Thursday, August 31

Weapon of Self-Destruction

Good morning, students!
Today, I shall discuss about weapons of Self-Destruction (WoSD).

And I believe strongly that George Bush is holding on to it.



So what is this WoSD?
It's the mouth - the single human organ that can cause one to lose his reputation when opened. We all may have heard about how George Bush making blunders in his speech. Maybe his ratings will be better if he talked less.

Remember the famous saying?
The one that states that some people look smart until they start opening their mouth.

Yes, people who speak faster before their pea sized brain can think.
People who make hurting comments, only to regret later.
People who accidentally reveal a secret they are not supposed to know.
People who accuse their spouse of adultery when there is no concrete evidence.
People who try to act smart, make statements and end up looking stupid.
People who blink, make generic statements, and telling their subordinates what they already know.

Yes, WoSD is found all over the world. In fact, I suspect that well-developed countries has more WoSD than poor countries like Iraq.

I have an uncle who is VERY quiet, a carpenter by occupation.
I meet him every year during New Year. Almost no one has ever talked to him.
And he does not take the initiative to talk.
We will all be chatting none stop, but he sits alone in one corner eating and watching TV.
One day, my ahma approached him and asked why he is so quiet.

His reply?
"I don't want to say the wrong things."
He is a down-to-earth guy, and I found myself respecting him more after that.

Conceal your WoSD, my children.
Think before you talk.
Don't let your years of hard-earned reputation go down the drain in one line.

Must remind myself about this too. ^_^

Wednesday, August 30

Where the POOK is Rockson?

Warning: The following entry is rated R(A), for its vulgar contents. Parental advisal is recommended.
If you are below the age of 21, we seriously recommend that you click here instead.




Kan nee na bei chow chee bye!!!!!
It has been a POOKing 55 days since Rockson Takumi Tan has posted in his popular Talk Rock blog. Of course, it is his cheebye blog, and he decides as and when to update it. But the question that everyone is asking is "Where the POOK is this son of a mothercheebye?"

I have gotten to know Rockson's blog from Joe months ago. His blog is unconstrained, something that is hard to find in Singapore's blogesphere. He writes with passion, with lust, and no, not with his lanjiao or kah chng.

His ah beng sense of writing, marinated in his X-rated humour is enough to make Mona Lisa secretly smile in her paintings. Nabei, its enough to brighten up the days of a typical office worker, trapped in the rat's race.

To be frank, I am a friend of his style of writing. And sometimes I read until buay tahan, laugh until the ba tok pain. But I do not totally agree with what he says. I personally feel he is way too biased against the gahmen. All I can say is that every pro has a con. And vice versa. You can't always have your cake and eat it.

From his blog, we get to know people like Karen and Lawrence. The former is his errr... female POOKing friend, who we know is damn chio even without us seeing the photo lor. And the latter, his male friend, who appears to be his buddy lah. Duh!!!

He claims to have alot of friends who are from societies that are secretive. But Rockson himself, is a Man of Mystery. No, we are not talking about the Mike Myers (aka Man with the Mojo).


There are many theories about who Rockson really is.
Some theories have claimed that he is actually a very educated graduate who is toolan at the government. Others have guessed that he might be one of the bloggers that we know (Kenny Sia? Miyagi? Mr Brown? Or even Shingo T?)
Or maybe he could even be part of the gahmen?
Or he could be the nerd sitting beside you in your office.

Who knows?

Also just as interesting is why he disappear?
(1) Did he get POOKed by the gahmen for his general anti-gahmen comments? Recall that his last entry was "Cheebye! Mr Brown kena fuck by Gahmen!"
(2) Or maybe he has already decide to migrate with Karen to Australia for a POOKing good time?
(3) Or did he maybe, even decide to join the opposition to help make Singapore a more Rocksonish world to be?

Nonetheless, I wished you well, Rockson.
Do come back soon and let us know your cheebye still exist.

Peace out.

Tuesday, August 29

Shingo T - The Globe Trotter

My first ambition, during my primary school days was to be a bus driver.
Regular readers may have recalled my fascination with buses. I wanted the job because

(1) bus drivers are cool.
(2) they have no bosses.
Well, the first reason turns out to be valid. Commander of a bus, protector of passenger safety!
The 2nd reason well, turns out to be incorrect. They have tons of bosses. Yes, the passengers , some of whom who curse and swear when the bus is late, but always take the buses for granted.

My second ambition, during my secondary school days, was to be a radio deejay because

(1) my future wife will know I'm not having affair at work when she hears my voice on air.
(2) they have no bosses.
Well, both reasons turn out to be incorrect.

My third and final ambition, during my uni days, was to be a teacher because

(1) teaching boosts Mr Ego.
(2) I am the boss of my own classroom.

(Noticed something common about the 3 jobs?)

My current job turns out to be none of the above, and I have no idea where I will be in future. A sudden question crept to my head. What if I were to work in a job that requires constant travelling to other countries? Or maybe permanent relocation?

Many years ago, being a globe trotter would have been a strict no-no because
(1) I can't bear to leave my family and friends.
(2) I don't want my future wife to feel insecure about me being "lonely" while overseas.

I asked wife-to-be earlier tonight this question - more money but see me less, or the other way round?

She told me in a joking tone that "More money is ok, don't mind seeing less of ya". Somehow, I knew she meant it. Not exactly because of the money, but the possibility that I will take her abroad more often during longer business trips.

