Ring ring...

Me: Hello
Caller: Mr Tan, I'm calling from 3 mobile. I understand you have reported your sim card and modem missing..
Me: Err.... (my sister is using it and she reported it), yes.
Caller: We can replace your sim card for free and your modem at £19.99 if you wish.
Me: Yea why not... can I get the modem at a discount?
Caller: let me check with my manager... (went for a while)... Mr Tan, we would certainly be able to give you a discount on the modem as well. What is most important is we get you back online. We can probably knock off another £10.
Me: (thinking to myself: stupid Ruth but ah, lets get this sorted out since I'm on the phone with them now) ok thanks please get it done.
Caller: Let me transfer you to the relevant department.

Transferring - wait 5 minutes

Caller: (Indian accent) Hello, customer services.
Me: I was transferred to you to get my replacement sim card and modem at a discount.
Caller: Name?
Me: Mark Tan
Caller: Huh?
Me: Mark Tan - T for Tango, A for Alpha, N for November.
Caller: Date of birth?
Me: 17 May 1978
Caller: Don't have you on the system.
Me: Errr... try my address?
Caller: Address?
Me: 32 Folgate Street, E1 6UJ
Caller: Huh?
Me: F-O-L-G-A-T-E Street, E1 6UJ, E for Echo, 1, 6, U for Uraguay, J for Japan.
Caller: Hold on.... (5 mins later).... We finally found you on the system... How can I help you today?
Me: As I said, I was transferred to get my replacement sim card and modem.
Caller: Let me transfer you to the relevant department...
Me: Huh? I was transferred to the relevant department... you're the relevant department.
Caller: No - let me transfer you.

Transferring - wait 5 minutes

Caller: (Indian accent) Hello, broadband services.
Me: I was transferred to you to get my replacement sim card and modem at a discount
Caller: Name?
Me: Mark Tan- T for Tango, A for Alpha, N for November.
Caller: Date of birth?
Me: 17 May 1978
Caller: Address?
Me: 32 Folgate Street, E1 6UJ
Caller: Hold on.... (5 mins later).... How can I help you today?
Me: I was transferred to get my replacement sim card and modem.
Caller: OK - its £5 for the sim card and £20 for the modem
Me: I was told the sim card would be free and that the modem would be £19.99 with an additional discount..
Caller: No - definitely not, its £25.
Me: Erm - I was just told that over the phone by your colleague.
Caller: This is standard, £20 is already a discount.
Me: Well, check your phone record if you wish...
Caller: No.
Me: Well in that case, cancel the service please.
Caller: Hold on, let me speak to my manager... (5 mins later)... Well, ONLY, and let me stress, ONLY because we believe you, we will waive the £5 sim card cost. The modem is £20.
Me: Huh? (getting weary now) whatever... ok (this stupid Ruth).
Caller: There's a £5 pound delivery charge...
Me: What??!!! (now my patience is wearing thin) Send it via royal mail, it doesn't cost £5.
Caller: OK, its £1.91 then.
Me: (sheesh) OK whatever...
Caller: Let me transfer you....
Me: WHAT???!!!

Transferring... (disconnected)

(Altogether 30 minutes of time wasted this morning)

Moral of the story? 3 mobile sux... simple as that...

Green shoots...

Its been a while since I've written and life has slowly but surely been turning around and getting better. Workload has increased significantly over the past few months and YL and I are kept so busy with work that most other things fade into the background.

The weather has also changed for the better, the nice and long sunny days followed by cool evenings often puts a smile on our faces. My sister has also graduated and will become a doctor which is a load of the minds of everyone in the family. Events have took place that has led us in a new direction in our lives (I will explain this later), both YL and I have had fantastic appraisals by our respective bosses, the sterling is strengthening...

so yes... things are certainly getting better.


Oh guess what??!! YL and I went to Take That's concert over the weekend... hahaha.... it was really quite good. The crowd, especially the women, were mostly in the wrong part of their thirties but it was so fun when everyone got into it, clapping and waving etc. And the supporting act Lady Gaga was also quite entertaining as well (but she's really a strange one though). We also went to see Graham Norton's show over the weekend which was very interesting and fun.

It just does not let up...

Things have been relentlessly bad for me these few weeks... very tough choices to be made, being misunderstood by friends, and general argumentiveness abound.

