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Saturday, May 31, 2003
what the world needs now
is love, sweet love..
It's the only thing
That there's just.. to little of...
Friday, May 30, 2003
I can't write any more! My imagination has been culled and put to sleep! And this weekend (ok, by next Tuesday, but I want to get it done early) I have to report/ write:
a) an article about a 5-child family (very easy, but I only have 30cm to cram it all into)
b) an article about a 1-child family (also very easy, but again, 30cm??)
c) an article about confinement maid agencies
And Karen, I realised the truth about flexible working hours a long, long, long time ago. Yes, even the most well-meaning friends just don't get it. When I tell people "I don't know what time I'll get off work" they simply can't understand.
-cries- Why didn't I just opt to study here instead? Who cares about a stable job, a Nissan Sunny, an executive condo, two kids and the Singapore Dream? Why couldn't I just have done my four years here, graduated, and gone travelling? The job market now is so bad that the opportunity cost of trekking in the Amazon/ building a school in Cambodia/ studying dolphins at Baja is incredibly low. I think my best friend's pretty smart - she turned down an 8-year A*Star scholarship to study law here, get out and maybe work with animals.
No, instead I've got to dream of journeying to the West to study and snowboard, and sign myself on so I can do that for four years, and come back for six years of penance.
Thursday, May 29, 2003
Its something we all feel strongly about.
No, its not the abortion issue, not its not Indonesia, and no, its not Sars.
I'd love to say that I am deeply concerned about all those issues listed above, but I'm sorry, I guess I'm just this shallow.
Its the issue of WHY INTERNS DON'T GET INTERNET ACCESS.
I think I used to be OK with the idea of not having access to the net, but until you TASTE the forbidden fruit.........
You seriously don't know what you're missing-being able to get numbers and names of all the shops you need to go to for your article, ranging from furniture to cheongsams....all in the comfort of your own chair at your work station. Not having to drag your fat ass to the "internet terminal" which doesn't even have internet anymore (or so i learnt today after having internet access "confiscated" from me)
Can you IMAGINE all this happening despite all the talk about increasing productivity?
Talk about being stupid. HAI! shall not waste precious time blogging about unhappy stuff.
Today's lesson: Don't take what isn't yours. (Even if you think that it is rightly yours) Saves you the pain when you have to return it.
One more thing, understand that working at a newspaper means you have no fixed working hours. The sooner you accept it, the better. Cos I still have trouble grappling with this issue. Besides, nobody else will understand why you have to work the way you work. Even if you explain it to your friends, they won't get it. Even the most well meaning ones.
When you make a weekday appointment after work, always always add the qualifier that there is a chance you may hafta work late. It does help. But inevitably, your friend will always ask: "So, what is the earliest time you can make it? Don't be too late ok?" And though it makes me sound like a terrible inconsiderate jerk, these lines never fail to irk me. After all, it's not as if I want to work late. It just happens.
Well Karen, grow up. I have another six years of this to deal with. Let's just hope Melvin's prophecy won't come true.
Hullo! Was reading the blog when I realised I haven't blogged here in a long long time. Today's burning topic will be......... the Internet!
Or rather, the lack of it in the office. Of course, we poor interns do not have Internet access, something I really don't understand. To the best of my knowledge, interns, like most of the other regular reporters, have tonnes of research to do. And most of the info we need can only be found on the net. So it obviously makes sense for us to have access to the net at our terminals so that we don't spend the day shuttling between the one and only Internet terminal at the other end of the office and our own desks.
But does management see it that way?
Nope.
This means we have to find ways around this dumb rule. And trust me, we did find a way but I can't exactly reveal what we did. Some things just aren't meant to be said. For a while, it seemed to work. We got our access at our workstations and everybody was happy. Unfortunately, those IT people somehow found out about it. Now we're back at square one. No more internet, just that distant internet terminal. Sob!
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Oh and elysa (again..) the funky arrow thing it the button(key) that is two keys to the left of the shift key on the right side of the keyboard.In other words, the fullstop button. Press shift. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.. haha.
*howl* Elysa that was HILARIOUS!!
