Singapore TV

One of the things I have been trying to get used to is the damn TV programming here. Well, in short, it sucks... but that's not the point.

It seems that they are constantly trying to deceive the viewers.

(1) The use of the words "Brand new season".

Sometimes, it is not really a "brand new season" because it is already 2-3 seasons old in the US. Well, it may be a "brand new season" here in Singapore, but is that what they are trying to say?

(2) The use of the words "direct off satellite" or any variation or phrases with the word "satellite" in it.

To me it implies a LIVE telecast. However, that is not truly the case.

Why would you use the words "direct off satellite" if it is NOT LIVE? The only reason I can think of is DECEPTION.

Otherwise... why? 

And it is NOT live.

They advertise AI as "direct off satellite". It is shown 3 times on 2 different channels and the earliest screening is at 6pm Singapore time. WHICH IS 5-fucking-AM Eastern Standard Time OR TWO-FUCKING-AM Pacific Standard Time. So, it is not even close to LIVE and if it is "direct off satellite", it is sure as hell ONE FUCKING SLOW satellite that needs to be brought down and replaced with the NOT "Made in China" fucking satellite we are currently "direct off"ing.

Survivor is shown at 3pm "direct off satellite" too. And most decent people in America (would not apply to me and some of my friends though) would be fast asleep. 3pm Singapore time is 2am EST or 11pm PST. Not times that Survivor would be shown.

AI, Survivor and Amazing Race (which I do not watch) are 3 shows broadcast here "direct off satellite". Seriously, will someone please fucking explain what that shit means?

The Grammys and Oscars (and even the Superbowl) are shown "LIVE" and when something is shown "LIVE" here, it usually means in the early morning hours... 7-10am Singapore time. That's LIVE... that's "direct off satellite". Every other fucking thing is a big fat lie used as false advertising to the unknowing public. Does the TV company really need to stoop that low?

(3) Repeats and Reruns. There are so many of these that one wonders if the TV company is short of cash. I have been back for about a year and cannot remember how many times I have watched MIB, Die Hard 1 and 2, Shaft and other shows I do not watch... like Titanic. This is pure bullcrap and what's worse... they censor every fucking bit. What's the point of watching Die Hard 2 if you never get to hear "yippee kaiyeah motherfucker"??? If that is not the essence of that entire show, than what is? Try watching Shaft with the censorship... it's like watching a fucking foreign language movie... every few sentences, you either hear a different voice in the middle of the sentence or you get cut to the next scene... 

I give up... I really need to get a Slingbox hooked up. This is fucking bullshit from a bunch of clowns who believe they are doing the right thing.

Happy Valentine's Day

to one and all...

Saturday the 14th

And just to make sure the boy(s) in the band at the club we went to last night don't fall in love with Jessica, this is what she looks like!!! LOL!
My mother-in-law gave me this picture of Jessica taken during her college days. I have no idea what in the world she was thinking but I thought it would be a GREAT post!!!

Friday the 13th (Part 3)

We have led a rather boring life since coming to Singapore. We don't really go out that much and it is mostly my fault. I hate crowds and I hate the heat and humidity. I tend to sweat more when I drink (alcohol) and in the US, if I got all hot and sweaty, all I had to do was to step out. Over here, I just remain hot and sweaty 'cos stepping out just makes it worse. Also, I guess all those clubbing and drinking days are kinda over... and it doesn't quite interest me as much. 

While we were attending the previous event, another friend text-ed me and said he was at some bar that he frequents. Jessica and I have been to this bar several times in the last couple of months because (1) this is where this particular friend of mine hangs out, (2) Jessica is in love with the band that plays there, (or maybe the band member(s)?) and (3) the fried chicken wings served at this place is good.

We exchanged a few texts and finally I told him that we would go meet him after the recognition event. It would be probably the first time in a long long time that we have gone to a bar on a Friday night.

I don't quite know if it was a ploy by my friend to get us there earlier but he kept texting me during the recognition event to tell us to get there quick and that he was sad. This is the day before Valentine's Day and my friend is single, never married. So, I can somewhat understand why he would be sad, but at the same time, knowing him, I really don't think he would be sad just because it's Valentine's Day and he is still single. I think to a certain extent, he enjoys the freedom of being single. Anyway, that's what we did. 

