Phuket Trip: Day 1

The air tix for this trip was really cheap so we just booked the tix like in July when we saw the Ads on the website, cost us like 90+ in total (not inc tax in Thailand though)...

Anyway, I shared a cab with PS and XY and reached Changi Airport at about 6am... but when we reached, S and YM were still on their way... so waited for them like 15 minute plus and then proceed to check in before they arrived... had breakfast at Mac then boarded the plane at about 830am...

Reached Phuket at around 915am local time... and boarded the mini bus which we arranged to fetch us to our accommodation for the next 2 days... the bus journey was about 45min, and 5 of us chat a bit on the bus, and finished up the chocolate bread PS brought from SG... Along the way YM's client kept calling him for tech support (wahliao... suppose to come here to relax leh, somemore is a saturday)...

After reaching our apartment and checked in, we (or at least me) change out to a more casual clothes and head our way towards the beach, searching for a place to lunch... Walked a distance before stopping by a seafood / western restaurant by the beach for lunch... ... ...

PS: Didn't finish writing the detailed accounts for this trip. So please refer to StupidGenius' entries for the account. For Day 1, click here; Day 2, click here; and Day 3, click here.

ECQ Retreat 2005 : Day 3

Going Home...

Remember that my room door was open before I slept but somehow it was closed in the morning (must be the wind)... The power supply was still unavailable and no wonder I was perspiring... =.= woke up earlier than me and opened the rear window to let in some winds... But by this time I was also awake and after washing up, went next door to call FL, S and XY to go for breakfast...

After breakfast went back to room, play cards and waiting for checkout... then notice that there was a note slipped under my room door saying that the power disruption was an island wide thingy as one of the cable snapped, and that power will resume in the afternoon... But by then we would have left the place...

After checking out from the room, there was still like 1 hour or so before taking the ferry back to the mainland... so me, =.=, XY and S sat at the canteen playing bridge... its good that we taught PS and S how to play as they may apply those in the following week, hehe...

Just before we left the island, the whole company took a pic just outside the resort...

And the ESC members also gather for a shot...

So finally the ECQ Retreat 2005 ended... next up the D & D...

ECQ Retreat 2005 : Day 2

Snorkeling Trip

The 1st half of the day was a snorkeling trip to the Marine Park... Initially we thought that all equipments will be provided but only knew that we had to rent the gear the day before... but since already here I thought might as well just go lor...

We went to 2 places for snorkeling, one was the marine park... the water was not as clear as I have hope for... But since this is the first time that I have done snorkeling, I quite enjoy it... Think everyone went xiahai, even for S who dunno how to swim, except XY... That day was super hot and kena burnt after the session, even both my feet were not spared (shouldt have sat under the sun on the way back)...

Lazy Afternoon

Arrived back at the resort at about 1+, feeling famished, so went for lunch straightaway without taking a bath... Luckily lunch was not too bad, rice with drumstick (should have asked for a second serving... :P) ... Went back to my room after lunch and =.= was in the shower so had to wait a while... After lunch, PS and the rest jio to go to the rock pool, but I did not join them as I have locked up the toilet door in my room unintentionally and had to wait for the person to come to open (Later heard that the gang went hor lan on the way to the rock pool, instead went jungle trekking ... :D) ... I was quite amazed that the resort do not have the key to open the toilet door in my room, and that the person had to use brute force to force the door open...

After the saga, went to the DoTA room for a game... I think it was me, sotong and one more person (think is DM its 13) against =.= and templar... And as usual, kena owned badly... So all in all, played really badly on Tioman... Later went back to my room, and the rest also returned from their trekking... subsequently all of them cramped in my room for some card games, think me playing bridge with HT, ET and XY while the rest played Big 2... then CW and IP came and we had a game of pictionary... some of them is really good at guessing, even though the drawing some times doesn't really reflect the actual answer... All in all, had a good fun though... by the time the game ended, it was around dinner time...

BBQ Dinner and Lantern Session

Dinner was some BBQ stuff... the staff was giving out the BBQ prawn and we can grab the rest of the food ourself... I sat with CW, IP, ET, HT, CK and MK... Overall, dinner was not too bad, esp like the meat (was it mutton or beef?)... CW offer to go outside buy beer, and I also ordered a can... Then CK go made some garlic bread for the whole table, and MK teased him that he made the best garlic bread in an attempt to make him get more (and succeeded btw... :p)... Later on the tour leader also came around offering garlic bread which we politely decline as we already had enough... Seen that the other table where the MCs were sitting also drank a lot of beer, even offering Linda's son...

