Monday, August 15, 2005

Nice to see comments

Thanks for all your comments everyone.. Really glad that you guys are reading my blog (which initially I dun think anyone who wanna read it.) :P

Anyway, just a quick reply to the comments..

To Tiff, yes... I do have sales target (sadly). But the great thing is.. it's according to the number of jobseekers who have found a job. Explanation as follows: Sales target(in recruitment industry).. is known as K.P.I where I work.. think it's Key Performance Indicator. It's some word used when u are doing HRM..( i think so lar.. whoever knows, please enlighten me.)

Our KPI is 8 direct/ indirect placements per month. Placements referring to the number of jobseekers who found a job, through us (direct) or by their own means (indirect).

So basically, if everyday I do my work properly and do my 'housekeeping', 8 per month isnt any problem. The more j/s found a job (under my cases), the better (to my performance bonus) *lol*

To Tiramisu, keep your stress bug under control. Sounds like you are quite stressed, which results in your poor health. Dont forget to avoid chicken and oranges as they induce coughing.

Swallow more Vitamin C.. keeps the flu bug away.

A healthy man works better and thinks clearer (which indirectly affect the safety of the plane's passengers) :P

Dunno if it's effective, but a good way to remember the procedure (SOP), is to role-play the scenerio out. Say out loudly what's the procedure and act it out as if there's a control panel in front of you. Go through the whole procedure many times, and during exam time, just take it as though you are role-playing. I used to do that when I'm preparing for my Food & Nurition practical exam during O's. *LOL*

Cant really be of any help to help find you guys work.. since the positions which are available are mostly production operators, cleaners, general workers etc. U cant be interested in those, right?
But I can let you know when there's vacancy for Career Consultants. :P

I hope everyone else is doing well at work. It's really sad that I cant logon to my MSN nowadays. The work itself is keeping my mind off MSN for the time being. I doubt if I got the time.

Last Friday I did my 1st Recruitment Exercise (under NTUC). All of us didn't expect the response is so good! Almost 150 people came (we estimated around 60-80) and because the conference room could only hold roughly 80 people (sitting down) and another 30-40 for standing, we have to filter off those walk-in jobseekers and allow only those with invitation by CDCs or WDA. Of cos, this angered quite a few jobseekers. But we managed to calm them down and advised them to register as our NWCDC jobseeker if they live in our GRCs. At least in future if there are any similar RE, they will be given priority.

It's Sunday already.. and tomorrow is back to work again. I'm going to do my medical checkup at CCK's Raffles Medical Group clinic on Tuesday (which is compulsory). I hate medical checkup.. cos I have to see how much I weigh.. and how short I am.. *LOL*
Hopefully my checkup will pass..

Anyway, for the past 2 days, I've been on a strict diet. Only food in soups (laksas, mee rebus, mee siam, lor mee are a big NO-NO) and porridge are allowed. No tit-bits or what-so-ever..
I dun think I wanna hear that I have high-blood pressure, high cholestrol etc from the doc's mouth. I'm pretty numb to hearing that I'm overweight, obese etc etc.. Doctors like to make a mountain out of a molehill (hope that's how it's used). For the past 24 years, I've been very healthy, after numerous checkups done in schools. Not very often you get to hear those words from the doctor when you are overweight (in their eyes).

Whichever it is, I do hope to shed off some weight. Not because of vanity (whoever dare to say a word about me ought to slim down, I'm gonna tear your f**king mouth apart and tie your sllimy tongue into a dead knot), but because my right knee is really hurting nowadays. It's an old injury which I got when playing a netball match against some other girls. Kenna banged by a girl who's larger and taller than me while jumping up and fighting for the freakin' ball. I guess maybe if some weight is lost, the pain will be gone as well. This is also one of the main reasons why I dun like jogging or exercising as it stresses my right knee.

Perhaps shedding just some weight off is also the 1st step to wedding preparation. No ding dong bells as yet.. but I dun wanna be like my cousins who frantically went on crash diet at the last 4 weeks in order to fit into their wedding gowns. Think it's better to prepare beforehand. *LOL*

Wish me luck.. dunno how long I can tahan this torturing diet.. Ha ha ha..
I miss my Nasi Lemak~! :P

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Home-made Spagetti Tomato (base) Sauce

Suddenly thought of writing down the recipe for my very own home-made tomato spagetti sauce.

Ingredients:
1/2 (half)KG of ripe tomatoes- Chopped (which is probably approx. 7-8 of them)
1 can of tomato puree (just get the small one)
Tomato sauce - optional
Sugar
Salt
Light Soy Sauce
Garlic- Chopped finely (Depends on how much garlic you like)
Onion - Chopped finely (Also depends on how much onion you like)
Fresh Chillies - Chopped finely (same as above)
Olive oil

