Japanese Name... Cool...

My japanese name is 松尾 Matsuo (tail of a pine tree) 明 Akira (bright).
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Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Intelligence Degradation?

Well, i think what is to follow will probably induce some people to contemplate printing their fist-marks on my face... LOL...

If online IQ tests were any accurate indication of one's true level of intelligence in terms of logic and comprehension, then i might have a degrading Intelligence Quotient. I think it was back in August 2002, i had attempted an online IQ test and obtained a score of 135. Well, not fantastically impressive, but considering how some people actually recognise a score of 140 as being pretty genius,... So i wasn't too far off, was i?

Well, close to 3 years down the road, having completed uni and sort of 'over and done with' academic pursuits (at least for now...), i took the same test again and only managed 127. It seems 120 is pretty much the average IQ a grown adult show have. So on the positive side, I've slightly smarter than the usual??? ( I hope... :P)On the down side, I'M GETTING STUPID~! How sad is that? Maybe it's the fatique after work + 2.5 hours of Overtime. (Ah~! I hear people murmuring in the background already. *excuses, excuses...*)

Hey, i kill alot of brain cells in order to do a service to mankind by trying to detect unlawful funds, k? So better learn to respect my job. Hey wait, i'm beginning to act like an idiot. See? I'm losing it? Ah! Stupidity has caught up with me again...

Come to the Festival of Praise!

The dangers of electronic communications

Just a few hours ago, my beloved cell group leader messaged me on MSN to say hello. I happened to be chatting with another cell member, and was typing pretty fast. (I'm actually terrible at typing quickly...), so in my haste to respond, i had typed 'hello' and typed the 'Enter' key a little too fast (reflex action, maybe.. ) and the letter 'o' at the end didn't go out with the first line of text.

DISASTER~!!! You know what that would spell right? It spelt 'Hell'... Managed to rectify the mistake, but it then reminds me of a lecture i had in university for 'Internet Communications Strategies'.Electronic communication is so unlike our normal face-to-face communication, where our facial/body expressions can give a more accurate picture of what we are trying to convey.Or written communications, whereby we can still get a shot at retrieving our messages as long as it has not been physically handed to the receipient, whether intended or unintended.

Electronic communications like Email or instant messaging is so different. Once the message is sent, how the receipient interprets it is entirely out of our hands.

I mean, in my case, you would easily have brushed off the response as a joke, cos you can't possible (or rather, logically) respond to a "hello" with a smile accompanied with "Hell". Imagine how 'off' that would be?

More discussion to follow.

Comments?

Incredible Character

Which Incredibles Character Are You?
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Here's another quiz... I'll smash my face if i had his chin though...

Sniff Season is here again.

There seems to be an epidemic of the flu bug lately. Wonder why? Is it b'cos me? Hmm...

My 4th week into my job now... So far, so good, though i still crave to be taught more stuff. My job function lets me work independently, so i kinda like the solidarity at times. But then it would also be good to interact more, so maybe i shall try to go 'cubicle surfing' tomorrow if it's not too busy.

Having a kind of writer's block lately in terms of blogging. Haven't had the inspiration or the energy to write anything.Either i'm too mentally tired after work, or i have a deterorating memory, so much that i have difficulty recollecting my day. Maybe i should just keep a notepad with me to write down my thoughts throughout the day and transcribe it on to the blog when i get back home after work.

Yea~! I got the job!

Hahahahaha... I don't know how to contain my joy now.

Well, about the job offer in the morning, i went for a brief interview at the recruitment agency in the afternoon, and guess what? The manager at the bank replied the agency and I got the job at about 5pm this evening! Quick huh? Couldn't believe it!

Starting work tomorrow morning. Actually the hirer was Standard Chartered Bank. Which makes me even happier, cos i had previously been turned down by them after an aptitude test. I guess this is really divine intervention that allows me to have a second opportunity to work for them. Praise the Lord! God is soo good to me this weekend, that i'm beginning to feel so unworthy of such an avalanche of favour from the Lord Father.

Psalms 37:3-5
Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass

A job on the way?

