My happiness level is down again..

I blame it on

#1. I had forgotten to buy bread last nite(i reached home at 7.30pm & ALL the shops were closed) so i couldn't prepare my breakfast & lunch today..ended up eating some unappetising sandwich from the canteen for 3 pounds..

#2. The tube - it was down this morning again & i had to take the bus..resulting in being 45 mins late for work..opportunity cost of money + bad impression

#3. The weather - it's sooo cold & wet today..wearing 2 sweaters & i was still freezing..add the rain & it's a totally miserable day..it's really no fun at all to be emptying garbage bins in the rain..

#4. I realised the park is closed from next mon - thurs..& i just bought a weekly travel card starting today..it costs me a f***ing 50pounds & it's not gonna be worth it..not to mention, i'll have no income for tat 4 days..

#5. I thought i had left my locker key at home but despite turning the house upside down, i still can't find it..which means it must be lost..which means i need to pay for a replacement one..

At times like this, cant help but think 'zi gei lor lei sui' (read in cantonese)

1 down

Today is a slightly better day : ) Mainly cos i managed to solve some of the problems which caused my pekchek-ness last week..

I dun wan to be too whiney..so i shall first talk about problem #1 - Opening of Bank Account

If u had friend/relative living in UK before..go ask them how they managed to open a bank account here..it's damn f***ing tedious..at least for a foreigner(who's neither working nor studying fulltime)..

They need a prove of residence in UK..which means i need to prove when/why i came into UK..& the most headache of all, bills to prove my address..which i obviously do not have..& despite a letter from my employee, the stupid H bank(this bank exists in Sg too, so go figure) near my place refuses to open an acc for me..& the lady who attended to me spoke to me as if i'm an illegal immigrant..'if u cannot prove u're staying at this add, we will not open an acc for u'

Why i need a bank acc so urgently is cos my current employer credits the pay directly into employee's bank acc..& despite knowing tat i have yet to open a bank acc here, my employer was stupid enough to pay me my first week's wages in cheque..a crossed cheque somemore..now, how am i supposed to bank the cheque without a bank acc leh??

In any case, after i got rejected by H bank, i went to B bank..same thing, i can't open an acc if i dun have any document to prove my add..but the lady was nice enough to add that if i can produce a bank stmt from my home country, she can try & do something for me..

And so today, armed wif a bank stmt summoned from home..i went to B bank again today..the same lady told me everything i needed to know about opening a bank acc here & did it for me straightaway..which means i'm finally the proud owner of a bank acc here in UK : )

Problem #1 solved ; case closed

Of cos, not forgetting the 'good lucks' & 'jia yous' i got from u folks..u provided me wif all the support when i needed them..with friends like this, wat more can i ask for?

Caution - Aircraft crossing!

We dun really get to see this so often in Sg..where u, whether as a pedestrain or a driver, have to wait at a railway junction to let the train pass..but i'm sure most of u have seen this scene on tv before..

But today on my way to work, it wasn't just vehicles or trains crossing at the junction..but i saw an aeroplane(BA megatop somemore) 'crossing' the road..yup, the whole big damn plane just went right past about 100m in front of my bus..i dunno whether to be amused or pek chek(cos i'm in a hurry, as always..& it took like forever for the plane to cross)

What is even more amusing was..the same thing happened to me on my return trip(this time it's Southern Africa Airlines) Maybe this is a common occurence on this bus route..this is the first time i took the bus to work cos there's no tube service from my woods to central london today..tat's one thing i really hate about going out on sundays here..the tubelines always get disrupted & the buses come once in an hour..

Btw, u can always see planes in the skies here..& u can really see them 'upclose & personal'..u'll see them flying really close to the ground..as though they're just above ur head..

Anyway, tomorrow i shall attempt(again) some of the stuff which left me so fustrated last fri..not feeling too positive about it..am in fact anticipating another round of pek chekness..so wish me luck my friends..

Pek Chek pek chek pek chek!!

It has been an ultimate day of fustrations for me today..and i'm feeling too drained to type out all my pek chek-ness..the stupid miserable weather isn't helping things either..& so i shall just cyber-sulk..

:( :( :( :( :( :(:( :( :( :( :( :(

Day off..

Had the day off today..nothing really interesting took place..dun think anyone will wanna read about my supermarket trip again..so i will just share an interesting article i came across in the papers..

'As the woman crossed the street in front of me, a wind-blown carrier bag rustled around her feet. Hardly pausing in her stride she picked it up and carried it to the nearest bin, then continued on her way.

