Tough things first

When you start with the tougher (and still important) tasks at hand, things become easier. And you are more likely to accomplish them rather than delaying them till forever.

That will be my new guideline for year 2012. Pretty fast how one year flies after another, isn't it?

Having korean BBQ at Seoul Garden with Wifey tonight. Believe it or not, I actually forgot it's my birthday today.

Have a great day ahead, friends! ^_^

Bangkok is dangerous?

Thailand's famous Khao San Road. Picture stolen from here.

Hi Friends, I'm back from a mini vacation from Bangkok, with Wifey and some relatives and friends.

A week ago, I was told that the elections were coming, and to avoid red and yellow colour shirts. One of my relative called and wanted to forgo her plane ticket, because she was afraid that things might go wrong in Bangkok. We had to convince her that should there be a riot, we will just watch TV in the hostel, and I will volunteer to go out "in the danger" buy them meals.

And then there was the airplane. Airasia and Tiger Airways were not offering cheap enough deals, so I booked tickets for Myammar Airways International (MAI). I guess the word "Myammar" doesn't ring a bell here in the aviation industry, so Wifey had to check the Internet, and convince them that MAI is using the same planes as Airasia/Tiger Airways, and have a 100% safety record.

And then there was the insurance. S$30 isn't expensive, but I found absolutely no need to buy them, we are better off taking the "risk" so that I could channel more into Wifey's shopping spree.

And so we flew last Friday night.

(1) There was no signs of riot. It was business as usual. And yes, I saw tourists wearing red and yellow, and they are still alive.

(2) MAI was a CHEAP and SAFE flight, with one of the BEST FOOD I ever ate on an airplane. Cheaper prices than budget airlines with free meals onboard, and plenty of leg space - Where to get such a good deal?

(3) Insurance was unneccessary, Bangkok is one of the safest tourist destination I go to, be it day or night. Just the basic precautions and everything is fine.

I came back a few hours ago, and all my relatives/friends were happy as we ate and shop aplenty. One of the best holidays I had in a while.

As long as you do your homework, don't hesitate to live "dangerously".
Cheers everyone!

P:S. For those of you planning a trip to Bangkok, consider staying in Khao San area instead of the Siam city area. Laidback area with cheap food, beer and massage all day and night!

Last Day at Work

An email that I sent out earlier today to my fellow colleagues.
Company and real name have been substituted to protect my identity.

----------

Dear Friends,
The reason you are receiving this email is because we have had the chance to cross path during my stay here in XXX Company.
And I have really appreciated your help and assistance.

The past 3+ years have been meaningful, and I had a great time working with you.

As some of you may know, today is my last working day here in XXX for the week.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support, guidance and encouragement provided to me
during my tenure at XXX.

I like to wish you and your family good health and happiness.
Stay in touch always, my friends.

I can be contacted via my handphone, or at my outside email
shingo@HappyAprilFoolsDay.com

Regards.
Shingo T

Random Notes 48

Otaru Canal in Hokkaido: Pic stolen from Ikchin.com

(1) Wifey has been doing tons of research on what to wear for our Hokkaido trip in 2 weeks time. Heard the weather there is freezing cold at this time of the year. Will take lots of pics and share with you guys. ^_^

(2) I have completed the first of my four year 2011 resolutions last Friday. It's something that is way overdue, but then again being late is better than never. And I have went to buy 4D with the numbers "3027" to commemorate the event.

(3) Read somewhere that in the freezing cold, if 2 people kiss mouth lip to lip, their lips will get stuck. Time to debunk the myth.

(4) One of my friends was sharing with me about his life working 3 days a week. It really reminds me of this saying "If you are that damn good at doing something, you should be getting paid for it", as opposed to just getting a fixed meagre salary.

(5) What do you do when you spot a hawker selling great food at low prices? How about helping him become a business owner (instead of being a self-employed), and making yourself his business partner?

(6) Salt water as a natural, cheap and effective cure for people with skin diseases. That's what someone on my regular forum says. He claims it worked for his dad and his dog. All hail Mother Nature!

