31 December 2007

2007

- A good year -

In the last few hours of 2007 I simply have to go down the memory lane to revisit the past events that had left deeper than usual impressions.
  • just a few days before it turned 2007, I resumed my diary writing and online sharing, after the two years hiatus when I was at the lowest point of my life thus far.

  • in celebration of me writing and sharing again I gave Sharing Corner a face lift!

  • left England after 9.5 years, back to be with family and for an anxiously awaited new life. Gave up British residency in doing so.

  • landed myself my first full time job, summer jobs and cheap labour research period notwithstanding. Got to know the colleagues over the months, some became friends. They enriched my life.

  • got a car under my name, the thing is, I didn't buy it. It was a present from daddy, felt both grateful and inadequate.

  • baby boy finally arrived! After the consecutive miscarriages on the evil day and a few months after, the joy of the birth was indescribable. I am a father!

  • turned 30, bye bye 20s. Received a car... wrapping as birthday present.

  • wanted to do something impulsive as I turned 30 so I created a blog on the spur of the moment, something that has been lurking at the back of my mind since a few months back.

  • went to the States for the first time, honestly didn't think I would set foot in that country so soon.

  • being applied copious amount of cosmetics, put on a wig, and made to catwalk like a woman in front of colleagues from four departments. Got the wrong kind of "publicity" the whole night too. Are you having fun yet? =)


All in all, a great year, here's hoping 2008 will be another good one. Happy New Year!

29 December 2007

Blunder

Another foot in mouth moment.

This entry serves to remind myself to think things through and be more sensitive, especially when talking to emotional and/or sensitive friends.

Use your brain CK! You suck at small talk and conversations, so either keep your mouth shut or think things through carefully before you blunder.

Smooth talker I am not.

27 December 2007

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts posted on my "serious" and "heavy" site since it's a lengthy and boring entry.

This blog is reserved for lengthier and even more boring stuff!

=P

25 December 2007

Inspirational...

CK Goh says:
so what are you up to? working ah?
Hoong ~ says:
working on a inspirational speech
CK Goh says:
wah, still working on that ah? yesterday not finish meh?
CK Goh says:
it's always touching and inspirational if it involves:
CK Goh says:
1. children in hardship/handicap/disease
CK Goh says:
2. victim in war torn countries
CK Goh says:
3. normal/handicap people overcoming big disease/challenge
CK Goh says:
4. selfless act for strange in need
CK Goh says:
stranger*
CK Goh says:
5. CK *ehem*
CK Goh says:
=P
Hoong ~ says:
wah ~ u so geng
CK Goh says:
hahahaha
CK Goh says:
CK inspires laughter and nausea-ness, a bit of repelling effect too

---
My instant messaging chat is usually one directional, I talk too much... =\

Greetings

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

To those who celebrate these occasions, hope you are having fun and lots of merriment, be gay (not Brokeback Mountain style unless you are into it) and don't forget about sharing.

If you do not celebrate these occasions like me, then I wish you a peaceful and happy holiday!

23 December 2007

纸箭风月续集

僧翁爷施上等轻功跃行树梢上
爷武功和脾气江湖上众所皆闻
到就到纵身落地后既防守紧密
后左右江湖豪杰大惊汗流眉宇
武双全的道士知老僧武功精纯
射内劲气功一流高手非他莫属
劲内气绕着老僧双掌循回流戏
功威力决不儿戏众侠凝视无言

21 December 2007

CK? Where's CK?

Been busy with work and the preparation of the Annual Dinner these past weeks, hence the lack of blog update.

The Annual Dinner happened yesterday in Traders Hotel, it involved four departments in my company. Some colleagues turned up dressed in style fitting the night, some though dressed like how they do when they go to the office everyday.

Hmm... Glitz & Glamour Nite, so the most appropriate attire must be jeans and t-shirt!

*Ehem*

Thank goodness the majority of the guests were dressed up smartly, that's especially true for the ladies, which I am real glad of. They came in pretty gowns and beautiful garments, put on make-ups, set their hair, looking fantastic and breath taking.

Me happy. =)

Anyway, let's go back a few weeks...

My supervisor made me a member of the Annual Dinner organising committee despite me saying no whenever he brought up the subject Since I am ever so keen to help make my company a great place to work I volunteered to be a committee member for the Annual Dinner without hesitation.

The committee was made up of logistics, communication and programme groups. Logistics group deals with logistics. Communication group deals with communication.

