Sunday, December 25, 2005

greetings!


to everyone in this enclave, have a wonderful christmas season!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Christmas Lunch

Today was our last day at work for this year. Most people at work didn't really work. Most fooled around, chatting, etc...every body was in holiday mood. Personally I am in holiday mood too but I had lots of work to do to make sure I've taken care of my "routine". The office will be close and I will not be able to come in.

Today was the day when most department heads/managers take their staff out to lunch or as some departments did, they had drinks in the office instead. Champagne bottles were popping everywhere around me.

Sadly, our department is the only one who do not practice this kind of festive season activity. Our manager does not believe in Christmas. I do not believe he is a Christian. Neither am I and most people in the office but everyone else celebrates Christmas or at least the past year.

The story was different last week though. Surprising, the manager told us all that he wants to take us all out to lunch. His exact words were he wants to "shout us to lunch" and that we should pick a day. He left it to our art director to pick a day and that she should pick the day most suitable based on our production schedule. I told her to pick thursday the 23rd as it is not only the last day of work but it is also a time when we would have finished all the work we need to do.

So she picked the day and I believe she told the manager. I believe the manager also invited a couple of people from outside our department. These two are the ones that hang out with him and the art director everyday. Somehow they feel like an outcast from their own department...or maybe they think they are too good for their department....who knows.

Anyway, so it was settled until today...noon came and I was hungry so I asked the art director about lunch and she said the manager haven't said anythign the whole morning and she thinks it is off. 12.30 came and I'm really hungry so I decided to buy my own lunch in the cafeteria. I was one of three who was having lunch there. Everyone else in the company is out with their department having lunch. A few minutes later, my manager went to lunch leaving me and my other male colleague in the building. He of course didnt have lunch as he was expecting a free lunch from the manager. The art director left at noon and decided not to return to work.

After lunch I carried on with the remaining of my work. My manager came back shortly after without saying anything.

Sad. I told someone this story and she said...your manager doesn't believe in rewarding you employees for all the hard work does he? I thought to myself...that is a spot on comment ....

Bah humbug to you too mr manager!

Have a Merry Christmas to everyone.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Drama king

My good friend "Idiot 1" asked me today... "Are you going anywhere for your holiday?"

Of course idiot 1 is the one that approves my holiday/leave applications - I said "no, not really." He asked "why not?" I said "Well, I do not want to go on holiday during the peak season. I wanted to go on holiday during the middle of the year or outside the christmas holiday period. but I am not allowed...so I may never go on holiday this year." Hearing this he acted as if he is the victim...he tried to relate to me saying how he also wanted to go on holidays in the middle of the year but the company does not allow it....what a load of shit! He has the power to approve my leave and his own leave. He is high enough he the food chain to go on leave when he can.

The truth is, he thinks we cannot go on holiday because we follow a strict production schedule. He is wrong.

Firstly, I do follow this production schedule but I can schedule to have a gap in each month enough for me to go on a 2 week holiday. It is him who does not want me (us) to go on holiday. Second, he stops himself from going on holiday and since he doesn't go on holiday, we are not allowed too. Third, every other people in the company can go on holiday at any time during the year so why not h9im and why not us?

The answer is...he is a control freak and he is a "Drama King". Fucking bastard..

Friday, December 16, 2005

Work Christmas Function




Wheeeee :-)

Had a brilliant xmas function yesterday :-)

Left from work in a party bus overflowing with champagne :-) One of the managers must've blackmailed one of the long-haul flight attendants to service the bus in the new air new zealand air crew uniform :-)

So she got in to the act and did the usual announcements etc... So we were on Flying Low Airlines, flight number B-O-O-Z-E :-) we were then given those Santa hats with the flashing stars on them, the left side of the bus (my side) were given red hats, and the right side were given gold hats.

First stop was at Toby's Jug for lunch. Prior to getting off the bus, we had a game called "I did it Thai way" (cast your mind back to Prescilla - Queen of the Dessert), wherein 2 female volunteers (one from each team) had to pop a ping-pong ball in to their mouth and pop it to another team member who stood a couple of rows away with a bucket in hand... Each ping-pong ball had a letter with a numerical value (think scrabble) - so in the second part of this activity, we had to put together the word with the highest value from the balls that were available :-) Gold team cheated by creating several words, but linked scrabble-like, whereas we came up with 'EXQUISITELY' - winning that contest :-)

Then back on to the bus for more champers, next stop Villa Maria vineyards, for a wine-tasting session^_^ before getting off the bus, we had to write a work-secret down on a piece of paper, for a game that was to be played after the piss-up, errr wine-tasting session... the chardonnay was yum, the sauvignon blanc was alright, the riesling was mmmm, never been a big fan of merlot so didn't rate that too highly... The organisers had put out too many sets of wines, and since I don't like things going to waste, I polished those ones off as well :-)

Shambling on to the bus, we were on to our next destination - woolworths in greenlane to pick up more beers, as those were running low... Enroute, we played the game with the secrets that we'd written prior to getting off the bus at the vineyard. Everyone had to put up their hands, and whenever their secret was read out, or a secret that applied to them, they had to put their hands down... Secrets such as "I was a pole dancer thru university" and "I'm secretly in love with my project manager" came out :-) bloody brilliant really :-)

Got to the supermarket in greenlane, and I just had to get some cheeseburgers for some reason :-) mmmmm cheeseburgers :-) one of the project managers had this drunkenly brilliant idea that it would be nice to have a real christmas tree on the party bus, so he bought one :-) the bus driver wouldn't let it on to the bus tho, so it went in to the carriage :-)

