For the first time in my life, I finally won something at a lottery draw! This very memorable event happened at the Dinner & Dance party (which was also a first that I've been to here in Singapore) that we had in the company. It was quite a big event because the head company was sponsoring it and there were investors that attended.
So, there we were... lining up for a while at the registration table and picking out our lottery numbers. I was quite the pessimist at that time considering that I have never won anything at company lottery events before.
I remember the time in the previous company that I worked for in Cebu. It was the Christmas lottery and everyone had a big chance of getting something... anything! The only rule was that if you won a minor prize, then you're not qualified for the major prizes anymore. So okay, everybody was excited... at least, you get something right? Everybody was hoping that our names won't be picked for the minor prizes... me included... I should have been just happy with a minor prize hehehe As luck would have bestowed upon me, I ended up with nothing. Imagine my disappointment... maski mug na lang, wala jud!
So anyway, I was quite the pessimist at the Dinner & Dance party ;) It turns out that the rule for the lottery was the same as the one that we had with my previous company in Cebu... already have minor prize one? no major prize one!
One by one, my officemates' names were called for the minor prizes... their heads shaking in disappointment... while I was seriously hoping that I'd get at least one of those $20 vouchers :p hehehe! Pathetic, I know. Then my officemates started gathering at my table because they said that I was the only one left that wasn't called from our company. They were all blabbering excitedly that I might have the chance to win the first prize... a whooping $2088 cash! They were excited... while I was busy composing myself and practicing how to hide my disappointment again if I ended up winning nothing at all.
Then suddenly... there it was... the sweet sound of my lottery ticket number being called.
859.... number 859... please come up on stage and claim your prize!
It was as if the heavens opened up and the angels were singing and showering me with flowers... thank you, thank you! Actually, it didn't happen that way exactly but it still felt good! And my prize was... $350 voucher for a shopping spree at Takashimaya mall! yahooo!
Needless to say, I went to Takashimaya the very next weekend and spent $200 right away. I'll be going back there sometime before this month ends so that I can still make the most out of the Great Singapore Sale ;)
Shopping! Shopping!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Free Kayak Ride
When I was taking the bus to the office just this morning (I transferred to a room nearer to our office now, by the way), I happened to notice an advertisement board that didn't fail to get my attention because it was posted by the intersection and it was a fairly big board.
On the board was a picture of a young couple aboard a kayak. They appeared to be having fun while navigating the kayak in what looked like to be a river. I glanced at the upper part of the board and read their catchy statement...
"FOR RENT! 1-Hour Stay-On-Top River Kayak Ride!"
Hmmm... Does this mean that if I... uhhh... stay-down-below or under the river, the kayak ride will be for free?
It's no wonder that the couple on the advertisement seemed to be happy and having fun, they might have been laughing at other couples who chose to get the free kayak ride.
On the board was a picture of a young couple aboard a kayak. They appeared to be having fun while navigating the kayak in what looked like to be a river. I glanced at the upper part of the board and read their catchy statement...
"FOR RENT! 1-Hour Stay-On-Top River Kayak Ride!"
Hmmm... Does this mean that if I... uhhh... stay-down-below or under the river, the kayak ride will be for free?
It's no wonder that the couple on the advertisement seemed to be happy and having fun, they might have been laughing at other couples who chose to get the free kayak ride.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Hot Chick
"...and your ability to tie a cherry with your tongue..."
now how did they know I can do that? lol! ;)
now how did they know I can do that? lol! ;)
| You Are Definitely a Hot Chick |
 While your little black book isn't as thick as Paris Hilton's... You get the most dates of any girl you know It's your whole five star package that attracts men - Your looks, your charm, and your ability to tie a cherry with your tongue. |
A Man's World
How I ended up working on circuits, motors, conveyors, PLCs, and sensors continues to elude me. But, here I am... tinkering gingerly at a terminal board and praying silently that I connected it to the right voltage before switching it on. *Blip* I gave out a sigh of relief as the motor turned on and the LEDs started flashing.
"So far, so good. No smoke coming out... yet."
