遗失的美好

"i spent a lot of time pondering over this today... all i can say is that i really don't know what happened to result in u saying this... but it sure is painful to see it come from someone whom i thought could talk to me about anything and vice versa... "

Probably, I really overestimated the depth of our friendship. I sincerly believe that the strength of a friendship depends on various factors : the level of mutual trust, the understanding & acceptance of each other's flaws & strengths, the amount and quality of conversations.....

What do I think is our main problem? You are the first & only person whom I allowed to read my diary. Remember I told you before " I want to know a girl not because I like her, but because I think she is a very nice girl"....I am are referring to you....When we first started knowing each other, both of us conceded that we are not as good as what each other had in mind of....Till now, I still regard you as a very nice girl, a very good friend..Thats why I really dont want to lose our precious friendship, especially over 'busy-ness' or 'misunderstandings'...

I dont know if you are angry with me or upset over what I said..Sometimes, I literally take the phrase 'put myself in other's shoe' a little too far... Its not that I am not understanding enough...I just cannot accept others doing things which I think I would never have done in those circumstances...And thats why to me, being busy is never a good excuse to sweep over things that had / had not, should / should not be done...Its a matter of perspective & priority...I feel, a balance in everything is crucial....

These days, I have been continously pondering why I can accept 'rubbish bin' for constantly breaking promises but not you... ( I confirmed with him twice that his birthday party was for real and wasnt convinced until the day before when 'keio exchange' and 'princess' sms me..) The feeling of a good friend 'putting aeroplane' is horrible & I dont want to experience the disappointment of pinning for something pleasant to happen, only to realise later that its never going to happen... So I tend to treat everything as false until its proven to be true...As you know, I am very afraid of getting hurt, so at times I am ultra-defensive to protect myself...

Its not in my slightest intention to blame you for whatever that had happened. Back to the second paragraph, I think I am at fault that I am for expecting too much from you in this friendship..I really hope to continue being the 'someone who I thought could talk to me about everything and vice versa;...Its possible only if both of us put in the effort to make it work...

SHALL WE?

my lie (to myself) will go on....

Lately, I took the JLPT 2 exam. Maybe 'strawberry' did indeed made a correct decision not to take it - for my standard & level of Japanese, it seems a tall order to even understand the passages in the comprehension, let alone pass it. But spending $30 on an annual exam seems worth the calculated risk, especially since I would surely have forgotten everything by the next year.

One of the reasons why I was so keen to take it was that I wanted to see my friends, those friends who took Japanese classes with me in school. Its been some time since I last saw them & was relishing this opportunity to meet them for a brief chat, especially 'rainie'...Sadly, I didnt get my wish.

Finally at 'rubbish bin' (unexpected) birthday party, I met some of them there. 'capucinno' la, 'princess' la (her "pretty-ness" seems to have gone at least one level up since she came back from the states)...., 'underground couple', 'shanghai beach' and 'keio exchange'. Actually they also took JLPT, but theirs was in Changi, so I didnt see them.

Sometimes, its quite true : you would see people whom you didnt want to see, but miss those people you really want to see.... (if you notice, there is one name missing from that above list)...I kinda feel uneasy when someone mention (that person) name, let alone seeing (this person) in flesh...Partly its because there are certain things I ought to forget & accept graciously...but despite lying to myself over the past few months (to be more accurate, its 13 months) that I can, the actual fact remains that I cant...

Thank You!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to convey my appreciation & heartfelt thanx to the following people (not in any order) for their help & encouragement during those turbulent days of unemployment.

'clemmie'- thanx for letting me use your computer & internet access f.o.c, as well as your encouragement & teaching me the art of answering wierd questions in interviews.

'princess'- for recommending me to a bank & letting me know of lobangs. Also thanx a lot for your accurate & reflective thoughts which enable me to have a clearer picture to choose between job A & B, and for your encouragement on my blog as well.

'hamster'- your encouragement & comments on my blog, as well as preparing me for the interview at 'civilian is king'

'rubbish bin'- for accompanying me to the career fairs despite having a job & lending me your name as a character referee

'JQ'- for being my character referee without any reservations

'strawberry'- for introducing jobs to me. I really like your "just see what you like & email them"..hehe..

And last but not least...

