Day 1

Day 1

Alarm time set: 8.10am
Time Out of Bed: 8.28am
Time Reached Office: 9.29am
Breakfast: None

Its day 1 of my little experiment, and althought I managed to get to the office before 9.30am, I practically yawned all the way here.

I maybe half an hour earlier, but I don't feel anymore awake than I was yesterday.

Need coffeeeeeeee.....

Take Charge

My sleeping pattern has gone completely wacko for the past two weeks.

And combine that with winter mornings, I've been waking up at 8.30am, getting out of bed 15 mins later and getting to work around 9.30am.

Today, I didn't wake up until 9am. Out of bed by 9.30am, work by 10am. If I keep this up, its only a matter of time before my manager finally cracks, resulting in me having to find another job.

The problem with starting the day late, is that not only do I feel like I need another 10 hours of sleep, I'm also immensely unproductive. I've done nothing today. And its not because there is nothing to do (there is loads of work), but I just can't get myself commited to start on something.

Then I read this while surfing through digg.com

I read through all the advantages... humm.. the 'commute' one doesn't really count, there isn't any peak-hour traffic after 9.30am anyway. But then again, being able to have breakfast in the morning again sounds good. Lately I've just been doing the Brunch thing.

I guess I can try to change my sleeping patterns. Not sure how I'm going to force myself to wake up 15 mins earlier.

My target is to get to a stage where I can wake up and get out of bed easily by 7.30am (excluding weekends). And be at work before 9am.

I'm going to try and record my progress on this blog.

Wish me luck !

I Need more ...

Annual leave !!!

I think I have gone through most of my 20 days already. My last pay slip says I have 5.07 days left.

Thats not including the 7 days I will be taking for the Osaka trip in November, and the 2 days away while I will be back in Perth for my Granny's b'day during the first week of July.

I'll also be back in Perth for my friends-since-highschool buddy's wedding in September. (Trying to make that just a 'weekend' trip).

And now to top that off, another one of my close friends informed me that he is getting married in two months time. The wedding will be in Singapore.

Oh... and my ski trip in August.

I'm at a stage where I actually feel a bit embarrassed, to hand in anymore annual leave request forms.

Looks like I'll be putting my hands up for any overtime work for the next 6 months or so, just to accrue more leave. *sigh**

Its the People

It has been a sh-t week.

Thursday left at 10pm.

Friday left at 11pm.

Call outs on Sunday.

One power outage and my whole week + weekend ends up screwed.

IT equipments don't like power outages. 1 motherboard change and 2 interconnect HBA card changes later, and everything seemed to be up and running. Hardware failures -- I can handle, its the people that get to me.

After I got my downtime approved, some IT Continuity Manager called up and said that the outage was not to go ahead, and if we were to replace broken parts, then we were to do it without any downtime.

Nutcase.

He may as well asked a doctor to perform open heart surgery without putting the patient to sleep first.

I explained that the Interconnect cards were down. Which is the hardware that controls the cluster failover links. The ability to have redundancy. And if there was another power outage, or even any other hardware failure, and then if the system goes down, there will be an extended period of downtime during the day for which I cannot account for.

After another hour of phone calls, it was still a 'No-Go'.

I wonder what part of, "If system suffers another problem, and Interconnects not fixed, system will go down indefinitely", did he not understand.

He said that if I couldn't guarantee that the system will be up by 7am the next day, then I couldn't go ahead. I told him I couldn't guarantee that the system would be up in the next 5 minutes.

I was so tempted to just shutdown everything and report a Severity 1.

Although if I did do that, I will probably be spending the rest of the month filling out incident reports.

In the end my manager took the phone, and said, 'If we don't do anything tonight, and system goes down tomorrow, I will put it down that you were the one who didn't allow work to be done tonight?'.

I didn't hear the answer, but once my manager put the phone down, he told me it will go ahead tonight.

That was thursday night. After 4 reboots and the system still didn't come back up after the interconnects were replaced, I realised the problem was much bigger than just the HBA cards. It would take another 4 hours for parts to be dispatched onsite. And it looked like a new motherboard was needed.

Normally, I wouldn't mind staying back. I could just go home, get something to eat and come back when parts arrived. But not this time. I called my manager up and asked if he would want me to stay, he said 'No', I could do it tomorrow night.

So, Friday morning I called to let him know that it didn't go as planned and that further downtime would be required.

He didn't sound happy. But I really didn't care anymore.

How Aussie are you ?

Question 7 was easy. We are known to eat the only two animals shown on our Coat of Arms. So I just choose the two animals which I knew to be edible. Ha !

However, I don't know who was the first Prime Minister of Australia. (I doubt many other Australian do ...)

Funny how I would know who was the first President of the United States though.

A sample of questions from the 'Aussie Test' can be found on the link below:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21752541-2,00.html

Go Figure

Why are the Grey Shirts (Cityrail Police) standing outside the ticket gates to check people's tickets after they have passed through the gates ?

