Gadgets

Here's the room i stayed in in Tokyo.

It's small, like all hotels in Japan. But I kinda like the room really. It's very nice and cosy and it has a huge 37" LCD tv right there on the left.



I might want to decorate my room a little depending on the magnitude of my bonus.

I consider myself a pretty technologically switched on guy but the room just confounds me..

Check out the remote controls on the table.



Then you need an instruction to use the tv remote. It's damn complicated, cos you can choose many kind of broadcasting systems.. got terrestial D-, CAT3, ground A.. i had no idea which one to use and had to call them for help.



Then there's a Bose sound system.



This was outside the wall of the toilet. I had no idea what the top right button meant. It had a 切 and 入 option.



And then there's a motion detector kind of light near the door..



This was also on the wall outside the toilet. Apparently, you can set the temperature and the timer and the volume whatever for your bathub inside. I was glad there was a english translation.



Inside the bathtub also got one.. same one.. duno why wanna have two..



This is the shower controls. Left side is the shower and right side



This one quite power.. It's outside the shower area and it took me sometime to understand it. It is actually for you to decide if you want to warm the air in the shower area, dry it or cool it. Great for different seasons. I loved this one.. I used it to dry my wet stuff..



Of course one cannot forget the ubiquitous automated toilet bowl. First of all, the seat was warmed. So it was a pleasure sitting there in the cold cold weather outside...very shiok!

Here're the controls..I sat there and shat.. then pressed the second and third button from the left. Not too bad.. quite shiok with the water jet... but i didnt dare to press the pink button on the right.. i scared it remove my pad or tampon then siao liao..



Got some hidden controls for advanced bowel cleansing..



After shitting, i had to flush of course.. but i couldnt find it.. and i felt stupid.. where in the world is the most basic functions... then i saw it..



Phew.. a whirlwind of technology in a small room.

Room-Less

I heard that we removed the partition for the rooms to make space for more people.. so no room for me..

SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZZ

Bonus

I cant really sleep. Although it's my last day in Tokyo tomorrow and I dont have any meetings. But I do have a proposal to complete and some staff scheduling to do, which i can do tomorrow but i just dont feel like leaving it to tomorrow. But I'm drifting in and out of it, surfing around and blogging etc..

I have absolutely no idea wat this post is about.

Anyway, I'm wondering how much bonus I'll get.. Last year i got two months i was happy like bird. If I get three months this time, i'll be happy like bird. Actually even if get two months, it'd be shiok also since my pay increased. But the thought of remaining at 2 doesnt sound very appealing. So three would be very nice. Four? Hmm... I cant wait...

Traffic

Maybe unknown to some, I actually monitor the traffic to my site. I noted a huge spike on Sunday, which made me happy. I think was maybe cos of the Hainan pics but it's still kinda weird. Like how would so many people suddenly know that i posted and then all go and see? Not many of those who know my site know one another, i can only think of shitfong knowing keeve who knows yokie who knows shortbin, that's all.

So that's pretty weird.

But well, seems like things are looking up at Cornball's Lil Korner and soon we'd be ready for an IPO.

Speaking of IPO, I actually signed up for a DBS Vickers online trading account one of those weeks after I got back from Australia since I was quite free and it's something I've been meaning to do for some time. Well, the moment I got my account approved, the stock market crashed, as some might have remembered. Bleah.. maybe it's a sign.

Sleepless in Tokyo

In a cold and lonely hotel room in Shinjuku Tokyo, after spending a mini-fortune of the company's money on Sushi, I bought these back to tide me through the night.

Blackheads

I know I should really stop blogging but I couldnt resist posting these gruesome pics of my blackheads which i removed after i exfoliated when i returned home from my dirty Hainan trip.

Be warned. It's gross.

Here and here.

Fine

I got fined S$100 by MINDEF for not informing them that i travelled overseas. Weird that they suddenly caught me... oh well.. I guess that goes towards increasing someone's pay.

Hell

Hell came in one of the hotels i stayed in in Hainan. We stayed in 5 hotels over the eight nights we were in Hainan and this was the worst.

Can you imagine the wrapper for the bar soap being dirty with grime and dust? Your fingers are dirtier even before you start washing?

And after washing, your hands feels dry and caked and it's not a good feeling.

Can you imagine taking a shower and on the wall, you see a flattened mosquito on the wall? You know it's not recent cos the blood is darkened with time.

I was so freaked that I gargled my mouth with mineral water while brushing my teeth.

I didnt even dare to remove my contacts. No way I'm sticking my fingers into my eyes with this water.

To top it all, I got 6 huge pimples on one side of my face cos of the pillow. :(

Intern

I realised that I'm blogging my week in reverse but what the heck.

