Back To Beijing

My 亲爱的 is supposed to arrive in Beijing today at about 10pm. Just before going to bed, I sent her an sms:

Me: 老婆到北京了没有？

亲爱的：非常糟糕啦,我们现在还在成都.明天才能飞了,现在和小燕住机场附近的酒店.我们误机了

Me: 是你糊涂看错时间吗，还是飞机取消啦？明天几点飞机？

亲爱的：小燕拿驾照做飞机.把身份证放行李箱了.开始用驾照换到登机牌了,到登机安检的时候就过不了.就这样我们迟到了.没有上到飞机

Me: 哦 你早点休息吧，老婆好想你，希望两个礼拜会很快过 到了北京给我发讯息 明天下午给你电话.

V-Gear Talkcam DX7 Driver

亲爱的 and I always do video chat over skype. She'll be going back to Beijing tomorrow, so I will probably get see her tomorrow evening. Today I realized that my webcam is faulty. Luckily, I have another webcam in my drawer, the V-Gear Talkcam DX7, that was bought two years ago in the PC Show.



I have misplaced the CDROM. Did a search on the internet and looks like the company V-Gear from Taiwan is closed. Spent almost an hour, and finally managed to get the driver from here 412_f1_09-VDX720.rar Ran the setup, but it has detected that my XP is service pack 3 and did not allow me to continue. I have to use my old IBM T40 Thinkpad that has service pack 2 instead to run the setup. After setup is completed, I checked the contents in the directory and found the etvideo.inf and emaudio.inf files, which means I can do a Add Hardware in my present laptop. Here is the download zipped folder stored in Media Fire.

买房子 II

I like Michael Jackson, but his death didn't really affect me. He is just one of the many pop music artists that grew up with me during the 80s and 90s. As other bloggers are mourning his death, I'm trying to get back to my normal life after a 3 days adventure in Chengdu. An important task that I have done in Chengdu is to help my 亲爱的 to purchase a studio apartment in a new condo project. The unit costs about RMB160,000, and the down payment works out to be RMB50,000. 亲爱的 said she has RMB20,000 in her savings and ask me to help her with RMB30,000, about S$6,400. I can't think of a good reason to turn her down, especially when it looks like a good investment. The keys would be ready in 3 months' time. Honestly, can I say no? We've come a long long way together, and I hate to disappoint her. On the bright side, she didn't expect me to help her with the full amount, since she knows that I am just a 打工仔. The monthly installment for the loan is about RMB800 per month for the next 20 years, and she promised me that she's going to Shanghai with me to set up business there, so that she can make enough money to service the loan. My 亲爱的 is very proud to be a landlord at the age of 22. The other thing that she's proud of is to have a 老公 that provide her with financial support when she needs it.

Nokia N97 Must-Have Software

Here is a list of applications that I have installed in my Nokia N97

Best Crypto
To encrypt confidential files in my mobile phone, like the photos of me and my 亲爱的.

Best Private Conversation
For SMS filtering, so that messages between me and my 亲爱的 will be hidden.

Garmin Mobile XT
Provides me with GPS functionality, so that I can never get lost outside Singapore, and I can still locate my 亲爱的'S new apartment in Chengdu when I visit there again in September.

Gmail
To access my email in my gmail account.

Google Maps
In case if Garmin maps are not available for certain areas.

Mail for Exchange
To access my company's email

The Straits Times
Keep me updated on Singapore news when I'm on the move.

WorldMate
To keep me updated on weather forecast and Chinese currency exchange rate.

