311211

looking back at my last post of 2010, i cant help but think indeed, it was a year that didnt go all too well. but i must say, i didnt expect to hit such a low in life. a big stain on a nice white shirt that will never go away. but i guess it's for the better that it doesnt go away, so that i will forever remember the lessson i learnt.

thank God for being the ever forgiving One. thank God for the life lessons He taught me. thank God for the trials so that I may hopefully come out of it a better person, a better follower of Jesus.

on another note, though i wasnt expecting to enjoy myself at my company's d&d, i did, like it, somewhat.

the cowboys that looked a little bit more like farmers..


to 2012, to a year i hope i grow closer to God.

HWSNBN

i could never have planned a better approach to the return of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. a long chrismas weekend away from work, 5.5 days long, doing almost nothing.

8 months ago, on my birthday, i bid farewell to HWSNBN, thinking he is gonna be out of my life forever. was still in a shock then after hearing the news of his departure, half thinking whether it is an april fool's joke even though he is probably the last person i expect to pull off a joke. for the few days before i found out about the news, and the few weeks after, i wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or bad thing, the big unknown, the uncertainity looms ahead.

8 months on, though sometimes wishing that he is around so people cannot push us around so easily, i kinda dread his return. the unnecessary stress, the sometimes unreasonable scolding, the feeling that an explosion is just around the corner.

i told myself, this time round, i will not be fearful for no reason, to not be afraid of leaving at 6 plus especially if i have finished my work, to not be stressed out by his mood swings. only time will tell if i can do it though.

it's been a while since i dread going to work so much.. it was good while it last.. i can only be thankful his return wasnt a months earlier..

evening breeze

since young, as long as i can remember, i always have this thing with the cold breeze in the evening. no matter where i'll be, be it standing on the mrt platform waiting for a train, or sitting in front of my computer at home. it never fails to get me into a lonely mood, as if i am all alone in this world with no company. im so not gonna survive winter..

being in the month of december, other than being very wet, it can get really breezy here in singapore, especially when your house is 12 levels up and your windows are not obstructed by any buildings. so, once again, today's breeze got me into such a mood again, and after a while, i decided to cheer myself up by watching home alone 2!

i used to watch the first and second home alone so often, back in the days when vcr are still found in every single house and people record whatever they want to watch onto the tapes, and home alone just happens to be one of those shows we recorded.

seeing how kevin go around new york all by himself, it got me thinking about my lack of courage to go travel a unfamiliar country by myself, the many what ifs that holds me back..

but again, it can be such a nice thing too, like cameron diaz in the holiday, finding herself taking a holiday all by herself in a cottage in england, surrounded by empty fields, driving in a mini cooper to a small village center to get her groceries, to hang out at a bar, to be away from everything that has made her life so familiar and comfortable.

...
...

uk in november 2012? lets see if i muster enough courage by then..

500!

never gotten 500 pts at this before...

and i promised to do a screenshot.. so here i am sharing it.. hur hur..

it is the thoughts that count?

i'm referring to getting christmas presents for others.. 


the story started really when i did up my christmas gift shopping list, and this time round, i decided to get presents for my colleagues in my department even though there was no plans for any gift exchange. 


turned out that we decided to meet up for dinner tonight, and everyone secretly bought presents for the others too. i have yet to open mine, but it's two books from kinokuniya (judging from the wrapper) which means it cost a bit for most books. suddenly, i felt a little embarrassed that i got them something that probably cost half the price at least of theirs, which is quite silly really, since it was out of good heart that i bought them, and they are presents that i don't mind receiving myself. 


it shows that i do still care about what people think of me, even though my motive was probably right and I just wanted to spread the joy of this season. so, i think i have somewhat managed to convince myself no matter whether people think im cheap or im lousy at buying presents, God knows my motive is good (or so i think), and that's all that matters.

monday should be friends night

it seems like mondays are starting to be my meet the friends night. it started with dinner with the chuckies folks and i realized meeting people on monday is actually quite a good idea, makes the monday so much more bearable. since then, i arranged to meet up with friends over 3 other mondays and i learned the reason why monday may not be a very good day after all.

it seems like monday is my most likely day to do ot. suppose to meet na and sue for the first time in a year or so but in the end i had to cancel on them cause i worked till midnight, the first time ever at this job. the monday after, supposed to meet huimin but ended up being an hour late cause of work. the usual problem is the for most of the day, i would feel like i wouldnt have to do ot, but somehow, at 4plus 5, some last minute work will come in that requires to be finished at the end of the day.

so today was no different. actually was quite looking forward to meeting a friend whom i was pretty close to but got further apart when things got ugly at one point. we used to meet often as she just stay a few streets away and it turns out that she's moving away from the neighbourhood in a month or two and thought it might be a good idea to meet up. and what a good idea it was. had a good conversation, almost as if nothing much has changed, though im quite sure both of us know certain things have. nonetheless, it was still a good time, more conversation within one evening that many others i see more.

so, i should really start a meet a friend on monday thing, and hopefully people would stop giving me extra work at the last minute and i dont have to be late!

all in perspective

so the story of the week is all about how our local train system is behaving like a twin of the infamous england's tube. breaking down 3 times in the past 4 days, twice lasting more than 4 - 5hours. with such unusual occurance, i can't say im at all surprised by the amount of unhappiness expressed on social media. i can say im thankful having avoided having to travel over those days as i was at the youth retreat. though i have to wonder if i would really be as unhappy as so many of my peers and the so-called noisy netizens (a group of people i have since to perceived as noisy, self centered, and narrow minded)

just because we are singapore, are people here expected to be perfect when mistakes occurs in every single country? it's not like the tube doesnt break down. has anyone ever took a train during peak hour in hong kong? you literally have to start waiting 10 metres from the door and basically let people push you into the trains. true, the trains there do arrive much more frequently but it's not like there havent been improvement right here. some people even go so far as to demand the resignation of the ceo. really? how much do these people really know about the contribution of the ceo over her stint as ceo? one mistake means you are an awful leader? im sure these people dont have to be reminded about their idol mr jobs not all perfect resume?

so lets examine what were the loses? errr.. no lives lost, not property destroyed.. basically people have to manage their schedule and probably cancel certain plans. compared this with, lets say, the nuclear disaster in japan. dont see people reacting as violently to that as they did over the past few days. i can only say it is because we are a group of self centered being.

today's sermon was on a verse i remembered so clearly, the theme of the first youth camp i ever helped organized: "strangers in the world". it is all about how we are to be different from the rest of the world, behaving in a way Jesus would have done. annoying as it is, i can understand the rants of those who has yet to know Him, but its another thing when christians, a lot that knows Jesus way longer than myself behaving in a way that is as if you havent met Him.

