The month of May might be interesting for me this time round.
My sister just finished her degree in accountancy from NTU (hahahahahaahahah NTU.....loser...) and she's alreayd planned to open that frigging drawer of hers where all the money is kept, along with all my confisticated ciggarettes, and splurge on what has come to be her South-East Asia trip.
She's planning to go to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuching and then Perth. Hopefully she does all that this month. At least when she returns, broke, and sees the moolahs i bring home from DW Group she'd feel so poor. All my life she's the goody-two-nerdy-shoes and i've been the blacksheep rascal. Not that i mind - I just wanna be richer than her. SGD$1,300 for your new position, PFFT! i'm bringing home SGD$1,500 this month!
Along with that my parents are going off to Kuching in three or four days and then Indonesia. After that, Bangkok with her and then Perth.
I've no idea why they had the sudden urge to travel the world. That pot of gold they found recently, maybe?
Financially i've turned stable, no longer needing to depend on my minute SGD$250 allowance from the parents. I brought in a hundred fifty for my first week in DW Group. SGD$400 is coming up soon after i've done Holiday Inn's training video and now my paycheck's coming in this 15th of May. Suddenly my finances grow exponentially.
i've learned a lot from all these appointments with my relatives. I'm not gonna dwelve into that. It's my freaking family! Oh the things I found that I shouldnt have.
I went over to the Sultan Mosque in Bugis today after work. Went there for afternoon prayers. The sun was shining brightly and the mosque was quiet. I took centre seat on the floor and closed my eyes. Starting to think about the future. Started reflecting.
It's easy for one to make up virtues of his own but acting it out is a whole different matter.
I thought about my friends' lives and tried to sit in their mindspace and think of what they're thinking. A revelation hit me at some moment. Then i learned the value of respecting another person's way of life. Respecting in a sense that they have their own colourful roads that they've walked through that can rightfully be called as theirs.
Did a bit of prayer for Henry cause next week he's gonna play hide and seek in some mountain near Chengdu.
I stepped out of the mosque and crossed the road to Zam Zam restaurant and bought my father beef murtabak, the biggest version i could find. He loves eating that. Then i remembered he has high blood pressure. Oh well.
I got home as fast as i could so that the food comes home hot. At least now i can finally say i've put food on the family table. Gives the old people no reason to condemn me on those grounds.
Turns out they arent home.
I've decided to accept the fact that i'm on my own in current situations. Void of the people i used to play around with. It's reality and I'd better wake up to it.
Later on i'm gonna get my hair thinned and washed. It's getting thicker than an African's pubic hair. I'll keep the length... i think its nice to play with long hair. Then maybe take a dip in the pool at night. Great. A great move to waste money on washing my hair at the salon.
Henry's already annoyed with his hair's length as it is and so am I with mine. lol.
I'm starting to take an interest in sailing and scuba diving, despite the fact i'm prone to fainting after looking into the deep blue sea. I'm pissed scared of the fishes that'll reach up and swim over my crotch. I think i might plan a kayaking expedition, a small one, nothing major or unique, around the Singapore isles. I'd have to take a look into it first. If there's one thing we group of guys are lacking it's teamwork.
I hope to gain power in my own two feet to be able to stand up and perform my film productions (and then others). Even though i may be on my own for now, I dont wanna stay in the same bloody place i'd been left at when everyone gets together again.
After last night's quarrel over my work ethics with my manager, you'd expect me to sit down and think. No, i didnt. I was too exhausted, too tired of waiting, planning, talking and expecting. I went home to sleep.
This morning i was about an hour late for Documentary Production class. That's already two big fat Os in the attendance sheet; last week i kinda overslept and skipped school. Didnt really bother me; i had the chance to catch Henry online. He isnt really "around" anymore.
The guys were already bringing out lighting equipments for the day's activity. I wasnt feeling that light in the chest so i picked a corner on the tables and sat on it, watching my classmates do their work.
This year's class make-up of students is pretty interesting. After two years of being seperated into cohort A and B, the seals are finally broken and both cohorts are now mixed together in the slush of torrential energy.... if that ever makes sense to you. I started to observe people that i know have the reputation of being the BEST in this or that this and that etc etc. Maybe i could learn something.
