Today was the last day of the month. With a $3 million target for this month to be achieved with our headcount of 10-12, we were looking at around $300,000 each. A few of us surpassed that but not everyone did. We were desperate. We were squeezed. We were unable to accept defeat!

With an average of $100k submission per day, we are looking at $230K today! The un-avoidable email came into every single one's mailbox. The man wants everyone to concentrate, no surfing of Friendster or porn sites(;p), no wasting of time for unrelated work stuff(asking u gals to stop looking at your mirrors and putting on ya makeup!!!) and total focus on sales acquisitions.

A battle for the top 3 contributors of the day was hence borne ; top 3 get one less Saturday duty. bottom 3 gets additional one. 3 updates for the whole day. A furry of activity was generated - keyboards clicking away, mice moving all over and telephones off the hook and lots of talking for the whole day in a normally quiet office. I was stressed and alot of people were hot on my heels for the top performer as I'm holding on the no.1 position for 1-2 weeks already.

As each update came in, everyone was excited and calculating how much more to hit our target.. Before lunch time, we already hit our daily average! Wow!!! The 2nd update came with several shuffling of positions and some incredible contributions. Another email came, if we hit target, get to go off early today by 5. Chiong ah.....

By 4:45, alot of people were calculating and finally...

Team Sales Target EXCEEDED

Everyone yelled like mad, manager said we have set a milestone in our pioneer setup and breaking barriers month after month. Latest email reveals that VP has congratulated our team all the way from HongKong, "FANTASTIC TEAM"

As the din quieten, I was still silently at war with myself. I was barely a feather away from my own personal target. A couple of customers wanted to delay till tomorrow to do their applications. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dropped from 1st to 3rd place in a matter of a couple of hours. Anyway, team spirit is unbelievable today. I love this team.

I've been living like a hermit for the month of June. Basically cutting down alot on outings and clubbings. Nowadays usually would be hanging out at the MacDonald's at Plaza Singapura after work. Expenditure was exceptionally high over the last month, literally had to sideline to sell computer parts online and go servicing computers in order to make ends meet. I feel so stressed.. Appetite gone down quite a fair bit.

The Manager has given me some good news today on my career advancements but I'll be forced to make a choice but generally either way will have good and bad. One will be flying solo elsewhere but has significant higher pay and status but the other will be still within the team. Which should I choose? :/ I've grown quite accustomed to the rest of the folks so this will be a very fine decision to make.

Few days back, Lao Da Hwei passed me a brand new set of DLink Wireless Router + USB adapter. Wooohooo... Shiok. It supports UPnP and I feel the net is now currently more responsive now!! I consider it barter trade la, passed him quite a lot of spare computer parts from my garang guni expeditions. :P

SIM is opening soon on July 4th already. It's time to hit the books with some serious reading already.. I've booked two financial papers (generously sponsered by HSBC) at the start of August. I don't intend to FAIL!!!! I shall never fail another paper again. It became a habit in poly era and a nasty one at that.

Should I buy a new graphics card to play Battlefield 2???? *fish, considered working adult already still play games.... * but this should be forgiven as I dun gamble. :)

Goofing around with Cynthia and Vicky after work! My precious darlings!


Lunch at Lao Bei Jing @ Plaza Singapura with our VP

Damn bored with my campaigns at work these days, pretty bad rates compared to Citibank, DBS and OCBC. From what I know, since we are pioneers of HSBC, they are testing out all the various marketing methods and rates. To me, I'll just say heck care and kill off the competition with the lowest rates. *grinz* But then again, the people at the top are professionals with MBAs and stuff I bet. I'm just an aspiring money-tree harvestor for now. :)

Another good news is that probably a promotion, pay rise is on the horizon at year's end. That's pretty fast considering the fact that I have been with the bank less than one year. Seems like good times all the way so far. A bit hard to digest till now. Great working environment, pretty, sweet thoughtful colleagues, career advancements, etc. Let the good times roll non-stop pls..