*whimper* i've been kind of working nonstop for the past 2 days - started on monday at 8am cos there was just so much stuff to clear up, had the mother of all headaches at about 3pm, worked till 10pm, came home, curled up, and fell asleep...
this morning i crawled into work at 10am, left at 6pm, and was doing an interview from 8.30pm to 10.30pm...
gosh i haven't seen you guys for days!
meow. lots of catty stories and - get this - a total of 24 emails from cat lovers/ haters over the past few days. (i'm working like a dog here...)
ELYSA!
It;s SOOOOOO much funnier when you write it. OMGOSH!
I'm glad you cna't see my tears. hiakz!
Monday, May 26, 2003
by the way..... ANDREW'S BACK! Hallelujah. doesn't matter even if he looks like Father Christmas.
aaron (shit i'm trying to look for that funky arrow thing tt cass did, but i dunno how to do it)= er.. sorry, no maids, no maids who are friends either. Maybe u wanna hang out far east plaza or lucky plaza on sundays. its their off day.
cass=thank you. I'm glad he's back too. :)
melissa and grace=congrats on getting the scholarship! :)
.
THE CENSORED VERSION
6:45
I step into a drain. Hai.... happens all the time.
6:50
I see bus number 153 drive past at the bend. The one place where seeing your bus drive past REALLY sucks because you are close enough to think that you can catch it if you run, but you'd have to look like an ABSOLUTE nut because you'd have to run in heels.
6:55
I reach the bus stop, feeling fed up because its a very long wait for 153. Feeling like Miss Clever-know-it-all because I vaguely remember seeing bus numbers 73 and 28 on the bus stop near my place, I confidently declare to Melissa that a lot of buses at that bus stop go to my place.
Melissa tells me that 73 doesn't go to my place.
ok... my ego's slightly deflated, but... hey. I'm sure that 28 DOES go to my place. well... ok. QUITE sure.
So, when it coes, I board it quickly, feeling rather smart.
7:00
I find myself looking nervously at the road and the bus driver-he has VERY long nails, you know, the Phua Chu Kang kind-because I'm not sure that the bus goes to my place.
7:08
I start developing a crick in my neck.
But, so far so good. Its still on the route home.
7:10
Damn! Get off the bus! Get off the bus!
7:12
Shit. I hate climbing overhead bridges.
7:15
Actually, walking home's quite cool la. Check out the nice mix of pink, purple and blue. *contented sigh*
7:16
A bus which I could have taken home zooms past. *concentrate on the beautiful scenery.... concentrate on the scenery....... concentrate....
7:20
Just as I start to feel athletic and healthy due to my brisk walking (despite all the carbon monoxide, nitrogen and whatever pollutants they have these days), the heel of my shoe gets caught in-no, not another drain, but in a crack in the cement.
Throughout my entire walk, there've been very few other pedestrians.
Just so happened that as I started hopping around like some idiot trying some new form of yoga, a group of Bhangra/Bangla (dunno how to spell) workers appear out of nowhere.
My discman starts playing "Guess I was a Fool"
I repress the urge to swear.
7:30
About 8 buses which I could have taken have driven past me. I've walked past about 3-4 bus-stops.
By this time, the only thing which is stronger than my urge to give vent to my frustration by kicking the thing that prevents you from falling into the long kang is my stubborness.
I hear Another Level crooning to the lyrics: "Don't cry, dry your eyes."
7:35
I thank my lucky stars I'm not wearing my red killer heels.
7:35 and a few more seconds
I realise that if I had been wearing my red killer heels, I wouldn't have attempted walking home from that bus-stop.
Tip of the day:
Please. Please. Please be very sure of the buses that go to your house.
Sunday, May 25, 2003
sigh. now i wonder why i took the phone booth tix. who am i kidding? do i honestly think i can leave the office at 6pm? you think santokh would understand?
elysa> i really hope andrew comes back soon..
