Random thoughts of a Disturbed Mind: September 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

[Problem with MSN...]

I'm having a problem with Windows Live Messenger. I usually sign-in in Offline mode. No problems there. But after I change to a different status (Online/Away/Busy), my MSN will hang. It usually happens within the first five or ten minutes after I change my status.

I am using the latest version of MSN. This problem didn't exist before. Now it's happening about 50% of the time...Although there was this one time it happened like ten times in a row. It affects the MSN on both my desktop and laptop.

Anyone else having the same problem? It feels like IRC all over again...And someone's nuking me.

First post composed on my new laptop. Didn't have time to get it up and running till now. I'm still not done. Still have a bunch of software to install. But the major stuff are all up and running. Phew.

^^^ by Locksley @ 10:02 PM. 0 comments.
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Saturday, September 25, 2010

[Disgusting people...]

I was on the bus earlier and saw this guy doing something really disgusting. He was seated opposite me across the aisle and I first spotted him because he was very fidgety and kept changing his position from the aisle seat to the window seat and vice versa.

He started digging his nose. Very vigorously. I mean, okay, we all dig our noses, but most of us (read: civilised people) do so in the privacy of our own homes and not out in public. And certainly not in such a vigorous manner. He kept at it for a while, flicking his "product" away and touching the seat handles in front of him.

I tried to take a picture of him but I wasn't fast enough. He switched seats. To the empty seats behind me. I pretended to look out the window, but what I was really doing was keeping watch on him. He stopped for a while and then continued digging his nose again. This time, I was watching him very closely because I wanted to make sure he did not flick any of it at me.

When he finally alighted, I stared at him as he sat down at the bus-stop. He saw that I was staring at him and gave me a totally innocent look.

Shortly after, I was on another bus and this time, I was seated at the last row. On the other end, was this champion...

He took off his shoes and put them next to the window. There is a small "ledge" on the left side of the bus if you're sitting in the last row. That's where his shoes were.

He spent the entire time like this. With his eyes closed, and he kept brushing his hair with his fingers. I don't know what's with this guy. Maybe he's high.

Who the hell takes their shoes off on the bus? I mean, seriously? What the hell's the matter with you?

Due to my change of jobs, I would be carrying a camera phone full-time soon. Hopefully this means there would be more pictures on my blog again. I realise in the past, most posts come without pictures. I still see all sorts of weird shit, but it doesn't make as much sense to blog about them without pictures. I saw a crazy-ass guy on the bus the other day. There was no way I could describe what he did using words alone. If only I had my camera phone with me then. The pictures would have been epic.

Sometimes I wonder...Has there always been this many weirdos in Singapore? Or is it a recent development? What the hell happened?

^^^ by Locksley @ 12:02 AM. 0 comments.
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

[Pranked...]

I saw this outside today:

You know how water dispensers usually have two settings - hot and cold? This one is special. You get to choose from hot or warm. No cold. I thought that was kinda weird.

The thing is, the machine came with those cone-shaped cups for holding the water.

I didn't realise it was hot and warm only...I pushed on the blue lever and was surprised that semi-hot water came out (I thought it was actually still pretty hot). I'm not sure was it due to the heat of the water or my hand trying to compensate, but the cone-shaped cup changed shape and I had to quickly gulp down the warm water before it went everywhere.

This is a shitty water dispenser.

Manchester United versus Liverpool in about one hour's time. Parents watching a charity show on TV in the living room. Someone singing outside...Not too sure whether is it coming from the Community Centre or the field opposite. In any case, it is bloody annoying.

I'm gonna turn up the volume later when the match starts.

^^^ by Locksley @ 7:31 PM. 0 comments.
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Saturday, September 18, 2010

[Get your facts straight...]

I saw this article in the papers today (well, yesterday, since it's past midnight).

The write-up below:

The people at the newspaper have no idea what they are talking about. That is not a rear naked choke. They should really get their facts straight. Don't assume that nobody would call you on your bluff.