Soon enough an half hour passed and they still were playing with the lights and flags. I figured this couldnt happen. My perception of a film crew equals to that of a mortar team in the military. Sweet, sharp, excellent.
So i got up on my feet and started pointing fingers and leading people to do stuff. After a bit of adjustments to the already fine lighting the DOP did before, i was set and took my seat to the furthest wall for a nap.... with Ronald, of course.
The next round was another turn for other groups of people to do the lighting and stuff for this mock interview. At least now i was a feeling a bit more energetic... what with Kang Sheng and all his horniness. I swear he's a lady's man but the belly gets in the way. No hor fun for him.
Hope you got that..."Whore" fun... yea... class joke.
Craig McTurkeyBalls picked me to be the DOP this time. I gave a resounding OKAY! but deep down in my heart i'm askin myself a few questions.
Sometimes i wonder if i really do can light as well as people say. I remember last semester i was both praised and criticised for my skills as a DOP. Jowell the King of Turd-dome complains i take too freaking long and too many lights to light. Then our good man Chandler, who for some reason wants to look like Wolverine nowadays, comes into the set and strokes his goatee going, "Mm... interesting lighting you have here... and it's set up pretty fast too..."
Another thing i wonder about was WHAT IS the reason i took up directing instead of part of the camera team (that i also liken to a fire team in the military); even though i think i'm doing fairly well in that line. I have other people doing beter lighting than me so to actually have competition in class is good. But then i didnt take Cinematography.
"Okay Audi.. you may light it..."
And then our lovely Director, Jowell, opens his mouth and the first thing he says to me is, "Do the lights, boy!"... naturally not giving me any more info like where the camera's gonna be and what kinda lighting he wants. Damn you!!!! lol.
I threw some lights here and there making decisions on the fly. I had Jeff helping me out.. helpful guy i must say. He works like a bloody machine; I'll be fixing a redhead.... he'll be infornt of me watching and the moment i start to look up and around he gets into position. All i gotta do is say,"C-stand." and BAM he flies and gets me one, complete with the legs spread open and he's already unscrewing the holders before the thing is even on the ground. Efficiency times a hundred million!
Lighting was done. i check the camera, telling the cam operator to give me this this this shot and once i find that everything is fine, i take a seat at the back of the class and was rewarded, along with all of us who were there, with Kang Sheng's superb storytelling skillz. Never knew he was so mature in his thinking. Kudos to you, my fat friend!
McTurk liked the lighting alot. Saying all these bullshit-potentials like, "If this lighting were done in your projects i'd give an A++".
I'm sorry sir. But i've come to know that that's not how it works here. Even if i were to reproduce the lighting and the talents, i'd only get a C. I've learned my lesson.
Do more + Passionate + Being afraid of contacting lecturers for fear of interrupting them = Borderline results. Whereas: Do as expected + A sorry excuse for being passionate + ball-licking + having contacts that your lecturer will be willing to be raped for + money, tons + giving lowblows to your teammates then laughing about it = Grade A student.
of course there are exceptional cases but that's pretty much it. The reality of the real world.
And if you may excuse me, I gotta take care of Viky, who has, again, disappeared from the face of the earth. I think i can only be happy in school. The workload numbs the pain in my heart and mind. I hate coming home to problems that i feel need to be solved but they dont.
Been going pretty smoothly so far. Fun. Exciting. Oppurtunities for my balls to grow bigger.
How it's going now is that we have two film projects that are running at the same time and they're both from different modules, Directing for Camera and Advanced Film Production.
for DIRCAM we gotta create a silent film that's about 5 minutes long. We're doing this together with the folks over at Cinematography class. As usual i'm stuck with our jumpy/fidgety producer, Hanna. Having her as producer can be fun but i think the stress level that we're taking doesnt do justice to the fun level that we have hehehehee. It's like the fun level is at level 7... and the stress level is at level... bajillion. I have this feeling she gets turned on by the word "meeting".
Not that i'd mind having her in bed for dinner.... and then breakfast.
Naturally as a student in Dircam i'm sitting at the director position.
Then comes AFP... a short 2-3 minute film that pretty much involves the basic points of storytelling. I'm working with a rather strong group that both consists of intelligent people and that other type that dances around in ballet costumes going, "Lalalalalalaa". i think they call those people the creative ones?
Once again i'm the director.
