bright city lights. by s'bas-chen.

walking around the place at night

i tend to notice the city lights

wondering why they shine so bright

always shining with all their might

disregarding their basic rights

going down without a fight

pushing their needs all aside

for us to look at bright city lights.

To Sebastian:

Hi Sebastian,

We understand your concern. We have a very detailed contact tracing on all the affected students and those whom they have come in contact with are on LOA. The situation is constantly evolving and we ensure the safefy of everyone - staff and students especially. The common and affected areas are all cleaned up immediately. Let me assure you we are doing everything to control the situation. We understand that this email may not be satisfactory to you. If you would like someone to talk to, you can call me at 3100 1779.

Thank you so much.

Regards,

Benjamin Chow, Office of Corporate Communications

Late Birthday Blogging

Alright, I know that this post is a week late, but better late than never. on my birthday ziqi brought me to the singapore flyer along with haslin. it was supposed to be the whole kopitiam kaki group, but end up only the three of us.
it's the first time i went onto the flyer. i also realised i was afraid of heights after getting on. but the views are nice. most likely you'll see the artistic shots as pictures to my future blog posts. here are some of the photos, with haslin being shy and ziqi not noticing the bright camera flash.

TO help-flu@rp.sg

Dear managing committee of RP.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/439055/1/.html

go take a look at how a H1N1 outbreak is supposed to be controlled. I can’t believe that RP already has 51 cases and yet we are doing nothing. Apparently 51 cases is like nothing to you? Stop taking your students for granted and actually do something. Are the year 1’s supposed to be weaker than the year 2’s and 3’s? Is that why when there were 3 cases, they were put on e-learning, but when there are now 51 cases, the year 2’s and 3’s are still lost as to what to do? We’re not immortals you know. Many students and parents are furious as to how you people are controlling this incident. You people keep sending us the same forwarded emails again and again, but they don’t explain anything. If the virus dies off after a few hours, then how do you explain the jump in victims on the day by day basis? Let me remind you: the virus can be easily transmitted by air, and RP uses a VERY recycled air ventilation system. I will not be satisfied with another computer generated answer, or a mass, all-students answer.

Regards,

Koh Yue, Sebastian

71461

Republic Polytechnic's Great Scheme of Things.

I wanted to restart the blog with a nice, happy post, but i can't really take it anymore. there seriously is something very wrong with RP's management.

As of 28th June, 2009, at 9:00pm, there are already 51 confirmed cases of H1N1 virus in the school. As of 11:41pm, we still have not received any news or proper explaination from the school.

Why have they quarantined the year 1's when there was only 2-3 cases? Why aren't the year 2's and year 3's being given leave of absence to self quarantine, even when the number has shot up to 51? is the management trying to achieve something by doing this? Republic Polytechnic is currently one of the highest contributor of the virus, next to Butter Factory, and even Butter Factory handles their incident better than this place i study in that calls itself a tertiary institution of higher learning.

Apparently they think that, since we are already year 2 and 3, we are like, fucking strong, whilest year one's are like fucking weak little piglets that will fall ill the moment the wind gets a tad too strong. Or maybe there's like this hidden module, V101, Viral Imunity, that we all secretly pass as long as we don't miss class more thatn 14 weeks with a medical certificate. Maybe that's why they think we're strong.

HEY MANAGEMENT. time to wake up. you think we'd let you take huge portions out of the $1050 we pay every month as school fees, for free? you don't get paid for sitting on your butts while an epidemic is sweeping the school you know. We, as the student population of the school, deserves a proper explanation, not just some forwarded webmail that made at least 5 rounds. We need to know why. Unless the reason is because the electricity bill for keeping up the aircon and fountains 24/7 are getting too high, and you'd like to collect another year's worth of school fees.

I read on the papers, the way they put it across to reporters were almost like music. "Oh, we, like, totally ask our students to take their temperatures, like, twice a day, and they have to, like, totally declare their temparatures, something like that? we're, like, a school you know.." Yeah, nice implementation of control measures, people. since when do you actually ask us to declare twice a day? even on the week where there was temperature screening with the infra-red cameras and stuff, you people we're just pointing the infrared gun at the crowd, but chatting all the way behind the screens. i bet tons of people snuck past you with fevers.