I can't remember exactly, but I seem to recall mentioning this before in the past:

This is a colour-blind test. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Before you start testing other people's intelligence, get some of your own.

^^^ by Locksley @ 12:31 AM. 0 comments.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

[I don't understand...]

...why the creators of such an innovative product decided to name it after a disease.

Get well soon, Valencia.

^^^ by Locksley @ 9:16 PM. 0 comments.
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

[Mixed feelings...]

Over the past year, I thought several times about quitting my job. What I am doing right now is basically glorified copy-and-paste. I thought about quitting whenever I can't stand how boring it was. This one time, during a transition period, I thought about quitting because I was being backed into a corner.

Sometimes I imagined striking the lottery. With no money issues, I could quit. Or I could stay on as a means to pass the time, except that this time, I would take shit from nobody.

I thought I would be happy.

Now that I've actually tendered, I don't feel happy at all. I feel sad and apprehensive. Sad because I would be leaving behind many great colleagues who are now friends. If you think about it, in a typical week, you actually spend more time with your colleagues than you do with your loved ones. Apprehensive because, there are simply too many unknowns at my new workplace. Yes, I secured a job before I resigned from my current one. Of course.

An unusual number of coincidences happened during this period:

I was told to wait for the re-organisation because a new department would likely be created and there would be a more suitable position for me then. I waited for a year. It didn't look like it was going to happen. I decided to start looking outside for something else. The day I went for the second interview was the way I heard that plans of the re-organisation would be announced.
The day I was told my new job scope (which I disliked), was the same day I received the new job offer.
The day I sent back the signed offer letter, was the day I learned that everyone would be getting a salary increase. Either way, I lose. If my revised salary is higher than what I'd be getting at my new job, I lose. If it is lower, I still lose, as I could have used the new figure as a higher baseline and gotten higher pay at my new workplace.
I was told not to resign until I pass the required medical and security clearance. But if I didn't resign, I would have to start taking over duties related to my new job scope. I decided to wait, in case I became that very joker who failed his medical and couldn't sign for a new football club (see earlier posts). This meant stalling for time and not taking over the duties for now. I realised this morning that I couldn't hide it anymore (things were happening and I can't stall anymore) and so I told my new supervisor about my situation and how I was waiting for them to call me back to tell me that I passed the medical so I could resign and move on. While I was explaining to him, they called me. The call came at the most ideal time. I tendered my resignation in the afternoon.

One thing that I am looking forward to, is buying a new phone. I think the new Nokia N8 is coming soon. Guess I'll wait for that while I look into HTC's range as well...

What the hell happened to this country?

Why are we planning important milestones of our lives based on whether or not can we get a flat? Shouldn't such things be decided when we are ready? How did things evolve to the point where we need to pray for a bone from HDB?

And why is getting a new flat a gamble these days? What was the purpose of HDB? Why was it formed? What was its mission? Did it fail us?

Didn't they want us to live near our parents? What happened? Why didn't I get a ballot number even?

What the hell happened?

^^^ by Locksley @ 9:03 PM. 4 comments.
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Sunday, September 12, 2010

[This is a rant post...mostly...]

I went for a check-up today. One of the tests they did was an eye test. After it was over, I asked how did I do. I was curious because this was the first eye test I had since I had Lasik. To be honest, while I am enjoying the freedom of not having to wear glasses and contacts, my vision now is not as good as when I wore contacts.

So my conversation with the clinic assistant went something like this:

Me: How did I do for the vision test?
Her: Okay.
Me: What is the result of my eye test?
Her: It is confidential.
Me: The results of my eye test is confidential for me?
Her: *sheepish smile*

Luckily, the doctor had more sense. She told me when I asked her. I wasn't too happy with my results. But I suppose it is due to the test being done in the morning and my vision is usually not as good in the mornings because my eyes are drier then.