blueberry waffles

needing lightsticks for the christmas lamps i was putting up for church, i made my way down to beach road despite the pouring rain. got a little hungry then and decided to buy a blueberry waffles from one of the bakery there.

serving me was a china guy who i found out just moved here from china just a few months ago, hence his english is very much still lacking. having to work with chinese currently, i suddenly felt what customers were complaining about when i tried to tell him i wanted a blueberry waffle without knowing what is blueberry in chinese. i managed to say the word 蓝 and from there, a few guesses later, he realized i wanted 蓝梅 which was blueberry in chinese.

even though he doesnt know english, i dont see not knowing english as a reason to complain, unlike many other of the customers i hear from. in fact, he went one step further to provide better service. looking around to see that the lady boss wasnt looking, he decided to splatter a few more scoops of blueberry sauce onto my waffle. risking the wrath of his boss and providing me a more decently filled waffle.

i dunno if it's right to do such things as an employee, but it certainly made me the customer happier. =)

day with myself

a day that should have happened yesterday instead occured today due to last minute work once again.

it started with lunch with my favourite duck noodles at whampoa. it's a pity i dont get to eat it more often as it closes really early. hair got shorten and it was off to town. it is so nice not having to rush anywhere, just hop onto a double decker bus, taking the almost empty and very quiet top deck and just enjoy the view and the ride.

got myself a brand new fossil watch for $55. ermm.. not exactly like it sound but my fossil watch is one whereby the strap cant be changed and also not covered under waranty. 1.5 years into it, the strap broke and the service center people said that i couldnt change it. this being my second fossil watch with the same problem, i decided to write in and "complain". of  course having to deal with complains at work, i phrased it as nicely as i could and in the end, they were willing to give me a brand new one but i have to pay $55 for what is the cost of the strap.

i also took the opportunity to finally walk around ion.. like so long after it first opened. the guy who doesnt like to shop walked through every level and every corridor available. with a visit to ngee ann city and $100 poorer, i took a nice break at the coffee club inside kino and had a quite nice ice lychee passion fruit tea:

only thing was other than the lychee floating on top, i couldnt taste any lychee flavour in the drink. walked around a bit more and spent more money. i end the day having walked through ion, ngee ann city and raffles city, and like $200+ poorer but i think my christmas shopping is more or less done!

waltz

nope, not the dance but a new rhythm that i learned today during keyboard class. i never learned music so i do not know what all the different genres were previously but this sounds pretty good, a little bit like those music in castlevania where there is a touch of creepiness and eerieness.

i also realized how weak my fingers individually are.. maybe that's why i could never throw a full field huck. waltz has an emphasis on pressing single keys while holding down others and its taking me a while to get used to doing it properly. i guess it's the same for most people, that's why the keyboard teacher sent us back with a finger strengthening exercise.

a simple copy and paste

it is a simple task, a simple ctrl + c, something that takes not more than 10 seconds. forgotten. the result is 4 extra hours of work. a phrase was forgotten, it went to print nonetheless, and i spent 4 hours after work making stickers to paste the phrase back.

while it is so easy to blame it on my colleague for forgetting, so easy that im sure most people would just do that. a sermon last sunday reminded me that many times, we should learn not to blame the circumstances, and take responsibility of things that go wrong. at the end of the day, i was given a copy to check through. i could have ensure that i had the material to check it, but i took the easy way out and assumed it was checked.

recently, i had an encounter with someone who seems to have troubles accepting responsibility for things that have gone wrong, many times, there's always some reason for it, and the reason is never because of him. in fact, an apology such as "sorry, it's my fault" is something i never heard. i shouldnt be, but imust admit im getting somewhat irritated by this behavior. it is so juvenile, such as the times when one is a child, and to get away from blame, they come up with childish excuses.

what a long day today was. dinner with huimin on monday feels so long ago now. it was so nice meeting a friend where there is no nonsense to deal with, having a good conversation when i talk when i have things to talk about, and just listen when i run out of things to say. a time when sometimes i wonder who my friends are, it's nice knowing there are still some of them around.

i may not be a perfect person, but i never thought of myself as a bad person. how far i have fallen.. never did i think that there will be a day where a friend (or so i think) would constantly rant about how i choose to do things. i guess what keeps me from getting annoyed is reminding myself that i expect people not to judge how i live my life, i shldnt judge how others choose to live their's

i cant or i wont?

that is one of the takeaway of last sunday's sermon. "i cant or i wont?" he doesnt always have the funniest stories, but i think he is a pretty good preacher, and his points are always very clear.

coming back to "i cant or i wont", many times, we often hear the people around us using this phrase "i cant do it" or along the lines of "i cant possibly do this", "im not cut out to do this". while for some, it might very be a valid reply. but how many of us are actually certain that they cant do it? for most, the unwillingness to step out of their boundaries, the unwillingness to make mistakes and learn, the laziness to do something more is what cause many to say "i cant do it" so readily. if one never do it, then he or she will never need to spend the effort to do it, he or she will never have to fail at something and experience people critisizing them. being afraid of people judging negatively against them, worried about what people think of them.

but all these are just clear symptoms of the "I" mentality, that how i feel means more than making an effort for a cause. if you never tried playing the piano, how do you know you cant do it? if you never tried being a leader, how can you say you cant lead? it's quite amazing how so many of us are moonlighting as prophets, being able to predict one's capabilities without putting them to the test.

at the end of the day, it is really a i wouldnt want to do it, rather than i couldnt do it.

Address is Approximate

i just love how much better videos on vimeo are.. here's one that is so wonderfully done..


Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

2 things i dont understand

having attain a super fast and efficient method of stamping vouchers, i am able to stamp the company's logo on the vouchers without having to look at what im doing. being a brainless task, i decided to read stuff on the net while stamping away.
3 things struck me that i dont understand:

1) i dont understand why anyone would want to tatoo themselves
- why do people get them in the first place? are their character so boring that they need to imprint something on them to make them appear to be cool and unique? are they so ordinary that this is the only way they can differentiate themselves? i heard some people say that it is a form of art, but would they like allow a painter to paint something on them instead then? i really wonder what goes through their decision making process when they decide to get a tatoo

2) i dont understand why people need to use expletive, esp that 4 letter word that starts with F.
- what purpose does usage of them serve? what does "f****** angry" convey that a "very angry" cannot serve? is one so vocabularyly-challenged that only those words can convey their feelings? are people so angsty and ranty that they rather portray themselves in such a immature light just to bring across their anger? (i mean like, does anyone ever look more mature because of their usage of such language?) does it make one cooler if they show off their extensive vocabulary of expletives? for a short period in my life, i have to say i once use them occasionally.. but looking back, i can only wonder why did i do so? it served no purpose, it meant nothing, and it is just a blot of embarassment of how immature i once was.

christmas is coming!

that's right! christmas is coming! in about a month! already been in the christmas mood when i stole ashley's ipod and found christmas songs playing. apparently she was in the christmas mood way earlier than me.

orchard road's lights are all up, though i heard from various ppl this year's lights are terrible. must go see it for myself soon, before the crowd starts rushing in.

this year, i shall set out to do my christmas shopping much earlier, much earlier than the usual 22nd or 23rd december when i would have to push through the crowd to do last minute shopping. with a few parties happening, that means i have to get the presents earlier too. lets hope this motivation holds up, as one i dont really like shopping, and two, im bad at thinking of presents for people. if only i can hire someone to do all these for me.. hahaaha

what are my thoughts?

in an attempt to keep in touch with the things the youth does, i signed up for a twitter account a few months ago. for a long while, the only people whom i follow are those few youths from my church. not that i have followed a lot more now, but recently, i started following this thing known as "thought catalog" http://thoughtcatalog.com/

they brand themselves as a digital catologue of thoughts on various culture topics. i found a lot of it to be quite nice read. though sometimes the content is quite off but those writers can really write and express their thoughts so systematically and orderly.

i would like to think a i think a lot.. haha.. i have a lot of opinions on many things, be it right or totally off. but somehow, i can never express it in a way that many people does so well. of course i know im not the worse, i know of many who doesnt express their thoughts at all, and many others that seems to not think at all.

baby discussion

something i stole off carol's wall.. =)


Discussion between baby atheist and baby believer

In a mum's belly two babies are chatting. One is a believer, the other one isn't. One asks the other:

Baby-atheist : Do you believe in life after delivery ?
... Baby-believer : Of course. It's obvious that life exists after delivery. We're just here to get stronger, and prepared for what's waiting for us after that.
BA : That's all non-sense. There's nothing after delivery... Can you even conceive what that life could resemble ?
BB : Well, I don't know all the details. But there'll be lots of light, lots of joy. And, for example, over there we'll eat with our mouth.
BA : But that's n'importe quoi ! We have the umbilical cord and that's what feeds us. And, from that other life, there's never been anyone coming back ! Life simply ends with delivery.
BB : No ! I don't exactly know what that life will be like, but in any case we'll see our mum and she'll take care of us.
BA : Mum ? You believe in mum ? ... And where is she, if I may ask ?
BB : But she's everywhere ! All around us ! Thanks to her we live, and without her we're nothing.
BA : That's so absurd ! I've never seen any mum, so it's obvious it doesn't exist.
BB : No, I disagree. Cause sometimes, when all is quiet, we can hear her sing... feel her caress our world... I'm certain our True life will only begin after delivery...

photoshop day 2

check out how "smooth" my face could have been! hahahah..

photoshop day 1

so after photoshop course day 1, i learned so many new things!

so i came home to try out what i learned and here's the results:

when should we say goodbye to the current church?

a question that many has an opinion on. a question that unfortunately my church has to face. there are people who cant wait to join another church, there are also those who thinks we should hang on.

there's that bunch of people, who seems quite happy to remain status quo. that is, someone else serve, i just come every sunday to attend and go home after. of course, i can see why these people dont want changes, they dont have to do anything, but hopes someone else do the work.

there's also another bunch of people, who dont really want to let go. they are full of opinions and criticisms of the leaders that sacrifices their time and strength. they talk about how things should be, but never want to be in the position to do something about it. it's always easy to say from the sidelines, never getting their hands dirty. in some way, they are similar to the previous group of people. just that they see the need for others to make changes but they arent the ones to do it

there's also that group that cant wait to leave, seeing how much greener the other side is.

there's also the last group that clings on, thinking how can people be so self centered and want good things for themselves.

there's a selfish bone in every person, but where do we draw the line? Is it selfish for the parent to hope to put their children in a sunday school where there are other children other than their's? We should not be in the mindset of getting things that we dont need to work for. the other church definitely has all the facilities, for people to go to and enjoy the benefit without having to work for it. but is it right to view the parents who cares abt the welfare of her kids for wanting to leave for somewhere better?

everyone has an opinion on this. would the childless couple consider how parents feel with the small sunday school group? would the benchwarmer think about what the burned-out leader went through?

i dont wish to end it, but if things arent gonna change, i dont see how this can continue. if people want to hang on, it is time they contribute to the church. rather than being happy critisizing and not wanting to serve, not taking the initiative to serve. it is time people take responsibility of the outcome of their church.

funny invite!

so i was searching for ideas for work, and i came across this really funny wedding invite!

isnt this just funny?? hahaha..
more of such cool stuff from http://www.funnyweddingmedia.com

the building that was..

i spent my first church christmas service there 6 years ago, long before i accepted christ. it was the place, 1 and a half year later, whereby i come to know Jesus. this building that has no official name, one that brings back many memories, of me looking for a church not expecting it to be an office block, me looking for a friend named amy but found none but there was a ching. one that i tried chasing down a peeping tom but didnt manage to.

this was river valley building:

our church moved out of this building one year ago, as the building is marked to be demolished to make way for a mrt line (or so i think). i havent been back there since till today. it was really good timing as they are just tearing down where the church used to be, digging away at where worship team used to jam away.

memories...

louis's and ling's birthday / mooncake festival celebration..

orlando bloom's birthday.. a discussion on the negative aspect of fame..

 

me and the angels in a cfcc adaptaion of the christmas carol

 

ashley's surprise birthday bash

cfcc youth olympics..