We have always wanted to see more of the world, but was never given the chance to, due to my one and only reason "we need to save up for a flat". I was determined not to be slave to my job for the rest of my life. Housing loans ties people down to their jobs, no matter how much they have to drag themselves to work.

Globe trotting offers a third eye to the world. The culture, the people, the business, the opportunities, the mindset changes, the adaptability, the way things are run.

No doubt this will involve a sharp learning curve, but I'm ready for it. No mountain is too high for me. My biggest enemy is myself, not anyone else.

I have no doubt that I am meant for bigger things.
Being a globe trotter will provide that unparalleled insight and vision that I need to reach the final destination.

My charisma and my passion will bring me far.
What I need, is to source for an opportunity.


The World is just a stepping stone for bigger things to come.
For me, and for all of you!

Explore while the cup of ice has not melt.

Swimming in the 7th month

Managed to reach home at 7pm+ yesterday, courtesy of a colleague who drove me back.

Had the sudden thought of going to the nearby Jurong East Swimming Complex. Yes, Shingo T is a non-swimmer, but there is a water theme park there. Coupled with floats, anyone can go in there for a mere $1.50 on weekdays.

Cheap and good does exist in Singapore.

Reached there at 8pm, and rushed for the float stall. Renting of float is at $2, but shop closes at 8.30pm. =( But nothing's gonna stop me in the name of fun. I must get into the wave pool today, so I paid up.

I was in the wave pool jump in time for the action. As the name implies, waves were created to push you around. And strong jets of water shot from the top. The feeling is like holding on to a log, in the middle of the ocean, on a stormy night.

Floating under the night is wonderful. I glanced at the sky, no stars, no Moon. Isn't the red Mars supposed to be visible somewhere in this period? Never mind.

The wave pool had no more than 15 people, which is a far cry from the 100+ that you see on weekends. I suddenly realised that this is the first time I'm out "swimming" alone.

I wished wife-to-be was here. =(

Noticed 2 occassions when "someone" pushed my float. Turned around and saw nobody. Recalled it was the 7th month, but I have never been superstitious type. I'm into Shingoism, believing in nobody but myself. Anyway, it must have been strong unexpected waves.

I was the last to leave the theme park, and got to enjoy the Symphony of the Night.

Yes, the west side of Singapore is not a boring place with only Science centres and Bird Parks. The East have they Geylang. We have our Holland V. Their Tampines Malls + Century Square + White Sands (zzz...) are no match for our Jurong Point + IMM.

This little theme park is nowhere closed to Wild Wild West in the East, but its a good enough substitute, for a non-swimmer like me.

Monday, August 28

Shingo T's Three Laws of Motion

Allow Professor Shingo T to go through the modified version of Newton's 3 Laws of Motion.

Law 1:
Every person undergoing a routine lifestyle tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

Your life is monotonous.
You are used to being what you are doing now.
Work, rest, work, rest, work, rest, and weekends.
Woo!!!
Rinse and repeat.

You have no time for courses because you claim to be tired.
But you are never too tired idling at home watching TV or playing games.

There are countless tomorrow after tomorrow.
No ifs, and no buts.
Ask yourself where the POOK are your coconuts.

It will continue this way UNTIL an alternate force is applied.
If you mix with people who do not provide you that force, and you get contented, you will forever move at this pace.

Question and oppose yourself now and then!
Most importantly, act on it!
May the alternate force be with you.

Law 2:
A person's Finance(F) is the product of a person's Motivation m and his Acceleration a. F = ma.

No one owes you a living.
And it doesn't matter if you are borned poor.
Cos there are PLENTY of rich people turned poor cases.

Motivation(m) = Work hard.
This is the information era. He who possess the additional and least known information wins. And its for you to find out what you do not know.
Work hard for 10 years, and it will get easier after that.
Make NOTHING a SOMETHING.
Cos the SOMETHING may someday give you your EVERTHING.

Acceleration(a) = Work fast.
Fastest finger wins.
The earlier you start doing what you wanted to do, the more likely that it will be completed (and suceed).
Have you started on your New Year resolution, or are you reassuring yourself that Dec 31 is still a few months away?

And not forgetting, work smart too.
If you can't, employ smarter people to work for you.

Law 3a:
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Everytime you want to try something new, there are always people who will provide that opposite reaction.
And its interesting to note that they tend to be close family members and friends.

A: I want to implement this system.
B: My experience tell me it won't work.

A: I want to invest in stocks.
B: Stocks will only make you lose money.

A: I want to start a business.
B: Better for you to stick to your job. Iron rice-bowl.

B will forever be stuck in the rats race.
And A will be his companion.

Law 3b:
For every problem, there is an equal and opposite opportunity.
Problems are all around you, if you pay attention close enough.

Virgin airlines was the result of a problem that Richard Branson faced.

Some time ago, I noted the lack of healthy breakfast in the shops around us.
Fried Bee Hoon, Nasi Lemak etc.... EVIL breakfast.
Bread is carbo, high glycermic food.... it makes you fat. And btw, its also bad for people with diabetes.
Had wanted to open a small cafeteria called "Salad or Cereal" (aka SoC) for health-conscious and diet addicts. I have not seen anyone selling cereal with fresh milk and fruits in the CBD area. Salads also make great breakfast, lunches and dinners.
Also, Jacelyn Tay loves salad!