Was woken up abruptly this morning by the ringing of my mobile phone. Feeling a little sheepish from a lack of sleep, it took me quite a while to walk over to my desk (which seemed like a mile when your eyes are half-shut). It was a lady from a recruitment agency asking me if i was interested in a position that they had. Wow, i never knew an adrenaline rush could be so rapid... from a 'half-alive' condition, i immediately sprang into life, and put on my 'chirpy & sunshine' mode.

It was for a temp position at a foreign bank.Now, there are quite a few things that i like about this offer:
1. It's for a foreign bank. Typically challenging but rewarding.
2. It's based in Tampines Central which means i can beat the morning MRT crowd since i live nearby.
3. It's temp, but the conversion rate to perm or contract basis is quite high at 80 - 90% (at least that's what the lady told me...)
4. It's involving Credit & Corporate Finance work. The chances of transferring to analysis dept is also quite high, depending on performance.

Almost everything i ever wanted so far. At the beginning of March, God had put in me a vision that He has the perfect job for me, and all i have to do is be patient and trust in His timing. Of late, i was quite disappointed with job searching already, owing to the poor response rate to my 'resume-shooting' frenzy. Then this offer came along. Is this God coming through for me?

Enneagram Test

Saw the link on LC's site, so decided to give it a go as well.

Amazing results:

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism 66% Type 2 Helpfulness 58% Type 3 Image Focus 74% Type 4 Hypersensitivity 18% Type 5 Detachment 54% Type 6 Anxiety 62% Type 7 Adventurousness 62% Type 8 Aggressiveness 62% Type 9 Calmness 66% Your main type is 3 Your variant is sexual

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Jehovah Rophe! God the Healer!

Halleluiah! Praise the Lord!

First of all, i must say the Easter celebration at Singapore Indoor Stadium is 'fanta-bulous'~! Praise God for the giftings and annointings that He has given to His people. I knew we had a great drama team and dance team, but they never fail to impress me time and time again. As i was watching the performance, what i saw was beyond what was on the stage. Rather from the whole cheorographing of the whole show, one can't help but to notice the spirit of excellence behind every worker, from drama, dance, makeup & costumes, sound, lighting, pyrotechnics, vocals, even the ushers & security people. This is what is would like to call, 'Pure Professionalism'.

Seeing the crowds that came forward to receive Christ into their lives never fails to bring a tear of joy to my eyes. When one person comes to Christ, the whole of heaven rejoice! Let alone half a stadium!? It's like seeing so many 'babies' being born at the same. Oh~, a tear...

You know what's particularly exciting for me? My Dad, who's deaf in one ear since young has had his hearing in the other ear reduced by half over the past 2 years. Towards the end of the service, Ps. Kong decided that we should have a time of healing. So the congregation did all we could to usher in the healing presence of God. As another brother prayed for my Dad, the presence of God came upon my Dad and restored hearing to his half-functional ear! Wow! God is so amazing!

The Easter Story 2005

Come join in the Easter Services and discover the Easter Story.

26-27th March 2005 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium!

Quietly shedding the kilos

Oh, somehow someone just made my day by sharing with me an observation that resulted in a smile that just wouldn't seem to go away.

Well, Planetshakers was in town for Synergiz Conference, so i invited a former housemate & her friend to come along for the night rally tonight. Turns out to be a short but enjoyable time praising God in the air-conditioned 'tentage' on the lawn of Downtown East. Well, the usual 'supper after some exercise' routine never fails to win me over, so we went for some roti john. That was when my nice housemate whom i have not met since September last year commented that i slimmed down. Ok, i'm a little vain (in a sense), so i was VERY happy. But then again, my face still looks like a mooncake. So i wonder if the comment was just another consolation... Nevertheless, it still perked me up, and made me even more determined to continue the good work & exercise. Even more so, when i look at my desk calendar and realised that i have only 9 months left to clear my IPPT for this year's window.