I'm not complaining about this position. If the film flies high so will my name and if the film spins into a spiral of funky pink smoke that ultimately crashes onto the ground below and then starts growing arms and diggs itself into the earth, trying to hide in shame, then that my friends is when i commit suicide.
After that there are another two films that are coming up and that again i'm the director and/or assistant director.
Sometimes i wonder... all my time in FSV i've been in the "higher" positions like cameraman, DOP and now director. I've never tasted the "lower" position like production assistant or.... i dunno.. Course Manager of FSV. You gotta be on both sides of the fence to actually know how to lead a team. Correct? I'm sure the consequences of the positions that i've been taking in school will return someday, whether in school or proffesionally so... well i'm waiting.
DW Group is getting on my nerves lately. I'm about 4 thousand dollars away from Supervising Officer position and that's where i start getting the moolahs from those who work under me.
I'm not concerned about my promotion. In fact, i dont give a flying fuck. I've gotta be concerned about my team in school first because we're making damn films and its not as if the creativity process is something that's fixed or there's a bible somewhere with ideas for us to choose from. Unlike my promotion which is a simple act of convincing and hiting the correct person with the moolahs in hand. On the other hand i've got my well-being and other interests like Henry's challenge to make some time for... or what's left of time i have as we know it.
But my superiors care so much about my promotion. I can see it in a logical way that if i promote, it brings up the company, etc etc. I guess this is what you gotta expect from when you're working in the real world. They're literally breathing down your neck.
I just had a little quarrel with my manager a few hrs ago around 12 am in Tampines after an appointment with my aunt.
Our goal was to sell 7 thousand dollars worth. I want to sell it, true. Get it over and done with. I want her to use it. True. I want to do this. True. But the thing that i, as a relative, know that my manager doesnt know is the family situation. So when she said she has to talk to her son about it cos he holds the money, what the fuck can i do?
"NO AUNTIE YOU MUST BUY NOW! SEACH YOUR HOUSE FOR SEVEN THOUSAND BUCKS AND PAY US NOW!.... oh no la actually u can help in my promotion bla bla bla bla bla bla bla please help me boo hoo hoo."
So when she says that, to me, i'd be nodding my head, saying okay. I understand your position and thus this is why you said this this this. I know you are very interested and will buy it if you had the money in your pocket now.
But i guess for outsiders they'll be like, "NO LA CANNOT BE SHE BLUFFING WAN EVERYBODY CONFIRM HAVE SAVINGS NORRHSSSZZ!!!! FASTER CLOSE LEI SHE BLUFFING ONLY!!!"
Hello? this is MY family. You dont come here and challenge my twenty years of knowledge about them. If they want it, i'll be the first to sense that. If they dont, you'll see me using the correct tactics.
But i gotta admit that i'm a very nice guy.
hehehehehe....
I give in to people quite a lot.
"EH WHERE ARE YOU! LATE FOR MEETING ALREADY!" "Sorry la audi now jam la." "Oh.. ok just keep running once you leave the cab."
So easy. Everyone needs their space, correct? Yea kinda.
mm.. While i was quarrelling with my manager she brought up a point that I was afraid of being told to in the face - i have no focus.
I've been seeing this since i was young. It's a trend. It's not that i have ADD or anything, no. But i keep realising that i've jumped from interest to interest. I've been through martial arts... then i've been latin dancing... then i've been plastic modelling.... then i've been in film studies... then i've been taking up music.. then i've been in both Getting Rich Fast and Getting Poor Fast schemes.
Even in conversations with people i simply cannot finish a sentence that makes clear of the point i'm trying to say. I mean just look at this post. It's a mess! The words OMG!
What the fuck is my problem, i have no idea. Too many thoughts? Too many interests? Too many things to say?
I think it boils down to me being egoistic. Cause you see... i can hold conversations.. true. but only if the subject is something i like. If that's the case, i'd easily to the "I share, now you share, i listen. Now i share, you listen. Now what's your opinion on that?" kinda thing but once i find that the other person is saying something i dont have the knowledge to expand it, i'll deter him away to my territory and be in control of the conversation once again.
It can go something like this....