Delivery services can be done for the poor executives doing OT in their offices.
I spent the next few days walking around the city to look for possible locations, scout for salad ingredients and to get estimates of costs in the various salad shops.
This is not exactly a unique idea, but the key thing is, I have identified a problem.
And tried to worked on a solution.

What have you done when you see a problem?

Anyway, have a great day ahead in your rat's race.

Random Notes 2

Some random notes
(1) Cup of Ice (CoI) hits 628 hits as of now. It was only 128 a week ago. Pretty surprised. The number of hits is even faster than my previous homepage. Something tells me it may have to do with my "Favourite Newscaster" entry. Thanks for the support people, but stop pressing the "Refresh" button. ^_^

(2) Watched "Snakes on a Plane" over the weekends. Nice show, for both Wife-to-be and myself. They depicted snakes as perverted creatures. Snakes are evil!

(3) Shingo T shall lose his Single and Available status soon. Sorry ladies, but he will still be available! So do not throw away the "Shingo T is sexy!" placards. Idolise me and shine my shoes!

(4) One of my colleagues took wedding photos after 25 years of marriage. Romantic man!

"Stupid" is a stupid word.

One of the many things that my mum taught me was that "Never to call someone stupid. Instead replace it with the word cute". Stupid is a very harsh word. It makes people upset. It makes people depressed.

It kills everyone's Mr Ego.

Seriously, the word "stupid" should be taken out of the Oxford dictionary.

There are no stupid people.
But there are people who made silly and careless mistakes.
And people who are smarter in other areas.
And also people who are less fortunate than other people.

Also, there are no "stupid" ideas.
Only creative and less conventional ones.
And fyi, "stupid" ideas are good.

I have this true story to share.

In Canada, they have this problem of getting rid of snow that is settling down on cables, hung above the air.

You see, snow will freeze the cables, which may result in the cables snapping. And no electricity to the common folks is EVIL!
So the company got all their employees to come up with ideas.
Someone suggested that they can put honey on top of the pole, so that bears can shake the pole, and all the snow on the cables will fall down.
A "stupid" idea it may seem, but the team thought about how they can modify the idea to come up with something more practical.

And Eureka! Instead of a bear, they sent a helicopter to fly near the cables, and the snow got blown off the cables. Saving lots of dollars compared to their previous solution (which I don't recall) Smart!

Yes, we live in a smart world.
"Stupid" itself is a stupid word.
The next time you wannna use the word, think twice.
The word "Silly" (or "Cute", in my mama's syntax) is more appropriate.

Cheers! ^_^

Thursday, August 24

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the classic story of a person with dual personality. They are actually the same person. But when Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde, he becomes evil, and he kills people.
*gasp*

It is my belief that everyone has a dual personality. No matter how sweetie-pie and angelic he/she appears to be. Go watch the movie "Hard Candy".

Yes children, Mr Burns is not the only evil guy around in the world.

If you look hard enough, he's blinking at ya.

Some of you guys may have came across the famous website that revealed that Bert, of Sesame Street fame is evil.
(Evidence below)


You lucky BAS***D


It was said that the photographer of this photo is missing

And also his partner-in-crime, cute old Elmo.



And not forgetting the evil purple dinonsaur out to take over the world.


Even popular bloggers like Kenny Sia - the hottest Malaysian blogger that every gal desires is no exception.


Kenny in Jekyll mode


Kenny in Hyde mode

And so is Shingo T - author of Singapore's least-read blog. I am only human after all. The good and bad within me are in conflict every now and then. I do harbour my fair share of evil thoughts sometimes.

Who am I today?
A doctor, or a mister?

Who am I tmr? The year later? 10 years down the road?
Will I ever sucuumb to the dark side? I do not know.

Wednesday, August 23

The GameMaster

I had 2 nicknames during my primary school days.

First was "The Walking Bus Guide". This was due to my memorisation of the bus guide since primary 3. I bought yearly editions of the bus guide and memorised them. Friends and even relatives will call me if they need to know how to go from A to B. I still receive such calls, though I must say that I have gotten pretty out of touch.

The second was "The GameMaster". That was the nickname I was most proud of. Inspired by video games and the lack of having access to them (my family was poor), I came up with my own board games since young. The games are pretty advanced, for a primary school kid my age. My board games were the closest things to intereactive arcade games, and trust me, they are HOT!

They are not the monotonous "Snakes and Ladders", and they are more advanced than "Monopoly".

I will proudly declare my board games as creative, unlike ANY kind of board games during my days. And they are POOKING popular with my classmates, who will come early to school just to play them.

My games has various themes, normally associated with monsters, the supernaturals. I control the monsters (aka the bad guys), and my classmates will control the hero (aka good guys). As in real-life, bad guys start with the advantage, but good guys will slowly get better along the game, as they stumble across better weapons and magic. And as in wrestling, the good guys don't always win in the end.

One of my most memorable games was the one where I get to control
Frankenstein (moves slowly, but yields high damage)
Gillman (one who lurks in "water", but moves very fast)
Dracula (one that could teleport past obstacles within a certain distance)
Mummy (range attack with his bandages)
Chinese zombie (hops in multiple of 3 steps)
Succubus (forgot what she does, but my games are rated R)
My games are dice-based, where random events can occur since you draw a card at each round. My maps are big, and it normally take an hour or two to complete playing it.

