I'm in the library using the net again. Brought my lappy to the library but it couldn't get connected to the internet. Connected with limited connectivity. Therefore, I resorted to using the pc terminal. It's late at night therefore there aren't many people here and I can use it as long as I like. hehe...

Assignments are coming in and I don't like it. Imagine writing 1000+ words on the topic of plagiarism. Gosh!

Since I'm unable to upload photos into facebook using the pc terminal, I shall do it here.

Enjoy the pictures...

No net @ home but outside the library

I still have no internet connection at home. I resorted to bringing my laptop to the outside of the library late at night at about 8.30pm when it's all dark and use the free wireless. At home, I've to pay 3 auzzie cents per megabyte of data transfer. That's expensive. Therefore, it would be good to go out to the library to use things like skype and such. And unlike in Singapore, there're no power plugs to be found therefore, I've to rely on my battery, which can only last me for about an hour or so.

It's the third week that I'm in Melbourne now and life has been quite good thus far. It's getting colder day by day. It's now 15 deg outside. I took quite a few pictures, but won't be uploading them so soon, perhaps till tomorrow or so. I'll be posting them into my facebook album so check it there.

My lecture will be at noon, so i'm practically free till then.

=)

No Net Still

I'm back in the library again.

I enrolled for my course yesterday and I'll only be getting my Statement of Account in about 3 days time. Until then, I've to live without net at home. I'm hoping that once I get my SoA, I'm able to tap into the wireless networks which I detected back home.

To get a connection back home, I'll still have to apply for it and pay $90. :(

I went over to University Mews to check out the apartments. It looks nice and I wouldn't mind shifting there. However, single bedroom units aren't available and only double units are so I'll have to make do with it and be put on the waiting list.

It's Pub-crawling tonight and I'll be going out with my neighbors (over at my building) to various pubs. They have a drinking culture here but I don't really drink - so yea...

Cheers!

Night @ campus

It's real boring at night without any internet connection. No MSN, no Trevvy, no Facebook and such. The coin-phone at my college is faulty - the coin keeps dropping out after inserting it and to use the mobile phone to call the calling card number is expensive. The only way I can chat to people back in Singapore is to walk all the way out to the "central" of the uni, about 4 minutes walk, to use the phone booths. It's under shelter but it's cold and it gets dark after 8pm. It's unsafe to travel alone in the streets of Melbourne, even it school, it gives me the creeps.

No gay life here. There's a GLB society here and I went to take a look at their unit - the Rainbow Room but it was closed. Guess perhaps it's not the start of the semester yet. I'll go join them as it'll make me feel more with my kind - the queers, i suppose.

I wanna go watch Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert but it's just too expensive.

Sigh...

For a better tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day people...

Cheers!~

MiRaNtZ in Melbourne

I'm now in my university's library using the computer terminal as thenet connection in my room's not available yet. I hope that it'll be up in about 2 weeks time or less.

My phone number is: +61 0433353646

My address is:

Edgar Mirantz Tan
Glenn College, Room 319N
La Trobe University
Bundoora
VIC 3086
Australia

Presents, parcels, letters, books, love notes, condoms, dildos, cock-rings and other items can be sent to me using the above-mentioned address. I'll be very much delighted to receive items to my mailbox/door.

Cheers!

No more work!

I regret for not updating my blog for such a long time. just feeling plain lazy to do so.

It's a Monday and I woke up only at 1pm. Slept close to 5am, that's why. I was busy uploading photos from the chalet and Taboo to facebook.

It has been a hectic week and I foresee that this coming week would be another busy week with me flying off to Melbourne this Saturday night.

I had my farewell chalet last Thursday with a BBQ dinner on Friday, checking out of the bunglow on Saturday morning. It was clubbing at Taboo at night and Dinner with Yong Sen, Daniel, Bastian, Marcus and Dan over at Chomp Chomp hawker center last night.

Please visit my facebook photo album for all the pictures which i've taken.


Cheers!

MiRaNtZ's Farewell Dinner (BBQ & Potluck)

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

MiRaNtZ's Farewell Chalet cum BBQ/Potluck Dinner

Date: 31st January to 2nd February 2008, Dinner on 1st February 2008 (Friday)
Dinner Time: 1900 hrs onwards
Venue: Aloha Changi, Biggin Hill Bunglow A

Diners are welcomed to contribute any food of any amount. 30+ diners would be expected. Contributions in cash are also welcomed.

