oh my goodness oh my goodness..
I'm actually typing this on the computer in the box office of the Arts House...

hahaha..
Today's my first day of work and I'm undoubtedly blur.
Erm, in fact very blur.
I haven't had experience in any professional ticketing outlet, nor set foot in any government related building..
It's my first!
FIRST!!

AI YOH..
i haven't swiped credit cards before, nor have I realised the difference between merchant copy, customer copy and duplicate merchant copy.
It's all different as far as I know now..
Edward Toh the executive for Front of House, has been the one teaching me the basics of the Arts industry... From where the audience decide and begin their journey to explore the artistic and creative developments of local artists and artistes, songwriters, musicians, writers.
To all the people who made these works possible..
How they have come to where they are right this very day.

The processes..

I'll slowly but painstakingly learn the ropes with a fresh and open mind.

The Front Of House manager whose name is Raymond Tan has also taught me how to use the computer ticketing system called ProVenue, which is a very quick and effective way of helping customers book tickets, be it walk-in, or through the phone.
Payments by Mastercard, Visa or AMEX.
The screenings are all free-seating so there's no hassle to choose the seats for the customers..=)
which is a load off..
To refresh my memory.
Log in first.
go to ticketing, function then box office ticketing.
select the performance , date and time. (double-click)
ahhh, it's always like that.when there's no customers or reservations or phonecalls, i'm so free and start to stare into space..
But when the pace picks up, i have customers, enquiries and the phone is ringing off the hook, and I was about to close the previous transaction, tickets not yet printed out and everything..oh man, that is highly stressful.. and i think i need an hour of laughing to balance the hormones in my body... But I guess if i do it repeatedly, I'll (what do u think i'm gonna say?)
I'll get used to it?

No!! i'll get highly stressed!!! hahahaa...nah, kidding lah. I'll get used to it...And be a super multi-task person..

I strongly love this place.. The ambience, working environment.. the music that the arts house plays..it's so my type lorh..guess who are the artistes? Sarah Brightman!(Naturaleza Muerta)...Besides that, friendly folks like my bosses and security guards and people from other departments..


And something touched me too.
It was when Raymond said "Don't worry, take your time and learn and eventually you'll get used to it...If you don't know anything just ask..We'll always be there to help you.. Alright?"
It's quite an ordinary thing to say but I guess it's the cliche stuff that makes people understand what's going on more easily.
And Raymond's like the artsy kinda guy..
He together with Edward has been in this line for more than 10 years.They used to work in sistic since 1993..
Raymond also told me that after I get familiarized with the place, he'll find chances to bring me around the corporate side. See how people run their events..I think the people here really cares and are very helpful.They know what you wanna do and where you're heading to and they guide you to your goals.
I know that as I can practically see his sincerity.."I'm sure that would be useful for you in the future."

Edward is a gentleman as he is very funny to think that I can't carry big books.
He's in charge of both the box office and this store called Earshot that sells merchandise of local artiste and writers. I have to run both sides too..We arranged the books after the stock-taking.
And you know, he actually drives the same car as my driving instructor..hahaa..
You know what are my intentions huh?
I wanna drive his car..cause it'll be easier for me to handle his car..
ai yoh, im still having the weekend car thought!!
But how am i supposed to save up for that kind of money.

hmmm...
well, back to the system.
where was I just now??..see lah, lost due to the rebounce of a credit card user.
The swipe machine denied and said plt not transferrable. hahaha..and that bill was 260 dollars lorh..gave me a shock leh..like did i do something wrong..but it's because the user was changing cards..haix..heart attack man..
after that select buyer type and most of the time it's Full then key in the figure.
click process.
select the seats(just randomly select cos it doesn't matter)
click select.
check for patron's name on the contact list.
If it's a new customer, insert details by clicking on the New account button on the extreme left hand corner of the toolbar. Insert the customer's details.
Contact no and the required field.
Add the new account and process the payment on the payment screen.
Only after the credit card has been approved for transaction then you can click authorize and print out the tickets.
Add the source and update the transaction.
Inform customer that there will no amendments,changes or cancellation that is permitted after transaction is being made.
collect tickets 30 minutes before the screening at the box office.


manual needs 3 receipts.
merchant copy(to glue at rough paper)
duplicate copy(to attach at booking form;press F1)
customer copy(attach with tickets;press 2)

that's about it.
cya soon!

I just watched a documentary featuring Jacques d' Amboise and the National Dance Institute.

