ho ho ho. guess what shit i brilliantly got myself into this time? i've got another interview on friday morning. this time it's some IT company (i think). BUT for the interview, i have to take a couple of technical tests... Java/EJB/J2EE (Multiple Choice Questions) and J2EE (written), both 1 hour each. the problem? isn't it obvious enough? i have NO idea what is java or j2ee. *GRIN* lalalala. heeee! i'm already thinking of rejecting the interview. hahaha.
actually, i'm finding this whole predicament rather hilarious. it just goes to show how much of a computer engineer i am. *HUGE GRIN*
anyhow, i did a search on java, and i realised that, lo and behold, i DID use it before for one of my year 2 lab assignments. and i DID study java before. AND, here's the shocker: i PASSED that exam tooo!!!! hahahahaha!!! so i ought to know something about java. but i don't.
i have 2 options: do a crash course on java from now till friday, or just reject the interview. i'm seriously giving the latter LOTS of thought. there is, after all, a written test (and ONE WHOLE HOUR TOO!!!!). 1 hour is a very long time for a topic you know peanuts about. yikes.
i'm very very very amused that someone actually replied to one of the resumes i sent out and offered me another position. hahaha. in fact, i don't even REMEMBER applying to that company. *grin* i've been half-heartedly looking for jobs... only because i have so much time on my hands right now, i decided that i ought to be looking for jobs. bleh. i'm just idly sending out resumes randomnly every now and then but not exactly expecting any replies. what i really want is the reply to my masters application. i need to know if i got accepted or not coz right now, i cannot commit myself to any job even if i have an offer. what a perfect excuse to not find a job! *wink*
i'm still contemplating taking the CFA. i want to. but daddy and another friend of mine feel that i ought to at least work a couple of years in the financial industry before i do it or else it's "just a piece of paper". (at least i have THE piece of paper! hahaha!) i don't see what's the biggie. i can always take it first then go work in the finance industry!! it's the same result what. a + b = c. b + a also equals c!!!
dreams, or rather day-dreaming, is good. it keeps you alive and it keeps you going, because reality is too harsh. haha. seriously. if you're someone who insists on sticking to reality and being practical all the time, i daresay you are not a happy and optimistic person! you should go ahead and indulge yourself. dreaming is not a bad thing. it brings out your idealistic side and helps you to look at the other side of a coin. when reality drags you down, take a time-out and dream a little. it will definitely cheer you up! dreams make me happy. the what ifs, could bes and might bes are wonderful. they are my little happy trinkets. they make life easier and keep me happy! i love them! *grin*
minghong said that if you plot a relationship graph, it will look similar to the graph of a stock. it goes up initially, and then it plummets and eventually becomes a horizontal line. i agree. after awhile, the fireworks is gone, and the honeymoon period eventually comes to an end. everything runs like clockwork. tick tock tick tock. the relationship is now running on autopilot. haha.
is this what marriage life is going to be? yikes. i don't want that!!! i want the fireworks. i don't want autopilot. it's boring. i don't like routines. i like the thrills of all the firsts: first date, first kiss etc. i want that butterflies fluttering in my stomach feeling all the time!!! fairytales are not meant to be just fairytales to me. i will not allow that!
sometimes, all a girl needs is a little more attention and assurance. it's not cliche. so what if it is? it works. girls are a funny lot. it's not enough that we know it in our hearts, we still want to hear it out loud, as if to convince ourselves. =)
i had the most disturbing dream last night. and it felt so real. but then again, most of my dreams come true. it's almost as if it's a premonition.
it's so easy to think that i'm being taken for granted at times. actions do speak for themselves. and rather loudly too. *shrugs* maybe i'm just reading too much.
my handphone has officially died on me. tsktsk. it's back to daddy's old nokia phone for now. haha. geez, that phone is ancient. nokia 6100. but a really good phone actually.
goodness gracious me! it's almost the end of february. hahaha. time flies. at least i have finally submitted my masters application. now i just have to pray that i get a placement!! or else i really really have to find a job.
i want to run off to somewhere... to some deserted beautiful island... with clear blue waters. but that's not going to happen anytime soon. bleh. have to properly move over to the rented house soon coz renovations are going to start. moving is so troublesome!!!