But I thank the Lord for his grace, for everything that has happened and mostly for an understanding wife...

Psalms 121: 1-2: I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

I'm tired...

Had a really rough week, its still going, is today Wednesday? or Thursday?... geez I don't even know....

[A quick click on the calendar] - its Thursday.... sigh this is one of the worse weeks in London.

London covered in snow...

I guess its old news that London was covered in a blanket of snow last week. It was really fun though for us, since we need not take any public transport to work. However, what normally would be a 5 minute walk to work became more like 15 minutes, in part because we were trying to tread carefully cos the snow was slippery, but also because we were so busy admiring the place filled covered with snow and taking photos as we walked to work! It was a blessing that we need not travel cos I heard the horror stories of people taking up to 3 hours to travel to office. It was also a convenient excuse for many people to "work from home" though.

Anyway, last week passed relatively quickly cos no one came to the office on Monday and few came on Tuesday. On Thursday, I had my wisdom tooth extracted and while I would normally be moaning and whingeing about it, it was actually a relatively painless experience. Of course, the fact that I had dental sedation where the dentist injected me with a cocktail of sedatives and codine had no part in the process... heh, who am I kidding. I think the dentist must be thinking, I've never seen someone so scared of needles before. But seriously, anyone who has dentist-phobia should undergo dental sedation for their dental surgeries. I doubt I'd go for one without being sedated.

The weekend was relatively uneventful. We went for our usual Cafe Japan treat on Saturday afternoon. Realised that the master chef has sold the place but after he has passed down his skills to the current chef. I must say that while the food quality took a dip in the last few weeks, it has improved again to a standard almost as high as before. We then went to watch the movie "The Wrestler" in the evening after doing the week's grocery shopping. Next day was Church, dim sum lunch, "Revolutionary Road" movie, then dinner and Settlers of Catan and Adrian and Sharon. A fun but uneventful weekend...

Here are some pics of the snow outside our place..

My little lionheart...

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Last evening YL screamed at a guy who attempted to rob her at gunpoint. Facing adversity, the little lionheart in her stood up to the perpetrator who subsequently fled. Some may call this stupid, some may call it misplaced courage. I think that in that moment, our Lord is with her and she knew it, he was helping her to assess the situation and he gave her the courage to stand up to the robber. I am proud of her. I've been speaking to police detectives, the management company, resident's association, security company etc. about this matter but no matter what I do, no matter how much I can protect her, I know I can't be there all the time. I thank the Lord for being with her even though I could not (I was supposed to walk back with her but I had a seminar in the evening).

My enemies...

This weekend, I had to face my enemies once again, those horrible and evil contraptions - my ski boots. Once or twice (twice last year) a year, my feet would have to face their enemies for a few days to a week. During this time, they would be bound like bak chang and made to endure below freezing temperatures while I attempt to ski (or snow plough) down the slopes. This weekend was one of those times.

We went to Cervinia (the italian side of the famous Matterhorn) for 5 days. We stayed with in this family run Italian hotel which was fantastic. The food was to die for and the hotel had a really nice chalet feel and charm. No fake smiles or forced small talk, just some good (sometimes gruff) warm Italian frankness. We met and chatted with 2 couples during the trip, one from Sweden and another British, both quite nice and friendly. The Swedish guy was really quite animated and he was telling us about how he visited Singapore in 1974 and 1989 and his experiences in Bugis Street etc. On his excellent recommendation, we visited a mountain restaurant, called Chalet Etoile which served amazing seafood (unbelievable right? seafood on the slopes of Cervinia) - the food was so good that at some point, I actually forgot that I had my enemies on. The ski runs were fantastic, so YL and I had the opportunity to work on our carving.

Anyway, we returned to London yesterday, well fed, well rested and satisfied. I was very glad that I could get to watch British TV again. Watching "X factor" or "Who wants to be a millionaire" in Italian was really testing. All in all the holiday was great, my feet were the only casualties but they're now recovering fine. YL and I are going to a jap restaurant Soseki www.soseki.co.uk tonight to celebrate her belated birthday (it was yesterday) and we're both looking forward to eating something other than Italian for a change.

Next skiing trip will be in March, at Obergurgl in Austria. I heard the food and the atmostphere there is nice but its going to be tough (at least food wise) to beat the Italians.