Friday, May 23, 2003
Hullo~! :)
I'm blogging coz I have no life. Everyone's out and having fun while I find myself sitting on my brother's bed, with my mom lying down behind me asking me why I don't have a boyfriend to go out with. (sigh. Is Melvin's prediction coming true? SO SOON????? BUT WHY????)
lemme think of a tip of the day....
argh. Now i'm getting chased away by my brother. Who, by the way, thinks that he has a right to the computer just because its in his room. Now, the first-come-first-served rule doesn't work. It only works when he's already using the com. WHYYYYYYYY WHYYYYYYY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????
sigh. he really wants me to go. he just called me crazy and stupid. sigh. there's only so much a sis can take after a day being ordered around by mr Calvin.
Will give tips on how to handle crazy psychologists next time. byby~ :)
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
THE CALLER FROM HELL PART II
Me: Hello, New Paper hotline, how may I help you? (In case you were wondering................ NO LA I don't really answer the phone like some constipated hotel phone operator reading from a prepared script. I just go, harlow?)
PSYCHO (in a machine-gun kind of way): What is your name.
Me: erm.. Elysa?
PSYCHO: What is your surname?
Me: ..... Chen?
PSYCHO: TAN AH?
Me: No, Chen.
PSYCHO: Are you Melissa Tan?
Me (thinking: "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY?" another thought running thru my mind simultaneously is: "Is he a fan of Mel's?"): Er.. no. I'm Elysa Chen. AIR-LEE-SA CHEN.
PSYCHO: OK OK. ELYSA CHEN, What is the color of your skirt?
Me (looking down at my pants): I'm not wearing a skirt? And.. is there any point to your call besides asking me about all this?
PSYCHO: WHAT IS THE COLOUR OF YOUR SKIRT????
Me, really freaked out and irritated by now ("If he likes Melissa, then why can't he bug her?? Dammit, Melissa!"): I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT WEARING A SKIRT.
PSYCHO: Elysa, I love you.
Me (huh? Brain's still taking some time to process this): Hello, I can trace your call.
PSYCHO: SHUDDUP!
Line goes dead.
Me:........................... KAREN~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
******************************************************************************************************************************
So, my young paduans. Lesson for today.
Everytime Mr I'm-so-sick-i-have-to-make-calls-from-public-phones-and-harrass-girls-from-tnp calls, just tell him you're tracing his call. If you're lucky, he'll be so scared that he'll be found and dragged back to woodbridge that he won't call anymore for the day.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
aAaAaaaaaAAAARGH!!!!!!
NEVER wear nice fanciful fragile rings to work. or any accessories of that sort, for that matter.
You get waaaaayyy to busy to bother about it and the next time you look at that particular accessory, you wonder how it became the way it is now. MAIMED. uh, can you use that word on things? heh.
yeah. really.
guess what folks. There's a new intern at Straits Times Newsdesk; her name's Crystal and she's from NTU. I have company. w00t. today i'll bring her along for lunch. if i have time for lunch...
haha i spent all day on the phone yesterday. "Hello, may I speak to the Irish Ambassador to Singapore please. He's out for lunch? When will he be back? FOUR??"
Proper answering machine etiquette requires that you swear at the automated voicemail for as long as it's babbling on in an annoying little Hal-the-talking-computer-from-Space-Odyssey-2001 voice, and stop just in time for the recording mechanism to kick in.
Cass - caveat, wen ppl offer you free tix for shows, they're usually at some impossible time. Which is what happened yesterday, a Newsdesk colleague had 2 free tix for Reloaded...at 6.30pm. She couldn't figure out what to do with them.
Monday, May 19, 2003
HELLOOOOOOOO~! did anyone miss me?
Anyway, I'm here to welcome Mr Aaron Loh and Mr Marcel Perreria (I'm sorry! Is this how its spelt?) whoooooohoo~!
Tip of the day: Dealing with Answering Machines.
This is a problem everyone will face once in a while, especially if you have to deal with large companies you don't have any contacts in. Here's an example of a typical "conversation" with an answering machine.
ring ring... ring ring..
Voice on the phone: Thank you for calling Wacoal Singapore...
You: Hello? I'd like to...
Voice: If you know the extension number of the person you wish to contact, please dial now.
This is when you realise with a sinking feeling what an idiot you were when you actually started talking to the machine.
Voice continuing: For further assistance, please dial zero.
You:.............