my parrot's latest word: "oei!". yup. he's been saying "oei!" to me the whole day!! i used to "oei!" him whenever i see him. i guess he must have finally learnt the word. so much for mocking me. haha. and he sounds just like me too. mummy thought it was me the whole time, until i asked her to look at him. and guess what. he has learnt to giggle like me too. *faint*
at least indulge me a little. *pout*
i'm still adjusting to not living in hall anymore. it's odd but i'm getting by. once upon a time, my boyfriend was only an arm's length away. even during his busy periods, i still saw him for most part. i miss doing stuff with him... studying, having meals, hanging out. yeah i do meet him every other day now but it's just not the same. it's difficult getting used to the fact that he is more than an arm's length away from me now. heh. it's weird. i miss him but he's so far away.
goverment is giving out money again - a sign that elections is definitely around the corner. haha. before elections they give out lots of money. after elections, they take back even more. think income taxes, ERP, COE, GST etc. you get the idea. *grin* they may be giving out $3.6b, but they will get back even more. that's money making for you. come to think of it, as long as there is a business that guarantees a huge profit, you can be sure that the business will be partly owned by the government. look at the airport, telecommunications, bank, power supply, gambling, and check out their latest addition: the "integrated resorts". to quote a taxi driver, the government is like "gangsters with license". mmmm... there is certain amount of truth to that. *wink*
did i tell you about the taxi driver who drove at 40km/h on the expressway and 30km/h on small roads???? even a road hogger drives faster than him. i was on the verge of vomitting blood this afternoon. obviously the word "LATE!!!" does not mean anything to that driver. when he was crawling at 30km/h along the winding road, i really wanted to strangle him. but i thought he would do better on the expressway. but NO! the needle on the speedometer NEVER went a millimeter past 60. i was using all my mind power to will the needle to move beyond 60 but no such luck. imagine me in the backseat, gritting my teeth, wringing my fingers and clenching my fists to prevent myself from screaming at the driver and strangling him. "breathe in, breathe out" suddenly carried a whole new meaning to me. i had to focus on breathing to restrain myself from losing my temper. it is not an easy task. believe me. even when i told him to drive faster, he had the audacity to say that the car in front of him was slow. i really didn't know whether to laugh or cry in exasperation. THERE WAS NO FUCKING CAR IN FRONT OF HIM!!!!! THE WHOLE EXPRESSWAY WAS EMPTY!!! oh my goodness oh my goodness. and the most frustrating part was that i was held captive in the cab. i wanted to get out and get another cab but i was on the middle of the expressway. there were NO other cabs around. at one traffic light, i actully saw an empty cab behind me (yes, i was looking around for cabs the whole time) and i contemplated jumping out and hopping into the one behind. but chances are i will get knocked down by some other car in the process.
the journey which usually takes 20 mins tops lasted an agonizing 30 mins (i was so late for class, i had to wait for the next one). did you think that was all? nooooooo. there's more. when i FINALLY reached, i gave him $50 and he said he got not enough change. faint. i didn't even bother to offer to get down to change. i just said "then how? i don't have smaller notes" and then i sat there. i figured since i was already so late for class, a few more minutes wouldn't make a difference. i was not about to solve the problem for him. so he got out of the cab and went to change money with another taxi driver behind. and while he was changing notes, guess what i did. there was this person waiting for the cab and i told him not to take the cab because the taxi driver crawls at 30km/h. hah. so he took the next cab instead. lalala. i did a good deed! i saved someone from the agony i went through.
trying very hard to sit down and complete my application essays by tonight. *yawn* my mind's a blank. i've got a headache and i'm feeling oh so tired!!! i sat through 200 mins of advanced theory class today. you can guess that i was only half listening the whole time. it gets a little dry!!! and 200 minutes is definitely too much for someone like me who has a short attention span. the only part of the class that grabbed my attention was when the teacher was talking about driving through floods. hahahahaha!! i can only think of ONE person who will drive through a flood.
anyway, i not stupid too is a must watch. it's a fantastic show, given that it's locally produced. if you thought i not stupid was good, this is even better. it's so close to heart, so real, so true. it portrays parents so accurately but even then there will be parents who will be in self-denial. haha. it is a show that everyone can identify with. so go watch it!!