=P

Programme group deals with event flow, entertainment, games, lucky draw, prizes, and anything else the other groups dumped onto. Since I didn't know better once I am committed to something I want to do the best I can so I signed myself up for programme group, as I perceived it as the group with the most workload and greatest impact on the event day.

Sure had fun preparing for the Annual Dinner in the programme group, at times it felt like we were doing not only programme related things but also logistics and communication stuff as well. Probably because we are too nice the rest kept bullying us just some unavoidable cross-over.

The last few days leading to the event was hectic for programme group, felt like we were in task force mode. Task force for Annual Dinner?!?!

During the dinner we were still working, dealing with sudden changes and running around for entertainment and game related stuff. All that was fine and expected, just part of the job afterall. Could have used some time off to catch up with nicely dressed colleagues, take some photos with them or just go over to them and have a laugh but alas, I was kept pretty busy the whole night.

Photo guessing game went well but it marked the beginning of me being picked on by the emcee, not just once, but for the whole night! I was termed the "hum sup lou" and made fun of my baldness. =(

Very soon I cringed everytime I heard the emcee said "CK", for it always followed by some joke on my expense. It was all in the name of fun though so I laughed along, hopefully the rest were also laughing with me instead of at me...

Okay I better not think too much about that, heh.

We spent much time and effort in preparing the Treasure Hunt game. Since table sitting was such that there were colleagues from all four departments sharing a table to induce socialising and networking (it's a social event after all!), we tried to further that by making the game a team-working game. Also as the organising committee members were excluded from (winning) the games prepared by us (the two game masters), we tried to involved them in one way or another.

We cracked our brains and thought of ways to achieve that, here's how we pictured the Treasure Hunt game:

1. each table send a representative to collect a scroll from us, the scroll contains the first clue. Everyone return to their table and the game starts.

2. following the clue in the scroll, table-mates searched under their respective table for the second clue.

3. they searched their chairs following the clue from the note tapped to the underside of the table.

4. after reading the clue from the note tapped to the underside of one of their chairs, they try to find a golden star on their table. The star was part of the ribbon that came with the scroll.

5. the clue within the golden star asks each table to identify a specific committee member. This step is random since it's draw of luck which committee member they get when the representative chosed the scroll. The table-mates will have to figure out who the exact committee member they get is by the initials and the short description within the star. This is where colleagues from every department have to pool in their knowledge since committee members are from all four departments as well.

6. After identifying the committee member, the table-mate send a representative to approach the committee member to get the next clue. The committee member will give them a number. The number refers to the balloon with their final clue within. So, guests get to play, as do the committee members.

7. They then looked for their specific numbered balloon and get the final clue, which tells them to piece together the hidden message (italic font) in all their clues.

8. Finally the table-mates move as a whole with all the clues and get the treasure chest from the committee member's table.

The way we pictured it, it's orderly until step 6, since all the steps before that are confined to the table, all good and dandy right?

Right?

I had to use the restroom just as my partner game master was about to explain the game, I figured that I would be back long before they got to the identifying the committee member step. By the time I got back to the ball room, it's like a war zone!

Oh. My. Goodness.

People running everywhere looking for clues instead of at their table, someone ripped off a decorative star from the 2D statue we put up, thinking that's the lucky star, someone started popping balloons at random and everyone followed, it's chaotic and out of order.

And out of all the confusion someone took the chest from the committee table without following the steps, so basically the treasure hunt ended not the way we planned for.

Many things we could have done, but at the time we didn't think of doing, like asking everyone to remain at their table as soon as someone step out, telling them they can only leave their table if they have got to step 6. Perhaps if I didn't go to the restroom but went up to the stage with my partner game master, things would be different.

Oh well.

So much for the time and effort we put in preparing this game. My partner was not very happy about it and decided to open the chest himself as a sign that nobody won the game.

The emcee prepared some games as well, which were entertaining, but since I had a feeling he was going to pick on me when it came to the Idol game, I went to the restroom on purpose. I thought I was smart but when I was walking back to the ball room I heard the emcee asking,

"CK? Where's CK?"

Uh oh.

So, I was on the stage, make-up put on my face, and made to cat walk as a woman. I think the Mr Glitter finalists got a better deal, too bad I am not Mr Glitter material I wasn't eligible since I was a committee member. Anyway, I did my best to entertain the guests, I never had much trouble when it comes to making a fool of myself sportmanship. Hahahaha!

All in all, besides the food and the confusion at the Treasure Hunt game, I think the Annual Dinner went pretty well. I sure had fun and I now know that to be considered sexy, we men have to have small eyes, stylish hair, dress in red, being smart and have big belly! These are the wisdom of the five Miss Glitter finalists. =)

I am just a tad weary of stepping into the office tomorrow after all the "publicity" the emcee had given me yesterday...