You dial zero. (What bloody else is there to do??? sigh.)
Voice: Please hold. (crappy muzak starts playing.)
You: ......... (I hate answering machines.)
You:............................... (twirling your hair and doodling.)
You:.................................................... (sigh. Are they too poor to hire a receptionist??)
***************************************After some time....********************************************
Voice: You can hang up now.
You: What the !@#$^^*&%#@!
As you can see, there's no way of dealing with these machines. Unless, of course, you torch the Wacoal's office.
That's the end of our programme for today.
Tune in tomorrow for more on dealing with unhelpful emails. This is Elysa, signing off and wishing you merry christmas.
(I know what you guys are thinking. Its not Christmas. So? I just felt like saying it. Not happy? Complain la! We've already set up a feedback thing just for you.)
Sunday, May 18, 2003
I am happy. the guestbook finally works (:
I am sad. here's why:
Tip of the day: When people offer you free tix for shows, MSG VAS ON THE COYOTE ASAP! It's really a case of fastest fingers first as the interns of TNP discovered today. So, no tix for us today. O wells.
At least we got the guestbook! heh.
you mean Aaron L? Yeah he's gonna be a 3rd year student at NUS Political Science in July. Local scholar doing his mandatory 8 weeks at Genting. Works on the Sunday features, this weekend's one was something about dead SARs bodies i think. can't remember. Uhh we can invite him but i dun have his email or wateva so yeah.. karen you can ask!
Tip from cass: You'd want to have a water bottle or a thermos flask or something at your desk because the pantry is about 3 miles away when you're rushing to file your story. I got myself one from starbucks! wahoo!
Friday, May 16, 2003
huh? You mean you can put a guestbook on a blog? *twirls hair*
Where's Melissa? I thought she said she was going to blog?*blink blink*
Welcome to Elysa's world. (NOTE: Also known as Hell for Andrew, Cassandra, Karen and Melissa.)
aahhaha...... okok. I'd better stop this.
Anyway, have you found out who the new intern is? Wanna invite him? It IS a guy, right? *blink blink*
Today's tip: Act dumb. It cuts down the amount of work you have to do. Trust me, I know. :) *blink blink, giggle*
Thursday, May 15, 2003
hey karen,
i know you mentioned putting in a guestbook and all. i'm not the administrator so i can't add it in for you. but you can go to
http://www.klinkfamily.com/blogout/blogout.html
and try copying the script into your html template. Should be alright as long as you know where the head and body of the html page is (:. Now we'll have a guestbook!
Oh for those of you out there, i'm the newest intern on the block. Clueless to the world of journalism. Welcome to my world. (:
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Every day is a learning experience at The New Paper.
Today, I learnt the importance of dressing for the job. Boys and girls, it is very important to look presentable at all times. Especially when you have to enter upscale boutiques at palais rennaisance. (Oh dear, I can't remember if its spelt like that.. what to do? Ignorant and unfashionable low-class people like me don't really 'hang out' at these places what. Ask me about Taka food court or the kopitiam la!)
I guess you can't really blame these sales people. They're so used to seeing fashion disaster tai-tais, chic expats and those really sophisticated Singaporeans that when one trots into their shop wearing gross dirt-coated slippers from cheapskate charles and keith, and that horrible denim skirt which is neither long nor short, they just dismiss you immediately.
I don't mean that they do it deliberately. It must be a very subconscious action. I'm very sure that they are very nice people, really. *hah!*
And that sweet young lady who kindly ushered us out of Prada... I'm sure she was just concerned about the dreadful mess we might have made in her shop. *rolls eyes*
I'm sure they don't mean to look at us from under the frames of their glasses like that kindly old woman at...... ah I can't really remember where it was... oh yes.. Gucci. * rolls eyes again*
Maybe they were worried that having "customers" like us in the shops would deter would-be customers from going in. I'm sure nice, professional sales people like them wouldn't DREAM of treating me and mel like second-class customers, would they? *rolls eyes till they almost pop out of my sockets*
But in any case.. to prevent such things from happening again, dress like you work at BT. I'm sure it'd help prevent any horrible misunderstandings that could arise. *sweet smile*
Monday, May 12, 2003
Gosh, I just found out something very interesting about the phone at my desk. You can use the speaker to make conference calls.
