Sunday, January 01, 2012

Hello 2012!

Time flies and we are in the year 2012! Goodbye 2011! It was not an easy year. It started with a big bang but as we move towards the second half of the year, things started to change. It seems that the ecomony is slowing down. That also means wage freeze, no bonus or even pay cut.

Nonetheless, I had a great time celebrating 2012. The day started with work, when I make a trip to Pulau Ubin. Kinda of interesting to do countdown there. Weather was very warm, and I was drinking furiously to keep myself hydrated. Most pple were there with their family to enjoy the rustic laidback landscape.

Then at night, went over to a event near Marina Bay. We had lots of drinks and food. I was quite high and tired by the time I finished. Slept my whole day on the first day of the year. I guess it was a long day for me on the last work day of 2011. By the way, in another few day time, it will be my seventh anniversary with this company! woooooo....

I haven been blogging for the month of December. :P It was either I forgot or too busy. There were a few times I wanted to blog but I keep forgetting. haha.. Ok, I admit I may have been lazy. I hope to continue keep this blog alive as I record some of my interesting encouter during the year.

Reflecting 2011, I think I have to thank my dear for staying with me all this time and also bearing with me. Thanks dear! It has been another good year for us. 9 years going and we are still keeping it on. This year marks another phase in our life. I hope there will be more 9 years to go.

Life have been pretty good in 2011. I appreciate the opportunities given to me. I have been travelling quite a bit last year. To name a few

1)London
2)Edinburgh & Glascow
3)Liverpool
4)Hong Kong
5)Okinawa
6)Bangkok

Pretty fun and it was great to venture to new territories. It is time to move on. In February, I would be heading Sydney. wooo... Though I have been there few years ago, this time, I have decided to drop by Canberra. I hope it will be another fulfilling and eye opener trip.

Happy New Year to everyone!! Cheers and Huat ah!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Singaporean Shun Jobs

Found an article from ST today and felt it reflect most Singaporeans tots about jobs. I guess many are still very picky when come to this kind of jobs. No wonder we need to bring in more FT to help boost the labour market.

Source: Straits Times
"With their modest wages and unsociable weekend shifts, they are the jobs that Singaporeans shun.

Waiting tables, cleaning and working in telesales or as a retail or warehouse assistant are the least popular positions among citizens, 10 recruitment agencies told The Straits Times.

Workers continue to turn such jobs down despite a recent government bid to encourage firms to hire more Singaporeans rather than rely on foreigners.

Their main reasons for shunning these jobs are that they pay too little or involve awkward working hours"


I work awkward hours too. Weekends off is a luxury to me. Like wat the article mention, no social life most of the time. I have sacrifice 6 years so far. hahha, maybe I am quite alrite with this kind of arrangement? Well, I dun earn a lot too. lol. Most importantly, I am not a picky person. hahaa

Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween Again!

On this very last day of October, its Halloween again. Well, had a wonderful time last weekend as most clubs celebrated Halloween. I was at St James with Eric and company. It was really fun.

People dressed up as Smurfs, Little Red Riding Hood, Nurses, Doctors, Sadam Hussein, Harry Potter, Ghost Buster, Victorian dressing, Ancient Chinese wear, witch and etc. Gosh, I had a good laugh at some of the dressing. Well, I guess more Singaporeans are aware of Halloween and have decided to hold Halloween party every year.

Well, it also brought me memories of how I learn about Halloween. The year was 2004. It was my first halloween trip to Dbl O! 7 years! Time flies and it was like yesterday. I think I have documented in this blog during that time. I was in shock initially. I mean halloween is a western festivity, it has never cross my mind it will be celebrated in such big scale in Singapore.

I recalled the last 7 years on how I celebrated this impt day. Most of the time, it was a trip back to Dbl O, to reminisce the good old days. Previously, there were so many activities and programs at Dbl o. If I recall correctly, we even went on a bus tour. Not only that, there was a halloween bus that brought pple to different club. Well, Dbl O had it this year and tickets were sold out. hahaha...

I prefer the good old days at Mohammed Sultan Road. Last year I attended the halloween celebration at the new Dbl O but it was kinda disappointing. This year, we decided to give it a miss and check out some other places. Still fun and I guess the celebration will go bigger with increase awareness!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Bangkok Flooded

Almost two months since I last blog. So much have happened during the last 2 months. Been busy with work and a lot of ongoing events. First it was National Day, then Presidential Election etc. Really lost touch with time and time passes so quickly. Before I knew it, 2 months have gone.

Just got back from a short trip from Bangkok. I have been to Bangkok million of time but this is the first time I feel so uncomfortable and worrying. Yep, the flood waters. News of flooding emerged more than a week ago. I thought it will be over by the time I travel to BKK. However, it din and added more anxiety to the trip.

I almost wanted to cancel the trip on the eve of travel. A friend who reach there earlier a day told me it was quite safe. Everything seems normal and weather is good. Well, coming from this friend was assuring to me. So the trip to BKK proceeded.

