Shackled September

So the friggin' SAP integration project went live this month, I didn't give a 💩 and took a day off during the prep week which was during the kids' term break since I refused to do anything further related to that project, not the hypercare, not the sprint grooming, etc.  My BAU is more than enough to occupy me and the lack of work life balance as well as consideration disgusted me enough to pay no heed to this fu💀ked up project. 

Friday Morning Ferry Trip to Batam - Galaxy S23+

I also approached HR this month, trying to see if they can help but then I realized they are of no help at all; I asked if for future opportunities HR could loop me in with the hiring manager to gauge the success of my transfer attempt prior to going through the formal channel, however it was turned down immediately.  It doesn't help that I've been "ostracized" of sorts by being excluded from important communications related to upcoming onboardings and key events such as a strike in US East Coast which will severely impact the system's storage.  I'm stuck in this damn "team" but I don't see a way out either.  Hence.... the shackled feeling.  All I can do is just to be patient till the next opportunity presents itself and jump on it.

This month I also learned of my father's sordid past that really disappointed me like hell.  Apparently he had gone to his illegitimate daughter's wedding last June, just a few months earlier than my sister's wedding.  He even went on stage and presented himself as a proud father of the bride in front of so many people.  I learned of that news from an independent blogger who posted about the wedding on his website, but my silly mom had to share that link with my father who then asked the person to take the post down.  I'm downright disgusted like hell with both my father for his outright shamelessness, and my mom for her lack of self control and plain stupidity.  In any case I've also learned that there are very few people in his circle I can trust which includes my 2nd aunt and my cousin.  I swear...  I won't have anything to do with that man anymore as soon as I can stand on my own feet.

There's No Way I'll Forget #IvanAmel...  Disgusting

Enough ranting..... So during the kids' term break we went to Batam again this month.  It was a short visit for me to keep up with the developments.  I was quite taken aback by the additional expenses that have suddenly arisen from linen replacement and external canopy makeover.  

The Mentioned Canopy That Needs a Major Makeover - Galaxy S23+

The canopy makeover itself is not without any drama as my father suddenly stepped in (yet again) and wanted to do a patch job by adding 4 steel beams which I immediately refuted.  Adding steel beams by the roadside is dangerous as it could possibly affect cars that are moving about, and if any of them gets hit by a car the structural integrity would be severely compromised for sure.  My dad is really frustrating me at times, not respecting my decisions nor vision for the hotel.  Especially as I have asked the missus to commit her time fully to the hotel, it is only right for me and her to have more control and say on the overall direction of the hotel.  For now my father has yielded, but I'm not sure if he'll intervene again. 

Anyway, on this visit we decided to drop by a French cafe next to Harbourbay and decided we won't be visiting again.  On our visit I think the chef must have mistaken salt for sugar as our savoury dishes came out sweet.  We ordered nachos, chicken Gordon Bleu and spaghetti bolognese which came out strangely sweet.  Such basic mistake is unacceptable... enough for us to decide not coming back for good.

Inside Saveurs de France - Galaxy S23+

Cute Iced Coffee - Galaxy S23+

Aside from that it was just plain good fun for the family before we returned to Singapore to toil yet again.

Linc and The Missus Playing a Dancing Game in Grand Batam - Galaxy S23+

Reflections by The Bay On The Way Back - Galaxy S23+

This month I officially turned 43 just as the month started.  My father had to come coz the missus asked him to so I brought him and my sister along to Angus House in Takashimaya for my birthday dinner.  

Chef Yamashita's Mille Feuile - Missus' iPhone 15

The missus ordered Linc to get a present for me, he got me a Snoopy doll from Miniso, which at first was paid from a cash card I left the kids with, but eventually the missus made him pay for it from his own pocket.  

From Lincoln - Galaxy S23+

Some weeks later we also dropped by Vivocity's Donald Duck 90 exhibition.  Since I'm a big fan of Donald Duck I can't miss it right?

The Donald Ship - Galaxy S23+

Sure, Let's Party - Galaxy S23+

Neon Sign - Galaxy S23+

And a Light Tunnel

I also redeemed my free birthday cake from Starbucks on the night we visited the Donald Duck 90 exhibition. 

My Free Cake, Courtesy of Starbucks - Galaxy S23+

As we celebrated mid-autumn festival this month, I made a trip to Gardens by The Bay to catch a glimpse of the lantern installations.  I brought along my trusty A7RMk3, however as these photos show, I think my skill has gotten rusty....  I'm not happy with the results.

Dragon Playground Lantern - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4G

Lantern Gate at The Main Entrance - A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4G

This month we also bumped into a cafe that sells cats at Beauty World.  The cats look beautiful and pricey, but I don't think we'll be getting any cats for sure. 

Four Paws at Beauty World - Galaxy S23+

On the last Friday of the month which was Lindsay's HBL day, I took half a day off to bring the kids to Popular Bras Basah for them to get new books.  We went by bus as the missus used the car to pick up her best friend for a girls' trip to Korea.

Ride Home - Galaxy S23+

Just this afternoon she sent me this photo of her in Hanbok.  I hope she'll have a good time there.

The Missus in Her Pink Hanbok - Some Photographer's Camera

Lastly, I managed to upgrade my Surface Go 1's OS to Windows 11 by editing some registry entries to bypass the update validation check, so far it's running quite well.  Unfortunately I can't do the same to my Asus N751JX as it's way too outdated; the BIOS does not have TPM at all so I have no choice but to decommission this reliable workhorse by next September.  Currently I have the Dell Inspiron 16 in sight as replacement, but I still need to save up for that.

Beautiful September Sunset - Galaxy S23+

And here's a closing photo for this month's entry: 

The Happy Thing That Happened to Me This Month - The Missus' iPhone 15

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy S23+, The Missus' iPhone 15, A7RMk3 + FE24mm F1.4G and some others...~