*smacks forehead**

Back in Form

An old friend of mine who dropped by Sydney for a quick 3 day trip left this morning. In true fashion, to reminisce old times, we both decided to go karaoke and have a drink or two last night.

A drink or two turned out to be two bottles of Chivas. 750ml Each.

We didn't just sit there and skull a bottle each. We aren't that crazy, but my friend did insist we do it just like the good old days. No mixers. Just two cubes of ice each, so that we can swish it around in our little plastic cups.

Actually the most amazing thing last night, was that we managed to find a Karaoke that didn't close up at 12am. (it took us three attempts). But now I know where to go, if I do feel like going out for drinks again on a Monday night.

Legend has it that I could once drink 3 guys under the table. That might be true if the 3 guys have livers the size of a candle nut.

However, after last night, I do feel that I'm back in form.

The Marriage Insight

This probably isn't just a marriage insight. So far I'm able to apply it to all of my previous failed relationships. I'm a sucker for #2. And #3 just doesn't exist. The way I'm going I think I'm doomed to be a spinster for the rest of my life.

While we were at a pub last week, I was told by my bf that he will be 'ditching' me (i.e. I will need to find my own ride home), if I didn't leave with him in next 5 mins. He had basketball on that night.

Basketball has and always will come first. -End of Dicussion-

Given that incident, I don't favour my chances with point #10.


Warning: big amounts of text to follow, copied from one of my girlfriend's emails.

=========

TEN WAYS TO MARRY THE WRONG PERSON

By Rabbi Dov Heller, M.A.

With the divorce rate over 50%, too many are apparently making a serious mistake in deciding whom to spend the rest of their life with. To avoid becoming a "statistic," try to internalize 10 insights.

1. You pick the wrong person because you expect him/her to change after you're married. The classic mistake. Never marry potential. The golden rule is, if you can't be happy with the person the way he or she is now, don't get married. As a colleague of mine so wisely put it, "You actually can expect people to change after their married...for the worst!" So when it comes to the other person's spirituality, character, personal hygiene, communication skills, and personal habits, make sure you can live with these as they are now.
   
   
2. You pick the wrong person because you focus more on chemistry than on character. Chemistry ignites the fire, but good character keep sit burning. Beware of the "I'm in love" syndrome. "I'm in love often means, "I'm in lust." Attraction is there, but have you carefully checked outthis person's character? Here are four characteristics to definitely check for: Humility: Does this person believe that "doing the right thing" is more important than personal comfort? Kindness: Does this person enjoy giving pleasure to other people? How does s/he treat people s/he doesn't have to be nice to? Does s/he do volunteer work? Give to charity? Responsibility: Can I depend on this person to do what s/he says s/he's going to do? Happiness: Does this person like himself? Does s/he enjoy life? Is s/he emotionally stable? Ask yourself: Do Iwant to be more like this person? Do I want to have a child with this person? Would I like my child to turn out like him or her?
   
   
3. You pick the wrong person because the man doesn't understand what a woman needs most. Men and women have unique emotional needs, and more often than not, it is the man who just doesn't get it. Jewish tradition places the onus on the man to understand the emotional needs of the woman and to satisfy them. The unique need of a woman is to be loved -to feel that she is the most important person in her husband's life. The husband needs to give her consistent, quality attention. This is most apparent is Judaism's approach to sexual intimacy. The Torah obligates the husband to meet the sexual needs of his wife. Sexual intimacy is always on the woman's terms. Men are goal oriented especially when it comes to this area. As a wise woman once pointed out, "Men have two speeds: on and off." Women are experience oriented. When a man is able to switch gears and become more experience-oriented, he will discover what makes his wife very happy. When the man forgets about his own needs and focuses on giving his wife pleasure, amazing things will happen.
   
   
4. You choose the wrong person because you do not share a common life goal and priorities. There are three basic ways we connect with another person:
   
   o Chemistry and compatibility
   o share common interests
   o share common life goal.
   
   Make sure you share a deeper level of connection that sharing life goals provide. After marriage, the two of you will either grow together or grow apart. To avoid growing apart, you must figure out what you're living for while you are single-and then find someone who has come to the same conclusion as you. This is the true definition of a soul mate. A soul mate is a goal mate....two people who ultimately share the same understanding of life's purpose and therefore share the same priorities, values and goals.
   
   
   
5. You choose the wrong person because you get involved sexually too quickly. Sexual involvement before the commitment of marriage can be a big problem because it often precludes a fully honest exploration of important issues. Sexual involvement tends to cloud one's mind. And a clouded mind is not inclined to make good decisions. It is not necessary to "test drive" in order to find out if a couple are sexually compatible. If you do your homework and make sure you are intellectually and emotionally compatible, you don't have to worry about sexual compatibility. Of all the studies on divorce, sexual incompatibility is never cited as a main reason why people divorce.
   
   
6. You pick the wrong person because you do not have deeper emotional connection. To evaluate whether you have a deeper emotional connection or not, ask: "Do I respect and admire this person?" This does not mean, "Am I impressed by this person?" We are impressed by a Mercedes. We do not respect someone because they own a Mercedes. You should be impressed by qualities of creativity, loyalty, determination, etc. Also ask: "Do I trust this person?" This also means, "Is he/she emotionally stable? Do I feel I can rely on him/her?
   
   
7. You pick the wrong person because you choose someone with whom you don't feel emotionally safe. Ask yourself the following questions:
   
   Do I feel calm, peaceful and relaxed with this person? Can I fully be myself and express myself with this person? Does this person make me feel good myself? Do you have a really close friend who does make you feel this way? Make sure the person you marry makes you feel the same way! Are you afraid of this person in any way? You should not feel you need to monitor what you say because you are afraid of how the other person will view it. If you're afraid to express your feelings and opinions openly, there's a problem with the relationship. Another aspect of feeling safe is that you don't feel the other person is trying to control you. Controlling behaviors are a sign of an abusive person. Be on the look out for someone who is always trying to change you. There is a big difference between "controlling" and "making suggestions." A suggestion is made for your benefit; a control statement is made for their benefit.
   
   
8. You pick the wrong person because you don't put everything on the table. Anything that bothers you about the relationship must be brought up for discussion. Bringing up the uncomfortable stuff is the only way to evaluate how well the two of you communicate, negotiate, and work together. Over the course of a lifetime, difficulties will inevitably arise. You need to know now, before making a commitment: Can you resolve your differences and find compromises that work for both of you? Never be afraid to let the person know what bothers you. This is also a way for you to test how vulnerable you can be with this person. If you can't be vulnerable, you can't be intimate. The two go hand in hand.
   
   
9. You pick the wrong person because you use the relationship to escape from personal problems and unhappiness. If you are unhappy and single, you'll probably be unhappy and married, too. Marriage does not fix personal, psychological and emotional problems. If anything, marriage will exacerbate them. If you are not happy with yourself and your life, take responsibility to fix it now while you are single. You'll feel better and your future spouse will thank you.
   
   
10. You pick the wrong person because he/she is involved in a triangle. To be "triangulated" means a person is emotionally dependent on someone or something else while trying to develop another relationship. A person who hasn't separated from his or her parents is a classic example of triangulation. People can also be triangulated with things as well, such as work, drugs, Internet, hobbies, sports or money. Be careful that you and your partner are free of triangles. The person caught in a triangle cannot be fully emotionally available to you. You'll not be their number one priority. And that's not basis for a marriage.
    

==============================

Poker Face

I had an incredible run of good luck during last night's poker game.

I got away with 3 big bluffs and ended up getting good hits on the River or Turn cards.

I can't say I really know how to play poker, I kind of seem to just go in with cards I think are good (when apparently they aren't). Our resident dealer, kept on shaking his head after I took him out by following his 'All in' when I held a Jack and a Two. He on the other hand had a Ace and King.

The River card (last card) to come out was a Jack.

Finally it was down to Pete and me fighting it out for the pot.

I held an Ace and Queen of hearts. It was Pete's turn to call, and he checked. I followed. The Flop contained a King of hearts. And I was thinking... humm.. possible Flush ?! I was still hoping another Ace will follow later.

Pete betted and I followed.

Ten of Hearts came on the Turn.

By this time, I had shown my cards to my housemate sitting on my left, and we were both giggling away. The flush was becoming a real possibility. But more importantly if the next card was a Jack, I could have a Straight... or even better... if it was a Jack of Hearts then... it would be a Royal Flush.

I looked at Pete... His face appeared as calm as ever.

He betted the minimum amount, as if to draw me in. I followed.

The River card came and the both of us couldn't control ourselves anymore. My housemate did a 'scream of joy', I followed (albeit a bit louder than her), both jumped up, embraced each other, laughed and eventually sat back down and calmed ourselves.

While all this time Pete was just muttering under his breath (I think I heard.. 'What-The-F???'), shaking his head and then chucked his cards into the middle.

He Folded.

I was already counting out my chips to go 'All In'.

He told me there was no way he would go in after seeing the little fiasco that just happened.

I held the Royal Flush, and he told me he knew it.

Then the 5 other players on the table also told me they knew it.

Pete showed me his cards, he had all Hearts too, so he had a Flush. He said if I had kept a straight face or what they call 'The Poker Face', he would have gone 'All In'. And I would have won. Instead he Folded, because he knew from my reaction, and the possibility of a Royal Flush on the table. Damn.

But how do you keep a straight face when delt a Royal Flush !??