"Eh you know that today i saw John together with a guy holding hands together..." "yea ok... (bored)..." "... then they started to kiss ZOMFGBBQSAMBALBELACAN! I mean eeyer so gay wah lau!" "uhuh yea (zzzzz)" ".. i mean why can do this thing in public wan so disgusting!" "Well we cant really say anything about that... cos u noe some people might think differently. You gotta understand that people see things in another way. You know it's like how i like it when a guy starts kissing those kinda sweet little girls.... it turns me on." ".. wtf?" "yea turns me on. I gotta admit though that girls are infact much more horny than men..."
Thus the conversation is brought back to my playing area. i can start telling stories and start giving all these funky whacky opinions and views and ultimately splooge all over the other person's face.
But once i get tried down to keep on talkin about something i dont really feel like talking about, liek today's presentation, then i'm sorry... but i'll be spoiling whatever you've worked on before that. I dont want. I wont have. You can call it standing on my own too feet or firm or arrogant, whatever.
Im gonna stop now. This post is going nowhere. The fucker got me into an angry mood.
P.s. Boris Yeltsin died today. Rest in peace, man. You gave me lots of good laughs.
In the meantime, here's the infamous (to me, at least, after all the abuse lol) video of Sly singing Xi Wang in his room. I took this somewhere in January. I think it was the 21st, celebrating his and Stacie's bday at his place.
School started last monday. I havent really been looking forward to school. Not after realising that whatever i did in school, I'd receive results that simply do not reflect how much i'm passionate about. For example, I recieved all Cs for the three modules I really put my heart into like Drama Production and Non-fiction. But then even after i bombed Animation class, not even doing anything for my final assignment, literally, I received a D.
A fucking D! I passed! But i didnt do anything!
but then i realised why i still havent picked up the course drop-out form.
It's because of these people.
Even though we're all very aggressive in our own right...
... at the end of the day we can still sit down together and laugh our asses off. I remember many times I've pushed myself harder simply because i know they are there behind me, watching, expecting a polished work out of me.
I admit i dont think i'm special or unique or better off than others and some works i pass in arent exactly as polished as i'd like them to be. But at least i know it's better than the last work i did, i'm happy. You dont change from zero to hero in an instant.
But of course there are times I wished i could do things my way... but sometimes being force to do things you dont like... you find things that would actually help you.
Oh god.. whatever...
my smoking buddies + jowell somewhere offscreen, who started to smoke again.
During the holidays i really believed i could stop smoking. Especially after a major asthma attack i had a week ago. I almost went to hospital for that.
But i dont really bother. I even gave myself five more years to live. I've come to accept it, to be honest. But that's another story.
I am thankful for the three months i was MIA from Henry and gang. Cos i learnt a lot about living from these people.
Ronald. Working at a pub.
Daryl Lim... my brader brader. Just goes to show that you dont have to be the top or outstanding student to actually be well off.
Quite a lot of interesting modules for this semester like regional cinema and World Issues from a Singapore Perspective. At least the latter module allows me to start my public speaking nonsense that i like to do. I'm looking forward for Directing for Camera module. It's the module i'm settling for to make my first action/war film in FSV. I came in for the interview with my Battle of the Field video, and goddamn i will leave with a better version of it.
I'm looking forward for Directing for Camera module. It's the module i'm settling for to make my first action/war film in FSV. I came in for the interview with my Battle of the Field video, and goddamn i will leave with a better version of it.
Things have been pretty fine this week. Henry is lost in China, busy at work with meetings and such. The internet still isnt up in his apartment so currently i'm doing blind-talk with him via email. Well... at least there's something to keep him company. I dont believe anyone else but me and Sarah are communicating with him there.
Daryl announced that he's working out as well at the gym. Well.. gives me more reason to swim. I'm still stuck at four laps. But that's fine.
My bank account has grown a bit fatter by SGD170 dollars. My paychecque for DW Group is already in the office along with my dad's bedpad.
I'm still under depression. Same old me. But i guess the next four months would be a great journey.
These few days haven't really been good. My responsibilty in DW Group has gotten heavier. My IBP project, the final of all final films in school, has started and I've been appointed the un-glamourous role of writer AND art director. I gotta finish the script by the end of the month. Don (Aravind) and Hanna are starting to push me. I'm still a bit empty here in the centre of my chest after Henry left. Internet connection isnt up in his apartment yet so he could only transfer short emails during work.
On top of that....