After dinner most of the people from my table went to the beach bar to watch the movie (there was a big screen, initially with no sound only the picture, but after CK's probe, they turned on the sound...), while I waited for the lantern session to start... we stayed at the dining area to light the lanterns for everyone before proceeding to the beach... we also brought some fire sparklers here which everyone got themselves some to play with... that ET then set my lantern ablaze, which is the 1st to be kenaed on the night.... from then on everyone was trying to burn other people's lantern... distinctly remembered a few of the guys chasing Newbie around... then we had a group photo taken.... After the session, a few of us went outside to get some drinks before going back to our rooms again...

Powerless Evening

Went to XY's room this time to play cards instead of my room... got a surprise visit from KH and MH... and when Linda and her daughter also dropped by, we started playing heart attack... After a while, CW and IP came with Pictionary again and we switched to that... It was not long before the whole room was blacked out... The power supply was cut off... And there was no sign of the lights coming back even after an hour, although some of the lights in the common area was up again...

Luckily there were still some lanterns left over from earlier, so CW and S started to light them up and hang them outside of the room... As some of the lanterns were red in colour, to hang them outside of FL, S and XY's room was a bit the 怪...

By this time almost everyone was gathering outside for their room respectively as it was very stuffy inside the room... Then YM started playing some tune with his trombone... As the night was pretty quiet, the tune that he played can be heard from afar...

By this time, I was pretty restless also... sometimes staying outside of the room chatting with the people around, other time went back to room and nua on the bed... but then it was too stuffy to stay in the room for long without the aircon... so finally still left the room and play big 2 with CK, ET and HT at the canteen area... We played until 2+ then i decided to went back my room to sleep... But quite a lot of people were sleeping at the canteen area as the rooms were really hot and stuffy...

However before I left my room, MK was gathering people, namely D, RT, M, and S , into my room, saying that he can summon some unnatural beings... (hmmm... wonder if we could trust his word here at Tioman)... Anyway I dunno what exactly happened but heard from the others that they heard some laughter coming out from my room... But after a while everyone came out but did not say what had happened (makes me wonder)... But I was still able to sleep through the night unscathed...

ECQ Retreat 2005 : Day 1

Journey to Paya (not papaya hor...)

Finally the day has come, after weeks of preparation, from planning the game to making the banner... Reached Woodlands Checkpoint at around 7am... 5 people were already here, DT and wife, ZK and wife and AY. PK and PS were late... and to think PK volunteered to coordinate the people here at the Checkpoint. Soon after, it started to rain rather heavily... I thought OMG... bad start to the day...

The main group arrived at around 715am from office and I was told that we would need to squeeze into one bus from here to JB checkpoint before switching to two Malaysian Coaches. But then there were still people who haven't arrived yet. We almost wanted to leave without the last person, but luckily she managed to come in the nick of time...

We need not wait long to clear the custom, unlike a normal trip here to JB where 1 to 2 hours wait is a norm. After clearing the custom, the tour lead brought the whole group to Rasa Sentosa (if I remembered the name correctly) for breakfast. A typical coffeeshop not much different from Singapore except that they don't have the drink that I've wanted to order... From there we continue our journey to Tanjong Gemok, where we would be taking the ferry to our destination, Pulau Tioman. The journey took about 3 hours or so but we still managed to reached the ferry terminal ahead of the scheduled time... Nothing special about the ferry ride, most of the people was taking a nap as the day had started earlier than usual...

By the time we reached the island, it was already 130pm... and the lunch was not even ready at the resort (btw we stayed at Paya Beach Resort)... But bo bian also, gotta had a quick lunch and then setup the various stations for the game... As usual, Boss had a quick opening speech for the retreat before the ESC members, P and WW split up the whole group into different teams for the game by issuing colored bands... As I was part of the game organizers, I was excused from playing the game... Luckily the whether was good here on the island, else I don't think we would be able to find an indoor area to carry on with the game...

Let the Game Begin

This year's teambuilding game was modelled to the Game of Life... the objective was to earn as much 'money' (ECQ notes... designed by CK, the ESC Chairman) as possible for the duration of the game... There were 2 main areas work and training area (3 actually if you include the holding area, which I was manning)... In the early part of the game everyone was rushing to the training area as some work requires certain certification... Almost everyone was crowding around this area, as my designated area had nothing much to do at this point of time, went there to help out...

As the game goes, PK was the first to be buried in the sand... once he started the ball rolling, more people follow suit... Newbie was next...but they never thought of covering themselves with towel or newspaper, like the rest, before being buried... Linda's daughter got a huge advantage for burying with her small size... Memory game was also rather popular especially with the Dota gang... quite surprised that the new lady, LP, could also memorise the Dota Heroes in such a short time... Folding paper cranes takes time, but with the instruction sheets given, it was a rather simple task...

