Gracy Bee

Phuket Air crash

Posted on September 18th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

It happened 2 nights ago.

It is rather a sad news as I don’t really expect such incident to have happened at all. Well, it did happened, and of course, this affected our line of work. 3 flights to Phuket were cancelled and hundreds of passengers were stranded. I was at the reception when passengers keep coming back to me and ask the same question: what are we supposed to do now? what is going on? what happened? can we still go to Phuket?

The airline eventually did something for them, and provided hotel accommodations for all. The next day, they chartered a flight for them. While they did managed to go ahead with their holidays, in my heart, I still wish peace for the dead.

Rest in Peace.

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Tremors!!

Posted on September 12th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Oh my god.

Strong earthquake, 7.9 on the ritcher scale that hit southern Sumatra. The tremors can be felt at home. But I was not at home! I was in my aunt’ s place not far away and enjoying dinner and tv serials when my niece called to say there was an earthquake. Ah…….

I was shocked to hear that because I don’t feel anything!! I quickly rush home and hear their story of bamboo sticks shaking etc. Then it came out from the news that it was from Indonesia and was affecting Jakarta too. Ah….even more shock because my best friend, J was in Indonesia at the moment for holidays! I quickly messaged him and he was affected by it. So I only received his message like 3 hours after. Thank god he is safe.

Phew, all is well for now. But we can only see the damage done the next day in the news.

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September

Posted on September 9th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

oh my god…it is already the 9th of September!! I just finished work not too long ago. (yeah….i finished 2am today).

So far, I have become solo for check in for nearly 3 weeks now. Learning new things everyday and meeting more kinds of people. So far, I can compile them under few groups of people.

1. the arrogant type
2. the chatty type
3. the bragging type
4. the one with a lot of excess baggage
5. geninue and nice type
6. the blur type

hehe….very bad of me leh…so which one do u fall into??

^^^^^^^

Lately there has been quite a few gossips going around, and so here I am, listening to the juicy gossips around at supper!!

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The fastest in the world

Posted on August 17th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Recently, there has been a research that found out that Singaporean walk the fastest in the world. Initially, I was quite amused and surprised with the outcome. I mean, why this type of research exist!!

^^^^^^ 

Anyway, why I’m writing this today come down from a conversation from a colleague from another department. He is from China and just started work recently. He lives not far from me. A few times, we were in the company bus but didn’t acknowledge each other. However for two mornings straight, we started work the same time.

^^^^^^ 

Today, we finally break the ice between us and chat a bit. One of the questions I asked him is that how he is adapting to the new environment. He is coping ok but need some time to get used to the environment. That I agreed. Then he mentioned something abt the research on Singaporean walk fastest in the world.

He said that the pace here is a lot faster than in Jiangsu, the province where he come from, and so he added:

He: Yeah, I think I need to catch up a bit with the speed.
Me: Oh…I didn’t really notice the pace maybe because I have been here for a while.
He: Yeah…compared to China, it is a lot faster. And I also notice that the ants in Singapore crawls faster than in China!!!
Me: !!!?!!
He: yeah! It’s is true!! The type in China really din crawl fast!!

Courtesy from alan.aspuru.com
OMG!!! The research stated that Singaporean walks the fastest…I didn’t expect ants here are the same too!!!

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Egyptian Queen: Hapsetshut

Posted on July 22nd, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Following my previous post on the 14th July, I managed to record the repeated documentary on Discovery Channel yesterday. All thanks to TY, I can now see and enjoy it!

I felt so fascinated about archeology and history. I like to imagine how people used to live in the past and how it is different or similar to our modern life. A history record without any proof of remains is nothing to me. However with ancient monuments and legacies left behind by them, it was hard to believe that someone in the past has built it and at such great scales! Hence, the archeological sites around the world, fascinated me and can’t wait to explore and think about their past lives, and learn from their great achievements. (May read more about my Egyptian trip in places category)

Needless to say, every new find in Egypt fascinated me. It is even so when it involved something or someone that is lost and found. Before I visited Egypt, the only personalities I know was Tutankhamum, Cleopatra, Nerfertiti, Ramses and Akentanen. I only found out about Hapsetshut when I visited there and gosh…..she was even more powerful as a pharoah than Nerfertiti and Cleopatra! I only know her though these photos I have taken last year:

Her damaged statue

Her Temple

What is so unique about this documentary is that…they have identified her out of so many unidentified mummies and using evidence from different sources that related to her.