No pork/lard would be served for the BBQ as we would be having muslim friends. For potluck items, please label the dishes if it contains pork or lard.

If you wish to contribute any dishes, do inform us in advance so we would be able to avoid any repeatition of food items.

Please RSVP your attendance; stayover, dinner, or both by 27th January 2008.


About Edgar Mirantz Tan

Mr. Edgar Mirantz Tan is a Nurse registered with the Singapore Nursing Board, Certified Hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists (USA) and a Gospel Magician being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. He owns the companies Film Five Management (based in Singapore and UK) and E.M.TAN HYPNOTHERAPY. He has also partnered and worked with Changi General Hospital, Ann Siang Media, BRAVE, Trevvy.com, JM2u, Inkque and East Shore - A ParkwayHealth Hospital.

He holds a NITEC in Nursing from the Institute of Technical Education, a Diploma in Mass Communications from Oklahoma City University (USA) and will be pursuing his Bachelor of Nursing from La Trobe University (Australia) in February 2008.

Contact Information

Mirantz

Email: mirantz(at)film5.org
Phone/Text: 9MiRaNtZ (96472689)

From 27th to 29th January, please contact the under-mentioned:-

Undisclosed

Email: undisclosed(at)film5.org
Text: 94375130

-END-

Farewell chalet confirmed

I've been planning to have a chalet for my farewell for a long time now, but it hasn't been a reality until now.

27th to 29th Jan - Genting trip.
31st Jan to 2nd Feb - Farewell chalet @ Aloha Loyang.

I really have to thank Edwin, the Royal Slut for the 88 kingdom to help me with this. All my friends are invited to come. Please let me know if you're interested in coming so that I can give you more details.

Accompanied Brian to shopping today and he bought trunks, tshirt and a polo tee from SportsmenAsia.com. Cost him $105 in total. Whoa!

Anyway, time for bed. It's the One Life Experience tomorrow again and I'll be there conducting the free anonymous HIV testing for people.

Goodnight!

Happy New Year 2008

It's the time of the year again to greet and wish everyone a Blessed New Year 2008!

2008 thus far has been good and it would be an exciting year for me, I hope.

I'm staring to clear my Annual Leaves. I have 4 days more of AL's left and I'm breaking it into 8 half-days. That means that I'll only be working about 3 to 4 half days in a week.

Yawns.... It's another boring Sunday afternoon~~~~

Edgar Mirantz Tan - Technical Director

This young fellow is so busy, we're fortunate to have been able to catch up with him!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a full time anesthetic nurse in the operating theatre of East Shore – A Parkway Health hospital and also a part time director of two companies - Film Five Management and E.M.Tan Hypnotherapy.

Have you had past experiences in a musical or drama production?

I was involved in the arts scene since kindergarten and I've been doing theatre, musicals and plays ever since. I also took part in The Necessary Stage's :In the Lenses of Youth" (1999) as well as ITE's “A Mid-Summer Night's Dream” (2003). I used to be in the church choir as well.

How did you get involved in this production?

Auntie Jingle approached me and I decided to make this my last production before I leave for Australia in February next year. I'll be pursuing a Bachelor in Nursing and Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy in Melbourne, Australia.

What does your role require of you?

I coordinate with the director and script writers to brainstorm on the various audio, video and lighting effects and equipment needed.

If you had the choice of playing the role of a character, who would it be and why?

The audience. The audience is always a character and I would really love to take a backseat at times. But of course when you're taking a backseat, you'll feel like being involved.

How do you prepare yourself before you go on stage?

Talk, laugh, power nap, drink lots of apple juice (it's good for the throat) and not eat. Eating before a show makes my stomach go BIG and I'll look rounder (which I already am).

*The interview ends abruptly as Edgar flags a cab to rush off for his next appointment. Come catch this flitting fellow as he handles the lighting effects for the musical!

AWS is here~~~

I've finally got my AWS aka 13th month bonus.

Now I'm longing for a short overseas trip to Malaysia, either KL, Malacca or Genting Highlands. Brian told me that there's a buy 1 night, get 1 night free for just $89. Now I'm considering who I should go with and when. Thinking of going in the second week of January and then have chalet on the last week of January.