She obviously hadn't said to herself 'It isn't mine' or 'The street sweeper will get it' or 'Who cares?' Instead, she spotted a quick & easy chance to make the world a little nicer, and took it.

In these days when people are judged by the labels they wear, the cars they drive or the money they earn, I have to wonder - don't you learn more about a person by watching what they do when they don't have to do anything at all?'

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Chua!

Gong xi gong xi! Bai tou xie lao! Zao sheng gui zi!

Wai Guo de yue liang bi jiao yuan..?

Happy mooncake festival to one & all! Thank u all for the sms greetings & even an attempt to send mooncakes over to me..appreciate all these thoughts..xie xie..

And since it's mid-autumn festival today..it means i've been thru 3 seasons since i came over..or somewat 3 seasons..

It was late spring when i first arrived in May..then came summer(late jun – early sep)..& now..autumn..the season of falling leaves(do u know they’re actually a hazard to tube/railway tracks? apparently they form a Teflon-like coating when the fallen leaves are baked on the track)

I’m starting to notice the change too..besides lower temp these days(some of u might have been on the receiving end of my ‘complaint smses' about the weather), the daylight hours are getting shorter too..sunrise used to be 4-ish..but nowadays when I get out of bed for work at 6ish, it’s still dark outside..& when I'm on the train back from work at 7-ish, it’s already dark..compared to the days when I would have to wait till after 930pm to catch a glimpse of sunset..

This may sound silly..but it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come UK..besides to ‘see the world’ ie.. I wanted to experience the different seasons in a year(tat’s another item to strike off in my to-do/experience list)

Alright..getting tired liao..it's been another long day at work today(today's sunday, rem?)

ZZzzzzxl signing off..

P.S. The moon really looks a lot nearer(& therefore much bigger) over here..

Wai Guo de yue liang bi jiao yuan..?

Happy 4th month anniversary

Duno-dun feel(bu zhi bu jue)..it's been 4 mths since the 'dramatic' farewell at Changi..

Say long not long, say short not short..4 mths is 1/3 of a year..bringing the working folks nearer to bonus time..

From the days of nuahing to the life of a strawberry picker to working in a theme park..i daresay they've not been a waste of time..there are lessons to be learnt everywhere..from everybody..lessons tat would most certainly be brushed aside back in Sg..

Is it cos i've more time here or i've less stress here? Or maybe it's the fact tat i'm more conscious of how i live my life over here? i'm not saying i'm a saint but i certainly hope i'll be a better person for all these..

How have the past 4 mths been for u?

The good and the bad ('chinese' version)

As you are reading my blog..u would soon realise tat i'm got sent home really early today..& tat gives me a whole afternoon of free time..

Wat i usually do when i have time on my hand is to go jogging(the best exercise since it's free & there are some nice views on my jogging route)..however, remember i'm in UK now..& remember wat i said about the weather here? Like a woman's temper..unpredictable..unreliable..& err..unfrenly(can't think of anymore 'un' words so has to settle wif 'unfrenly' to make it a threesome)

Anyway, it's the kind of miserable weather tat makes me think that 24-31 weather is the best asset Sg has - basically, cold & wet..

After 3 whole para of fei hua..wat i really wanna say is..i can't jog today & so i went to the gym..wif fish's membership card..cos i realised my earnings for today is not even enuf to cover my travel costs, not to mention afford a 10pound entry to the gym..

Most of u should know tat the two of us look as different as..zxl & fish..but the counter lady took a look at me, took a look at the card & waved me in..

Now this is the 'good' thing i'm referring to in the blog's title..ang mohs simply cannot recognise chinese faces(ok, i'm guilty of tat too, remembering ang moh faces ie. not chinese faces lah of cos)

The bad thing? I can run but i can't hide..i'm usually the only asian/chinese in a lot of places..so i'm easily recognisable..for eg. when late for work..during roll call in the morning..it's damn obvious if i'm not around..

Yes, tat's all i wanna talk about in this blog..the good & bad..now tat i've done it..i'm going to sleep..need to wake up early for work(& hopefully not get sent back again)..

Oh gawd..think this is one of my most nonsensical blog to date..

The good and the bad (Thorpe park version)

..points about working in a theme park..

The reason why i'm free to be blogging now(it's 2.30pm) is i got sent home from work..yes, i'd reported for work as per usual at 9.30am..it was raining then and there were really quite few guests in the park..so at 11am, they sent most of us home..saying they're overstaffed & so, i clocked out of work..

Which means to say after spending 2 hrs & 10 pounds travelling to the park, i had only worked 1.5hrs & earned a grand total of 7.50pounds..it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out tat i had made a loss..lugi..kui ben..output>input(i wish this applied to my calories though)

Time for me to spew expletives again (Under 18s should turn their heads away) ¬"£$%^&*()_+!!!!