12 December 2007

纸箭风月

湖豪杰云集桃花园
武边论切磋琢磨于万芳亭
语花香间拳飞剑舞。打坐的道士心平静和
在心中:“唉...
这贫道自幼出家
北下南无数
武双全且在这班高手之上
一招半式足他们昼夜论谈
起来谁人够我勍?”

06 December 2007

Circle of Colleagues

- Social skill... what? -

Need to come up with a name list of at least five colleagues for my first ever performance review.

The performance review is important, it determines whether or not I require improvement, whether or not I get a pay rise, whether or not I keep my job. It's a big deal.

I gave it a long thought trying to come up with five colleagues who really know me and my work. The first name came readily, the second was easy too but with a drop in relevance, the third was a stretch, and I could not think of anymore.

Got my buddy to share his brainwave but he was at a lost too after hearing the three names I came up with.

I have been with the company for six months now, and I can't think of five colleagues who really know me and my work.

It's disheartening.



Initially I named this entry Circle of Friends, then it got me thinking, among the people I know at work, how many are friends and how many are just colleagues? Those who call me friend kindly voice up now.

05 December 2007

Harly Potter and the Heart-shaped Stone (5)

Vernon Dursley frozen in fear, wondering what foul magic Hagrid had done to him.

Gingerly he touched his face, around his head, checked his ears, nose, mouth. He looked at his arms, upper half of his body and tried in vain to see beyond his tummy. He had not been able to see anything below his wah-lau-so-fat tummy while standing up for a long, long, loooooong time.

Nothing seemed to be out of ordinary...

...then there was a high pitch shriek that shattered all the glassware in the house, including the light bulbs, causing the house to go pitch black yet again.

Dorly had finally regained consciousness, the loud BANG had started her and she was in for another surprise since Hagrid magic had hit her instead of Vernon.

"What's the matter Dorly-dilly? What has he done to you?" Vernon asked anxiously and fearfully.

Hysterical shriek and incoherent gibberish was all Dorly was capable of at that moment. She sounded strangely excited and almost as if she was happy.

"Dorly-dilly, please tell me you are alright. YOU! What have you done to my daughter? You have cursed her with madness, haven't you?"

"Be glad it wasn't yer I did magic to, yeh stinkin' pile of lady fat!" Hagrid yelled in the general direction of Vernon. "Time ter go Harly, let's get outta 'ere."

Hagrid managed to get hold of Harly in the dark and dragged him out of the house by the collar before Vernon started yelling and shouting and throwing stuff around.

"Get in the Kancil convertible quick Harly, we gotta get out of 'ere before yer uncle wakes the neighbourhood. Yeh have ter go in the boot I'm afraid, no space fer yeh in the front, I need all the space, this car is really just a big motorbike. No no no, not me boots Harly, the car boot! What's the matt'r with yeh? Why are yeh so dazed? Gallopin' Gorgons! Why are yeh bleeding?"

It's at that moment Hagrid realised Harly was wide eye, stunned and bleeding from the nose. He gently picked Harly up and put him in the boot, leaving the boot open.

"Did me magic hit yeh Harly?" Harly shook his head and Hagrid was somewhat relieved.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," said Hagrid ruefully, "didn't quite know what magic that was really, and I was aiming at yer uncle. Not supposed ter do magic, strictly speaking. Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone."

Harly nodded, a faraway look on his face.

"Pinch on the nose and look down Harly, it will stop the bleeding. No don't look up, that's common mistake, yeh might gag if the blood goes down yer throat. Ya that's it, look down and maintain the pressure on the nose," Hagrid wiped the blood off Harly's face with a hanky and went to start the engine.

Before the car left the house, Pertunia voice could be heard above the sound of things breaking, shrieking, sobbing, yelling and shouting.

"Verny! Could you please flip on the main switch, I am not done drying my hair."


- end of this chapter -

(to be continued...)

02 December 2007

纸箭风云

卷宣令仍未言毕,壮士已翻身上马应敌
随箭离弓而去,无一虚发
场敌军士气大减,慌了乱了
时壮士弃弓拔剑,饮血索魂双剑寒气逼人
了智的小兵举枪迎战,大喝“野贼住手!”
之未尽,人头已离身,饮血剑红光一闪,落地时已是干尸
军顿时抛下兵器转身逃命。壮士冷笑“没用的家伙,留下命来!”
毕索魂剑绿光划空,剑气夺命百步,敌兵无一生还