However, we remain vigilant throughout the trip. I read online news and watch local news report to keep myself abreast of the latest development. Every morning, I look at the canal behind my hotel to see if water have reached unsafe level. Thankfully, throughout the weekend, central Bangkok is spared from floodwater. Well, my hotel is also on a higher ground, so it's pretty safe.

The only thing that worries me is the lack of bottle water! Bottled water from minimart, convenience stores and supermarket were gone! I was at Siam Paragon foodcourt and bottled water were sold out!! Can you imagine the severity of the situation? I mean everyone is stock piling in view of the impending flood.

We boiled on tap water everyday. The hotel also provided us with 2 bottles everyday. And somehow, i tried to buy from roadside hawkers. The rest of the time, we survive on soft drinks, coconut juice, oranges juices. hahaa.. Oh yes, we also had beer!!! Despite the flooding, I went to a few first time places.

First it was Terminal 21, then it was Lebua State Tower Skybar! I have never been to these places before. One is a shopping mall that opened recently, the other is a rooftop alfresco drinking place. Pretty nice place next to Chao Phraya River. Yep, the same river that overflow and flooded some areas!

This morning, read from news report that part of Chinatown was flooded. Thankfully, I left. We travelled to Chinatown 2 days ago, now, partly indunated. Praying hard that Thai were tied over this crisis and water recede soon. I left with a heavy heart but hope things will be better tomorrow.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

P1 Registration

I have been hearing stories of parents registering for their P1 kids. As usual, typical singaporeans who will do anything to get their kids into good school. No doubt I do agree that a good environment will nuture the kid into a good citizen, personally, I always believe in character that comes with the kid.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to shape a kid, they resist and have their own kind of tots. I am not saying if you create an environment good enough, the kid will follow. There are times which it is proven wrong. No doubt this is a minority, the in born character is there. It is a matter of time. When something happen, it trigger something off the mind of the kid, and wala. No u-turn.

Look at this. Pictures that we always see on Stomp.





I believe they are also good kids in the beginning. Probably in a good Primary school too. What happen? If you were the parent, can you stop such raging hormones? Can you stop them? This happens every other day and we see thousands of such photos splashed over the internet. Surprisingly, one of the photo above, it was posted by the girl herself on FB.

Even in a good environment, it may trigger off an internal character that the kid have all this while. Whatever it is, you cant choose ur kid. Parents will have to live with it. As some say, kids are here for a reason.

Then going into a good school create a larger Elitism. Someone wrote to forum to express her views which I fully agree. Well, of course, one may say, you r not a parent, so you r not in a position to say, but as an observer, or if you look at the larger picture, the writer is not wrong.

From ST forum.

THE present system of primary school admission is unfair to children from less-educated and lower-income families ("Enlarge popular primary schools" by Mr Chong Foo Sin; July 20).

Let's consider the ways parents can increase their chances currently.

The parent-volunteer route is available only to parents of means, who are usually better educated and in stable jobs and are able to take leave to volunteer.

As for location, well-off parents can afford to buy or rent accommodation near their schools of choice. For instance, there are no HDB flats within 1km of Raffles Girls' Primary School.

The alumni advantage breeds elitism and excludes those who do not come from families whose members attended "gifted" schools.

With no quota for Phase 2A, there could well be a year when, say, Ai Tong could have all its places taken up by the end of that phase - meaning that there is no room for "outsiders" not already part of the elite system. Ai Tong had only 38 places left this year.

Apart from enlarging popular schools and extending them to other areas, implement a quota for Phase 2A(2). Any remaining places after Phase 1 should be split into three: a third for Phase 2A (alumni), a third for Phase 2B (parents who have contributed to the school or society) and a third based on distance.

While the above solutions may not mitigate socio-economic disadvantage, it mitigates the risk that a class of elites would form, and if nothing else, would ameliorate the traffic congestion along Bukit Timah.


I guess this P1 registration fustration will be there for another decade or even longer. Good luck to parents who are sending their kids to school next year!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Okinawa - Japan Virgin Trip

Surprisingly, I have been to many places in Asia except the land of rising sun - Japan. This is the first time I am on a work trip to Japan. Not Tokyo but the southern prefecture of Okinawa. Not many heard about the place except for the movie shot here 恋战冲绳。

Well, it was a last minute work trip. I was informed by my boss in less than one week before the trip. I was just back from vacation in UK and before I could settle down back home, I am flying off again. It was quite fun yet challenging this round. We set off on a Monday early flight two weeks ago on 11 July.

Since we do not have a direct flight from Singapore to Okinawa, we need to do a transit either in HK or Taipei. Our airline was HK Airlines. It's one of the latest airline to fly into Singapore. We were upgraded to Business Class and even get to enjoy the lounge facilities before taking off.

It was a first time for me to enjoy business class facilities and privileges. Never in my life have I been on a business class seat. Very spacious and personalise service. The first leg from Singapore to HK was alrite, the second late from HK to Okinawa is the best. The latter was on a bigger plane so the services was much much better. It was an eye opener for me.

