(via commenter BigZapfer via MusicFIX)
The title says it all – Bert and Ernie gangsta raps to M.O.P.’s Ante Up, thanks to clever Youtuber, stianhafstad who mashed this up. The syncing is freaking awesome. Just in time for the weekend too!
“Do you have to go out every weekend?”
shooters at Bellini Room, St James Powerhouse, Singapore
I was talking to Blinkymummy on the weekend when she mentioned that she was concerned for me. She felt that I sounded depressed and different based on some of my recent posts and our conversations. I had told her not to worry and that it was nothing of the sort, but I did admit to being more tired and stressed since I’ve started the new job.
I’ve mentioned this previously and that is despite the occasional weekend shift work and increased tiredness now, I would still go out and have myself a manic weekend. Which had prompted both BM and my mother to ask me the same question,
Must you go out every weekend? Can’t you stay at home and rest?
To that I answered, it is because of the tiredness and the mental stress from work that I feel compelled to let loose on the weekend. Especially now with my new job where I’m handling a higher volume of queries and complaints. On any given week, I’m bound to deal with at least 3 or 4 difficult customers. It takes only one to stuff up my entire day. And on some days like today, I’d dealt with two such customers.
I try hard not to take it personally, or let it affect me. But it’s an effort. It’s an effort to try and relax and forget about it once I get home. Despite me going back to a comfortable home, to my family and my dog, and me being a happy person most of the time, it’s an effort nonetheless. And anything that takes effort is exhausting. It’s enough to give me a headache. How bloody ironic.
So yeah, I indulge and I imbibe on the weekends. Although I understand that my weekend escapades are taking its own toll on my body and mind, I only live once, and youth is fleeting. I’ll find more sedate forms of recreation later. Hopefully much later. 
downing a submarine at Zouk, KL
The freezing temperatures made me ache for body warmth. It made me count the money in my wallet and contemplate going to a brothel. But I fought the urge and drove home as quick as I can, lest I succumb mid-journey. Nissan Skyline for the win!
I got home but it was too cold to have a cold shower. So I had some porn instead. Porn is good. Porn saved me half an hour for $180. Yay porn!
Being cold and single? That’s the exact picture that I’ve just painted.
Well that was quick. 1 day after I felt like getting one, I decided to have a day to think about it. I always do for major purchases. This way, I make sure that I’m not getting it on impulse and that I give it some time to research my options.
I scoured blogs and searched for objective and Australian-relevant reviews. It was kinda hard because there are so many gushing fanbois out there – I swear I could feel the stickiness of their spontaneous jizz just from reading their posts.
I was already sold on the features – I like the fact that I’m getting an iPod, mobile internet and a mobile phone in one package, but I have no idea about which company I wanted to sign up with. Luckily for me, one of my daily reads the Sydney Morning Herald had an excellent review of the bewildering number of plans from three telcos (Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone) for the iPhone 3G. In this aspect, Australia is really spoilt for choice and we’ve still got one more telco company, 3 Mobile desperately trying to petition Apple to allow them to sell the phones.
Review: iPhone plans – iPhone Insider – Digital Life – smh.com.au
Telstra had the worst offers and Vodafone is par with Optus, depending on your needs. I was already an Optus customer and I was interested in staying on my current plan, and it became a no-brainer. It was near the end of my existing 24-month contract and I was always going to upgrade my phone at zero cost anyway. I only had to add $7 per month on my current plan over 24 months to get the iPhone. And I’d justified it to myself thus: that’s a bloody cheap way to get an iPod touch at the same time.
So, 4 days after I felt like getting one, I did. But the store ran out of stock and they’ve given me a raincheck – I was told that some of those who had wanted one on launch day last Friday are ahead of me. Oh well. Now I just gotta wait.
In the mean time, I went and got this from Rush Faster: Griffin Nu Form 3G iPhone Shell.
It will arrive in 2 weeks. Hopefully I’ll get my iPhone by then too. Colour me iPhone fanboi.
Tech Support is not your Fairy Godmother
(via Cafepress)
On the way home from work today, I contemplated about whether or not I should be blogging this. Blogging about one’s work is always a tricky proposition. You’d jeapordise not only your current job but also any future employment opportunities. But I feel that what happened to me today was so surreal and bizarre that I can’t really be faulted for it.
So here goes …
Me: Hi, this is Marcus. How can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I want to query about an invoice.
Me: Ok, what’s the invoice number?
Customer: 123456.
Me: Ok let’s see. Yup, that’s an invoice from April and it has been paid for.
Customer: I know it’s been paid for. What I want to know is why did I pay for something that I didn’t use?
Me: I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand your question.
Customer: I didn’t use it so why was I invoiced?
Me: I’m sorry but it doesn’t work like that. When you create an account with us, you are paying for it up front. It doesn’t matter if you choose to use it or not.
Customer: Who created this account for me?
Me: I’m assuming that it would be yourself or someone on your behalf. We don’t manually create accounts unless instructed.
Customer: Well I didn’t create this and I didn’t use it.
Me: *getting more and more exasperated* Let me check our records. It appears that this account was created 2 years ago and you have been paying for it until now.
Customer: *getting agitated now* But I haven’t been using it! Why did I get an invoice?!
Me: The system is automatic. It invoices everyone who has an account with us.
Customer: This is not right.
Me: Unfortunately because it has been more than 30 days since the invoice date, we can’t offer you a refund. Was there a reason why you paid for something that you didn’t intend to use? You could have chosen to let it lapse.
Customer: *ignoring my question* This is ridiculous. I want to speak to someone else.
Me: There’s only me at the moment. I can leave a message for one of our accounts person to call you back tomorrow?
Customer: Yes, that would be good.
Me: ok-thanks-bye-click!
Why anyone would automatically pay an invoice, and for something that they don’t intend on using, and THEN complain about it 3 months later is quite bewildering. But now that I got that off my chest, I feel better. And tomorrow I’d have to repeat the story to our accounts person. Oh what fun it would be.
Alcohol impairs your judgement
I happily woke up early and showed up at the office around 10am this morning. I sat down, checked my emails, looked through my notes from last week about things to do this week and fired off a couple of instant messages and emails.
As I logged into the phone system, my colleague Phil looked up from his computer nonchalantly and asked,
What are you doing at work today, Marcus?
Then it hit me. 
It’s my FREAKING DAY OFF! ARGH!
And I blame the alcohol on Saturday night.
Let me count the ways:
That will do, pig. That will do.
And whilst feeling restless waiting for the bus and train back home today (again with the kids!), I thought it would be much more bearable if I can kill the time by surfing the Internet with an iPhone. I’m so tempted to get one now.
Alcohol impairs your judgement, oh yes it does. It made me go to work on my day off, and then because I suddenly had nothing to do all day, it also convinced me that my life is empty and that I needed the Jesus phone.
But it’s delicious and I can’t help it.
I see, I hear and I feel. And then I blog it.