Our CFO was constantly making announcement throughout the game that really spice things up a little... these ranging from jailing people for plucking leaves to running for presidency... and =.= was tasked to round up the people who flouted the law... The first to be put into the holding area was TL if I remembered correctly...

By mid-game all the people were crowding around the work area... So I went over to help S, WW and XY who were manning that area... making sand cubes, pasting leaves and solving puzzles and riddles, the people were busy working away... I think the riddle solving really make some of them crack their heads... some of the questions were rather 欠扁 while others requires a bit of logic and maths... The new sales guy Darius was stumped by the question about egg hatching...

Soon after, the game had come to an end, and everyone was shuffled back to the super crampy KTV room for a debrief and prize giving... CFO gave a quick briefing on what the whole game was about and related it to work... It was not a debrief that everyone was hoping for, judging by the looks on their face... However, we still had to bear through the ordeal... And after tallying the total amount earnt by all the teams, SJ's team came out on top, with something like ECQ$36K... hehe...

Rest and Relax before Dinner

By this time, it was about 5 + and S proceed to give out the room keys to the people... then everyone went to their repective rooms to have a good shower and take a bit of rest... went back to room for a quick shower and wondered around my area a bit... I was rooming with =.= and our room was beside FL, S and XY's... Played a bit of card game (big 2) before the time comes for dinner.

Dinner and 8th Month Auction

Dinner starts at around 7 and the ESC members proceeded to give out the new ECQ polo tee just before dinner. It so happens that the tees were labelled with the names of individuals, so as we gave out all the tees, we noticed that 2 people were missing... It was later found out that the 2 (D and M) were sleeping in their room... Shortly after dinner, CTO gave a short speech about SOP and its direction for the future... CTO kept his word and the speech was really short...

Then the ESC kicked off the 8th month Auction (Survivor style), hosted by CK, and in between, slot in a bit of Q n A... The items up for grabs ranging from mini magnetic games, tidbits to mooncakes and gift vouchers... not every team got their items valued for the money... I think every team did successfully bid for at least one item though... Was supposed to have the lantern carrying session later that night but the weather dictates otherwise...

Defense of The Ancient at Pulau Tioman

It wasn't a surprised that we are still able to DOTA at the Retreat, the same happens last year but it was still WC III at that time... This time around we got about 6 laptops all cramped into JZ's room... I've taken over from PS after he left and I teamed up with DM and Obi... the other team comprises of Temp, Newbie and =.=... even without a mouse, Newbie played pretty well and my team was kena owned... anyway played only 1 game for the day and went back to my room after that...

Back to my room, and found that it was pretty crowded.... the people were playing Pictionary on =.=' s bed, altogether around 8 ~ 9 people... and so i just join in the fun... I think my drawing skill sucks and probably a little bit better a guessing the word with my limited vocabs... anyway we all had a great laugh and the game continues until about 2+ before the game ended...

What's the number?

There are 11 letters in your name.
Those 11 letters total to 65
There are 5 vowels and 6 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 11

The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.

The expression or destiny for #11:
Your Expression number is 11. The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.

The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.

The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 6

A Soul Urge number of 6 means:
With a number 6 Soul Urge, you would like to be appreciated for your ability to handle responsibility. Your home and family are likely to be a strong focus for you, perhaps the strongest focus of your life. Friendship, love, and affection are high on your list of priorities for a happy life. You have a lot of diplomatic tendencies in your makeup, as you a able to rectify and balance situations with an innate skill. You like working with people rather than by yourself. It is extremely important for you to have harmony in your environment at all times.

The positive side of the 6 Soul Urge produces a huge capacity for responsibility; you are always there and ready to assume more than your share of the load. If you possess positive 6 Soul Urges and express them, you are known for your generosity, understanding and deep sympathetic attitude. Strong 6 energy is very giving of love, affection, and emotional support. You may have the inclination to teach or serve your community in other idealistic ways. You have natural abilities to help people. You are also likely to have artistic and creative leanings.

If you have an over-supply of 6 energy in your makeup, you may express some of the negative traits common to this number. With such a strong sympathetic attitude, it is easy to become too emotional. Sometimes the desires to render help can be over done, and it can become interfering and an attitude that is too protective, rather than helpful. The person with too much 6 energy often finds that people tend to take advantage of this very giving spirit. You may tend to repress your own needs so that you can cater to the demands from others. At times, there may be a tendency in this, for becoming over-loaded with such demands, and as a result become resentful.

Your Inner Dream number is: 6

An Inner Dream number of 6 means:
You dream of guiding and fostering the perfect family in the perfect home. You crave the devotion from offspring and a loving spouse. You picture yourself in the center of a successful domestic unit.

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Not entirely accurate IMO...

http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp