went for the induction for the AV support job. it was held in a collaborative teaching room - it had cool chairs. wheelie with its own desk and basket space underneath.
one of the guys i worked with last semester (and slacked off with) became a full time staff - i guess the boss does notice people on the job.
i thought i wasn't going to get many shifts because we are put in a hierarchy of positions, but i got more than expected. not bad.

then i went to factory. i told supervisor G (who was horrible to me yesterday morning but became more nice that afternoon) that i could only do a weekday and a Sunday there. thought he was going to say i need not come anymore but he was like, "Sundays you get more pay, so you better work faster."
oh yeah, and he didn't fire anyone suddenly. he just told him to not come that day.
what a moody bunch.

i tried to learn physics online because Bill Gates recommended this lecturer, Prof. Walter Lewin, but he lost me in the 2nd lecture. chim~
MIT Open Course Ware - Lec 1 | 8.01 Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

hi auntie D and mom,

thanks for your emails. hope everyone is doing well at home.
yes, i'm back at Guild House.

that survey job is over, and it was a good eye-opening experience.
i rode my bicycle today and the pedals seem to not engage with the chain at lower gear. something is probably broken. so much for my cheap and crappy bicycle.
if i don't find a working bicycle for free, i'll be back to public transport.

work at the factory is okay because i don't care if they fire me (the supervisor fired one guy suddenly yesterday for being slow). they scold and nag, but it all comes out the other ear.
yesterday i couldn't read the order list and got scolded. today the supervisor guy was yelling at us again. whatever.
work ended 1 hour later than normal because of the large volume of orders and shortage of staff. luckily, i got a lift back home because the co-worker lives just up the street.

i'm quite excited to work on my dissertation and practical project again. i started reading up on the origins of cinema and did a bit of planning for it.

for some reason i started reading up about Hanoi.
below are some travel blogs about it.
the first 3 links have very beautiful photos.

http://sivanaskayoblog.com/vietnam-laundry/
http://sivanaskayoblog.com/a-picture-is-worth-a-1000-words-5/
http://sivanaskayoblog.com/six-days-in-hanoi-vietnam-2/

http://www.rustycompass.com/blog

http://trippinglah.wordpress.com/

http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/featured-articles/hanoi-vietnam-a-tasting-guide/

went for the second part of my survey recruitment job.

this time, it's for 3 hours at Court Hotel.
there weren't many customers around so the third survey recruiter left and it was me and L.
i'm glad i had her around because she was a nice lady and gave me useful tips since she had experience getting surveys done here.

the people are enjoying drinks with their friends, so you really have to barge in on their conversation.
there was one memorable group - 2 sensible ladies, 1 sensible older guy and 2 loud and energetic people, one guy and one girl.
the loud guy called me over the second time i approached them and told me to sit with them.
the ladies did my survey, the loud guy said he "does goats" so he didn't count, and the loud girl said she was bi. i sat near the older guy who told me about his life in London and how the loud guy is MacGuyver and how they were going to a wedding reception and i should join them.
they offered whiskey from a hip flask and something to sniff, but of course i didn't.
later, L said that the guy and girl were high from the sniffing thing - it was a chemical from video cassettes.
anyway i only got 7 participants this time.

L and i chatted about her upcoming wedding and food (and i also tried to describe my project to her) until the Brazilian drum and samba dancing started.
we decided to splurge and have dinner at Vic Park since we both liked spicy Asian food, and it was rare for me to have someone to with eat out anyway.

we searched for places on Urban Spoon and she suggested this Szechuan restaurant called Red Chilli (865 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park).


Entree - lukewarm chicken in chilli oil - 口水鸡 ($14.80)
the skin was yellow, meaning that it wasn't a factory farm chicken?
anyway it was very fragrant and flavorful and spicy to boot.
paired with rice, match made in heaven!

we also ordered this monster - the dish was big enough to hold a human head.
spicy beef slices coated in starch, with bean sprouts and a ton of dried chilli on top - 水煮牛肉 ($22.80).
it was delicious as well. tender meaty slices and crunch sprouts.
i wanted to gobble it all up, but my mouth was already on fire from the chicken and this made it worse. the heat was intense --- but it hurt so good!
Szechuan food is awesome. how funny for me to have it in Perth!

* overdue post for 19 Jan - there are 21 images here *

i went to the Art Stage exhibition after a really good buffet lunch with the extended family at Riverfront Furama. and by really good, i mean extensive spread, quality food, decent sushi, and not that expensive ($35 each?). at times like these, Singapore kicks ass.

Art Stage was at Marina Bay Sands and i got a discounted student ticket because i am a student haha.
and it was brilliant. again, extensive collection from the usual Asian suspects, and quality cool stuff all around.