I must have made about 50 board games during my primary school days. The games had to be hidden under the bed, as my sister will destroy my games when she sees them. That was when she was still the "evil sister". My sister has since been promoted to "the best sista in the world". ^_^

I have written my own game books. They are similat to the Lone Wolf series gamebooks that you may have seen those in bookshops. They let you make decisions. Example. If u decide to go into the haunted house, turn to page 55. If you decided to cross the river, turn to page 32. =p

I have also gotten a rival competitor, who was out to snatch a bit of the pie in my glorious gaming industry. His name was Jeremy and he came up with his own game (somehow, he only came up with only one), but it turned out to be a pretty "Snakes and Ladders". He was a great artist, and his game board was truly beautiful, a work of art. Mine, in comparison, was plain, mostly drawn in pencils, all black-and white. Some of my "customers" were initially snatched by him, and I was POOKING pissed. Well, but I have some "customers" that recognise the value of the work. What I lost in presentation, I make it up with contents.

I was passionate about my games. I used to walk around the neighbourhood to gather inspiration too. Home was never a place that I could derive inspiration from, but it was where my secret laboratory was. I was the evil wizards with who cackles and concoct his own board games.

There was once when my schoolmates were playing my board games in a certain deserted part of school, when the school bullies came along and knock over my games. No one messes around with me and my passion. I had to protect the "customers", and nobody's gonna make fun of my games. I asked the bullies to "stay there if they have the guts", and went to my school bag for a hammer. I happen to have a hammer in my bag, probably for some arts related schoolwork. A primary school kid with a hammer, threatening to strike the school bully's skull with it. That's me. I will say the school bully has guts, standing there in defiance. But I can see that he was scared deep inside, but he can't looked too bad in front of his "lackeys". He has a Mr Ego within him too, I guess. Haha. Lets not go into what happens after that.

I made my own dices, and made checkers out of various items. Board game companies should have employed me when I was still in primary school. Then they won't produce crappy board games that I still see today.

Passion drives me far.
Mr Ego drives me further.

Tuesday, August 22

Symphony of the Night

Walking alone at nightime have always been mesmerising when I'm all alone.
And I'm sure most of you folks have experienced that, especially after a long day at work and having to leave the workplace only after the sun is down.

Night is a perfectionist.
The moonglow is dim, creating this near romantic atmosphere.
The temperature is cool, no sunshades required.
Coupled with Singapore's safe environment, you can enjoy the night alone without feeling any form of insecurity.

And the symphony of the night - gushing wind, insect chants, plant movements etc... its the 2nd best soothing music to the sound of silence.

Nightime is a great time to chill out, be it with friends or being alone.
The night is your friend, it listens to the thoughts thats going about in your mind admist a quiet setting.

Night does not aggravate, He is patient.
Night does not complain, He is a good listener.
He listens to what you have done for the day, all the good things and also the unhappy ones.

Night does not gossip.
He is gentle and sweet.
Night does not nag.
Nor is swayed by greed.

I have told wife-to-be many years ago that
"No matter where we are, we are always under the same moon".
Which means I may be in America, and you in Europe, but we will still be under the same moon. As such, we will never be too far from each other.

If you miss me at night.
Look at the moon for me.

Let the Night be in touch with your inner soul.
It lets you find out more about yourself.
It tells you who you are.

The Durian Tree

Below is a story shared by a friend of mine, a mum of 2.

Born in Malaysia, she lived in a palm plantation when she was young. She had plenty of siblings, but the family had no problem with money. They were one of the richest in the village vicinity, having owned the palm plantation.

One day, her father talked to someone who suggested that the palm plantation should be turned into the durian plantation instead. Then, durians were not the in-thing. The father pondered and felt that it was a good idea, since there were too many palm plantation.

And as usual, the people around him advised him against it. They were like ducks, quacking and quacking. Giving a one-sided argument about why he should not do it. Durian trees don't grow overnight. It takes 10 POOKING years to change a seedling to a fully grown tree.

The father went ahead, getting rid of the existing matured palm trees, and replacing them with durian seedlings. The next 10 years appear to be the bleakest financial period for my friend and her family. A big family who used to lived excessively, now had to resort to stinge on spendings.

It seems the critics were right. The father died during before his dreams came true.

10 years after the seedlings were planted, the durian trees were finally up. And that is during the past few years when durians were selling like precious gems, ok almost. My friend and her family started reaping the fruits of what they sow, the vision that their father has seen many years ago.

Had they sticked to palm trees, they would never have been what they are today.
Had they listened to the critics, they would never have ventured into uncharted water, and be what they are today. They have since sold off the land (plus durian trees) and gotten a sizeable amount of money.

End of story.

The so called academically-smart people are mostly contended getting a fixed job, highly paid ones. They make good employees.
But its the risk-takers that actually suceeds.

You don't have to be academically-smart to suceed. because once you start a business, you can always get smart people to work for you.

Robert Kyosaki: "If you are afraid of risk, start early."
Brian Tracy: "The earlier you start implementing an idea, the more likely you are going to do it."


Be far-sighted, and start planting your "Durian Tree".
57% of Singaporeans will be old in the year 2050.

Monday, August 21

What have you inherited from your parents?