(7) I have a friend who likes to go Facebook and see how her ex-boyfriend is doing. And each time she does that, she becomes demoralised when she starts envying how well he is doing. And thus I call her the moth, she has to stop flying towards the light.

(8) With the Singapore government's recent tightening to combat increasing property prices, it becomes harder for people to get a piece of the "buy and rent/sell" pie. Time to keep the eyes open for other opportunities out there.

(9) I realised that Wifey enjoys helping me pluck out my white hair. She recently plucked about 30 from my head. White hair is fine, it's at least better than a patch with no hair. *blush*

(10) I'm still on track with regular morning jogs. Gonna keep to my side of the bargain to run 21km at the end of the year, now that I have told all of you about it. =p

The past or the future.

My colleagues and I went for a one-day Johor Bahru trip close to the end of last year. We were supposed to meet at the Singapore side of the Customs, but two of my friends came one hour early, so we agreed to meet at City Square, the shopping centre right after the Malaysia customs.

However, I was an hour late when I reached City Square. I'm normally quite a punctual guy (when I'm not going wedding dinners), and I take pride in my discipline. But that day I had misjudged the time required.

Naturally my travelling companions asked why I was that late, but I didn't felt like explaining. When you try to justify your actions, like the bus was late, the queue were longer than usual etc.... it normally creates negative energy to yourself and no one loves a whiner.

Moreover, I only have myself to blame for not choosing to come out an hour earlier to cater for such possible situations.

So I told them “I give you 2 choices. Either you hear my lame excuses, or I treat you free drinks to make up for it.” And my companions enthusiastically chose the latter. ^_^

I ended up spending more to treat them bak kuh teh (pork rib soup) to atone for my lateness. I say it's money well spent!

And the rest of the day went on really well, eating + shopping + massaging at cheaper prices than Singapore, what’s there not to love?

2011 will be my year.
Don't lay blame, and don't waste time justifying.

Gotta take responsibility, look forward, and never look back (except for those nostalgic happy memories).

Let year 2011 be your year too, my friends!

Random Notes 47 (and a Happy 2011 everyone!)

(1) I have only set one resolution in year 2010 - that is to pick up basic Malay. So I have signed up for a weekly class. So far it's ok, everyone keeps telling me that it's so much easier to learn Malay than other languages. But let's face the truth - The basic Malay I learnt so far is still not going to bring me anywhere. I'm still going to rely much on Google Translate, and if you speak Malay too fast, I still won't catch it.

(2) Year 2010 was a breakthrough for me. Stepped out of my comfort zone and greatly widen my social circle. Made so many many friends. And gotten some lobangs in the process. I'm blessed!

(3) Life is full of options. And you always need to have backup plans, alternate plans and risky plans. Life has a funny way of forcing you into a corner and make you execute your other plans.

(4) Nothing gets solved when we complain. And the person who you are sharing your complaints with isn't going to be any happier when hearing it. So always think about the bright side of the situation.

(5) As a result of (4), do yourself a favour and spend more time with happier people. When someone tries to complain to you, hold your hand right in front of him and tell him "It doesn't matter, now shut the hell up". Unless of course, if it's the wife who is complaining, that one you must listen.

(6) I have set up 4 resolutions for the year 2011. I won't list them explicitly here, except for keeping myself in shape for the 21km half-marathon at the end of year 2011.

(7) Don't let your soul be consumed by Facebook and Twitter and Blogger. Is it ironic, coming from a blogger?

(8) Wishing all my friends here a great year 2011. Play hard, but never compromise on a good night sleep.

Christmas card from Little Stefbunny

Stefanie is one of my earlier blogging friends I got to know on the blogosphere, and she recently sent me and Wifey a Christmas card. ^_^





I just like little Stefbunny to know that this card is sitting on my writing table. Thanks so much!

Retirement plans

Despite quitting active gaming for almost a year (which was also the best decision I ever made), I must admit every now and then, I do miss it, and still have the urge to reinstall World of Warcraft and start gaming again.