Here's a description of the film.
In 1976, one of the world's greatest dancers began a project that would change the lives of at least half a million people. That year, the National Dance Institute was founded by the New York City Ballet pricipal dancer Jacques d'Amboise as a way of introducing dance to students in the public school system.
This unique experience was captured in the 1983 Academy Award-winning film, He makes me feel like dancin'. From nerve-racking tryouts to rigorous rehearsals, determined children danced through a year of practice that culminated in a glorious debut at Madison Square Garden. But what became of those young dancers? Nearly two decades later, Who's Dancing Now? revisits them to discover the profound impact of this experience, intercutting scenes from the previous film. That early success through arts education, with its lessons of commitment, discipline and resilience, continues to be a vital influence in their lives as they pursue careers in law, science, education and finance. You are sure to be inspired by this uplifting film.


And indeed I was...

The very one phrase that struck me hard was "Nobody is better than your best because you've already given your 100%!"

I feel that Jacques is a very intense man who empowers children or human beings, in general,with responsibilities and tasks that make them learn and make mistakes and learn from their mistakes again...Until they are not afraid of failing. And for him, he knows if you're not doing your best and he will let you know that he knows that...
I feel that it's very important that if you can't get rid of your fear (for anything..)..AT LEAST get rid of your fear of trying.

And after watching this great documentary, it sorta assured me that I was going to do something right in my life. Something connected to the arts..something that I have passion for..And knowing that I was on the right footing..


For those who hasn't found their way out of the fog, keep trying.
Take time off to explore.
To discover yourself, to realise your dreams and passion.
To find out how you derive satisfaction from..
The journey's still long so there's no need to panic.
Weigh out which one gives more positive emotions and go all out for it.

For me, I'm proud to say that I'm also constantly trying and searching for the life I want.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the same thoughts that went through Jacques' mind and mine. Which will be secret...between this great man and me.
I don't think I'll ever get to meet this high I man but I respect him, and his accomplishments.

Some links.
http://www.ndi4all.org/step_by_step/aboutj.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ndi_vid.jpg

booooo!
i am back.
and this is by special request of a loyal reader by the name of yang yuan!


a round of applause plese..
yes, this person has just injected me a strong dose of obsessious Nikonic SLR camies' pumping vibe.


oooh!
i feel it thumping.
I was initially 3000259 miles away from the thought of getting a SLR cam soon, but yY's just so wonderful to shorten that gap to a fair and considerably short range of 0.0000000000001 micro meter.

BUT nonononono...i'm not blaming her. i feel happy that she's done so..
And therefore I'm fulfilling her request of posting more recents photos I toook on this bog entry..
So she can view it when she's at work..

ok, she commented that she loves this picture..and by far the only one who knows how this picture was taken..
=)

hmmm..wad others..
some bus journey photos perhaps??

ok, there's also the AIWO photos...

Erm.most of them randomly taken.

Hope you don't mind..Cos I wasn't supposed to shoot when I am working..yea..

hmmm, and coming up next we have, photos of me n my friends.

i like the last one best.

And by the way I'm starting the Front of House job at the Arts House on Thursday.

Wish me luck.

I'm getting so excited!ahhhh..oh if you're interested in any of the screenings (i heard Sinagpore gaga are selling like hotcakes! $8 per tkt: free seating) or wish to book exhibition space or private function rooms can find out more about how to go about doing it from the website..

www.theartshouse.com.sg or drop an email at enquiries@toph.com.sg

Cheers!

i have a stupid thought.

i miss my toes..


cos they're so far away from me.


sometimes i wonder are they really my toes..
Like i talk to them..
Sending a brain signal to ask them do they really belong to me.



Oh..
how far my little toes you'll be, but I stilltreat you as a part of my anatomy.
Fear not, my child, for you are well protected.

=)

Can i ramble now?
But it's about something really important in my life?
TAU HUAY!

I'm so sad cos I didn't get to eat my Jollibean soya beancurd this morning!http://www.jollibean.com/aboutus.htm
I really feel very sad.

Soya beancurd is like soooo good!
And healthy!
And when you slurp it in your mouth it just feels so great and filled with goodness.

For a moment you might feel like you're a super slim woman.
Oh my goodness!

And guess what..
I missed such a good opportunity.

To satisfy my taste buds and indulge in a beany pleasure...

What if Jollibean doesn't sell my tau huay anymore..
OR the famous Selegie Beancurd closes down.. (choy!)