Ok, *kampate~!!*, *Jia You~!*

1SIR 11th Mono-Intake Specialist ORD Parade

It's finally showtime. After many days of tiring rehearsals, 'burnt' leave and off days, many 'NG' attempts at what i would call military stunts, constant polishing of boots and bayonets, cleaning of weapons and ironing of parae uniform... Gentlemen, this is IT!

We spent the night before the parade in camp, so as to facilitate the morning rehearsal and final run of the parade sequence. I can see that everyone had put in lots of effort and are determined to make this parade a good one to remember.

At 6.30am, everyone was gathered at the battalion parade square, ready for the morning rehearsal. Probably due to the previous day's fatique and the lack of sleep, it started off sluggish. But what really impressed me was that the regular specialists and CSMs were with us all the way from the 1st reheasal till the final run. Kudos to them. I'm really so touched by their commitement. By 8.00 am, we were all formed up for the uniform inspection and final touch-up. It's a first for many as not many specialists in the Army actually get to don the No. 1 dress, which is usually reserved for state ceremonies or to receive foreign dignitaries.

At 8.45am sharp, the parade RSM marched onto the parade square and gave the command for the parade contigent to form up. As we marched to the drumbeat of the military fanfare, there was a subtle nervousness and excitement that kept our heartbeats racing and the butterflies fluttering in our guts. Somehow, the actual parade just turns out to be our best attempt. Everything just flowed so smoothly. The tempo was right, the placing and spacing were right, everyone marked time to the exact beat. Just perfect.



Once the parade was formed up, the parade sequence was handed over to the parade commander. The reviewing officers and VIPs began to arrive one by one. It was then followed by a presentation of arms upon the arrival of CO, and another time for the arrival of Brigade Commander.

The parade commander then invited CO to review the parade. Now here's the interesting part. Along with the military fanfare, the inspection was accompanied by a '21-Gun Salute' simulated by thunderflashes. It was followed by the recitation of the Army Specialists' Creed.

That was followed by the next highlight of the parade: the Fire of Joy, just like during the National Day Parade (Well, maybe the execution was a little poor, but the idea was there...) But it feels like as if it was NDP.


Once permission was sought & granted, the parade then proceeded to prepare for the ceremonial march-past.



To cap off the wonderfully cheorographed parade, we ended off with a slow march to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne' while the principal staff officers and officer commanding of the respective companies sent off the specialists with a military hand salute.


The post parade festivities and photo taking was a scene of joy and excitement. Espirit d' Corp is how i would describe the feeling. ORD Loh~!

Evening stroll at Changi Airport

Decided to take a detour to Changi Airport while on my way home from church. Somehow, i just love to go to the airport for strolls. I guess it's because you can just feel an atmosphere of joy most of the time. I mean nobody leaves for a vacation feeling unhappy right?

Changi Airport is still undergoing massive renovations and 'retrofitting'. Despite all the boarded up areas that are undergoing construction, the whole complex still looks pretty impressive. I'm so proud of our airport.

Destinations... Where do you wanna go today?

Got this shot of the flight information panel at the departure hall.

It set me thinking about the many journeys that we take in life. There can be so many destinations, so many things we wanna do, so many places we wanna go, so many experiences that would come along the way, so many things that would happen.

So many destinations, so many choices. Where's the focus? How do you know when is the right time to embark on your journey? How are you getting to where you wanna go? Who are you taking along with you? What are you gonna to when you get there? When you've done what you wanna do, what's next?

Lethargy + Commitement + Responsibility

It's funny how one can be both hopelessly in need of sleep and yet at the same time still have the energy to do work throughout the rest of the day. Yup, that's a typical workday scenario for me. I'm sure it's not by my own strength. So, big it up for the big J, yo!

I seem to have finished my work yesterday, so this morning when i rocked up to office, there was this "Now, what do i have to do today?" feeling that just popped up. Ok, after some serious thought, then it came back slowly... "ok, check this.", "then check that.", "did i collect this?", "Do i need to send anything to anyone?", "oh yes, waiting for a mail reply.". "Ah... Got it." Well, you know..., all the small, long forgotten tasks starts creeping out from the ground again. The feeling of business mixed with the longing for slacking-in-bunk - Perfect combination.

Super Long OT

I was wondering, if i drew a monthly remuneration in excess of S$6000, would i be hardworking enough to work 15.5 hours in a day...

I basically stepped in at 0730 yesterday morning and worked until 2300! Got held back, first to have a briefing around 5.30pm, and then a conference at 7pm, department meeting at 9.30pm, followed by more paperwork until around 2300. I really couldn't take it any longer, so once i finished my assigned tasks, i asked my immediate superior for permission to excuse myself. But right after, i asked him, i wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. He, like myself was unwillingly forced, just like the rest of us to work late with boss. I really felt so sorry for him. But C'mon, we are only drawing an average remuneration of less than 10% of what boss is earning, and yet we have to work the same hours. That's such a perfect example of a group of overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated workers. I really feel so frustrated at having to sacrifice my own personal time to do work, and yet at the same time, i empathise for boss and the rest of the branch members who also work very hard. Is this one of the cons of having a 5-day work week?

Last-minute arrow flew and got me good.

*Sigh...* This is really a good time to learn patience, empathy and forgiveness. Just finished being the official watchdog. Super tired... This was a last minute 'arrow'.

Well, apparently someone had some problems at home and needed a substitute. Well, no one likes to entertain last minute requests, so we drew lots. I, of all people had to draw the same 'lucky' lot twice. There's no escaping it, is there? Yep, It's me. Then , just before i stepped out of the office, i was told i didn't have to do it after all, since RSM didn't let the guy go. Ok, fine... Then just as i was packing up my desk to call it a day, i was called before RSM to 'receive' the arrow again, cos the bloke went home after all!

Wah... At this point in time, my blood was really boiling. Haven't been this mad in a LOOOOOOONNNGGG time. Because of him, I CAN'T ATTEND CELL!!! I asked myself: "How can he attempt to play such underhand means to escape his duty?" Then, the obliging side of me took over, so i took a deep breath, and answered RSM, "Okay, I'll do it tonight." Deep inside, i was yelling "WHY?!".

I quickly reported to the duty room, apologising profusely for being late - something which I feel, was in no way my fault. It ended up as me having a 1 hour 45 minutes nap, followed by continuous stretch of duty until morning breaks. Apparently the other blokes are super sound sleepers, and i was too kind to wake them up from their apparently enjoyable sleep. SUPER drained out, i tell you. What a way to end the weekend. I hope this day never revisit me ever again.

Sleep talking after COS Duty

Geez... Sooo tired after handing over duty. Don't know why, but just feeling so damn tired. Get this feeling as though i'm just sleep talking now. Woke up in the wee hours of the morning to lock up the office, only to find 2 buggers still in the office surfing the internet (I suspect it was some porn or illicit material. Why else would he switch it off immediate after i entered the room?), making phone call (in civilian clothes, even...). Naturally i was quite unhappy about this, given that clear instructions were that no one was to loiter around in the offices after midnight. But then the soft side of me took over, and so i just let the incident pass and pretend i'm just sleep walking.

I went back to sleep and woke up again at 5.00am to go to the cookhouse, only to realise that all the other COS had decided to come at 6.00am. No worries, though... Managed to catch a few winks in between sips of Milo. Thank God, I didn't burn my tongue in the process. Then came the Kiwis trooping into the cookhouse at 7.00am. So, no choice... gotta stay there till 7.30am... now i need to find a smoke out place to rest. super tired, can~?

2nd Duty in 5 days

Gosh... My on duty for the 2nd time in 5 days. By right it should be much of a bother, but i just feel so drained having to do it. Standing in for CS was cool, but somehow having to do my own duty slot is quite a psychological drag. Maybe it's the notion that it would still be a work day the following day , and i've got quite a fair bit of work to follow up on. Good thing though the the other duty personnel, especially the ones who have authority over me are quite slack, so most of the time duty was quite a breeze. Actually i was thinking of calling it a day early , but the S4 some guys were still hanging around the office, so i just left them there. Maybe i'd just finish up, take a nap and come back later to lock up the office.