It took my breath away to see her original state of her original tomb KV 20 at nearly 3500 years. When I first visited the other tombs while I was there, there are already platforms for us to walk with ease. But her tomb don’t have any. At the depth of 35ft, the workers in the docu used back the same technology and method to clear the tunnel. I really saluted them. I can’t imagine in those days how they can clear and smooth the tunnels, how they do the colourings and with that depth, how they push the giant granite sarcophagus down and to carry the mummy up and down.

^^^^^^

Anyway, the programme has used CAT scan to identify the different mummies. The DNA test was a failure due to time lag of 3500 years. However it was amazing to know that they found a tooth belonging to her, and that is the key to her identification.

While the sciencific area is going out, another journey was also done to track back her life and till to her last moment of death. I really saluted her of her great achievements to run a country as king as it must have not being easy for her as a female at that era. Against all odds, she led a successful reign, only at her death her records was vanished.

The findings still leave me breathless. My god, it all means that she was there all along while I was visiting the museum and the Valley of the Kings! I’m glad to know that she is now back with us. She is indeed my role model to strive to achieve to great heights.

Hapsetshut

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Another mummy found!!

Posted on July 14th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

OMG!!! Another Egyptian mummy has been found, and that mummy is no less Hapshepsut’s mummy!!

I visited her temple last year and got to know her story. She being the 1st female pharaoh and somehow or rather, her mummy was missing and her name was vanished from the records.

And what a pleasant surprise for me miracles are still being found. Last year, they found a new tomb. Now that she is still being found! Oh great! I’m looking forward to see it on Discovery Channel and one day, back to Egypt again to see!

Following up with her finds in Discovery Channel.

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Back to Class

Posted on July 11th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

After spending 2 mth plus on ground, I’m now back to training for my 3rd module. This module, check in, supposed the hardest and intensive of all….and I already felt the ‘pressure’, not yet from the content, but rather the daily lectures and the seat & computer… I really miss rushing and walking around on ground.

Before I went back for training, I was chosen to be a mentor to one from the newest batches, Y. She was to be with me for 5 days, and I would have to teach her as much as possible during this short 5 days. However, I do pity her as her lessons were rather rushed and so it would take a longer time for her to grasp what is going on on ground.

Thus, I was a bit worried for the day she 1st went solo. True enough, the 1st day was shaky and faced certain problems. However, yesterday and today, she told me it went ok and most importantly, she learnt to solve problems and do most of the things. She even went to teach a newer batch on things!!

There, I know, she is getting ok for solo now, and I’m pleased with that. Keep up the good work, Y!

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Debit Card Part II

Posted on July 3rd, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Now after a night zzzz, I have the time to re think about what happened yesterday about my debit card.

Ok, it seem unfair to say my SC debit card sucks. Now that I think about it, and have read the FAQ in SC’s website, perhaps it is not so bad after all.

Misunderstanding from previous posts

- Can it be used overseas: YES

- Cashback idea differ from the UK. There it means cash back like withdrawing ££ from cashier. Here, it means money back from your purchases. BUT it come with a limit: You must have $6000 and above to enjoy. (GEEZ :()

So what I like about my card:

- I can choose to withdraw from either of my accounts

- Free 2 years of subscription

- It is after all convenient to a certain extent

What I like to see it improved on:

- Have a certain limit of overdrawn facilities: $200 - $300 overdraft is fine. This is to facilitate any emergency use. (what happen if there is no internet access? what happen if i’m overseas and no number to call to transfer my funds? What happen if there is no ATM machine overseas?)

-When it is said ‘you can use it like a credit card and make mastercards payment’ meaning I can draw on credit to a CERTAIN extent. (See above, if my UK debit card is like that, I don’t see why you can’t)

-Why subscriptions needed leh? I never pay for my one in UK. It is because I applied it under ‘education’??

This is what I can think for now. Alas, what a love-hate affair! Well, I apologise here and I hope to see improvements soon~

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I HATE my DEBIT CARD!!!

