Motivation

People may wonder what keeps me going.

How I can leap out of bed in the morning with very little sleep, dash to work and go through a whole day at work with my fingers constantly moving on the keyboard and clicking the mouse, as my eyes dart about the screen while listening to music via headphones.

How a chatterbox like me can concentrate and hardly talk to anyone for about 14 hours a day (I finish about 10pm or 11pm... it'll be nearly midnight with year end in view since system time is going to be extended until 11:59pm) except via the internal instant messenger (I admit that I even IM the person sitting next to me rather than use my voice... which is suffering neglect).

How I can keep on going and going night after night and break my own records.

How I can suddenly become active, talkative and smiling while waiting for the lift to take me out of the office when everyone looks very obviously fatigued.

The answer is knowing what one is working for...

I know it.

And the need for excellence...

I have it.
(I sometimes wished I had less of it but mediocracy does not sit very well with me)

Go! Go! Flowerweed!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Interesting Derivatives

I am interested in languages and have always been intrigued by the study of languages (especially their uniqueness and similarities). I am lucky enough to be able to understand and appreciate a few of them... Not many, but enough to understand and appreciate aspects such as the sematics, syntax, influences by culture, etc. I find people who only know one language, or two that are of the similar type, find it difficult to grasp why a new foreign language is so different. (Why are words arranged like that in Japanese? They actually have to say it like that in French? Why don't they have alphabets in Chinese? So, what's all that with combining sounds together to forms words in Korean or Arabic?)

I digress. My main intention when logging in today was to share something I heard about 2 or 3 days ago. It's actually in Cantonese. My grasp of Cantonese is such that I understand perfectly when listening. In terms of speaking, I have a very heavy foreign accent which sometimes borders on mispronounciation. And the reading is rather slow and painful (I tend to fall back on my Chinese when reading because it is better but, very often, sentences won't make much sense if I do since the vocabulary is rather different even though the sentence structure is pretty much the same).

Here is the piece, translated as best as I can, albeit a bit summarised:

'Have you ever noticed that the word (or character) "busy" is made of of two parts? One part is the "heart" and the other is "death".'.... 'So, the next time someone calls you up and asks how you are, you can say, "I am so busy, my heart died."'

My heart died.

Double meaning intended.

Freaky Stats

This is rather freaky as you can actually see the stats change so fast before your eyes. Makes you feel the vastness of the world.

http://www.worldometers.info/

Coffee

My coffee intake has increased. It has doubled this week. This is very noticeable since I have been consciously trying to avoid coffee ever since my uni days. For some years now, I minimise drinking coffee (not because I dislike the taste, but because it sometimes upsets my stomach). I am partial to good tea but I also drink other beverages.

My office has free flow of the following beverages from the machines located at various places on each floor: Nescafe, Expresso, Cappucino, Cafe Mocha, Chococino, Nestea and Milo. We also have tea bags and separate sugar and creamer if that is what the staff prefers. Otherwise, one can always spend some money and purchase from the vending machines or other vendors (for the latter option, one has to walk further).

I tend to drink a lot of Nestea and Milo (both very sweet and need diluting with hot water) when in need of warm beverage to keep me warm in the cold office. Then, I started drinking one Mocha a day (usually in the afternoon) to help me through the day. The time will be around 3 or 3:30pm which is a good "mid point" to get up and get coffee (I work from 8:30am to 9:00pm on a weekdays, and until 5pm on Sat... but I lay off coffee on weekends). Nowadays, I feel very drained and working hours are being extended. I find with having things to do at home, I do not sleep until past midnight at the earliest. This has led to one coffee (Mocha, but sometimes Cappucino) when I arrive in the office and log onto the system while munching my breakfast, and another about 2pm when the effects of the first has worn off with the assistance of post-lunch lethargy. I also drink tea (trying to lay off the extra sweet stuff and switch to tea bags with very little sugar) and Milo occasionally for variety. Good thing the company keeps us well caffeinated.

I am looking forward to Sunday. It's my only day of rest. Good thing Christmas is on a Sunday this year, otherwise it'd be pretty glum. Well, think of me eating crappy dinner of doubtful hygiene at my desk in the office Christmas Eve, Boxing day and New Year's Eve this year. If you dare to complain about anything, may you choke on your turkey... or whatever you're having.

NB: I know it was mean but I am human too.

News

I am waiting for news. Why is there none? I loathe being kept waiting.

Another Wedding... Another Reunion...

Another wedding meaning another reunion to attend. Ah... "So soon?", I hear you say. Nay, not at all. They are too few and far in between to break the monotony and give a proper excuse for people to congregate, albeit a bit expensively (given the gifts, travel, accommodation, etc. required).

I've sort of decided who will be the next person to get married. It seems rather logical. I shall be awaiting news from the prospective wedding couple. Perhaps a tentative wedding invitation will be issued within the next year... ? However, if someone else decides to go first, it will not disappoint me at all.

Statements

My problems are miniscule.
Yes, they are.
What problems?
I have none.
Life is beautiful.
If it is not, I'll have to find a way to make it so.