I arrived at Changi last Friday at 5:45am to catch my 7am flight. I'm hardly there so early but this time got intern and she told me she wanted to go a bit earlier cos she scared too late.

We agreed to meet inside the gate.

I was super duper tired cos I slept at 3am the night before so I just sat down and slept at the couch where the big tv was.. then i got a call at 6:45am.. It was intern.

"Erm.. Cornball.. Im so screwed now.. how how how?"

"Why?"

"I just arrived at the check-in counter and they said that the gate's closed!@?!" <~~ Of course wat, we are 15 minutes to take-off

She said that the lady said that the Chinese government is very strict and that they must close half an hour before and there's no way they can open it. My intern was getting hysterical.

I was calm. Because I was too tired to feel anything.

I asked to speak to the lady and incidentally it was the first time i heard myself being referred to as "my boss". Ok ok, I'm very superficial.

I said " Hi there, I'm Cornball and this young lady in front of me is an intern in my company. This is her first trip overseas with us and we are going to Hainan to close some important deals. So I'd be quite upset with her if she doesnt make this flight. I'd really appreciate if you could help us with it"

Three minutes later, the "Chinese government" relented and we were on our way.

PRC Part Deux

I mentioned earlier that I went to Hainan with my intern and we met up with a new PRC colleague and we three toured Hainan.

It was an 8-day trip (I'm just back now) and we three had all our meals together.. which meant like 24 meals.. phew.. I probably dont have 24 meals with my parents in a year.

But well, we got talking and I realised that PRC came from the same school as my previous PRC colleague as mentioned here and here. And they were quite close being the few chinese in the faraway uni... I hope she isnt as dumb.. muhahahah

More Pics

We absolutely couldnt resist taking these pics of the menu in the airport restaurant..

We laughed so loud we got some stares..

Pictures

Here're some interesting pictures I took in Hainan..

观景区？Look Around Scape Station?



Saw a signboard for a shopping centre in a hotel..




Turned out to be this...



I was looking for a toilet and was glad when i saw this sign..




But then i realised, this was the urinal. :(



I dont know how clear the picture is but the round thing is a huge huge pot of Chongqing hot spot and during a festival in Chong Qing, everyone goes to such places for mass hot-potting.. talk abt communism. My new PRC colleague is from Chong Qing so she knows these shit.



My intern and I were so disgusted.. gosh.. more than 20 people sharing a hot pot??? Then she said everyone has a mini hot pot in front of them on the ledge and the big one is the "source" of the hot soup when your mini pot's level is diminished... And apparently, the giant hot pot is kept there for days, she says. Then i said, what happens when the leaves from the tree drops?

All i got is a shrug.

*Shudder*

I saw this switch beside the toilet bowl. I pressed it and nothing really happened. I was quite puzzled until i went to another hotel and saw it and the person explained it to me. Anyone knows what it does?

Busy

I cant wait to go home.

I miss my bed and my computer and stable internet and my LCD TV and cable. I miss speaking proper english. I miss fresh air and I miss eating fish ball noodles.

I miss my parents a bit.

Im back on Saturday night after a 7 day tour of my hometown..i hope the Euro playoffs arent too early.

And I'll be off to Tokyo on Sunday night till Wednesday.

We're moving office on Friday and possibly Saturday. Dammit another weekend burnt.

Wanted

It's so nice to feel wanted.

Thank you, boss.

A&W

I mentioned in a few entries ago I'm in China with my intern.

She's quite cute and very young.

She gave me an A&W card once when she first came but it gives a 10% discount but only in Indonesia.

I asked her wat's the use of a 10% discount.

She said 10% still a discount.

I said how about if i quoted her name, got more discount or not.

Then she said only if she goes with me.

I said "wah.. your daddy owns all the A&Ws in Indonesia ah?"

She said yes.

.........................

Office

We've taken another positive step in securing that office space.

Which means it's another positive step in securing my room in the office.

Muhahahahha.. i'm already thinking of what I'm going to put inside my room.

Flower bouquets are welcome. I prefer sunflowers to roses.

MS

My company is looking for corporate gifts to give the VIPs and VVIPs who would be attending our conference in Shanghai. Apparently, they looking for high-class gifts, so they've been calling places like Montblanc, Cartier and Tiffany etc.

One day i picked up a call..

"Hi, can I speak to Underling #1?" in a perfectly high-class atas but distinctly singaporean voice.

I said, " Oh she's busy, can I take a message?"

She said, "My name is XXX and I'm calling from MS."

MS? What is MS? Microsoft? Dont tell me we are buying Vista for everyone. Or was it Mohd Sultan? Cannot be also.