... these fuckers are pushing me. Right after i sent Sly's Xi Wang audio file to one guy in the comments section a whole troop comes in and demands them as well. I'm caught on whether or not i should distribute them because Xi Wang is an original composition of Sly's and hasnt even been recorded professionally yet. I'd rather not.
btw go on over to Youtube and look for "Sylvester Sim". Oh my, the things i did while i was MIA.
---
A Channel 8 team came over to my place today for day one of their two-day filming for some morning kid's show.
Gotta say that the little girl is a sweet one, yea.
They came here cos they liked the concept of the house. I had to talk to lengths about the house to the lady crew members; where it came from, what inspired, who designed it (the family, btw) and the parquet flooring and why we have a fucking massage chair here. They liked my sister's postal bed (they used two shots in her room) and liked the entire Sarawak tiles thingy i had around the house.
Well... till they came to my room and saw my suspended bed and gaming station.
"Messy..."
That's all they could say.
But the little girl came into my room one time and stared. Then she walked in closer. I was at the door... looking at her... and she stepped in clsoer.... looking up at my suspending bed.
She turned around and had this smile with the braces twinkling so brightly. She saw me and gave a little giggle.
What... thinking of how it's gonna be like with me on that bed?
Just for my sis.... since she let them use the room... this pic shows them in her room filming.
Was a very shot one... only two shots and in 15 minutes they were out.. compared to the 1pm-10pm they did at the living room.
In total they paid me SGD$200 for the two days shoot. A percentage is gonna go to my sis. A small percentage, to be honest. Only two shots ma wanna kpkb what?
I let them do what they wanna do. The cats never bothered them. I played Armed Assault on the computer (just finished palying btw... 12 hrs of fun) and smoked a few cigs while watching them do their stuff.
I kinda lost interest in filmaking already... seeing how in school I'm being pressurized into this and that liek what story i should make.... basically doing something that our teachers like, shoved in silly modules.. dealing with favouritism and people with their heads too high in the sky.
Another thing i feel as if i'm being contained is the issue of money.
My most sincere desire in school currently is to make a film involving mud, guns, guys and lots of tears and sweat. But money is an issue because this could run into thousands. We're talking explosions and gunfire!
Thousands, to be honest, isnt alot (once u get in DW Group and this other something-i-cant-tell im doing with Henry) but my friends in school (and around Yishun) simply cannot accept the fact that they're spending thousands of their own money on something that has virtually nothing to return.
I'm ok with that point of view... so i gotta live with that.... carrying on making fucking chinese dramas and art films the layman doesnt, cannot, couldnt, dont want to understand.
I hate those roses-and-daisies type of films about butterflies and ballet-dancing men... I HATE.
But here's to hoping my dream film appears this semester. At least now after workign in DW i've learned alot from Mr. Lincoln about salesmanship and convincing another person. I salute him.
Really... 3 thousand really isnt a lot.
While the film crew was out doign their stuff i had some quiet time to myself in the room (since they certainly didnt want guns and bombs coming off in their audio track).
What else to do than to......
.... pcc? fuck u understand?
A few weeks ago i brought my guitar to Kuching with Tharik (surprise surprise?). I was playing it as usual.... ok maybe not playing... was manhandling it... practicing "Sweet Child of Mine"....
Then left it one corner and went out to buy some cigs at the store nearby the hotel.
When i came back... i saw the guitar at the corner of the room.....
.... piaaaannngggzzzz....
And all the fucker can do is laugh at my misfortune.
Ya, you wait.
While waiting for the film crew to finish the shot i figured out how to fix a bloody guitar string.
If i knew it was so frigging easy I wouldnt have gone all over the world to look for someone to help me fix that damned fourth string! I spoiled lots of friendships along the way lol.
The film crew left at 10pm and i sat down doing all the usual administration work i always do before i go to bed (including blogging).
I started thinking about things.
Well I'm hungry. Tomorrow i gotta go swim. Skipped today cos the crew came at 1130am. EDIT: Cb i buay tahan already. I read this again. Has it really been one year?
Last night a group of us gathered at 925 Yishun kopitiam for a little gathering session for Henry before he leaves.
Jason was there, Clara and Don were there, Tharik and Aik were there and then me.
I took a step back and looked at all of them. I've known them all for six years, inside out. Literally, for a couple of them. I used to remember the days the group consisted of 12 people. Now it's floating at around 3 to 5. Pretty much all of us have moved on with our lives. I have. Don and Clara has. Aik and Tna has.
