Unexpectedly, i found a common thread linking the two things that i was planning on blogging about, in the form of my horrible suspicious singaporean brain. perhaps i should describe the two things, for context and understanding.

first thing, the guild got robbed. we had all the security measures in place - 2 factor authentication, limited withdrawal permissions, but it still happened. it so happened that the thieves got lucky, and a member of the leadership team fell for the scam. thankfully, the only thing we lost was the money - our house, rare items, etc. are all still there.

the most immediate thought that came to my mind was, 'how could someone fall for that!?' it was just a basic phishing scam, and we've had multiple reminders about them. more than that, the person who fell for the scam isn't technologically-impaired or anything, but something made him go to the suspicious website and enter his login credentials anyway. seems like the weakest link in security is really the human element. my unfiltered initial response would have been, "how were you so stupid to fall for that scam!?" but it wouldn't have been productive. so, i decided to focus on the problem rather than the causes and the person responsible.

like i mentioned earlier, i don't see how someone intelligent could fall for such a stupid scam. so, a thought that's been popping up in the back of my mind is, what if this was an inside job? like, there were no hackers, and he transferred the money to one of his characters that nobody knows about. but then, i also know that he has the guild's best interests at heart, and he's been actively contributing to it. so, i guess it's just that people, no matter how smart, aren't perfect and can make mistakes. even stupid mistakes! at the end of the day, we only lost money, and not even real-life money either. i'm not happy that the thieves got an easy payday and i hope that they get banned and the money is returned to us, but we're counting our blessings that nothing more valuable was compromised.

second thing, my supervisor and a couple of colleagues extended a dinner invitation to me when i came back from the school earlier today. the dinner itself is set for next monday, though. i don't think it's a coincidence, especially since i told my supervisor about my desire to bring my end date forward yesterday. it seems to me like they're trying to do a rescue job, to get me to stay as long as possible. this is backed up by the fact that aside from office-wide parties, i have never received such invites from them. again, that's the cynical side of me speaking. considering i look asian and speak passable japanese, it's quite possible that they forget i'm a foreigner in day-to-day life. or maybe this made them realize that they haven't really been engaging with me on a social level. anyway, it isn't going to change my mind. the longest i'll consider staying is until year-end, which means i'll effectively stop work in october or november to clear leave. leaving any earlier would be a bonus.

did you see how in both instances above, my default was to assume the worst? in my experience, singaporeans generally tend to be suspicious and think poorly of other people. or maybe it's just me? i don't know...i think some amount of suspicion is good for self-preservation; being too trusting makes one gullible. at the same time, doubting everything and watching your back constantly isn't healthy either. i guess the key is to be more discerning about where to place your (my) trust. that's something i've been trying to do in this small town.

dinner aside, i'm also due for a conversation with my superintendent sometime this or next week. my main points are (1) kids don't seem to give a damn; (2) nothing i do is working; (3) i'm losing time that's better spent elsewhere; (4) my motivation is low. i don't know whether i want to name specific kids...on one hand, it would lend my case strength. on the other, it's like singling them out. ah who am i kidding, the higher-ups probably have an idea anyway. we'll see how that conversation goes. i expect that my latest end time will be november or december, but i'd really be surprised if they let me go in july. either way, it's good for me to be prepared.

-random thought of the day: My maple syrup got mouldy!-