Anyway, I related the message to my colleague. She was equally puzzled. What is MS?

Then we realised as we thought of all the people they contacted.

MS = Hermès

Apparently, that's the proper way to pronounce it.

I'd call it "Herms" <~~~Rhyme like "germs"

That's how 99% of Singaporeans would pronounce it. HERMS.

Anarchy

There're some who say I havent been traveling. That's true and I'm lovin' it. (ala Macdonald's ad)

But somehow the music's got to stop. So i'm flying to China on Friday. But then a Tokyo project cropped up which kinda clashed with another project in Shanghai.

So i told one of the n00bz, "I'm in a dilemma. I dont know what project to give you. I have two here. I dont know if i should give you this one or that one or even both"

She said " Can choose or not?"

Then I said " THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!"

I always wanted to say that.

Sian

I had an ultra stiff neck today.. which made me a bit testy. Coupled with a client who had signed a US$140,000 deal with me a month ago for a China project and then said that he didnt want to pay for my team's international flights. I was like... erm.. Me and my boss are working from the Singapore office... then he was like.. "huh? I thought you guys were from the Shanghai or Hong Kong office"

So dumb some people.

So i was quite sian all day...then i saw this on one of the desks..



So i went around the office saying i was "Xi An" . To those who went "huh?", i showed them the map.

I'm so lame.

Meat

I saw this on my desk on Monday when i came in..I have no idea what it is but it came in a Chinese paper bag. So i knew it was from my boss, cos he just got back from China..

After some examination, I deduced that it's some fatty meat.

He told me that my Shanghai colleague gave it to him (mai por la) and his wife duno how to cook it. So he gave me.

My mum was quite excited when i brought it home..

iRis

My friend iRis posted this on her latest blog entry, titled "Loneliness"

"I have a friend, a high flyer who is always working, literally flying around the world rushing for meetings and staying at some of the finest hotels in the world, and yet he feels strange, like something is not complete. He keeps a blog and even though he only pens down his daily life, one can sense a very strong undercurrent of emptiness.

I have a friend who keeps a blog and is rather popular, he always pen his thoughts and feelings in his blog in which he talks about his happiness, his work, his friends. He is rather funny in his blog and sometimes his comments draw laughter. And yet, one can sense that he does not really laugh at his life, in fact one can read a very strong tone of loneliness.

I have a friend, another high flyer who is earning about $4k per month and yet she feels lonely, to the extend of looking around at the wrong places for physical companionship. She ended up feeling empty after each relationships. And worse of all, getting hurt.

I have a friend who likes to keep to himself, does not like to tell anyone his problems, to the point that he will get very enrage if one probes him about his problem. He likes to hang around by himself, not wanting nor liking people to intrude in his life. And yet there is this constant yearning in him to open himself to others, to share his thoughts and feelings with someone.

I have a friend who is always working until late at night, not wanting to go home even though everyone in the office has gone home. On the outside, he is a cheerful joker, always making jokes and making fun of others. Yet, he has a strange look on his face when you ask him about his life.

I have a friend, who looks exactly like me, always smiling and seem happy. She works everyday, pushing herself to fulfill the expectations of the people around her, trying to look ok on the outside. She looks tough outside, rushing around everyday trying to solve her everyday problems. Yet inside she is very fragile, to the point that she cries herself to sleep almost every night. To the point that sometimes she feels like giving everything up, to walk away from everyone around her, to be free and to be off to a place where there is no loneliness.

I believe these friends are inflicted by the one of the strongest diseases of our society. Its called loneliness."

I have absolutely no idea whether I was one of the people mentioned and which one I am if i was even mentioned.

Can you?

Road to Perdition

I received news today that two of my dearest friends are pregnant.. how very sweet...Actually I have nothing much to say..

Just such a coincidence that i heard both news today..

In other new, albeit delayed, shitfong proposed in December and got himself a wife. So now waiting for the proverbial flat before things kick off..

I went to the IT Show with Keeve and it was packed.. very very packed...

In a very pre-emptive move for "my" room in my new office that isnt even confirmed, i decided to get a wireless keyboard for my home PC and use my home PC's wirelss keyboard at work..

Buy keyboard got free speakers some more.. good.. just what i need if i wana plug in my ipod in my new office.. :)

Two Sides

Consider this:

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"

and

"Out of sight, Out of mind"

Two similar situations but different outcomes.. life's so unpredictable.

Here we go......*ZOOOM*

And here we go, my trip to China's confirmed...Just want to quickly list out the itinerary here so that ....erm.. i duno..