We were loud enough to wake up the whole apartment block when the River card was delt.

I guess I've still got alot more to learn. Poker Face... I have not.

Although it didn't change the outcome of last night's game. Two hands later Pete went All In before the Flop was delt. He had a Pocket Pair of Sevens.

I looked at my cards, smiled and turned them over. Pocket Nines.

The 3rd Nine came out on the Turn.

And so I won the Pot... :)

Its the next day now, and I'm still smiling when I think about my Royal Flush. My first Royal Flush... :)

I think its time to go work on my Poker Face now...

Holiday in the Planning..

One of the budget airlines in Australia had a '2nd ticket for $3 sale' over the weekend, and I managed to get tickets to Osaka ~~~~ !

JAPAN !!

So for the past two days at work, I've been spending every spare minute researching online about Osaka and what there is to do there and where to stay.

Only problem is that I'm not actually flying until late November.. so at the moment I can only drool at the yummy photos of food from the websites.

Any must do \ must see \ must eat \must go to places in Osaka ? If so pls let me know.. :)

For now its back to Osaka web surfing... *drool ~~~~

Happy Drinking...

I have to remind myself to get out of any future dinner events with his friends in the future.

Being ignored by half the table is one thing, but getting looks which makes you feel like a piece of vermin is another thing all together.

I shouldn't really be bothered by it. Everytime I do end up meeting with them, I'm usually bored shitless anyway and on most occasions just end up drinking myself silly.

They are mostly nice people. I guess with some people you'll just click with no issues, while with others, it will just never happen.

When dinner was finally over, we went back to join up with my group of friends who had already started the party at my place.

We planned to drink ourselves silly over a game of cards, but no matter how many bottles of beer I drank, I just didn't get drunk.

There was 3 1/2 dozen bottles in total. 42 bottles of beer.

And about 1/2 of which we polished through in 45 mins during a game of 7,8,9. (dice game)

I was happily high, but incredibly sober.

My bf however was not. He was slurring all the way when playing the final rounds of 5-10 with me.

Its been a while since I've had this much fun.

I still find it quite amazing how I managed to finish atleast a whole dozen by myself but felt good throughout the whole night.

I guess its all about the company...

Good Job

Got a call from the big boss just as I sat down to log onto my computer.

Luckily I didn't decide to watch the next episode of CSI NY this morning.. otherwise I would have missed the phone call... and be knowingly late.

The call was to congratulate me on a job well done.

Apparently one of the PMs or Users I was working with, sent him an email commemorating my performance.

Its not everyday I receive a call from someone thanking me and telling me I did a good job. 95% of the calls I get everyday are from users calling in to say something is broken. And usually when the problem has been fixed, I may get a 'thank you' at the end of the conversation, but that is usually it.

Its nice to have a phone call thats different... :)

The big boss also told me to go out and have dinner with my bf and put the tab in expenses later on. hummm... :) Where to for dinner tonight ?!

Gamer No More

Today marks the 3rd month since my last log on to WoW.

And with my iCush chair packed away in the store room under the stairs...

I can safely say that I have finally been weaned off Warcraft.

This however, doesn't mean that we have been going out more than usual. For the past month and a bit, we have been spending our time together watching old TV and Japanese Anime series all over again.

For example:

Inuyasha - all 167 episodes !
CSI (series 1-6)
CSI NY (series 1-2)
Ouran Highschool host club
Wolf Rain
and of course Boston Legal and Heroes.

Now that I think about it, it seems I have simply moved from Warcraft to TV series. Only the content has changed, technically I'm still staring at the screen of my laptop. (or in some cases, the secondary screen I've attached to my laptop).

Kind of ironic when I think about it, because I only really started watching TV series again when a Warcraft friend emailed me a link to some taiwanese TV series.

I wonder how long its going to take before I can find something to spend time on which does not involve my laptop.

Flu with Bad Cough

Its been nearly a whole week now since I've been down with my flu.

Runny nose and a Cough that just doesn't seem to want to go away.

I have officially gone through 3 boxes of Kleenex tissues and 2 rolls of toilet paper.

No ... I didn't spend my sick days stuck in a toilet... I had run out of Kleenexes at home and had to turn to toilet paper instead.

However I still managed to go out drinking on Tuesday night and Saturday. I knew I needed more sleeeeep... but with a public holiday on Wednesday, and the weekend available, it was just too tempting.

I had a feeling that nothing good would come from me going out while sick. (I can still hear my good conscience voice telling me 'I told you so').

Atleast amongst all this going out and having fun, I did manage to put two theories to the test.

One.. that Beer, although also known as the Western world's equivalent of 'Herbal Tea' to Asians, it does not possess any herbal tea benefits.

Two... alcoholic beverages prepared from single malt, aged 12 years liquor DOES-NOT kill off germs or the flu bug.

Why is there no cure to the common cold ? *sob