Pissed Off in Ramadhan

I'm out of practice.
3 months of just relaxing in Korea,
and two weeks of commuting by car for my new job,
and I'd forgotten the little annoying things that
assholes do in public that piss me the hell off.

And when you're out of practice,
those things take you by surprise,
and you don't act the way you should.
The way that doesn't make you wish
you'd acted differently,
that you'd been stepped on.

There are extremes of course.
But in past,
I've noticed people (young women in particular)
who get in your way while you're walking in the opposite direction...
and expect YOU to get out of the way,
as if they're goddamn royalty.

They're not.
And I'm big enough to make sure that
if there is a collision,
hey, they bear the brunt of it.

But like I said,
I'm out of practice.
So when I was walking near the office
and this happened,
I actually moved out of the way at the last minute.

Annoyed the hell out of me.

But it's slowly starting to get better.

Doesn't compare to what happened to today
on a day out with The Littlest Dictator, though.

First, I didn't intervene when a toddler took
a toy that she was playing with.
Now he did it slowly,
and in front of her,
so I thought she was OK with it.
But she wasn't.

And instead of just taking it back from
the kid (and explaining that he could have it once she was done with it),
or even getting the parent to get the kid to return it,
I just stood there like an idiot,
until she turned her interest to something else.
And I felt fucking RELIEF.
Then tried to justify to myself why I didn't do anything.

The message I sent her was fucked up.
That it was OK for others to take their stuff from her,
that they have more rights.
That's not something I'm OK with.
And like a goddamn pussy,
I even tried to justify why I didn't do anything.

Next time, if the parent's around I'll look at them first
to see if they'll do anything.
If they don't,
I'll just take it myself.
And I'll weather the storm for her.
If the parents want kick up a big fuss,
hey, that's what all the weightlifting is for.
They can suck it.
In fact, I'll be happy to have at least one incident
to use as a reference in the future.
I might come out looking ugly,
but if I don't face things like that, I'll never learn.
And she'll feel like she's being stepped on.

But that wasn't all.
We were at the promenade,
when a cunty bitchwhore decided to smoke nearby.
Now to be fair,
she probably would've moved further away if I'd asked.

Like the idiot that I am,
not only did I play out all kinds of scenarios in my head,
but I kept hesitating on going over to her.
And when I'd finally decided to do so,
I kept getting interrupted by Jenia and The Littlest Dictator herself.
You know, the ones I were supposed to spend some time with.

Instead, I lost my nerve,
and somehow convinced myself that it was too late to approach (which is really just pussying out).
And to make things worse,
I'd somehow almost convinced myself that it was because
I kept getting interrupted.
Passing on the blame.

I could've wiped away her sweat first
and then walked over.
Could've just waited a few moments.
But nope.
Just walked away all frustrated,
and almost took it out on Jenia,
who thought I was pissed off with her.
I was really just pissed off with myself.

And then...
AND FUCKING THEN
I tried to justify why we were walking away...
like my manhood was all shriveled up
and trying to escape,
and I was making a feeble attempt at trying to
get it to come back and stay.

NO MOTHERFUCKER.
Just. Fucking. No.

The fact that it still bothers me
even now tells me that I should've
gathered my balls and at least said something.

I know what to fucking do,
goddammit.

And if they kick up a big fuss
or try to start a fight,
I'll just congratulate them sarcastically
and walk away the bigger man for
avoiding the conflict,
thus actually "winning".
The point is to turn out looking better.

I'm out of practice,
but at least now I know what I have to do.

And besides,
if anybody wants to throw down
and makes the first move,
I'm more than happy to put them down.

I should start taking the train more often.
Speaking up more often.

Well enough of that.

Another Goddamn Racist Incident in Singapore

It's 10.31am,

and I'm in the office,

and I'm a little sleepy and my fingers are slow to type.

My mind feels sluggish,

and ideas don't come forth as quickly as I'd like them to.

But yea,

I'm still going to post about this,

because fuck it.

Someone once said that you do not have a right to your opinion,

only what you are able to argue for.

And I agree.

I've just read a really good article 

on racism in Singapore media when 

it comes to depicting minorities.

This came about because a Singaporean actor of Indian descent (I forget his name),

had recently complained about being asked to speak 

with a thicker Indian accent during an audition for a local comedy film 

(Boys 2 Men 2 or something I don't fucking know).

And of course a goddamn racist piece of trash blogger

whom I'd already forgotten about had to rear her ugly poodle-like,

bleached face and chime in.

Like the typical Chinese supremacist in Singapore,

she pretty much used the same arguments White supremacists use

against minorities when they speak up against discrimination.

The message was basically this:

Shut the hell up and know your place. 

His objection was mainly about how he was asked to 

portray a stereotypical Indian Singaporean that speaks with a thick accent,

which is what Chinese Singaporean audiences apparently find hila-fucking-rious.

His normal Singaporean accent wasn't enough.

Nope.

Not funny.

A thick Indian accent is funny.