'instant mee'- seems like I have lots of things to say to you, but also seems like I have nothing to say to you...maybe all thats' should be said are all written in the card I gave you...

冲上云霄。。。

One of the two locations that I would love to work at is at Changi Airport. (the other being Raffles Place). So assuming I get this job, there's a chance that I would be posted there. (I should add that there's also an equal chance I will get posted to Woodlands, Tuas, HarbourFront or Lavender) I love seeing planes depart / land, the elegant nature in which it soars beyond the clouds and eventually land at a foreign land full of expectant travellers. Probably I got influenced by the TV drama "冲上云霄" ( Btw, its an interesting drama & the songs are nice (陈奕迅's cantonese version of "兄妹", but the plot is somehow unrealistic, especially the part on the aftermath of the love-triangle). A few years back, there was this direct bus service from my home to the Airport. I knew for sure this bus service wouldnt last (not many people use this service, especially from Toa Payoh onwards to the Airport), so I made sure I took it whenever I can. Till now, I cant help reminiscening the times I was there...all wonderful memories...Probably the only exception being the latest one..(What happened? Look for clues in my earlier posts..hehe)

Prior to the interview, there is a mandatory psychometric test. It comprises of a segment on testing our ability to interpret what we read (the usual true false cannot tell), a situational judgement test & a personality test. The passages in the first test are quite difficult & incomprehensible (are they testing us on our English as well?) compared to the one I took a couple of weeks ago. There were about 30 people in all, some wearing t-shirts, jeans sneakers...I was quite sure of getting an interview (I know my strengths) and sure enough I got one.

The interview format, also in some sense similiar to "DBE" are rather straight in the face. The difference lies with the fact that over here, they didnt undermine our confidence or capabilities. I was asked quite a bit on my NS experiences, and whether I was easily provoked. For the record, I gave a bad and a good lesson I learned. (In 'banana' camp, the negative aspects always have something to do with a particular guy, erm..i mean 'fruit' ...ya, there's one more, but I am not associating him with 'banana' since he 'rescued?' me from potential guard duties)..

This morning, I received a call from them to inform me that I was finally accepted into this organisation. SO HAPPY!...everything still seems so surreal & like a dream....

Lessons from 金三顺

“因为我是爸爸的女儿，所以我要好好活着，嫁个好人家；我的姐姐们也有好好活着的责任。。。道营，如果一直为了因不因该追求幸福这件事整日苦恼，压力很重，最后变得像老光棍儿一样的话，你的妈妈不会就这样放过你的，不是吗？’。三顺开解道营时说的话。。

After being unemployed for such a (long) period of time, the frustration has reached its peak. To be honest, its unbearable. 三顺曾埋怨：“难道胖的女人就不是人吗？”。。我觉得:"难道fresh grads 就不是人吗？，难道没有internship,ＳＥＰ，ＵＳＰ，ｈｏｎｏｕｒｓ就不算ｇｒａｄｕａｔｅ吗？Ｉｎｔｅｒｖｉｅｗ　中会紧张会吃螺丝的就不是ｃａｐａｂｌｅ的人吗？　现实真的真的需要那么残酷吗？“....Sadly, I will never know when this nightmare will end. (nightmare may seem to be too strong a word, but I am sure 'rubbish bin' can attest to this horrible feeling). How will my_____ relatives react to me being unemployed by that supposedly joyous occasion of CNY? Or coming to terms that my friends who are in university have gone throught a full semester but I have nothing to show for? Yes..I know its still early to be thinking of that, however spending close to 5 months in the wilderness saps one's confidence and motivation. Then I came upon the above quotes........

And this in when I realised one thing :"人可以没有期望，但一定不可以对自己绝望"... So much easier said than done....

Final words of advice from 金三顺：“越是喜欢一个人，恋爱的道路就会越走越艰难，每次失败的时候总会想下次一定能成功，但是越走恋爱的路就会越艰难"... So true!...I guess the same rational holds for seeking employment too.....　

Civilian is king?

When I completed my liability in 2004, I told myself I would never go back to this organisation again. The 'red tape', the experience of near-authoritarian rule by 'banana' (dispite the hoo-ha of the merits of democracy and equality). ...This situation is perhaps a little different, like what 'JQ' used to say :"Civilian is king". So it means i go back there as a king?