Thai military uniforms embroided with faces of politicians.

 it was quite crowded and made for interesting people-viewing, because of the hipsters and artsy types.

 heh. rotund. and so cute. such overwhelming abundance and happiness.

eau de protest.

Read more »

the long story from yesterday...

i decided to get a bike, since moving back to Guild House and going to work at the factory from GH was HELL. the bus is very infrequent and the inconvenient transfer between buses makes the journey intolerably long.
at  K mart and Target, the cheapest bike was $79 for the display one. the Cash Convertor ones are more than $110.
i went to Gum Tree. saw some bikes that were $60 and looked suitably crappy (to deter thieves).

so i texted this person about his bike and he responded really fast.
went to Thornlie to go to his house. then he called, and sounded Indian. from his call, i thought he was going to pick me up from the station in his car, but actually he arrived on the bike itself. his guy was from Lebanon. seemed friendly.
he intended to sell the bicycle like that but the bike stand was missing. and i already said i wanted to buy helmet and lock, which he didn't bring.
so we had to go to his place. i was quite wary of course.

i think he lives in govt housing. and the white van is filled with bike parts and tools.
he took his time to get stuff from his flat while i waited on the ground floor. i thought of texting my flatmate to let him know my whereabouts.


that's the crappy bike i bought. he fixed on the bike stand, did some twists on the handlebar and rear spokes, adjusted the seat height, got me a crappy helmet and a new lock.
he wanted to charge $10 for the second-hand beaten up helmet and some money for the bike stand, but i was like how about $5. i wasn't confident about getting my price since he has the upper hand (need the helmet to ride anyway) but somehow he changed his mind in a split second.
so i got the bike, helmet and lock for $80.

the problem of a crappy old bike is exactly that. the rear wheel was slightly off-center, so there was a wheezing sound for every revolution. the rubber on the front tyre is cracking a bit. and the bike stand is very loose.
but the gears and brakes work fine.

feels pretty good to have a bike. i don't have to submit to the whims of the ridiculous buses anymore.

also, there was a power outage in the whole neighbourhood last night from 8 to 10pm.
asked around the next day and heard that it doesn't happen often. but it may be due to the summer spike in power usage.
i was watching anime and suddenly the lights and fan went out. my flatmates didn't gather or talk or anything. it was weird. just one stormed out with handphone light on as i opened my door. later, realised that the office put glow sticks at strategic areas of the flat like the toilets and stuff. pretty helpful.
the common room was illuminated by a car that was blasting irritating techno music. i could have slept but it was so bloody hot without the fan on. and the car music was terrible.

i watched Frozen at the Burswood outdoor cinema in the uni. paid $10 and all the profits go to children charities.was a really enjoyable film.

speaking of good films, filmjunkie has a lists of top movies chosen by some notable directors.

reddit complied the movies listed more than once:

• Raging Bull: 6
• Tokyo Story: 5
• Citizen Kane: 4
• The Apartment: 4
• 8 1/2: 3
• Jaws: 3
• Modern Times: 3
• Taxi Driver: 3
• Vertigo: 3
• 2001: a Space Odyssey: 2
• Apocalypse Now: 2
• Ashes and Diamonds: 2
• Badlands: 2
• Carrie: 2
• Goodfellas: 2
• Le Mepris: 2
• North By Northwest: 2
• Persona: 2
• Psycho: 2
• Rashomon: 2
• Sunrise: 2
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: 2
• The Godfather: 2
• The Passion of Joan of Arc: 2
• The Searchers: 2
• The Shining: 2
• The Wages of Fear: 2
• The Wild Bunch: 2

haven't seen most of these before either! and Tokyo Story is highly regarded but i haven't heard of it before... time to check them out.

last week, my friend Y was here with her husband, father-in-law and aunt.
i went to visit the house they stayed at in Maylands.

they have the whole house to themselves, rented from AirBnB.

very airy living room, with an attic, back yard, 3 or 4 bedrooms, not too far from Maylands station.
about $400 a night.

after some breakfast, we went to Swan Valley, which was about 10 minutes drive from their house.
the train station nearest to it is Guildford. it seems like a nice place to explore on bike as it's cyclist friendly.

Guildford has not many interesting colonial buildings, but they make up for it with tourist-friendly infrastructure.

like this walking trail map and stuff.

i left Y earlier, thinking they will drive up to explore the wine/cheese/grapes far from the train station, but we bumped into each other at the visitor center and i hopped back on their car.
 we went to a place that sold table grapes in a big barn. they had grape vines for shade in the car park.

homemade grape jam.
Y's family bought me some grapes at $7 a kg. they were really fresh and juicy.
then we went to a wine place called Sandalford. Swan Valley is a wine region thanks to the migrants to started to grow grapes there. Sandalford is one of the more famous wineries. they have a restaurant and hotel on site too.

the interior of the shop. the guy behind the counter let us try some wines.