argh this stupid laptop is so slow. keeps lagging. getting on my nerves.
back to essays. i almost forgot. already ready to go to sleep.
everyone seems to be so busy. *pouts*
nobody understands. they will never understand anyway. they think i'm making a big fuss over nothing. but it's not just that matter. it's everything else. it just adds up. and it is not going to go away; it will always be right there, staring right back into my face.
mummy told me my brother got his driving license already. my reply: so? i seriously do not care. i told her not to tell me anything which has got to do with him and his driving or i will start that argument about why is he allowed to take driving at 19 but not me. i also told her i anticipated this 4 years ago. if i were her, i would not argue with me. i am so fucking pissed off. i know she will not mention anything about my brother's license to me ever again because she knows that i will not hesitate to start a quarrel. and this is a quarrel i'm going to win. she's my mother, she knows that i have been holding my tongue on this topic for the longest time. i'm like a timebomb, waiting to explode anytime.
i am officially going to throw tantrums for the weeks to come. it has already started. i stormed right into the house just now and i'm not speaking to anyone of them, unless necessary. i'm like a huge field filled with landmines. watch me throw tantrums for the next few days and even weeks. watch me get my way. watch how they will all indulge me. my bet is that she will just let me be, leave me to sulk and not cross my path. she will not ask me why am i throwing tantrums (because she so obviously knows why) or even scold me for throwing tantrums because that will only serve as a cue for me to start that quarrel. and if my brother is going to be driving this weekend, you bet i will refuse to get into the car. it might not be his fault but i don't care.
valentine's day. ah. i was pleasantly surprised with a bouquet of roses by boyfriend. he's such a sweetheart! he remembered my favourite flowers: baby's breath. *grin grin grin grin* and that grin was plastered on my face all whole day long. haha i was thrilled to receive flowers. flowers on valentine's day, yeah i know it's cliché. but who cares!! a cliché can make a girl happy too! but the day didn't just end there... i was treated to dinner at a exquisite little restaurant at Chijmes. i would have used the word cosy but then there was this middle eastern dance duo who were doing their number that night. heh. thank you baby! i had a wonderful day.
i met the most interesting taxi driver yesterday!!! i have never met a taxi driver who so openly declared his hatred for indians. *grin* he told me how he hated picking up indian passengers unless he has no choice because they are horridly rude and smelly. he also said that the indians would stink up his whole cab after they left and then he would have to take dettol to wipe the seats to get rid of the smell. ho ho ho!! i was bursting out in peels of laughter when he told me that. oh my my my. and then there was this once when he had 2 indian ladies in his cab: a mother and daughter. they were both eating ba kua and after which, to his horror, started wiping their oily fingers on the seat!!! goodness gracious me. do they have NO manners at all? anyway guess what stunt the taxi uncle pulled on them? he started swerving the car and driving jerkily. then he stopped the car, told them his car was having engine problems, and asked them to get off. wahahahahahaha!!!!! he didn't even bother to collect money from them.
isn't that simply hilarious??? that taxi uncle is so funny!!! if i ever take his cab again, one thing's for sure: there ain't gonna be any spunky smell!!!
everyone thinks i should hold my tongue and not argue with mummy. *pouts* boyfriend said my parents are just being protective over me because character wise, me and my brother are world's apart. he insisted that my brother is so much more mature than me which is why my parents are more comfortable with the idea of him driving at 18 then me driving at 18. me driving at 18 equals not coming home and zipping around the island at nothing less than 100km/h. ggrrr. why is it the both boyfriend and parents think alike???
um forgot to add another line to that picture of the bike. i was also supposed to direct all the ardent female fans to the owner - luke cheok. (p.s.: he digs blondies.) other girls would describe him as a ladies' man with all the charms blah blah blah but nah, not me. haha. he's sweet as a person but has pretty complicated issues when it comes to relationships. heh.
i'm so tempted to pick a fight with mummy. it's RIGHT on the tip of my tongue. i'm literally curling up my tongue now to stop the opening sentence from shooting out. it's an argument waiting to happen. they made such a big hooha over me wanting to take driving when i was 18 but they didn't even mutter a single word when my brother is taking it now. i knew this was going to happen anyway. i waited 4 years for it to finally materialise. oh this is one argument i'm definitely not backing down from.