It's how most Indians in Singapore speak you see,

and it is considered to be FUNNY.

How the fuck is that not racist?

It's putting emphasis on the otherness

of Indians (same applies to other minorities).

That they are not really Singaporean.

That there's something off about them.

Growing up,

I did not know that some Chinese parents

would prevent their kids from playing with

Indian or Malay kids,

that they'd make casual remarks or jokes

which reinforce the idea that "those people"

are somehow different,

and more importantly,

inferior.

I did remember jokes

about dark skin as a kid,

and it makes me cringe

thinking about how I used to find it funny.

I wish I'd known what those jokes were really about back then,

about the impact they had.

I know better now.

And the least I could do is speak up about it.

So back to that idiot Xiaxue

who looks like a potato that someone covered

with lead white paint and red lipstick.

She began not only drudging up

his past work and calling him a hypocrite,

but also seemed to take pleasure in

what she thinks is her role in destroying his career. 

First of all dumbass,

what he's done in the past

has no bearing on the argument itself.

It's a fucking strawman.

Not that her equally stupid fans would know what that is.

The role he was auditioning for

was for a typical Indian Singaporean. 

Which is what he is.

But it looks like the producers were

looking for a typical Indian Singaporean

viewed through the lens of what they think

is the racist Chinese majority.

Minorities don't talk in a "funny"

way, and they don't have "weird" habits

or are more dangerous or stupid or whatever the fuck your parents

taught you they were when you were little.

They're just like you and I.

But racists - Chinese supremacists - can't see that.

Or don't want to see it that way.

I kind of get it.

If you have an advantage in a society,

why give it up?

Why not preserve it for your kids too?

I get that.

Just admit you're a fucking racist asshole.

Be honest about it.

I can at least respect that.

The honesty.

Not the racism. It's still fucking stupid.

But pretending to be a decent human being?

Pretending that you're just "telling the truth".

Give me a fucking break.

Goddammit

It's Friday,
the eve of the fasting month.

I'm trying to make sense of what I'm going through right now.
I've got a decent job. No, a GOOD fucking job.
I'm making six figures.

And when I signed the contract,
I was hoping to make it my final sales role,
where I'll be staying the longest,
before properly launching my side project (if it even takes off).

But after the first sales meeting and a call with a legitimate prospect,
I realize just how rusty I am.
Or was I never really good at it in the first place?
I'm excellent at selling myself and my abilities that's for sure.
Well, fairly decent I think.
Hell, I got this gig, didn't I?

But with my dad retiring,
and our planning for an apartment,
on top of applying for citizenship for her after six months...
I don't know man,
maybe the stress of it is getting to me.

The meeting didn't bother me as much
as the call with Park Hotel Group.
Sure it was a junior person,
but I didn't quite ask the right questions
and at one point,
didn't even know what to really ask at all.

Sure, I could be out of practice.
But the fact that I've spoken with two prospects (no wait, fucking THREE)
and haven't been able to even ask the right questions,
makes me question myself.

What the fuck am I doing?

Hell, I even considered just... coasting.
Lasting long enough to be able to launch that project I'd been thinking of.

Not going to do that.
Fuck no.

But the fact that I thought of it this early on,
just two weeks in?

Holy crap is that disturbing.

I'll have to get it together.
Plan the next steps.
Be OK with losing a few deals or asking the wrong questions.

Revise the fucking SPIN training methodology.

As soon as I close my first deal,
It'll probably be fine.

Well enough of that.

Is the Other Show Dangling Already?

Call me paranoid if you want,
but I'm still expecting the shoe to drop.

Today has been pretty good so far, though.
Managed to get a carpool driver
who works and lives near me,
and who has agreed to become my regular driver.

Pretty sweet arrangement,
except for the cost  that is.
Might be able to reduce it somewhat though, hopefully.

This is a step up from what happened recently.
I'd taken Ryde, not only was the driver an annoying fucktwat
who wouldn't shut the fuck up,
but he also got lost on the way to pick up another passenger.

Then, he chose to disregard the GPS and our recommendation
to take the PIE, and chose his own route,
leading to a much longer route overall.

A ride that should've taken 30-40 mins at most,
ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes long.
And then, this fucking cunt had the audacity to ask me via SMS
give him a rating of 5 stars.

Gave him 3 stars, which was generous.
And what did that piece of shit do?
He gave me 1 star, which tanked my rating
and helped to explain why I couldn't get a single ride yesterday through Ryde.

Ryde's not helping much either.
Not only am I not able to alter my review of that cowardly cockgobbler,
but Ryde has yet to respond to my email or chat message (with a fucking bot that pretends to be human).

I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now,
until maybe the end of the day. Otherwise I'll just post on social media,
spread the word, and never use their shitty little app again.

There's always Uber and Grab and I wouldn't
be surprised if other players pop up over time.

If they end up being cunts as well,
I'll be so happy to put them out of business with my own public transportation project
which I hope to launch in a year or two.