But I keep rationalising and reminding myself of all the harm I have done to myself because of gaming - I don't want to waste another 20 years trying to quit this addiction.

So I have decided. I should wait till I get old and my senses start to fail me, then maybe, just maybe, I might reconsider picking up gaming again. I will be the cool grand-dad who thrashes his young opponents on the gaming world. =p

For now, I should see what the world has to offer, dance and travel while my legs are willing, kiss and hug while my Wifey is still with me, mingle while I am still not grumpy and obnoxious, ogle at sweet young things, write and learn while I am still senile, and so on....

So what are your retirement plans, my dear friends?

1212

(1) Birthdays don't make you one year older. They are just like any other day, which means you are just one day older. After all, age is a continuous function, not a discrete one.

(2) I don't grow older with age, I grow wiser. I'm a red wine, I get better with age.

(3) I read somewhere that you shouldn't celebrate belated birthdays, is it true?

Anyway, happy birthday to me.

I sent a birthday card to myself last week, I wonder why it hasn't arrive. (kidding)

About the Author: Shingo T got an Ipod Nano as a present from his Wifey, his first ever Apple product. Now he is wondering how much was charged on to his credit card.

Sleepless at 1am

I have 3 admin assistants at work, who I nicknamed as "Left hand", "Right Hand" and "Tail", because they are integral parts of me, helping so much to reduce my workload.

Yesterday night, being Friday night, the 3 of them got me out for an early birthday dinner. Wifey took the chance to go out with her group of colleagues - she doesn't like to eat alone.

After an enjoyable night, I got home close to 10pm, and manage to enjoy some of "me time" surfing the usual forums and watching dance videos on Youtube (Quest Crew rockz!).

At 11pm, I called Wifey to check where she is, and she told me she was going to get a cab back.

By 11.30pm, she was not home, so I thought she had hang around a little longer with her friends.

By 12 midnight, there was no sign of her, and I started calling her, and received an instant "Please leave a message".

At 1am, which is far past my sleeping time at 12 midnight, she has still not returned home. And she has almost never returned home past 1am. I was tired after a long night, but still, I was REALLY worried.

So I walked down the steps of my flat, stopping to hear any suspicious shouts or screams in the silence of the night at every storey. I know I was imagining things, but her being uncontactable was freaking me out.

At the ground floor, I started pacing around at the lift lobby, tired but alert to any movements. Gave a few more calls yo her phone, and received the same "Please leave a message" autoreply, which was getting irritating to my ears. I wanted to call her colleagues, but then I don't have their numbers.

I hope I wasn't mistaken for a pervert or anything loitering at the lift lobby. You know, those predators that dash into the lift when yummy yum yums step into the lift. So when ladies approached the lift, I walked away from the lift, didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Coming back to the story, I had pondered about calling her brother and parents, but I didn't, knowing that this will achieve nothing but panic.

For the next 45 minutes, I watched cars and taxis come and go into the carpark, each time with expectation followed by disappointment.

What if something happened to her? Singapore may be low crime, but it isn't no crime. And there are always crazy drunk drivers out there who could .... oh never mind.

My feelings were tinged with both fear and anger. Fear that something bad might happen to her. And anger that I wasn't notified by her regardless of her reason for being this late.

As time went by, I rationalise and bargained, all I want is her to come home safely. If she does comes back safely (please do), I won't raise my voice at her.

And she did, coming out of a taxi closer to 2am. She was surprised to see me, and greeted me with a smile, explaining that she was late because they were too engrossed in their chats, and it's hard to get a cab.

I had to keep my side of the bargain now that she returned safe. But just because I don't scold her doesn't mean I can't tell her how displeased I was.

As a married couple, she is accountable for your own safety to me. This is basic responsibility. I need to be notified should there be any cause for me to worry.

She apologised, saying that she realised much later that her handphone battery went flat, and didn't call me using her friend's handphone because she knows I normally drop dead on the bed at the touch of midnight - the sweet girl doesn't want to wake me up.