But Henry has never really tried to keep his distance. To put himself out of his comfort zone. As a friend, naturally i'd be pissed. Especially when I, with others, have something to show on how good change is. You can say I'm stubborn.. or straightforward... or just plain nosey. But I'll always be pushing Henry to actually "grow up".
Eventually everything broke down and I left, angry, thinking of starting anew. So i closed this blog, woke myself up and kept away from the usual three of them. Maybe i wanted to prove something. Maybe. Maybe i realised this arent good friends to hang out with. Maybe?
Then 3 months went by. In some weird fluke we got down together. All of us. I forgot what it was. And all i saw was the same old rubbish. Same old. Same old. But this time i had more experience to share; where i've been, what i've been doing, etc etc.
I had outings with Sly... I went clubbing deligently.... I smoked a ton of different varities of ciggarrettes... i met so many kopitiam uncles. So many.
But for what? i've came to accept the fact that my old sec school friends are naive, immature pricks.
Then came 24th March 2007. When I finally hung around with Henry at his house in the middle of the night. He opened up a bit.. which really isnt very often (to anyone, maybe Sarah) and confided in me that, yes, he wants to mature.
What else can I ask for? Cause I know that this person is the one that's on par with me. And once he gets his gears right, I'd at least have a good sparring partner. Cause i dont believe in keeping things the same old same old. Change is good.
Henry and I initiated a challenge. Three challenges, in fact. And i shall list them now.
Challenge 1 Fitness I'll make this simple and clear cut. The way it is now is this:
Obviously with all the years that's passed since O-levels and NCC, we've all gotten pregnant and soft. I dont like this. Henry doesnt like this. I dont like it more because as a smoker i see the effect of non-exercise more than he does.
One thing that i've noticed that has declined tremendously for me is stamina. If you're talking about strength and build, we are on par. But why i will lose out is because i cannot hold on for the next 20 seconds. Yes... i take 2000 years to complete my 2.4km. Add that to my asthma.
I'm a martial arts enthusiats. Henry just wants big balls and wanna learn how to fight. Tharik only thinks he knows how to fight. So with this set, we've planned to actually sign up for martial arts classes. I thought of submission grappling but he doesnt like hugging sweat. We didnt conclude on an art yet but i'm firmly believing in returning to Ki-Aikido. And if we could, Kendo.
Days of long ago.
So Challenge 1 is actually to increase our fitness level. When he returns (if he returns... he could get married there...) we'd compare on our own stats and see who wins. Loser strips naked.
We've actually started training since two weeks ago; swimming every Saturday. Glad to say i lost my gut and improved from swimming half a lap to four.
Challenge 2 The longest hair. Yea we get funky ideas once in a while. We're talking about hair-hair here incase you're a sick fuck. At its current state, Henry owns me by an inch. But only because i have thick hair and his is relatively straight. This one is rather simple; the one with the longest hair in 4 months, wins. Sounds simple? Yeah... but fuck my dad is already bitching about me and my "long" hair... calling me a fucking indonesian village boy. So the purpose of this? No purpose.. i just wanna fucking try a new style, okay? Challenge 3 Income. I'm already thinking of my future. After getting a job at DW Group, along with other endeavours that i simply cannot mention, I strongly believe that i could earn SGD$10,000 by the time Henry returns. As it stands now, Henry has around SGD$2,500 in his bank. Not much... but I'm the special child; I've got SGD$8 in my bank. Obviously it isnt fair for him now beacuse he's on attachment and cant possibly find a lucrative job in China whereas I can (in Singapore). We came up with a plan. We found something that would actually help us financially. I kept tabs on it for a few weeks before and finally told him that, yes, this something works. I wont (and cant) show his bank account growing but I will actually show the progress of my account every month. Maybe i'd hit the target of SGD$10,000 in 4-5 months. Maybe i will fall short... or maybe i wont even have anything grow at all. But only time will tell. So that's our three challenges that Henry and I have placed infront of ourselves. At least it gives us something to do to keep up our "brader brader" spirit. I've transferred over my secret blog address to him for him to use while he's in China. It can be found in the links. The address is simple: henryaw.blogspot.com The next morning I promised him I'd send him off to the airport. Flight Mi934. I remember. Sarah gave it to me. I told my mother to wake me up at 7 and told her that i gotta send off to China. I didnt expect many people to be there.... knowing how the others work. So of course I must show myself to see my little brader off. It could be the turning-point of his life and i wanna be there! and then.... BOOM! "AUDI I KEEP TELLING YOU TO WAKE UP SINCE SEVEN AND NOW ITS ALREADY TEN!!!!!!" shouts my mother. I woke up, shouted. She yelled at me not to be rude and i simply had to shout back,"MY FRIEND HAS LEFT FOR CHINA, UNDERSTAND?!" She kept quiet. I know her style... wake me up at seven... go back sleep... then wake up when she wakes up and tells me she's been waking me up at what time what time. Crap. She never understands the fact that i have the strong Chinese "brotherhood" character in me, thanks to my beng friends. It's one of the values of a human being that i find valuable. My mom thinks that my friends are like her friends. That my relationship with my friends are just thin lines of gossip. I threw a punch into my window blinds and heaved in anger. My heart was at my throat. I tried hard to force it down. I looked at the sun shining so brightly onto the people walking below me. Is this really how it's supposed to end, if something happens to Henry in China?