I was at the hospital a few weeks ago, to visit the newborn of one of my friends. One of the other visitors asked me "Does the kid look more like the mum or the dad?" I was stumped for a moment. Looking at the baby, at the parents, and back at the baby again, I gave a weak smile.

All newborn babies look about the same to me. As their features slowly developed during growth, they get sharper. Like beady eyes, double chin etc...

I got the picture below from the Net.

Tell me who the baby looks more like. Or is it only me who has this problem?

I'm not exactly sure who I looked more like now, but I know I have inherited certain characters from my parents. I got my health-conscious habits and life-appreciating philosophy from my mum. Dad gave me his thriftiness and stubbornness, which actually worked to my advantage - persisting even if the odds are against me.

I have since learnt the "10-year series" answer - the baby looked liked both of the parents. Nobody can go wrong with that.

One thing to be sure, the baby's gonna inherit something from both of the parents, on top of his own original character.
1/3 mum + 1/3 dad + 1/3 originality = Me

So what have you inherited from your parents?

Thursday, August 17

Random notes.

Two notes.
(1) Go watch "Hard Candy". Wife-to-be may disagree, but I enjoyed the show thoroughly.

To my friend 7-8, the next time you try to chat a babe up the net, be careful. Kidding. =p
And to the guys out there, say "No" when a babe offers you a drink. They could be evil. LOL.

(2) Listened to the "Bolly Bolly" album about 5 times today. Amazed at my increase in productivity today. Forget about Mozart for babies, all babies should listen to "Bolly Bolly" to develop a sharper brain.

Rock on!!!

Bolly Power

I finally managed to buy a copy of the "Bolly Bolly" album after work yesterday.
Was dying to hear this album, its about time the Indians show the world who really rocks in the dance and music scene.

Oh ya baby, Bollywood dance music rocks! The Indian flavour is steaming! Definitely better than "Dr Bombay".
Listening to the music, one can't helped but associate the music to the ad-hoc dances in Indian movies.


(Setting: A scene in the wet market)
Guy: *talks sweet nothings to the gal*
Gal: *remarks that the guy says that to every gal*
Guy: "My love for ya is true"
And suddenly....
The fishmonger drops their fish, the aunties drop their baskets, and even the policeman drops his baton.

AND EVERYONE START DANCING IN SYNCHRONISATION.
Its pretty fascinating how these passerbys become backup dancers all of a sudden.
But thats the charm of Bollywood.
Music and dance is in their soul.

Some composer once said "Music is the eye of the ear."
So dance must be the eye of the feet?

Bolly Music is simply.... ORGASMIC!!!

Everyone go learn the Bolly now!!!

Wednesday, August 16

A wonderful lady

More than 80 years ago, a lady married a rich man, and gave birth to 5 children. Her hubby died early and poor, and she had to single-handedly take care of the children.
This lady survived past World War 2, consuming more tapiocas within the 3 years 8 months than you will ever eat in your life.

Life was harsh, but the lady and her family survived. Her children are now leading a decent life. And one of the children, is my mum.

This lady, my granny, one that I affectionately called ahma, had been one of the biggest influence in my life, other than my mum. She took care of me till I was Primary 3.

Gentle and completely honest, and she had a smile that will radiate all that is around her. If smiles are contagious, then she's one infectious person.

I have always associated people who grew up with their ahma as people who are more sympathetic to older people. She made me appreciative of what is going around me. Nope, she did not directly teach me that. But somehow, you become more aware of things when you mix around much with older people.

She was a selfless person, often putting others a notch above her. If u have not arrived home, she will wait till you get home and bathe before she does. She will be taking the rice from yesterday while she serves you the freshly cooked rice. She is a vegetarian, but continues to cook a little meat now and then to feed her carnivorous grandchildren.

For someone who has been with a rich family before, she was thrifty. She does not have anything fancy, nor craves for anything expensive, other than her favourite mee suah (noodles) and Khong Guan biscuits, which she always say that it goes well with Milo. Lunch was normally leftovers from yesterday's dinner.

No one could ever possibly go hungry under her rule.

She never had a secret agenda. She is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). She is an apple that looks good on the outside, and contains no worms on the inside.

When I was young, I always tried to delay bathing. She will ask me for a condition to fasten my start of bathing time. And I will ALWAYS ask for her to buy me a computer game after I finished bathing. She will ALWAYS say yes (despite having no money) to pacify me, and somehow I will ALWAYS end up forgetting to ask her for it after my bathe. She did not remind me either. That was the only lie that I recalled, a white lie.

I was never a good grandson, raising my voice with impatience at her during my younger and immatured days. She took my anger in stride, never raising her voice back at me. She taught me what patience was, in an indirect way. Her love for her grandchildren was unrivalled.

She had a great part to play to make me what I am today.

Thank you, Ahma!
And Happy Birthday to you!

I will write about the birthday celebration another day. ^_^

Tuesday, August 15

The Cockroach



Yo, yo, yo!!!
The roach is on the loose.
Love us, or hate us
We will rock and rule.

We are resilient creatures.
Last longer than mankind.
The dinos all got fried.
But we roaches survive.

Spray us with ur pesticides.
Its only gonna be time.
Till we get immune.
And be back to fight.

Lifestyle Evolution

I was at the bathroom turning on the shower yesterday night, when I realised that the heater is not on. So I shouted out for my mum to turn it on for me.