After my check-up, I went to take the lift down. There wasn't too many people around. An ang-moh with his wife and kid in a stroller asked me if I was waiting for the lift. I said yes, and he told me to queue up, otherwise, it would take forever.

I was too shocked to respond. So I didn't say anything. But neither did I "queue up" anyway. When the next lift came, I got in before him and his family.

All I felt then was anger. I don't know why. So on my way to the bus-stop, I calmed down and thought about why I was angry.

I know why he said what he said. He has probably been stuck at the lift landing for a while because he couldn't get lift with enough space for his stroller. The lifts are usually quite full as it was quite close to the ground floor.

But that's my problem. First of all, we don't queue for lifts in Singapore. If you want to queue for a lift, then go back to your fuckin' country, white boy. It is your fault for bringing a stroller that couldn't fit in the lift. If you had any sense, you would have taken a lift that went up (if it had less people) and then come down. So no, I wasn't going to queue for a lift. I don't care if you never got into one. And you're in my country. Don't tell me what to do.

I was on a bus earlier and saw a Taoist priest conducting prayers at a road junction with some people. My bus stopped right at the junction and the people in the group kept looking at the bus. As luck would have it, I was seated on the aisle seat behind the driver and got a front-seat view of the proceedings.

Not too sure what all that was about. I don't think is was for an accident victim. I don't recall hearing of any accidents there. There weren't any "Appeal for Witness" signs there neither.

Remember the woman from China who came to Singapore to look for her missing daughter? She wore this sandwich-board and spent her time near the Buddhist temple in Bugis? Just before they came, they found a body of a dead woman in a park (near my place). They thought that was her daughter. It wasn't.

I suspect prayers were being offered for that dead woman. They are building condominiums near that junction. To be honest, I like that area. My running route takes me there. It's peaceful...The only problem is the monkeys that visit from Bukit Timah Hill. And it's also very eerie at night.

Seeing them offering the prayers only made it more eerie.

I am so sick of public transport. Yes, another rant about public transport.

Do you have little things that piss you off? Something that other people may find really insignificant, but for some reason, it just really pisses you off? I know my colleague has this thing whereby she hates the sound people making by using a metal spoon to stir their coffee or tea. Public transport is my trigger.

I missed a bus just now. I knew I was in for a long wait. My record for waiting for that bus was 35 minutes. So whenever I missed that bus, I would take a cab instead. I waited for over 30 minutes. No bus, no cab. Well, actually there were cabs...But all of them were hijacked by hookers who were waiting about 30 metres ahead of me. I finally managed to get a cab after about 30 minutes.

This is so ridiculous...Considering the fact that if I got onto my bus, the trip would only take about 10-15 minutes.

Public transport is shit. Cars are expensive. Cabs are nowhere to be found when you need one. What the hell am I supposed to do? Flap my arms and fly?

^^^ by Locksley @ 12:31 AM. 0 comments.
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Monday, September 06, 2010

[Subject to passing a medical...]

You know how when football players transfer to another club...Sometimes there is a caveat in the reports that go something along the lines of "subject to passing a medical" with the new club?

It's a formality. Most player pass. But every once in a while, there would be a joker who couldn't pass.

I don't want to be that joker.

^^^ by Locksley @ 9:05 PM. 0 comments.
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Sunday, September 05, 2010

[COMEX...]

I bought a new laptop and mouse at COMEX yesterday. Didn't have time to post this until today.

I have to admit...

...this is more a "want" than a "need". But what the hell. It didn't cost that much. I bought a CQ42-278TX for $1,099 and an Arc Mouse. I've always loved how it looked, but never had a reason to get one. Until now.

^^^ by Locksley @ 10:03 PM. 3 comments.
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What's this about?

Anything and everything under the sun. I write about my day, my thoughts, things I see in public, things to get off my chest, or sometimes just some senseless rants that make sense only to me.

About Me

30 year old male. Always with too many ideas in his head and too little time. For my 15 minutes of fame, I want to be a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman.

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