We went to this bar, we even bought a huge sunflower for him to "cheer him up" (but I don't think he was sad), Jessica got a chance to oogle at her boy(s) from the band and we were there till closing at 2am. Something we have not done in Singapore since we got back and honestly something we have not done for a few years, even back in the US.

That ended my strange Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th (Part 2)

After my appointment, of which the rest went well, I returned to work.

The second part happens after work. 

It's Friday and several weeks ago, we were invited to attend an event.

A friend of mine whom I have known since we were 16 in high school invited Jessica and I to what he had termed as "my concert".

Just a little background on this person, and let's call him Ron.

Ron has had a passion for singing since I have known him. It is different over here. Singing, and for that matter most other forms of entertainment, is not necessarily seen as a profession for "smart" people. It is not mainstream. As far as music goes, it is really hard to break into that industry due to the size of the population. Also, just like most of the entertainment industry, sometimes, but more likely rarely, one gets discovered. Most of the time, it's about who you know. Since Ron is not on a list of who's who, getting discovered was his only alternative. He did give a shot at it years ago but it didn't work too well. But, like mentioned earlier, it's always been his passion and when he invited us to his concert, I accepted without really finding out more. Shortly after accepting his invitation, I found out that another friend of mine had also been invited. I have known this other friend for even longer. I have known him since first grade... 33 years!! It was through this other friend that I realized this event that we had accepted the invitation to, was actually a multi-level (direct selling, whatever the name for it is now) company's award recognition ceremony. Ron has been part of this American company for about 5-6 years and got even more actively involved when he got laid off during the dot com bubble bust. As much as I don't necessarily agree and understand the workings of a multi-level marketing company, I am happy that he has found success in his choice. BUT, it's a whole different story attending one of their events. I never told Jessica what event we were attending... I don't think it was on purpose, the subject never came up.

Years ago when I first graduated, I was dragged along by a friend to attend one of these events (not the same company, but there are way more of these kinds of companies in the US and many of them don't even come close to the stability (and probably the legitimacy) of this particular one). It was inspirational, motivational as well as very eye opening. After that event, I had vowed that I would never ever (EVER) attend another one of these events again.

This night I broke my vow.

It was for a friend.

I have been advised not to be negative about this event and I will refrain from doing so.

All I got to say is that my experience years ago was eye opening because I had discovered with great speakers and a cult mentality, the magic that will happen. I was reminded that my skepticism and individuality, and the lack of cult mentality leaves me where I am today, for better or worse, it's me. And as much as I did enjoy Ron's mini concert (he got to perform 2 songs), I will NEVER EVER again attend an event like this... or so I think. This might not be a first but it added to the strange day... and by the time the event ended, it was already 10:30pm... time for Part 3...

Friday the 13th (Part 1)

I have been pretty busy as it is coming to the close of the semester... that's my excuse for not posting... it's MY blog anyway, so, why am I making excuses??

Anyway, today is Friday the 13th (Feb 13th, 2009). I usually don't think much about "Friday the 13ths" as nothing usually happens, but this Friday the 13th was strange, not the scary or supernatural kind of strange, but just not very normal. I am going to split my Friday the 13th experience into three parts (ie 3 different postings) just for the ease of reading.

I am the Liaison Officer (HBIC) of 3 kids who are currently on a student internship program. All our final year kids go for internships and we are responsible for them, should they fuck up... otherwise, we are just responsible for visiting their supervisors at the beginning and at the end of their internships and filling out a report. They are near the end of their internships and so, today, I went to visit the supervisors of one of them. Because my place of work is in the complete opposite direction of this HUGE country, I chose to go straight to the internship office, which means that the day already started unusually by us (Jessica and I) not having to wake up that early, getting a chance to go for breakfast and then my sending her to work as the internship office was just round the corner from her office. 

These kids are all doing their internships at the same financial institution. I was (and still am) not familiar with this financial institution even though I am told that this is one of Europe's larger and more prestigious financial institutions. (Yes, I have become like an American and am not aware of things that go on outside of the North America.) So, here goes the beginning of part one of a strange day...

PROFESSIONALISM AT IT'S FINEST

I walk in this office about 20 mins early. I acknowledge the fact that I was early to the receptionist. She was about to find out if the person I was supposed to meet was available when she suddenly realized it didn't matter as there were no rooms available. So, she told me about that, went ahead and told the supervisor (let's call him Mike) that I was already there but there were no rooms available. Mike apologized and said that he couldn't make it before 10:30am due to a previous commitment. I was fine with waiting those 20mins... or so I thought.