I pounced on my phone, it's 9:45. His flight is at 10am. I called. ...... "hello?", came his voice.
I'm gonna come clean here and announce this new venture I'm in to.
Some of you might wonder why the fuck did i call them today about some job?
If you havent guessed it then I'm here to tell you that YES.... I AM working in DW Group. The one where DW stands for Dolphin Warriors.
I joined this company because it was recommended by one of my more trustworthy friends from poly. As usual for a networking company i went through all the company history and "interviews" and all the dreams and benefits and whatever whatnot.
DW group is dealing in magnetotherapy and selling sleeping systems on top of other smaller products like bandaids and bracelets.
i've never trusted MLM companies. I was at Venture Era for a day.. talkin to the bald guy who drives some big fat car as usual. I was taken in by his personality. BUT. I didnt like the product (water treatment or sth like that. Also about negative ions and stuff) And then i realised that i have to put in some money - 500 dollars - then i'd be considered a member.
I told them to fuck off the next day and the little girl over the phone gave me a cold hang up. Professionalism at its best. Just like agents ive worked with sellign laptops at Comex.
So i joined DW group and I portrayed the "I dont believe in whatever the fuck your company is dealing with" after the MLM tactic they gave me for the past two hours. Yes you can tell me about the boss and his history but for the eff of what? Earn respect? Go, "WWAAHHHH!!!" ?
I'm sorry but i dont play that way. I dont give a fuck if my boss is earning big. What i matter about is whether anot i can have a stable job to support myself! Me!
The next three days i went back to office just to test the water. Cause firstly... the concept of magnetotherapy is basic science. It seems plausible... and it ties in with my interest in what Chi/Ki energy is... cos u noe i have a major interest in martial arts and its spiritual side.
The next three days i poked every corner of DW Group. I gave questions like:
Are you an MLM company? What do you call yourself then? How long have you been running? What are you earning? How can i earn? What do i have to do to get to your position (i was talking to a Sales Manager earning 6-8k) ? May i see your products? How is this a proper business? Any ads? Any retail stores? Anyone using your products? Where are your stock? How long does it take to deliver? I even asked them if i were to quit, will they write for me a resume?
No sweet-talk.. no cover up answers. What i asked, they answered back.
I tried as hard as i could to break them but I'm convinced. Call me brainwashed or whatever. I am convinced. I pushed in such a way that on the second day the SM was going through with me with the pay scheme. I was talking to the boss soon after (sounds familiar for an MLM, right?)
So i stayed on for the next week.... got my first sales from my parents (near 3.5k, total), earned 200 plus bucks for commision and more one-to-one with boss.
Fuck i was still skeptical. Things dont come easily in life. Never. I asked the rest who joined in at the same time as me and asked if they know the payscheme. They dont. Have they sold? They havent. Fine.
I dont have a problem with the product. MAGNETOTHERAPY WORKS. Period. Doctors use it. MOH accepts it. I used it. My parents used it... all have said there are results. My mom doesnt cough in the middle of the night anymore. My dad cured his headache. My cat was so energetic for the next few days i put the magnet under his collar... till my sis thought it was dangerous and took it out. Now my cat is a bit more quiet.
