Last IT show I signed up for internet subscription with one of the Telecom giants here in Singapore (Singtel Company). Along with it, they gave a cable TV service (MIO TV) for free! As if that matters much to me...I am not a TV lover but my wife was certainly pleased!
The Cable TV service offers 15 free movies every month...movies from different countries. From time to time I took the liberty to dig into the English movies but one month is long enough to finish them all and get bored. In my boredom last week, I finally got the courage to watch a Hindi film. It was a big surprise that the movie was good! Had it been a Hollywood-Star-Studded-film, it could have been a blockbuster.
Try to understand, I come from a country where the people do not have a high regard for the people from India. Before I had the chance to work with them, I was part of the stereotyping public as well. But this movie (setting "Slum Dog Millionaire" aside) like slammed my attitude right into my face. By the way, the movie is "Karthik Calling Karthik" just in case you get curious enough to look it up. Not a catchy title but it is a good film nonetheless - worth the time spent watching. Not to mention a very nice movie soundtrack.
Anyway, I thought they just got lucky with that movie so I picked up the remote control this morning saying a 2nd round won't hurt. I came across this movie entitled "Unns" whatever that means. It had a boring start and the acting was less than convincing unless that is how people conduct themselves where they come from. Add to it the usual Singing and Dancing stints in between which I personally am not an avid fan of. Well, it is integral to their movie making culture so there's nothing I could do about it but to press the fast forward button from time to time. Near the end though, I found myself shedding reluctant tears over the touchy scenes and infuriated by the character of the infidel wife. Haaah! Surprisingly...or maybe not... I enjoyed the movie again except that it is tiring to keep up reading the subtitle while trying to take in the scenes at the same time.
What do you know, while writing this post I have a search engine in the other window looking up a movie my Indian friend is forcing me to watch - "3 idiots". I will write about it next time. Meanwhile, my perception of Indian movies or "foreign" movies for that matter- non Filipino and non-English that is, has changed drastically.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Chinese custom
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| Chinese literary master Ba Jin (Courtesy of google :D) |
I called my Chinese friends while on the way to find out what was the right thing to do. Out of the 3 Chinese guys I was able to contact they told me the same 3 things:
1. Do not wear clothes of striking color especially red.
2. Be careful with what you say. Avoid words like "till next time", "see you again"...(I never really gave a thought about this.)
3. Bring cash with you as it is customary to give a donation (I guess that is a common thing to Chinese events...hehe...I intend this to be funny not a criticism)
Upon arriving at the wake my boss ushered us to the front where a framed photo of the deceased is displayed with lighted white candle, gave us a burning joss stick (incense) and we were made to bow 3 times. That was to show the last respect to the dead. The custom just struck me right there and I could say this is better than the Filipino way!
Ahhh...what a world we live in. So much differences yet we find a way to co-exist. It is fun to be with people of different cultures... I mean Really FUN!
If you are to attend a Chinese funeral, make sure you do your homework! Try the links below to learn more about their funeral customs.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Bad day at work
August 9 a day of festivities in Singapore where I work as a maintenance staff in a semiconductor firm. It started as a normal day except that we are short of manpower as people took leave from work to celebrate the National Holiday.
There are too many machines to attend to so I had to run here and there to sustain the production line. Some things turned up which I am not familiar with and I had to call the machine specialists for advice but nobody picked up. Maybe they are too busy carrying out their Holiday plans.
…frustrating! Really frustrating!...
I had to carry on none-the-less. I keep glancing at the wall clock hoping that the end of my shift would come fast. Still five hours to go….seemed like forever.
My dect phone rings, operator calls describing the difficulty she encounters with her machine in a Chinese-English way. Ring again, supervisor wanting to know when the machine will be up and running.
Issue with the machines, process issues, automation issues…my brain started to boil fuming out personal issues and self pity.
…Why did they not turn up for overtime?
…Why is my shift having the least manpower?
…Why do I have to settle the issues that the specialists did not finish before the weekend?
My mind is just boiling and boiling and boiling. My legs started to protest silently signalling pain, aggravating my frustrations. I kept sighing…God help me!
Everything in me wanted to explode (I might devour the next operator who makes a mistake and cause a breakdown) except a soft voice from inside urging me to…calm down…one machine at a time…clock is ticking it will be over soon. Six o’clock, just a few minutes more...
Ahhh…bad day at work…an acid test of character…patience…dedication…Lord I do not know how long I can hold on. But I know I had to…6:45 finally! I can get out of the clean room, get a cold drink and pass down all issues to the next shift!
I made it through one tough day without any operator’s blood in my hand! :D
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