5 Cs in Life

If you ever tot of owning 5Cs in Singapore, call yourself a 5C man. eey... cheesy. Ok, i guess many aspiring, talented young executive including me (dun puke) do not mind owning 5Cs. Afterall it is a dream, a form of identity or status representation in life. For now, i have one C which is career, as for the rest, i am still struggling.

Was out having supper after Double O with ken and gavin. Realise my dear friend here owns glamourous cards. I mean credit card. They are not supplementary cards from parents. Seriously, how many of us, at the age of 25, could own at least 4Cs? I have passed that age but no no to me. One of them have already achieved such a target. Oh mine! Eligible Bachelor. Shall i nominate them into Cleo's magazine next year? ha.....

People argue that we should be happy with what we have. Why be materialistic or set a high bar to make yourself suffer? This is true. That is why, i always believe that having a balance in life is necessary. Life is not only abt 5Cs, there are other things worth going after. Religion, love, friendship, family are some other ingredients in life. There are so many things to fall back on. Never put your investment in one basket. Always diversify and strike a balance. Sounds familiar? Yeah, my Finance Prof said that. I guess it could be applied to life too? Agree?

People next door

Saw something funny today. Residents from two condominiums at East Coast were on a dispute over a little gate. Due to security reasons, the gate was closed which created inconvenience to the other residents. They have to make a detour to get out of the place. As usual, Singaporeans complain, either to police or MPs. Eventually the matter was resolved.

And thanks to MP Chan Soo Sen who stepped in again. I guess he had a tough job in his district. First, the infamous Joo Chiat Dispute, then condos dispute. Wau lau eh, the wealthy lots are creating more problems. I mean the rich are generally well educated but their EQ seem terrible. Maybe heartlanders are better? Hmm... Not true? maybe town councils can provide a better answer.

I guess living in close proximity has its pros and cons. In short, it saves space and should enhance interaction. However, sometimes it just could not happen. Since neighbours see each other too often, they may end up quarreling even over minor issues. Watever it is, we should always remain in a harmonious relationship. You never know u may need their help one day. So back to one issue, do i know my neighbours well???

Picture blog?

Wat is so special abt my blog? Well, i think unlike others, i dun post photos and therefore shall remain as mysterious as possible. (except friends who know me) Putting pictures is good cos a picture tells a thousand word. However sometime, i prefer writing, hoping to air watever views i have deep in my heart.

Went back to office today with queries asking where i have been over the last few days. Ha... I only informed a few colleagues who were closed to me but somehow others managed to find out. Why? Yes, grapevine effect. Once u inform one, another 2 will know then multiply quickly. hee... Expected.

While going thru many stories, realised PM Lee's mother in law passed away. Well, he had to attend 2 funerals in a month. Sad. He is still in Japan on a state visit while Mrs Lee or Mdm Ho stayed in Singapore to see thru the funeral. Afterall, she is the eldest daughter. PM's brother Lee Hsien Yang and wife were there too. I wonder if MM will visit too? Their in laws too right? Shall keep a look out....

small small World

Life resume normal after coming back from holiday. Will be going to work later in the day. Feel a bit "sian" after taking rest for so many days. I guess this is life. Went for my dental appointment. Dentist said the hole on my gum is doing fine. Hopefully a few more treatment and i would be able to see my crown.

Saw a few friends today. Met Huiling who is doing insurance with Great Eastern. Realise that many of my friends or classmates have chosen the insurance line. Is it true that they earn lots of money or purely securing a job? Not too sure. But i have to salute her to do cold selling on the streets. She used to be a quiet girl who dun speak up much. Or was i wrong cos i din know her better? ha...

Then met Mingwei again at Citylink. He was with his gf. Another insurance agent. I was joking with him and asked how come he din get to work. The reason being PH is a day where many pple choose to go out. He said he needed some rest too. AGREE! Before that, saw yongzhi along orchard rd. ha... World is small! Met Ken later in the evening for dinner. My day ended with a little shopping at Suntec. Hmm...