A couple of minutes later, the receptionist's phone rang. I really wasn't paying attention to her phone call as I was reading up on something I had due as I waited. When she put down the phone (which I was not entirely aware of), she started talking to me. I heard her voice very clearly and looked up from what I was reading, half suspecting she was speaking to me, but not certain as the statement that came across didn't seem to be meant for me. She had said:"These bosses always think they know everything". Keep in mind that I am a visitor to this office and I have never previously met this receptionist person.

I looked up, saw her looking at me and went: " What?"

And she repeated her first statement: "These bosses always think they know everything."

I just smiled.

She went on:"My boss thinks she knows my job better than me."

I continued smiling while looking at her, not knowing how to reply.

On she went:"If I get a chance, I will tell her to let me do my job."

I was shocked. I kinda had to make sure I was in the office I was supposed to be visiting and I really didn't know this person.

She continued:"She just keeps talking and talking and telling me what to do, like she knows how to do this better than me. She should come do this herself then. I will get a chance to tell her soon."

Honestly, I have never been so speechless in my life. I really had no idea how to react to her comments. Smiling had ceased 'cos it seemed like it was neither appropriate nor inappropriate to smile. The situation seemed too severe (she wanted to tell her boss off) to smile, but really not even of any consequence to the rest of the breathing world since she was just a receptionist and most people would know how to do her job, maybe not as well as her (I am laughing at this last statement, laughing real hard), but at least on par.

I said:"I'm sorry." Yes, that was the only thing I could think off to say. No, I have not lost my ability to talk back, but on rare occasions (Yes, Chuck, you were instrumental in the last time I was speechless), I do get... lost.

She then went on to talk about her family and I was pleasantly interrupted by Mike showing up.

Please be reminded that I was a visitor at this prestigious European financial institution.

(to be continued with Part 2)

Special post

I usually try to be as original as possible on this blog... meaning, I post my own stuff and make my own comments. However, a day or so ago, this item was shared with me on Facebook. I have read many similar items regarding this time period and have always felt they meant something to me personally. This particular item, however, took on a different stance and besides being hilarious, hit home a lot more due to the fact that these days, I am constantly dealing with Gen Y kids. A bunch of kids that throw Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs completely out the window because the bottom of that hierarchy is of no/little significance to them... and I would love to tell these Gen Y kids... I completely agree with the following article... you spoiled brats....

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If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning uphill...barefoot...BOTH ways...yadda, yadda, yadda. And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of Thirty, I can't help but look around and notice that youth of today... You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogs!!!

There was no email!!! We had to actually write someone a letter, with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mail box and it would take like a week to get there!

There was no MP3's or Napster! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ usually talked over the beginning and mess it all up!

We didn't have the fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and someone else called they got a busy signal, that's it!
And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your Mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick up and take your chances mister!

We didn't have the fancy Sony PlayStation video games with high resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! with games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids' and your guy was a SQUARE! You actually had to use your imagination!!
And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen FOREVER!!!
And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died. Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing. You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove... Imagine that! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have it too easy.
You're spoiled.
You guys wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes back in 1980 and before!


Regards,The over 30 Crowd

It's that time of the year again....

where football finally draws to a close and it's another 7 months before the excitement starts all over again.

Superbowl XLIII was actually a lot better than expected. Many, myself included, thought it was going to be a boring game, especially with the brand of football played by the Steelers. It did not turn out that way. The Steelers followed a puzzling call by Whisenhunt (not to go on offense) by immediately driving down the field for a score. And that was just the beginning. The first half ended with James Harrison's interception return for a TD and the second half ended with back to back scores with Santonio Holmes making an absolutely amazing catch to win and end the game. Old man Warner was spectecular in the loss. Big Ben was consistent. And everyone came out to play. So, till next fall, the boring season of the year has just begun...

well.... kind of... this is also that time of the year again where I get a reality check on PEOPLE.
People who have no self awareness.... at least for the first few weeks of AI!!!
Unfortunately, being in Singapore, withdrawals from the end of the football season can only be cured by AI. If I was back in SF, 24 would have aided with the withdrawals but, I will only be getting half my dose of fixes.

I think it is really time to spend money on location free devices...