We had a day in HK due to transit. Nothing much, I get to stay in Sha Tin for the first time too. I wouldnt stay there if I was on a holiday. Very out of the city, quiet neighbourhood. The only good thing is, it is near a river and you could go for an early jog if you wake up early.

After all the main trip is still Okinawa. On our arrival in Okinawa, we were greeted by officials. Very warm welcoming of Okianwans. It was first to Konsai Street, where our hotel is. It is at the heart of Naha City. Lots of food, shops and 24 hours eateries. A nice place to begin on ur trip in Okinawa.

Had traditional okinawan style delicacies. Fatty pork!!! haha. Yep, it was yummy! However, like any other part of Japan, things are pretty expensive. Oh yes, the weather is much warmer too. Met a friend who happen to work there. He showed me around late nite. Very interesting. Had Ramen and Ice Cream. lol. Jap Style.

The next day was on island trip. We went snorkeling, diving and swimming. It was really fun except the weather. It was fine initially but rain as the day progresses. No choice but to proceed with the activities. I snorkelled for the second time after my trip to Phi Phi Island. So cool!!! Nice fishes and even live corals!!! I was so excited!!! However, I wasnt tanned cos there was no sunshine at all.

The next day was a day trip round Okinawa. Air bases, Aquarium, scenic points etc. It was a very hot day. If the sun was as strong on the previous day, I would have got a nice tan. lol. We dropped by Ashibana outlet mall where I purchase my first Coach bag. lol. It was a cheap deal, only S$260. I checked out the prices in HK, it was S$360. haha. If you ask me in SG, I think even more expensive. I seldom purchase branded stuff in SG.

It was World Heritage site on the last day. Then it was back home. I met my friend on the last nite before home. I was brought to this Japanese food store that serves Yakitori. Yummy! Talking about food, we had Teppanyaki, Shabu Shabu. I also tasted traditional Japanese made alcohol. wow! I love it!

I am thinking of another visit to Okinawa again in the future. My friend asked if I was keen to visit him. I could stay at his place. Hmmm, I can consider going next year if he is still working there. :P I love Okinawa!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

From London Part 2

16-21 June
After 2 days in London, Eric n me ventured into a factory outlet mall in Bichester. It was kinda of funny as we pronounce the name wrongly. "Bi-Chester" was wat we read but nono. It should read "Bister". We were embarrassed when we heard the announcement on the train ride there. I guess many Americans might have pronounce that as well.

We did lots of shopping. I bought 2 Burberry working shirt and 2 Fred Perry Polo. Dirt cheap. Well, I mean if you compare to Singapore, it is definitely cheaper. Eric bought a lot too. It was a fun experience travelling to Bichester. I would love to go again if I travel to London in the future.

On the following day, we travelled to Stonehenge in Salibury. Wow! It was really a big wow for me. First, its more of a countryside. Vast open greenery with strong chilling winds. We took the stonehenge bus. I love the ride. It was amazing. The rocks were so magnificent when it appear right before my eyes. I cant believe I am in UK!! haha. Thanks to Amazing Race that I realise Stonehenge was in UK.

On the same nite, we went to Beatles famous street, Abbey Street in London. That was the place where they shot their album photo. Many imitated the Beatles crossing the street. Eric and I walked across too, just to have a feeling of what the beatles did 30 years ago. We were even captured in a shot from CCTV nearby! Eric screenshot it and we had a copy. It was so fun!

On the second last day, we went to Greenwich where Greenwich Prime Meridian was. In case you were wondering wat is tat, most Geography students should know. That is the imaginary line that separate the world into east and west. At that location, it is 0 longitude. It has been my dream to travel there since my secondary school days. I mean I have always been thinking of the place when I was a teenager. Dream fulfilled! We took photos climbed the hill before reaching royal observatory. Many were snapping photos away. Well, we did the same!

Then we watched our final musical before home. MamaMia. Lovely. It was similar to the one I watch on movies. Well, the movie adapted the story from musical. Of cos, in the movies they have got better scenery and more cast. But this is equally good. Though the set is simple but it was kinda of nice to hear Abba song. Dancing Queen, Mamamia, Money! It was hilarious and I really laugh all my way! I dun mind to watch it again! hahha...

On the final day before home, we went to a museum in London. Not British Museum but World Museum. Interesting. Then did a last min shopping at Oxford Street. The trip ended with a 13 hour flight from Heathrow. Thanks to Eric, I got to enjoy the comfort of waiting a flight in a lounge. Had some drinks and muffins before boarding.

Oh yes, I stayed in a B&B in london this time. Well, it is pretty expensive to stay in a hotel in London. So we opted for a B&B. Cheaper and very accessible. It is near to Paddington station. The owner is helpful. The breakfast was really the English Breakfast, Sausage, Bacon and Egg. lol. I had the same thing for a few days. If I were to travel to London, I will stay in B&B since it is as good as a 3 star hotel.

Bye London, Liverpool and Edinburgh! I am already missing the place...