I can already sense the question marks in everybody's heads. Have patience yeah? :P
The cool thing about it is you can adjust the volume to the minimum so that only the people at your table can hear the conversation. Then, stare intensely at the phone and look really serious. Sooner or later, true to the nature of kaypoh reporters, someone will come up to you and enquire about your fascination with the phone. You can then either:
1. Pretend you're having a very important phone call and chase the person away.
2. Mess up your hair a little (ask Elysa to demo her crazed look) and tell the reporter you're willing an errant newsmaker to call you.
Either way you'll look really hardworking. Which is the point of being an intern. Appearing busy and industrious without actually being busy and industrious.
And in case nobody has already realised, the speaker phone is a great way of catching up on gossip with ex-interns and for Elysa and I to dish out advice to our long suffering junior exco members from RP.
Yup, just thought I'd be nice and share this piece of info that I took 4 months to figure out. Don't know why it never occurred to me earlier. Sheesh.
By the way, my favourite part in the Ash story is when Mary-Lynette kicks Ash in the shins too. He's just too cute to be true. I can just see him hopping around on one foot while everybody else looks on in amusment. Point-of-information: Ash is a vampire, he goes around killing humans for fun. He does not let puny girls kick him and get away with it.
I was grinning from ear to ear in the mrt while reading it, saw a few people staring at me curiously. Cannot bear to imagine how damaged my public image is just cos of these trashy books. So it's better to pretend it's perfectly normal for an almost 19 year old almost scholar to read fiction that's meant for a 12 year old. Use nostalgia as an excuse if absolutely necessary.
So, Mel, bring the last Night World book back to the office ok? I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms!
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Well, what can I say? Blogspot ate my post. Again.
Anyway, here's the gist of what I was writing about:
Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute Ash is so cute
Its apparent that unlike Karen, I need a REAL guy. Or in this case, a vampire. They are so sexy. *Drooool*
Mel, do you remember what colour Ash's hair is? Doesn't matter, really. He's still hot. *Drooooooooooooooooooool*
Don't you just love the way Mary-Lynnette kicks him in the shin, the way he fights with her.... particularly enjoyed the scene in the woods.
eeeee..... got to stop fantasizing about make-belief vampires, no matter how cute they are.
Yeah yeah.... Laugh all you want. I'm willing to swallow any amount of my pride to read about Julian. If he's anything as hot as Ash is, that is.
Sigh.
Maybe I need a life.
Or psychiatric help.
Tip of the day: Don't read Night World novels. (Of course, you all know that I'm not the sort to heed my own advice, so Karen and Mel, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pass me ALL your Night World, Vampire Diaries, Forbidden Game-what's wrong with all their titles?- books. THANKS.)
Sigh I really was hoping Weesi was one of those hunky-dory swaggering army brat type of a guy. Think the all American US Marine prototype. Ah well I have something else on my mind.
NO! I don't just mope around dreaming of Julian and Stefan. I now need to get a guy. Haha, yeah a real human guy to go shopping with me. And before you all start jumping to conclusions, I'm not completely off my rocker. I need a guy for this Great Singapore Sales supplement I'm working on.
I have to find a guy who's willing to humiliate himself on a national tabloid by showing everybody how clueless he is when it comes to women's clothing. Sigh.
The tip of the day is: Do not suggest impossible story ideas which you will have to sell your soul just so you can get the scoop.
I have a feeling I'll be doing something like that very soon.
Friday, May 09, 2003
blogging tip: write everything in Notepad first, then copy and paste into blogger. That way, even if blogger eats your posts (it frequently eats mine), you'll still have your entry left!
As Ian would very eloquently put it... "Ah...... F**K!"
I don't know what i just freaking did, but the entire thing that i wrote just disappeared.
sigh. I do hate blogspot after all. you *beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*
Its ok. I finally went to Tekong today. Weesi is, not as Karen and Mel very 'cleverly' speculated, a gorgeous hunk, but reeeeaaaalllllllly a momma's boy. But.... i guess i am grateful to him for arranging the entire thing for me. so........................................ ok. cool. mindef gets a second chance.
lemme think of a tip for today.
okok. I got it.