And it dawned upon me that I have gotten used to bathing in hot water. Something that I have never used for the first 20 years of my life. What's up with that?

From the past till now, life has changed alot since the "poor and undeveloped" days.

Used to sleep without fans, now I do on it now and then. The sound of turbines creates this strange lullaby that rocks me to sleep.

Used to skip taxis altogether, its a waste of hard-earned cash. Now I'm all for it. How do we put a price to comfort?

Used to be a pager man, swearing never to let handphone control my life. Now I got a handphone, and bills have gone higher.


Upgrade is easy.
But what happens when the time comes to downgrade once again?

Monday, August 14

Why work late?

During nightimes when you drive along ECP, the stretch from Keppel Road to Suntec City, do take a look at the office buildings.



You will be able to have a glimpse of plenty of Singapore's beautiful landscape - full of office buildings.
Now, find out which lights are still on, and tell yourself, "I shall not work there as it has long office hours"
That's what someone told me in the past.

Singapore has an official recommended cap of 44 work hours, which is considered high compared to many countries, a few of which only recommend a 35 hour work-week.

And on top of the already long work hours we have, professionals are working overtime. Why do you have that much work to do in the first place?

If you claimed that you are overworked, why isn't the company employing more people? I understand there are peak and lull periods. But I do not understand why there are perpetual peak periods.

One of the interesting findings I have learnt in the midst of coporate life is that people create work for other people, some of which are totally unneccessary. The boss ask the manager a casual question, "Why is our productivity so low these days?" The manager wants to give a good reply to ensure his promotion will be ASAP, and gets his workers to dig out data and revert to him ASAP. The worker spends 2 hours digging the data, spends 0.5 hour discussing the findings with the manager.
The manager in turn, spends another 0.5 hour carefully drafting his results to the boss.
And the boss spends 5 seconds typing a "Thanks."

Total time spent to get an answer for the boss:
Manager: 0.5 + 0.5 = 1 hour
Worker: 2 + 0.5 = 2.5 hours
All these work just to get a "Thanks" for the boss?
If the question was not asked, the manager will leave an hour earlier, and the worker 2 hours earlier.

The next month, productivity goes haywire again.
And the boss ask the same question all over again.

I am not encouraging people to shun work, just work that is meaningless.
Asking is the easy part, following up is time-consuming.

One of my friends who was way overworked walked into his boss office recently and demanded a $600 pay rise. Congrats, he got it.
Now he can continue to work insane hours for the rest of his life.

Are you working late because everyone else in your department is?
Why is that so?

Friday, August 11

Favourite Newscaster.

I was reading my regular forum when I read this post abt prettiest local newscaster.
I shall try to go a little pictorial in this entry, hey, a picture speaks a thousand words. And maybe, it will drive up my newly placed webpage counter.

And here's a shoutout to my tea-drinking buddy who wants to see more pretty gals on my website.
IF YOU WANT SOME, COME GET SOME!!!
Hope his gf is not tuning on to this page though.

Back to the forum posting.
This person was mesmerised by someone called Andrea Chow, and I was like who the POOK is she? A cross between Andrea De Cruz and Vivian Chow?




So I clicked on the link and saw this.



And I went, "Who is this auntie?"
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so apologies if you are offended by my judgement.

So let's do a quick look at some of the more promising newscasters.

Evelyn Tan

Ex-newscaster. Sweetie pies should stick to acting.

Diana Ser

She garnered quite a lot of votes in the looks section, based on the small sample of the forum guys. Small and petite.

Lisa Ang

Beautiful married woman, enough said.

Cheryl Fox

Friend's classmate. Used to be my favourite newscaster till the next gal comes in.

Suzanne Jung

Korean chicks rock! She may look ordinary, but she exudes this charm. It's her eyes, they are evil.

So who's your favourite newscaster?
Share with me.

P:S. To my buddy who is leaving Singapore wef tonight, the pictures are for ya. Sorry I didn't have enough time to surf for prettier picts, I had to stick to my 10 minutes guideline. All the best in whatever you do, wherever you are. Lets us stay in touch always.

Thursday, August 10

The good old arcade days

I have not been much to the arcades for quite a while.
Most local arcades have shut down. The one in Orchard Emerald, Peninsula Plaza, Lucky Plaza, and my favourite, the one in Shaw Towers.
The remaining arcades suffer from dwindling business. Clementi and Jurong East arcades have downsized.
Many others looked like graveyards, and its only a matter of time before they close.

Arcades have always been a great place to make friends for me. Coupled with the gaming webpage I used to have, I got to know a group of gaming friends, both male and female.

I played mainly fighting games, and my gang will meet up every Saturday to practise against each other, all for the name of fun. My group was pretty huge, say about 10 people or so. We will crowd around our favourite arcade machines and dominate it. "Intruders" do challenge us, and if he's really good, we will take turns trying to kick him out.

We were obviously not the only arcade gang around. We do get in "fights" with other gangs.

There was this rival gang led by someone nicknamed "Moonrun". Most of them are bengs. Recalled theres this guy named Alfred, a small fat boy. He's POOKING arrogant, but unfortunately for us, he has the gaming skills to back him up. It will always be one member of his team versus any of us. A mini competition, for pride.