Brian's having his band concert on the 5th of January and I'm watching Beauty World on the 4th.

As for now, it's the Christmas musical on the 23rd and 25th of December. That's enough to keep me busy. I need more time and more money to meet up with all my friends whom I've not met for a long time and really have to catch up with them before I fly off.

Merry Christmas and have a Blessed New Year ahead!

Gadgets and more...

MiRaNtZ's single again as he was dumped. His ex was liking someone so he couldn't go after someone with an attached status.

Although I'm hurt, I'll pick myself up and I'll run and soar like eagles again. Brian has really been a big big help rendering me all the support that I needed. I'll really need to thank him lots - without him, I wouldn't know how I would have coped.

Last Friday, I went over to SITEX 2007 at Singapore Expo to scout around for a new laptop after my Dell gave up on me and a digital camera. And at Singapore Expo itself, there was the John Little sale, so I went in as well. There I bought 11 sets of branded underwear which my mum was nagging the whole evening as it was rather expensive compared to other brands which I could have gotten it for almost half the price and why I needed such nice undergarments - not as if I would be going to Australia to show them off. Bought 6 pairs of socks as well.

On Saturday, I bought a new laptop for S$2798..00. It's the Asus V2S. Intel Centrino 2.2ghz, 2gb of RAM, 160gb of HD space, DVD RW with Lightscribe. The sales person was rather handsome - oh wait, he was the one I approached after looking through a few salesperson (Hmmm... Am I shopping for a lappy or a guy???)

On Sunday, I went back to SITEX and got myself a Digital Camera for $649. It's a Fujifilm S8000fd, semi-professional 8mpx camera with 18x optical zoom. However, that's from Harvey Normal, so nothing much to choose from (in terms of the salesperson as it's just touch and go). Read the review of my camera here.

Went for the AIDS Walk and I was informed by my dad (who was queuing for the camera) that it's out of stock and that I would have to collect it from the Funan Center either on Wednesday or Thursday.

I'm going to Changi Airport Terminal 3 tomorrow with Derrick. Hope I wouldn't have to stay back like I did yesterday, till 10pm. Will upload pictures of it here if we happen to take any.

Cheers and once again, Thank you Brian (if you're reading this).

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is just round the corner - 1st December 2007.

This year, there are quite a few events lined up WAD, in fact not only for 1 day but 2 days this year.

On Saturday, 1st December 2007, there'll be the AfA Charity Line Dance in the evening and various events in the clubs at night.

On Sunday, 2nd December 2007, there's the AIDS Walk from Skate Park to Tangs in the evening and the Fabulous Flirt party at night.



Do take part in them to show your support for HIV/AIDS. I'll be there so see you there!

No updates

It's been a long time since I last updated the blog. No, I've still been blogging, but in another blog - More Than Just A Story.

Something eventful happened on Wednesday, 21st of November. My patient, a foreigner, collapsed on the table in the midst of the operation. We started performing chest compressions from about 4.15pm all the way to about 7.20pm. We didn't have to give ventilations as he was already intubated and with the ETT tube connected to the anaesthesia machine. He didn't make it though. I was rather affected by it initially as I couldn't really sleep that night and went over to my parents' room to sleep with them but the following day, it's back to normal. The following day, the surgeon treated us to lunch.

Nothing much exciting has been happening in my life. Me0w's having his exams starting tomorrow and he has 2 papers right on the first day. I really hopes he does well. Thinking of me going to university's just scary. I wonder if they are being spoon fed in Singapore. I know that in Australia, you've to do lotsa research and studying on your own.

Anyway, hope that things get much better day by day. I'm also hoping that life for BT will be very much better and not so complicated.

Oh well, life's just like that. Ciao!

More Than Just A Story

I've been rather busy these few weeks. Preparing for the Christmas musical, hypnosis and JCI.

JCI's next Monday till Wednesday and the stress's building up. I spent most of my time at work today cleaning the theatre. I've to go back to work this Sunday morning as well as we've to continue cleaning and such.

Just back from the briefing for tomorrow's event by AfA. They're having a getai at Chinatown to create the awareness of HIV/AIDS. Was asked to take photos, but I couldn't as I no longer have a digital camera. Learnt from Singapore Expo's website 2 days back that SITEX 2007 would be held from 29th November to 2nd December in Halls 5 & 6. It's time for me to get my laptop and my digital camera! Have decided to go on 2 days, one to get the pricelists and such and on the last day to purchase the items (and to get more freebies).