72 Hours in Chengdu

Nokia N97

I've got a new toy today. Traded in my N96 for a N97. Was busy with it the whole day, and didn't have time to call my 亲爱的 until evening. I spoke to her only for 5 minutes, reminded her to meet me at the airport tomorrow. After that, I continued working on it. Finally I found something which is more interesting than talking to my 亲爱的。

买房子

My 亲爱的 and her aunt is still in Chengdu. My 亲爱的 told me that her aunt has just bought a condo unit at a good price. It looks like property price in Chengdu is still very affordable, if you compare with Shanghai or Beijing. For a 100 sq.m unit, it cost about RMB350,000 which is about S$75,000. The project is already completed, and key collection would be in September. In fact, her aunt is encouraging her friends to buy as it seems to be a good investment. 亲爱的 after hearing this is also interested, but obviously her savings is not enough to make even a downpayment. Although she didn't ask me for help directly, but 意思浅浅。Oh boy, I'll be meeting her this Sunday. How should I respond?

Sweat

End Of Quarter Stress

IT salesmen like me live by the quarter. I have to promise the sales figure to the company on 1st April, and make sure that I deliver what I have promised by 30 June. Obviously I can't be too conservative with the forecast, otherwise there is no reason for the company to hire me. There are two more weeks to go before the dateline, and I'm having the "end of quarter" stress. The world is having an economic crisis, and many companies have their IT budget cut. Its a very tough market out there. To keep my blood pressure at a normal level, I have to relax and calm down if deals are not closed on time. Nowadays, my only stress relief is talking to my 亲爱的。When I talk to her，I feel like I'm living in a different world, with feelings of joy and serenity. Maybe it is because during our conversation, my mind get to take a break from work. We chat about anything under the Sun except work, and that has become a daily routine for me. Today we spoke for an 30 minutes, and we've agreed to meet in Chengdu before she return to Beijing next week. I'll be arriving Chengdu on Sunday and returning on Wednesday, and she'll be leaving for Beijing on the same day. This is actually my first trip there. 亲爱的 said there are a lot of 美女 in Chengdu, so based on the Chengdu standard, she's just average looking. She promised to bring me to the best 火锅 restaurant. Although it's just a short trip, 3 days of quality time for stress relief is good enough for me. Anyhow, I'll be going to Beijing again in July to see her.

Update on Ah Lim and Sue

Here's a quick update of what's happening with Ah Lim and Sue.

Ah Lim is pretty much back to his old self, except that he has found a fuck buddy, and his bank account is $500 less. Where did the money go to? He bought a Tiffany pendant for Celine last week, and in return, she allowed him to play with her cup C boobs, thrust into her pussy, for 4 hours, and the session is done in his car in a dark spot in Botanical Gardens. Ah Lim is no longer emotionally attached to Celine because he found out from her that she actually has a boyfriend. In other words, he is just doing her a favour by fulfilling the missing part in her life. That's good for Ah Lim because the greatest fear with a fuck buddy is emotional attachment. Some guys have all the luck!

Sue is back to Beijing, because her Singapore boyfriend is also back to Beijing. Her boyfriend has a short term assignment in Beijing, and once that is done, they intend to fly to Singapore together. Sue said she spoke to his mum over MSN, and his mum is quite excited to meet her. Well, the next one month will be critical for Sue. Since they are staying together now, her boyfriend will get to know that she's really as good as a vase, plus reliefing his sexual needs. We'll see how far the relationship can go. Sue asked if my 亲爱的 wants to visit Singapore together. Since my 亲爱的 has already made her passport last week, I really have no objection for her to come over. 亲爱的 is quite excited as she has heard from her friends that Singapore is a clean and beautiful city. She is also looking forward to take a ride in my E200.