Went to watch Batman Begins with Leslie on his birthday. Indeed a good show, really draws the audience's attention and links the prequel up pretty nicely to the previous shows unlike Star Wars - Return of the Sith which kinda rushed events regarding the evolution of Darth Vader. Initial D and War of the Worlds are on my list of shows to watch next.

HSBC Neon Pen

Cool eh? The pen can change light at the touch of a button. Press a few more times and you activate a colour showcase where it changes colour constantly.

Things to look forward to

1) My commission - This is the month which I get my commission, first month only got the basic only. Wonder how much I fared. :/

2) Skating at East Coast Park

3) Batman and Stealth

4) Haagen-Daz

5) Financial papers at the end of the month (yaya let's get it over and done with)

6) SIM school reopening! With all the aunties and uncles and the occasional babe or two. Zzzz..

7) Another date with her?

8) A IT service maintenance with a company. Just sent a draft outline over. If it goes through, I'm so gonna be rich rich rich!!

9) nVidia 6800GT 128MB Video Card. My Ti 4200 can't even start Battlefield 2! Age is slowly catching up with my supercomputer. :(

10) Maybe another date again? Maybe maybe????

Fuck la, life's too short to do boring stuffs, I need to get out more.

Finally took leave on Tuesday to end 8 non-stop days of late nights and early mornings. Managed to steal some sleep till 11am before Vicky called me up about some office matters that needed my attention. Arghhhhhhhhhh... But felt good when I woke up. No bodyaches, only muscle aches that came about from the gym session with Les a couple of days ago.

The sun was great so I immediately took a shower and went down to the swimming pool. There is just SOMETHING about weekdays here that I love hanging out. No little kids running around, families having BBQs, friends visiting that leaves a sense of tranquility and calm when I just chill by the poolside. The pool looks bluey and sparkling and the place was just occupied by a couple of persons minding their business and reading books - basically enjoying a nice afternoon.

Basically life is good but how can it be great without a can of bright red cooling Coke and listening to a Creative muvo playing the acoustic version of Maroon 5's She'll Be Loved? :) I also had the time to read two days worth of newpapers that I sinfully neglected to do.

Probably going for a billiard session later with Les and Zhenhao who just came back from Australia for term break. Wonder which one of us still has the skills. Hehz.

By the way, I read in an article about this guy who owns a travel agency on one of his unique culinary experiences. He went to this Japanese restaurant and ordered a plate of sashimi. The fish is still in one piece, not the usual slices at normal restaurants. Apparently when he was eating it, he saw the fish blinking at him. He turned the fish head towards him and it blinked again. Astonished, he asked the chef. The chef informed him that the fish is still alive and has to be consumed before it dies. If not it will be considered bad luck! Wah liew.


Ikezukuri
Ikezukuri or literally "live masterpiece" requires the highest skill in preparing raw fish. A live fish is selected from the restaurant's fish tank; in some restaurants, the diner himself makes the selection. The chef then prepares it by slicing the meat off one side of the backbone. The sashimi is then placed amongst a seaweed garnish and carefully arranged against the carcass, which still trembling, is set bowed as if it magically jumped out of the water and onto your plate. Ikezukuri is without a doubt the chef d'oeuvre of freshness.

Finally the weekend is here. For most people, it's time to party and make merry. It's so demoralising that I have to sacrifice this weekend to slog at the cafe. They are so gonna make it up to me when they come back. Haha. Nah, just joking. Grandma is already so old already, she can still slog the whole day at the cafe from morning till closing whipping up her signature rojak ; how can i lose to her? ;p

Today I received a praise from my manager over the email. Initially thought the email was addressed to me, to my horror it was addressed to everyone in the department. Saying I'm the top 3 performer, etc etc. Die la, the month isn't over yet, means I gotta slog like mad coz the rest will be so wanting to trash me in my sales. Bring it on! :P

Another good news is that I'll probably be converted to perm staff in a few months time if all goes well. That only means performance-based bonuses, more annual leave and i might be issued a gold credit card (platinum would be nicer though.. blah they're just plastic representations of haolianess).. woohoo.. I hope everything goes well under my manager's leadership. He's been great towards my welfare so far.

