes a shit. Ok maybe not how he takes a shit, but he keeps talking and talking and talking and talking. Non-stop.

Even when you're not interested and stare blankly into the horizon, he'll still stick onto you and continue talking. Being a polite person, I would try to nod once in awhile to show that I am listening. But in truth, I'm hearing but not listening. Just like the radio I play when I'm driving or studying. Just like the droning sound of the air-con. Just like the distant sound of cars whizzing by on the highway. Hearing but not listening.

And the best part about all this is, Frank does not notice that you're not listening. He is so full of himself that his conversations are mostly monologues and yet he does not notice the lack of participation from the other party. Short of telling directly in his face that you're not interested in making a 'conversation' with him, there doesn't seem to be any way to shut him up. Besides, if you do tell him that you're not interested in him talking, he probably won't be able to hear you.

It is people like Frank which makes you wonder, am I like this when I'm talking? Do I get so engrossed with myself that I don't notice that the other party isn't participating? Hmmm.... This monologue has gone long enough. Maybe I am like Frank... D'oh!

Spring Forward, Fall Back...

How many of you know what daylight saving is? Ok, I can't say that I'm surprise that you don't know what it is, especially if you're from around the equator. And how many of you who knows what daylight saving is, knows during which season should the clock be turned an hour ahead and during which season should the clock be adjusted an hour back?

Well, here's a novel way to remember. Just remember the phrase 'Spring forward, fall back!' Yep. During spring, that would be around March and April, turn the hour hand forward by one and during fall, which would be around September, turn the hour hand backward by an hour. This fact is probably useless to all the equator-dwellers, just thought I'll share. Haha...

Yet another pointless knowledge brought to you by Thengz. Actually I read the phrase from the diaries of a certain Adrian Mole. And yes, I do know what daylight saving is way, way, way before I read the book.

Gonna be a long week...

Looks like is going to be a long week for Thengz. Just had lunch at the same old place. Now back in office and I don't seem to have anything to do. Or rather, I don't really know how to start writing a program... Waiting for inspiration to strike me. Been waiting for 25 years for inspiration though. Looks like its never gonna come.

Whenever I'm required to do programming, a thought never fails to cross my mind: What the f**k am I doing here? To make matters worse, its a sunny day today, great for blading at East Coast. Then again, if its a rainy day, I'll probably say that its great for lazing at home. Haha... Just can't seem to get used to working life. Still wondering, is it really possible to find a 'dream job'? OK, Mr Shit will probably tell me that he has a dream job. So the question should be, is it possible for me to find a dream job? I doubt it.

Alrighty, enough whining for now. I'll try and vomit some codes out now. I'm sure you all have heard the infinite monkeys theory. If you give an infinite number of monkeys a pen and a pad of paper each, one of them would eventually write an award winning story. So in my case, if I puke out enough codes, I may well be able to write a working program. Zzzzzz.....

The World Cup Draw Is Out!

Yep, once every 4 years, men from all over the globe will make their pilgrimage to the assigned Holy Land. And for 2006, that Holy Land is Germany. After a 4 year wait, the World Cup will be back again. But before the main event, there is of course the tricky World Cup draw to settle. And after last week's event, the draw is finally out.

Being the bored prick that I am, I'm going to make my predictions for each match for the coming World Cup! Haha! Actually its just abit of fun for myself. Once again, I risk losing some of my audience, but this should be fun for me!

OK, today I shall start with Group A, which consists of the host Germany, their neighbours Poland, the Central American nation Costa Rica and the South American side Ecuador.

First up, we have the Germans against the 'mighty' Costa Ricans. This being the opening match of the tournament, there would be lots of early jitters and loads of expectations from the German fans. Having had a decent showing in Asia 4 years ago, the Costa Ricans would be hoping to make it to the 2nd round of the tournament this time round. But hope is seldom enough and the Germans should win this match 2-1 with much tension towards the end of the match.

Next up, we have the Polish against the Ecuadorians. Playing in Germany is as close to playing at home for the Poles. There would certainly be lots of Polish supporters travelling to this match and to use a perenial cliche, add an extra 'man' to the 11 on the pitch. The Ecuadorians, on the other hand, only seems to play well at an altitude of 3000 feet and there is no such advantage in Germany. Thus, the Poles should win this comfortably. 2-0 to the Poles.

The second round of matches in the group sees the host pitted against their close neighbours. Tensions would definitely be high in this 'derby' match and I won't be surprise if the media has a field day during the build up to this match.

Hitler's Nazi army may have matched across the Rhine, into Poland without much resistance 67 years ago, but Klinnsman's team would certainly face more opposition on the pitch. However, Germany just have too much class and defensive steel for the Poles and a single goal would separate the 2 sides. 1-0 to the Germans.

The other Group A match sees Ecuador play against Costa Rica. Although Ecuador, which finished third in the South American qualifiers, may fancy their chances but they only notched a single victory away from home. Costa Rica has an equally abysmal record away from home, however, with the experience of the recent World Cup 2002 below their belt, they should just be able to nick this one in a pulsating 5 goals thriller. I'll guess its 3-2 to the Costa Ricans.

In the final round of matches for Group A, the Germans will host an already demoralised Ecuadorian side. I doubt the Ecuadorians will trouble the Germans much and the Germans should win this match at a canter. 3-0 to the Germans it is.