Then there's this gals' gang. Very nice people who are well-liked by both my group and Moonrun's. As female players, their presence in a man's arcade world, playing fighting games , is attention grabbing. When these gals play, guys crowd like bees to honey. Oh, guys are POOKING perverts! Unfortunately, most gals just don't really make the cut in fighting games, just like how gals are stereotyped to be poor drivers when it comes to parking. So sue me! Anyway, these gals are into anime cosplay. Kawaii!!!



A Saturday morning outing at the arcade will end with a dinner at night at our favourite endorsed restaurant - Burger King. It helps to let us know each other better outside of gaming.

Now that our group is disbanded, I only keep in touch with a few of them. If you are reading this, just wanna say thanks for the fond memories.

Arcade dies, good memories remain till the cup of ice melts.

Wednesday, August 9

Getting angry

My wife-to-be and I were watching the news on Channel 8. They were showing this footage of Lebanon, more precisely, whatever is left of Lebanon. Wife-to-be is not much into current affairs, the only news she read being that of the gossip filled Wanbaos (night newspapers).

She was somehow upset over why Isreal wanted to bomb poor Lebanon, and I spent some time explaining to her the history and why the war started.


Photo: What Lebanon should be.

It set me thinking about this very human emotion - anger.

Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to fear.
And fear leads to the dark side.

Anger is a vicious cycle.

Typical WWE storyline.
A scolds B.
B gets angry and attacks A, but the referees hold them back.
A is not going to take it lying down, and challenges B to a wrestling match.
It doesn't matter who wins, because the one who lost will say the win is a fluke and challenges the winner for a match at the pay-per-view.
It never ends until Vince McMahon feels the storyline is stale.

It's always easier said than done to control your anger.

Here's a tip.
In any argument or buay song instances, there is NEVER a SINGLE side that is wrong.
If you blame it SOLELY on someone, you will only carry a grudge for the rest of your life.
If you blame it SOLELY on yourself, you will only feel depressed.

Is it so important to find someone responsible?
Why is pride so important that revenge has to come into the picture?

Learn from the past, but always look forward.

A moment of anger can cause serious aftershocks.
3 minutes of destruction equates to 3 years of construction.

Before you start getting angry, tell yourself
HE WHO STARTS THE FIGHT IS WRONG.
And make sure your other half knows this.

May you find peace in your way of life.

Tuesday, August 8

Shingo T - The Cook Wannabe

I was on urgent leave yesterday - the lame reason being that I realised I left my pass at home after I reached the outside of my office.

No pass = No access.
I wasn't in the mood to take chances to sneak through security.
Quite frankly, I also wan't in the mood to work that day.
So heck.

When u start working, u start to appreciate that leaves are precious.
I was determined that it should not be a wasted day at home playing games.

So I set my non-gaming target upfront. With the excess time that I have left, it will go to gaming. Not being able to game is killing, but its an addiction I have to control.

I decided to add cooking to the checklist. Being a while since I last cooked. Had taken half a year of cooking lessons a few years ago. But I was taught the theoretical techniques, never the practical skills, which really matters.

Shopped for ingredients in the afternoon, determined not to miss any ingredient out. Anyway, I shall just fast forward to the final results.

Long beans with Yong Tau Foo - My wife-to-be found it too fresh (ie. not cooked long enough).

Ginger Chicken with chilli and capsicum - Added too much starch. =( And gravy not salty enough.

Fried Sesame Eggs - Turn out to be the best dish. Seriously speaking, its hard to go wrong with eggs. As long as it doesn't go BBQ, it will turn out good. Eggs smells really good with sesame oil. Its machiam like my Granny's signature dish. I still can't cook as well as her.

Ok, so it turned out to be a cooking disaster. Mum-in-law must have crossed her fingers when she said it was ok. Pretty much embarassed, guess I should have stayed with the basic dishes. =(

Wife-to-be was supportive. She had no choice, no one bought alternatives for dinner.

Must learn to cook more, and BETTER!
Must start setting realistic targets again.

Cheers!

Friday, August 4

Parabens + Makeups are evil.

Some healthy advice from Shingo T.

Do yourself a favour. Go check the ingredients of your daily facial foam once you get home. If it contains "paraben", please do throw them away. Parabens are preservatives, so that your facial foam can last for 2-3 years. But they cause breast cancer, MOST cheap brands will contain them. Even some expensive brands (Biotherm for eg.) have them too.
Do a simple search for Paraben on Google and you know I'm dead serious about it. POOKING manufacturers.
UK Health Report
The problem with our media is that they asked people to go for mammogramms.
But never tell people how to prevent breast cancer.
Anyway, glad my wife-to-be has switched facial foam months ago.
Better late than never.

And for gals, note that all makeup contains trace amount of mercury and lead. Its an essential substance. Please wash them off ur face properly before you go to sleep. POOK the cosmetic companies too.

Oh, I have found a way to double your money.
Share with you guys another day.

Thursday, August 3

The Pinball Machine

Below is an extract of an email typed by my buddy.

"but got one very interesting eg is he says this kid,.. used $43 bucks and bought a pin ball machine.
but then he cant put in arcade becuz there are other machines ard.

however he notice all the ppl at the arcade having crew cut.
So he fig there is a barber ard lar.
He made a deal with the barber to put it in his shop for 20% of his profit so tt the ppl waiting can play.