Preparation:
1) Chop up all the veggies. For those who like a 'crunchier' texture, you need not chop the tomatoes until too finely.
2) Prepare a pot, pour some olive oil. Under medium heat, sautee the onions till it's a slight transparent then add in the garlic. Remember to watch the fire.
3) Add in the tomatoes and sautee. Tomatoes will give out its juices when it's cooked, so after 10 to 20 mins, you will probably see lotsa tomato juice covering the tomatoes. When that happened, let the tomatoes simmer*.
*Simmer means letting the fluid/ sauce cook below boiling point. You will see bubbles forming, but not ferociously.
4) Add in the tomato puree. This will give your sauce a nice red colour. Your sauce at this time will taste quite sourish. Therefore, add in some sugar and salt to neutralise the sourness. A little bit of light soy sauce to bring out the taste. Tomato sauce is to add in that teeny-weeny bit of tomato flavour, it's usually optional.
5) Let your sauce simmer for a short while.
6) When almost ready, add in your finely chopped fresh chillies to give a dash of spiciness. If you add in with the tomatoes, be prepared for a spicy hot sauce!
7) Your spagetti tomato base sauce is ready to be used.

- It's always a good idea to add in marinated minced pork/ beef for the authentanic spagetti sauce taste. Marinate the minced meat with light soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil, corn flour, pepper and a dash of chinese wine.

Tips: Get those ripe ripe tomatoes to reduce the time needed to soften/ cook them. You can also add in chopped celery for the extra greenry in your sauce.*lol*

Back to Blogging

Cool... Havent been blogging for almost 1 week!

Any fans miss me? Hee hee.. Shucks.. I got no fans.. I forgot..

Anyway.. It's been a great week.. I got to rest thoroughly for around 4-6 days before starting my new job on Monday, 8th August.

Let's talk about what I did during my 'resting' period.
I got to play intensively.. without bothering about having to wake up early to work the next day.. I got to play a lot more pool and get back my touch with it.. I probably put on much more weight since I was out having late dinners and suppers with my pals and my bf.. Not forgetting spending a little bit more $$ on shopping.. particularly makeup.. No idea what makes me so vain all of a sudden.. I did also buy a new pair of working pants from Dorothy Perkins when they are having their sale. Imagine from $59 and slash until $39, a cool $20 discount~ :P
Couldnt get any working blouses, they look too funky, baring.. and erm.. expensive.. Usually the clothes that I like dun have my size, and even when they have my size (that fits nicely on the shoulders and arms), the chest will be particularly tight.. WAHAHAHA.. So.. most of the time, I have to buy a size bigger, and ended up looking like a dwarf. I dun really know if it's a blessing or a curse. :P

Anyway, I finally signed my Appointment Letter last Friday at People Association. In case, you guys dunno where PA is, it's between Kallang MRT Station and National Stadium.
The HR lady told me that it's a 5 day work week, but no dress down on Fridays. Everyday office wear, cos we have to meet candidates everyday, new walk-ins or via appointments.
Back at TSC, we used to call the employers, our clients, but at NWCDC, it's the jobseekers whom we are calling 'Clients'.

So my 1st day at work.. I was super early. Left my house at 7.25am, took bus to Lakeside and transfer MRT to Woodlands. By 8.05am, I have reached Woodlands. I'm supposed to start work at 8.30am. No idea how to spend that 20mins.. I walked around aimlessly.. then settled down outside the reception area, where my manager finally came and opened the glass door. (Everywhere with a door, requires a security pass to open)
At the meeting room, I was surprised to meet 2 other new colleagues, Annie and Andrew. Nice people.. Annie is in her 30s, previously working as a part-time Prudential Advisor and a qualified Hypnotheraphist, Andrew also in his 30s, previously working in a stat-board.. every guy's favourite... The Censorship Board as a CSO. WOW~ *lol*

On the overall, NWCDC really got lotsa colleagues, both young, old, and with lotsa different races. Considering ourselves to be lucky, we 3 got to join in the senior colleagues in a training seminar with the UK Recruitment/ HR professionals from WorkingLinks. Some of our colleagues went to a 1-week course with them(in sg along with other CDC's colleagues). The 2 ang mohs.. really humorous.. I really like British accent.. it has a kind of a sophisicated feeling to it. So listening to them talking away wasnt that tedious (maybe also becos we are under British colony back then). We have some hands-on session on doing action-planning as well.

Today..well... main focus.. is to learn to use the online system called PESS. It's like an online database with all the jobseekers' information. If only TSC has this kind of database.. My 2 mentors, Belinda and Julieyana, are 2 really nice ladies and very patient. They even let me do a few cases, keying in the data into PESS, updating the records. I even got to call up some jobseekers to inform them about the upcoming Recruitment Exercise held by NTUC and see if they are keen to participate. Julieyana said that if any of them participate and found a job there, it will be under my direct placement target (aka my sales). See.. she's so nice..

I guess tomorrow I'll be probably be continuing my training on the PESS, and perhaps something new like doing counter duties etc. Anyway, I've bought a new jacket to wear whenever I'm on duty (aka doing interviewing in the interview room) or doing counter duties. All these are entirely new from TSC.. a good experience.. a good beginning...

I hope I can excel in NWCDC.. then can look forward to many months of performance bonuses~ *LOL*

p/s: If anyone is wondering why I wasnt online in MSN so often.. that's becos I havent got the time to go MSN, especially at work. I cant really install MSN in my pc, so I can only go webMSN. However, it will probably take some time before I'm back on MSN. Really wanna concentrate on my work first.. If you guys really miss me, just check out my blog or email to me lor.. those of you who got my mobile, keep your smses coming in~ Hee hee...

