Thursday 8 February 2007

Frustrations

The 5th of February promised to be a start of a fresh new day for me. Got up early, went to work as always (alright, maybe not always but close!), got on the net, fiddled around on Friendster, and other stuff. But that day was slightly different, because it was the day that applications were open for....ok, let's forget bout that... Application time was at 12 o' clock, and that's when the rest of the day soured. For starters, the link to the application form on the MAIN PAGE wasn't really hidden, it was downright non-existent. The only thing I could see concerning the application forms were the FAQs, which did not include the most important thing : how to get to the darned link. After looking and prodding and clicking almost every link there, I gave up and tried to google it. Then came the elimination process, sifting through the many pages of information. Then, a short fuse later, I had the 'brilliant' idea to just whack in variations of the base link, hoping to get lucky. And I did (finally). The link showed up NOT on the main page, but on a separate page that is supposed to be an introductory page. Alright, you found the site, so things should start going smoothly right? Noooooo, far from it. They required me to input my IC number, a pin number and a password, with a field to make sure you don't screw up the password. Ok, taptaptaptap, .... WHAT THE ****, WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY IC NO IS WRONG??? Alright, calm down, try it again.... .... ****, MY IC NO IS FINE! FIX YOUR SITE, NOT MY PERSONAL INFO!!! Then I belatedly noticed that the password was to be alphanumeric, 6-8 characters. Ok, let's try that... Alright, I got in. STUPID WEBMASTER, IT WAS THE PASSWORD, NOT THE IC NO!!!! IC NO≠PASSWORD, IDIOT!!! Ok, at least I can start filling in the information..... Done. Let's get this over with.... WHAT IS IT NOW? A MISTAKE? *sigh* Alright, alright, let's go back... Eh? "You have pressed the Refresh or the Back button. Please go to the Recheck or Edit Information section." Grrrrrrr..... "Status Error!!!" At this point, my blood was boiling to the point you could see smoke... For the rest, repeat "Ok - smoke..." X 10, then continue here : Finally got the mistake, a missed IDD number in the telephone number section. Got the info printed, then stalked of home, fuming all the while. P.S. For the 'dearly beloved' webmaster of the site, you know who you are. Do SOMETHING!!!

Actually, frustration and anger per se are a normal part of human behaviour, as long as expressed in the right way. Me? I prefer to let go pent up frustration by beating up virtual monsters and such in my PS2. But this seems to be a lost cause, as the console seems to sense my mood and shift the difficulty level from 'KILL AND DESTROY THOSE MONSTERS!! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!' to 'Proceed to hand the current player a beating of his lifetime' automatically. Sigh, even virtual reality is a frustrating place sometimes. A note to everyone out there : keep it simple and laugh, don't take things too much to heart... Unless of course, they consist of the annoyingly strong monsters in the game or equally infuriating webmasters, whereupon you are licensed to roast them slowly over a fire. Just don't chew. 'Nuf said.

Sunday 4 February 2007

Salutations to the Good Doc

In only a matter of days, a dear friend and fellow Boys' Brigade member will be leaving Batu Pahat for his hometown, Penang. Yes, our dear Dr Symeon Chiam, recently from Hospital Batu Pahat will be leaving for the Peal of the Orient, the final breath before jumping on the bandwagon, oops, into the working world of white lab coats, prods, syringes, drugs and badly written prescriptions.

It has been a genuine joy being able to know Symeon, considering all the laughs we had together, the meals devoured at the same table (in Penang it will be YOUR treat, so better line those pockets.... Mwhahahahaha.....) and the fun times of joking about all manner of things... Haih, all in all, it was a fun time. Thanks to him, I could delve deeper into the mystery that is medicine (? Mystery? More like a riddle wrapped in an enigma), considering that that is the field I will probably end up in, that or veterinary medicine =>.

A note to Symeon : God bless your road ahead and may He shower your life with grace, mercy and blessings, till you shout for mercy... Or maybe not. Just soak it all up and let the Lord guide your path always. BTW, I hope I don't see you in the Diagnostics Department, spouting rhetoric/nonsense and generally making everyone miserable... That will be a sure sign that you are taking House too seriously... => Oh well, hope to see you around soon, bro... => Keep in touch, and don't worry, we'll make sure you get to treat us to Penang's finest cuisine, and lots of it! Cherrio!