Everyday he earn $10 and gives the barber $2.

then someone come along and offer him $80 for the whole package.
but the boy laugh at him and compute his total earning possible if he keeps it for 10yrs.

assuming all other condition remains the same.
there are other parts to this story.. but too long to type lar."

I have always been a firm supporter of residual income.
Think about how you can work for yourself, not anyone else.

Bill Gates earn money when he sleeps.
What happens when you get retrenched tomorrow?

Love the job, but never the company.
Because you won't know when it will stop loving you.

Wednesday, August 2

Proud to be poor!

Though there were undeniably some dark spots in my childhood, I have always been proud of my past.

I'm proud that my family was poor. Though this may sound like a "sour grape" that my dad ain't as rich as the rest, but its true.
It taught me independence.
It taught me never to take things for granted.
It really make me appreciate the things around me.

My parents are the typically factory workers. They were too poor to continue studies, despite their good results.
Mum wanted to study medicine, but didn't have the means and ended up spending her years working for the same factory.
Dad wanted to be an architect, but ended up being an electrician and then a haulier driver for the same reason.

Life was poor but we were decently contented.
We never crave for anything extra. We purchased what we could afford and wanted nothing more. When you have low expectations, life is great.

I was given control of the keys during since primary 4, after granny went back to Malaysia. My parents were at work, so what better for a home alone boy do? No, I wasn't aware of porno or whatever then. All I wanted was to explore.

I went to see the world on my own after school hours. I had a fascination for buses. I memorised the bus guide, and was an avid collector of bus tickets. Yes, bus tickets are cheaper than toys, ok? I will make it a point to take all the different buses routes in Singapore and collect their tickets.

Buses that go to Jurong Industrial Estates were the most memorable. The place gave me the creeps. Chimneys, distillation plants etc... And the bus driver will ask me where I am going everytime I'm on the bus. And I will just say "Just want to see see look look". It was a loop bus service, so I will go one round.

Journeys to explore various interchanges were exciting. On a trip to Ghim Moh Interchange, I realised that I was lost. Time was tight, because I had skipped my tuition class (which is 2 hrs long), and had to reach home before Mum queries why I'm home so late. An elderly woman whom I had asked for directions gave me all her coins when she heard I was lost. I wanted direction, but ended up making a profit.

Thank you, old granny, wherever you are. All I know is that u live in Bedok and had come to Ghim Moh market.

And for those wondering whether I did end up taking all the different bus routes, I will say I tool abt 50% of all bus routes then. As for the remaining, I cheated by picking up bus tickets on the floor.

I am poor, but damn, I'm smart!

Tuesday, August 1

Introducing... Mr Ego - Personal Assistant

I have been reading this book entitled "Self-made millionaire" by Adam Khoo. For those who do not know him, he's a self-made millionaire (duh!) at the age of 26. Considering that he spends 2 years in National Service, you gotta agree its quite a feat!

I shall quote a little experiment from his book (hopefully this is still within copyright limits).
Spend 5 minutes to write down exactly 5 reasons as to why you are not rich.
Ok, I know you readers are probably too "smart" to actually do that, but trust me, its for ur own good. When you are done, scroll on.











Ok, so you still decide to read on, huh?
Ok, enough silly excuses as I continue Adam's interpretation.

How many of these reasons are caused by environmental?
Reasons like
(1) My parents are not rich, unlike my peers.
(2) My luck just plain sucks.

And how many are actually self-induced?
(1) I spend too much time on computer games and neglect finding opportunities.
(2) I go back too tired and has only time for TV.
(3) I do not know much abt starting a business.

The bad news is that if u blame things to environment, you are destined to be poor (unless lottery, jackpot etc...). Its because you CANNOT change what is going on around you.
The good news is that if u blame things on yourself, you can actually change it!

Spend too much time on TV => Then watch less TV.
Know nuts abt the finance => Start reading on it.

My interpretation:
Blame yourself more, and then take the chance to do some corrective action.
Blame it on others, and remain a loser!!

Adam's book is actually better than "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" in my opinion, because I can relate more to Singapore-based opportunities and mindset.

So how do you get started to change your life "for the better"?
Find out what's wrong, and set targets to change!

How often have you set targets for yourself but have not achieved it?
Here's how I do it.

Close friends know me to be an egoistic person (hopefully not too cocky). I sometimes announce to them that I will do something.
Months ago, I told my colleagues that I will run the Marathon this year (which has since being adjusted to a half-marathon). And that has inspired me to practise jogging, despite my years of sports inactivity. Its ego that is driving me forward. I have sent the email out to so many people, no way am I going to lose face.
If my fellow Malaysian, Kenny Sia can do it, so can I!!
Set stretched but realistic targets for yourself, but make sure ego takes care that you implement the actions.

Recently, I volunteered to do some presentation at some meeting with my friends(non-work related) in a week's time. Because Mr Ego tells me I can't stammer during the presentation and look totally unprepared, it forces me to prepare for the "big" presentation. No way am I gonna look stupid in front of everyone else. So I find time for myself to prepare. Time that used to be spent watching TV, idling etc...

Seeing others doing it is the easy part.
When will you go into action?
Let Mr Ego drives you to your goal!

I shall end with a memorable quote from my mum.
"Not everyone can boast. Only those with ability!"

I am made for bigger things.
So are you!

Cheers! ^_^

Facebook "Like" Button