internet woes

OK, so with NO choice because I stay so many floors above ground I made a hasty decision on Saturday...


I signed up for Streamyx!


Shit. Suddenly I got this feeling like the kind of feeling you get when you finally made a decision and the decision is something that people frown upon. Is this matter something that I should march on ahead with or frown along?

hmmm...


The thing is, Streamyx has been having lotsa bad press if you ask me. However, my mom and dad uses Streamyx but does not seem to be having problems...so far... so.. this is a 50/50 thing.


Only time will tell. Let's see how efficient they are first. I was told to wait 3 days for them to call me to install the whatsit and then 2 days to deliver the modem whatsit. I will not have internet till the weekend! help!!!

Oh, right now I'm using the final day of my current Izzi and am glad. It all seemed fine and dandy at first but their customer service really really needs improvements. Not professional and they always have dodgy mobile numbers calling you to inquire on when is the last day of my top up, like, what the fuck? I should be asking you!! And there was once this guy called to say he can offer to sell the top up at a cheaper rate and I question him how will I know if he is really from Izzi and he decided to say, "Well, I'm calling you now to give you this offer!" Not the answer that I was looking for so I hung up.

Then suddenly, 2 days ago, some other guy called me on his mobile to "inform" me that I did not top up and would like to offer me to buy a top up from him and I said, no, I'm still surfing the internet and it is so slow by the way. Then he ask, oh, how many days do you have left before you need to top up. I said, I think you should be telling me, not me telling you. Then he proceeded to step on thin ice by asking me this , "what do you mean by slow?"

I said, well, picture this: I click to open my e-mail, I go out for dinner and I come back, the e-mail is not opened. So how?

He said impossible and I said this is what I am experiencing sometimes.

Then he decided to make an appointment to come over and check it out. OK, can give second chance. But he or his "technicians" did not call back. Too bad. It was promising but it died a sure death.

Anyways, all that shall be behind my ass now. However, the future seems to be rather dodgy too. haih...

corrected

So, in all my confusion and limitations (17th floor too high so WiMax cannot reach, it seems), I have decided to just go and ask this WiMax counter boy at my place about the possibilities of utilizing their services, because I was getting sick of the irregularities and unpredictable state of my current service provider and am paying a lot for it! Crappo!!

I asked him about WiMax and he tried to "upsell" to me. Seriously, that's all everyone's doing lately. Upsell, that is.

Then he also decided to introduce their new Wiggy thinghy to me.

So I said, "Oh, I know about that. The wiggy (I pronounced it as wee gee) right?"

Then he decided that enough is enough! What's wrong with all these customers! Getting the name wrong!! He said, "Er, actually, it is wee-jee..."

"Oh. Oh.... really? erm, the 'wee jee'. Of course."

OK, I have yet to talk to someone else who works with WiMax. I need clarifications.


Like, do you pronounce piggy bank as pee jee bank?



Why, ah? hmmm.....

monday rocks for once

Am on leave today and man, do I love being off on weekdays. I mean, you can hear the birds chirping!! I still can, by the way. Look at me! Loving and living life at 9.00am! Hahaha...


The best part about not working on Mondays is the semi-smugness you feel as you watch people going to work grudgingly, majority of them silently cursing in their heads, "wtf. wtf. wtf." Some still thinking about yesterday's party. Some still thinking of that top on 50% discount during their Sunday shopping spree, "Should I have bought it?" Some wondered if they remembered to pack their Easter chocolate eggs. Some just did not seem to have woken up as they snoozed all the way, heads bowed low and handbags slipping away with files dropping out of their "Save the Environment" shopper bags.


I took my mommy to the train station and on the way back, I saw a later batch of people going to work. They also have the same look and the almost same invisible speech bubbles except that theirs said "wtf" in capitals. Like, "WTF". Maybe they were running late? hmmm..


I'm going for a swim and sunbath now. Ta!

finally?

So.

It is past Good Friday now.

Before this, I told myself that the moment I reach Saturday, I shall eaaaaaaaat chocolates! Like I mean it! Like a big kid, I announced that I'm going to hunt down alllll the Easter Bunnies Chocolates and eat 'em all! Move aside kiddies! (To which my bossy pointed out that it wasn't what Easter is all about. I know...)

But it has been a whole 23 hours and I did not gobble chocolates like I'm having THAT time of the month x 12. x 12!

:)

Because to fast is not about to end up indulging in it later on, right? Then, it would just be self torture.


Anyways, no chocs and no meat for me yesterday for Good Friday. One of my colleagues joined me on the Vegetarian flavoured Maggi cup noodles lunch yesterday. For her religious purposes, she has her own meat-fasting vows for Tuesdays and Fridays.

"I'm not even supposed to have sex on these days."

"And not even think about it!" she announced.

To which we were quite sceptical. o_o


"But I can't help it la."


By the way, we had a farewell party that day in the staff lounge and, man, were the desserts deeelicious. Ooh, mini strawberries. Ooh, watermelon. Ooh, tiny oval-shaped choc cake with super big chocolate chip shaped choc topping and mini chocolate piece stuck on the choc topping created by our pastry team. You just can never over-do chocolates. Everything goes.

*pops a piece into my mouth*

"mm..... MMm!!! MMM!!!!"
"What? What? Does it taste bad??" asks Maxine trying to understand my mumbling which suddenly turned too exciting.
"mmm-mm-mm!!"
"hmm? oh! Cho-co-late?" Spit it out! Spit it out!"

hahaha....

"It's OK. You didn't swallow it."
"Yeah... Man, that was good cake over there."
"It's OK. Only 2 more days to go."

I can almost imagine people shaking their heads disapprovingly.


The in came my dessert buddy Iris, prancing happily into the office.

"So, is our brownie plan at DELIcious still on?!"
"hahaha... yes, yes..."


Happy Easter, people! :D

i-scream!

Random pic of my Very Very Strawberry

Yesterday, after a super heavy lunch at Ichiban Boshi I decided to convince my friends to go have ice cream at the Baskin Robbins Cafe. I was craving for sugar ok. It was then that I started to wish I have worked part-time in an ice cream parlour last time. I should have been more adventurous and independent! The only part-time I have done is giving tuition for my juniors and part-time sales assistant in Topshop and that was a really good experience.


The thing is, you will feel like the most powerful person at that moment when the customer orders an ice cream from you. You sort of get to silently decide how big a scoop the customer gets and you sort of get to silently decide how much toppings they get to enjoy too!

Now, I'm very sure they have a standard operating procedure in place and a standardized scoop size and toppings count.

But it seems the sizes have been varying in this past month when I go to all the different brands. Sometimes I get a very very standard scoop (like, so small you almost felt disappointed) and sometimes I get a very full scoop, where the, erm, ice cream guy (what are their designation?), spend some time perfecting his skills to make a super round scoop (not the semi-spherical one). So, really, I don't really fancy the idea that each time I go to an ice cream parlour, the size of my ice cream scoop depends on who scoops my ice cream!

Already, I see some nods over there.

Anyways, my experience in Baskin Robbins was good. Service was excellent. Well, mostly you pick your flavour and you ask for a pinch to taste, you decide and you pay. Sort of self-service. But again, it depends on who you approach to get your scoop.

This dude I got was super friendly and smiley. It seems like he is really enjoying his work, serving his valued customers with their favourite flavours and seeing their smiles makes him feel satisfied and keeps him going. Or maybe, he was just born smiley.

Anyways, when I asked for tasting, he happily obliged. You know it is very difficult for me, these past few weeks, to decide on a flavour because I'm fasting from chocolates. And those waiters at NZ Natural and Haagen Dazs doesn't seem to fancy the thought of me being undecided. Hello.

And he really fill up the tiny spoon so I get a thorough taste before I make my decision. And finally, Very Very Strawberry it is! Man, was the scoop so perfectly round.. and big. I suddenly remembered the i-scream parlour in HongKong! Nostalgic! Bravo! We have here, ladies and gentlemen, an Ice Cream Guy!

Good, eh. Good ice cream after good sashimi and followed by a long gossip session with my friends. Oh, satisfying.

Now, let's see. Based on my recent visits to these places, I shall now suggest to you how to get a good ice cream experience.

1) If you see a crowd of undecided people, stand back and wait till they have chosen and bought their scoops. Patience, people. When the Ice Cream Guy/Girl is busy/kan cheong, he or she will be less attentive to your Big Decision Making on the flavours.

2) Look out for the Ice Cream Guy/Girl who looks like they take pride in their jobs. If they all look crappy, then have to depend on number 3).

3) If possible, approach the Ice Cream Guy if you are a girl and approach the Ice Cream Girl if you are a guy. Oh yes, there IS a difference.

4) Give them your 'Ooh! Ice Cream!" look to show how much this scoop of ice cream mean to you. Don't know the look? Erm, just bring a 5 year old to the shop and copy that look.

5) Ask politely, almost like you are troubling them, to taste the various crazy flavours. This is free after all.

6) When you have decided, give them your "Yes, I have decided" look and ask them for "one big round scoop of ________" and smile. I didn't actually say this but I think I will start to the next time I go. Hehe. Just to be sure.

7) If you really do get a big round scoop, give them the happiest look you have and pay. If you don't, then give them the "disappointed but it is OK because obviously you like to cheat your customers" look. I guess it doesn't really matter since you already have the ice cream in your hand but at least he/she will feel guilty and will think carefully when he/she decides to stinge on the scoop again! :D