Or..OR.........Or if all the soya beans in the world just became extinct!!!

Horror of all horrors!!!
No..that mustn't happen..
I must not allow that to ever happen!
I should start planting soya beans in my balcony garden immediately!

Ok, I'm still craving for it..
You know!!you know..when it's chilled it tastes even better!
Like...Ummmm...
SHWEET!
=)

Soya beancurd topped with glutinous rice balls with peanut or sesame filling is also one of the heavenly pleasure you can experience on earth!
And this dessert is best served steaming..not boiling hot but..just steaming hot..like 76degrees celcius..

Ok, I have to tell you this..
I love tau huay so much cos when i had my jaw operation last year..i couldn't eat anything..like literally anything!...
after the 2nd week my dad brought me to tiong bahru to eat..
And amongst all the local delicacies, i could only eat tau huay which was SOFT enough and did not require any chewing..
It was delightful I tell you..
And I was soooooooo happy!!!!

*beaming with joy*
Like finally I get to eat real food besides all the liquid food i eat everyday for 2 weeks straight..
i.e. water, milk, ribena, milo, chicken essence, home made soups...super blended porridge...

And I gobbled the hot tau huay in 5 minutes which was considered damn fast cos I could only open my mouth to a maximum width of 1cm..
So having to stuff the fat spoon into the gap was quite difficult..and i had tau huay on my lips, on the edges of my mouth, on my chin, on the table and on my lap.

My dad had to get me tissues.

But he was happy to see his daughter enjoying herself after suffering in the hospital and from the strict food diet.

So, you can tell that I was really enjoying my tau huay and looking so unglam!
heehee.

but soyabean is good. (although i don't really fancy soyabean milk..it depends..)

So check out the website for yummy soyabean!
http://www.jollibean.com/products.htm

I will get you later BEANS! For my breakfast!

IT'S LADIES NIGHT! AND THUS WE'RE OUT!

And Aly and I went to Momo, tonight our intentions were to loosen up, daNce and get the free drinks!

And thus, spare us the men! Who were a disturbing lot.

Fuck! But nevermind i will come to that later.

There's a pub beside momo called Wen's and I posed next to it...in the above picture.hehe. I like Momo cause of it's darkness as compared to MOS (ahhhh! i actually went there for the first time that night..)..Momo's drinks are also less diluted..i mean the free ones of cos..and i love the toilets there. SEE!

ok, in this picture i look like i'm puking..but i'm actually taking a look to see if there were goldfishes in the golden toilet bowl.. ah haaa...so now you get it.

after 2 free drinks , we decided to head to Ministry of Sound, which was the talk of the town ever since it opened.. ..

On the way out, there's this 1 guy who popped up from nowhere and said "Hello" to me..i just forced a smile and left..luckily aLy was grabbing my arm and pushing her way out of the place already..phew..

(ok, you can keep this counting..ONE already)
(got this pic from xiaxue cos we didnt take a picture of the entrance)

aLy told me MOS has candy floss retro on weds. but too bad dun haf for that night.=( retro was not bad..but there were 3 caucasians who tried to flirt with us..and they were coming from all sides.and this damn cheesy guy was singing to the song "i wanna hold ur hand" along with the music and asking for my hand! like WTH! get lost lah!
RnB was too damn crowded..like the caged-up concept..even if u managed to squeeze in, u'll be finding it hard to shake your hips.haha...
We even went to house music section. taking the escalator!!haha..we had no idea why the dancefloor was so vacant when we arrived and so occupied when we were on it..maybe we grooved the people man..
(FOUR already)
Got out of the place to get some snacks at 7-11.
Hotties and gulp.
when we came out there were 3 guys at the start of the bridge..they were not the cheeky sort and just wanted to have a drink with us..they bought a big gulp and mixed scottish whiskey in it..i gave it a try with aLy's straw and it was STRONG! ALy coughed after tasting it..WAH! like they added alcohol to coke in ratio 3:7...

they suggested giving the bottle to us to mix in our ice lemon tea????
and we rejected them nicely...asked where we were heading and we told them to "the bridge"..
you know what one of them said? "is that a new club?"
hahahaha..what a joke.
(SEVEN men)

just then, as we were chillin out on the bridge and talking about the sickass guys who approached us which was like quite a lot already and kena bitten by ants at where we were sitting..(the platform of the bridge)..
a tall guy from the other end of the bridge walked over and told aLy and I not to jump or something..den he came like damn close to me cos i was just sitting at the edge..i just said cos i see you tt's why wanna jump..den he "hmph..never give me chance" in a joking manner and walked away...

his friend said dun worry lah, he only likes guys.. we didn't bother until he came out of 7-11 and pestered us again.. I guess we were both quite annoyed...and didn't even bother to hear wad he said..but whatever it was..i'm quite sure it's rubbish...
offered us Baron's strong brew..ewwww...
and claimed that he's 40 yrs old and still..no man wants him..sad case.

