Mag again

I was talking to Grace just today about life back in OH, and she complained a little about my "arch-enemy". Well, she isn't really, but I was reading with interest this email correspondence I had with her last year. I'll highlight the pertinent bits. I do think, on hindsight, that I tend to be quite bitchy and condescending when talking to her. It honestly wasn't my intention. Perhaps I don't put too much thought into phrasing my words. Or more likely, I'm just a bloody bitch.

This email was addressed to the ED and I was copied on it.

Mag (to all): During the last year recycling exercise by the Student Council, the vendor came twice, both time they paid our students $50.
Me (to all): Wonderful! Thanks, Mag.
Mag (to me, copying Andrew): You may want to find out who is keeping the money and how you intend to record all these petty cash.
Me (to Mag, copying Andrew): Incidentally, I’m getting a bit confused here. Is Andrew the resource person for the Student Council? Why is David asking you all these questions? [I guess I should have worded this properly. Realised on hindsight she got defensive because of the way I asked]

A long email from her (I'll just edit out the details):

You have problem with me getting involved in some of the students council? btw I am constantly asked information with regards to the Student Council, just because I am HM.

In fact most of the time, I don't get enough information from you or Andrew about the SC and it makes things very difficult for me. SCREAM!!!!!!! [Now she's blaming me and A for keeping info from her!]

I am doing things out of a need rather than from a point of control. "I eat, sleep also not so free". I know you are very efficient and capable, but at times you may not be in the office with our bosses and we need to fulfil some of their quiries.

So my response, in equally bitchy fashion:

The reason you don’t get information is because you’re not the SC resource person as far as I know. Would you like to be on the mailing list?

The current procedure, which you would know if you were on the mailing list, is [blah blah blah]

I don’t care if you want to be involved in the SC. I had no issues reporting to either you or Andrew. You just need to let me know. I was there when you taught Indora how to inventory the items. Did I make noise? No. Was I defensive when you chased me for the date of PK’s dinner with SC3? No. I am not being defensive about you. I am defensive about ED poking his smelly nose into SC stuff.

Incidentally, why do we need 2 resource people in SC? Are they out of control? Please don’t misunderstand again. This is feedback for me.

You might have probably guessed that I’m a bit stretched with the 2 councils, AHM duties, ensemble (which is unofficial), the movie club, my cluster, and now with the floor party as well as my personal life and exams and work and family. And I haven’t cleaned my room. I’ll be more than happy if you can help out in the SC. You just need to let me know so there is no confusion in reporting. And there’s no need to double report.

As far as I remember, there was silence from her. So there. The way to treat Mag is *not* to be silent in her face because you cannot understand her argument, but to argue till you're blue in the face, and *she* becomes silent.

A point of interest (and amusement) for me is how poor, innocent Andrew constantly gets dragged into my fracases with Mag.

Austrians Not Amused

I swiped this off here.. It's hilarious!


British tourists have left the residents of one charming Austrian village effing and blinding by constantly stealing the signs for their oddly named village.

While British visitors are finding it hilarious, the residents of Fucking are failing to see the funny side.

Only one kind of criminal stalks the sleepy 32-house village near Salzburg on the German border - cheeky British tourists armed with a sense of humor and a screwdriver.

But the local authorities are hitting back with the signs now set in concrete, police chief Kommandant Schmidtberger is on the lookout.

"We will not stand for the Fucking signs being removed," the officer said.

"It may be very amusing for you British, but Fucking is simply Fucking to us. What is this big Fucking joke? It is puerile."

Local tourist guide Andreas Behmueller said it was only the British that had a fixation with Fucking.

"The Germans all want to see the Mozart house in Salzburg," he explained. "Every American seems to care only about 'The Sound of Music' (the 1965 film shot around Salzburg.) The occasional Japanese wants to see Hilter's birthplace in Braunau."

"But for the British, it's all about Fucking."

Guesthouse manager Augustina Lindelbauer described the village's breathtaking lakes, forests and vistas. "Yet still there is this obsession with Fucking," she said. "Just this morning I had to tell an English lady that there were no Fucking postcards."

My widdle baby wabies...

Look what I spent the whole of today making!


Now see, I've never been very good with the presentation of my food. They taste fine though. Those nasty black patches aren't really black patches at all, but brown, nicely caramelised bits of my portuguese egg tarts. Again, my Blackberry makes my pictures look like a huge crow crapped on it. And I haven't any idea where my normal camera is.


I made apple crumble, as well as banana crumble. It's supposed to look golden brown, but for some reason (blame the moronic BB) it looks like I didn't give them a tan. When warm, these babies melt in your mouth! The crumble is light and flaky, the apple filling gives it a sweet/sour taste in your mouth (I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Fuji). The banana crumble was warm and soft, with just the right amount of cinnamon to give it a pleasing aftertaste. Couple it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and you have yourself a real treat.

Self cheering

Desmond says I'm self-cheering. I think I have such a weird sense of humour that I can actually tell jokes to make myself happy. So anyway, I was trying to entertain myself today by annoying the vulgar broker.

Me: Eh Natasha Low Pei Lin
VB: whos tt
Me: WAHAHAHAH I guess one.
Me: Natasha Low Mei Ping
VB: siao ar
Me: Mei Ling?
Me: Rumplestiltskin?
VB: u must be sarah chnag bi qi
VB: bi qi = bitch
Me: WAHAHAHAHA
VB: u muz have missed talkin to me like crazy
Me: Ha! Pls!
Me: Natasha Low Ai Que? (I should have spelt it Ai Kew)
VB: is natasha low fa ker
Me: Wahaha. Better!
Me: If only your surname Soh. Natasha Soh Chor Lor.
Me: Damn entertaining man, you.
VB: biqi
Me: I know you luff me!

I'm baaaack! Miss me?

So just the other day, I was having a conversation with the guy that works in the next building.



Life's less fun without Alley. Now it's just me and guy-that-works-in-the-next-building.

The end of the ordeal

Some of the changes in tax that didn't appear in the syllabus that I was studying for:

Corporate tax rate is now 18%
Partial exemption limithas been raised to 290k
CPF contribution is now pro rated
GST is prorated
Dividends are now exempt
Foreign income is now exempt
Personal tax rates have been revised
The topper: You can no longer choose which questions to do; you have to do all the questions in the paper!

Goodness knows what else has changed since 2005 (haha). I spent the last 25 mins going over my answers in pen because the invigilator said that the answers had to be in ink and I'd written in pencil! Complete waste of time!

I don't know why I put myself through this year after year, though admittedly studying for the thing is really quite fun! In any case, I'm glad it's over... Now I can go back to watching CSI without the guilt.

Supposed-to-be-studying-chronicles Part 3

I'm sitting here thinking how to fail my exam in the most glorious way.
Crash and burn, they call it. Perhaps I'll write something amusing to
entertain the person marking my question, and in the process salvage
some marks, and some dignity. I toyed with the idea of just writing one
line before walking out of the exam hall: "You guys should really get
those sticks out of your assess and start having a life". But I paid
money for this exam lah. I'm conservative like that. A bit of that
accountant streak got into me from all this studying.

I suspect that I put myself through this because I like the adrenalin
rush from going into an exam hall without being prepared at all. That
would also explain why it is that I study outdated syllabus, why I was
out playing the whole day when I should be mugging away, why I'm writing
this post when my paper is just 3 hours away, and why I watched CSI when
I was supposed to be on my one-week hiatus.