But what i'm concerned about is the WAY the company is running. Like this forum mentioned about Assayo - http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=1222&page=8 - There is an air of scam about: Products arent delivered... agents run off with money... Mark ups are high... etc etc.
I just started working in this company for nearly three weeks, sold about 7 thousand dollars worth of products and have been promoted twice to my current position, Senior Accountant Executive.
Big name for a small fry? You bet. But i'm not concerned about that. My next position is Supervising Officer. But i dont give a damn about the name.
Boss shared with me the future plans of the company. And this is the near future.. we're talking months. I trust boss.... I trust Mr. Lincoln. I like his manner of speaking and his background. No doubt about that. But when it comes to the company ways I'm dead serious and will be very skeptical. I trust that there is a venture in Indonesia already. I trust that there are trips overseas to see the working of the company. I trust that there are deals going on in Dubai. I KNOW that there was a scam going around in DW's recent past and Mr. L has explained what the company did about that problem; mass firing.
A legit company it is. Yes. Even skeptical-no-balls-Tharik who said that DW was a scam now says ok fine it's not.
i calculated with Mr. L whats my paycheck gonna be like if it were to be delivered now. Hyde has a friend who worked in DW for three months and claimed only earned 60 bucks. Thats why i asked. Mr. Lincoln calculated that if i were to complete my last 3k, i'd be having a paycheck of 800 dollars. just for going on 4 appointments. Which is 8 hours in total.
Good? Yes? Dunno? nvm. I'm still skeptical.
My father has received his bracelets. Also including his bandaids. My parents are using them now. I'm using some to enhance my little brother down there (more blood ma....) .. but now the question is WILL MY BEDPADS and more importantly, MY TWO PAYCHECKS, be delivered ON TIME?
This is what i'm waiting for. I like the attitude here in the office. I like Mr. Lincoln. I like the people. I like the money that they claimed, drew, explained that i could get here. But if they are gonna be unprofessional and untrue to their words them I'm sorry. I'm leaving.
This is the test now. And ONLY once this comes true in the next few weeks, will I be more assured that YES.... DW Group is legit, professional, serious in their goals and not a load of bullshit MLM scams.
Even if i've wasted my time here. It doesnt matter. Mr. Lincoln has spread the art of sales to me. He has imparted some knowledge of people-to-people relationships and he has thought me just what exactly is Network marketing, what is the pyramid scheme, what is uni-level marketing, what is co-ownership, and whatever the fuck is that horrific dread called MULTI-LEVEL-MARKETING (the way MLM works pisses me off. DW GRP is running a uni-level marketing scheme... soon to be a co-ownership one.)
I'm actually ready to put my own life and time on the line.. to test the waters... in preparation to bring my friends in. If they can be rich... then why not? We can be a gang of rich bastards! Could u imagine what we could do?
As i scour Digg.com, Armed Assault forums and other forums I've cultivated this habit of saving pictures or GIFs that i see on avatars. Some are quirky.. some are funny.. some just plain stupid but got me laughing for quite a while. I really like it when they put up some seemingly wise quotes that end with a punchline.
I saw one of Hillary Clinton in the most god-awful moment of her life.
"Madam... you have a snuke in your snizz."
and then netizens prolonged the picture's lifespan.
I swear that Grannys play vid games too. They even have their own website!
meh... nice attempt at a Simpsons character...
This one got me laughing.
Till i saw this though....
I found this GIF image that i thought was meant to be cute and a sort of homage to Barry or some primetime sitcom in the 90s...
Ah yes i can always remember the feeling i get when i turn the key to any car i'm about to drive.
Hello all.. this is Audi saying, "HI!" once again after a 6 months break from blogging. I've always thought it was a year already but wow... only six months?
I've been through a lot over the past break but more on that as time goes by.
The reason why I'm restarting this blog is cos our old friend Henry's going off to Chinaland in about a week or so. I keep telling him it's a bad idea but he insists on finding a China bride.
Last Saturday we initiated a challenge between each other (will tell as time goes by) and the winner would be decided when he returns in August. So this blog is meant to update him on my progress and he will have his own little blog that'll do the same so that we can keep in touch. I'm just doing this challenge to make him jealous.