Moral of the story - Married lady friends, please know this. If you have to return home late, you HAVE TO inform your significant other, even if that means you have to wake him up from bed. Don't let him worry about you. Thanks!

The Versatile Blogger Award

I am honoured to be tagged by Ricademus for the The Versatile Blogger Award.



Thanks, Ric! ^_^
I will however no longer be posting awards up on my sidebars, but I will always acknowledge them in a post. Means alot to me.

Here's 7 random things about myself, which comes with accepting the award. Not sure which ones I might have written before, I can't recall what I have blogged. =p

(1) I'm allergic to beer. Will go down with fever the next few days. Was lucky no one tried to sabo me with beer during my wedding night.

(2) I love soft toys. That explains why I love buying them for Wifey, so I can hug them too. =p

(3) Despite my practical nature, I have a soft spot for old people. Every old lady out there reminds me of my beloved Grandma. And I hope to visit my Grandma back in Malaysia for as long as I can.

(4) I'm too egoistic to cry. But that doesn't mean I don't. I can still recall that night many years ago when I cried badly and nearly broke down. Yes, I'm human after all.

(5) I am very picky when it comes to food. Consumes all kinds of vegetables, but always very selective when it comes to meat. Thus I become a "liability" when I go out for dinners with friends when it comes to sharing food.

(6) The number of bouquet of flowers I have sent in my life can be counted with one hand. Also given a choice, I rather give fake flowers than real ones - fake flowers represent a boring but ever-lasting relationship while real flowers symbolises an exciting but quick ending relationship. I know, I'm the least romantic guy on Planet Earth.

(7) I think turtlenecks and skirts are one of fashion's best combination. Yummy!

I won't be tagging anyone for the awards. There are plenty of versatile bloggers out there, but I will always miss someone out there when I tag, so I will rather pass.

Have a great day, my friends! ^_^

Who says Wifey isn't thrifty?

Wifey and I are a couple who believes alot in utilising one's strength to cover the other person's weakness.

That's married life, my friends. Each of us has a part to play!

While I worry about bringing in the moolah ($), she worries about us having excesses. While I'm surfing investment forums, she's surfing the shopping forums. And when I'm out there networking with my newfound friends, you can bet the kind-hearted girl is out there doing charity at retail outlets.

Yes, Singapore has the fastest growth rate in the world for the year 2010. And it's solely thanks to Wifey! She has the potential to single-handedly turn around the US economy and help the Democrats win back some lost seats (email me, Mr Obama!!!).

Anyway, I do a monthly stocktaking of our overall financial health, to ensure we are on target for a decent retirement. And I make it a point to keep my Wifey aware of our financial situation - just to let her know that while we don't have more money than than Mr Lee Kuan Yew (he's 87 and still working), but we can retire earlier than him.

But Wifey's ain't interested in how much we have, she's meant for bigger things in life. Quoting my ever-intelligent Wifey...
"I don't care how much we have so long as I have enough to spend."

My jaws drop. But nonetheless this award-winning quote will come in handy when I tell stories to my future descendents in my open lodging under the bridge. -_-''

And before you think I'm trying to say Wifey's a spendthrift, that is a myth - she is a very thrifty person.

And how do I know that?

Because she saves her money by making purchases with the supplementary credit card I gave her. 0.o

And at the end of every month, after I have finish paying all my credit card bills, she looks at me with that puppy look (again), and just couldn't figure out why I can't save up as much as she could.

-_-''

Sometimes I also wonder where all my money went.
Someone enlighten me?

About the Author: Shingo T will like to clarify that this post is not meant to be sarcastic. ^_^ In reality, though Wifey likes to spend, she does her research beforehand to ensure we get the best bargain for each and every of the many countless, endless, infinite things that she buy (including those bought when my back is turned). Hugs and kisses, Wifey!

The Voice from Above.

I am a Buddhist by birth (because my parents are), but I always consider myself a free-thinker.

OK, maybe the person I worship is the guy on the dollar note.


Anyway, I was on a networking session recently and there was a talk by Patrick Liew, who is the director of home-grown real estate company called HSR. Patrick is also a philantrophist and does numerous wide-scale charity projects.



