Better be blogging now, since got so much time now :)

Quite an eventful day today.

Went down to AIA to "surrender" my current investment policy. My mum needs the money and now is as good time as any to cash in any investments... so I did it. Expecting all kinds of sales pitches to keep my money, I was a little bit disappointed.

** what I was expecting **

- diverted to the sweetest looking salesgirl at the counter -

Salesgirl (SG): Sir, can I help you?

Me: Yes, please. I'd like to surrender my policy.

SG: May I know why sir?

Me: I need the money.

SG: Oh, have you considered alternatives sir? We have this facility where you can take a loan against your policy as collateral...

Me: Oh, no. I don't want to take any loans.

SG: Oh, in that case sir, you can also suspend your policy for a period.

Me: I need the money.

SG: Alright sir, I understand. I'll just be checking your account now.

- a minute -

SG: Sir, did you bring your policy document with you?

Me: No.

SG: Oh no. I need that to process your account.

Me: No kidding.

SG: But for you sir, we'll make an exception. But the admistrative fee will be 2% of your policy value.

Me: Seriously?

SG: Yes sir. When would you want the money, sir?

Me: As soon as possible, of course.

SG: Understood sir. The soonest will be next week, when they liquidate your holdings. You'll be getting the cheque in one month.

Me: ... ah, thats fine I guess. Please go ahead.

SG: OK. Moment please

- brings out several forms from under the desk.

SG: Now sir, if you'll head over there (points to a standing only room crowded with people filling out forms) and fill out these forms, please. And then take a queue number again once you're done.

Me: No way. Seriously?

SG: I was joking sir. You'll also need to fill in these other forms as well (takes out another stack of forms).

Me: ...

- after taking an hour to fill out the forms -

Me: Here you go, miss. Now, is everything ok?

SG: Yes sir. Leave that with me. It'll be processed next week.

Me: ...

** Actual scenario **

- diverted to a bespactacled nerdy looking clerk.

Nerdy clerk (NC): Sir, can I help you?

Me: Yes please. I'd like to surrender my policy because...

NC: Understood sir. IC please?

Me: Here you go.

NC: Moment please...

- prints out policy value and passes it to me -

NC: This is the value that you'll be expected to recieve sir. Are you ok with that?

Me: Yes.

NC: Ok sir. Because its after 2pm..

- I took in a deep breath to prepare for the worst -

NC: ... the funds will be liquidated on Wednesday. Is that ok?

Me: Sure.

NC: Ok moment please...

- NC takes out two forms, fills them out speedily and passes them to me to sign. I sign them. -

NC: OK sir, the cheque will be mailed to you in 5 working days.

Me: Sure. Thanks. (I stood up to leave)

NC: Oh sir, would you like a desk calendar or a dairy?

Me: Yeah why not? I'd like a desk calendar please.

- NC disappers behind, and comes out with an envelope.

NC: Here you go sir. You've got the diary as well.

I was left puzzled. I got a gift for surrendering my policy... just how much are these guys making? But I was still pretty happy surrendering the policy was as simple as getting a queue number, bringing your IC, and signing two forms.

After that, I went to visit my company's Singapore office, since it was nearby as well and I wanted to check out the office and the people who work there. Man, the office is sooooo nice. Super modern, overlooking the bay, it was seriously one of the nicest buildings I've been in. Erm. Actually, it IS the nicest building I've been in.

They coincidentally had scheduled a team dinner that evening and asked me to join. I accepted of course. But it was still early, so I decided to head downstairs and walk around the area. You know, explore and shop a bit. After all, I've explored London, Hong Kong and Taipei's CBD but I've never EVAR explored Singapore. I felt like a tourist in my own country. So off I went.

And just as I stepped out of the building, I spotted a pretty young lady talking to a fat old man. Unsure of where to explore first, I looked left and then right, and then I saw the pretty lady waving in my direction, enthusiastically... Oh I couldn't know this person, I thought. So I turned around and looked for the person she was waving to. And lol, there was no-one but me.