Here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives!

i know im totally early... but i came across this song...... and.... well.. listen for yourself.. =)



What if ribbons and bows didn't mean a thing
Would the song still survive without five golden rings
Would you still wanna kiss without misletoe
What would happen if God never let it snow
What would happen if Christmas carols told a lie
Tell me what would you find

You'd see that today holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

What if angels did not pay attention to
All the things that we wished they would always do
What if happiness came in a cardboard box
Then I think there is something we all forgot
What would happen if presents all went away
Tell me what would you find

You'd see that today holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

We get so caught up in all of it
Business and relationships
Hundred mile an hour lives
And it's this time of year
And everybody's here
It seems the last thing on your mind

Is that the day holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to Jesus Christ who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
But here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something more

There's gotta be more
There's gotta be more

christmas comes early!

last sunday, i strolled into church and found ashley sitting by her own at the table outside the sanctuary. being the busybody me, i went to find out what she was doing, busy scribbling on a piece of paper, with markers over the table and her ipod lying not too far away, surprisingly not plugged into her ears.

always wonder what these kids are listening to nowadays, after doing my usual disturbing of her, i plugged the earphones and pressed play to figure out what she has been listening to.. a whole bunch of christmas songs on a christmas playlist, and she said she's preparing for christmas.. and that's like 1 month plus away.

usually, i only get that feeling like in late november, where orchard is all nicely decorated. but after listening to her ipod, it seems like the christmas feeling has arrived! didnt help that my colleague started playing christmas songs at work, and city square mall started selling christmas decor.

hence, decided to update my blog banner to reflect the mood =)

relax

i bet 10 years ago, i would never find myself saying this.. cooking is actually a very relaxing activity.. a good way to escape the stress of life. im sure many people think cooking is too much work, and hence you see familes with working parents just cannot find the energy and time to cook. me on the other hand, i just find it so relaxing and fun to cook, to chop, to mince, and of course to eat. dropping by the supermarket after work to pick up grocery, getting home and trying to cook something differently each time, like adding portobello mushrooms to my philly cheese steak sandwich, adding banana to a chocolate muffin recipe, something is always new each time.

i must say cooking is a pretty good teambuilding activity too. i had planned to make lunch for the meeting last saturday at steve and meida's, without intending for it to be a teambuilding activity. but somehow, it is just so nice everyone chipped in in different ways, and solve "problems" together.. like what happens when you dont have enough trays to bake the chips at one go.. how to get a hot tray out of the oven when the gloves isnt insulated enough. it was a really good time, and the food was really good.

i also bet 10 years ago, i wouldnt be finding myself finding it a good past time to play the keyboard. nowadays, ill come home from work and just spend an hour at least just playing. taking a familiar song from the worship songs to just play it if i can. i wouldnt think that while the girls decided to do painting after the meeting, i would be going to a corner and "jam" with steve.
looks like im not the only one enjoying music recently. you see zhiren and ling joining the worship team to play the synthie and guitar. how today after refreshment, people just randomly gathered at the instruments and started playing. and by people, we are talking about the aunties and uncles whom we hardly speak to auntie florence, siew lan, lilian, peggy, uncle david, see jwee. while i was having cell, i even heard that they continued to have a jamming and sing along session with some of the young adults.

while it is true that you should serve in areas where you are gifted in, it is also true that if there is a need and you have the heart to serve God, God will provide you with the gifts. it is really just a matter of whether you want to serve God in areas of need, or are you just happy keeping a low profile and leave serving to others. it is really a matter of heart, a heart for God, or a heart for oneself, a heart to stay within one's comfort zone and dont need to worry abt messing up.

israel day 15...

so i was looking through my old photos on another bored sunday night, and i came across the photos from my israel trip.

this is a picture of me on a chairlift going down from mount hermon, the highest point in israel (2236metres). being a new christian then, and not knowing much about israel, i left most of the planning to carol (thank you carol!). i was totally unprepared for this trip up the mountain. the lift took about 15mins, and 5 mins into it, i was like freezing.. cause i wasnt properly attired (cause i didnt ask where we were going! hahaha..) and the wind just kept hitting you from higher up.

it is somewhat a norm for smu students to go for some sort of overseas thing, be it an overseas exchange, or a business study mission to a country. not having the luxury of a well-off family, an exchange was never in my mind, despite hearing how wonderful my friends' exchanges were. not knowing israel was about, i took up the bsm to israel module because carol was like super excited about it. to be honest, it must be God's plan for me to go there as bsm is a very hard module to get and usually, only the high-flyers or those really good in interviews get to go on them. for some reason, carol nagged at me to submit our application way before the deadline, and for some reason, the profs just accepted whoever that did so then. they must be afraid they wont get anybody, but turned out for the later ones, they had to go through an interview. i was never good at interview, so must really thank God for bypassing it for me =)

this, along with vietnam is by far my favourite holidays, though i think israel is indisputably number 1. a country in the middle east, where you hear stories of violence all the time. a country where english is not widely spoken. a country with a culture that is so different. it cannot get any scarier, especially since we decided to rent a car for two days and drive around the country, who roads are on the other side! not to mention the really low temperatures (im dont do too well in cold) and the number of days the trip was (17 days in all).

people say that there are just some close friends you cannot travel with. a trip where you see each other for so many days consecutively, the ugly side of people is bound to surface. i have a few friends who turned out to be such but thankfully, carol was not one of those people. not often do i depend on others for directions thanks to God-given sense of direction, but this is one place where i felt unsure, and good thing carol was there to take the responsibility.

haha.. enough of the carol praising right? hehe.. im really thankful for this trip. im one of few lucky christians who got to visit the holy land, and get to have an image of what the placese the bible mentioned looked like. and i was only 6 months young then! im thankful i got to know a friend (and her mum) much better. though i dont think we'll ever go on a trip anymore.. not too appropriate to get other's wife to go on a trip.. oh oh. unless i get myself an another half and we can bring them along! though i doubt that will happen anytime soon..




philly cheesesteak with garlic cheese fries =)

my first try and philly cheese steak and baked fries.. they were good! =)

(serves 2)
cheese steak sandwich

• sliced beef 250g
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 softball size onion
• mozzarella cheese
• olive oil
• bread roll x 4

garlic cheese fries

• 3 US russet potatoes
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• mozzarella cheese

preheat the over (220dC) peel and cut potatoes into 1 cm slices. put it into a bowl along with some olive oil, black pepper and salt. mix well. lay it on a baking sheet and put it into the oven. at about 15 minutes, take it out and flip the potatoes so that it will cook evenly. put it in for another 15 minutes. it should be crisp by now. put as much mozzarella as you want over the fries and put it back into the over till the cheese melts.

in the meantime, cut the pepper, onion and beef into thin slices. fry the onion in a bit of olive oil for 5-8 minutes till it soften. remove the onion and fry the pepper in the same pan for 10 minutes. remove and fry the beef till desired doneness.

put the beef, onion and pepper into a roll and cover them with cheese. pop it into the oven again till the cheese melts.

naomi and ruth

so today's quiet time brought me back to the time of judges, to the time of naomi and ruth.. the focus of the story would be how ruth stuck with naomi, even when things dont look too good. "Naomi and Ruth teach us how we should respond when bad things happen to us. When bad things happen to us, there is always the temptation to be self-centered and self-absorbed. Let us follow the example of our Lord Jesus instead. Let us seek to serve first, before seeking to be served."

i wonder how would some self-justified people think when they read this. maybe "one shldnt sink with a sinking ship"? well, to you its sinking because you want to be justified in being self centered..

i thank God for giving me this spirit of not self seeking in this area. i thank God for the people who are self seeking. without them, i will not get to face a life of unfairness.. of why self centered people get to be better off.

my reward is in the future. ill hang on to it...

the lingering thought (part 2)

so it has been 2 weeks since the thoughts.. still arent too sure what it actually means.. but out of the blue, for some reason, a friend said something so unrelated that i cant help but wonder is that another sign? haha... God really does keep people in the suspense sometimes.. although its always for a good reason.. haha..