Next stop, movenpik in mission bay... Bloody hell that ice cream was melting fast, and in the state of sobriety that I was in (or lack thereof), I couldn't help but drip some on my shirt... Luckily enough, the managers broke out the waterguns and squirted everyone :-) the air hostess got a bit wet as well, and as I was getting on to the bus I couldn't help my make the super-astute comment of "you're kinda wet there" - to which she promptly replied "what a brilliant observation kit!" ^_^

Then off it was to town, where we spent a few more hours at the loaded hog drinking :-) I mistakenly told thea that I was at the Dog's Bollix instead of the hog, so I don't think she was all that impressed :-)

I'd have to say, that was the best work xmas functions, that I've been to :-) can't wait to see what they'll come up with next year :-)

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do!!!!

Went to the PriceWaterhouseCoopers - Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artists - End-of-year concert (pause... deep breath)last nite at St. Matthews-in-the-City

4 performers did there thing, to varying degrees of success IMHO... Since I'm in no way an expert on opera and the sounds/singers therein, I'll just make comments on who/what I found interesting :-)

Paloma Bruce (who funnily turned out to be a girl that Thea had gone to high school with) - just freaked me out with a prolonged note/sound that I didn't think a human was possible of generating... It was similar to the sound that you hear when you turn a TV on... But higher in pitch and volume... Shook me up something wicked to the point where it made the hairs on my arms stand on end... All this sound coming from a mere slip of a girl, was rather awe-inspiring...

Sarah Wood - apart from her amazing voice, she had an impressive *ahem* set of lungs with which to captivate the audience ^_^ and the dress that she wor... Errrr, barely wore... Ummmm let's put it this way, she was in no way under-endowned :-) I'm not sure how her b00bs didn't pop out of her strapless gown, what with all the breathing/movement going on :-)

The other two performers Rebecca Crabtree and Malcolm Ede also did very well, but in my uninformed opinion, I think that Malcolm didn't choose songs which showed his skill at the lower registers so...

The amount of effort that goes in to opera, always astounds me, and seeing it from that close, you gain more appreciation from seeing the level of facial expression and physical grace that emanates from them...

At the end of the evening (which lasted for nearly 2 hours) - they got the audience to sing 2 carols of their choice. The first was "Away in a manger" followed by "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". Nibbles and drinks ensued :-) stuck around for a while, then went and had chawarmas for dinner at the middle-eastern café on wellesley st.

All in all, not a bad nite at all :-)

Friday, December 09, 2005

A Matrix within a matrix?

Sadly, some people still do not understand, or refuse to, that we are all in the Matrix. Scientists have now claimed that they have cracked the 'computer code' that may be responsible for deciphering visual images.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Bloody oil slick

Had an accident today. I was riding to work and behind my building there is this bend where someone (presumably a boat owner pulling a boat) left a line of some kind of oil slick. It didnt look like an oil slick. It was drizzling that morning so it looked like some wet line.

My turn line just turned out to be exactly where this line is and before I knew it, my tyres lost grip. I felt it. With a second, I was sideways and hit the ground.

I heard the bike grind against the road. That horrible grinding sound. The damage could have been worse though.

Two guys from the tackle shop in that corner came out and asked if I was ok. They said I was the second bike that slid that morning. Later today, somebody spreaqd some sand or kitty litter on the road to absorb the oil.

I phoned the police and apparently several people reported this oil slick as well. I said I wanted to file a report/complaint but then the lady on the phone asked me to go to the station to file this report. This brought back memories of previous reports I made. How useless they are. I didn't think it was worth the time to go as they won't do anything anyway. Why? Because nobody died. Only when someone is dead will the police come out and investigate. Even then they probably won't even do a good job. And people wonder why so many hate the cops.

Jessica is bruised. Scratches on her left side. I'm bruised on my left elbox and left knee. The bruised knee didn't come out until the following they. I presume it was knocked by the tank. My elbox hit the road.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Well well!!!

Last wednesday nite was only the second time that I'd given blood this year, I usually manage to get 3 donations in, and occasionally a 4th one in just before christmas... Reason last nite was only the 2nd time was because the last time I got a call asking me to come in as someone needed some of my blood, my iron count was a bit below the level that they require you to have, or they won't take your blood...

Reason for that would have been because, I had been working pretty hard and as such hadn't been eating properly hence why my lower than usual blood iron levels...

So yeah, after easily meeting the iron level requirement, I happily gave blood. On average, it takes me about 5.5-6 minutes to give 470mls of blood. I'd have to say that yesterdady, it only took me 5m02s, probably due to me being rather eager ^_^ wonder how much faster I could give blood?

So after giving, and waiting a couple of minutes as per the nurses instructions, I hopped off, grabbed a drink and some bickies (mmmm gingernut biscuits!) and went on my merry way to get some dinner :-)

IMHO, the best place to get a kebab is from Betsia Kebabs on symonds st (across from where ray used to live) so I got a lamb kebab on rice, while thea had a combination on rice...

But to get to the point of this rather lengthy and meandering write-up, guess what I came across ^_^

yes gents, a pill store to get all your herbal *ahem* remedies, stocking all the fave brand party pills and such :-) I didn't look too closely, but I'm sure they had bongs in there as well :-)

On another note, has anyone tried those hot coffee in a can thingies
My workmate brought it in the other day, and I must say that it's not too shabby at all :-) and here I was thinking that I'd have to wait till I got to japan to try something like that ^_^