my brother always gets away easy. when i'm not home by 12, they will call and ask me what time i'm coming home. when my brother is not back by 12, they just go to bed. i asked her why, and she said coz he's a guy and it's more dangerous for a girl to stay out late. oh really? fine.
i want to see what she has to say this time about the driving. i am SO going to bring this matter up. *humph*
i'm beginning to hate banks. for TWO very valid reasons!
i just realised that DBS has been quietly charging me $2 every month (for goodness knows how long!!!) all because my balance in that account has fallen below $500. i'm already thinking of withdrawing everything. why would i want to leave $500 sitting in a bank like that! i would rather take the money and go shopping! geez. the interest earned is so miserly, i get higher returns from spending it.
and now that i've graduated, my uob campus card is going to expire and i have to change chequing accounts. and the other chequing accounts at uob is crazy lah. i'm supposed to maintain a monthly balance of $3000 or else they will charge me $7.50/mth. again, if i have $3000, it will not be in the bank. i will take my money out on a shopping trip! goodness gracious me. don't the banks understand that dollars and cents have the right to be taken shopping too????? do they seriously expect them to just sit around idly in the bank vaults????!!!!!
wouldn't you take a moment to check out this beauty?
i'm not a huge fan of bikes but i must admit that this one is quite a looker! i am mesmerized. check out her slim waist and sexy full figure. *wolf whistle*
oh btw, the owner wants me to mention that, and i quote, "the owner of the bike is just as sexy", unquote. i beg to differ. hahahaha!!!
why is it always never enough for guys? a friend of mine found out that her boyfriend was having cybersex with random girls online and she totally flipped. he argued that it's nothing and that he loves her blah blah blah. i don't understand. she's a hot babe and they are great together. why would her boyfriend chat up random girls on the internet? *raise an eyebrow* what's the deal with cybersex anyway? the element of mystery? or that very very very slight possibility that cybersex would not count as cheating since everything is happening in the virtual space? grow up, guys. that is so fighting against your conscience. if you have to find an excuse to get away with something, then that something is so obviously wrong! in any case, it's the intent that counts. if proof of intent is enough to be found guilty in courts, then proof of intent is good enough for me. and besides, we all know the postal code rule only exists in movies or maybe only if your other half is just a fling and nothing serious.
and fyi, cybersex still counts as cheating. tough luck. hah.
oh and you know what's the other funny thing? guys are usually oh wait. correction: ALWAYS more forgiving toward themselves. example. girl confronts guy about cheating. guy will magically produce a whole string of reasons and excuses to squirm out of the hot seat, even if he is guilty. but say it's the guy confronting the girl for the same thing. do you think guy will even listen to girl? no way! guy will declare verdict even faster than you can say "abc".
packing, cleaning, packing and more cleaning. that's what i've been doing and will be doing for the rest of the month. *faint* have to clean up that rented place and pack everything in the present house into boxes to move over. i D.R.E.A.D packing. for the past few years, i managed to get away with minimal packing every time spring cleaning. come chinese new year's eve, i would throw away some stuff and chuck the rest into drawers, cupboards etc, which ever that still had space. hahaha. and now i have to empty every single one. don't even know which part of my room to start. decided to start with the storybooks coz they look the easiest and most harmless. goodness gracious me, i never realised how many books i have accumulated. i've only cleared one shelf and i've already used up 2 big boxes. there's still 5 more shelves to go!!! and not to mention the rest of my room. help. i have a feeling that i will eventually get frustrated with packing and end up throwing away everything except my clothes, accesories, wallets, bags and shoes. renovation starts in march... which means i have to be done moving by end of feb, which is really soon. yikes.
now here's a question:
In light of the increasing globalisation of economies and it's impact on the financial services industry, what are the key initiatives and strategies regional banks should consider to create a niche/ competitive edge; and what do you envisage your role to be in this changing environment? (Maximum 500 words)
*gag* i was merrily filling up the online application form for DBS' MA program when this question crept up on me while i was scrolling down the page. *yawn* tempted to just close the whole page. hahaha.
ah! i know who will have answers to this kind of questions! either daddy or one of my cousins. *grin* ta da!