For as far as I can remember, I've only immersed myself in software programming... C, C++, Visual C++, VB, Oracle... uhhhh, what am I doing? This isnt a CV! Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I've never imagined myself to be involved in hardware programming. I've always thought about it as all being wires and circuits with just a little of "real" programming thrown in. I got the chance to expose myself to more hardware experience when I accepted the job as Project Engineer. This would mean that aside from designing and implementing the software application on the front-end, I would also be responsible for setting up hardware configurations and actual memory address mapping to control machines and drivers. As it turns out, the prospect of learning something entirely new to me has piqued my interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm... and it's definitely more than just all wires and circuits... it also means fresh blood... because a fatal error in the programming logic and configuration could actually result in injuring somebody ;)
As usual, I'm one of the few girls who work in this field... or rather, I'm the only girl in the project engineering department in our company while all the other girls work in admin. The only other girl I've met so far in this field is from Vietnam who graduated with a degree from England. She's easily one of the smartest girls i've met and pretty, too... magkasinabut jud mi! We met at a Wonderware training and... surprise... we were the only girls there. During one of those lunch breaks in the training, an unavoidable question popped up. She asked me, "Do you find it difficult working in this field? I mean, being in a field where most of your workmates are guys?"
Without hesitation, I said with a small smile, "Yes, it was definitely difficult at first. But you get used to it. Especially if we work on-site and the only nearby toilets are for the guys while we have to walk to the other side just to go to the ladies' toilet."
She just nodded and laughed. We didn't talk much about it then but shifted to other topics more interesting... places to go to and sights to see. We didn't need to talk about it more because we silently acknowledged the undeniable fact that we are in a male-dominated field. The industry of software programming already has more males than females... how much more working in hardware programming.
The field is indeed challenging in more ways than one. Aside from coping with all the hardware and engineering concepts that weren't part of my lessons during college, the few girls in this field also have to cope with the whole situation emotionally. Guys being guys, females get more unwanted attention than we would care to get. It's flattering but it gets tiring and annoying especially since I would really just like to focus on working and not worry about leers and stares whenever I bend or lean over to adjust wiring configurations. I've already given up wearing those girly tops, pants and sandals that I was used to wearing before just so I could blend in more whenever we go to a project site... I even went back to wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses on weekdays (but wa man jud ko mabuhat... mutanaw ra man gihapon ang mga lalaki... LOL!).
I really appreciate the few times when some guys give me the freedom to do what I need to do with my job. There are some guys who don't stare or gawk when a serious task is at hand. They actually ask me to go and check on a driver or set the configurations for a motor manually... sigh... some guys just know how to boss me around the right way. With the right guy giving the orders, I find it to be a real turn-on hahaha! joke! ;)
As it turns out, I like proving my capabilities in this male-dominated field. (It's just like the occasional kicking of a guy's ass in a warcraft normal game or in DOTA... nyahaha!). I do admit that I'm new in a lot of things here. I admit that I still have a lot of things to learn. I admit that I've already made a lot of mistakes and will continue to keep on making them... but hey... proving that I also have what it takes to be here and seeing those looks of approval from experienced people makes it all worth it.
"So far, so good. No smoke coming out... yet."
For as far as I can remember, I've only immersed myself in software programming... C, C++, Visual C++, VB, Oracle... uhhhh, what am I doing? This isnt a CV! Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I've never imagined myself to be involved in hardware programming. I've always thought about it as all being wires and circuits with just a little of "real" programming thrown in. I got the chance to expose myself to more hardware experience when I accepted the job as Project Engineer. This would mean that aside from designing and implementing the software application on the front-end, I would also be responsible for setting up hardware configurations and actual memory address mapping to control machines and drivers. As it turns out, the prospect of learning something entirely new to me has piqued my interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm... and it's definitely more than just all wires and circuits... it also means fresh blood... because a fatal error in the programming logic and configuration could actually result in injuring somebody ;)
As usual, I'm one of the few girls who work in this field... or rather, I'm the only girl in the project engineering department in our company while all the other girls work in admin. The only other girl I've met so far in this field is from Vietnam who graduated with a degree from England. She's easily one of the smartest girls i've met and pretty, too... magkasinabut jud mi! We met at a Wonderware training and... surprise... we were the only girls there. During one of those lunch breaks in the training, an unavoidable question popped up. She asked me, "Do you find it difficult working in this field? I mean, being in a field where most of your workmates are guys?"