Nike run anybody?

10k run on 16th Oct , interested?

I'll sponsor the reg fee of 32 pounds for anybody who's willing to fly here : )

www.runlondon.com

Working on Weekends...again....

Sunday, 11th September 2005

I dunno why i always end up wif jobs requiring me to work on weekends..AND having me to wake up much earlier on sundays..it used to be 'some' jalan/lari thingy which gets me up at some unearthly hours every other sunday..& now, thorpe park - it opens an hour earlier on weekends..

This being UK..meaning public transport run at much much much reduced frequency on sundays..meaning i really had to plan my journey down to the last second to ensure getting to work on time..

Anyway, i ended up catching the first tube out at 6.45am(compared to 7.27am on a normal weekday)..& even then, i was still late for work..sigh..

It's not much of a surprise tat the park is lot busier on weekends..i ended up doing the q-line today..supposed to make sure they meet all the ride restrictions..such as height limit..chest limits(yes, there's such a thing) for this specific roller coaster ride, pple with >51 inches chest(both male & female) are not allowed since the harness wun be big enuf & trust me..they are really quite a no of pple out there who fail this requirement..etc etc..basically kinda like a bouncer if u wish to call it so..haha

For those who have done crowd controlling before & think it's tough work..try crowd controlling with a crowd made up of predominantly ang mohs..imagine trying to shout & slang at the same time..not easy..

And there was this big black guy who came up & insisted tat his son be allowed on the ride..his son is way below the required height (1.2m vs 1.4m) I told him no & he got really furious and started to raise his voice & demanding to be thrown out of the park & stuff..in fact, at one pt in time, i was quite sure he's gonna start punching me in the face..one of my colleagues heard the commotion & came to help me out..after several more mins of 'no, we really can't let ur son on for safety reasons'..the guy walked away wif a totally disgusted look on his face..

After about 30 mins later, this guy reappeared & i was so afraid he's here to 'seek revenge'..he was like 'are u the person whom i argued with just now?' 'err..yes' 'i'm here to apologise to you cos i realised it was my mistake..i had checked with the info counter and they re-confirmed about the height restrictions..sorry about just earlier on'..i think my expression must have changed immediately from tat of fear to relief..

Oh well..i guess this is just another day of work for me..

Tube - Train - Bus

Saturday, 10th September 2005

I was 45mins late for work today..all cos the stupid tube was delayed for a whole of 7mins..this is wat i hate about travelling with connections..anyway, this is wat my typical journey looks like :

7.24am - Depart from house on foot

7.27am - Tube out to Waterloo

8.13am - Mad rush for the 8.20 train

8.53am - Arrive in Staines for another mad rush to catch the 9.00 bus into the park

9.12am - Arrive in Thorpe Park

(Total travelling time : 1 hr 48mins)

So this means if the first part(or any part) of my journey is delayed by even 5 mins, it throws my whole journey into disarray..which was wat happened today v_v

Dun forget i'm paid by the hour..which means my opportunity cost is 5 pounds/hr..& of cos, it's not very nice to be late 3 days into the job..

Imagine if i repeat the above travelling process in Sg, i would be like halfway to Kuala Lumpur liao..

1001 rules at Thorpe Park

I had reported for work at Thorpe Park last thurs..had induction with 4 other guys..& mind u, it's a proper induction..with pple from HR showing us pwrpt presentation & stuff..lasted from 9-4..din think they had such things for seasonal stuff(yup, tat's wat i am..not temp, not part-time but seasonal..autumn season actually)

Aiyo..i din expect they have soooo many rules for their staff..from appearances to uniform to behaviour..u know wat i think is the most 'amazing' rule? Staff must not be seen carrying food from their lockers to the canteen..all food must be put into the company's lunch box & then brought to the canteen..i wouldn't have mind it so much if not for the fact i had to pay 1 pound for the stupid lunchbox..-.-

Yes, i do da bao my lunch to work..since they only have like sandwiches(& of cos, fish & chips) in the canteen(staff are also not allowed to purchase food from the outlets while on duty) i reckon i might as well prepare my own sandwiches..a sandwich costs an ave of 2 pounds here leh(as if one sandwich is enuf for me) & like i mentioned in 53 other previous blogs, i'm turning into a sour olive here..poor egg i am..wat to do..sigh..

While we're on the topic on food..staff are to drink out of the company's water bottle on the park premises(which most of the staff happily ignored, thank goodness)

Anyway, yes..i do have a uniform..it's a blue polo(not unlike the one my ex-colleagues would be so familiar wif) wif black cargo pants/berms..not too bad lah huh?