Going back to office again. Working day for everyone... no wonder the streets were pretty quiet at nite. Six consecutive working days for me... Got to endure a bit....

Welcome Home!

Home sweet home! Touched down at Changi Airport this evening ard 8pm plus. Had so much fun with Jun during our 4 days trip. The unforgettable part was the one we went to Moon Bar, yes, the 61 storey alfresco dining above ground level. Get to see almost the entire city of Bangkok. We were also lucky to see fireworks display. (not too sure wat special occasion was that for) Cool!

As usual, ate a lot at Chinatown which made me felt sick. Almost threw out everything tat i ate cos i overeat. Ha... Must have frightened the girl a lot! I ate 3 bowls of rice, tum yam, fried chicken with basil leaves and some vegetables. Then down 3 glasses of tea. ha... My stomach could not take it and i really felt like vomiting. I should have controlled.

Think the food in BKK is just too good. Ate Seafood, Shark Fins, Bird nest and my favourite stuff. Din buy many things this round. I have already bought wat i wanted to during my last few trips. Weather was not too warm cos it's been raining except today, when we made our way home. Manage to catch a little tanning before checking out of the hotel.

There is something different that i did this time. Went to a few tourist attractions. Went to Wat Arun, Grand Palace and Wat Po. If i remembered correctly, i went to these places more than 10 years ago. I was still a little boy. ha.. yar rite. Took the public ferry along Chao Phraya River. Fantastic!!!

Saw many Singaporeans too. I think Thais love us. We bring in money and contribute to their economy. Even eatries are named after us. ha... Ed likes to say, MBK and Asia Hotel are created for Singaporeans. I sort of agree cos everywhere u see is ahem... our fellow countryman. Sometime i can't really stand them. The way they talked and behaved makes me feel so disgusted. I am not trying to make a personal attack but hey look.

Thais are also pple. They have their own way of living. Let's respect them and they will be able to respect us more. Well, maybe thais also misbehave during their stay in Singapore. Look at them in Beach Road. Police need to stand by in case a fight broke out. ha... Aiyah, I think it's human nature. I have enjoyed myself throughout the trip. Now, see if i could go for another one before the end of the year....yeah!

Sawadee Kup Again!!!

Yup, going for my thai trip again. ha... Some pple probably think i am crazy but i dun find it so. Cos this time i am going with jun and her friends. First was with ed in Dec 2003, then yvette and gang in May 2004, then hao in Dec 2004, now with jun. Pretty excited cos i can get to eat my mango rice, thai kwap chap, glass noodle, bird nest, seafood, tum yum krung. WOW!!!! Oh yes, not forgetting my favourite, Banana shake. Very different from Singapore!

Realise it was Mambo nite and decide to play some retro over my player while updating my blog. Zouk must be freaky crowded since exams are over. Yes, it is also the preview of the much awaited Star Wars. Strangely, i dun really like this kind of movie. Think i prefer horror or comedy. Too bad i am not a Star war-natics.

Although i cannot travel as far as Canada like Lilian, or making a trip to Europe like Qiang, it is definitely a good time to spent with my love ones. Yeah! I would be able to go to Banyan Tree to experience for myself top of the world while dining alfresco.... hee... Sawadeep Kup!

Life @ 30 years old

Ok... Wat's new? Nothing much to blog abt today except excited over the upcoming trip. Think i will update more abt the trip tomorrow if i have the time. Quite peaceful in office today. Boss informed me abt how we are being assessed in the new financial year. To my surprise, i think my work over the last few months seems not appraised. ha... Good or bad? Not too sure, but i did made a few mistakes here and there. So hopefully they din count tat.....

Oh yes, met up with Ying the other day late at night. Went to hougang coffee shop for supper and he gave me an update about his life. ha... Yeah, my buddy for the last 13 years. So much changes in him. He used to be shy and quiet. Now, he is more outgoing and chatty. Like any other going to 30s Singaporeans, we talked abt our career and future.