If i ever fall sick with the H1N1 virus, i tell you this: i am going to pull the whole school down with me.

repost.

don't ask me how i'm feeling
cos i'll just say "okay",
but it really says nothing
on just how i feel today.
don't ask me what i'm thinking
on what's going through my brain.
i bet you miss the old times too,
i bet you feel the same.
don't ask me why i'm crying
you wouldn't understand,
how much we knew about each other
just like the back of our hands
don't ask me what i'm saying
or why i even talk at all
i'm just recollecting the past memories
as i walk down the empty hall

i miss the path towards your block
i miss the way we're together
i miss how we'd make fun of each other
i miss the fun and laughter

azqswsxdedcrfrfvgtgbyhjmjujkmkilp.

tick. tick. tick.

i feel all messed up.

now hiring: a mess-cleaning-upper.

waste of time. waste of space. waste of energy.

tell me,

what should i do? how can i solve this? is that okay?

being away from school drains away my sociability.

and whatever bits of sane i have left in me

need help. SOS.

but i'm keep quiet.

i'm staying happy hardcore.

its hard to be me. i think.

KABOOM.

in other news, THE NEW CLASSES FOR AY 2009 SEM 1 are OUT!. only i can't see what class i'm in. cuz my rp password expired. i can't check my webmails either. and i can't log into LEO. so i dont know my class, i don't know my results, and i don't know whether there's anything on. if there is, can someone please notify me? thanks.

happiness.

i have a blister in the middle of my right palm.

because of today's screwdriving.

i have bruises in-between my two thighs.

because of saturday's night cycling.

i have giant blisters on both the soles of my feet.

because of playing basketball on fifi's birthday.

i have numerous scratches and cuts all over my two hands.

because of working at subway.

but, i enjoyed those times while they lasted (:

looking back at what we've done

i loved you, i still do.

never thought that i'd become

dedicatedly faithful.

still, you are the only one,

every word, i'll stay true.

you know who you are<3.

yeah..

i'm sunburnt. i feel like burnt toast. but at least its not the peeling kind of sunburn.

went to sentosa to celebrate fifi's birthday yesterday. we had the luge ride 3 times, cuz there was the special, buy-2-get-1-free thing. it was fuggin fun.

erm. i forgot what i wanted to blog about already. i just know that everytime i rub my forehead, it feels like im using sandpaper instead of my hand.

okay, no more memoirs. as i said, i'm working now. they told me im not a trainee anymore. so yea, i'm working at the marina square outlet of subway all the way till this friday (i think), 3 - 10. if you happen to be around, pop by and say hi, and maybe i'll make your sandwich for you *winkwink*

yesterday went to watch slumdog millionaire after work with steph. it was a damn good movie i tell you. it's not the tear-jerking kind where it makes you cry, but it's those kinds of movies where it reaches all the way into your heart and touches you, as though you were in his shoes. but the ending was quite retarded. it was the standard bollywood mass dance scene, which didn't really fit into the movie. and by the ending i mean credit rolling part, the entire movie was fine.

didn't go to work today, cuz i thought we had a break on weekends, but turns out we don't. so i just told them i had to go to school. going to work again tomorrow. 

hopefully my pay comes soon; i'm not gonna survive any longer

Memoirs of a Sandwich Artist Trainee: - Cont'd

I'm sorta not a trainee anymore. i'm doing work like everyone else.

day three and four, hmmm.... what did i learn?

oh, when you do a wrap, you're supposed to microwave it, not toast it, cuz it'll be too crispy. then sauce before veggie, unlike normal sandwiches when its veggie before sauce.

ermmmm.... i've been eating subway for almost three days now... wait, make that four. 

no visible changes, no development of super powers, but no fat gain either, but that might be because of my genes.

god i'm tired. didn't blog yesterday cuz i was out slacking with shaf, fifi and sky. we called verdell to ask her come down then i did my super low voice and verdell didnt know it was me. after that came home, too tired to blog, slept.