12 March Monday - Guangzhou (Temp 12 - 11 degrees)
13 March Tuesday - Guangzhou
14 March Wednesday - Hainan (Temp 17 - 19 degrees)
15 March Thursday - Hainan
16 March Friday - Hainan
17 March Saturday - Hainan
18 March Sunday - Hainan
19 March Monday- Kunming (Temp 7 - 20 degrees) <~~~~ What the... so huge diurnal range..
20 March Tuesday - Hopefully home....

This time I'll be bringing an intern and meeting a new China colleague there... Phew.. people bring gals out of China and I bring girls INTO China..

10 days in China..hopefully i can have some over the weekend with some mahjong (*wink*) or what, else I'll be bored..

CFA

I've taken a significant step in my quest for that CFA certification.

After browsing through Adina's copy of the material, I think I'm ready. Plus the fact that I've kinda learnt 80% of what's in Level I.

Ok.. so i spent US$760 for one-time enrollment and Level I exam registration.

*GULP*

My next huge capital outlay was to buy Post-Its for the notes... until Gweyn decided to pay it for me..Phew..saved some serious money there..I even brought home some highlighters from the office..muhahahahahaha

Random Fillers

I havent travelled ever since I returned back to work from my holiday on 4 Feb. It's 5 March tomorrow, which means it's actually now full month. I'm actually enjoying it. Staying in town, eating local food, sleeping early..

But soon the travels will start..

I've trips lined up to Jakarta next week.. and maybe China, whichever comes first..Think the China one would be a mega one.. around 10 days..And then i have another one supposed to go to the Maldives but the thought of a sea plane to the various islands puts me off so I'm sending another colleague..

So i guess it's back to work now boys and gers..

In other news, I think my office will be moving..depending on the negotiations, we'd likely be moving to a bigger office. For some reason, I'm trying to be excited over it.. but i cant..

Here're some reasons why i shld be happy:

1. Nearer my house
2. Nearer to some shopping centres
3. Nicer food in the vicinity
4. Larger office
5. I might even get a room by myself.

But duno why not very excited..

Dated

After reading my last few posts, it seems like life has stood still the last few months. Just going through the drudgery of life. The question remains: "Is it drudgery when you dont feel it?" If you're floating around life, can it be considered drudgerious? (<~~~ if there's sucha word)

In any case, it sometimes astonishes me that sometimes, just one simple act can utterly destroy years of effort and yet sometimes tons of effort doesnt yield any results.

I just got news that I'll be going to New Orleans in May for a company conference.. I think it's just an excuse for everyone to relak one korner on company expenses. Dont know what the selection criteria is but not everyone goes. But before I go, must read some books..

Pics - Malacca

We went to Malacca over Chinese New Year.

It's a very small town and yet we managed to get lost for almost two hours before getting to this tiny little hotel. The drive alone from Singapore to Malacca was two hours.

Here're some pics we took..mostly the historic buildings and churches..





We were too cheap to pay to enter this museum thingy.. so we went to the back and take a pic of this.. free!



This is taken on the way to the alleged highest point of Malacca..My dad seemed to say that the nice Admiral (Cheng Ho) probably came through here..Maybe that's when he brought Mee Siam (mai hum) to Melaka, which then came to Singapore.





Highest point in Malacca is a church which was also a tiny lighthouse..





Inside the church is a little spooky..with these stone tablets.. they actually look pretty new.. maybe they were produced in JB, land of many "friendly produce".





We left Malacca after one day and decided to pop by JB to get cheap groceries.. it's been 12 years since my family came to JB to buy groceries so we went to this particular mall we used to frequent.

Turned out that the supermarket was now replaced by the very atas Cold Storage and nothing was cheaper there than in Singapore. :(

Pics - Sri Lanka II

The next day, i took a four hour ride to another hour. I set out at 4pm and arrived at 8pm. On the way I took this pic..



The tsunami of Dec 2004 hit the southern coast of Sri Lanka killed 3,000 over people. The waves came by this coast. Phew, that was scary.. and it was pretty rainy that evening and a shudder ran through my spine. I decided to sleep.

Again, it was late when i arrived. I ordered room service then went to sleep. I woke to the sounds of waves lapping on a beach. I didnt know I was that near the sea..



Here's my room..



There's a balcony tat faces the sea..



Then the pool..



And the restaurant..



Definitely one of the best hotels Ive ever stayed in..However, by now, I've already stayed 10 days in Bali, 2 Days in Cambodia and it was my 2nd night in Sri Lanka. I missed home terribly and was definitely looking forward to going home. That meant a 6-hour car ride to the airport. *Gulp*

Boarding the SQ plane was such a pleasure.. it was like i was already home.