6th Months' Anniversary

Hmm..dunno, dun feel..6mths liao..quite a milestone..

6 mths = Half a year = 365/2 = 182.5 days

6 mths = 24 weeks = 168 days

So is 182.5 = 168?! Think i'm going mad..

Brrr....

Getting really cold these few days..dropping to minus at night..instead of dew, can see frost liao...bbbrrrr......

A review of my 2 months in TP

Things I liked about working in the park


The colleagues
Or at least most of them lah..met quite a diverse group of people..some of my closer frens are from Jamaica, Zimbawe & South Africa, to name a few..


The working hours
Minus the travelling time tat is..the park generally opens from 10am – 5pm..which means we report to work about 930am & finishes about 5-ish..tat’s really not too bad..if I didn’t have to spend 3 hrs getting there & back..


The free rides
Yes, u do get free rides on & off..esp on quiet days when there can be no guests for 20 mins..wat better way to wake u up when u’re getting sleepy..but it’s a pity I din get to try all the rides before I left..


The work atmosphere
Generally..afterall, it’s a theme park..there are some crazy days when we would pretend to have all gone home by switching off all the lights & hiding after we sent the last train off the platform..then the poor riders would be locked in their seats when they’re back(the operator has to unlock the seats manually thru the controls) or we would get the whole train to sing happy birthday(to anyone &/or no one in particular)



The brainless work
Haha..bimbo or not(if I qualify to be one)..it’s really quite a brainless job..& cos I dun really feel any responsibility for it, i can simply bochap & not turn up for for the day..like wat I did when I went for a 4 days trip to u-know-where..



Things I disliked about the park


The pay
£5 per hour is peanuts..with 20% going to taxes & another 5% to National Income..i’m left with..peanut shells..


The corked up system
Dunno how they sort out the staff stuff..there can be days when we’re terribly shorthanded..and there can be days when we have 10 pple on a ride(when u need only a min of 3 to operate)..& the ‘extras’ will be sent to clean the park..or even sent home..



Stupid/irritating guests
How do u answer when a guest ask u ‘Is this ride scary?’ or ‘Am I going to die on this ride?’


Also, the ride tat I work on..the seats are such tat ur legs are suspended in the air & when u go round checking their safety straps, chances tat u’ll get kicked by one of the guests are 3 out of 5 times..



The (very short)breaks
We have 2 breaks each day..the first is a 30 mins lunch break(which can be as early as 1030am) & the second is usually 3 hrs after the first one(about 2ish pm) is a 15mins tea break..we’re also given 5 mins ‘walking time’ to get to the canteen from our ride area..


Most of u would know I survive on a 2hr feed..which means I need to eat every break..most of u would also know tat I’m not a fast walker..in fact, it takes me 8 mins to walk to the canteen(1 way) from the furthest ride..effectively, tat leaves me wif 12 mins left of my break..so I always end up gobbling down my sandwich(wat else)..no good for my digestive system..


The reason why the ang mohs can survive on such short breaks is they have chips for lunch & choc bars for tea..u dun need much time for tat, do u?

Some changes are taking place in my life..

Wat are they? Yi yan nan jing..i'll blog about them in time to come..

PC Down again..

: (

School Hols+Halloween Weekend=Disaster

It was another day of mayhem in the park today.. One of my colleagues actually got punched by one of the guests..i didn’t actually witness the incident but heard she(yes, it’s a ‘she’) got punched by ‘ah beng’ for asking him to queue up..hmm..reminds me of a granny-slapping incident..*o*

Aiyo..these ang mohs..they are really in the mood for halloween..imagine walking around the park after dark & someone appears in front of you wearing one of those scary masks..ren xia ren, xia si ren..

And the mess left behind 20,000 guests is no joke..imagine an event site after a mass event..multiply tat by 3(ang mohs are generally dirtier) & u’ll get the idea..think I’ve cleaned more litter in this week than I’ve ever cleaned in my house in the past 20 years..

For the past 10 days or so, I’ve been having all my meals outside..breakfast on the train there, lunch & afternoon tea in the park & dinner on the train back..& I usually pack my meals..so u can imagine the amount of food I bring with me each day..4 meals..i’m essentially carrying a picnic basket around..

This also means to say I haven’t had hot food for these 10 days..cos all I’ve been having are sandwiches(sandwiches are cold, toasts are hot)..it’s not so much tat I mind eating sandwiches..they’ve quite a bit of sandwich fillings here..from the usual egg mayo to coronation chicken(chicken bits + raisins + peaches in curry)..but for those who know me well enuf..i’m always very particular about my diet..& I just dun think sandwiches alone can provide a balanced diet..

I usually catch the same train as a few of my colleagues..so I’ll be like seeing them from 8 in the morning when we catch the train till 9-ish at night when we go our separate ways at the train station..hmm..kinda reminds me of the ‘good ole days’ of mass events..



P.S. A string of emails from some ex-classmates reminded me tat it’s Deepavali(Divali in London) & Hari Raya(‘Id in London) back in Sg..totally forgot about these occasions..this week to me, is Halloween week..from the many pumpkins hanging all over the place & people walking around in funny costumes..apparently, some people really came trick or treating at our door the other nite but I wasn’t back yet..still at work..sigh..

I wish i could turn back the clock..

In case u dun realise it..i was (trying to)sing the song by Johnny Hates Jazz n years ago.. :Þ

Anyway, wat I’m trying to say is..time was literally turned back when UK summer time officially ended on Sunday..this means tat UK is back on GMT again..this is actually my first experience at ‘adjusting the clock’..basically at 12midnite on Sun, the clock goes back 1 hr to be 11pm Sat nite..

Actually I prefer the old time..cos now it means the sky starts getting dark at 5-ish pm, instead of 6-ish pm..although it also means I need not scramble for my oyster card(aka ezlink in Sg) in the dark when I take the tube in the morning..i dun really mind it cos I get to see the sunrise at about 730am when I’m on the way to work..

Come to think of it..UK also damn one kind one..the rest of western europe are all on GMT+1 time, only UK is on GMT..& while everyone else on this side of the continent drives on the right, the Brits drive on the left..

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As for my ear..a visit to the hospital today(realised I spent all my off days visiting clinics/hospitals or rather.. I plan my off days according to my doc appts *.*) revealed tat it’s starting to heal(yay!)..& guess wat was the doctor’s advice to me? Try to get more sunshine..it would be easy as pie if it’s Sg he was talking about..but we’re looking at London wor..& getting ‘some sun’ is no easy feat, given the tempermental weather..



P.S. As I’m blogging away..there’re fireworks outside now..apparently, there’re a few designated days for people to ‘put’ fireworks(wat is the correct verb ah? display?) Quite pretty..