Memoirs of a Sandwich Artist Trainee: - Day 2

Today was day two. woke up at 5 in the morning cuz i needed to reach the outlet at 7 to take note of the opening procedure, but thought i would go there earlier to have breakfast. D'OH! since where were there any shops that are open and selling breakfast by 630? i must've been crazy.

learnt the procedure of baking bread today, plus how to prepare subway salads. okay, the thing about subway salads is, basically you're getting the sandwich without the bread. and you're adding $1.50 to make us do that.

 e.g. a cold cut trio sandwich consist of 6-inch bread, cold cut trio toppings, 2 slices of cheese and all the vegetables (according to the formula i posted yesterday), and with the sauce of your choice. that would cost you $4.50 (i think). a cold cut trio salad is basically all the vegetables (according to the same formula), cheese, cold cut trio topping cut into smaller peices and topped with the sauce of your choice. that would cost you $6. 

so apparently removing bread from the formula is such a chore that there's a possibility we might develop psychological trauma, that's why we're charging you the extra $1.50. better than taking it up to court.

i'm faster at preparing the sandwiches and wrapping them up already. i think i can really get used to this lifestyle, plus i get a 6-inch sandwich as my worker's meal every time i work half a day, and a foot-long when i work the whole day. 

and most of you know how much i like eating subway.

Memoirs of a Subway Sandwich Artist Trainee.

today was my first day as a subway sandwich artist. actually there wasn't much training before, for i'm a big fan of subway sandwiches, and therefore i knew how everything was done.

what i didn't know was, now i know the answers to all those bugging question everyone has. let the secrets be revealed today.

Why do they always give us so little serviots to go with our sandwiches?

cuz its taught to the workers that, when someone orders a 6-inch, give them one or two sheets, while if the customer orders a foot-long, give them a couple more.

Why do they always give such a minute amount of vegetables?

cuz they have a formula for it. a 6-inch would get 21 grams of lettuce, 14 grams of onions, and three peices of every other vegetable. multiply by two if it's a foot long.

How the hell does the soft drink dispenser run out of CO2?

cuz they ACTUALLY use canisters of CO2. the drink dispenser has a machine that mixes water and CO2 gas into carbonated water, then when it dispenses the drink it mixes the syrup with the gassy water.

Do they actually bake their own bread?

Yes, but there's only 2 kinds of breads. white and wheat. hearty italian is basically white bread with corn topping, parmesan oregano is white bread with parmesan, honey oat is wheat with oats. and honey.

yeah, i learn stuff like that today. who knew right? oh, in australia they actually have a selection of cheeses for you, like cheddar, parmesan etc. to go with your sandwich. in singapore, there's only australian cheddar, which isn't even cheddar at all.

what i learnt about food safety is, you have to scrub your hands clean when washing, and you have to wash for 20 seconds. my boss said that if you sing "happy birthday" to yourself at a normal tempo, it's roughly the time you need.

The one thing that i'm glad wasn't a real mystery, was the freshness of the ingredients. when they mean fresh, they really meant it. vegetables prepared are only kept for two days, unlike other places. and they seriously sanitize the place. like all the time. cleanliness and freshness. you don't get that much in singapore.

HAPPY VALENTINES.

Just a quick post here, went out today and sort-of celebrated Alvin's belated 19th birthday. Once again,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALVIN~!

HELLO

YES. I'm back on the blog. 

I ACTUALLY FORGOT I HAD ONE.

hols now, bored to the core. asked EVERYONE to go out. no one was freeeee. bah.

i need something to do. i need a job. or at least people to go out with everyday.

else i might go crazy.

who knows? maybe i already am.

To Stephanie

hi. i'm back. with my buggy laptop.

long since i last blogged, but first, i need to apologise to someone. updates come later.

stephanie, i'm sorry.

i'm sorry for not answering your phone call at times, i'm sorry i ignore (not intentionally) your smses when i'm busy, i'm sorry with everything you've had to put up with ever since we got together.

you could have easily gotten someone more handsome, richer, smarter, or more charming than me. but you chose me instead. for that, i've said many times, i'm thankful, and i've told you countless times that i feel that i'm lucky to have you, and i still do.

i ask for your forgiveness, not just this once, but every other time, including the ones before, and the ones to come. stephanie, would you forgive me?