"W!"

I turned around. Looked straight at her and squinted, trying frantically to remember. She knows me?!?!

"Its JJ!"

Ahhhhhhhhhh. Now I remember. Walking up close, I could finally recognise her. The man she was with excused himself and left. He was apparently a client of hers.

Its been such a long time since I've met JJ. She was my JC classmate. Could be almost 10 years. Actually not 10 years la. I'm not that old. But probably 8. And to think I couldn't recognise her at first. Wanting to catch up with her, I asked her for a coffee. She agreed. So we headed downstairs.

"So what coffee you want? Ang Mor or Chinese?" she asked?

"Er..." glancing at Pacific Coffee vs some no name snack bar, "Chinese style ba".

And we caught up a little. She's in finance too, so she understood perfectly what I'm doing, even what I used to be doing. And its odd, because my closest friends have no inkling.

"Sure la. If TJ tell you about some Cardio-whatever, you know meh?" JJ remarked.

Er... I recalled that time D was telling a story of a doctor in India prescribing some drug to a patient, like it was a terrible terrible thing. I was like, "This drug, is it like cocaine class or marijuana class?".

Anyway, although her appearance has changed quite a bit (she lost a lot of weight, and dressed a lot more mature compared to JC uniform of course) she's still very much the same in terms of her cheerfulness and teh-ness (oi, don't tell her hor). I commented about that to her and she says, "Aiyah, there will be a line of course with clients la. I won't be like that." haha, glad to know she doesn't treat me like a client.

I didn't learn much about her life now though, as much as I'd like to. I had the dinner to go to, and she had to go back to the office. We exchanged phone numbers (actually I still had her phone number from wayyyyyyyyy back - "You still using this number?", "yeah", "for how long already?", "haha.. probably 10 years lor!") and then parted. We actually tried calling TJ, but couldn't get through to him. So oh well...

Then I headed off to dinner with my SG colleagues. It was weird at first because I didn't know anyone there, except this one guy I met while I was in HK. Quite a cool friendly dude. But everyone was pretty nice, and as the dinner continued people started loosening up and it got more fun. The best part of the evening was when one female colleague (lets call her M) started bitching about a trader sitting opposite him.

"You know this guy ah, he talks so loudly! I can hear whatever he's saying on the phone. And the things he says ah, aiyoh!

"Not say I kaypoh or anything la. But he talk so loudly, with so much detail, how not to notice?"

The whole table listened in concentration.

"He will say something like, 'oh you're feeling hot? hot eh? heh heh heh'"

At this point I burst out laughing.

"Seriously you know!", she turned to me, probably her most entertained audience, "and he'll be walking around the office with his headset talking like that.

"He'll also say things like, 'I'm not going out with you tonight. You'll only cry!' So I'm guessing he's talking to his girlfriend lor

"He shouts at people all the time in the office and scolds them and can be so fierce. But when he's on the phone sometimes he'll be like, 'baby, you're not feeling happy? its ok, baby, go spend some money. as much as you like. would that make you feel happier?'"

At this point the auntie-secretary, a fiesty woman herself, joined in. "Yeah! There was one time he came over to me and said, 'I need some flowers! Now! 24 dollars, 48 dollars, whatever, I don't care. But I need the flowers now!"

M continued, "Whats funny hor, there was once I heard him say, 'Oh honey, what's the matter? You know I love you. You're like a brother to me!'"

At this point I really couldn't control my laughter. The whole table was also laughing away.

"Seriously?" I asked, "he said brother?"

"Yes! Brother!"

"So he's gay?"

"I don't know la. Probably bi"

So funny, this unrestrained bitching. If only they had stuff like this in Hong Kong. I felt everyone was so guarded in HK. Like you couldn't really talk to anybody about anything. Or maybe its just this team. Anyway, it was pretty fun. Nowhere near as fun as hanging out with old friends, but it couldn't really be much better with complete strangers.

And now I'm blogging about today. Long entry, but a pretty eventful day eh, considering it only started at 3pm. hehehehe...