Well, Patrick shared his rag to riches story. Won't write much about this, but he has this interesting personal philosophy about about listening to The Man Above.

Knowing that religion is a touchy subject here in Singapore, he first gave a disclaimer that any religions that condemn other religions can't be any way good. He said that regardless of the name that we call our God, he strongly believes that there is an upper authority up there who speaks to us, IF ONLY we allow ourself to hear him speak.

He told us how this voice guided him to be the person that he is now, and how we can get in touch with The Man Above. And we don't neccessary have to get in touch by going to church or temples, but rather, we just have to get ourself away from interruptions. He does so simply by going for a jog with his dog.

I actually have similar rituals too, when I am out cycling in the morning. That is the best time to get away from everything and do a little self-indulgence of being free. I'm not exactly sure if it's the voices from Above, but I hear voices in my heart. It gets me to reflect on what I have been doing, and gain clarity on what I want in life. I take stock of what I have done, and constantly re-align my directions with my goals.

Thus I always feel good after an hour of cycling.

And that is why I don't over-pack my schedule with too much events, I need spare time to reconnect with my inner self.

In this Rat's Race, it's easy to run around the corporate circuit like a headless chicken. So do you set aside a little time to listen to The Man Above, or at least your inner self?

Hide N Seek

My Wifey has a dual personality. At work, she's a no nonsense person. She is a perfectionalist who delivers only quality work and is respected by her peers for her professionalism. Interns and newbies who work with her tend to be a little afraid of her, as she does not see the need to give face to people who are not performing.

We often have discussion about our way of managing people at work - I go for people with the right attitude, while she goes for people who can deliver.

On weekends, back at home, this corporate perfectionalist turns into this devilish naughty girl. Just earlier this morning, I came home after my breakfast at a neighbourhood kopitiam, unable to find her on the bed (she sleeps late on weekends). And she wasn't in the toilet, so I knew she was playing hide and seek with me. -_-''

It's a good thing my flat is small. There are only a few places she can hide, so normally it won't take long for me to find her. But somehow she always hide in the place that I least expected (she knows me so well), so after I found her, she will laugh at how long I took to find her.

And she will often ask if I worry about her "disappearance". Being the egoistic and macho man that I am, err... my answer is no?

Besides playing hide and seek, she sometimes tries to give her hubby a scare by jumping out from dark corners or blind spots in the house. Haha, she just get a kick seeing me get startled. And I will always tell her that she should try harder if she's out to get my insurance money, I don't get heart attack that easily.

And that's why knowing I have a little phobia for roller coaster rides, she brings me to amusement parks, and "forces" me to take those killer rides, using her "If you don't go up, I also don't", and show me that disappointed face of hers.

I am a sucker to my Wifey's puppy looks. I know.

But frankly, she's also a little scary cat when it comes to such rides, she just wants to have my hand to hold, and have a companion who is equally scared sh*tless after the ride.

Seeing her fun side sometimes makes me feel less conscious of how uncle I actually am. Youth is contagious, and I feel younger when I'm with her.

I love you, Sweetie!

Me in a boxer?

How many of you remember this photo? Hands up!


This is a picture of me taken off a post one year ago, when I was talking about my company's Dinner and Dance.

If you remembered this photo, that means you have been wasting your time for the past year stalking my blog. How time flies, isn't it?

Well, the annual D&D is here again for the company I slog for, and this year's theme is Pyjamas Party!

So what comes to mind?

Your favourite Bananas in Pyjamas - B1 and B2?


No, this!


I'm looking forward to seeing all my female colleagues in this!
*drools*

But seriously, what do your male friends/hubby/boyfriend wear when they go to sleep? I wear normal home clothes, don't see any purpose of wearing pyjamas.

I asked a few of my other male colleagues, who joked that they sleep naked, and so will be there in their "birthday suit".

I guessed this time, I will just have to be there in normal work clothings, since the event is after work, unless I can think of something better.

Any suggestions?