Actually I dont really know why on earth did I applied for this job. Out of interest? Probably (the same job scope in an entirely different environment would be a huge plus) Because of the pay? Erm... I dont know whats the starting pay like, but I think its better than the private sector. What else?? (I am very glad the interviewers didnt ask me this question)

I wasnt really in my right sense of mind when I did the cognitive test. (I was having a real bad flu) Nevertheless, I earned (?) myself an interview. The lady who called me was confused by me. (Our interpretation of next wednesday results in 2 different dates, none of which was correct). 'Hamster' warned me that the questions asked during the interview might be rather wierd. (It cant be wierder than those at DBE right) Anyway, if they ask me the same questions, I am sure I know how to answer them well. (Thanx to 'clemmie' who taught (or rather refreshed) me the act of crapping)

The crux of what transpired that day was not so much about the interview itself. Prior to the interview, a gal gave me a basic guideline of the rules & expectations. The thing is, she looked like 'capaccino'. (She is a little taller and plumer, but her smile is nowhere as sweet as 'capaccino') Regarding the rules, I found one of them quite discriminatory & unneccessary, which requires one to declare if he/she is a homosexual or has homosexual tendencies. She explained that this declaration wouldnt be a factor in determining if one gets accepted into the organisation or not. I just feel the stigma towards them continues....

The interview itself was surprisingly carefree, pressure-less and interesting. Unlike 'hamster' experience, there wasnt any wierd questions. There were also quite a bit of laughter in the room and the 3 interviewers helped me out when I struggled to answer the questions or diverted to somewhere else. I have this feeling that they are more concerned with my knowledge of regional affairs & analytical capabilities (assuming I have) than my character.

On the way out, I saw someone who resembles 'bittergould' and she gave me a smile when she caught me looking at her. ( I really thought its her, but according to 'rubbish bin', she had gone to study abroad already) The prospects of 'Capaccino' and 'bittergould' working in the same place? Nah...There's uwasa (rumour) that 'bittergould' doesnt like 'capaccino' ( I have no idea its true or not) Me, capaccino & bittergould working in the same place? Sounds interesting!!!!!...But I guess the chances of that happening is diminishing with every passing second.

**Writer's note: This post was done in a rather casual and optimistic way (it was written like 2 weeks plus ago) The next post will be entirely different as it describes the reality...

technology suaku wants to change hp, but everything's so chim...

I believe after i write down everything, there will be more question marks than answers. A hp main purpose (by right) is to call people & SMS. Thats what I use my N7260 for. The camera function and radio are just "add-on" items (Think of it as value-added-ness), but in today's technological advancement, these are bare essentials. I think i am still living in the medieval age since i absolutely have no idea what many terms mean (bluetooth, WIFI etc) I dont even know how to use infra-red (maybe its because i didnt read the catalogue or instruction booklet)

Actually I didnt want to change hp, but my charger & ear-piece are near-spoilt. So I think its more economic to get a new hp then to get a replacement for those items. So what caught my eye- samsung ultra edition 12.1, 10.9, sony ericsson w660i & w850i, which ironically are of the same price. The main differences are ultra 12.1- camera good, design very nice but no radio, ultra 10.9- camera good, got radio but not 3G. Both the ericsson phones are similar ( I mean the 4 bare essentials), basically got everything but i dont quite like the design.

Me being a suaku, what exactly is 3G? I know it means we can call/ sms home directly from abroad. And then? How about 3.5G? And what does bluetooth and WIFI do to the phone? All phones come with MP3, but where/ how to download songs? (I know from internet, but where exactly?) How to transfer pics from hp to computer? Some phones can surf internet, but how come I dont see a mouse? So many questions, so little answers....

I kinda wanted to get an iPOD in Tokyo, but when I asked 'clemmie' via MSN how to use it, he gave a rather vague response (to me, in technological stuffs, everything's vague unless its step by step) So i didnt bought it, too chim for me. I think 'starfruit' nearly vommited blood when I bugged him on how to use a digital camera & what those mega pixes and optical zoom means (dont blame me okay, 'capuccino' praised you for being a technology expert, so thats why I asked you)

With so many question marks hanging over my head, I am very undecided over which one to choose. I prefer the samsung phones though, but they remind me of a particular football team which.....