Build up your own library of Night World books.
(Hey man, you never know if you'll be THAT bored. )
hai. all you rookies who are just dying for advice, gimme a break. I'm tired. been running around fields worried that i'll squash some frog with my heels while watching winnie do the photoshoot today.
besides, i typed a lot. it just disappeared into cyberspace. If you wanna blame anyone, just blame blogspot.
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
Elysa > yeah it's 'dress for the job', so BT interns gotta dress like that...I remember seeing Elgin turn up in a tie once or twice! Hey i didn't know Jinghui left until yesterday. Apparently she got the rejection letter over the weekend or something, but i thought she was off on monday, and i messaged her, but she didn't reply till tuesday.
I have *no idea* why the ST turnover rate is so high! anyway. spent large portion of today slacking. In fact, have been spending more and more time slacking, because we have a huge influx of more experienced reporters (and a supe!) from other desks/ papers. In fact, we had a welcome party with cake and coffee for everyone this afternoon... :)
Tip of the day:
I have no tips today. Grunt work is an easy if boring life.
The mystery of the missing tape recorder revealed: I've got Andrew's recorder, of course.
( please don't tell on me. If you see him searching ferverently, digging in his drawers and piles of rot then swearing in frustration, red in the face 15 minutes later..... he's probably looking for it. )
Grace, is it true that BT interns have to dress like that??????
And jinghui left????????????????????????????????????? no wonder i've not been seeing her around. Why can't you pple at least tell us?? aren't we friends??? hahahha.
hey Grace, you know Amanda??????????????????????? COOL~! She's my primary school best friend. :) Just talked to her today. Or rather, just emailed her today. She's sick. sigh. poor baby.
How come the turnover rate at ST is so high???
Don't worry, if you're ever lonely, just message us! :) my logon/login/whatever that thing is is elysac
ok... back to dispensing pearls of wisdom. (ya right.)
Tip of the day: Know how to stop escalators
Mel saved the day today by knowing how to stop an escalator. Coz some old man fell. I'll leave it to her to boast about her accomplishments. (If she even logs on to read/blog.)
Grace, its ok. I'm sure whoever it is who rejected your scholarship application will reconsider. Your supes and hr's sending an appeal right? no prob.
OK, you guys take care, read your NIGHTWORLD books, and..... watch the bachelor! :)
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
[the intern's guide to the straits times - part i]
hellohello! My first blogpost on dummyintern. A bit the late cos Winnie called me today and said they weren't offering me the scholarship, but never mind! Will be around till the end of May or the beginning of June at least.
Right. TNP interns have all the fun. BT interns have to dress in straitlaced formal dress shirts and skirts and pants. And ST interns...well, ST interns lead a slightly lonely life, but that's because there's only one of me left. (First there were Angelina and Amanda and me. Then Angelina and Amanda quit, leaving me on my own for three weeks. Then came Harleen and Pamela, who left, and Jinghui, who left a bit later. Now I'm back on my own, but I generally always have someone to talk to because ST's so huge.)
ST interning fashion tips:
1. Wear comfortable shoes. Nothing worse than staggering around in heels and then having one of your shoe straps snap off, and then having aching feet, calves and legs for the rest of the day...See my blog, April 27 entry, for gory details!
2. Wear something with POCKETS so you don't have to fish around in your bag when your phone rings.
3. And if that fails and fashion victim types MUST wear heels, here's a secret: to run in heels, balance your weight on tiptoes and ruuuuuuun. Worked for Charlie's Angels.
Nah actually Elysa, I think you're the one who should feel like kicking me. After all, it's MY fault that you're hopelessly addicted to blogging. I mean, you're blogging at a rate of two entries a day. Tsk tsk, it gets a bit unhealthy ya know? Hahaha.
Anyway, the last I checked, my tape recorder is in my drawer. So whose other recorder have you stolen? Gasp!
I'm going to tekong, I'm going to tekong, I'm going to tekong, I'm going to tekong.
Lim Weesi, I would so loveeeeeee to beat the crap outta you. sigh. too bad Dominic will be there. Can't ruin my reputation of being a demure, sweet, harmless little thing. waaaaaaaaahhahahahhahah....
Tip of the day: Tape recorders
1) When using tape recorders during interviews, please make sure its a quiet place
2) If interviewing expats, please make sure you've everything written down in your notebook anyway. Listening to the accent on the lousy piece of s**t when you're back in the office can be a real pain.
3) Use Karen's tape recorder instead of Andrew's. You can't plug your earphones into Andrew's tape recorder, and have to "kiap" the damn thing between your head and shoulder. It gives you a stiff neck if you haven't already gotten a headache from listening to the lousy tape.
4) Label your tapes all the time. Trying to find the right tape admist all the rubbish on your desk is terrible enough. Trying to find the right tape with 3 other identical tapes in the huge pile of rubbish is not a good idea.
5) Conveniently forget to return the recorder. Then you won't have to keep asking whoever lent you the recorder (in my case, Andrew and Karen) for the recorders the next time you need to go out for an interview.
hahhahahha. AM I THE ULTIMATE SLIMEBALL OR WHAT?
Karen, don't you want to kick me?
By the way, Andrew CANNOT ever see this blog.
Monday, May 05, 2003
HEY@ YUWEI~ hahaha......at least someone had the sense to tell you about this place. YEHH~! CAN'T WAIT FOR SMALLVILLE TO START! But remember, there's FRIENDS before that~! so, keep yer eyes glued to the tv set!
Yuwei, do you have an icq number? I finally got meself icq. add me~! my number's 268644897.
ok.... about your point on heels.... i do agree that heels rock (especially if you're 1.53m and your pants are constantly dragging on the ground.)
BUT~!
When you're out doing a poll, heels are a definite NO-NO. I almost died that day I went out with Mel to do a poll, and the other day when I went with Andrew to Mohammed Sultan-I was staggering and had to hold the railing not because I had too much to drink, but because I was wearing what have been affectionately called, Killer Heels.
So, while they make interesting height aids and are great accessories, heels CANNOT be worn to the newsroom.
(damn!)
Especially if you have sweaty feet like me.
Enough's enough. I've been typing even though my dog just scratched both my arms. They're really smarting now.
So..... I shall have to end my eloquent argument prematurely. (does this count as an argument? argh. for want of a better word.)
farewell, my ardent fans.
Saturday, May 03, 2003
Sigh. Is there anything better to do on a SUNDAY than sit next to a smelly JC student mugging his math and listening to Justin Timberlake on MTV?
Of course there is! hahahahah.... read TNP.
anyway..... where on earth is MEL? hm????
by the way, if i haven't already told you..... I'M GETTING AN INTERVIEW WITH WINNIE THIS FRIDAY!!! whoooooohoo~
There's no point fighting it. You have to work with PR people, no matter how faggy and pathetic they are.
(Especially if they're from MINDEF)
actually, I have nothing important to write here. just inconsequential, self-indulgent babbling.
blah blah blah. hahhaha..... have i sufficiently irritated you? anyway, I want to get ready for service. :) buhbye`!
See, mel? Its not as difficult as it seems. just write whatever you want.
anyway, i got another story to pitch to andrew. hope he okays it.
Tell you guys about it on monday.
Sorry, i'm not going to post lessons/tips anymore. Going on a strike till mel posts something. mwahahahah....
by the way, the night we took a cab from shaw towers after the 9-11 show...... I could have sworn that it was the lame cab driver tt I encountered (you know the one tt lowered the windows just a fraction of a cm and turned off the air-conditioning?)
ya. mel and I almost suffocated. hope she made it back safely. haven't heard from her the entire weekend. maybe that's why she hasn't blogged, despite PROMISING us to do so. maybe she'd passed out in the cab from lack of oxygen, and got sold to some mongolian farmer.
(are there farms in mongolia?)
see..... i'm still going strong. yada yada yada... yackety yack. sorry!!! okok. i'll stop now.
BYEEEEEEE~! don't miss me too much, you dodo birds!
Elysa ze pro.