And no, boxers are out. No one wants to see an old Uncle with a belly in a boxer. =(

You are what your genes are

I met up with a friend today who introduced me to a very interesting business opportunity.

The concept revolves around this.

Prevention is better than Cure, but Prediction is better than Prevention.

Well, so what happens is that your genes determine the kind of person you are, the kind of health vulnerability you have, and even the likely occupations you will be in based on your innate talents.

Imagine you send your kids to do this genetic profiling, and realise that she has no innate musical talent, then don't waste money sending her for piano lessons.

Or if you know that your liver is genetically weak, then cut down on the booze. Especially in Singapore, where people supposedly "can afford to die but cannot afford to fall sick".

Well, my friend claims that this award winning genetic profiling is 99% accurate, which I kind of have doubts on. Nonetheless, knowing the future sounds like an interesting business. But still, I chose to give the business a pass because I am not willing to spend the time on promoting this.

And in case you are wondering how much a profiling cost, vaguely under the impression it cost around S$2000 (US$1500) for one profiling.

Will you have done a genetic profiling to have a glimpse of your future?

Big is beautiful

4 words.
I love afro hair!

The Kite flies

I love dining with my friends and colleagues, but sometimes when I think about it, the topic we talk about tends to be more entertaining, rather than informative. Bitching about the boss and colleagues could be fun, but it doesn't change my future for the better, and definitely doesn't value add much.

The past few weeks have been amazing - I got the chance to network with a bunch of enthusiastic entrepenuers, and now my email has been flooded with inspirational info sharing and discussion with my newfound friends. It isn't easy starting a business, so it's always good to be exchanging ideas with like-minded people.

And nope, I have not started any business, I just want to equip myself with the skills early - don't wait till you are thirsty before you start digging a well.

Anyway, I have started meeting some of them over the past 2 weeks to further exchange ideas, and planning to meet a few more people over the next 3 weeks. It's very much like dating, meeting someone you barely know, and get to know a person better over a cup of cuppa. Just that I'm dating guys and married women this time round. =p

I woke up early today at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep. I laid on the bed with my eyes wide open, speculate about my future plans, and it got me really excited. I turned and saw Wifey sleep so soundly, that I have reaffirmed myself on why I cannot rest on my laurels - I want Wifey to sleep for as long as she likes EVERYDAY, and not having to wake up early just to get to office work on time.

Before I left for work, I reassured Wifey that whatever I do, I do it for her in mind. But should I spend too much time pursuing things at the expense of my time with her, I want her to let me know.

Money is a good-to-have, but my Wifey will always be a must-have.

For I am like a kite.
I just want to fly high.
But I know my strings are tied.
To my Wifey who's within sight.
Should there be thunders of light.
She will give me a tug.
That's where I know it's time.
For me to stop the flight.
And come down once again.
Back to the owner of the kite.

An Indian version of MJ's Thriller

I wake up early on weekend mornings, because I always find this a good time to get some inspiration and find back myself, before workdays start again.

I have spent the last 2 hours seeing dance moves from Youtube, and here's a funny one that I really hope can bring you some laughter.

What happens when the Indians try to do a dance inspired from Michael Jackson's classic Thriller?

See it for yourself. It's hilarious.


Smile! ^_^

The art of cold calling

Maybe I'm not THAT thick-skin after all.

I just did some "crazy" challenges over the weekends with some of my newfound friends.

First, we randomly called people and tried to hold a conversation for 2 minutes. I failed the challenge miserably, the typical Singaporean probably thought I was trying to scam. The longest I can hold? 1 minute. And my friends could stay 3 minutes or more, and was talking to the same sex some more.

After which, we started making calls to "rival" companies, pass off as customers, and tried to fish more information about the company. At least this time round I know I won't get rejected, because those customer service people have to mind their manners. =p

It's crazy embarrassing doing all these. But after the first few times, subsequent tries got much easier.

Have you guys ever tried cold calling? Did you get a better response?

About the Author: Shingo T knows of a guy who cold calls random people and ended up making a girlfriend out of one of them. Kewl!