i had to go to work at 2pm so i left Y and went to the train station. there were some cute shops selling bread, books, antiques on main street.
i bought a lemon tart at a lunch place where the Asian owner was very friendly and knew all his regulars by name. i saw him in action as he chatted to a new customer and gave his baby some juice.
then i bought a book called The Crystal Messenger by a Vietnamese writer. i haven't finished it yet but the writing is quite beautiful.

 so i did my survey recruitment job at the Gay Pride Fair Day...
it's basically various GLBT oriented stalls like dating sites, support groups, merchandise, etc. and some food stalls, situated at Hyde Park.

 rainbow merchandise.

 i got a chorizo wrap for lunch. it was small but good!

 it's very family friendly and i saw many kids and dogs.
they picnic on the lawn and there were some campaigners calling for people to show support for the Sochi GLBT athletes. they asked everyone to stand up and hold hands for the camera.
and there were bands performing and a dog show, which i missed.

 my dessert - fig, pitascho, cinnamon yogurt gelato.
very yummy.

 one of the many cute doggies at Fair Day.

random wandering performers - very amusing to see them stroll around so happily singing weird and wonderous songs.
there were also sexy people in Native American headgear. and a tub for jello wrestling.

the experience of approaching people to do a long and detailed survey on homo-sexual practices was very awkward at first because i couldn't quite explain the purpose of it very well. then i learnt to just go to people and ask if they have "some time to do a survey" and let them read the information sheet to check if they qualify.
most of the people were very accommodating and willing to spend the 7 minutes to fill it out.

the most memorable one was this big man in a big muu muu dress. and she had a Thai friend who looked after their huge fluffy huskie who had 2 pink ribbons on its head. i also remember a gay couple with an adorable and handsome toddler.
the most awkward was when i was waiting for a lady to fill out the survey while her non-gay friend and i had to make small talk... she said that she would have some action, in her fantasy world, but in real life, she would have to make an effort, and i was like, yeah me too. it was so very awkward.

in the end i had 50 participants and 53 refusals. lol.
i heard most people got about 40 participants, but there were some with 70+!

went with Y and her family to Fremantle. they were nice enough to fetch me from the house.

 went to E-shed market. saw droppings in boxes. nothing much in that place actually.

 then we headed to Fremantle market. i bought a ham cheese croissant and spirulina slice for breakfast. they had lots of produce and foooood :)

at the market was this lane where they set up a petting zoo. this guy was cuddling a bunny. you are awesome, guy.

 then we had lunch at Sweet Lips. finally, fish and chips from a place other than Cicerello's, which has been sub-standard.
and it was goooddd! $10.90 for lightly battered fresh hake fish.
incidentally, friend later said that the one at Waterford was very good too. have to try some time.

went home and auntie P's adopted new dog arrived. a one year old, overly excited dog that loved to lick our feet.
and it pees without lifting its leg. and it peed on the carpet of my bedroom.

saw my friend's message about going to the Silent Disco at the last minute and decided to go.
hitched a ride to the station from auntie P's friend.
Silent Disco was awesome. on a Sat night, there was a queue to get in. they hand you a pair of headphones, with 3 channels featuring music spun by the djs at the end of the stage. lights indicated which channel you were listening to.
at first, the crowd did their own thing. there were little kids doing the jiggy and young girls doing expressive interpretations. then somehow, we started to unite and listen to one channel when the song was a crowd-pleaser, like Mr Brightside, Common People, and Having A Good Time ... it was fun to see everyone jump and sing along at the same time, like we were all connected by the power of music.

after about 2 hours, we waited 28 minutes for the train. some one puked at the station.
then i waited 25 minutes for the bus and entertained by overhearing how a young Malaysian described his family's wealth and awesome luxury apartment.

browsing Museum of Reddit at the moment.

you look good, you feel good, right?

a TV program recommended these basics for the face/head area:

- tinted moisturizer SPF 30
- mascara
- lip/cheek stain
- hair finishing spray

seems easy enough. but i am lazy.

and for the body area, Tim Gunn says these 3 things must be in harmony with each other:

• Silhouette
• Proportion
• And FIT.

finding tops that fit is a problem for me. and having the right proportion of top vs bottom.

he also recommends these items in a woman's wardrobe in NYC:

would be nice to do this - take a few days off work, eat healthily, pamper self with rest and relaxation.

source: New Idea, P 79-80, Oct 14 2013, Pacific Magazines

today i went to watch this comedy stand-up, Paco Erhard.
his show is about being German, making fun of being German, and the human nature of stereotyping.


basically, his point is that Germans are organized and efficient. although everything works there, it is not fun. his foil is the UK, where they once a great empire, they don't win the World Cup, and they like messing things up for a laugh.
there were many jokes about the guilt trip they get from history lessons about the Nazis and the Holocaust.
there are one about Germans being great rule-followers, so if there is a sign saying "do not put anything other than toilet paper in the toilet", they will shit in the bin.