The final match in Group A should decide who progresses to the second round. The Costa Ricans go into this match knowing that only a win is enough for them to progress, while the Poles know that a draw would be enough for them to progress. This being the case, the Costa Ricans should start the match at a pulsating pace. However, they're efforts would be in vain. The Poles should hang on to a 1-1 draw with some nervy moments at the end.

And so, after the group stages, Group A should see Germany progressing as group leaders and with their neighbours, the Poles, just scrapping by on goal difference.

Boy, if you read until here, you certainly love football too. And you shall be rewarded, my personal assessment of the Group B matches shall be coming soon! This sure is fun!

Sunny Day....

Current Song in Head: Sesame Street theme song

Ok, first I'm a spider, now I'm a frog... Bloody singing frog... Thought I would be cookie monster or something more cool. Not Kermit! Dumb from only have a certain Miss Piggy who likes it...

Kermit the Frog You scored 60% Organization, 45% abstract, and 89% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables. First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean. Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type. Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself. You are mostly organized, both concrete and abstract, and more extroverted. Here is why are you Kermit the Frog. You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Kermit is also reasonably tidy. He'll even dress up for interviews. You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Kermit spends a lot of his time as a reporter collecting facts, but he is also the author of the dreamy song "The Rainbow Connection." You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course. You are both extroverts. Kermit gets along with everyone. Sure a few folks annoy him, but that's just because they are annoying. Kermit likes to meet new people when he does his job as a street reporter. You definitely enjoy the company of others, and you don't have problems meeting new people... in fact you probably look forward to it. You are willing to take charge when necessary or work as part of a team. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Kermit starred on Sesame Street years before The Muppet Show. The other possible characters are Oscar the Grouch Big Bird Snuffleupagus Ernie Elmo Cookie Monster Grover The Count Guy Smiley Bert If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also if you want to tell me your favorite Sesame Street character, I can total them up and post them here. Perhaps your choice will win!

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 56% on Organization You scored higher than 29% on concrete-abstra You scored higher than 99% on intro-extrovert

Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test written by greencowsgomoo on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Which Super Hero Am I?

Current Song in Head: Spiderman Theme Song

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can,
Spins a web,
Any size,
Catches thieves,
Just like flies,
Look out!
Here comes the Spiderman!

OK, my spidey senses tells me that I'm Spiderman!

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 65% Superman 55% The Flash 50% Green Lantern 50% Robin 48% Supergirl 46% Hulk 45% Catwoman 45% Iron Man 30% Batman 25% Wonder Woman 16%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Imagine...

John Lennon

9 Oct 1940 - 8 Dec 1980

Imagine there's no heaven,

It's easy if you try,

No hell below us,

Above us only sky,

Imagine all the people

living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,

It isn't hard to do,

Nothing to kill or die for,

No religion too,

Imagine all the people

living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer,

but I'm not the only one,

I hope some day you'll join us,

And the world will live as one.

Imagine no possesions,

I wonder if you can,

No need for greed or hunger,

A brotherhood of man,

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer,

but I'm not the only one,

I hope some day you'll join us,

And the world will live as one.

New Blades!!!!

Woo hoo!!! New blades! New blades!

Ok, maybe I should correct that. Its a pair of new second hand blades. Apparently the previous owner only used it once or twice. There are a few minor scratches on it and one slightly more major scratch on the frame, but other than that, its practically brand new. And the best part? I got it at $300! Ya, 300 quid for a pair of blades sounds kind of insane, but the original price is 450 buckaroos after a 20% discount. This means that I effectively saved myself $150! At least!

Or rather, I saved myself $100 and my Little Princess saved me $50, caused she helped me reduce the original asking price by $50.

You know how some of you have credit cards that give you 15% discount for certain products? Well, I also have discount 'card'. Its called the Little Princess Card. Just flash her with her pearly smile at the store owner, and she'll start bargaining for you. And the most fun part is, the discount can be of a random percentage! Keeps the surprise in shopping! Once the transaction with the shopkeeper is done, remember to swipe her nose on the machine to accumulate points! Hehe... Just kidding...

Oh ya, for the record, the blade is a pair of K2 Soul 7. Partial leather boot. ABEC 5 bearings with 80mm wheels.... Yadda yadda yadda... Boring stuff... Now I'll just have to start learning how to do some stunts...

What madness...

Current Song in Head: Dying Inside to Hold You, Timmy Thomas (Not like I have a choice!)

Arghhh!!!! I can't take it any more! Timmy Thomas's lousy excuse of a song is playing in my head non-stop! Arghhhh!!!! I wonder what madness would cause a person to actually compose a song like this. And I wonder what madness would cause a person to actually like listening to that song.

Whatever that 'madness' is, it seems to has consumed my brother. Timmy Thomas has been blaring repeatedly from his PC the entire day... I swear, if he wasn't my brother, I would have reformatted his PC...

Anyway, have you fellas watched Chicken Little yet? I just caught it this weekend with my Little Princess and she is totally crazy about the title character. In fact, she might want to marry Chicken Little.

As for me, I'm much more amused by Fish. Yep, that off tangent, never in the same universe as the rest of the characters, fish in the movie. Kind of find alot of similarities between him and myself. Both of us seem to be amused by pointless things. Both of us are always doing pointless things and most of all, both of us seem to be in a world of our own. I'm pretty sure that Fish is a pisces, always dreaming and seldom connected to the real world. Here's a picture of Fish, courtesy of disney.com...

Alrighty, thats all for now. Going back to my daydreaming, and gotta try and shut Timmy Thomas out of my mind... I am dying inside to hold @#$%#$, bloody shite!!!