On the downside of my life, me and her is not talking so much. Guess the initial wave of jokes took its toll on me. Sigh. Anyway at least the heat's cooling down.. Haha, I suck when it come to handling this kind of stuff.

I'm still being introed to strangers as Raoul. Always getting wierd looks. I don't think people will blink if I'm called Dick instead. Blah.

Today wore a nice jacket that i rarely wore to work. Someone said 'wa andy lau', the other retorted 'dun insult leh'. 'oh insult him?' 'no, andy lau'. in the morning kanna already. guniangs... all i did was wore something nice for a change on casual fridays.

My BitTorrent speeds are still like shit. 30-40K max.

And I just realised no ants are on the table tonight. My poison trojan ant nest destroyer is unbelievable. Whahaah. They take the poison food back to the colony and when they feast, everyone will probably die from a slow but painless death. Sorry but no ants allowed in my house, you guys expanded till inside my bedroom. That's too much.

It's been a rather busy day! But then my hardwork paid off handsomely.. My sales hit a all time high.. did 3/4 of the amount i did for the whole of one month in ONE DAY! WOOHHOOOOO!!!! Accompanied by several credit card and overdraft acquisitions that popped in unexpectedly, I'm a very happy man. :P

Although my work is keeping me busy, I am now missing everyone of you guys, the team 469ners, my kakis like Leslie, August, Diana, Tabitha, Fungyi, Patrick, etc etc etc. Haven't contacted you guys for like weeks or even months. But I'm sure everyone is just as busy.

Dad and Mom went overseas this week for around 10 days. The job of handling the family business falls on our family members. I think mine is the most siong already. Work for Monday till Friday, then have to take over from them on on Saturday and Sunday. When will I truely get a life? When can I be like anyone decent who can go out after work to meet their other half or go KTV sessions? Or maybe even just take a walk along Orchard Road just to chill out? WHY!! ARGHHH!!!!

I can't remember when was the last time I bought tickets for a movie. The most recent Star Wars tickets were free so that didn't count. I haven't shopped for clothes in dunno how many months.. Wah liew. Getting lethargic as days goes by. I think I better apply for leave on Monday. The first time I ever applied for leave since Citibank days. I surrender! I'm not a bloody machine.

Accompanied by financial papers sponsered by the bank at the end of June and SIM lessons starting in July, my leisure days seem distant.

Went down to Central Mall to collect a cheque from one of my clients today, great, i needed the extra cash this month. Luckily had Dad to pick me up after work as he was in the vicinity. Inside the car, my phone rang. It was a marketing call from NKF. *duhz*

I can even picture the lady who was speaking to me in a heavily Indian-accented voice and probably reading out her pitch to me from a script laying in front of her.

Thank you for supporting NKF blah blah blah all these years.. *ya cut to the chase, what's up* We would like to send you a Friends card(or something) so that you and your friends can contribute to the pooooor kids. *WTF?! Are you guys nuts or something? Do I sound like a primary school kid? Donation cards are so 1988!!!!* Immediately I rejected, in fact this was the 2nd time they called me. This one lagi worse. Had the cheek to say "But these kids are so poor things!!!!" Dohzz...

I guess I don't have to comment on their practices as I guess the papers hugely reported their big goldchest quite sometime back so everyone knows. But trying to solicitate money by tugging at the Singaporean's generousity is no difference from those people who use kids to beg. Unless the funds go 100% to helping the needy, I'll rather contribute in some other ways. Otherwise, it's either going to their bank accounts or paying their salaries.

Crazy right.. I'm still so pissed. They have their own people to solicitate money, now wants to use the public to SOLICITATE MONEY AND PASS IT TO THEM!!