He said our topics have changed over the years. We are now talking abt career, wife, kids, bread and butter issues. In the past, we gossiped on relationship, school and studies. I guess we are out of that category. Got to admit we are growing older. Our life moves on and things start to change. Seriously, have u tot of wat is going to happen when u reach 30?

Broke a Personal Record

Achieve many first time over the last few days. First, broke a personal record today by writing 6 stories! WOW! That is an achievement. (one writes an average of three stories) I din know exactly how i did that, but thanks to ahem... for making my life "interesting". One of my busiest day in work since i first came over. Reached office pretty early for a OTJ training. Gossip a while over lunch and the war began.

Secondly, attended "Body Jam" class on Sunday at FF. U must be wondering what the hell was tat? It's a fusion of dance and exercise. Pretty cool. i think i am crazy abt dancing. Learn a few interesting dance step from my instructor. If i have the time, i will attend the class more often. The dance involved funk, hiphop, latin and street dance.

At least better than the usual retro or mambo or syncronise dancing! (though i like retro too) I wanted to expose myself to different music while dancing. Tried Techno and Euros but some said it's too bengish! I am quite ok abt it. Retro has her own beauty. However, i would prefer something new too.

House of Wax

Catch the movie House of Wax with Ken this afternoon. Pretty nice movie. As usual, the plot revolves ard a group of American students who were killed mysteriously one after another. Eventually, the main cast will survive. I guess there are certain areas in States that are outback. Small little towns in the rural area where u may find wierd pple. Well, we dun experience it here cos our country is too small.

After the show, we went to cold storage. An announcement was made over their PA system. "A three year old boy with a floral shirt and green pants reported loss. Pls inform the security or information counter if you see him" I was bitching to Ken that the young boy must be crying. Surprisingly, he was right in front of us once the announcement was made. You must be wondering is he crying for mama?

NO. He was having a great time running ard in Cold Storage. He was playing with bean sprouts and dun seem to be bothered with wat was going on. Anxious onlookers were shocked and spoke to him. He din reply but continue his little execursion. I told ken to inform the cold storage staff, while on the midst of informing, we saw the security guard. After informing him, he came quickly and verify the identity of the boy.

He was then brought back to his anxious parents. OMG! Children nowadays are not frightened by unfamiliar environment. Wat happens if someone bad came and took him away. I tell you, the child will be gone forever. I wonder whose fault was it, the child or the parent. Roll eyes! I guess the kid prefers to shop alone. ha....

Off off off...

IRRITATING! I was happily updating my blog when the server went down. The next msg i read was Server Closed for Maintainence! I posted my entry and nothing came out of it. How could take be? Wow lau eh. There was no auto recovery and my previous entry was completely wiped out. I have to re-write everything all over again! Waste my time and effort! Can someone do something?

AND YESH! i am going on a 2-day wkend break. After some 4 months plus, i finally get to enjoy Sat and Sun off. It has been such a long time. To me, it is a gift from heaven. Not from boss, cos i exchanged my off day with another colleague. If not, i still got to work on Sat. By the way, i am on a 5-day work week.

I received a letter from CPF Board today. The letter brought in some good news for me.

We are pleased to inform you that we have waived your repayment of amount withdrawn from the above member's CPF account for the following course:

Business, Nanyang Technological University
Total Amount Waived $1x,xxx.63

I was so happy when i saw this. My dad sent in the waiver request 2 weeks ago. I consider myself fortunate cos my dad din want me to repay him. Thanks Dad!! Well, i am lucky to escape from debts. I dun like the feeling of being in debt. Compare to my peers, some are struggling to pay for their debts now.

Well, there are some who take for granted that parents will settle for them. Come on, education fees are expensive. Do you think we can afford it if not for our parents? Other than that, most students like you and me have to rely on loans. Those who could afford not to repay have rich parents. I was not born with a silver spoon. I dun live in landed property. My parents are neither high income earners. But i am glad i have a wonderful daddy!