ISTJ

nope.. its not some typo title..

so my ex colleague decided to meet us for buffet dinner at shangri-la.. apparently she had some discount thing.. hence, today, my first visit to shangri-la.... and boy is it luxurious! haha..

anyway.. we got to the topic of personality type, and we talked about how some of the colleagues just had a mbti test. having done that long ago, i already know my type even though i didnt take the test at work.. ISTJ "introversion, sensing, thinking, judgment"

ISTJs are faithful, logical, organized, sensible, and earnest traditionalists who enjoy keeping their lives and environments well-regulated. Typically reserved and serious individuals, they earn success through their thoroughness and extraordinary dependability. They are capable of shutting out distractions in order to take a practical, logical approach to their endeavors, and are able to make the tough decisions that other types avoid. Realistic and responsible, ISTJs are often seen as worker bees striving steadily toward their goals. They take special joy in maintaining institutions and are often highly religious. Despite their dependability and good intentions, however, ISTJs can experience difficulty in understanding and responding to the emotional needs of others.
Although they often focus on their internal world, ISTJs prefer dealing with the present and the factual. They are detail-oriented and weigh various options when making decisions, although they generally stick to the conventional. ISTJs are well-prepared for eventualities and have a good understanding of most situations. They believe in practical objectives, and they value traditions and loyalty.

seriously, even though wikipedia stuff cannot be totally trusted and relied on, this totally describes me..

• it makes sense why im the only one in my department arranging our rubbish
• it makes sense why some people think i appear to be heartless and emotion-less
• it makes sense why i dare to speak up if i see something that's not right, even though people might not like it
• it makes sense why i cannot understand why there are so many emo people who feels the need to be emo and letting ppl know it
• it makes sense why i am task and detail oriented (and not emotion oriented)

the only sad thing is i failed to fit one trait totally.. and looking at how things are.. im gonna hate myself for a long long time for that.

do-re-mi

for those who doesnt know yet, i have started taking keyboard lessons! it's something that i always wanted to learn (and see whether i can make it or not), but never got down to doing it. until a month ago where one of the church auntie who was interested to learn asked me to go learn too.

along with another 2 church people, the 4 of us signed up for basic keyboard lessons at believer music at novena. lesson 1 was really slow and there wanst much to blog about, but lesson 2 yesterday really upped the challenge. we have move away from playing single notes to playing chords while keeping a constant rhythm. haha. i have a terrible sense of beat and it is really a challenge to have to read the notes, press the right keys at the right time, and attempt to sing along to it.

tt said, im really enjoying myself. i look forward to go home and practise nowadays, and it is just so soothing and relaxing. i have since "scheduled" keyboard practising to before my bsf homework and qt. it really sets the mood and thoughts right. even if i never ever play well, at least i can play something good enuf, to put myself in the right mind for my hth time with Him.

too many cooks spoil the broth

a saying that has been around forever. a saying that everyone can understand without having to experience it. be thankful if that's the case.

for the past two days, i have experienced what this saying means, literally.

each chef has his own thoughts, wants his own way. a photoshoot that shouldnt last more than 5 hours somehow became over 10 hours long. on both days so far.

totally not looking forward to the 3 more days.

the only upside is time seems to fly by, while waiting to do nothing.

a lingering thought

it came so randomly, and so out of the blue.

a lingering thought, that sticks around like glue.

i really dunno how it came about,

it doesnt make sense, i tell God out loud.

Lord, tell me what am I to read from this

Is this a plan of His?

I'm sure You will tell me sooner or later

I'll wait, and I know all things will eventually be clearer.

congrats carol and david!

some exciting story this was... ok... maybe not exciting, but quite uncommon. carol and david got married after 9 and a half years of dating, with 4 of the years are LDR... long distance relationship.. some abbreviation i learnt yesterday.

despite apparently very last minute preparation, i think the wedding went really well. and the service wasnt too long and draggy like a couple i went to.

dinner was fun too, sharing a table with the smu ultimate people and catching up with them, laughing at how nonsensical gavin still is and how peiying has to shut him up all the time. i had a nice talk with joan and debbie too. i just realized after knowing debbie for... 6 years, and being in the same club, i have never spoke to her properly before. well, yesterday was a first. and i was quite surprised that she knew certain history about my church (cause her ex classmate was a former member of my church).. i finally got home at 2am (or so) after hanging out at starbucks, which surprisingly the married couple managed to find the energy to drop by too..

all these, plus my first keyboard lesson sandwiched between the service and dinner really sum up a pretty fun day. am i finally crawling out of my anti social cave?

anyways...

once again, congrats to mr and mrs ho!  have a blessed life together =)

happy birthday putien!!

haha.. just a short advertisement..

banana chocholate chip muffin

its a pity a lot of people doesnt like bananas...

everybody lies..

nope, nobody lied to me. this is just a recurring theme from one of my favourite tv show, at least for the past few months or maybe even longer than that.
in house, the underlying premise in every single episode is that everybody lies. there is always someone hiding something for one reason or another. if you think about it, it is somewhat true. there's always at least a lie one would tell. be it a white lie or not.
wilson's such a nice friend.. i want a wilson too... but then again, i do feel more anti-social nowadays, so maybe i wont want to hang out with wilson that much.. but he's still a very nice friend!

house also have some really good songs during the more emotional scenes, and below are two of them (go listen!)

the first work-related training..

so today was the first time i was sent for training by my company. well, guess i dont count the many times during my previous job when i was the one sent out to give people training.

so this first training of mine, i selected a pretty fun one. adobe design software training which is a 8 days course covering indesign, photoshop, illustrator, and acrobat, though it is over 2 months. but finally! i do not have to go google, and spent so much time try and error to get the results i want.