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Simple recipes..

Hey.. suddenly it strucks me..
I can write a few recipes here.. and u peeps can try it out.
Usually the recipes are the ones which I've tried and tested.. and most definately simplified (not all recipes). Some of them are came up by me, after trying out some foods which I've ate in restaurants and I've simplified them to make it easy to cook at home.

Last Sunday, Moon(my bf) and I went to Orchard. After walking through Centerpoint, Specialist's Shopping Center, we went to PS. After so much walking, we settled down at Secret Recipes for dinner. They are selling all kinds of cakes and the sight of them makes me drool.

Moon ordered Tom Yam Spagetti while I ordered Chicken Dunno-simi-wa-ko.. It's basically Chicken with Ham and Cheese.
The spagetti tasted quite alright, not spicy at all, but full of lemon grass smell.
Mine was quite good, everytime u sliced your knife in, you see the cheese oozing out. It really tasted good. So I decided to come up with my own simplified version.

I shall call it.. Cheesy Hammy Chicky *lol*

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 pcs of Chicken nehneh breast meat (sliced open to form like chicken chop)
2 slices of Ham (shoulder ham, smoked ham, whichever u like)
1/2 cup of Mozeralla cheese (or Parmasean if you are rich)
Toothpicks/ Strings (not those sewing or raffia hor.. take those white colour ones used when you were in Scouts/ Guides for knotting)
Some plain flour

Marinade for chicken:
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce (tablespoon is the spoon u used for eating)
White pepper
Black pepper (preferably coarse)
1 teaspoon of Sesame oil
1 teaspoon of corn flour
1 tablespoon of Hua Tiao Jiu (花雕酒)

Preparation:
1. Marinade the chicken meat. Leave it for at least 30 mins to 1 hour beforehand.
2. Once marinaded, take 1 slice of the chicken breast meat, put 1 slice of the ham on the chicken, then sprinkled the mozeralla cheese on the ham.
3. Roll or fold it like you would to make popiah.
4. Using toothpicks/ string, secure the meat.
5. Sprinkle some plain flour on the meat. This will make the meat more crispy on the outside.
6. Heat up oil in wok, enough to cover at least half of the meat.
7. Fry the meat, lower the heat when necessary, and cook till golden brown or when meat is cooked.
8. Drain with kitchen towels to remove any excess oil.
9. Take out the toothpicks/strings. (you dont want to kill your friends/ family)
10. Cut into slices and serve while hot.

Have fun and surprised your loved ones with your cooking skills!

I resigned...

Okay..
Some new happenings this week..

I tendered my resignation on Monday..Yes.. i RESIGNED..
Why? cos' I'm offered by Northeast CDC as a Career Consultant. Basically it's the same job as what I've been working as, just that this time round, the scope is of a wider range.

I'll be helping the residents, particularly those from lower-education range, to look for jobs. In Singapore, no matter wat, education is very important. Somehow it will affect your future.
Other than recruitment, I'll most likely be involved in Job Fairs, Career Fairs, etc and also organising events etc. Was informed that I have to do lotsa face-to-face interviews with the peeps.. Dont expect nice uncles and aunties everytime lor.. cos' I doubt anyone will be putting up a smiling face if they are retrenched and out of job for a long period of time. THink I better armed myself with helmets and tissues, in case they come hammering me.. or even crying in front of me, telling me their family's sad stories.. Zzz.. :P

Whatever it is, it's a challenge issued to me.. A new job.. A new beginning..

Kinda missed my ex-colleagues.. I wondered how's everyone's doing..

I still get calls from my candidates and some other people.. and of all peeps.. Mr Mantis.. He was definately shocked when I told him I no longer working in TSC. He had called me to check up on whether I've followed up on his candidates' interviews. Fu*k lor.. who the fu*k he thinks he is..

He's the next most irritating guy after Char*es left. Asked stupid questions, and wears sunglasses thinking that he's all cool, carrying his PDA around probably thinking that he's some professional or something. Disgusting lor.. He looks like a Praying Mantis when he wears his sunglasses.

Fateboy came up with an idea for me to draw a series of comics based on him.. Some good examples:
1. Lord of the Mantis - Fellowship of the Mantis
2. Lord of the Mantis - The Two Mantis
3. Lord of the Manits - Return of the Mantis

Some of which I came up with..:
1. The Mantis Revolution/ Revelation
2. The Mantis Jones's Diary
3. Mantis Potter & The Philospher's Stone
etc..

Come to think of it.. why should I give him the credit of being the male lead of my comics?
Nah.. I rather not.. make him 'famous' only.. ha ha ha

Whichever it is.. I drew some today... Of cos maybe it might not reflect correctly on how i think of some people, but hey.. they are just comics lor..

So if you guys got any comments, please please... put some comments about it.
(I still used MS Paint for the time being, being the lazy me.. ha ha ha ha)

Enjoy...