I'm cracking my head on creating a new blogskin by my own, without copying from others and it's not as simple as html. There's more to it and an IT idiot like me wouldn't know much. It's back to reading and more reading (which puts me to sleep, of course). Do check out the blog for more details of the event.

Meow's having exams in less than 2 weeks time. I'm hoping that meow would do well. I'm planning to spend more time with meow thereafter and treasuring every moment of it before I leave.

Am tired. Going to sleep le. Goodnight and God Bless!

93 Days more to Down Under

It's 93 days more to go before I get to get the SQ Experience. I hope I won't be disappointed by it though. I'm so looking forward to Australia. The international office will be closed on Sunday when I arrive, so I'll have to report there on Monday. However, Monday's already the start of the Welcome festival. I have a feeling that everything would be very rushed.

Changi Airport Terminal 3 will be open to the public for their open house from Monday. I shall be going to see how nice it is next Sunday, as it seems from the website that it's a very big thing. My flight on the 9th of February (Saturday, the 3rd day of Chinese New Year) will be departing from T3 as well.

Depending on the number of cases tomorrow morning, I may go over to police station tomorrow to apply for my Certificate of No Criminal Record which I'll need for my studies.

I still do not know what I should pack for my trip. I only have a rough idea. Well, I hope that as time draws nearer, I can complete my shopping and packing list. I'm in need of a school bag (it's back to school) and I do not know if I should get a sling bag or a backpack. I need a pencil box. What's nice and class (read "atas") and not too expensive? What else? Winter clothing? Laptop, External HDD? Pencils and Pens?

Time to meet my friend for dinner. He wanna bring me to the coffeeshop opp PLAY as he says there are nice butter prawns there... Yum yum...

Goodbye peeps!

MiRaNtZ - Attached!

In a surprising twist of fate, MiRaNtZ is now happily attached, not to kenneth though.

But Kenneth's still close in his heart.

Busy week

Selamat Hari Raya Puasa to all my Muslim friends out there. 1 month of fasting, to some might be easy but it might to be to some, especially when you've to be fasted when the sun is shining. (The sun shines all the time, but depending on which part of the continent you're at.) I went to Siti Nurita's house (my colleague) to celebrate the occasion with them. I thought that it would only last for perhaps 1 or 2 hours and didn't expect to have dinner with them. Luckily no plans for dinner with friends were made. And whoa, I was fed really well, all thanks to the home cooked food by Siti herself. I didn't know that she could cook that well though. Ayam masak merah (a spicy chicken dish), lontong (stuffed rice with curry & vegetables), tahu tempei, sambal prawn, tomato rice and chicken. Watched TV, helped to wash the dishes and more TV before leaving her place at about 11.40pm. And by that time, there were no more buses to Bedok as the last 168 leaves Woodlands at 11.30pm. She stays at Woodlands drive 60 (near Admiralty MRT). Was dead tired when I arrived home.

Was the porter at work on Monday and Tuesday. I wanted to cut my hair on Tuesday as it was long but couldn't make it as I worked 5 hours of overtime on Tuesday and 4.5 hours of overtime on Wednesday. Luckily I'm on half day today and went to get my hair cut, highlighted and dyed. Spent $80 on it but it seems to me that the highlight can't be seen as i did reverse process (that is highlighting and dyeing instead of otherwise).

It's the visit to the Wyeth factory tour tomorrow. If I'm not wrong, we're going to see how milk powder is being made, or something to that extent. Leaving East Short at 2.30pm and the bus will bring us to their factory at Tuas. It'll be my first time there at such a far off location, further than Boon Lay.

Dinner on Saturday night at Hua Yue Yu (at Upper East Coast Road) with my relatives as it's my aunt's birthday. Will be going to Malaysia for the Pineapple and Mushroom farm tour on the 27th, Saturday. Thereafter it'll be November already, 3 months more to Australia. Whoo~~~ I can't wait for it.

By the way, have you heard of the Blog Competition 2007?