training life is really pretty good. nice comfortable computer lab, tea break in the morning and afternoon, nice long lunch and window shopping around bugis. no emails to reply, to work to worry about. it's really such a good life.

today was also the first time im really using a mac (though i did use my friend's a few times now and then to surf the net or something).. and i still dont really see what the big deal is. ok, maybe i have to use it a bit more often to understand.. but still, i dont see why people loves mac so much that they have to post annoying comments to people's facebook status talking abt pc's problems.. like they dont even say why they should switch away, all of them (underline, bold "all").. always just go "get a mac!" you know, with so many such annoying people around, you would think that by now, they should know we hear it often enough without needing you to remind. if we want to get a mac, we would. you saying "get a mac" doesnt solve any problems we are currently facing.. i really do hope these mac lovers (and iphones lovers... oh oh.. actually apple lovers) just stop being so annoying and stop trying to push your love of your life into other people's faces..

singaporeans are like sheep

blind leading the blind.. that's pretty much the general view of singaporeans.. they tend to have no personal reasoning ability in various situations.

10 years ago, there was the hello kitty craze. people queuing up at mcdonalds for hours after hours just to get the soft toy. most of them dont even like hello kitty, they are just there because other people are queuing for it. ask anyone that once queued then, and if they even dare to admit, most of them would be very embarassed with doing so.

at a new place and not sure what to eat, trust the queue and buy from the stall with the longest queue.

and of course, the latest craze is the iphone mania. i use a windows 7 phone, and i am not an anti-apple person. i did own various apple products previously.

the iphone is an ok phone. certainly worthy to take up a portion of the marketshare, but certainly the dominance in singapore is not logical. the worldwide marketshare of the iphone is lik 20+% with android having 40-50+%. why is it singapore display a totally different trend from the rest of the world?

a friend of mine decided to get an iphone just because her friends told her to. so once, she asked a android using friend of mine why did she not buy an iphone? the question is, why an iphone?

a common reason is the number of apps. but if that's the reason, people should be moving to the android now, since it's apps are growing so much faster than the iphone. and if the reason is the cons of the other phones, then the iphones has plenty of flaws too.

the only explanation can only be the sheep-effect. people that just follow the trend without thinking about it. the reason why everytime someone post a "what phone should i get?" on his or her facebook status, it is followed by numerous "iphones" from the friends, though not once did i see anyone explain why an iphone.

what were you doing 10 years ago?

september 11. a date famous for a wrong reason. a date that many started a life of pain and agony. of loss and sickness.

so my friend posted this on this status, what were you doing 10 years ago? for most everywhere, the day started normally. i was in jc2, having my prelims. i was studying for my prelims, in my room that night. by which, two planes have already crashed into the world trade center. by the time mr brother switched on the tv and told me things happening in new york city, the tv was only showing a live feed of the nyc skyline, clouded in dust.

as the usual clips of what happened are being screened again on this date, i still feel chills down my spine. footage of a plane crashing into the tower, footage of a second plane crashing into the next tower. this isnt a hollywood production. this is real

so many innocent lives were lost that day. all because of a deluded group of people.

so many heroes died that day. people that ignore their own lives, for the sake of others. firemen that rushed into the towers, many died when the towers collasped. i even read about one  firemen captain, he was trapped under the collasped tower for 5 hours, got rescued, went to the hospital for a while, and he went straight back to work.

while it is a very sad day. but there's something that people should be happy about. that there's still selfless people out there. there's still people who will sacrifice for others. as we get reminded of what happened, how has our lives changed? are we people who looks out for other's people's interest? or are we still happy with the self centered life we have? a self centered life that can easily be taken away leaving you with nothing.. or a life where you make a difference, where the results actually counts and means something?

what are you doing with your life today?

over the rainbow

always liked this song.. and somehow, the glee version sounds even more happy..

home alone!

a child in a family of 4 boys and 2 not too highly educated parents, growing up in my family has always been one more of basic than luxury. back in the younger days, im pretty sure many other families are like that too. nowadays, it seems like this is no longer a trend. a look around and i see kids whose every school holidays takes place in at least other country, some even more than one. i know of a 2 year old baby who has taken the plane more often than my mum and dad combined.

i ask myself do i envy these kids' life? that they can probably get whatever they ask for.. a smartphone.. a personal computer.. a trip to faraway USA.. a ipod touch.. this and that.. sure its nice to have those things.. but to be honest.. i do not envy their lives.. not a little bit.. i see them.. many of them.. soon turn to be "me" people.. people that thinks that things happen for them, and they do not work for them.. "i deserve better and hence im going to somewhere where it is all better".. i dont know how these people sleep at night.. such self centeredness will probably keep me awake at night for a long long time..

anyway, that is not the topic of this post. so.. i have been home alone (with one other brother) for the past week, for like the first time in my life.. my parents finally decided to take a long overdue trip together.. but i must say their luck is pretty bad, having their 2 different flights delayed due to the typhoon in japan. thank God the typhoon was away from where they were so i guess it is nice that they get to be away, away from the worries and stress.

this week has really given me a good experience of life on my own.. chores to take care of.. things such as closing the windows when i leave the house.. clearing the rubbish, boiling water, washing clothes, cooking dinner.. one day, some day, i'll live under a roof owned by me.. a life that isnt just about relaxing after work.. a life where other chores will need to be taken care of..

when that day comes, hopefully ill rise up to the occasion..

sebby from the indian store...

my attempt at maggie goreng.. way too soggy though..

the smell of muffins being baked is so good...

with a saturday with nothing much to do, i decided to bake my first muffins! wondering if i should start from scratch or buy a muffin mix, i decided since this is my first time, i shall just start with muffin mix.

so i picked up the wild blueberry premium muffin mix by betty crocker, a muffin tray and went down the work. must say the preparing part is quite easy, fuss free and fun.. the only sad thing was that i was enjoying the smell of muffins being baked so much that i left the muffins in the oven a little bit too long.. so the top was a little to hard (just a little) and the bottom of the muffin is a little burnt.. oh well.. tried one and i think it's still pretty yummy..

black pepper chicken noodles

my first attempt at black pepper chicken and noodles.. chicken was just a little oily, and noodles a bit dry.. but at least i didnt burn anything and it was rather edible.. haha..

why do people pray?

i have hear many answers to this question, but recently, i came across a new insight..

people pray, so that they can experience the joy of answered prayers.

so true isnt it? if one never pray, you will never know when prayers are answered.

so.. some thought came into my mind today, which occupied my thoughts for most of the day. torn between 2 options, i couldnt decide. sooo, with that thought still in mind, i spent the evening watching bruce almighty on dvd, and i totally got an answer to my thought. dvd that i bought a month ago, that i didnt watch till today, and there in the show, something that answer a thought that came into my head only today..

coincident?

Praise You for the good and for the bad

ever since i first hear about christianity in secondary one, one recurring question i always have for christians is "you always say God is telling you this and that, how do you know God is speaking if you cant actually physically see or hear Him?"

for my first few years as a christian, i still struggle in this.. on hindsight.. maybe because i havent been "opening my ears" to listen.. on hindsight because for a while, i think im starting to understand what these people have been talking about.. about why is it they always cant seem to explain "how do you know God is speaking to you" to people who hasnt experience it..

to many others, they will just say its pure coincident, or that you think that is God talking because this is what u want God to be telling you.. but to the one who felt it, you know it isnt like that.. its like.. why is it that a certain song you have been listening to so many times, suddenly means something, why is it a verse that you always see suddenly pops up..

so.. why did i suddenly talk about this?
just when i was feeling rather down.. and feeling exhausted..
a song that i have always been listening to.. just reminded me what's going on..



while im waiting, i will serve you...
bad things happen for a reason.. I thank You for them, just as much as i thank You for the blessings You have given me..
every parent (ok.. almost every..) allows their kid to learn cycling, even though they know the child will get hurt. through this pain, the kid learns.. and through the trials we go through, we grow..
for my friends who still cant seem what im talking about.. the only way to find out if im talking rubbish or not, is to experience it for yourself.. its like.. you wont know gravity is pulling u down unless u go find out for yourself right?

next up...

"All our dreams can come true,
if we have the courage to pursue them."


i have decided... in a few years, if i ever get tired of my current job.. im gonna go work for walt disney!

i am a twit

for a long while, i resisted it, because i found it pointless. even though i still think it is quite pointless, i got myself an account, so that i am up to date with my cell group..

i am on twitter now.. heh.. if u care to be my second follower, you can find me with my username: wildarms7

different generation

my mum always tell us a lot of things about how they live their teenage days.. for her, her parents and elders didnt think too much about girls studying, and hence, they are always overloaded with chores, with very little time for books. back then, if they want something, they would have to get it themselves, and put in a lot effort and sacrifice at there.

so to my generation, most of us are well off enough to not have to work part time and juggle studies, although, life is still a struggle for many, with parents working to earn barely enough. if you want a nintendo, it takes years for asking before they will buy one for you. things are better, but for many things, we still have to work for it.

so come to the new ipod generation. it just seems that, they dont make things happen, they expect things to happen for them, without them having to do much. the new iphone comes out, "daddy" "mummy", and there they have it.

so what happens when the community you belong to arent ideal in many ways? I'm sure many in the past will try their best to make it work, back when people believe that they have to do things to make things happen. just like those people who lives overseas, who still struggles with daily survival. this isnt good, lets try something else.
so what does our dear ipod generation do? things arent looking good, pack their bags and go somewhere else.
in their own words, they arent getting anything out of where they currently are, and hence to them, it justify their switch. simple, easy, they get what they want, with no effort needed. if the grass is greener on the other side, then just walk over and eat. there's no need for us to trouble ourselves to grow green grass here.

this is a world where its all about them. the parents lavish love on them. everything is about them getting the most benefits for themselves. what happens to others probably doesnt matter much.

to those i once used to call cell mates.. have u made any difference? have u even tried? i may not have made a difference, but i know God knows i tried, and im gonna die trying to make a difference.. not for myself, but for the others around, for Him.

Paul could have easily just stayed in one of the growing church, where everything was nice and things just happens. he didnt. He took up all the suffering he knew he would face because its not about him.

Col 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

So much for clean record

So.. for the first time in my work life.. im on medical leave.. for a headache that refuses to go away..

On another note, it's amazing how by paying 3 times more than i would at a polyclinic, i get to see a doctor and leave the clinic within 10 minutes. If it was the polyclinic, i would have been there for 2 hrs.. what a waste of time..

MC

how sick must i be before i go see the doc and get a MC to skip work?
apparently no concussion, light headedness is serious enough.. heh.. and so the clean record continues..

fear of the unknown

seriously.. it's only 3 days.. why am i so afraid... just do it seb!

rock bottom

just like what we learned at bsf this year, the book of isiah talked about God bringing people down to zero. not that i think i was ever high and mighty, but i have certainly reached rock bottom. i have lost respect of myself.

things happened for a reason. i did something wrong. im duly punished by it. i cried harder than i ever did before, ashamed of myself. yes, a cell leader, a deacon.. i failed God, i failed the church, i failed the people i care about.

so the trial that i have been waiting for came in the form of this. and did i fail badly.

while i cannot say that the dust has settled, but God has not disintegrate me into ashes. i will not despair, i will not stray. God humbled me, so that I know I need Him. I'm not gonna despair, but I'll do things right.

Thank you God for this lesson. Pray that you protect and heal the people i hurt along the way.

the wait..

have u ever gotten yourself into trouble, and you have to face some form of punishment, or the consequences of your actions? i got myself into such a situation, and unfortunately, i have to wait some time, knowing the punishment is coming for me. this is by far the longest and most painful wait i ever had to do, even more than i was a kid, knocked over an oil lamp and attempted to hide the fact from my parents.

it's not the punishment i dread, i totally deserve it, from the way i handled things. what i hate is the hurt and pain i brought to the people i care about..

im sorry..

to the past and back..

i was talking to a friend about my old blog just the other day, and that got me interested in what i was like years ago.. so i went to read my previous posts, all the way from 2005.

i shouldnt be, but was i a little surprise with what i read. i was so angsty and emotional! i'm very thankful that i have come a long way since (or rahther i hope i do since i may not be the best judge of myself)..

i also start many posts with "its been a while since i blog...".. guess i do go thru cycles when i'll feel like blogging and when i dont feel like (or cant think of anything to blog).. and i havent been updating very often, even though a few times, i wanted to.. i opened up my blogger, and just nothing comes out.. looks like somethings have indeed changed.. but some just dont..

it's not like nothing is happening and hence i got nothing to talk about.. but somehow.. the words just arent coming out..

in the jungle, the mighty jungle

16 years ago, i watched what is the 2nd animated film i ever watch in my life. 8 years old then, i fell in love with the lion king! fast forward till about 3 - 4 years ago, i was introduced to lion king 1 1/2. the parallel story focusing on timon and pumba, and i loved it too.

today, i sort of completed the lion king cycle, with the lion king musical at marina bay sands. though i was kinda sleepy, and was falling asleep at some parts, it was a pretty good production, good singing, acting, colourful and very creative props (esp the giraffe *winks at jh*) the only problem was that at some parts, it was... a little draggy.. and those were the parts i struggled to keep awake. (not because it was that lousy, but just that i was sleepy..)

it is no secret that i like disney, and i do really hope that they will think about doing another production on a different disney cartoon!

ill leave you with one of my favourite part from 1 1/2:

2 weeks..

in the 2 weeks since i last blogged, so many things have changed:

1. work
metro/grouchy manager left. i must say its a pity he left, cause i think he is really good at what he does, and i can learn a lot from him. but then, work just seems so much less stressful, even though workload increased. no more fears of messing up, even though i still set high standards of not messing up. and this feeling wasnt just shared by me only but by my other colleague in my team too. new jobscope, more opportunities to expose myself to more things. not going to complain abt tt. many new colleagues also left, in come a few new ones. some good, one is just.. makes me feel like im back in army all over again. all the efforts to look good in front of the boss.

2. church
4 years since i became a christian. in school education terms, that will be primary 4. but i accepted a nomination to be a deacon, and has since been voted in. 4 years. am i qualified? do i know what im doing? chris had quite a surprise when i told him that, that im like a certain 27yr old or a 24 yr old trying to run for politics. honestly, i always thought that 4 yrs is way too soon. so why did i do it? the church needed people, and on one else wants to answer the call. so many of them, just very satisfied with being served on sundays, so many of them, just care abt their own lives than the church. i look at the young adults, the supposebly the immediate future of the church. not one. all with excuses. work, cannot work with the pastor, etc. so did i take it up because no one else wants to? it did speed up when i took it up, but i really think that if the church needs me, i can give my whatever i have for it, to make a difference. i know i am not a couch critic unlike many, who criticize and not wanting to do anything to change things. who blames the poor attitude of the members, but they themselves display the same attitudes. someone has to sacrifice first to make changes... who is willing to? not many, not many enough.

3. personal life
i dunno where to start....

Slow to anger

So everyone, almost everyone at least, knows one of my pet peeve is late coming. it is one of those things, that is potentially the easier thing to get me unhappy.

so i had a cell meeting on friday, at 7pm. not before long, i get smses from everyone telling me that they will be late. well, it wouldnt have been so bad if i was still in office, but i was already on my way. but then thing is, i didnt get angry, though it was really a struggle to keep the anger from appearing. because 1) all of them message me early enough to tell me they are late, its just bad luck that i decided to leave my office before that. 2) all of them gave good reasons why they are going to be late.

walking around almost aimlessly in plaza sing, i think i was getting a bit tired of having to keep convincing myself that i shldnt get angry. i spotted jiahui and alicia at spotlight, attempting to hide from me, holding some art and craft material. my oh so brilliant mind, added 1 and 1 together, and realized they werent really late, they just needed time to do some surprise thing for me. right there, the struggle against anger totally disappeared. i mean, how can anyone be angry with people being so sweet towards you? after chasing them off to do their suprise, i just cant help but gave a big smile. partially because of the surprise, but more because im smiling at God, at how He teaches me things and putting me through things, for me to learn.

so the whole point was God teaching me about anger managerment? that's not exactly all. i have been looking for plastic easter eggs for weeks with no luck. but if it wasnt for the lateness, i would never had the time to step into spotlight, which was where i found the eggs i needed!

unsettling

so its officially not an april fool's joke. manager's last day is on friday, and though at many times, it wasnt easy working to him, having to swollow my pride, and not defending myself when i wasnt wrong but strangely, i am quite sad with his leaving. mainly cause he is really good at what he does, and i think i can learn a lot from him, and when he is in a good mood, he is actually quite a nice person.
at least i found out last friday, unlike my colleague who found out only this morning at his shock. suddenly, today became the last day he is working with my manager (cause he will be going on reservist from tmr)

we arent hiring another manager, so we will be reporting to the senior mktg executive instead. while no doubt she is good at excuting stuff, i cant help but think that she is still lacking in the more overall picture. not that i am condemning her, cause im pretty sure in a few yrs, she will be there. but while she's making her way there, i dunno, cant help but feel a little unsettle with what i will have to go thru at work.

today's weather

 

google weather, 31 mar 2011, 1212pm
icy... if only... hahaha

ugly people

this is not about appearance of a person, at least not about the physical appearance.
any person that wants to go into service industry, sooner or later, you would have to deal with the ugly people. being in the f&b industry, and working closely with service standards, i am the first place people go to to drop a complain about my company. many times, the customers write in with genuine feedbacks, often doesnt demand for a particular type of returns. these people really just want us to stop making some mistakes, to improve to serve others better. these people are really the nice people, wonderful to serve, and to welcome them back.

so that was the nice people. next up, ugly town! these are the people who takes advantage of small little things to gain the world. these are the people that comes wanting to take advantage of the situation.

so it all started with 3 of them having a meal at our restaurant. turned out the next day, two had stomach problems and one vomitted. ok, so if they go see a doctor then, and the doctor says that it is our food, then so be it. but the thing is, they only saw the doctor 2 days later. any logical person would know that within that 2 days, anytihng can happen, and that is no longer proof that our food is the cause. and the worse thing is, even then, 2 of the doctors did not have the confidence to say that it is our food that caused the poisoning. so on the 3rd day, they called in, demanded to see the manager at the outlet at a specific time. they refused to change another date even though the manager is on course that day. you know, so far, they have every right to do what they are doing. what happened next is not so anymore..

my manager went down a little late, these 3 customers decided that they were hungry, and went to grab food. fair enough? they insisted that we pay for that meal for theirs because the manager was late and made them wait!
if that wasnt ugly enough, they took a cab down to our restaurant, and they insisted on making us pay for the cab ride too!

all these, plus the way they handled the whole discussion was just plain bad! (if u r interested to know what else happened, ask me in person!)

there's a saying that all service personel hates: "the customer is always right".. and you know what? this is totally false! the customers has a right to complain, but they are definitely not always right! definitely not!

p.s
so during the discussion between the customer and the manager, the customer tried to fish for some sort of returns.. so they told the manager "看你会不会做人？" - a phrase often used to sound out the other party to give something favourable to the person. of course the manager didnt say this to the customer, but she told us, she wanted to tell the customer "我都有两个女儿了，你说我会不会做人呢？ so funny!