Posted on July 2nd, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Yarks! Yarks! I HATE my SC Debit card!!!!!

I have a certain amount in my acount and today I tried to buy some stuffs in John Little and the total amount is $4 more than the amount in my bank.

It was DECLINED. I was surprised with that. Hm? And I called the customer service. And they told me: No, you can’t use if there is not enough money.

AH?!!??!!

So what it is MASTERCARD on the front? SO WHAT it is platinum??? It don’t even worked like one proper debit card! It is just a NETS card in disguise!! YES…you may guessed it, as long as there is no money in the account, I can’t used it.

What the FUCK!!

Then why the name debit card?? It is supposed to be more superior than NETS, and I am not so much concerned with the promotions that come with it. I AM MORE BLOODY CONCERNED WHAT IT HELP ME WITH!! AND IT CAN’T EVEN PERFORM THE MOST BASIC THING!

^^^^^^

I first used Barclays debit card when I was in the UK, and for the last 7 years there, I have been using it. Oh god! It was so convenient and great! It was tied with my current account, and of course, it worked like a cash card, there has to be money in the bank. BUT one thing. It come with a bank overdraft and that mean I can withdrawal or spent with credit and within the bank overdraft amount. And the best thing, it is a VISA debit card, and I can just used it like a VISA credit card.

BUT in Singapore? NOT AT ALL. There is no bank overdraft (THEN my acount don’t fit to be call current account) and can’t used to spend with credit. THEN WHY THE MASTERCARD? Stupid right??? Then this card is darn useless in this sense. I can’t use it in emergency, I have to constantly look at the level of money and would be worried if I had too much cash in the account. AAAAAAAAAAH

The customer service told me that their debit card is more superior than NETS. WELL, I wanna the comparison between debit cards and NOT with NETS.

Comparison with Barclays Debit card and SC debit card.

Barclays

- it come with a £200 bank overdraft

- I can get cashback in most major supermarkets

- I can use it for credit checks

- I can use it overseas

- It is a cheque guarantee card

- It is my ATM card

-I am able to withdraw at ALL ATMs with no ADDITIONAL COST

-I can use to spend on credit, beyond the amount I had in the account at a certain limit

-I can use it as a credit card at a certain level that I forgot it is a debit card sometimes

SC

- it don’t come with a bank overdraft despite it as a current account

-it is my ATM card

- I can only withdraw at 5 different overseas banks’ ATM

- I can only use for cash back in Cold Storage, provided I don’t use petrol (my god, even have T&C)

- I can’t spend with credit and is useless once the money is not enough

- I am not even sure if I can use it overseas.

DARN IT! Look like I have to stick with it until I find a better one. Hope SC would improve on it. IF NOT, the promotions wouldn’t appeal to me since the card can’t perform the most basic thing.

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Exercising

Posted on June 27th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

I felt quite sad as I read about the news yesterday, about the boy who died suddenly after finishing the SEA selection race.

Death is common in mankind, but what is so upsetting and scary is that, the sudden ness of the death and affecting someone who is so young and had so much ahead to do in his life. And this is not the 1st case like this. Through these years, I read in newspapers that people dying suddenly in their sleep or just after exercising. And the numbers seem to be increasing. And those affected were young: between 18 - 30+. It really make me wonder if exercising is really beneficial. I really felt sad for the families to lose their loved one in such a way and my deepest condolences to them.

^^^^^^

I started to trace back my exercising routine. I never exercise regularly ever since my JC days. When I was in my 2nd and 3rd year in Uni, I started Taekwondo. And after that I stopped till last year that I decided to do some exercises again as I felt tired easily etc. And so I started to jog or do some aerobics exercises at home.

I always felt good after exercising. I felt much more alert and had better stamina and sleep better at night. However, since I started exercising last year, I realised that I fell sick a lot easier and more frequently than the time I started taekwondo and the period I stopped exercising. I was surprised with that. Could it be my immune system is weak? Is it because of the pollen season in the UK that make me sick easily? Could it be cos my health is not as good as before that exercising don’t help at all? I have all sorts of questions but no definite answers. Well, for now, I don’t do strenuous exercises but daily 8 hrs walk at work does compensate. And I plan to do swimming when time comes.

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