2007 in review

Another year gone. 2007 has been quite an interesting year.

Work

Work-wise, I'm still working at the same place, doing the same sort of stuff. Didn't get as much of a pay rise as I was hoping for. It's the first time in the many years that I am with the company that I feel that company does not value my work. "Quit, find another job", you'd say. That's what I'm doing, except it's in reverse order, find another job first, and then quit.

Study

Study-wise, finished another three subjects this year. Only has eight more to go >_<. That's another 4 years worth of part-time study if I continue the (lazy) way I am, taking two subjects a year. Funny enough, for the subject I didn't expect to do very well, I received a letter from the lecturer congratulating me on being the top of the class.

Old Friends

During a friend's engagement party, I managed to meet up with so many old friends that I haven't met in six, seven years. It was great to have caught up with them. No doubt I'll be seeing them at the wedding sometime in near future.

My high school reunion was also held this year. Again, met lots classmates from yonks and yonks ago whom I haven't seen since graduation. Unlikely to see them any time soon until the next reunion, which is years away.

Finally got on FaceBook, and after a little troll through friend's friend's friend's friend. I've found lots of old classmates. Some were overseas, some interstate. Some married, and some already have kids. Time flew so quickly by.

New Friends

Went on a ski trip during winter with some colleagues who I have seen at work over the years, but not actually spoken to. Strange things happen this year, eh? Made some new friends through the colleague. Now I have more people to talk to at work when I'm bored ^_^.

However, I'm still single. Didn't come anywhere near close enough this year. There was someone I was interested, but didn't work out quite the way I thought it would. Well, hopefully next year will be a better year. But that what I said the year before. Oh well. Such is life.

Still waiting for my first lotto win ^_^;

Dream File 0007-AA

Three seemingly separate dreams that may or may not be connected. The first one involved a friend and her boyfriend. They were hired as housekeepers at our house. They did a pretty good job, and we were safe to leave them our house keys.

The second dream was a bit longer. I was inside a room on a curise ship. There were three girls and me. Two I have seen before (in real life), and one whom I have never met. They all have boyfriends. Then I was told to look for another girl in another room. I went into the other room, and lo and behold, another chick. She has long hair, and that's about all I could remember of her. One thing I do remember is that she did not have a boyfriend.

The third dream of the day has movie-like action and camera shots. A woman was holding a tiny cup. She claimed to have the world's deadest poison. One drop of it could kill thousands (Yep, a convenient movie plot device). There were SWATs all around her closing in with guns. Then the camera panned towards a shop across the street. It was a magic shop, where magicians buy their wares! It was closed. Matter of fact, the whole street was deserted. Don't know what happened in the end, because the clock alarm woke me up.

It would have been very interesting.

The Once in a Hundred Year storm

If there is such thing called the once in a hundred years storm, this is it. I have finally experienced the 'city flood', like so many that I have seen on TV news. The rain caused flooding all around Melbourne, not the least our workplace.

I parked at the same spot for as long as I have been working at our current address, and despite having seen many rain and storms over the years in the area, I have never quite experienced what we had today. The entire road was under water. Worse still, my car was in the middle of the 'lake'. The water reached just one inch below the door. Just wait for another half an hour or so, and my car would have been flooded. Thanks a million to one of my colleague who alerted me. I owed you one, man.

Getting home is not much better, with flash flood at almost every low lying area, it took me close to an hour to travel the 10km or so of road.

Shit Food, shit service

A friend recently has a really shitty experience at a restaurant that shall remind nameless. She was having dinner with another friend, but as she ate the dish that she ordered, she discovered a metallic 'thing' in the food. Naturally, that metal piece is not meant to be part of the dish.

Calling over the manager / owner of the restaurant, he quickly took the dish away, and explained that he has seen it before and it's not big deal. I wasn't at the 'crime scene' until later. And the second round of 'confrontation' ensued.

He kept on telling us to go to the hospital and do a checkup. It there was indeed something, come back and complain, and if there was nothing, then everything is fine. Right, thanks for that, but who's going to pay for it? Besides, it's not the eating that is at fault, it's the fact that that metal piece is in the dish that's unacceptable.

I don't believe it's a matter of physically eating the thing that scared my friend. I think she's psychologically traumatized by the whole ordeal. She was on the verge of crying. I could see the tears in her eyes. Her boyfriend arrived later to comfort her, that's about the only thing that has gone right at the restaurant.

I did not eat, nor seen the dish, but the way the owner was acting is totally unreasonable. Basically, he was making all sort of excuses.

It almost resemble things that you hear on the news, like nails in McDonald's food or something. Whereas McDonald's at least has some sort of complain hotline. A small restaurant that my friend went to doesn't.

I couldn't offer much help at the scene. Arguing with the owner is not going to do much help. What I figured out afterwards is complaining to the Health Department. I think the department will has to take all complaints seriously. Whether they will actually do something about it, I don't know, but at least she should let them know.

Poor girl, not the best year she had. Falling down the stair some months ago, and now this. Maybe she will have a better year next year.

Life is short

Found out recently that a friend's relative is fighting breast cancer. It has unfortunately spread to other parts of the body. Truth be told, there's not much time left for the relative.

With or without disease, life is too short. I know I say a lot of "I'll do tomorrow" to myself. I have been fortunately enough not to have had friends or relatives who suffer from the likes of cancer. And that makes me less aware of the life itself. I take it for granted. I always expected a tomorrow.

I have not experienced the 'life-changing' moments. My life is... boring, to some extend. I'm not saying I need to suffer from a major 'bad luck' moment to value life, but without a 'life-changing' experience, us as people will not see life as precious.

It's the worst of times that brings the best of people.

Power? or Love?

Recently watched a Hong Kong movie called "Hooked on You" (每當變幻時), starring Miriam Yeung (楊千嬅) and Eason Chan (陳奕迅). In the movie, both Miriam and Eason play fishmongers at a different stall in the same market.

The whole story spans across 10 years. Long story short, Eason and Miriam are not the best of friends 10 years ago, but as time passes, they grow fond of each other. Miriam feels comfortable with Eason when they are together, but at the same time, she wants to break out of the market and explore the world, so to speak.

She has a choice, go out and explore the world and be success at what she does, or be an ordinary fishmonger with someone she loves. I won't spoil the story.

So it's the same dilemma that many movies (and real life experiences) have touched on. Do you want power? or do you want love? I'm leaning towards the latter, only because I'm not a power hunger individual. You judge your own success. I think I'm quite successful at my age, I have a job, a degree, almost everything I want, the only thing that's missing is love. That seems to be a stumbling block for me. My life would be completed if I have that too.

I feel a bit like Eason in the movie (the first half of the movie, at least). I might like somebody, but due to various factors, it is not to be.