the audience was very responsive and appreciative, which was nice.
i found it alright. it wasn't laugh out loud funny but i chuckled. Erhard is definitely very comfortable on stage and his delivery is smooth.


after the show i went to buy some drinks and saw these guys giving out flyers for their circus act. some other performers (comedians?) were amongst the crowds around the box office, chatting and naturally slipping in suggestions for them to watch their show. gosh, what a way to sell your show. it takes a lot of guts to talk to strangers.

which reminds me of the people sitting on the sidewalk asking for money. there are young guys who look like runaways and i always avoid their eyes. it was quite unsettling when i heard one say "no worries, have a nice evening" when the person he asked didn't give him money. *** it makes him sound like a nice person good on his luck, and that can happen to anyone. and i feel bad for ignoring him.

"While washing the dishes, one should only be washing the dishes.
If while washing the dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. The fact that we are here washing these bowls is a wondrous reality, a miracle of life.
If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands.
Thus we are sucked away into the future … and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life." 

~ Thích Nhất Hạnh

--- source

Idleworker

Will Ferrell, what is love?

WillFerrell

Love is a complicated thing to figure out. I don't know if anyone ever will. I know this much: I love lamp. 

--- source: Will Ferrell's AMA on reddit

and Matt Damon is going to do a "Ask Me Anything" in a few hours!!!

***add-on***

PumpkinQueen

Hey Matt, what was the best prank George played on you?

MattDamon

He just did one literally last week. I got these giant fruit baskets in the mail from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They had just made jokes at everyone's expense at the Golden Globes that were really funny. George made up stationary with my name on it, and sent a really wounded letter to Tina and Amy saying my feelings were really hurt, how could they do this, etc. So they sent two fruit baskets. One had a letter with an apology. Another said “If this is part of some Clooney prank, please know that we’re grown-ass comedians, and you have to do a little better to fool us.” So I photographed the letters and emailed them to George with a caption that said “Go fuck yourself.” He’s honestly a child. I can just see his shoulders shaking when he laughs alone in his house.

--- source

and he's a passionate advocate for better education policies! and his philosophy on things is really admirable. what a swell guy!

***end add-on***

and the wrestler i remember from watching WWF matches back in the day, Mick Foley, is a really awesome guy in real life!

massivebitch:

I tweeted him once to say how much it meant to me as a rape survivor to have a super big tough guy out there helping with the cause and just generally volunteering. He proceeded to send me a good sized private message saying how much it meant to HIM that I valued his contributions.
The dude can't put his own socks on and has bacon trimmings for an ear but he has a heart made of solid gold, I swear.

Mick Foley is a true inspiration.

*** add-on ***

Kevin Smith's AMA - to listen to his podcasts when i feel down :)

morning shift at the cafe.
when boss asked if i wanted a coffee that he made by mistake, i took the chance to tell him that i wouldn't be able to work any more when school starts in March. then i told him that i got a new job. i would rather work at his cafe because the environment is a lot nicer, but unfortunately cafe pays $5 less per hour than the factory --- but i couldn't tell him that.
then he said if i continue for 3 more weeks, that's "fine with him". bloody hell. 3 weeks notice for a casual job? i think 2 weeks is more than enough! but i couldn't tell him that either.
then the atmosphere was weird for a while.
and i burnt a croissant again. but lady boss didn't scold me. that's how awkward it was. haha.

then i had a crappy bubble tea from Utopia. then i checked out the events for the Fringe World Festival (wouldn't have known if i didn't talk to the backpacker guy yesterday).

their cute box office at the Cultural Center.

and i bought tickets to 4 shows. :D cost me $77. heh. thanks to my factory work, i thought i could splurge.



 so this Fringe Festival showcased a ton of local and international comedy, theater, cabaret, circus, music, film, etc., acts over 1 month.
and they set up venues around the CBD where the performance venues are clustered around food and drink stalls, with festive lighting. including a giant disco ball! (there's a guy sitting on the steps for size reference.)


tonight i watched a "comedy" "theater" mash-up of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, done by the American trio called Sound & Fury.
i only have a picture of the venue - a tent called Pink Flamingo. a review of the show can be found here.
although i sat in front of a pole, i was also in the front row. it's an intimate space, 60 people, and we can hear the circus music from the neighbouring tents, but it was great fun because the guys kept referencing things they picked up from interacting with us, like forgetting lines because of trying to pole dancing, and ad-libbing about the audience member who rather watch cricket.
it's best described as "mad-cap" and chaotic and bawdy. and the ginger guy was quite attractive as Juliet. :)
then on the way home i talked to this guy from Cyprus. it's near Greece and is a nice place for tourists! and skilled workers get about $40 an hour here.