The addiction

I miss Sipadan. I really truly do. Maybe it's because The Cowboy emailed me telling me how awesome it is and how happy he is. Maybe it's because my work doesn't make me as happy as I am when I'm there.

Sure, I could argue that I love it only because it's a holiday, and if I were doing it for a living, the shine would be gone. You could say that if I did it, I'd have to be up early at like 6a.m. everyday and I'd have to deal with people that I probably wouldn't like on a daily basis.

But this is where it's the difference between marrying a guy that you know is safe, and while the sex is "alright laa..", you know your life will be uncomplicated and your kids will definitely go to uni; and a guy who gives you mindblowing sex, makes everyday exciting, and while you're not sure your kids will have the best education that money can provide, they may at least grow up a little bit distanced from the worrying world tha twe live in.

I can see myself marrying both guys, and in the first case, I see myself waking up age 50, being ridiculously bored and living a mundane existence, and while I'm happy that I've produced children, they probably don't listen to me and I die a little inside everytime they don't, while being in denial. In the other, I wake up age 50 knowing that I'm living the life that I've always pictured for myself, even though I never had a clear outlook until I went there. Sure, it's a bit harder to figure out, but I'm happy.

I'm not getting married. It's a metaphor.

I want this.

From Engadget: Pinnacle Video Transfer records video to anything USB 2.0 ... :

[T]he company's upcoming Pinnacle Video Transfer can take an analog video input and record the source to any USB 2.0 storage device, including an iPod. Video is recorded straight to the H.264 format, with user-selectable quality of Good, Better and Best.

Just a ping pong ball in a game of tennis

So The Boss is on leave today. Yesterday, She gave me instructions to "follow up" (i.e. chase/pressure/stress someone for something) on something with someone else from a different department. A Director, no less.

So I, this lowly management trainee, was tasked with calling a Director and demanding things of him. After two calls (at decent intervals of about 5 hours, mind you), he said he was swamped and couldn't get it by today.

The Boss then told me to continue following up today while She's gone.

I called Him once, at about 11ish, which I thought was a pretty decent hour. He hurriedly said he hadn't looked at it yet, thanked me for reminding him and hung up on me.

3 hours later, an email comes to my Inbox replying everyone involved, saying sorry, but He's been swamped.

1 hour even later, my Big Boss tells me that she's been getting nasty emails from the Director (copied to The Boss and my teammate), and that my team is actually supposed to give Him something before we ask Him for that thing that I've been calling Him for.

A glimpse at the email said that He couldn't believe that the MT called him to chase after He'd sent the email (which I only got after I'd called him), and to have some courtesy to your fellow workers.

I'm screwed on Monday. There go my hopes of getting leave next Friday. Might as well live it up this weekend.

The Proust questionnaire

I hate these things, and I hate being tagged to do them, and when I am, I usually ignore them. On the other hand, my boss is on leave today, and I'm kind of bored. So I will begin by quoting Neil Gaiman in 2007 quoting himself in 2005 quoting himself in 2001, just because it seems like a pretty good wish to wish to people that I care about:

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. And I really still do.

So there you go. And now we begin:

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being with people I love who love each other, away from things I hate, and close to the things I love, with just enough to make me believe that I matter.

2. What is your greatest extravagance?
My car.

3. What is your current state of mind?
Groggy, bored, thinking of escape.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My ability to live solely on logic.

5. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Their inability to accept other opinions, views, and people.

6. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Monetary well being.

7. What is your favourite occupation?
Dive master.

8. What is your most marked characteristic?
Being short and slightly off beat.

9. What do you most value in your friends?
"their honesty and support and patience" - whoren
Please refer to whoren's answer.

10. When and where you the happiest?
"recently - underwater with the sharks" - whoren
Please refer to whoren's answer.

11. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My teeth

12. Which living person do you most despise?
Those people who set that church on fire in Kenya.

13. On what occassion do you lie?
When I feel that the occasion warrants it.

14. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family, and my 5 bitches. They may cause me grief, but nothing in the world worth achieving is easy.

15. Which talent would you most like to have?
Racing.

16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A few inches.

17. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
Their inability to accept other opinions, views, and people.

18. What is your most treasure possession?
Mika.

19. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Knowing that there's something better out there that will make you happy everyday and that you have the ability to achieve, but sacrificing it because you're too goddamned logical and responsible.

20. Who are your favourite writers?
Always Neil Gaiman.

21. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Peter Pan.

22. Who are your heroes in real life?
The man of the house.

23. What are your favourite names?
Mika.

24. What is it that you most dislike?
"unjust cruelty to any being" - whoren
Please refer to whoren's answer.

25. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
That I've successfully trained myself not to have the characteristics that I hate in others.

26. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A car.

27. If you could choose what to come back as, what it be?
A turtle.

28. Where would you like to live?
Pai, Sipadan.

29. How would you like to die?
Painlessly and happy.

30. What is your greatest regret?
I'm either in denial, or I really truly regret nothing.

31. What is your motto?
To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

Tagged by whoren.

Customer Service Review: Scuba Junkie, Sipadan

Business: Dive operator
Location: Block B Lot 36, Semporna, Semporna Seafront, Sabah
Website: http://www.scuba-junkie.com

The situation:

Whoren, Anini and I decided at the absolute last minute that we had to get out of Kay Ell for NYE. 2 days later, we'd booked our flights, with Anini having found Scuba Junkie somewhere on the interweb.

The happening:

By the time we arrived in Tawau Airport, we weren't too hopeful, because they'd called that day and tried to confirm that we were arriving 29th January instead of 29th December, and then tried to tell us that Sipadan was fully booked for our dates.

Plus points:

• Airport pickup arrived on time, with a suitably smiley and courteous local man at the wheel.
• We arrived at the Scuba Junkie dive shop and accomodations faster than expected (a plus in my book).
• The guy at the front desk was actually quite helpful, if sometimes on another planet, and actually pointed us to a really good restaurant.
• The staff are always very smiley and helpful.
• The dive masters and instructors are actually awesomely nice and friendly. Plus not too bad looking.
• As divers, you don't have to set up your own tanks and BCDs. Just relax.
• The dive masters pay attention to what you want to see down there and try to accomodate you. Or maybe it was just me.
• If you're there over a festive holiday, they will probably hold a fancy dress party at the bar (only one in town), where everyone actually comes in fancy dress.
• If you bring your own alcohol, they allow you to store it in the fridge and drink it at the bar.

Minus points:

• I can't think of any.

The Verdict: I love Scuba Junkie.