Without hesitation, I said with a small smile, "Yes, it was definitely difficult at first. But you get used to it. Especially if we work on-site and the only nearby toilets are for the guys while we have to walk to the other side just to go to the ladies' toilet."
She just nodded and laughed. We didn't talk much about it then but shifted to other topics more interesting... places to go to and sights to see. We didn't need to talk about it more because we silently acknowledged the undeniable fact that we are in a male-dominated field. The industry of software programming already has more males than females... how much more working in hardware programming.
The field is indeed challenging in more ways than one. Aside from coping with all the hardware and engineering concepts that weren't part of my lessons during college, the few girls in this field also have to cope with the whole situation emotionally. Guys being guys, females get more unwanted attention than we would care to get. It's flattering but it gets tiring and annoying especially since I would really just like to focus on working and not worry about leers and stares whenever I bend or lean over to adjust wiring configurations. I've already given up wearing those girly tops, pants and sandals that I was used to wearing before just so I could blend in more whenever we go to a project site... I even went back to wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses on weekdays (but wa man jud ko mabuhat... mutanaw ra man gihapon ang mga lalaki... LOL!).
I really appreciate the few times when some guys give me the freedom to do what I need to do with my job. There are some guys who don't stare or gawk when a serious task is at hand. They actually ask me to go and check on a driver or set the configurations for a motor manually... sigh... some guys just know how to boss me around the right way. With the right guy giving the orders, I find it to be a real turn-on hahaha! joke! ;)
As it turns out, I like proving my capabilities in this male-dominated field. (It's just like the occasional kicking of a guy's ass in a warcraft normal game or in DOTA... nyahaha!). I do admit that I'm new in a lot of things here. I admit that I still have a lot of things to learn. I admit that I've already made a lot of mistakes and will continue to keep on making them... but hey... proving that I also have what it takes to be here and seeing those looks of approval from experienced people makes it all worth it.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hansum!
I know that this is a little cruel but I just really had to share this short but, nonetheless, interesting conversation that I had with an officemate. This officemate of mine is from Myanmar and has been working in the company at least 3months longer than I have. He has a heavy accent when he speaks and this causes me to raise an eyebrow and repeatedly ask what he just said. He has this "astig" aura especially since he's one of the more experienced people in hardware... and this is one of the reasons why our conversation this afternoon is just one of those that I just had to share... :D
We went to the Siemens building for a basic training on their new programmable logic controller series (I know, boring). Anyway, after an hour of boring and seemingly-useless lecture, the instructor finally decided to give us a short break... thank goodness! So there I was in the Siemens pantry with 4 other officemates, drinking coffee and talking about Prison Break and Heroes ;)
Then this guy from Myanmar suddenly bursts out and says...
HIM: "This guy from Prison Break ah, the one with the tattoos, he very hansum!"
My coffee cup stops midway to my mouth and I go very still. Time slows down as I struggle to compose myself and manage to look at him with a straight face.
ME: "Uh, you find him handsome?"
HIM: "Yeah lah. He has very nice build, no fat."
I smiled and decided to play along.
ME: "He does look good, doesn't he? With those captivating eyes."
HIM: "I like him when he wear business suit. Very nice..."
I am still speechless and still couldn't believe that this masculine guy also finds one of my Hollywood crushes attractive.
ME: "Yes, he... uhhh..."
HIM: "I like his tattoos lah. Very nice..."
And he proceeds to cross his legs, almost like a woman who fantasizes about a possible affair with a stranger. I look around and thought about calling the other guys over to hear this new revelation but thought twice about it.
What the heck... it's not every day that I find somebody to talk about Hollywood hunks in the office. I took a big gulp from my coffee and smiled... decided to just sit back and enjoy this interesting conversation.
ME: "So... what do you think about the actor who plays Lincoln...?"
--------------
Additional thoughts for the day, the people in the condo were just hanging out and a couple of them were jamming with the guitar and singing along. Suddenly, a guy mentioned a song that I still have to find...
XXX: "Bai! Tukara pud 'tong The Savior Is A Child ni Gary V.!!!"
*peace na lang daan*
;)
We went to the Siemens building for a basic training on their new programmable logic controller series (I know, boring). Anyway, after an hour of boring and seemingly-useless lecture, the instructor finally decided to give us a short break... thank goodness! So there I was in the Siemens pantry with 4 other officemates, drinking coffee and talking about Prison Break and Heroes ;)
Then this guy from Myanmar suddenly bursts out and says...