As for the job,
it's getting boring and my mind wanders often.
A lot to read and a lot to learn,
none of it fun.

So far so good, though.
But it feels like the shoe is about to hit the floor at any time.

Well enough of that.

Final Gig (Kind Of)

So today I started work at a company which will hopefully
be the final place where I'll be in a sales role
in a company that isn't mine.
Any role, actually.

This place does seem promising,
and I intend to give it my all and hopefully stay on for many years.

Doesn't mean that I won't try
to start my own thing within the next couple of months.

All I need to do is last at least six months,
and I'll be able to achieve quite a few objectives:

• Get an apartment which I hope to lease out, starting another revenue stream which I hope will allow me to get yet another apartment for us to live in
• Allow her to apply for citizenship (finally)
• Run a qualification campaign for my "Cheap Public Transportation" business idea (I don't have a proper name for it yet so shut up)

And I intend to stay on for all of that. 

If the business idea takes off, 

I intend to find someone to run it for me.

Things are looking very promising right now,

and I know how fortunate I am.

A little apprehensive too, 

sort of like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But yea, 

I know I can't go through life being so skeptical. 

Self-fulfilling prophecies and all that.

But right now,

I can't help feeling so very fortunate.

Now at least, 

I can see the path to a bright future for my wife and child. For us.

For all of us.

My parents, my siblings.

Hell, even my relatives (well some of them).

It's almost 6pm now.

Not too bad for a first day.

Well enough of that.

Viral Video Clips and Fucking Horrible English

On the eve of signing a new contract
for what seems to be an awesome job,
and I'm agonising over whether or not to wear a suit again (this would be the 5th meeting).

Why?
Because the wife wants to celebrate it.
GODDAMMIT YOU CAN WAIT ONE DAY.

It's probably not a big deal,
and I can likely get away with wearing business casual.

But... why take the risk of planting a seed of doubt in guy's mind?
Is it worth it?
I doubt the meeting is going to take longer than 20 minutes.
Hell, it might even just last 15 minutes or less.
But... why take the risk, you know?

Anyway,
I felt like I had to write something today because
of the godawful grammar of Singaporeans,
which had gone right smack into my face,
and exploded like a... um, cream pie balloon thing or whatever. Shut up.

Now I know I make mistakes as well...
but this one fucking post was just infuriating.

I mean, she even used the word "artefact" (pretty sure that's how she spelled it),
in place of (and I'm completely serious about this) "items".
WHY DEAR GOD.

I couldn't even bring myself to go through the whole damn thing.
And I was really interested in reading it.
The post was about her dad,
who is the old man in a video that's gone viral in Singapore that
shows a couple bullying (and in my opinion, assaulting)
him over a FUCKING SEAT AT A HAWKER CENTRE.

Not going to write about that incident and its fallout. Too long.
Too lazy.

But I will say that lately I've been noticing more and more videos
like this going viral, with news of the police acting on those
videos appearing days later. Sometimes it seems like they moved at lightning speed.
Probably due to the outrage that typically comes with those videos.

Or maybe it's because I've only just begun noticing it.
I don't know.
But it bothers me.
Not necessarily because the police took action.
But because I'm worried they acted
mainly because of the outrage.

The couple I'd mentioned earlier
were arrested for causing a "public nuisance".
Not for assault or criminal intimidation.

"Public nuisance" does not have a tight definition by design.
According to an article in the Straits Times,
one of the reasons the couple were arrested was because
they'd used vulgar language.

And that should worry people.
I don't believe that being an asshole should be a criminal offence.

And besides,
they had enough for assault.
So this is not only troubling, but confusing as well.

Well enough of that.

Piss-Poor Interview

So I've been back in Singapore since February,
and this time round at least,
things appear to be slightly better.
I've had two interviews so far.
None of them with Singaporeans, of course.
But hey, I'm still glad.
One advantage of living in a multicultural hub.

So the interview this morning went
incredibly... bad.
Not because of the interviewer.
I mean, if it were,
you'd definitely be hearing about it from me,
along with a few... *ahem*, choice words.

I think it was mainly due to a lack of preparation.
Maybe I was overconfident.
Maybe it was because I hadn't had my coffee yet.
But man oh man.
I was struggling to put together coherent sentences,
and hell, even searching for the proper words wasn't easy.

And for some insane goddamn reason,
I started out (and continued using throughout the interview),
by including the word "man" at the end of some sentences.

You know, something like "How are you, man?"

Sheesh.

Another major reason I believe is also
the fact that I hadn't written anything in a very long time.

Even for my other blog,
I prefer to post pictures with short sentences. It's easier. Simpler.
Doesn't require much thought.
But here's the thing. Interviews, and senior-level jobs are complex and require
critical thinking skills (though you wouldn't know it by speaking with some people!)

I'll have to start writing on a more regular basis again.
And going by on all the crap that's been happening in Singapore
and around the world,
I doubt I'll be left wanting for things to talk about.

Well enough of that.