Job Hop

Met the comedian Hossan Leong at canteen last evening. As usual, he is still the same, (guess u know wat i mean) skinny and funny. ha... He was surprised to see me. Well, we chat a while. I told him i came over few months ago. He was nonchalant abt it. I think it is pretty common to see pple job hopping since our local media scene is small.

He is doing Chinese drama now which was pretty surprising. Cos his mandarin isnt tat good. He said jokingly, he also job hopped but over to the chinese market. Well, i guess the mass market prefer mandarin serials. If u want to gain popular in Singapore, better try the chinese programming. English is our common language but when it comes to entertainment, majority prefer chinese stuff. That is y pple like Adrain Pang, Pierre Png, Pam Oei came into the mass market.

Talking abt being small, met Hanwei and Desmond Koh at FF. Surprise surprise. Met another colleague who joined FF recently. Ha, now we have something in common. We would talk abt our workout when we meet each other in office. The world is small. So, dun commit evil sins as you will never know one day it gets into the ear of someone that u know. ha... chim....

Sign of Stress

Tiring day! My head was spinning from last evening. Sign of stress, think i overworked . I dun really enjoy working the 7pm shift cos it is always so busy till u got no time to think abt other stuff. Quality is jeopardise due to limited amount of time given. I was trying hard to struggle but eventually my brain could not take it.

There was the weekly meeting on Monday. Saw an email from boss that pointed out mistakes made by some of us. Opps! I was in her list. Fortunately, she din reveal the names. But i felt kind of demoralise when she pointed out the mistakes. She had informed me earlier but i din know she would like to share publicly with everyone. ha.... Anyway, i am not a veteran so making silly errors are bound to have. I will have to improve on it. Seriously, sometimes even veterans also made unforgivable mistakes. (i am not trying to excuse myself) ha...

It's raining now. Hopefully, everyone in office will have a peace state of mind. Will be on the 7pm shift again but this time with someone that will even make me faint! haiz.... Peace Out!

Kuku Boy!

Kuku me! My holiday is not jeopardized!!! Yipee! BKK, pls wait for me!!! ha... I have misread the roster amended by my dear boss. Her scribblings were so "neat" tat i cannot figure out wat she wrote. After some careful re-examination, i realise how kuku i was. ha.... Aiyah, made me panick over the last two days. However, i still need to pray, pray hard that everything goes on smoothly before the trip.

Another issue worth celebrating, something related to work. I began to see more recognition in work. I am no longer a liablity to the dept. ha... Cos there were many times, i really feel like an extra. Anyway, if compare to SR, of course they are the BEST! I went thru some of my old entries last nite. Looks like i was a much happier person then. The work, the pple, the fun. if time could revert...

A friend of mine suffered from job dissatisfaction. He din like the job but the pple are nice. I am exactly the opposite. I guess all of us face different scenarios over at work. Only a handful of lucky ones will get their dream job on a conducive environment. I doubt not many pple will. Afterall, once been thru the toughest moment in life, u will learn to appreciate the future more.

Remembering Dr Wee

I would like to dedicate this entry to our former president Dr Wee Kim Wee. Over the last few days, thousands of Singaporeans paid their tribute to the late president. He is the man whom touched the lifes of many. From relatives to friends, we heard heart warming stories about him. He deserves the highest honour from all of us, regardless of race, language and religion. Thank you Dr Wee for all the contributions that you made during the term in office.

Although i dun have the privilege to see or know him personally, i remembered his photo hanging across the island when he was still the president. During those days, i was still a primary school kid. I get to see him and Mrs Wee in the school hall every morning . Recalling this, it had been more than a decade. Today, he laid lifelessly in the coffin. But his belief and love will continue.

Whenever i see Mrs Wee sitting in the wheelchair, i felt very sorry for her. They had been a couple over the last 70 years. How many of us could be like them? So loving despite of their age. Mrs Wee has lost a man who has always been her angel. I mean, she will cry even knowing that her husband is leaving anytime.