HIM: "This guy from Prison Break ah, the one with the tattoos, he very hansum!"
My coffee cup stops midway to my mouth and I go very still. Time slows down as I struggle to compose myself and manage to look at him with a straight face.
ME: "Uh, you find him handsome?"
HIM: "Yeah lah. He has very nice build, no fat."
I smiled and decided to play along.
ME: "He does look good, doesn't he? With those captivating eyes."
HIM: "I like him when he wear business suit. Very nice..."
I am still speechless and still couldn't believe that this masculine guy also finds one of my Hollywood crushes attractive.
ME: "Yes, he... uhhh..."
HIM: "I like his tattoos lah. Very nice..."
And he proceeds to cross his legs, almost like a woman who fantasizes about a possible affair with a stranger. I look around and thought about calling the other guys over to hear this new revelation but thought twice about it.
What the heck... it's not every day that I find somebody to talk about Hollywood hunks in the office. I took a big gulp from my coffee and smiled... decided to just sit back and enjoy this interesting conversation.
ME: "So... what do you think about the actor who plays Lincoln...?"
--------------
Additional thoughts for the day, the people in the condo were just hanging out and a couple of them were jamming with the guitar and singing along. Suddenly, a guy mentioned a song that I still have to find...
XXX: "Bai! Tukara pud 'tong The Savior Is A Child ni Gary V.!!!"
*peace na lang daan*
;)
Friday, June 1, 2007
Singapore 101: Basic Sing-Lish
As with any country, foreigners encounter issues due to the language barrier the first few times... to some it may be a few, to some it may be many. Since there are more than a few people who plan on coming here already *wink*, I would like to provide some examples (or warnings, if you prefer) of certain phrases that you will, most probably, meet up with:
1) "Having here or take away?"
Me: One zinger meal please.
KFC cashier: Having here or take away? *with heavy accent*
*Didnt quite get what she said.
All I could hear was "blah-blah-blah?"
I guess...*
Me: Tomato ketchup, no chili.
*Blinks... awkward silence for a few seconds and nods, takes 3 packets of ketchup and places it on my tray.*
KFC cashier: Having here or take away?
*Still didnt get what she said. Guess again...*
Me: Dine in.
*Takes a deep breath and speaks veryyyy slowly*
KFC cashier: Having here? *Points to the floor* Or take away? *Makes a carrying gesture like holding up a plastic bag*
*Lightbulb!*
Me: Ooooh! *Big smile* Having here.
2) "Can" or "Cannot"
Me: Is it okay if I study these specification documents first before I go through the software?
Officemate 1: Caaaaaaaan!
*Looking up from the documents*
Me: Huh? Excuse me?
Officemate 1: Can study documents first.
Me: uhhhm... okay.
---------
Officemate 1: I take out wires from PLC and you reconnect then test. Can?
Me: Ye-... Can.
3) "Correct or not?"
Officemate 2: We need to set limits with Seagate, lah. We cannot go and fix, go and fix when they call. Seagate staff need to learn software, lah... correct or not?"
*Nods.*
4) the "one"
Officemate 3: That I can understand one lah... But this I cannot understand one, mah?
*Maybe I need to help him review his numbers aside from 1*
5) "twa" (this is a special case... only one of my officemates uses this)
Officemate 4: You connect Pin 1 with 24V. Correct or not?
Me: *nods*
Officemate 4: Then connect Pin twa with A I/O.
Me: Huh? Connect Pin twa?
Officemate 4: *nods vigorously* Yes! See in circuit diagram to connect Pin twa.
Me: *Eyebrows furrow together, trying to figure out which is Pin twa.
Pin two, maybe?
Starts counting the pins to where he connected A I/O.
One, two... (wrong guess on Pin two)... nine, ten, eleven, twelve...*
Oh... you mean Pin twelve?
Officemate 4: Yeah lah!!! That's what I say lah!
**************
You might have noticed that most of my examples are of my officemates. I just took this opportunity to get back at them for obviously talking about me right in front of my face... of course, they were speaking in Mandarin.
Shucks... poor me and my poor English... Correct or not?