无聊

My 亲爱的 has begun to feel bored staying at home as it is only her, her mum, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 4 rabbits and a cage of chicks. Her dad has returned to Shenzhen to work, while her aunt is staying with her grandma. She intends to stay for another week, and then proceed to visit her 表姐 before going back to Beijing. Her neighbours are the 三姑八婆 who stop by her house everyday to talk cock with her mum. When they see my 亲爱的， they'll ask her about her boyfriend. There is nobody around who can click with her as neighbours who are about her age have left home to work in other provinces. We've started our twice daily phone calls since Tuesday. Over the phone she repeated tell me that she missed me (sign of boredom). This evening, I received this sms 老公有空给我电话吗？When I called back, she said she had a sweet dream during her afternoon nap, and I was in her dream (another sign of boredom). Before going to bed, I sms this message to make her feel good: 老婆希望今晚我也梦见你. A minute later, she replied 刚刚刘凯也给我打电话.叫我晚上梦里也要有他,真把我笑惨了.你也这样说;我是你的老婆当然会梦到你.别人没有那么容易走进我梦的. Maybe her friend 刘凯 is also bored and has nothing better to do. This world is full of 无聊 people.

求签

In the late afternoon, I received this sms from my 亲爱的。

亲爱的：我今天和小姨去庙里求签了。我求了一只上上签；解签的人给我算了；财运爱情双丰收呢！
Me: 是吗？那就好了，你就放心去上海做生意，一定行的
亲爱的：是啊！看来你对我是真心的，我也惦记你，希望可以早见面
Me: 等你回家了，才安排见面的时间，爱你

The Story of Ah Lim 之男人心事

I was watching TVB Jade over channel 48 just now, and this music video 男人心事 sang by Natalis Chan caught my attention. I hope Ah Lim can find some inspiration from this song. He is emotionally unstable beccause he misses his girlfriend. She hasn't been responding to his sms or phonecall for the entire week. His girlfriend is certainly a master mind, and Ah Lim has become the kite. She's making her kite dance across the sky by pulling in and letting out the line. I told Ah Lim to stay cool. After-all, he wants a Fuck Buddy, not a mistress. He should be glad that his girlfriend did not call him every day, especially when they have already made love. It was a dinner date last weekend, and Ah Lim brought her girlfriend to Changi for more hugs and kisses. After so much heavy petting in the car, he transformed into a werewolf and shagged her. I told Ah Lim to get real. FBs don't call each other everyday. There are no strings attached and FBs only meet up when sexual needs arise. He should be glad that he found a local FB. If it is a China mei mei, it will cost him a fortune. I hope Ah Lim knows what he's doing, otherwise he should just step on the brake, leave her alone, continue with life, 不求天长地久，只要曾经拥有 and learn to 怀念“曾经拥有”的美好.

八十大寿

I haven't been chatting with me 亲爱的 for the past 2 days. While driving home this evening after dinner, my mobile phone beeped. She has sent me an SMS: 亲爱的，给我打电话可以吗？I called her and we spoke for 20 minutes. She was in her grandma's house with her aunt. 亲爱的 said that tomorrow, she and her family will be going to see her 老外公. Her 老外公 stays in the 农村，which is about 2 hours of car ride from her house. Her 老外公 is celebrating his 80th birthday and it's going to be a big occasion. She'll only return home on Tuesday, so we won't be talking on the phone until then. Just now, she asked me when I'm going over to Chengdu to see her. I better start checking my outlook calendar and work on my next trip.

Home Sweet Home

Yesterday, 亲爱的 has arrived her home in 江龙镇, a small town near 成都. She was very happy to see her mum and grandma. Her dad works in Shenzhen, but will be back today to see her too. He will be celebrating his 46th birthday tomorrow, and her family is throwing a party in the house and the relatives are invited. She's lookng forward to meet her uncles, aunts and cousins as she has not met them for the past 2 years. According to 亲爱的，she has to give money to the elderly and younger cousins as it is a tradition. This is also related to 面子 because the relatives would think that she's doing well in Beijing. Actually the entire kampong knows that she has a Singaporean boyfriend, and are expecting to see me. My 亲爱的 has to give excuses like her boyfriend is very busy with work as he travels very frequently. For the next couple of days, it looks like she won't have much time to talk to me on the phone, since she has a lot to catch up. While she's having a family reunion, I should also have mine, since I've been travelling every week for the past two months.