Their granddaughter said "Gong Gong was holding on to Mah-Mah hands when he left us." I was so touched when i heard that. He is a model to everyone of us. His love for Mrs Wee is indefinite. He remembers wat she likes, he even kiss her during their last anniversary. Again, how many will do that when they turn nearly 90? Oh well....

Dr Wee is not only a leader but a father, grandfather, husband and probably an angel. Thank you Dr Wee! We will miss you....

Holiday at Risk

Had been looking forward the great trip wif jun and gang when i saw something on the roster. My name appeared on the roster when i am supposed to enjoy my leave! Wat kind of shit! I really feel pathetic working in such adverse environment. On one hand, they can verbally agree (same if written) to your leave, on the other they can recall u whenever they liked it. Y?

A very simple reason, "You are new and i cannot help you. Sorry!" Imagine if your boss tells u this. How would u feel? I told jun i was angry cos my leave was afterall not an entitlement. I was sad because i am on the verge of cancelling the trip, which i have looked forward since April. I was procrastinating what i should do. After some thoughts, i told jun i might withdraw from the trip if my boss insists. Thankfully, she is understanding. But then again, i guess both of us are equally disappointed.

I will fight for my rights before accepting watever decision. Hopefully my boss could help me a little. I still need to keep my finger crossed as they enjoy "torturing" newbies like me. Probably retribution. I was offered to stay in SR, yet i wilfully rejected. My fault. I accept. If it was SR, i guess problems can be resolved more easily. Over here, unless u are big shot or senior, you dun get to enjoy privileges so easily. Spoilt my off day. Alright, i shall see how i could mitigate this!

Part and Parcel of Life

Well, glad to hear that Lilian is recovering from her "disappointed birthday" syndrome. I guess life is like tat. Sometime i also feel tat way when even ur close friends forget abt ur birthday. We are not greedy, we dun want presents, but a simple birthday wish will do. However, it din turn out this way. Fortunately, (at least better than Lilian) i got immune to all these. Probably due to my very stressful job.

Anyway, many things happened over the last two days. First, our former president or People's President Dr Wee Kim Wee passed away. I was shocked when i saw the breaking news on CNA on monday morning. It was pretty ironic, cos the nite before, there were still fireworks and celebration for Labour Day. Next day, it became so solemn and everyone was mourning. Saw Mrs Wee from TV, my heart sank when i saw her holding on to President Nathan's hand while crying.

I also received news that a good friend of mine, Toshi's grandma passed away too. Guess he is also in grieve. He was away for a holiday in Taiwan when he received the bad news. Poor fellow, he flew back from Taipei to see thru her grandma's funeral. Pretty sad to hear these stories on the same day.

Well, i guess this is life. It is not the end of the world yet. Earth spins, flower blooms, birds chirp. We should move on and hopefully do something more meaning before we regret.

Labour Day is a Working Day

Everyone except me and some others get to enjoy their labour day and long weekend. It is ok to work during public holidays. The crucial thing is whether your colleagues are willing to help u or stab u. Fortunately, it was a pretty smooth day. Was treated to a good dinner cos one of the seniors got promoted. If everyone is always so nice, i bet i will not leave this place so soon.

I realise i will be working under a demoness later. Oh shit. Dun think she got promoted. I was worried if she will vent her anger on me. Really pathetic. Imagine pple enjoying their labour day break while i will be suffering under the evil spell of a spinister. However, these days, not only spinister behave strangely, even pregnant ladies are wierd.

I was attacked by the same person for the second time on Sat. Her petite and being sweet character has disappear. Wat greeted me was an ugly, haggard and a dark side of her. My only comment is being so evil will not do her and her baby good. I dun think she will realise it, maybe her poor husband does. Poor fellow! Anyway, i am going to bed soon. Enough of all these, i need to conserve some energy to fight against terror in the afternoon!