Friday, 5 Sep 08
Threadless
Threadless spree anyone?
MacFiasco
Sent my beloved Evadne in for repair because her ‘P’ key and Bluetooth weren’t working and because it strangely could never shut down. I figured it was time to send her in before my warranty expired (still debating whether I should fork out that $400 for AppleCare).
At the Apple store they asked me where I wanted to pick my lappie up from - the Wheelock outlet or the Toa Payoh care center; obviously I picked the TP center because I stay so nearby.
So I got the call this afternoon that Evadne was ready for collection. The girl said that Wheelock would be open till 6.30pm, but I reminded the girl on the phone that I was supposed to pick it up from Toa Payoh. She agreed but seemed in a bit of a rush to get off the phone so I’m not sure if she really heard what I was saying. I should have realized something was wrong already. :(
Managed to get down to the TP care center at about 5pm to pick Evadne up, and what should they tell me but:
“Oh dear. I’m sorry, but we already delivered your laptop back to the Orchard store. We thought you were picking it up from there. Tell you what, we’ll deliver it to your house tomorrow.”
I would have blown my top but she’d effectively defused my temper by offering a very adequate solution. Unfortunately I needed to get my laptop by tonight because I have work deadlines to meet, so I just thanked her in a hurry (see, I’m so polite) and left in a rush to get down to the Orchard store before it closed.
And there I was at Wheelock, finally, and the lady there stared for an uncomfortably long period at my collection slip before giving me this hunted rabbit-in-headlights look.
“Er, who told you to come to this store to collect?”
I fixed her with a oh-no-you-don’t look that managed to convey frustration, warning, and desperation all together.
“I told you guys I was supposed to collect from Toa Payoh, but I just came from there, and it wasn’t there; and I’m here now, so please do not tell me my laptop is not here, because I need it tonight,” I said, carefully enunciating the italics for each word.
“Hang on, ma’am, I’ll check for you. I assure you no matter what I’ll get your laptop to you by tonight. Take a seat,” she said, and hurriedly disappeared into the back room.
I sat, all churned up inside. I was mad yet mollified, frustrated yet calm; somewhat annoyed that I didn’t have enough good reason (yet) to be a badass yelling customer yet quite thankful that it was being sorted out. As I mentally prepared my script for what I would say if I was given the opportunity to rant, the lady called me back to the counter.
“Ma’am, there’s been some sort of mix-up. I’m really sorry, but I assure you I’ll get your laptop to you by 7.30pm tonight. Is that all right?”
“Uh, where is my laptop?”
She actually looked sheepish at this point. “Uh, after you left the Toa Payoh office, their supervisor called us and asked us to move it there so that they could send it to you tomorrow. So it’s being delivered at the moment.”
“…”
“So we’ll send it right to your house tonight, any time before 7.30pm. Is there someone to collect for you, or will you be home by then?”
I rallied. “Yes, yes there are people at home. Just send it over. Wow. Thank you. Thanks very much.” I was taken aback at how quickly they had already tried to rectify the situation; the reason why I had not been able to get it from the Orchard office was that they had been too darn efficient. Amazing. Seriously. I should have mentioned that I would be going down to get it, I guess.
By the time I got home, my sister had helped me take delivery of Evadne, and! And! My lappie has a brand new keyboard! It smells wonderfully of brand new Mac *sniffs lasciviously*. Bluetooth is working fine.
I am so happy.
Except for the first hiccup of my laptop not being at the place I was supposed to collect her from, I really can’t complain about the way Apple handled the situation. They were quick to check, to rectify the problem, and offer a suitable solution.
And I have a clean, happy, working MacBook.
Love!!
(Yes, my Mac is named Evadne. My Fujitsu was Ariadne, her C: used to be called Calliope and My Documents was Persephone. I have a thing for Greek female names.)
Pickled walnuts
I always wondered what they meant when they say a person has a mouth like a pickled walnut, or like a purse drawn in on itself.
Now I understand!
Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson) has a mouth like a pickled walnut!
Friday, 29 Aug 08
To every student who makes my life a joy,
thank you.
Teacher’s Day was wonderful with all of you :)
Wednesday, 27 Aug 08
Pretty things
I’m a real sucker for earth colors, and a real sucker for curly wurly flower patterns.
Thusly.
Gorgeous patterns picked out in metallic foil on woodcuts and brown paper at Nantaka Joy.
And I said no more wooden elephants, butbutbut.
Tee hee ewwefunts.