1) "Having here or take away?"
Me: One zinger meal please.
KFC cashier: Having here or take away? *with heavy accent*
*Didnt quite get what she said.
All I could hear was "blah-blah-blah?"
I guess...*
Me: Tomato ketchup, no chili.
*Blinks... awkward silence for a few seconds and nods, takes 3 packets of ketchup and places it on my tray.*
KFC cashier: Having here or take away?
*Still didnt get what she said. Guess again...*
Me: Dine in.
*Takes a deep breath and speaks veryyyy slowly*
KFC cashier: Having here? *Points to the floor* Or take away? *Makes a carrying gesture like holding up a plastic bag*
*Lightbulb!*
Me: Ooooh! *Big smile* Having here.
2) "Can" or "Cannot"
Me: Is it okay if I study these specification documents first before I go through the software?
Officemate 1: Caaaaaaaan!
*Looking up from the documents*
Me: Huh? Excuse me?
Officemate 1: Can study documents first.
Me: uhhhm... okay.
---------
Officemate 1: I take out wires from PLC and you reconnect then test. Can?
Me: Ye-... Can.
3) "Correct or not?"
Officemate 2: We need to set limits with Seagate, lah. We cannot go and fix, go and fix when they call. Seagate staff need to learn software, lah... correct or not?"
*Nods.*
4) the "one"
Officemate 3: That I can understand one lah... But this I cannot understand one, mah?
*Maybe I need to help him review his numbers aside from 1*
5) "twa" (this is a special case... only one of my officemates uses this)
Officemate 4: You connect Pin 1 with 24V. Correct or not?
Me: *nods*
Officemate 4: Then connect Pin twa with A I/O.
Me: Huh? Connect Pin twa?
Officemate 4: *nods vigorously* Yes! See in circuit diagram to connect Pin twa.
Me: *Eyebrows furrow together, trying to figure out which is Pin twa.
Pin two, maybe?
Starts counting the pins to where he connected A I/O.
One, two... (wrong guess on Pin two)... nine, ten, eleven, twelve...*
Oh... you mean Pin twelve?
Officemate 4: Yeah lah!!! That's what I say lah!
**************
You might have noticed that most of my examples are of my officemates. I just took this opportunity to get back at them for obviously talking about me right in front of my face... of course, they were speaking in Mandarin.
Shucks... poor me and my poor English... Correct or not?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
My Demise
It was a cold and rainy late afternoon in Singapore. I was patiently waiting in line for Bus 965 on the way home. Clutching my laptop bag nearer so as not to bump into other people, my thoughts started wandering and I soon found myself in almost-la-la land. After 10 minutes, the bus showed up around the corner and passengers began shifting closer to the door.
Almost instinctively, I took out my EZlink card and held it in front of the scanner... *beep*... another 60 cents in the very-convenient-transportation-system pocket.
I looked ahead at the available seats and checked my favorite spot, several rows from the back and on an elevated platform... nobody has taken it yet. I settled down on the seat right next to the window and took out my earphones, turned on the player and looked out the window, drowning myself in Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". The bus started on the way out the station and I closed my eyes to catch a quick nap before reaching the condo.
After some time, I heard the soft beep that signaled the bus to stop. More interested in getting some sleep, I still closed my eyes.... aware of other passengers coming on board the bus. Deciding that I wasn't going to get any sleep soon, I opened my eyes... and there he was... glancing at the empty seat beside me and making his way towards it.
He plopped right down next to me and stole a glance at my sleepy face... I turned my face away from him, looked out the window and tried my best to hide the feelings that suddenly surfaced. I closed my eyes once more and forced myself to forget that he was there... that I didn't notice his overwhelming presence... but I just couldn't... I am weak...
I could feel the tears starting to form at the corners of my eyes and I blinked several times rapidly to make them go away... then I just gave up and squeezed my eyes shut. I squeezed my eyes shut harder... ... and I couldn't stop asking myself... why?
Why did this anap have to take this seat next to me...? Why doesn't he just eat less spices... or better yet... none at all? Why does it have to be me who has to bear his "earthly" odor...
Why???!!!
Why???!!!
Thunder clapped loudly... a witness to my demise on the 30-minute bus ride home as a single tear falls unbidden down my cheek...
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