(EIGHT irritating suckers)

We then headed to Gotham Penthouse which I seriously suggest should fix up some sound proof system.cos the music's so loud that it sent the old shophouse windows shaking violently..
I was walking beneath and joking that I'm afraid that one of the windows would just come crashing down on me...
I'm serious!
it's that scary. when we got our free vodka wif lime and checked the OLD crowd out..
and decided not to stay further , we left.
ok,stupid mistake..i forgot to mention we left taking the lift with 2 blacks.
like, we should have seen it coming our way.
"beautiful ladies, hello! are you all singaporeans..aww man,..c'mon gimme a hug!" errr..like it's their culture or something..we did it nonetheless so as not to feel awkward that we're so conservative..and based on our instinct that it's not gonna be more than just a hug..
They then asked whther we wanna check out forbidden City..i'm like"where?china?"haha..was kidding with them lah.They were friendly and wanted to drink with us.and i guess that's all.
we rejected softly and headed for another round of snacks..
Corn soup and pocky sticks..
while stretching on the bridge and listening to We're in heaven..ahh..damn relaxing..

(TEN ON-THE-LOOKOUT-FOR LADIES MEN)

after that we decided to check out more clubs..
we've been to momo,MOS,gotham penthouse,next Attica..or maybe Forbidden City?? (ok,minor asshole on bridge wanted to invite us to drink at attica..NO! was the reply..duh~)

We were walking..and this ANGMOH in his 40s approached us.
At first he was just asking and looking concerned about the "junk" we were eating.. then he bloody hell dare to ask a stupid question like let's go to my house.. We were blur lah..aLy and I..so we just said it's ok, we'll just walk around..then he took his wallet out..don't worry..i'll pay you!

OKAY,that was fucking hell enough you motherfucker kanninabu lanjiao dickhead freakass!
"WE ARE NOT HOOKERS BY THE WAY!"
and he scurried off.
He'd better or he would least expect the consequences!
We were freaking insulted lah! like which part of us look like we're whores!?
Fuggling 8 inched penis carrier!
*****************************CENSORED******************************

(ELEVEN SICK BASTARDS!)

we cursed and swore after that! dammit!like what?! he wants a threesome huh?
i'm even contemplating if his dick is still functioning..
OLD man.

Back to MOS. short fuck from 10 o'clock came over to dance with us when we were dancing happily for the 2nd time! like they just don't get it huh..these fuggling jerks!
Wejust want to dance! leave us alone!
And not only did he not get it once..nor twice..five freaking times!
turned him down, ran away and dance at another corner..even platform he still bugged us..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHORT FUCK!
can u just imagine the sight of 2 girls running away whenever a twurd comes close to them!
The most ridiculous thing is that we had to act lesbians just to shoo him off. He even asked his friend to help him?! whoa..really pain in the ass!

(TWELVE and THIRTEEN SICKOS!)

we bumped into the 3 scottish whiskey guys at the dancefloor.
said hi..one of them came up..
put his arms over our sholders and said "We're here to dance..nothing else.." ok, nothing else,den why do u have to come so close? den why did u haf to brush your pokey beard on my cheek!?
grrr!
so, we called it a day.
chilled at Macs, before venturing the (wrong way); walked all the way from MOS to Liang Court to Chinatown; and walked back to Macs for breakfast at 5am.
Was so tired.
we met short fuck againnn! ran away.
and this guy who just said hi to me.and all i did was to give him a queer look.

FOURTEEN FRIGGIN FUCKS IN ONE NIGHT!

bad bad bad.
the point i'm describing every single one of the encounters is to let u noe how desperate these men are, and their lousy tactics..
never get drunk and succumb to them.
it's a promise i made to myself.. and I'll hold to that.
but thanks aLy for being there.if not..shakes head..i would not dare to imagine..
haix.we'll go in a bigger grp next time.

oh yar, cT,i met justin from SR at maCs.. he just Passed out from Tekong BMTC.haha..didn't talked much..he looks almost just the same.haha.