Wednesday, 20 Aug 08
poot
The ‘p’ key on my keyboard isn’t working. I’ve had to keep the letter on my clipboard and press Ctrl-V every time I want to use it :(
I think it’s because I used a damp cloth to wipe my keyboard with. But it shouldn’t have shorted the key like that? It was a damp cloth not a dripping wet one. Bleh.
Will be bringing my Macbook in for repair then. I only hope they’re nice enough to do it for free as it’s still under warranty.
Now it’s so difficult for me to type things like poop, and happy, and preppy and preposterous and popcorn, although this is probably one of the few times you’ll see all those words in the same sentence. And my all-time favorite word, puppy, is a foregone conclusion.
Bah.
Monday, 18 Aug 08
A rundown of my week
Monday is Sports Day. He plays tennis and I go swimming. I’m alarmingly out of shape; last week after swimming laps (and resting in intervals that might or might not have been longer than the laps) I spent a week unable to fully lift my arms above my head. I tried to erase the whiteboard and ended up letting out a little whimper that, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by my students. The rest of the lesson, I had to endure cheeky little jibes at my lack of fitness, requests to write higher on the whiteboard, and innocent ponderings on just how much ‘cher weighs.
So I gave them extra homework.
Tuesday, Tuesday is Date Night. If there aren’t any good movies to watch, we go walking, or nuahing, or searching out good food for eatin’. I do so love my Tuesdays.
Wednesday is a free-for-all day, and also the infamous Hump Day. Despite the questionable nature of its name, I assure you that Hump Day merely refers to the middle of the week. Two work days before it and two work days after it, so you start out Wednesday having gone through less than half the week and end it with more than half the week gone. Thus, Hump Day. Once you get over the hump, the rest is easy. It also helps (or doesn’t help) that Wednesday is my longest, most exhausting day with the most tiring lessons. Just. Need. To. Get. Over. Hump Day.
Thursday is Nap Day and Choir Night. If I possibly can, I grab a much-needed snooze before leaving for church choir practice. As my students put it: “What? You’re in choir? You? Cher? You can sing? AHAHAA!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA AARRRGHH more homework.”
Friday is WHEE WORK WEEK IS OVER day. Because of the Muslim students we end early on Fridays; what’s more there’s Assembly period on Fridays so less lessons for us to prepare. It’s an easy day and a good way to end off the week. Friday I like to run off almost immediately after we’re finished, so as to add an entire half day onto my weekend.
Saturday, I sleep in, as much as I can before I leap out of bed roaring with inarticulate rage at the construction site downstairs that insists on doing the heavy, noisy labor at 8am in the morning. CCA hasn’t picked up yet so I guard my weekends jealously from school - for now. And on Saturdays I also have to mark all the bloody homework I set for my students. What goes around. The rest of Saturday is spent with him and/or friends, doing the things that take an entire afternoon to do.
Sunday I get a bit more shut-eye. Sometimes there’s morning service; then I teach tuition in the afternoon and go straight off for evening service. Sometimes we eat at home, sometimes we eat out, but Sunday night is also often spent desperately wondering what I’m going to be doing for lessons the next week and feeling sad that the weekend’s already gone.
And then it begins again.
Saturday, 16 Aug 08
Woe
Is it not possible for all religions to practice socially responsible religious rites that do not pollute the air or cause severe inconvenience to other people?
:(
We just look younger
I don’t know if the Chinese are really lying about their gymnasts’ ages, but I do think it’s unfair for people to judge these girls on the basis of how old they look.
Asian teens have always looked much younger than their Western counterparts, especially girls. Asian girls aren’t usually as booby as Western girls. We tend to have smaller, slenderer, more petite frames with less curves, and our faces also tend to be less lined, with more delicate features. Some Asian girls haven’t even hit puberty by 16. I have 15 - 16 year old students who can pass for 12, because they’re short, they’ve got cherubic baby faces, and they haven’t really grown up yet.
I have 25-year-old guy friends who went to the USA for holiday, and were repeatedly stopped by policemen on the roads for age checks. They were TWENTY-FIVE years old. The age limit for driving is SIXTEEN in America. Are you saying that they should have been immediately arrested for underage driving, because to the policemen they just didn’t look like they could even have been sixteen years old?
I’m not saying that China is definitely not lying. For all I know, they really could have fielded underage gymnasts and are covering their real ages up. Actually, it’s entirely possible. They’ve done it before, and the evidence against He Kexin is really quite overwhelming, with multiple sources independently citing her age as 13 and 14 in the run-up before the Olympics.
All I say is, others shouldn’t base their judgments on how old the girls LOOK. That’s just not fair.
Whether she’s underage or not, she’s really a very, very impressive gymnast.
JADEITE