Only 20 blogs will make it to the final round. Every week, 7 blogs will be listed and each week only 5 blogs will make it to the final round. There will be 4 weeks of intense voting till all 20 blogs are determined. When all 20 blogs are determined, that's when the fiery competition starts. Before the final round, the person with the most votes by the end of the week for each round will receive $50. As for now, the prize remains as a $300 worth of hamper or $300 worth of cash and a $540 worth of hypnotherapy voucher. It is a hypnotherapy voucher for 3 sessions worth. I am still looking around for sponsors. The stakes may increase, the prizes could multiply. No joke :)

So imagine this, if you're the overall winner in the final round and a winner for the individual round, you get $300 + $540 and $50.

But who will be the winner?

E.M.TAN HYPNOTHERAPY is proud to be a sponsor for Blog Competition 2007. Should you need sponsors for any of your events, do contact either Film Five Management (admin[at]film5.org) or E.M.TAN HYPNOTHERAPY (info[at]emtanhypnotherapy.com) and we'll be glad to work something out.

Still tired, yawning away le. Goodnight everyone.

Letter to ST Forums not published

Starhub contacted me this afternoon. The salesman identified himself. After chatting for a while, he put me on hold to check on something. While he was at that, I used my other phone to call my dad, asking him to call me back so that we could have a conference call. And of course, I kinda regretted doing that. When the both of them were talking (my dad was practically complaining about the Sunday experience), I almost went deaf on my right ear.

About 15 minutes later, I was told that I would be able to get my new phone, a Nokia E65 for the same price as advertised last week at $88, plus a delivery charge of $12.84, this coming Friday evening. That's good news for me that I can get my new phone just in time for the weekend. Oh ya, and I'll be going to the Singapore Zoo with the 88 thread guys this Saturday. It's Hari Raya Puasa.

Here's the email from ST:-

Thank you for writing to us. We do appreciate your making the effort.

We receive up to 70 letters each day. Limited space means we can publish only about a dozen every weekday.
This means having to make often-difficult editorial judgments on which letters to publish.

We regret we are unable to publish your letter.

You may want to contact Ms Jeannie Ong, Head, Corp Comms & Investor Relations, StarHub at corpcomms@starhub.com.


Yours sincerely


Ms Noor Aiza
for Forum Editor
The Straits Times

So yea... The zoo will be my first place to test my phone's WiFi capability. =)

Starhub service not a star afterall - letter to ST Forum

I have been a very loyal Starhub customer since it started operations 7 years ago. Last Thursday, I visited Starhub's Online shop to re-contract my current plan as well as to get a new phone. The price of the phone, the Nokia E65, was $88 with contract. The next day, the sales consultant contacted me with regards to the transaction. I asked if I could collect the phone personally at the Plaza Singapura outlet on Monday as it was near to my office and so that I would not need to pay the delivery charge. He confirmed that I would be able to obtain the Nokia E65 from the above-mentioned outlet.

On Sunday, I went to the Tampines Mall outlet as I was nearby. After queueing for almost 45 minutes and speaking to the staff, I was told that the Starhub shop online and the retail shop wasn't linked as it was 2 different departments. I was also told that the promotion was over and i had to pay $268 for the phone - a $180 difference! I went over to the Plaza Singapura Level 1 outlet, with my wife and son in tow, thinking that I would be able to collect my phone from there as the sales consultant would have contacted the branch with regards to my order. After queueing again for another hour, to my surprise, nothing was known. As I didn't know the name of the caller, I was told to go to the B2 Customer Service center to see if the caller could be traced. After waiting for another 45 minutes to be attended, I was told that nothing could be done and that it was most probably a miscommunication that I wasn't told that I had to do a purchase in the retail outlet and that the promotion would have ended by the time I visited the shop on Monday. My whole Sunday afternoon was spoilt, wasted and I didn't get my phone.

Starhub should seriously consider improving and consolidating their retail and online shops as well as inform customers over the phone if there would be changes in the pricing if the collection is from the retail outlet after the promotional period. Starhub should also specify that online purchases are only to be delieverd to the home only and cannot be collected at the retail outlet. It is also absurb to know that delieveries cannot be sent to the office expect to residential addresses. Waiting time should also be very much reduced, else I forsee myself or other customers jumping over to SingTel or M1. What's the use of having online orders when it cannot be fulfilled at the end of the day?

I hope that Starhub would seriously look into this matter.