Shoes must be all black if long pants are worn or all white if berms are worn..i have neither, so i ended up buying a pair of all-black trainers from them for 15pounds..& guess wat brand is it? Hi-tech.. -.-

To be continued...

The terminal

As most of you would know, airports are always the first & last point of contact for fish & I..still, it felt a little strange sending her off today..reason being it was always her sending me off at Heathrow ..never the other way round..

Airports can be interesting places..where a wide array of emotions are on display..there’s sadness(sending a dear fren off)..there’s joy(seeing a fren after a period of time), there’s also surprise(seeing a fren returning with ‘extra baggage’ on her – no, I’m not talking about myself)

I think arrival hall is the ‘happy’ hall whereas the departure hall is the ‘sad’ hall..for the very simple fact that arrival hall is where people reunite & the latter is where people part..

Something needs to be done..

..about my weight..

Yea yea..i know i've been blogging about my ever-increasing weight ever since i came over to UK..but this time i'm serious..VERY serious..as serious as Bush is about sending aid to New Orleans..

There've been 2 moments in time over the past 2 days which made me determined more than ever to go on a diet..

zxlworld-shattering moment 1 - i walked past a shop the other day & caught a glance of my side view..gasp!! did i just see a small tummy staring back from the reflection?? yes, i know for a fact tat my waistline has been expanding..since my jeans & shorts were getting tighter..but a tummy??!!!

i dun claim to have a 6-pack when i was back in Sg..but my abs or rather, abdominal area, was still acceptably flat..no way this offending protuding piece of flesh(or fats) is gonna gain PR status on my body..1 mth visitor's visa at the very most..after which, it must disappear from my sight..forever..

zxlworld-shattering moment 2 - i paid 10 pounds(!) to go to the gym today..it was usually 8 pounds cos i always went wif fish, who's a member..but today i went alone & it was 10 pounds!! shocking enuf for me to spew ¬!"£$%^&* but tat's still not the earth shattering news for the day..

In fact, it was the final 5 secs of this gym visit tat jolted the life out of me..it goes like this :

countdown 5 sec - press button

4 sec - remove shoes

3 sec - take a step

2 sec - beep

1 sec - 3 digits flashed on the monitor..this is followed by a loud thud *zxl fainted*

Wat do u know? I've gained a grand total of 5kg(!!!) over these 3 months..whoever betted i've put on 5 kg..well well, congrats to u(reminder to self : find out if such a pax exists & then, sever all ties wif her) It may not seem like a lot but hey, it's almost 10% of my total(original) weight..



Extra extra!

Some of u might have already known by now(thanks to the multiplier effect)..i've just gotten a new image..cheapo me was shopping for the cheapest hairdresser & found one whose signage says '7.50 - 12 pounds for a haircut'..& so i went in..

I was immediately ushered to a chair by this italian guy, towel wrapped round me..& this conversation ensued :

(spore accent) : 'erm..just a trim..same pattern please'

(italian accent): 'how short u want'

'just take an inch off'

'oh, u want ur hair to be one inch long'

'nono! just trim one inch'

'okok, no problemo'

& then the shaver went to work..

Since i dun wear my glasses when i cut my hair, i can't really see wat was going on.. the 'zzz' sound went on for quite some time & i was getting a tad worried..not once did he change to using the scissorss & this usually means bad news..

Next thing i know, he led me to wash my hair(& i dun usually do tat)..it wun be so bad if it was those 'spa-kind' of treatment..no lor, it was more of like 'splash-scrub-splatter'..& i ended up with soapy water all over my face..

As if the shaver is not enuf, he actually used a blade(those for ah peks leh) to 'scrape' my sideburns clean..dun like >.< i like some hair on my sideburn one..

When he's finally done, i put on my glasses.. @_@! Definitely shorter than wat i bargained for..& the back of my head..really left with one inch of hair..

'Tat will be 9.50 pounds please'

'Isn't it 7.50'

'7.50 without wash, with wash 9.50'

'....................'

Oh well..at least this hair cut should be able to last me more than a month..

Gong xi gong xi gong xi ni!

Congrats to 0.5 who has just came in first in a karaoke competition..so proud of her..this is esp true when urs truly's singing can best be described as 'dual-toned' - nan ting & fei chang nan ting..

And of cos, special thanks to Ms Privacy who called me on my UK mobile so tat i can listen to 0.5's 'live performance'..

~喜欢听歌 感人的歌 它让我觉得 爱是对的~